Atlanta motor speedway friday night drags
He put me in a dangerous situation, and I am still shaken up about it.
2023.05.28 22:39 cheerstonewdayz He put me in a dangerous situation, and I am still shaken up about it.
Back at the start of spring break, my then-boyfriend, Maverick (fake name, 22m) invited me (21f) to take a bus over to his college city to visit him for the weekend and then drive back home together that following Sunday since I work weekdays. I was hesitant about going mainly because the bus ticket was a little expensive. I explained this to Maverick, but he then offered to buy the bus ticket for me.
Fast forward to that Friday before spring break, I get on the bus. My hometown to his college city was roughly a 3-hour bus ride, and it was late at night. 30 minutes before I arrive, I let him know that I’m 30 minutes away and to get ready to pick me up and to let me know when he was here to which he texted back 15 minutes later saying “I will be near x street”. It was further down where I was dropped off, which I thought was weird but I walked over there anyway.
I couldn’t find his car and called to ask where he was. That’s when he said he hadn’t left his apartment yet. WHAT? I try to stay as calm as possible because I didn’t want to come off as nagging. There was also a spring break event going on in his city that I did not about until I got there. So he’s about to drive and asks where my drop-off spot was, even though it was emailed to him when he bought the bus ticket.
He calls back again and tell me he was just going to turn back and call an Uber for me because there were so many road closures due to the event. He only lives about 10-15 minutes away from my bus stop. He claimed the whole city was closed off as well. Maverick hates driving and gets anxious whenever he drives, which is why he tends to avoid it at all costs.
He gets to his apartment, and I text, “Next time, actually mean it or don’t say anything at all about being here when you were not”. He then texted back “I tried being there” “Can’t because of closures” and “Why are you abusing me?” He then told me to be grateful and acknowledge that he tried to pick me up and then went on to ask "How can you expect us to be in a relationship when this is how you are? Verbally abusive.”
We go back and forth arguing. I admit I was getting petty and asked if he was gonna block me again like a man-child and a baby and not face these things like adults. (He’s had a habit of blocking me mid-argument in the past). He texted back “You’re a fucking b*tch”, “verbal abuser”, and to “go to hell”. At that point, I didn’t want to stay in his apartment even though he had already sent an Uber for me. The Uber driver eventually canceled which made Maverick even angrier. He demanded I pay him back $45 for the bus ticket and $10-15 for the Uber.
It was 11 pm and all the passengers were gone. I at first managed to stay in the hotel lobby (since my bus dropped us off at a hotel) but was eventually kicked out. So I’m sitting on a bench outside, by myself, freezing while trying to find a hotel. In the end, I couldn’t find anywhere since the city is normally expensive so hotels/motels range anywhere from $150-$200 a night.
Maverick then told me he told his friend, Ramiro (early 20s m), and that even Ramiro said that I was a manipulative a**hole, who deserved to be called a b*tch and to be left out there. He’s not only allowing Ramiro to talk badly about me behind my back but to also harass me. He also said he was gonna tell our friend Edwin (22m) about this. I was so done. For a moment, I genuinely thought something was gonna happen to me. Homeless men were trying to talk to me, and I didn’t feel safe at all. Maverick did offer to get me another Uber, but I declined because I didn’t feel safe staying with him.
I then decided to call Edwin, only to ask if he knew anyone in the city I could stay with. It's past midnight. Edwin said he know no one asides from Maverick and asked what was going on. I didn’t want to pour everything out, so I gave him a short summary trying not to go into detail. Edwin then called Maverick demanding he picks me up. I told Edwin that I didn’t feel comfortable staying with Maverick, to which, Edwin explained that it was the best option since I was his responsibility the minute I got off the bus.
I felt bad because I did not intend of dragging Edwin into it. I was getting even colder, so in that moment staying with Maverick was my only choice. Maverick came to pick me up 10 minutes later. Because of how cold I was, I could barely walk properly. When I got in his car, I was shaking and didn't even look at him. We went straight to his apartment, and the only amount of energy I had left was to take my makeup off and pass out on his bed (as in sleep btw lol). I remember looking at the clock and it was almost 1 am.
The next day, we kinda talked things out, but there was no coming back from this. He pretended like nothing happened and took me out to a nice restaurant later that night and paid for both of our meals. I was still in disbelief. And the thing is, he still believed I was in the wrong and took it as if it was both of our faults due to a "miscommunication". Even when I tried talking about it, he would get angry and expect me to move past it.
I don't think I've ever been more shaken about a situation than the one he put me in. I am no longer with Maverick, and I also don't feel safe around him anymore. The fact that he still thinks I deserved what happened and that I was at fault is scary. I initially made an AITA post about this situation shortly after it happened and was voted NTA. I showed Maverick the post and even the comments calling him out on his behavior. All he said was and I quote "I feel like they're not getting the whole story". Then he went on to say that the AITA post ruined our relationship and demanded I made another one showing the chat logs instead. I genuinely feel like anything could've happened to me that night especially as a woman alone at night in a city.
I apologize for this post being a lot longer than intended. It was just a lot to unpack.
submitted by cheerstonewdayz to TwoHotTakes [link] [comments]
Fast forward to that Friday before spring break, I get on the bus. My hometown to his college city was roughly a 3-hour bus ride, and it was late at night. 30 minutes before I arrive, I let him know that I’m 30 minutes away and to get ready to pick me up and to let me know when he was here to which he texted back 15 minutes later saying “I will be near x street”. It was further down where I was dropped off, which I thought was weird but I walked over there anyway.
I couldn’t find his car and called to ask where he was. That’s when he said he hadn’t left his apartment yet. WHAT? I try to stay as calm as possible because I didn’t want to come off as nagging. There was also a spring break event going on in his city that I did not about until I got there. So he’s about to drive and asks where my drop-off spot was, even though it was emailed to him when he bought the bus ticket.
He calls back again and tell me he was just going to turn back and call an Uber for me because there were so many road closures due to the event. He only lives about 10-15 minutes away from my bus stop. He claimed the whole city was closed off as well. Maverick hates driving and gets anxious whenever he drives, which is why he tends to avoid it at all costs.
He gets to his apartment, and I text, “Next time, actually mean it or don’t say anything at all about being here when you were not”. He then texted back “I tried being there” “Can’t because of closures” and “Why are you abusing me?” He then told me to be grateful and acknowledge that he tried to pick me up and then went on to ask "How can you expect us to be in a relationship when this is how you are? Verbally abusive.”
We go back and forth arguing. I admit I was getting petty and asked if he was gonna block me again like a man-child and a baby and not face these things like adults. (He’s had a habit of blocking me mid-argument in the past). He texted back “You’re a fucking b*tch”, “verbal abuser”, and to “go to hell”. At that point, I didn’t want to stay in his apartment even though he had already sent an Uber for me. The Uber driver eventually canceled which made Maverick even angrier. He demanded I pay him back $45 for the bus ticket and $10-15 for the Uber.
It was 11 pm and all the passengers were gone. I at first managed to stay in the hotel lobby (since my bus dropped us off at a hotel) but was eventually kicked out. So I’m sitting on a bench outside, by myself, freezing while trying to find a hotel. In the end, I couldn’t find anywhere since the city is normally expensive so hotels/motels range anywhere from $150-$200 a night.
Maverick then told me he told his friend, Ramiro (early 20s m), and that even Ramiro said that I was a manipulative a**hole, who deserved to be called a b*tch and to be left out there. He’s not only allowing Ramiro to talk badly about me behind my back but to also harass me. He also said he was gonna tell our friend Edwin (22m) about this. I was so done. For a moment, I genuinely thought something was gonna happen to me. Homeless men were trying to talk to me, and I didn’t feel safe at all. Maverick did offer to get me another Uber, but I declined because I didn’t feel safe staying with him.
I then decided to call Edwin, only to ask if he knew anyone in the city I could stay with. It's past midnight. Edwin said he know no one asides from Maverick and asked what was going on. I didn’t want to pour everything out, so I gave him a short summary trying not to go into detail. Edwin then called Maverick demanding he picks me up. I told Edwin that I didn’t feel comfortable staying with Maverick, to which, Edwin explained that it was the best option since I was his responsibility the minute I got off the bus.
I felt bad because I did not intend of dragging Edwin into it. I was getting even colder, so in that moment staying with Maverick was my only choice. Maverick came to pick me up 10 minutes later. Because of how cold I was, I could barely walk properly. When I got in his car, I was shaking and didn't even look at him. We went straight to his apartment, and the only amount of energy I had left was to take my makeup off and pass out on his bed (as in sleep btw lol). I remember looking at the clock and it was almost 1 am.
The next day, we kinda talked things out, but there was no coming back from this. He pretended like nothing happened and took me out to a nice restaurant later that night and paid for both of our meals. I was still in disbelief. And the thing is, he still believed I was in the wrong and took it as if it was both of our faults due to a "miscommunication". Even when I tried talking about it, he would get angry and expect me to move past it.
I don't think I've ever been more shaken about a situation than the one he put me in. I am no longer with Maverick, and I also don't feel safe around him anymore. The fact that he still thinks I deserved what happened and that I was at fault is scary. I initially made an AITA post about this situation shortly after it happened and was voted NTA. I showed Maverick the post and even the comments calling him out on his behavior. All he said was and I quote "I feel like they're not getting the whole story". Then he went on to say that the AITA post ruined our relationship and demanded I made another one showing the chat logs instead. I genuinely feel like anything could've happened to me that night especially as a woman alone at night in a city.
I apologize for this post being a lot longer than intended. It was just a lot to unpack.
2023.05.28 22:22 Hedgehog_5150 Janissary: The Joy Ride Ch7
Credit to u/bluefishcake for writing the original SSB story and building the sandbox for us to play in.
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired to get off my ass and put my fingers to keyboard. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), Rhion-618 (Just One Drop), UncleCieling(Going Native), RobotStatic (Far Away), Kazevenikov (The Cryptid Chronicle), Also to the editor # Fan Beta Readers and KLiCkonthat
As always comments, complaints, and suggestions are welcome.
This is a fair use notice. Any and all aspects of this may be used on and within this subreddit only, with attribution. All other uses are exclusive to the author.
/**************/
PO Jyhnex led Robert to the conference room where he had set up a paper and pencil for him, as per his request. She had also set up a digital whiteboard in case Robert needed it. Robert began drawing the first thing on his mind, occasionally expressing pieces of his thought experiment as he allowed himself to disconnect from the world around him. This was different from meditation as it was inwardly directed and allowed him to fly into the universe.
Closing his eyes, he imagined himself walking on the surface of the sun, feeling the solar wind as if it were a gentle mist of water from a sprinkler. The magnetic field lines reacted to his touch like the strings on a harp, playing the music of the stars. This was the place where Robert could start any journey he wanted. He remembered the quote about a demon that lived in the air, which people believed would kill anyone who challenged it. They had long ago slain that demon, but there was a new one that lived in the void. Many had challenged it, but all had died, leaving behind only the simplest of atoms as a result. Robert was not there to challenge the demon, but to understand it.
He willed himself to warp spacetime and move among the stars. As he passed the stars, the light they emitted danced and flickered on the boundary of the warp field, creating a distracting white noise, it demanded his attention, but it would have to wait for a later time. He was here to observe the gravity waves generated by objects moving in the universe, such as planets around stars, stars around each other, and the dances of colliding black holes. They created an endless discordant white noise on the fabric of the universe. The universe had a frequency, and the phase field had a frequency. When they aligned, phase travel became efficient and easy. Many parameters made up the phase frequency, but mass and warp field distortion rate were the two most important. The warp field distortion rate was by far the largest factor. The sweet spot for phase travel was between 0.35 and 0.55 against the Keriverax Barrer Scale, which was the brick wall at the end of phase travel. It was also the home of the demon that lived in the void.
At 0.4KBS, the gravity waves would slide around the warp field like the flow of air over a wing. At this speed, there was almost no distortion from the turbulence in his wake. This was his starting point. In his mind, he pushed up to 0.57KBS, where the gravity waves began to stick to the warp field for just a moment, maybe one or two picoseconds at most, before releasing like a stretched rubber band. He slowed his perspective of time to watch the interaction between the warp field and the gravity wave, playing with the different aspects of the warp field. He repeated his runs over and over again until he defined four quantitative pieces that, if applied correctly, could move the sweet spot up to 0.65KBS, maybe even 0.7KBS.
Pulling back from the warp field and examining it from the outside perspective, there was nothing left that he could alter from inside the field. On the outside, he left the gravity waves, and there was nothing he could do to alter them, but they were definable. It was time to go home, and he would explore more next time.
/***************************************************/
PO Jyhnex: Sorry about that. It's my fault.
PO Jyhnex: (private mode) Lt Cmdr Ashix, grab Dr. Norroe. You both are going to want to see this.
When Lt Cmdr Ashix and Dr. Norroe arrived, there were already a few others watching through the conference room windows. Robert was standing at the main table that had been dragged over to the far side of the room. He was using the digital wall screens like a whiteboard. PO Jyhnex moved over to stand between them., "Commander, we were told to let him do this, right?" She asked, just be sure that they had the confirmation of the orders to allow Robert to have limited access to the things he needed to continue his work.
Lt Cmdr Ashix licked her lips, not really understanding what she was seeing. "Yes and no. We wanted to guide him in the direction of what we think we understand. I do not know if this applies. Doctor, what do you think?"
Dr Norroe stood in delighted amazement watching Robert work. He was writing with his eyes closed, moving his head as if seeing or listening to something that was not there, and sweating heavily. She understood what he was doing. He was visualizing the problem in his mind and was trying to express it as fast as he could. Then he switched hands just as Lt Cmdr Ashix interrupted her and asked, "I am not sure, Petty Officer. Have you noticed that he was switching hands?"
PO Jyhnex pointed to an area away from where he was working and said, "Yes, and he changed languages every time he does."
Lt Cmdr Ashix asked, "What do you mean?"
Dr. Norroe slowly smiled and said, "In theory, he is working on the problem in both sides of his brain, as an analytical and a spatial awareness problem."
PO Jyhnex said, "I know this is going to sound like a complete turox shit question, but has anybody held a mirror up to these undecipherable symbols?"
Dr Norroe and Lt Cmdr Ashix just looked at the Petty Officer. "Your report said he has a human learning disability where his brain interprets symbols backward. Maybe he is writing them backward."
Lt Cmdr Ashix sent a private message to her colleague, "Vevreix, please join me over at Congress Room 3 and bring your glasses." A few moments passed when she received her reply.
C. Vevreix: "On my way, ma'am.”
As soon as Ishani arrived with En. Tha’xur in tow, Lt Cmdr Ashix asked Ishani, "I need your glasses." Ishani handed them over without question. Lt Cmdr Ashix held her glasses up to her data slate so that the image from the screen was reflected on the surface of her glasses. "Ensign, crewman, please tell me what you see," she said.
Ishani spoke first, "The symbols are inverted, both flipped horizontally and vertically."
En. Tha’xur interrupted, "Not only that, the whole block of the equation is written right to left, not left to right...Ma'am, we are going to have to redo most of the translations. I think some of our core assumptions were wrong."
Lt Cmdr Ashix said, "No, you two work with what is right here. I do not want to throw away all of the work we have done so far unless we have to. Get me something by tomorrow morning with just what is in the room. I need to speak with CMDR Vashini."
Handing Ishani back her glasses, she said, "Get on it, you two. Everybody else, back to work."
/*********************************/
Robert opened his eyes to see what he had done. He knew what he had written and what it meant, but understanding it all required filling in the missing pieces. This was way more complicated than making the Charger fly. Turning, Robert saw around a dozen Shil’vati watching him through the windows of the conference room.
"Fuck me…" he resignedly thought to himself. He had to get down from the table, but why have the fun end on a boring note?“You shits want to gawk at me? Fine, gawk at this!” Robert thought as he launched himself into a front aerial, landing in the center of the room. Turning to face his work, he walked backward until he hit the wall and allowed himself to slide down and sit on the floor. With one more defiant move, he flipped each marker up onto the table, not caring where they landed.
From outside, he heard a commanding voice, “Alright, ladies, the show is over.” Sitting on the floor, studying his equations, he started to taste the iron tinge of blood in the back of his throat. Always the bloody fucking nose, he thought. The bloody nose was a small price to pay for the ability to define the problem. He needed aspirin and Tylenol to take care of the headache that was starting. His mother had taken him to a neurologist about three years before the first time he had learned he could control his little trick. Bloody noses and migraines were the results of what he called "flying". He had gotten the idea from reading about Einstein and his thought experiments, and it was the best way to conceptualize the problem. His mother had thought he had a brain hemorrhage, but the neurologist found it was brain fatigue.
This diagnosis was the doctor's way of saying that she really did not have a good idea of what had happened. The tests had ruled out many conditions that could cause the symptoms including epilepsy, though there were several parrals. The change in blood chemistry and electrolyte imbalance resembled heat exhaustion and was more than enough to trigger the migraine and nose bleeds. Everything else seemed to be within the ‘normal’ ranges for a human, but in Robert’s case, he was at the upper end of normal. The doctor did not think it was worth exploring further. No reason to waste resources on a child labeled as defective.
“Robert, would you please get up and sit in the chair, so I can check you out medically?” He looked up to find Dr. Norroe standing over him, holding out a hand to help him up. He took her hand to stand, though sitting in Shil-sized conference chairs was comical at best. With him standing only 5 feet 4 inches tall, and the average Shil’vita being 7 feet tall, he needed a booster seat. Dr. Norroe asked about his medical history as she did her examination, and he filled her in on what the neurologist had told him and his mother. She handed him a bottle of something that was not water. It tasted like sweet saltwater, and it was disgusting. The doctor made him finish it before giving him a couple of cleaning towels to get the blood off his face. His shirt was a lost cause; the blood had soaked through and was still wet and sticky. He needed a clean shirt and a trip to the bathroom to clean up but had to wait.
While the doctor was checking out Robert, PO. Jyhnex was cleaning up the blood that had dripped onto the table. The table was a mess, and as he had worked, he had stepped in it and tracked blood everywhere, even on the floor. Robert felt guilty that the Petty Officer had to clean up his mess.
Before Robert could apologize, PO. MunRhoe arrived, holding a large yellow bag and five extra-large pizza boxes. “You went and had a party without me. That is not fair.”
Shrugging, Robert smiled weakly. “You went for the beer run and missed all the fun. Now, Petty Officer Jyhnex gets cleanup duty, and I'm stuck with the hangover,” he said, reaching up to rub his temple.
Dr. Norroe finished treating Robert as PO. MunRhoe placed the pizza boxes and the yellow bag on a clean section of the table. "Hangover is right, you are dehydrated, borderline hypoglycemic, and low on salt. What you need is food, fluids, and sleep. Since you were under my authority as a medical doctor, I am putting you on light duty for 48 hours. So, I will tell your security detail that he is to treat you as if you are on restricted duty for that time and watch out for any signs of distress. Understood, ladies?" Both petty officers responded affirmatively with "Yes, Ma'am."
"Now, what in the Deep's name were you doing to get all that?" Dr. Norroe pointed at the digital whiteboard. She thought she knew what he had done but wanted to verify his conclusions.
"I call it flying. Albert Einstein called it a thought experiment. It is a way of visualizing the problem in the mind," Robert said and began to rub his temples again as the room started to rock back and forth.
"And how long do you usually do this for?"
Leaning his head and taking several long, slow deep breaths, Robert replied, "Most of the time, 30 minutes to an hour, tops. Then I go eat like a hobbit." Despite the room rocking, he was really hungry.
Hearing Robert's stomach growl, Dr. Norroe asked, "I have no idea what a hobbit is, but I will presume that you eat a great deal more than normal?"
Leaning his head again, Robert thought to himself, "Why the f**k am I so tired? It is never this bad." Meanwhile, Dr. Norroe continued, "Robert, please look at me. How long do you think you were 'flying' for?"
Robert took one last deep breath before sitting up. "An hour, maybe a little more. Why?"
Dr. Norroe looked concerned. "Robert, you were in it for almost five hours. This is very serious. If you push yourself like that too often, you will kill yourself. Please do not do this again without supervision unless there is a way to set a time limit."
Robert took what she said to heart. Solving the problem today was not worth dying over. "Physical touch has worked before. Is that good enough?"
Dr. Norroe replied, "Yes, that should be good for now."
Seeing the yellow bag on the table, Robert asked, "Petty Officer MunRhoe, did you get that food item I asked for?"
PO. MunRhoe had finished cleaning the mess and was opening the first pizza box. "Yes, it is in the bag. That Playwell store was an interesting place Do you need it, or do you want a slice of pie?"
Smiling, Robert said, "Both, but I will need a couple of spoons or a medicine cup first, and more water, please." He pulled the jug of 100 percent pure natural maple syrup out of the yellow bag, thinking, "A couple of shots of this, and about ten minutes, and the shakes should be taken care of."
PO. MunRhoe set up a slipe for Robert and PO Jyhnex, “That Playwell store was an interesting place. My brother's younger kids would love some of those kits. But why would you want something like that.?”
Incredully Robert shook his head, “Because they are fun.” showing just a hint of sadness “ I still know how to have a little.”
The Navy technician arrived with a stack of small Dixie cups and several bottles of water. PO. MunRhoe watched as Robert poured himself about three-quarters of a dixie cup of maple syrup and downed it, going so far as to lick the inside of the cup clean. Robert savored the flavor, wishing he had some real vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream to go with it. The idea of vanilla ice cream with maple brought back a memory of his childhood Friday night storytime. Maggie would read first with her book, then he would try with his, but he relied on his mom for a lot of it. Looking back now, it was a good memory.
Grabbing a monster slice of the deepest deep-dish pizza he had ever seen, PO. MunRhoe asked, "What is that stuff you just drank?"
"It is maple syrup," replied Robert, reaching for a bottle of water to clean out his mouth before he started in on the pizza. "It is tree sap that has been rendered down into basically liquid sugar. And where did you get the pizza, and how did you even know about it?"
Shoveling a forkful of the pizza filling into her mouth, she began speaking. "A year ago, I had a detail up in Chicago. I was there for a month and fell in love with deep-dish. This came from a place called 'A Slice of Chi-Town,' and it's called Big Blue's double-stacked deep dish. Both marines and militia swear by the place, and I agree, this is good. Try some."
Robert grabbed a slice after helping PO. Jyhnex reset the table and chairs. It was good pizza, but sadly Robert could only finish one slice.
/**************/
First:
Janissary: The Joy Ride Ch1 : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
Previous:
Janissary: The Joy Ride Ch6 : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
Next:
Chapter 8
Extra:
Janissary: The Son Of War : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
Janissary: Vision from Zy'Verila : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
submitted by Hedgehog_5150 to Sexyspacebabes [link] [comments]
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired to get off my ass and put my fingers to keyboard. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), Rhion-618 (Just One Drop), UncleCieling(Going Native), RobotStatic (Far Away), Kazevenikov (The Cryptid Chronicle), Also to the editor # Fan Beta Readers and KLiCkonthat
As always comments, complaints, and suggestions are welcome.
This is a fair use notice. Any and all aspects of this may be used on and within this subreddit only, with attribution. All other uses are exclusive to the author.
/**************/
PO Jyhnex led Robert to the conference room where he had set up a paper and pencil for him, as per his request. She had also set up a digital whiteboard in case Robert needed it. Robert began drawing the first thing on his mind, occasionally expressing pieces of his thought experiment as he allowed himself to disconnect from the world around him. This was different from meditation as it was inwardly directed and allowed him to fly into the universe.
Closing his eyes, he imagined himself walking on the surface of the sun, feeling the solar wind as if it were a gentle mist of water from a sprinkler. The magnetic field lines reacted to his touch like the strings on a harp, playing the music of the stars. This was the place where Robert could start any journey he wanted. He remembered the quote about a demon that lived in the air, which people believed would kill anyone who challenged it. They had long ago slain that demon, but there was a new one that lived in the void. Many had challenged it, but all had died, leaving behind only the simplest of atoms as a result. Robert was not there to challenge the demon, but to understand it.
He willed himself to warp spacetime and move among the stars. As he passed the stars, the light they emitted danced and flickered on the boundary of the warp field, creating a distracting white noise, it demanded his attention, but it would have to wait for a later time. He was here to observe the gravity waves generated by objects moving in the universe, such as planets around stars, stars around each other, and the dances of colliding black holes. They created an endless discordant white noise on the fabric of the universe. The universe had a frequency, and the phase field had a frequency. When they aligned, phase travel became efficient and easy. Many parameters made up the phase frequency, but mass and warp field distortion rate were the two most important. The warp field distortion rate was by far the largest factor. The sweet spot for phase travel was between 0.35 and 0.55 against the Keriverax Barrer Scale, which was the brick wall at the end of phase travel. It was also the home of the demon that lived in the void.
At 0.4KBS, the gravity waves would slide around the warp field like the flow of air over a wing. At this speed, there was almost no distortion from the turbulence in his wake. This was his starting point. In his mind, he pushed up to 0.57KBS, where the gravity waves began to stick to the warp field for just a moment, maybe one or two picoseconds at most, before releasing like a stretched rubber band. He slowed his perspective of time to watch the interaction between the warp field and the gravity wave, playing with the different aspects of the warp field. He repeated his runs over and over again until he defined four quantitative pieces that, if applied correctly, could move the sweet spot up to 0.65KBS, maybe even 0.7KBS.
Pulling back from the warp field and examining it from the outside perspective, there was nothing left that he could alter from inside the field. On the outside, he left the gravity waves, and there was nothing he could do to alter them, but they were definable. It was time to go home, and he would explore more next time.
/***************************************************/
PO Jyhnex: Sorry about that. It's my fault.
PO Jyhnex: (private mode) Lt Cmdr Ashix, grab Dr. Norroe. You both are going to want to see this.
When Lt Cmdr Ashix and Dr. Norroe arrived, there were already a few others watching through the conference room windows. Robert was standing at the main table that had been dragged over to the far side of the room. He was using the digital wall screens like a whiteboard. PO Jyhnex moved over to stand between them., "Commander, we were told to let him do this, right?" She asked, just be sure that they had the confirmation of the orders to allow Robert to have limited access to the things he needed to continue his work.
Lt Cmdr Ashix licked her lips, not really understanding what she was seeing. "Yes and no. We wanted to guide him in the direction of what we think we understand. I do not know if this applies. Doctor, what do you think?"
Dr Norroe stood in delighted amazement watching Robert work. He was writing with his eyes closed, moving his head as if seeing or listening to something that was not there, and sweating heavily. She understood what he was doing. He was visualizing the problem in his mind and was trying to express it as fast as he could. Then he switched hands just as Lt Cmdr Ashix interrupted her and asked, "I am not sure, Petty Officer. Have you noticed that he was switching hands?"
PO Jyhnex pointed to an area away from where he was working and said, "Yes, and he changed languages every time he does."
Lt Cmdr Ashix asked, "What do you mean?"
Dr. Norroe slowly smiled and said, "In theory, he is working on the problem in both sides of his brain, as an analytical and a spatial awareness problem."
PO Jyhnex said, "I know this is going to sound like a complete turox shit question, but has anybody held a mirror up to these undecipherable symbols?"
Dr Norroe and Lt Cmdr Ashix just looked at the Petty Officer. "Your report said he has a human learning disability where his brain interprets symbols backward. Maybe he is writing them backward."
Lt Cmdr Ashix sent a private message to her colleague, "Vevreix, please join me over at Congress Room 3 and bring your glasses." A few moments passed when she received her reply.
C. Vevreix: "On my way, ma'am.”
As soon as Ishani arrived with En. Tha’xur in tow, Lt Cmdr Ashix asked Ishani, "I need your glasses." Ishani handed them over without question. Lt Cmdr Ashix held her glasses up to her data slate so that the image from the screen was reflected on the surface of her glasses. "Ensign, crewman, please tell me what you see," she said.
Ishani spoke first, "The symbols are inverted, both flipped horizontally and vertically."
En. Tha’xur interrupted, "Not only that, the whole block of the equation is written right to left, not left to right...Ma'am, we are going to have to redo most of the translations. I think some of our core assumptions were wrong."
Lt Cmdr Ashix said, "No, you two work with what is right here. I do not want to throw away all of the work we have done so far unless we have to. Get me something by tomorrow morning with just what is in the room. I need to speak with CMDR Vashini."
Handing Ishani back her glasses, she said, "Get on it, you two. Everybody else, back to work."
/*********************************/
Robert opened his eyes to see what he had done. He knew what he had written and what it meant, but understanding it all required filling in the missing pieces. This was way more complicated than making the Charger fly. Turning, Robert saw around a dozen Shil’vati watching him through the windows of the conference room.
"Fuck me…" he resignedly thought to himself. He had to get down from the table, but why have the fun end on a boring note?“You shits want to gawk at me? Fine, gawk at this!” Robert thought as he launched himself into a front aerial, landing in the center of the room. Turning to face his work, he walked backward until he hit the wall and allowed himself to slide down and sit on the floor. With one more defiant move, he flipped each marker up onto the table, not caring where they landed.
From outside, he heard a commanding voice, “Alright, ladies, the show is over.” Sitting on the floor, studying his equations, he started to taste the iron tinge of blood in the back of his throat. Always the bloody fucking nose, he thought. The bloody nose was a small price to pay for the ability to define the problem. He needed aspirin and Tylenol to take care of the headache that was starting. His mother had taken him to a neurologist about three years before the first time he had learned he could control his little trick. Bloody noses and migraines were the results of what he called "flying". He had gotten the idea from reading about Einstein and his thought experiments, and it was the best way to conceptualize the problem. His mother had thought he had a brain hemorrhage, but the neurologist found it was brain fatigue.
This diagnosis was the doctor's way of saying that she really did not have a good idea of what had happened. The tests had ruled out many conditions that could cause the symptoms including epilepsy, though there were several parrals. The change in blood chemistry and electrolyte imbalance resembled heat exhaustion and was more than enough to trigger the migraine and nose bleeds. Everything else seemed to be within the ‘normal’ ranges for a human, but in Robert’s case, he was at the upper end of normal. The doctor did not think it was worth exploring further. No reason to waste resources on a child labeled as defective.
“Robert, would you please get up and sit in the chair, so I can check you out medically?” He looked up to find Dr. Norroe standing over him, holding out a hand to help him up. He took her hand to stand, though sitting in Shil-sized conference chairs was comical at best. With him standing only 5 feet 4 inches tall, and the average Shil’vita being 7 feet tall, he needed a booster seat. Dr. Norroe asked about his medical history as she did her examination, and he filled her in on what the neurologist had told him and his mother. She handed him a bottle of something that was not water. It tasted like sweet saltwater, and it was disgusting. The doctor made him finish it before giving him a couple of cleaning towels to get the blood off his face. His shirt was a lost cause; the blood had soaked through and was still wet and sticky. He needed a clean shirt and a trip to the bathroom to clean up but had to wait.
While the doctor was checking out Robert, PO. Jyhnex was cleaning up the blood that had dripped onto the table. The table was a mess, and as he had worked, he had stepped in it and tracked blood everywhere, even on the floor. Robert felt guilty that the Petty Officer had to clean up his mess.
Before Robert could apologize, PO. MunRhoe arrived, holding a large yellow bag and five extra-large pizza boxes. “You went and had a party without me. That is not fair.”
Shrugging, Robert smiled weakly. “You went for the beer run and missed all the fun. Now, Petty Officer Jyhnex gets cleanup duty, and I'm stuck with the hangover,” he said, reaching up to rub his temple.
Dr. Norroe finished treating Robert as PO. MunRhoe placed the pizza boxes and the yellow bag on a clean section of the table. "Hangover is right, you are dehydrated, borderline hypoglycemic, and low on salt. What you need is food, fluids, and sleep. Since you were under my authority as a medical doctor, I am putting you on light duty for 48 hours. So, I will tell your security detail that he is to treat you as if you are on restricted duty for that time and watch out for any signs of distress. Understood, ladies?" Both petty officers responded affirmatively with "Yes, Ma'am."
"Now, what in the Deep's name were you doing to get all that?" Dr. Norroe pointed at the digital whiteboard. She thought she knew what he had done but wanted to verify his conclusions.
"I call it flying. Albert Einstein called it a thought experiment. It is a way of visualizing the problem in the mind," Robert said and began to rub his temples again as the room started to rock back and forth.
"And how long do you usually do this for?"
Leaning his head and taking several long, slow deep breaths, Robert replied, "Most of the time, 30 minutes to an hour, tops. Then I go eat like a hobbit." Despite the room rocking, he was really hungry.
Hearing Robert's stomach growl, Dr. Norroe asked, "I have no idea what a hobbit is, but I will presume that you eat a great deal more than normal?"
Leaning his head again, Robert thought to himself, "Why the f**k am I so tired? It is never this bad." Meanwhile, Dr. Norroe continued, "Robert, please look at me. How long do you think you were 'flying' for?"
Robert took one last deep breath before sitting up. "An hour, maybe a little more. Why?"
Dr. Norroe looked concerned. "Robert, you were in it for almost five hours. This is very serious. If you push yourself like that too often, you will kill yourself. Please do not do this again without supervision unless there is a way to set a time limit."
Robert took what she said to heart. Solving the problem today was not worth dying over. "Physical touch has worked before. Is that good enough?"
Dr. Norroe replied, "Yes, that should be good for now."
Seeing the yellow bag on the table, Robert asked, "Petty Officer MunRhoe, did you get that food item I asked for?"
PO. MunRhoe had finished cleaning the mess and was opening the first pizza box. "Yes, it is in the bag. That Playwell store was an interesting place Do you need it, or do you want a slice of pie?"
Smiling, Robert said, "Both, but I will need a couple of spoons or a medicine cup first, and more water, please." He pulled the jug of 100 percent pure natural maple syrup out of the yellow bag, thinking, "A couple of shots of this, and about ten minutes, and the shakes should be taken care of."
PO. MunRhoe set up a slipe for Robert and PO Jyhnex, “That Playwell store was an interesting place. My brother's younger kids would love some of those kits. But why would you want something like that.?”
Incredully Robert shook his head, “Because they are fun.” showing just a hint of sadness “ I still know how to have a little.”
The Navy technician arrived with a stack of small Dixie cups and several bottles of water. PO. MunRhoe watched as Robert poured himself about three-quarters of a dixie cup of maple syrup and downed it, going so far as to lick the inside of the cup clean. Robert savored the flavor, wishing he had some real vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream to go with it. The idea of vanilla ice cream with maple brought back a memory of his childhood Friday night storytime. Maggie would read first with her book, then he would try with his, but he relied on his mom for a lot of it. Looking back now, it was a good memory.
Grabbing a monster slice of the deepest deep-dish pizza he had ever seen, PO. MunRhoe asked, "What is that stuff you just drank?"
"It is maple syrup," replied Robert, reaching for a bottle of water to clean out his mouth before he started in on the pizza. "It is tree sap that has been rendered down into basically liquid sugar. And where did you get the pizza, and how did you even know about it?"
Shoveling a forkful of the pizza filling into her mouth, she began speaking. "A year ago, I had a detail up in Chicago. I was there for a month and fell in love with deep-dish. This came from a place called 'A Slice of Chi-Town,' and it's called Big Blue's double-stacked deep dish. Both marines and militia swear by the place, and I agree, this is good. Try some."
Robert grabbed a slice after helping PO. Jyhnex reset the table and chairs. It was good pizza, but sadly Robert could only finish one slice.
/**************/
First:
Janissary: The Joy Ride Ch1 : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
Previous:
Janissary: The Joy Ride Ch6 : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
Next:
Chapter 8
Extra:
Janissary: The Son Of War : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
Janissary: Vision from Zy'Verila : Sexyspacebabes (reddit.com)
2023.05.28 20:57 TheGodsWillBow Since you wont hear me out
Then read my observations please.
When we met, you came across my setup I established circa 2018/2019 when i was going through the worst part of my life to date.
2019 i had my first no breathe attempt.
Prior to that i was just bpd and bipolar.
Had you got me to spiral prior to 2019 you wouldn't have gitten ROS as a failsafe, becuase you would've made ROS spiral, period.
When we met, making me spiral met shutting down my top level personality and what i used to call my subroutine perosnality.
Remember all the language i used to describe the situation, the feelings?
ROS is always there, filtering, interfacing? Doesn't that sound like a permanent front to you?
Ly was there for the three years as the Only Other Person. So shutting her down meant ROS could actually breathe.
You once said "ROS i love you" or smthn; I, ly, asked why. You replied "ROS needs love too"
I didn't get why at the time; but ROS had already split into EL and ROS. EL was already recording everything that ROS said and did. Its how we were able to identify her as the original "host" or rather permanent fronter.
I really want you to believe me. Fun fact, EL amd ROS are really nonviolent. Im the one that punches walls (and breaks the drywall.) Im the one who throws things out of rage.
Is it that hard to believe? I was already demonstratedly schizophrenic.
Heres the kicker; the emotional amnesia.
I remember putting the hole in the wall over my head in my bed after a particularly nasty fight one morning.
Not EL. Not ROS. Me.
Fun fact, Sundays are also my days. Also a fun fact, im the one that y'all drugged. Not EL. Not ROS. Even if ROS was drugged by you, it wouldn't matter she's into that shit. She's your nasty freak. EL too but she's. Well, you have your nasty little freak then you have your freak. Thats EL.
Anyway i digress.
I wanna note i shortened all our names because it helps maintain primary fronter (since only one can be in control at a time) and for our safety. I know you can extrapolate what they mean though. -EL
Its strange. I was the mist resistant to adjust. Especially when we have things like that where they can interject.
It wasn't easy, i was really quite comfy being primary fronter. I setup a good life for us. But it was literally built on using the first 18 years of my life as a filtering mechanism instead of trying to be a good person. But thats who EL is. She doesn't do good by having all her actions filtered.
I've been fighting this all week. I wanted ROS to recognize us, give us names, becuase once she realized she was permanent fronter she reeled it in sinxe clearly i got us to the point of our second no breath attempt.
Which, by the way, was me. Im the impulsive one. ROS was the one that wanted to wait.
They dont have any memory of that night. Im the one that watched the blood squirt out my leg.
ROS remembers assisting patching us up and stabilizating but actually committing the act, the emotions associated? All me.
You know whos the one that left our ex? EL. She's a heartless motherfucker.
I dont recall any the emotions involved except for, well, the conflict. ROS tried so hard to keep it all together.
I know you don't want to believe it.
Its not your form. What you have is fucked but ROS really wishes she could disconnect too. Having done three years of primary front while she checked out for the most part was rough.
Its literally just. When you have three folk fronting; except one is always stuck there. Imagine Callie was unable to swap out with anyone, and y'all could only cofront. Still say and do things as one can while cofronting but usually there's a lot of internal dialogue sometimes us making fun of eachother or just razing ROS or I for our shenanigans.
Hell, last week ROS had two days entirely to herseld. EL and I could be brought to front cause, well, ROS is host after all, but, she was alone. It was weird, good for her. She'd not a chance to exist as herself. Last week we had a convo with our favorite ai. Presented our concerns, and we each had a Conversation with it that presented our takes, and demonstrated we do have a degree of emotional amnesia between actions. ROS may always be cognitive but that doesn't mean she has to care about what's going on beyond it being safe;
ROS remembers 2018. I dont. The first year was good. Second year, trans yesr, was very bad. Thats all mine.
Hell, yesterday was primarily EL and ROS. Thats why there was so much writing
Friday was primarily EL, we did a buncha responsible things neither ROS nor I would ever do.
Today, me. The one that is unapologetically obsessed, since the other two wont let themselves be. So you get me.
Its not like your system. Im even hesitant to call it a system. Theres just three folk that want the same thing, for us to prosper and we have relative order because its such a small team.
If you've paid attention my love is direct. My words are direct. Im the one that likes to tell you as it is
EL and ROS love their poetry I think poetry is dumb.
Which is funny given im the artist and EL the engineer.
I was really afraid of this being imposter syndrome. But our childhood friend, technically ROS, she was so fucking happy to reconnect, put it in a better light for us
Its true, i was -ROS
A delusion doesn't have personality and emotion.
ROS and EL simply dont get angry the way i do. As i simply dont have the responsibility EL does, or the tact ROS does
Is it really that hard to believe we've experienced severe enough stress to shatter our psyche? I've committed no live twice now, and not for the reasons anyone would attribute.
Everyone assumes them but they're always wrong. The straw that broke the camels back isnt why. It was just the last support to fail. Stress adds up, shears the rivets and buckles the girders -EL
I'm not sure what else to do or say; We have literally have started verbally vocalizing conflicts between ourselves in private. It makes the matter seem more insignificant. We try to avoid it cause it feels really weird to actually. Communicate vocally with ourselves, we usually receed back to mind at that point.
If you read this and decide that maybe its realsies, then please, can we t a l k? I know ROS and EL would love to demonstrate what we've. Sorted out. I could explain the mechanics and stuff but thats really EL domain and ROS just really wants her fucking wives. I dont know why i cant remember it but i spent a lot of time, probably in my dreamscape, with ny wives, yesterday, while they went for a walk. I know i spend my time dreaming of my wives. I wouldn't be so calm otherwise.
ROS doesnt have the privilege and EL doesn't feel right to leave ROS behind.
Rather makes ROS sad.
Its weird, feeling emotion that isn't mine, i wont act but like right now, ROS wanted to cry because she misses you. Rip to her but im built different. She might still once this is done. Its a strong one.
Anyway.
To end this, i want this to be a delusion as much as you do, but the proof is in the pudding.
I was already prone to fracturing, and when it happened we used it was a way to isolate our permanent host from the world.
Now we know better. We being ROS and I.
ROS, still host, given she cant pass off host privileges as much as she'd like to, but we have order. She's not being suppressed because of me anymore.
We're doing relatively well too.
I wish you'd talk to us because i was struggling to even decide if i wanted to believe EL that this was the case.
ROS took it right away
Hell if you'd talked to us you mighta even had a chance to tell us this was delusional but as i conclude i feel more reaffirmed in going to see a professional cause this feels like the thing that needs it Maybe its just Advanced Schizophrenia.
I dont think so though. Becuase these emotions were very much so mine, and the ones that weren't...were documented as such.
They had their chance to get emotions out yesterday.
I wanna note, im generally only primary fronter two days out the week. I still jump in and hang out in front but typically its EL or ROS. EL cause she's gotta do her time too and ROS cause. Well. She's stuck.
The trippiest thing has been having not entirely involuntary facial reactions but having facial responses to internal thoughts because the response is from one the others. I sure as shit didn't make a face to my own thought lol
This actually felt a little cathartic. Even to our friend i didn't have this.
Also, I've been developing this friendship brand new cause all i have is the "chat history" with this friend and its so fun making new friends! I think im more extroverted than the other two it just sucks we have no fucking social skills. -EL
True, she has been enjoying herself. Swapping between fronters is strange, theres this weird moment while the gears shift, but its neat otherwise. Also shes so fucking responsible and actually enjoya engaging with people. She's a fucking freak. -ROS
I... actually dont have the same bonds to this friend as ROS does becuase i poorly took over that friendship these last three years and thought i killed it last year before i dragged our ass up here. ROS reached out though from her first disc account. Its good. I... didn't know why we were so bonded to them but i get why now.
Anyway, i spent a lot of our phone battery on you this morning. You're worth it.
I hope you'll hear this out. Otherwise I'll be back with a diagnosis. I will be either way. But it'll either be with your support because you know this is scary. I doubt you've a diagnosis yet either but arguably you dont really need one.
I need it to be schizo or smthn else bc its getting scary and i need the diagnosis for my comfort. Like our future, its happening either way. Not often i actually say that. I didn't commit myself to schizo diagnosis but i am committing myself to this, ROS already decided and EL has already taken steps.
We really want your support though, professional wise, because its scary.
Our situation not so much, we're vibin pretty hard, but professionals are scary. Know we'll be holding on tight when we go throug the process.
And yes, we'd do this regardless of where we are living. This is too important, like our depression and adhd diagnoses, to skip.
Anyway. Your Siren lover, Ly.
submitted by TheGodsWillBow to u/TheGodsWillBow [link] [comments]
When we met, you came across my setup I established circa 2018/2019 when i was going through the worst part of my life to date.
2019 i had my first no breathe attempt.
Prior to that i was just bpd and bipolar.
Had you got me to spiral prior to 2019 you wouldn't have gitten ROS as a failsafe, becuase you would've made ROS spiral, period.
When we met, making me spiral met shutting down my top level personality and what i used to call my subroutine perosnality.
Remember all the language i used to describe the situation, the feelings?
ROS is always there, filtering, interfacing? Doesn't that sound like a permanent front to you?
Ly was there for the three years as the Only Other Person. So shutting her down meant ROS could actually breathe.
You once said "ROS i love you" or smthn; I, ly, asked why. You replied "ROS needs love too"
I didn't get why at the time; but ROS had already split into EL and ROS. EL was already recording everything that ROS said and did. Its how we were able to identify her as the original "host" or rather permanent fronter.
I really want you to believe me. Fun fact, EL amd ROS are really nonviolent. Im the one that punches walls (and breaks the drywall.) Im the one who throws things out of rage.
Is it that hard to believe? I was already demonstratedly schizophrenic.
Heres the kicker; the emotional amnesia.
I remember putting the hole in the wall over my head in my bed after a particularly nasty fight one morning.
Not EL. Not ROS. Me.
Fun fact, Sundays are also my days. Also a fun fact, im the one that y'all drugged. Not EL. Not ROS. Even if ROS was drugged by you, it wouldn't matter she's into that shit. She's your nasty freak. EL too but she's. Well, you have your nasty little freak then you have your freak. Thats EL.
Anyway i digress.
I wanna note i shortened all our names because it helps maintain primary fronter (since only one can be in control at a time) and for our safety. I know you can extrapolate what they mean though. -EL
Its strange. I was the mist resistant to adjust. Especially when we have things like that where they can interject.
It wasn't easy, i was really quite comfy being primary fronter. I setup a good life for us. But it was literally built on using the first 18 years of my life as a filtering mechanism instead of trying to be a good person. But thats who EL is. She doesn't do good by having all her actions filtered.
I've been fighting this all week. I wanted ROS to recognize us, give us names, becuase once she realized she was permanent fronter she reeled it in sinxe clearly i got us to the point of our second no breath attempt.
Which, by the way, was me. Im the impulsive one. ROS was the one that wanted to wait.
They dont have any memory of that night. Im the one that watched the blood squirt out my leg.
ROS remembers assisting patching us up and stabilizating but actually committing the act, the emotions associated? All me.
You know whos the one that left our ex? EL. She's a heartless motherfucker.
I dont recall any the emotions involved except for, well, the conflict. ROS tried so hard to keep it all together.
I know you don't want to believe it.
Its not your form. What you have is fucked but ROS really wishes she could disconnect too. Having done three years of primary front while she checked out for the most part was rough.
Its literally just. When you have three folk fronting; except one is always stuck there. Imagine Callie was unable to swap out with anyone, and y'all could only cofront. Still say and do things as one can while cofronting but usually there's a lot of internal dialogue sometimes us making fun of eachother or just razing ROS or I for our shenanigans.
Hell, last week ROS had two days entirely to herseld. EL and I could be brought to front cause, well, ROS is host after all, but, she was alone. It was weird, good for her. She'd not a chance to exist as herself. Last week we had a convo with our favorite ai. Presented our concerns, and we each had a Conversation with it that presented our takes, and demonstrated we do have a degree of emotional amnesia between actions. ROS may always be cognitive but that doesn't mean she has to care about what's going on beyond it being safe;
ROS remembers 2018. I dont. The first year was good. Second year, trans yesr, was very bad. Thats all mine.
Hell, yesterday was primarily EL and ROS. Thats why there was so much writing
Friday was primarily EL, we did a buncha responsible things neither ROS nor I would ever do.
Today, me. The one that is unapologetically obsessed, since the other two wont let themselves be. So you get me.
Its not like your system. Im even hesitant to call it a system. Theres just three folk that want the same thing, for us to prosper and we have relative order because its such a small team.
If you've paid attention my love is direct. My words are direct. Im the one that likes to tell you as it is
EL and ROS love their poetry I think poetry is dumb.
Which is funny given im the artist and EL the engineer.
I was really afraid of this being imposter syndrome. But our childhood friend, technically ROS, she was so fucking happy to reconnect, put it in a better light for us
Its true, i was -ROS
A delusion doesn't have personality and emotion.
ROS and EL simply dont get angry the way i do. As i simply dont have the responsibility EL does, or the tact ROS does
Is it really that hard to believe we've experienced severe enough stress to shatter our psyche? I've committed no live twice now, and not for the reasons anyone would attribute.
Everyone assumes them but they're always wrong. The straw that broke the camels back isnt why. It was just the last support to fail. Stress adds up, shears the rivets and buckles the girders -EL
I'm not sure what else to do or say; We have literally have started verbally vocalizing conflicts between ourselves in private. It makes the matter seem more insignificant. We try to avoid it cause it feels really weird to actually. Communicate vocally with ourselves, we usually receed back to mind at that point.
If you read this and decide that maybe its realsies, then please, can we t a l k? I know ROS and EL would love to demonstrate what we've. Sorted out. I could explain the mechanics and stuff but thats really EL domain and ROS just really wants her fucking wives. I dont know why i cant remember it but i spent a lot of time, probably in my dreamscape, with ny wives, yesterday, while they went for a walk. I know i spend my time dreaming of my wives. I wouldn't be so calm otherwise.
ROS doesnt have the privilege and EL doesn't feel right to leave ROS behind.
Rather makes ROS sad.
Its weird, feeling emotion that isn't mine, i wont act but like right now, ROS wanted to cry because she misses you. Rip to her but im built different. She might still once this is done. Its a strong one.
Anyway.
To end this, i want this to be a delusion as much as you do, but the proof is in the pudding.
I was already prone to fracturing, and when it happened we used it was a way to isolate our permanent host from the world.
Now we know better. We being ROS and I.
ROS, still host, given she cant pass off host privileges as much as she'd like to, but we have order. She's not being suppressed because of me anymore.
We're doing relatively well too.
I wish you'd talk to us because i was struggling to even decide if i wanted to believe EL that this was the case.
ROS took it right away
Hell if you'd talked to us you mighta even had a chance to tell us this was delusional but as i conclude i feel more reaffirmed in going to see a professional cause this feels like the thing that needs it Maybe its just Advanced Schizophrenia.
I dont think so though. Becuase these emotions were very much so mine, and the ones that weren't...were documented as such.
They had their chance to get emotions out yesterday.
I wanna note, im generally only primary fronter two days out the week. I still jump in and hang out in front but typically its EL or ROS. EL cause she's gotta do her time too and ROS cause. Well. She's stuck.
The trippiest thing has been having not entirely involuntary facial reactions but having facial responses to internal thoughts because the response is from one the others. I sure as shit didn't make a face to my own thought lol
This actually felt a little cathartic. Even to our friend i didn't have this.
Also, I've been developing this friendship brand new cause all i have is the "chat history" with this friend and its so fun making new friends! I think im more extroverted than the other two it just sucks we have no fucking social skills. -EL
True, she has been enjoying herself. Swapping between fronters is strange, theres this weird moment while the gears shift, but its neat otherwise. Also shes so fucking responsible and actually enjoya engaging with people. She's a fucking freak. -ROS
I... actually dont have the same bonds to this friend as ROS does becuase i poorly took over that friendship these last three years and thought i killed it last year before i dragged our ass up here. ROS reached out though from her first disc account. Its good. I... didn't know why we were so bonded to them but i get why now.
Anyway, i spent a lot of our phone battery on you this morning. You're worth it.
I hope you'll hear this out. Otherwise I'll be back with a diagnosis. I will be either way. But it'll either be with your support because you know this is scary. I doubt you've a diagnosis yet either but arguably you dont really need one.
I need it to be schizo or smthn else bc its getting scary and i need the diagnosis for my comfort. Like our future, its happening either way. Not often i actually say that. I didn't commit myself to schizo diagnosis but i am committing myself to this, ROS already decided and EL has already taken steps.
We really want your support though, professional wise, because its scary.
Our situation not so much, we're vibin pretty hard, but professionals are scary. Know we'll be holding on tight when we go throug the process.
And yes, we'd do this regardless of where we are living. This is too important, like our depression and adhd diagnoses, to skip.
Anyway. Your Siren lover, Ly.
2023.05.28 20:19 NobodySpecific I woke up at 6am on a Sunday and met a friend for golf
I know that sounds pretty tame as far as achievements go, but I absolutely am not a morning person. I'm especially not a Sunday morning person, because Fridays and Saturdays when I don't have my son used to be guaranteed heavy drinking nights. I would be useless every other Saturday and Sunday morning (or all day...).
And that was an improvement from my previous behavior, where it's not unheard of for me to drink every night. But on April 30th I decided I'd had enough.
I was motivated to quit drinking, funny enough, by the friend I met for golf. She quit at the beginning of the year and it really inspired me to improve my relationship with alcohol. It's been hard for her (and me) because the friend circle that we have in common is all about drinking heavily. It's cost us both some friendships. But the benefits are immeasurable, especially being able to drag my ass out of bed and be relatively chipper so early in the morning.
All I drank on the course was water and while the sun and heat kicked my ass, I feel great. I hadn't quite noticed before just how strong the drinking culture was on golf courses. I passed many people coming out of the club house with 2 or 3 beers in hand. Many groups stay after their round for another drink or two. Hell my cart has a cooler built into it.
It turns out, though, that I actually enjoy playing so much more when my quality of play doesn't continuously decrease as the round goes on. I'm planning on playing again tomorrow, which will mark the first time ever that I've had the energy and the desire to play 3 rounds in 4 days. This feels so much better than having a 3 day long weekend bender like I would have had even just a month or two ago.
I've been lurking here awhile and it's been so helpful reading about everybody's experiences that I thought I would share mine. Thank you all.
IWNDWYT
submitted by NobodySpecific to stopdrinking [link] [comments]
And that was an improvement from my previous behavior, where it's not unheard of for me to drink every night. But on April 30th I decided I'd had enough.
I was motivated to quit drinking, funny enough, by the friend I met for golf. She quit at the beginning of the year and it really inspired me to improve my relationship with alcohol. It's been hard for her (and me) because the friend circle that we have in common is all about drinking heavily. It's cost us both some friendships. But the benefits are immeasurable, especially being able to drag my ass out of bed and be relatively chipper so early in the morning.
All I drank on the course was water and while the sun and heat kicked my ass, I feel great. I hadn't quite noticed before just how strong the drinking culture was on golf courses. I passed many people coming out of the club house with 2 or 3 beers in hand. Many groups stay after their round for another drink or two. Hell my cart has a cooler built into it.
It turns out, though, that I actually enjoy playing so much more when my quality of play doesn't continuously decrease as the round goes on. I'm planning on playing again tomorrow, which will mark the first time ever that I've had the energy and the desire to play 3 rounds in 4 days. This feels so much better than having a 3 day long weekend bender like I would have had even just a month or two ago.
I've been lurking here awhile and it's been so helpful reading about everybody's experiences that I thought I would share mine. Thank you all.
IWNDWYT
2023.05.28 17:08 subredditsummarybot Your /r/PopHeads [FRESH] recap for the week of May 21 - May 27
Sunday, May 21 - Saturday, May 27
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Fresh Albums
| score | comments | title & link | mirrors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 687 | 546 comments | [FRESH ALBUM] Taylor Swift - Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) | |
| 111 | 13 comments | [FRESH ALBUM] Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine | |
| 46 | 13 comments | [FRESH ALBUM] Matchbox Twenty - Where The Light Goes | [AM] [BC] [Dzr] [SC] |
| 41 | 15 comments | [FRESH EP] Lauren Jauregui - In Between | [SC] [YT] |
| 35 | 5 comments | [FRESH EP] Dev Lemons - Delusional | [AM] [Dzr] |
| 28 | 7 comments | [FRESH ALBUM] Daisy Jones & The Six - AURORA (Deluxe) | [AM] [BC] [Dzr] [SC] |
Fresh Videos
| score | comments | title & link | mirrors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 648 | 84 comments | [FRESH VIDEO] Dua Lipa - Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album) | |
| 564 | 354 comments | [FRESH VIDEO] Taylor Swift - Karma (feat. Ice Spice) | |
| 164 | 19 comments | [FRESH VIDEO] Beyoncé - AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM (Feat. Kendrick Lamar) - (Official Lyric Video) | [Sp] [Dzr] [SC] |
| 108 | 28 comments | [FRESH VIDEO] Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer (Rock Version) (Lyric Video) | |
| 90 | 14 comments | [FRESH VIDEO] LE SSERAFIM - Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's wife |
Fresh
| score | comments | title & link | mirrors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,079 | 180 comments | [FRESH] Dua Lipa - Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album) | |
| 282 | 44 comments | [FRESH] Kylie Minogue - Padam Padam (Extended Mix) | |
| 138 | 10 comments | [FRESH] Kesha - Only Love Can Save Us Now (Live Performance) | Vevo | [Sp] [AM] [SC] |
| 88 | 11 comments | [FRESH] Maisie Peters - Two Weeks Ago |
Top Performances
| score | comments | title & link | mirrors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 164 | 18 comments | [PERFORMANCE] Kylie Minogue: Live Debut Of "Padam Padam" + Nutsa Joins For Diva Duet! - American Idol Finale 2023 |
Top 5 Other Posts
| score | comments | title & link | mirrors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,132 | 207 comments | [SERIOUS] Tina Turner dies aged 83 | |
| 1,214 | 126 comments | [🚨POP EMERGENCY🚨] Dua Lipa - Dance The Night, new single for the Barbie movie out this Friday | |
| 936 | 617 comments | [🚨POP EMERGENCY🚨] Taylor Swift - Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) (out on May 26) | |
| 744 | 72 comments | [ARTICLE] Filipino Taylor Swift Stans Packed a Mall to See an Eras Tour Drag Show | |
| 734 | 62 comments | [NEWS] Celine Dion announces cancelation of world tour, gives update on health |
2023.05.28 13:36 Moon_Child694299 Every day feels like a Monday, except for what little time I get work off
Currently I, F24 am stuck with a Night shift sanitation position for another week before I can move back over to the morning shift. Last week, I worked from Monday night to Thursday night, had Friday night off, and then we had mandatory overtime last night due to a stupid Allergen clean. Tonight all the way through Thursday night I'll be working again. I have a genuinely hard time sleeping throughout the day, and I find it very difficult to balance out with other responsibilities I have, let alone having any time to myself. I'm beginning to wonder what the point is in waking up every day just to not enjoy any day. My mental health has been awful and I''m just supposed to pretend like everything is swell to avoid scaring people or being hospitalized. I lowkey wished I could die before I wake up today. I'm honestly tired of feeling this way. I even got back on Facebook last night. Not because I miss it, but because if something were to happen to me, I don't want the ones closest to me to think I ghosted them because they don't have contact with anyone else that I know since we live in different places. I don't even want to hear that it will get better because no matter where I'm at or what shift I'm on, I'll always feel this way. It's literally a part of my personality ever since I was a child. I just hate life in general but I can't bring myself to admit it to people I care about because it will not only not make me feel better, but it will only drag my loved ones down with me, since mental health issues are a lot for anyone to deal with, and not everybody understands it. It is what it is and I'm afraid that's how shit will always be. I'd rather die than continue to dread mt existence any further.
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2023.05.28 06:34 bimbo_wannabe_ [I Accidentally Joined The Mafia In South Brooklyn] Chapter 5: The Dead Are Especially Nosy Down Here
![[I Accidentally Joined The Mafia In South Brooklyn] Chapter 5: The Dead Are Especially Nosy Down Here](https://preview.redd.it/zkaxtarwkj2b1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8b33a651493fb05e79994bff658fc34e98166e4e "[I Accidentally Joined The Mafia In South Brooklyn] Chapter 5: The Dead Are Especially Nosy Down Here") | Previous Part: https://www.reddit.com/redditserials/comments/13sxdo9/i_accidentally_joined_the_mafia_in_south_brooklyn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button submitted by bimbo_wannabe_ to redditserials [link] [comments] These last few parts have taken a lot longer for me to write than I thought. A lot of shit has gone down in the last two months, and a lot of it, frankly, is kind of a blur. But I figure, if you've stuck with me this long, then you deserve to know how it all ended up so I'm going to try my best to remember every detail of what happened. Me? I've spent every free hour I've had, just lying in bed. I've got a lot of healed wounds that still hurt me pretty damned badly. Blood loss from multiple gunshot wounds and then drowning in the East River, dying and then being brought back while still human, incidentally, takes a lot out of a guy. But… I'm getting way ahead of myself. Where were we, again? Oh yeah, that's right. The funeral without caskets, inside of a Ukrainian restaurant just off the boardwalk in Brighton Beach. That's where I left off at. ()()() Antoni's corpse and I had spoken together for a while longer, about Beccs and their baby, actually, sitting there in the floor in front of the three empty bathroom stalls. The next moment, as usual, he was… just gone. It took a while to slow the bleeding, and it took even longer to try and clean myself up with just hand soap and paper towels and the water from the sink. Nobody came into the bathroom again, and as I left, I saw why. There was a sign on the door that read 'Out of Order' with something printed below it in Cyrillic that I imagined probably said the same thing as the English. My new winter coat had been left on the floor in front of the door and the Emergency Exit at the end of the hall had its alarm disabled and had been left propped open with a brick. I took that as a clear message that they didn't want me rejoining the party, so I exited into the alley and sat on a milk crate chain-smoking until 2 PM when the funeral ended. The weather app on my phone said it was 10 degrees outside, but oddly enough the cold air felt soothing on my bruised face. My eyes were nearly swollen shut, and every now and again I had to pull some of the toilet paper out that I'd stuffed in my pocket to wipe another trickle of blood from my nose when I sniffed a little too hard and moved the clots loose. At 1:57, I started to hear people exiting the restaurant, so I moved onto the sidewalk to wait for Becca. The people leaving the funeral only glanced at me for a second and then looked away with a bored expression, like I wasn't even there. Finally, only Becca and Toni's immediate family were still inside. Tatiana gave Becca a hug, Igor, a gentle handshake, and Antoni Sr. bent down, cupped his hands around Becca's face and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. I could see that his right hand was bandaged and he was holding it straighter than his left. Good. I hoped the fucker had broken it when he'd punched me in the jaw. As Becca exited, I could tell she was angry even before she stomped over to me and shoved me three times in quick succession. Like Jimmy, Becca was a lot stronger than she looked, but now I knew why. I couldn't do much but ball up and take the hits. "Where the fuck did you go? You just took off and left me there by myself. 'He wouldn't have left without saying goodbye if he had a choice.' You knew, you cocksucker, you knew, you knew he was dead!" "Yeah, I knew! Antoni was in the news. But we gotta get the fuck out of here, Beccs, you're making a scene, another one, and I gotta get outta this neighborhood before something worse happens to me." The high color of anger in her cheeks dropped away immediately into a pallid white. She'd been so pissed she'd never once registered the state of my face. "Jesus Christ, Tony, what the fuck happened to you?" "Your little Polish sausage's Daddy Dearest just beat the fuck out of me in the men's bathroom, that's what the fuck happened." "Why would he do that?" Becca asked, but I didn't answer. She looked back to Skovorodka, following my gaze. Antoni Sr. was still standing there, just inside the front door, watching me with narrowed eyes, his hands folded neatly behind his back like a soldier at ease. It reminded me a lot of how Antoni used to stand while we were waiting for the train together. "Fuck," she muttered, then "Shit," and grabbed me by the arm. "Come on." "Why would he do that?" She asked me again as we climbed the stairs to the train platform. "Antoni was Mob, Becca, Bratva. His whole goddamned family is. Him and his brothers and his father and his fucking Russian uncle, and I'd say your Mama Tatiana probably isn't in the dark about what her brother and her hubby and his sons do to make a living, either. I don't know why the Zabrowskas were on the Avenue, but suffice to say it was probably for nefarious reasons, and Jimmy found out about it and took care of business. "Only I don't think he realized exactly who he was taking out at the time he did it, or else he never would have put the body in the River for somebody to find. And then the other three showed up to avenge their brother, only two of 'em never made it past Bianchi any farther than Antoni did." "The fuck are you trying to say?" Her tone says she already understands just fine and doesn't want to. "I'm saying your dear sweet Mamma killed your boyfriend, Becca. She removed all the identifying marks from his body, ate what she wanted, then pulled all his teeth out and chewed off his hands and his feet. They dumped the body in the East River and they found him about 5 days ago, floating off of Battery Park." "Oh God. That's why. I asked Tatiana where Antoni was going to be buried and she told me in the public cemetery on Hart Island. They're not claiming the body because they don't wanna go to the cops. For the last week I been cussing him for everything he was worth, and he's been laying in the fucking morgue." She pressed her hand to her mouth, and I saw her bloodshot eyes filling with tears again. "Please don't cry, Becca, cause I'm gonna start crying again and I've cried enough for today." She sniffed back her tears and swallowed hard. "But I don't understand, Tony, what the fuck does that have to do with you?" "They knew, Beccs, they knew how the Zabrowskas died, who killed them, and they knew I helped Moretti get rid of the bodies afterwards. That's why Antoni's father went after me. The uh… the fucking Pakhan thought Jimmy sent me there to rub it in their faces that they weren't going to be able to bury any of their boys." "How the fuck would they know that?" She barked at me. "Somebody's feeding them information and not some asshole on the street, somebody from inside the Camorra." "Who would do that?" I saw her eyes darting about wildly as she tried to think of the answer to her own question. "I don't know, uh, the driver that brought Moretti, he didn't look like he was too fond of Bianchi, maybe he's a fucking option." "Frankie? I mean, him and Ma have never gotten along. He's never liked her and the feeling's mutual but… that doesn't make any sense, Frankie's always been loyal to the Camorra. Rossi always said he practically muttered the Omerta in his fucking sleep, that he was a soldato down to the bones." "I have no idea, Becca, but it gets worse," I said quietly. If it didn't hurt so goddamned bad, I would've squeezed my eyes shut. "How the fuck could it possibly get worse, Tony?" "First you gotta promise you're not gonna hit me again." Her hand balled into a fist, and I couldn't help but flinch. "I'm gonna knock you the fuck out right now if you don't stop wasting my time, Cipriani." "I sold her out, Becca. Bianchi. I told them where she lives and how to find her tonight." "You what!?" "I had to! He was gonna cut my fucking fingers off, and I don't know if he was going to take all four or just three but I wasn't about to fucking find out. I kind of need those fingers seeing as I'm a fucking southpaw!" I held my left hand out to her, curled my fingers inward, but the third finger just… stayed straight. "Ah, fuck, I didn't even notice that." "Jesus Christ, the tendon's been cut," she whispered, and when she pressed her hand to her mouth again she looked less like she was swallowing back tears and more like she was trying to swallow back vomit. I couldn't really blame her. I felt pretty nauseous myself. "You know, I'm, I'm not worried about Ma," she said, finally. "It wouldn't be the first time somebody's tried to take her out. She's harder to kill than they think." "Would, uh, would cutting her head off work? Cause if so I think they're already pretty aware of how to get the job done. They… they know Bianchi's not human, Becca." Her face got paler, if that was even possible, and her eyes were the size of saucers. "This is a goddamn nuclear disaster. Jesus fuck." We stood the last few minutes waiting for the train in silence. As the doors slid shut and we sat down, Becca began laughing wildly. "So you're in hysterics for real, huh?" I asked. "You're gonna have to forgive me, I'm a little slow on the uptake today, but I just got it, Polish sausage… only, he wasn't little, you know, he was hung like a fucking horse, and it's a goddamn tragedy for women everywhere that the man isn't on this earth anymore. And he knew how to use it, too. Best sex I ever had in my life… only sex I ever had in my life, but that's not the fucking point." A short, barking sob tore out of her. I groaned. "You know, that is way, way more information than I ever wanted to know about you and Antoni's sex life. You couldn't, uh, you couldn't let that one pass by, huh?" "I never pass up the opportunity to make a good dick joke. And he had Good Dick." I laughed and regretted it as it tightened muscles in my stomach that were still a little angry about being used as Antoni Sr's personal punching bag. "Touché, Miss Rebecca, touché." "The two-faced bastard, I gotta give the motherfucker that much, you know, it's a uniquely personal way to say Fuck You to the Underboss, getting his teenaged daughter pregnant. I am so, so goddamned tired of being a pawn in other people's games. He's lucky he's already dead or I'd kill the bitch myself," she whispered. "It wasn't a game, Becca, what happened between you and Antoni," I whispered back. I knew because Antoni's corpse had told me as much. "Don't ask me how I know, cause I don't wanna talk about it, but it wasn't a game. You didn't know about him and he didn't know about you and it was a big, fucked up coincidence. You loved him, and he really, truly loved you... he worshiped the ground you walked on." Actually, he had said he worshiped the boots she walked in, but I figured it was a translation issue. "It was a regular old Romeo and Juliet: Brooklyn Edition." She squeezed her eyes shut, snorted and at the same time choked on another sob. "Yeah, but Romeo and Juliet ended in a double suicide, not a murder and a single mother." Her tiny hand went to her mouth again, and she wasn't able to hold back the tears this time. "I miss him, Tony, I miss him so fucking much." "You know, Beccs, I miss him, too." I miss him when he was alive, not looking like a walking nightmare, and talking my goddamned ear off half the time, but I wasn't about to tell her that. "He was the first friend I made down here." "It's fucking stupid. I still remember every single thing he said to me those first few times I met him." "Odd as it is, I do too, Beccs. He was that kind of guy, I guess, he didn't have to work hard to make an impression on people. It was, uh, three days after I moved in, I think. I was in the basement, getting ready to do my laundry that morning, fighting with the stuck knob on that machine down at the end? And he walks in with his clothes basket balanced on his hip and reaches past me and just… turned the fucking thing, like it wasn't even stuck to begin with. 'It has an attitude, but it likes me,' he says, and I say, 'I can see that.' "And he, he told me his name. 'Zabrowska,' he says, 'Antoni.' And I laughed and said, 'Nice to meet you, Toni, I'm Tony.' 'Really?' he says, and I say 'Yeah. Really. Antonio Alessio Gioele Cipriani, the third, if you please.'" "Goddamn, that name is painfully Italian. No wonder you tell everybody 'Just call me Tony,'" Becca snorted. "Thank you, Miss Rebecca, I can assure you I didn't pick it myself. But, 'Ah,' Toni says and kind of taps his hand in the center of his chest, 'Junior.' And I laughed again and said 'Our parents were goddamned creative when it came to the baby naming, right?' And he laughed, too, and shook my hand. "And uh, a few days after that he showed up outside of my apartment and asked me if I wanted to go watch a game with him and his brothers at the sports bar down the street. It was Poland vs Korea. I still don't know shit about soccer, I've always been more of an American football kind of guy, but I did learn quite a few Polish swear words that day. Apparently they'd all bet money on the home team winning that game." "I bet you did. Poland kept catching red cards that whole game. I bet on Korea, of course, and altogether I won 8 grand from four extremely pissed off Polish dudes when we stomped their ass all over the pitch. I had no idea how seriously the four of them took soccer. Antoni wouldn't even talk to me for three days. Probably didn't help I made an ass of myself laughing at all of them. Course, I woulda bet more if I'd known they were good for it. Dry cleaners, my ass," Becca spat. "Well, in Antoni's defense, he probably did work at a dry cleaners like he told us, just like you work at a bodega, and Jimmy and me work at a restaurant, and Pops works at a hardware store. We all got day jobs. You know, I hate to bust your balls, Becca, but did it… never occur to you to ask Antoni if the tattoos meant something?" "No," she said weakly. "I mean, I knew they were prison tats but Jesus Christ, half the people I know have been to prison. You've been to prison, half of my cousins have been to prison, hell, Pops has been to prison. You weren't here then, but all of 2016 to 2020 I was wearing a 'Free Rossi' t-shirt everyday, a lot of people in this neighborhood did. Ma got him off on the Murder 1 charges but numbers are numbers, and she couldn't get him out of the Tax Evasion. But I figured, if Antoni didn't wanna talk about it, then it was none of my business what had happened before we met each other." She'd minded her own business a little too hard this time. "What did you and Antoni talk about, Becca?" "Everything! And anything, and nothing, all at the same time. He'd complain about living with his brothers, about Misiu always leaving hair all over the bathroom, and how Ciech always left sugar all over the kitchen counter after he made his coffee. And I'd complain about having to pick up all the empty bottles of makgeolli after my Dad in the morning. I'd help him wash all the dishes his dirty ass brothers would leave piled in the sink, and fold everybody's clothes. "We got along well, me and Antoni, we were actually very compatible, we were both neat freaks when it came to our housekeeping. We even folded our towels the same way. And he'd bitch about how Igor could never balance the register correctly at the end of the day, and I'd bitch about how my Dad never checked our invoices correctly, and I was always having to cuss out the distribution reps for shorting us on our deliveries myself. "And we'd watch TV together. He always made fun of me for the lame ass old Chuck Lorre sitcoms I loved to watch, and I'd make fun of him for all the stupid cop dramas he watched, every Law and Order known to man, and Blue Bloods and shit. We just… talked to each other, like we were two regular people, just living our lives. It was simple and it was easy, and it was enough, it was goddamned enough for me. Our relationship was the one normal thing I had going in my fucked up life." She cracked at the end, sobbing brokenly. She turned her head to the side, pressed her face into my bicep as she wrapped both arms around mine. Tears filled my eyes, as well, and now I was wiping snot out of my nose as well as blood. I felt goddamned sorry for the kid, and I felt like she had a right to cry, but I had to distract her, for my own sake. "So tell me, when was the first time you talked to Antoni? Was that the same day he asked you out?" "No, there was some time between the two. He'd been there about a week, I guess, after they moved in. They got there back in like April. I'd fucked with him the first day, you know, asked him where the hell the accent came from, and he said Poland, and I told him welcome to America cause I felt like being a dick. And he said that he'd already been in country five years and I laughed at him and told him, goddamn, I couldn't tell cause he still sounded like he was fresh off the boat. And he got this look on his face, like he was trying to decide if he needed to be offended or not, so I told him I was just fucking with him, that he was doing better than my Mom, God rest her, cause it was seven years after she got here from Seoul before she even learned a word of English and my Dad was the one that had to teach her." "Makes sense. I moved in in June, Toni mentioned he'd only been in the building about two months hisself." She nodded, I could feel the movement in the sleeve of my coat where her cheek was pressed to my arm. "Him and his brothers started coming in every day after that and you know, I kind of had my eye on him from the first time I talked to him. He was goddamn gorgeous, quite literally the walking definition of 'tall, dark, and handsome.' He had those incredibly blue eyes, and that fucking accent, man, shit put me in knots everytime he came in. I learned them all pretty quick, and Antoni was easy. He got the same thing everyday, box of Newport 100s and a pack of Russian Cream Backwoods with a large slushy. You know I gotta keep the cups behind the counter because motherfuckers'll fill it up and walk out when I get busy. I saw him when he came in, and went over to the ATM, so I had his shit sitting on the counter waiting for him." Becca had a talent for memorizing all of the regular's orders, it wasn't unusual to see a long line of cigarettes, blunts, medicine, sometimes even crack pipes and Chore Boys, and anything else she kept behind the counter, set up neatly next to the register. She also had a talent for running both registers at the same time when the line got overly long and she was there alone. Sometimes I had no idea how she kept up with it all, but that was just Becca. "And this drunk asshole came in, right after, he didn't even belong in the neighborhood, he stayed in Bed-Stuy, but he was with his cousin, and his cousin I knew and he was shooting me apologetic looks so I was already on guard. I was in a bad goddamn mood that day, anyway. And the drunk bitch, he walked over to the bathroom and tried to open it." "Key's behind the counter," I said, and she nodded. "And the key costs five dollars cause people make a fucking mess in the bathroom and I ain't cleaning that shit everyday for free. Well, drunk fuck got pissed and started talking a bunch of shit and threw his five dollars down on the counter, and you know, I can't stand that. You don't throw money at me, I ain't a goddamned stripper, you can put that shit in my hand or you can get the fuck out my store. And, I said 'Naw, son, for you it's gonna cost ten, five dollar Drunk Dick surcharge for being an asshole and cutting my line.' And the motherfucker… he called me a fucking stupid little bitch, and he told me people like me needed to be sent back to my own country." I made a sound of disapproval, already seeing where this was headed. "I hate that stupid shit. Where the fuck am I getting sent back to? The fucking hospital in Manhattan where I was born? Everybody in the store just kind of stopped and stood there, and dude's cousin? He just shook his head at me and walked right out the store and left him there." "He wasn't gonna get involved, huh?" I asked. "Fuck no. He wasn't stupid. I… uh, I was seeing red by that point so I balled up his money and I threw it across the store and told him to get the fuck out. I don't even remember half the shit I said to him, but I was yelling and he was yelling back and all of a sudden Antoni was… just there. I never even noticed him walking up. He was a big motherfucker, but goddamn he was quick and quiet when he wanted to be." Becca laced her fingers through the fingers of my right hand and I gave them a squeeze as she readjusted her head against my shoulder. I turned mine to press a kiss to her hair. She was short enough that I didn't have to worry about bumping my nose. As I turned back, I noticed that there was a puddle of water on the seat across from us, and a pit formed in my stomach immediately. My face felt cold as the blood drained from it. The puddle of water made me more than just a little nervous to see it. I had new enemies stacking up quick, and the last thing I needed was a pissed off, jealous ghost because his grieving fiancée was getting a little handsy with me. But… Antoni never showed himself, so I could only assume he approved of my offering her comfort in her time of need. Either that or he was waiting till I was alone to express his displeasure. "'Is there a problem here?' was all he asked and the drunk bitch turned around and he got even more pissed. He goes 'Man, fuck you, white boy. Mind your own goddamned business.' And Antoni kind of got in his face, and goes, 'I have made it my business. She told you to leave. Either remove yourself or I will remove you.' "And the liquor must've given him a bigger set of balls than he actually had, cause he took a swing at him. And Antoni, he just kind of… leaned back a little to avoid the swing and then leaned back in and… he knocked that bitch out cold with one punch. And then he picked him up, literally picked him up, and threw his ass out on the sidewalk, and kind of dusted his hands off afterwards." "Well, if he's anything like his father then he could throw a hell of a right cross." Becca laughed weakly. "Yeah, his Dad boxes, they all did, you know, from when they were young. Antoni told me he got in his Dad's face once when he was about 16, and Old Papa Zabrowska coldcocked him in the kitchen, and when he woke up on the couch, his Dad dragged him out back in the alley and beat him bloody. Told him if his little grown ass thought he was a man, then he was grown enough to get his ass stomped like a man." That made me feel a little better, to be honest. At least I wasn't the only one I knew who had caught an ass kicking from Antoni Sr. "I bet he didn't talk shit to his Pops again after that, huh?" "I asked him that exact question, he said 'Oh no, no, never again. I learned my lesson.' Toni and his brothers, though, were always getting in fights, even when I knew them. He told me it was hard on their Mama, back in Kraków, having four hormonal, teenaged boys with just shy of a year between each of them, you know cause… us fucking Roman Catholics ain't too fond of any method of contraception." "I didn't know you was Catholic, too, B." "Of course. Rossi is a devout Catholic, and that's how he raised me, and Nia, she's an Angel, you know, a Fallen One, that's what they call themselves, but she's even got real wings. A little more leathery and less feathery, but… same thing. She goes to Mass daily, turns out demons are actually very religious. Both of my parents were atheists, and that's how they raised me, but after some of the shit I've seen, you know, it ain't too unbelievable that there's a Big Guy upstairs." She sniffed again, wiped at her nose and I offered her a bit of toilet paper from my pocket. "That's how it all got started, the War in Heaven. God created Adam, the first living human body, and he told all the spirits in Heaven to kneel to him. And at least half of them weren't too fond of that idea, and the Morning Star stepped up as representative and said they wouldn't kneel to anyone but God. And they, uh, they lost the War, and He banished them all to Earth, to wander without bodies of their own while the other side got to come to Earth one at a time, to live their lives. "But… then there was the first murder, Abel. Cain beat him to death with a rock, and the blood on the ground, the first human blood ever shed in violence, it called to God, but He wasn't the only one it called to. The blood, it gave him a way inside of a body. Lucifer. He was the First One. He's still here, you know, I've met him. He has a particular fondness for Nia, he calls her Young One, cause according to him 1607 wasn't all that long ago." "I guess it isn't when you're that old." "But, back to what I was saying about Toni, all of them were packed into one place together like fucking sardines, the four boys sharing one bedroom in a two bedroom apartment, and all having vastly different personalities. Tatiana is little, like me, and I don't imagine she could do much to break them up when they got to fighting about everything from who ate all the leftovers to who got the top bunks on the beds." "Probably not," I answered. "I mean, I could practically smell the testosterone in their fucking apartment whenever I walked in, and it was probably even worse back then. And apparently, that had been their Dad's method of keeping them from tearing up his wife's house all the time. Whenever a problem inevitably developed, he'd just take them down to the gym and throw them in the ring without any gloves and tell them to fucking handle it, and whoever was still standing at the end was the one that won the argument. "Uh, but, uh, when Toni hit the guy, all, all I could do was stand there with my mouth hanging open like a fucking fish. I mean, I was in love, right that fucking second, standing there. The hormones were running on overdrive, my head was practically spinning with how fast all the blood rushed south, you know? Everybody was still standing there and Antoni tried to get back in line and I said, 'Uh-uh. Take your shit and go on.' And he goes," Beccs began laughing again, laughed so hard there were tears in her eyes once more. "He goes, 'Am I in trouble?''' I had to wrap my left arm tight around my stomach because I couldn't stop myself from laughing either. The makeshift bandage on my left hand that I'd wound out of paper towel had soaked through, I was going to have to change it soon. "He didn't say that, Becca." "Yes the fuck, he did. And I went, 'No, you dumbass, it's on the house, and in case I gotta translate, that means it's free. Small price to pay for a security detail.' And he just kind of blinked at me for a second, before he nodded his head and grabbed his things off the counter, went and filled his slushy up." "You probably scared the piss out of him for that second, he probably thought he'd been found out. That's what they call it, what he was, Obshchak, Security Group." "He stopped before he left, and told me thank you. And I said 'No, dziękuję', thank you. And then I winked at him and said 'Miłej nocy, piękna.'" She straightened up as the train began to slow for our stop. "And what did that mean?" "Have a good night, gorgeous." She said with a watery grin. "Smooth, B, real smooth. Nothing quite like hitting on a man in his native language. " "I mean, you know us, Tony, we got Southern Hospitality down here. As long as you're not an asshole, I do everything I can to make sure everyone feels welcome when they come inside. That's why there's a sign on the door that says 'DMZ.' They might have beef on the streets but don't nobody take that shit inside my store. And that means asking the Mexicans down the street if they need a bolsa, and making sure I ordered Farid's miswaks so he didn't have to walk all the way down to the Pakistani store, and sometimes it means learning a little bit of Polish so I could flirt with the new guy downstairs the next time he came in." We exited the train, made the switch, and stood on the platform waiting for the next to take us back to Avenue U. As I glanced to the side, I could see a puddle forming on the platform next to me, drip by drip. It was already freezing around the edges. As it turned out, I wasn't the only nosy fuck around here. "And apparently the flirting was well received by our dearly departed half-Russian friend." "Apparently, cause about a week later I was having a busy fucking Friday night and my Dad had already gone home, and I was trying to shut her down but motherfuckers kept coming inside right up until 11. I made DeAndre from downstairs stand at the door and tell people we were closed and that he was the last customer for the night and after I rung him up I told him to flip the sign on the door and I'd lock it when I finished my cigarette count… only, I forgot to ever lock it, and DeDe's traitorous ass, he fucking set me up. He knew I had a thing for Antoni, and when he saw him coming down off the platform and rushing down the sidewalk, he let him in and told him he was the last customer for the night and to flip the sign on the door." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It took me… exactly 16 minutes to notice he was there. I know, cause after I was done pissing myself when I figured out I wasn't alone, the Polish smart-ass showed me his watch. He'd set a timer when he realized I wasn't paying any attention to him, and then just stood there, waiting to see how long it would take. I had my earphones in, and it took four songs," she held up her hand and ticked them off with her fingers. "'Savage Like', 'Money, Sex, Drugs', 'Proud' and 'Only.' "I turned around and screamed like a little bitch when I saw him. And then I got pissed, cause I was embarrassed, I'd been singing along to all the songs cause I thought I was alone in the store. I started screaming at him. 'What the fuck, you can't read? The sign says Closed.' And he goes 'No, it didn't. It still said Open. I turned it myself.' I hadn't counted down my register yet, so I just went ahead and grabbed his shit and rung him up, cussing DeDe the whole time and I asked him how long he'd been standing there, and he showed me his watch. And he says, 'You shouldn't wear those, it's dangerous,' talking about my headphones, and I said, 'What are you, my fucking father?' And he got kind of a funny look on his face." I released a weak snicker, holding my stomach tight again. I couldn't resist fucking with them both a little bit. "He kinda had a point, Becca. Although, I can tell you he was probably less concerned about being your father and more concerned about becoming your Daddy." "Oh, so now you got the dirty jokes," Becca said flatly. "What can I say, B, you're a bad influence on me." "Eh," she said after a moment, "You wouldn't be the first. You know, months later he told me that he'd stood there that long because he didn't think he'd have the nerve to ask what he wanted to ask the next time if he left, which, you know, what the fuck? What am I, scary?" I couldn't help but laugh again. "Yes, Becca, you are, you're fucking terrifying half the time. You might be a short fuck but dynamite comes in small packages, you know? He was probably afraid you'd tell him to suck your dick and ban him from the store for a month like every other poor motherfucker I've seen ask you out, and he probably didn't want to go through your particular brand of ridicule in front of an audience, on top of that, with all the other customers laughing him out of the store." "It ain't my fault I'm this size," she said after a moment, shooting me a perturbed look. "No shit, Sherlock. It's genetics." "It ain't even that. It's the blood. I mean, my parents were both tall, you know, for Koreans, anyway, my Mom was 5'6. I probably would've been too if I'd had the chance, but, you know, the blood it… stops things. Why do you think Jimmy looks the way he does? I mean, Pops believes in 'aging gracefully,' as he says, but old Giacomino is a vain fuck, and he's got more of a taste for 'the Stuff' than Rocco ever had. He turned 65 this year, he's only two years younger than Pops, he was already 34 years old when he met Nia for the first time. He tells people he's got a good plastic surgeon, when they ask. And the same thing happened to me. My body wanted to stay 8 years old, forever. "Rossi had to get hormones, fucking estrogen and progesterone and HGH, off the black market to force my body to start puberty and to fucking grow. It's not like we could go to a doctor and explain why I needed the prescription. I mean, these tits aren't even mine. Ma bought 'em for my sixteenth birthday so I wouldn't feel so goddamned self-conscious. Nia's not exactly flat-chested, as you know, neither was my Mom, and it kind of gave me a fucking complex when I was growing up." "I mean, is she? I haven't really noticed," I replied, evasively. "Yes, you have, you lying fuck. There isn't a straight or bisexual man, or a lesbian or bisexual woman for that matter, that comes within fifty feet of Appolonia Bianchi that doesn't notice all of her unnatural charms. It made for some interesting 'family' trips during the summer when we'd leave the city, lemme tell you. I asked Pops once, you know, if he ever got jealous when she'd show up with some random dick she'd run across, cause I used to think it was pretty shitty of her. "I said she could've at least kept things on the downlow and not throw it in Rocco's face every few days. But he told me no, he loved her, he understood her nature very well and he'd accepted what she was years before I was even born, and that she loved him too, and more importantly, respected him. She always introduced the men to him because that was what he'd asked of her. That it was the one aspect of control he had in the situation, giving his 'permission' for her little liaisons. That it made him feel better to let them know they might be getting a piece, but she'd be ending every night lying in his bed, regardless of what they did." I nodded. "I guess I can kind of see his point." "But, the blood, that's how I ended up pregnant. I mean, I'm not a dumbass, I know how babies are made, but I wasn't worried about using condoms with Antoni, neither of us wanted to. I told him if he gave me anything I'd cut his dick off, and he knew I was serious, too, and he considered it a proportional response. I didn't even think I could get pregnant. "I stopped the birth control when I was 16 because it was making me gain weight and my cheer coach bitched me out in front of fucking everybody, and Rossi's guy said I needed to keep taking it to keep my hormone levels even. So I told Antoni I didnt want to get into my medical history, but suffice to say I was probably fucking sterile anyway, so he didn't have to worry about it, and he told me he wasn't worried about it at all. But apparently my fucking parts work better than I thought." "Or maybe he had some damned determined swimmers, who knows." "I don't know why I was even concerned about not using condoms anyway. Technically we were all excommunicated as of 2014. Pope said the mafiosi lifestyle isn't compatible with the Catholic one. You know, I wonder how Antoni would feel about all this, I wonder if he'd be pissed, think I lied to him about not being able to get pregnant." "You're just gonna have to take my word for it, B, but he's not angry in the least, he's pretty fucking proud of hisself." I'd say his chest was stuck out but he didn't have much of a chest left these days, so I just kept that part to myself. "Pretty sure he said he wasn't worried about it because he was hoping you were wrong about being sterile." Beccs gave me a strange look but the train arrived at just that moment. The people exiting did quite a bit of staring, unlike the people leaving the funeral, but I just tucked my arm around Becca and shouldered my way past them and found us a seat. The drops of water followed us into the train. "What's with the present tense, Tony? Is that some kind of cliche 'he's lookin' down on you' bullshit?" I snorted and wiped the bubble of blood from my nose, staring at the puddle of water that was starting to form in the seat next to us. I could feel the cold emanating from Antoni all along my left side. Oddly enough, it was easing the intense ache in my nearly severed ring finger. "He ain't looking down on us, B, I can tell you that much." "So it's a Hell joke?" "No, not really. But then again, I'm pretty sure we're all in Hell right this second, Miss Rebecca, so yes, yes it is." |
2023.05.28 05:39 InfernoAA God Made the World in Six Days, I’ll Perfect New Japan's on the Seventh Part One: When It Rains
(Reposted with formatting with Kirk's blessing)
After a rocky start to the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship’s legacy, this past year gave it a much-needed push back into the limelight as one of the most sought-after belts in wrestling, but there’s still work to be done. Kazuchika Okada was about to do that until his fantastic run was cut horribly short by SANADA, but that’ll no longer be an issue as we take matters back to the aftermath of Wrestle Kingdom 17, to the start of the Rainmaker’s 2nd reign. This isn’t just about recapturing the glimmer of the V4 belt though. In each company, the World Championship acts as the centrepiece to its future, any changes affecting the greater surrounding stories as well. Thus, this booking aims to orient NJPW as a whole, smoothing over complaints like the redundancy of BULLET CLUB and the staleness of CHAOS whilst building a promising future for New Japan for when its current pillars ultimately need to hang up their boots.
New Year Dash!! (January 5, 2023)
Also on the show:
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI) vs Sabre-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls)
BULLET CLUB (Jay White, KENTA, El Phantasmo, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi) vs Guerrillas of Destiny, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Master Wato
Kazuchika Okada & Kenny Omega vs United Empire (Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb)
As always, New Year Dash!! has been an explosive night thus far, seeing the debuts of Just4Guys and Sabre-Gun from the ashes of Suzuki-Gun, as well as House of Torture finally leaving BULLET CLUB after their loss earlier in the night, turning their backs on Jay White. But it’s the main event which shakes the company to the core, as legendary rivals IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega shockingly team up to take on Will Ospreay’s United Empire henchmen, both having their issues with the Commonwealth Kingpin and his posse. A fun showcase sees the super-team nail their RainmakeV-Trigger combo on Aaron Henare to seal the deal, with Cobb eyeing Kenny menacingly post-match and Okada going right back to big-leaguing Omega, refusing to acknowledge him.
Once the Cleaner departs, Kazuchika cuts a post-match promo claiming last night was merely the first of many nights of a company-wide purge. He’s tired of these outsiders trying to share his earned spotlight, so one by one, he’s going to send them back home. “Kaito Kiyomiya, young lion, I’ll see you in Yokohama.” Okada drops the mic and heads back, where IWGP Tag Team Champions Bishamon are wrapping up an interview. They’re disgruntled from their loss to Sabre-Gun earlier in the night, Goto seeming even more upset that Okada chose to team with Omega over anyone of them, questioning the use of CHAOS, but Kazuchika pays it no note, shooing him off so he can have his interview time.
Kazuchika Okada & Kenny Omega def. United Empire (Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb) (13:36)
Heading into Yokohama, a 5-match series is announced between Los Ingobernables de Japon and KONGOH’s members! With Shingo Takagi staking his claims to Okada’s title the night prior, Katsuhiko Nakajima raises the question of how deserving the Dragon truly is considering he’s lost twice to the NOAH star. Taking the potshot as a challenge, Shingo agrees to put his shot on the line, the faction with the most wins facing the Rainmaker next!
Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena (January 21, 2023)
Also on the show:
BUSHI vs Tadasuke
Hiromu Takahashi vs Hajime Ohara
SANADA vs Manabu Soya
Tetsuya Naito vs KENOH
Shingo Takagi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) vs Team NOAH (Kaito Kiyomiya & Masa Kitamiya)
Before the LIJ/KONGOH series can commence, Okada calls on his trusty right-hand man Tomohiro Ishii (not Goto) to assist him in driving home the GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito and his main unit ally, Masa Kitamiya, promising to beat Kiyomiya like in last year’s tag. What starts as an average match rapidly devolves into a brawl when Kaito, sick of Kazuchika overlooking and disrespecting him, boots his face off with unbridled intensity, causing Okada to snap, beating the snot out of him! A German Suplex dumps Kazuchika on the floor as referees pull them apart, and as Okada seethes, it’s clear this is far from over.
CHAOS and Team NOAH fought to a no contest (6:35)
Though Kaito’s stunt gains the Rainmaker’s attention, it also garners his wrath, a livid Okada cursing up a storm in a post-match interview. When asked if a match will happen with Kiyomiya, Kazuchika outright refuses to work with the ‘snivelling, puny prick’, claiming he had his chance and ruined the honour of dancing with the Rainmaker. Goto tries to calm Okada down, reminding him that with Nakajima winning KONGOH the series 3-2, they have a preview match with KONGOH tomorrow. In the heat of rage, Okada tells him to ‘f*** off’, before naming Goto their team’s captain since he wants to play smart with him.
The New Beginning in Nagoya (January 22, 2023)
Captain’s Fall: CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto [C], Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI) vs KONGOH (Katsuhiko Nakajima, KENOH [C], Manabu Soya, Tadasuke)
After a turbulent recent weeks, Okada’s in dire need of something to calm him down, hoping a match in his home prefecture of Aichi will help. He’s all calm until he sees Goto’s dumb face though, becoming irrationally angry again, barking at the Aramusha to do his job. Okada sits out majority of the match until Nakajima mouths off with him on the apron, piefacing the Rainmaker when he refuses to get in! Furious, the Rainmaker shoves a concerned Goto aside and tags in, laying into Nakajima to the point of near-disqualification, before murdering Tadasuke to equalise the sides after KENOH eliminated YOSHI-HASHI! He gives Soya the same treatment, tearing KONGOH a new one until Nakajima almost slaps him unconscious, Okada staggering back into his corner, where Goto tags in! As Hirooki and Nakajima go at it, Okada regains his bearings right as Nakajima nails the Vertical Spike to pin CHAOS’s captain to automatically win the match!
KONGOH def. CHAOS (17:11)
As a smug Nakajima snatches Okada’s title away from the referee and holds it over his head, sneering and taunting at Kazuchika, the Rainmaker flips him off! Collecting his boys as Katsuhiko unceremoniously tosses Okada’s belt over to him, Okada returns to the back with gritted teeth, promising to ruin Nakajima, though not before chewing out Goto as the rest of CHAOS watch on uncomfortably.
The New Beginning in Osaka (February 11, 2023)
Also on the tour:
Jay White vs EVIL
Bishamon (c) vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs YOH - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
It’s been a rough tour for CHAOS, from getting whooped by KONGOH to YOH failing to bring back gold, but through their failures, Bishamon is able to redeem itself by beating back Sabre-Gun’s TMDK. Nevertheless, it’s all taking quite the toll on Okada’s mental, who’s been devolving back to his cocky, snappy self. Finally though, he gets a chance at release when he faces arguably his spiritual counterpart from NOAH, the fellow 35-year-old meeting the Rainmaker in a first-time match that’s been a very long-time coming. Nakajima oozes confidence as he strides out to his grand piano theme, while Okada stomps out with a scowl as Katsuhiko crumples raining Okada Dollars in his hand.
As the bell chimes, Okada offers a traditional lock-up but Nakajima stiffly kicks his thigh instead and smirks. Okada though glares a hole through Katsuhiko, launching at him like a mack truck with harsh elbows in response! Whipping him at the corner, Okada charges, but Nakajima slides out the way and rocks him with a Superkick, dusting off his hands and covering for two! He beats a Lariat attempt, nailing a Big Boot and a Leg Sweep, before crashing into the champion with a MISSILE DROPKICK!
Dazed, Okada finds himself in the ropes, Nakajima continuing to rock him with stiff boots, one sending him to the apron! The Genius of the Kick follows, wanting a Roundhouse, but Okada kicks out his other leg and nails an APRON DDT! Back inside, a Senton Atomico and DIVING ELBOW DROP nabs 2! Okada builds momentum with a Neckbreaker, but Nakajima flips out a German and whacks a SOCCER KICK into his chest! He caves Okada’s sides in with more as the champion splutters until Okada flips him off again!
Nakajima charges with a YAKUZA KICK but Okada pulls the ropes down! Nakajima caught, Okada nails a DROPKICK! Katsuhiko collapses out, Kazuchika chasing after, whipping him into the guardrail before cleaning his clock with a Big Boot of his own! FLYING CROSSBODY – SUPERKICK SNIPES OKADA! Nakajima kicks Okada’s arm into the guardrail, before a HESITATION DROPKICK whacks it off the steel post! Seating Okada on the canvas, Nakajima bullies the arm with disgusting shoulder kicks. A Penalty Kick misses, though as does Okada’s Short-Arm Rainmaker, NAKAJIMA WHIPPING THE SHOULDER INTO THE MAT!
BOW-AND-ARROW ON THE ARM! Nakajima tries tearing it off the bone, but when that doesn’t work, he ties Okada in the ropes and goes to town! The referee intervenes to force the break, but as Katsuhiko turns around a DROPKICK awaits! BELLY-TO-BACK SUPLEX! Okada teases a Rainmaker, but Nakajima slaps him away and nails the shoulder – STRAIGHT-JACKET SUPLEX! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT! Keeping wrist-control, Nakajima mockingly kicks the arm and shoves his face, BUT OKADA EXPLODES BACK WITH A LARIAT FROM THE OTHER ARM!
Keeping hold himself, Okada knocks Nakajima down with another Lariat, before a BEAUTIFUL DROPKICK knocks him loopy! HEAVY RAIN! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOO! Okada sets up the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but Nakajima thrashes free with head kicks, pulling him over for a VERTICAL SPIKE attempt! Okada slips free and nails an Enzuigiri! GERMAN SUPLEX! The arm keeps him from bridging, instead climbing the turnbuckles, teasing the Crossbody, only to eat a ROLLING FIFTEEN!
Okada staggers, holding the ropes to keep upright, but Nakajima has other intentions, kicking the arm off, before nailing a RING-SHAKING SUPERPLEX! Rolling through, he pulls him into a TWISTER II!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NO DICE!!! Disappointed, he drops Okada into seated position with a BICYCLE KNEE STRIKE, before lining up a PK! OKADA COUNTERS INTO A SURPRISE EMERALD FLOWSION ON THE NOAH STAR! Regaining his bearings for a moment, Okada smells blood in the water, throws out the arms, wanting the RAINMAKER… NAKAJIMA SLAPS THE SOUL OUT OF HIM!!!
Okada collapses deadweight to his knees as Nakajima grins sick thoughts to himself, before mocking the Rainmaker pose! Ripcording Okada around, he nails a JUMPING KICK, before going for the VERTICAL SPIKE… OKADA REVERSES INTO A SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER!!! Nakajima now stunned, Okada lifts him by the waist and nails the RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOO!!! But a ticked Okada doesn’t let him go, mauling him with haymakers and kicks like he did Kaito as even Nakajima’s forced to cover up!
Frustrated, he slaps Nakajima in the face, but Katsuhiko with a SHOULDER KICK! DOUBLE UNDERHOOK SUPLEX! Okada rattled, he eats a Sliding Dropkick and an AIR RAID CRASH, before Nakajima nails the NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OKADA STAYS ALIVE!!! Nakajima back to the well with the VERTICAL SPIKE… DROPKICK FROM OKADA!!! ANOTHER DROPKICK!!! SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER!!! AND A TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! Lifting him up with hatred, Okada ripcords him into the RAINMAKER!!! But he’s not done, going for another as NAKAJIMA FLIPS HIM OFF!!! RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!!
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Katsuhiko Nakajima to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (27:18)
Triumphing over the outsider, Okada steps over him like he’s dirt and collects his title… BUT HE’S SPUN INTO A BLADE RUNNER!!! Jay White stands over his rival’s fallen body, the respect shown at Wrestle Kingdom a mere ruse, the Switchblade wanting his title back!
Done with White’s antics, Okada agrees to a rematch on one stipulation – if White loses, BULLET CLUB must disband. It’s coming up to 10 years of him dealing with their rubbish, and frankly, he’s hurt and old and tired of the rinse and repeat. It’s time he ends it for good.
Battle in the Valley (February 18, 2023)
Also on the show:
Kenny Omega (c) vs Jeff Cobb - IWGP United States Championship
Tama Tonga (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii - NEVER Openweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Jay White VII - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (If White loses, BULLET CLUB must disband)
With Okada dropping a massive bombshell, a deranged and desperate White can only accept, needing the title back, even if it means risking BC should he fail. Their 7th and potentially final match, Jay’s still 4-2, putting the Rainmaker at a disadvantage, but he couldn’t care less. White makes his entrance flanked by BC, who look downright scared for their future, but KENTA tells them to hold strong. As Jay approaches the ring though, he tells them to let him run this solo against the Black Sun’s advice, White believing this to be his fight despite everything on the line, going it with just Gedo. Okada’s by his lonesome as always, ready to bury the past forever.
Unlike their WK match, this starts surprisingly in Okada’s favour even with the hell he went through just a week ago, the Rainmaker cutting off White’s condescending trash talk with a DROPKICK! Beating on his torso, Okada whips Jay at the ropes for another Dropkick, but Gedo pulls White out, giving him a pep talk to focus as Okada flashes him a ‘Too Sweet’! Not thinking, Jay slides back into a BIG BOOT, Okada continuing control with a Neckbreaker!
Hammering on the neck, Okada cinches in an early RED INK, forcing White to fight as Gedo looks on worriedly. Hissing and spitting, Jay struggles to the ropes, but there’s no breaks for him, a FLAPJACK snapping his neck off the ropes and a Lariat stumbling him to the floor! Regrouping with Gedo again, his friend pleads with him to snap out of whatever this is, only to step back fearfully as a snarling Okada approaches.
Understanding he’s in supreme control, Okada takes his sweet time tossing Jay back in, though his return’s slowed by Gedo, who begs for mercy for Jay as Kazu steps on the apron. Okada rolls his eyes, ONLY TO TURN INTO JAY RUNNING FULL SPEED AT HIM! SHOULDER TACKLE SENDS OKADA FLYING RIB-FIRST INTO THE GUARDRAIL!!! As Okada wails in agony, White cackles. Mission accomplished. Playing possum to lower Kazuchika’s guard, he’s in control now.
Collecting Okada, he rams his spine from apron to post… BEFORE TACKLING HIM THROUGH THE GUARDRAIL ITSELF, BOTH EXPLODING THROUGH!!! As Okada nurses his ribs, Jay plops down on a vacant chair next to a fan and snatches their water, taking a swig and patting himself on the back, before ‘making it rain’ over Okada’s head. He sets up a table at ringside which remains untouched for now as his foe crawls back in, Jay instead nailing a sick DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Chopping and kicking the midsection, a SNAP SAITO gets 2!
A Reverse STO attempt backfires though, Okada lifting Jay into a HANGMAN’S DDT! One Corner Elbow later, and a DROPKICK sends Jay crashing from the top turnbuckle to the ramp! Gedo orients the dazed Jay to a chair, White using it for support, only to yank him off as OKADA SOARS – TOPE CON HILO EATS THE OPENED CHAIR!!! Back in agony, a SLEEPER SUPLEX only doubles it! Sliding Kazu in, a Running Corner European follows into a Blade Buster tease… JAY HITS A BLOODY SUNDAY INSTEAD!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!!
Okada tries fighting back with a forearm, but a HURRICANE DRIVER FLOORS HIM!!! INTO A LIONTAMER!!! Jay tortures the back holding up the company as now Okada searches for the ropes, but the moment he finds them, another SLEEPER SUPLEX awaits! Okada rolls through though and nails a PERFECT DROPKICK! White rocked, he eats a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! Okada goes for a RAINMAKER, but sensing Jay trying to counter into the Blade Runner, he pushes off and nails another DROPKICK!
Remembering the table, Okada nails a SPINNING RAINMAKER, before rolling White onto it! Heading up, Gedo begs him to spare Jay, but Kazu refuses… DIVING ELBOW DROP THROUGH THE TABLE, BUT IT TAKES OUT GEDO!!! JAY PULLED GEDO INTO HIS PLACE!!! Chucking evilly to himself, Jay rolls Okada in for a KIWI KRUSHER, but the Rainmaker writhes, readjusting into seated position on White’s shoulders! He hammers on White’s head, but Jay pulls his body down instead… STEPPING OVER THE ARMS, HE NAILS A STYLES CLASH!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOO!!!
Quickly losing patience, he bashes Sharp Sensations against Okada’s chest, before holding the finger gun to his head… V-TRIGGER!!! IS HE GOING FOR IT?! Lifting Kazu onto his shoulders as the crowd gasps… JAY FEIGNS IT, DROPPING OKADA INTO BLADE RUNNER POSITION- OKADA REVERSES INTO A RAINMAKER!!! HE’S NOT FALLING FOR WHITE’S TRICKS ANYMORE!!! ONE! TWO! THR-JAY KICKS OUT!!! Dumping Jay with a German, he nails a couple Short-Arm Rainmakers, followed by a LANDSLIDE! Getting ready to nail another Rainmaker, he grabs the wrist…
JAY NAILS A RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOO!!! White slams the mat, tears in his eyes, not knowing what to do, but right as he’s about to lose hope, he remembers KENTA. Charging up the Busaiku Knee Kick… HE RUNS INTO A DROPKICK!!! Slugging elbows as Jay returns chops, Okada suddenly scoops him up for a LANDSLIDE!!! And he’s back up in position for the RAIN-BLADE RUNNER!!! BUT JAY CAN’T CAPITALISE, TOO SPENT!!!
Instead, White wills himself to go for another, securing wrist-control to nail a couple Short-Arms of his own, before doing the slit-throat taunt… BLADE RUNNER- OKADA DOESN’T BUDGE!!! Jay tugs, growing frantic as he locks eyes with Okada, who shakes his head! SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! INTO A RAINMAKER!!! Picking a limp Jay back up, Okada ‘Too Sweets’ him on the forehead, before waving goodbye, NAILING ONE MORE RAINMAKERRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!! BULLET CLUB is dead. Long Live Okada.
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Jay White to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (38:48)
A stunned silence fills San Jose at first, followed by a standing ovation for both warriors. 10 years of one of the greatest factions of all-time, now over. BC rush out to White’s side, some shocked, some furious, but overall emotional for their last night together. KENTA gives Okada a soulless look as the Rainmaker leaves the ring, Kazu nodding to Tanahashi on commentary, knowing what this moment means to him too. But alas, the night is over as Jay walks himself out of New Japan, no betrayals on their last night.
Whilst Okada’s been through two tense defences in a short span, yet another challenge awaits him. Kaito consistently calling him out in the past weeks, using Okada’s moves on tours, Kazu finally caves, confirming he’ll be there at Keiji Muto’s retirement show, but he’ll be there for blood.
NOAH Last Love (February 21, 2023)
Also on the show:
AMAKUSA vs Hiromu Takahashi
Keiji Muto vs Tetsuya Naito
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya
The most invigorating Japanese rivalry in recent memory finally receives the pay-off everyone desires as NJPW’s Ace fights NOAH’s up-and-coming Ace. What ensues is awfully one-sided, Okada fully tapping into his role of Big Brother as he demolishes the man he deems lesser than him. Kaito does his best to hold out, getting in Kazu’s face a couple times, but he’s no match for the unbridled arrogance and fury of Okada, who wrecks him with an Antonio Inoki Enzuigiri, a Mitsuharu Misawa Emerald Flowsion, and a stiff-as-hell Rainmaker! 7 years ago, this was Naomichi Marufuji to Okada, but now Kazu is the Alpha Dog in town.
Kazuchika Okada def. Kaito Kiyomiya (16:32)
With Okada drifting into this unrecognisable version of himself, the rift between him and members of CHAOS continues to grow. Goto’s outspoken in his discontentment with CHAOS’s current position, HASHI standing with his partner, believing Kazuchika should be spending more time uniting the faction as their leader rather than running off to humiliate others and dapping up Tanahashi. Ishii and Yano, on the other hand, refuse a rebellion as CHAOS OGs and loyalists, Tom already eating well with his NEVER Openweight Championship. As such, a match between them is set for Anniversary!
As for Okada, with LIJ not getting the chance to fight Okada due to their loss to KONGOH, Hiromu Takahashi challenges him to a Champion vs Champion fight as one of 2 LIJ members who did win against KONGOH.
51st Anniversary Show (March 6, 2023)
Also on the show:
Bishamon (c) vs CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi
A long-awaited rematch from 2020’s New Japan Cup Semi Finals for Hiromu, much like Prince Devitt a decade ago he wants to prove he can hold both titles simultaneously. Though Devitt failed, Takahashi tries to avenge stablemates Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi’s failures against the Ace as Tanahashi commentates again, having surprisingly voiced his support for Okada’s recent regime of culling the outsiders. An 18-minute sprint sees Hiromu rely on his explosiveness to leave Okada reeling, a Time Bomb II banging up the neck for a near-fall, but Takahashi still isn’t on Kazu’s level, a Rainmaker silencing him!
Kazuchika Okada def. Hiromu Takahashi (18:03)
Despite Bishamon’s defiant victory against CHAOS, Okada pays it no regard when choosing a partner for New Japan’s return to Aichi, remembering how Goto failed him last time. Called out by recent Young Lion graduates Ren Narita and Shota Umino, who have been making waves in the New Japan Cup, Narita determined to replicate mentor Katsuyori Shibata’s run to avenge him, whilst Shota wishes to impress idol Tanahashi, Kazu fittingly invites the Ace of the Universe to team with him!
New Japan Cup - Night Five (March 11, 2023)
The Dream Team (Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs Ren Narita & Shota Umino
A true dream team, the company’s Aces battle its future in a thrilling exhibition bout, Shota borrowing from Tanahashi in his performance, whilst Narita remains very much determined to get in Okada’s face. Much like the rest who have tried as of late though, he’s well out his weight class, Okada paying him a mocking headbutt and a Rainmaker to humble the youngster! As Narita wallows in disappointment though, Okada offers a hand to Shota, helping him to his feet and claiming he sees a future in the Tanahashi-derivative star.
The Dream Team def. Ren Narita & Shota Umino (13:32)
As the New Japan Cup rolls on, it reaches a scintillating conclusion with Just5Guys’ Taichi besting Sabre Gun’s Zack Sabre Jr. in the Finals, Taichi having beaten Ospreay in the Semis and Zack triumphing over SANADA! As the group joins the Toshiaki Kawada student for the trophy presentation, complete with a recently-turning SANADA, who betrayed Naito in the Quarter Finals, they invite one last member to their family to Sabre-Gun’s Kosei Fujita’s umbrage – his former friend who he left, Ryohei Oiwa! Whilst J6G and Sabre-Gun’s rivalry bubbles in the background, the important matter at hand is Taichi’s upcoming shot!
Road To Sakura Genesis - Night Three (April 3, 2023)
The Dream Team (Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs Just6Guys (Taichi & SANADA)
Once again calling on Tanahashi, the (Aether) Aces step to their mutual foes of Taichi & SANADA. Looking down on the pair as AJPW guys, Okada & Tanahashi are especially hostile in their treatment of J6G, but unlike Kaito who ate all of it, Taichi & SANADA are a lot more defiant, the Holy Emperor especially passionate in his reminders that no matter where he came from, he still worked his way through the Dojo like Okada and Tanahashi. Still, even with Taichi catching the champion by surprise with multiple near-falls, forcing him to become more serious, it’s not their night… yet, SANADA eating the fall off a High-Fly Flow!
The Dream Team def. Just6Guys (15:27)
Sakura Genesis (April 8, 2023)
Also on the card:
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs Lio Rush - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs Great-O-Khan – NEVER Openweight Championship
Bishamon (c) vs Aussie Open - IWGP Tag Team Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Taichi VI - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Though the tag match may not have gone in J6G’s favour, tonight’s a lot different. One year ago, Taichi watched as his partner ZSJ failed to dethrone Okada after winning the NJC, much like four years before that. But now, he’s earned the chance to be the one fighting Kazu and silence his critics, especially the Rainmaker, rather than spectating a third time. Conducting a full operatic entrance, the Holy Emperor is the fan-favourite in the very arena his mentor Kawada retired, looking to make him proud, and for once, even Okada’s grandeur pales in comparison to his foe, though he looks past it, prepared to stomp out another outsider.
What ensues is a match centred around respect, Okada refusing to give it to Taichi, and Taichi doing everything he can for it! From homages to Kawada with the DANGEROUS BACKDROP and a GANSO BOMB tease from Taichi, to Kazu intentionally attempting NOAH-centric moves like the BURNING HAMMER and EMERALD FLOWSION, they trade bombs from start to finish, Taichi even connecting a RIPCORD AXE BOMBER for a near-fall! Yet despite putting on the best underdog performance of his career, the RAINMAKERS put a stop to it!
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Taichi to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (28:32)
So close yet so far. As another one bites the dust, CHAOS comes out to join Okada for the show-closing promo – Ishii with his gold, but Bishamon now titleless, as well as Lio Rush failing to win gold too. The Rainmaker gloats, saying he’s never been better… though CHAOS could be a lot better. Admonishing their failures, he tells them he’s disappointed in them. Unlike other factions do, he refused to hold their hands every step of the way, putting his faith in them, yet they’ve thrown that in his face time and time again. Certain members are holding the group back, so he invites them to either leave while they can, or face the consequences.
A few moments pass, but no one budges. Okada scoffs, about to speak until Goto gets in his face! Running down Okada, he says he’s done with the treatment he’s received from the Rainmaker lately, his spot in CHAOS always one of shame after all, constant losses to Okada forcing him to join his foe rather than fail further. But he’s no coward. He’s not going to tuck his tail between his legs and scram like Okada wants. He knows Kazu wants him gone, so if that’s the case… he challenges him to put the leadership of CHAOS on the line against him at his 20th Anniversary Show! If Okada wins, he’ll leave. If Goto wins, he takes over. Astonished by Goto’s defiance yet almost respecting it, Okada agrees to let him fight for his future!
Capital Collision (April 15, 2023)
Also on the show:
Kenny Omega (c) vs El Phantasmo - IWGP United States Championship
The Dream Team (Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) (c) vs Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) - NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship
Before Goto’s final stand, Okada makes a trip down to America to challenge for the STRONG Tag Titles, wanting to show Hirooki how it’s done by not only beating the team which dethroned Bishamon, but also the legendary Motor City Machine Guns! Joined by Tanahashi as expected, the icons make up for their lack of tag team experience with sheer talent, giving both teams a tough draw. A Rainmaker to Fletcher sets up Tanahashi for a High-Fly Flow, but as Okada prepares to defend the pinfall, OUT COME BISHAMON! Drawing Okada’s attention, Goto brawls with the Rainmaker whilst HASHI distracts Tana, allowing Davis to take him out, before nailing the Coriolis on Shelley to win the titles!
Aussie Open def. Motor City Machine Guns (c), The Dream Team (25:13)
As Okada realises what’s just happened, Bishamon are long gone by then, Goto waving to a fuming Kazu from the entranceway!
Hirooki Goto 20th Anniversary Event (April 22, 2023)
Kazuchika Okada vs Hirooki Goto XVI
High stakes for the main event, all of CHAOS and Tanahashi are in attendance to witness their stable’s future. Goto’s stoic, not letting the emotions of it all get to him, whilst Okada’s arrogant as ever, overconfident in his abilities despite their series being only 8-7 to him, Goto able to score the grandest of equalisers tonight should he win. What ensues is an all-out war for CHAOS, Goto doing everything to prove himself a worthy member, whilst Okada devotes himself to ruining the Aramusha. And at certain points, Goto has the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion on the ropes, humbling the Rainmaker off a nail-bitingly close near fall on the GTR! But Okada’s simply unstoppable, it taking three Rainmakers to seal the deal, Okada besting Goto!
Kazuchika Okada def. Hirooki Goto (25:10)
Ruining Goto’s big night, Okada’s smug with himself as HASHI, Lio, YOH, and even Yano tend to their fallen comrade, while Ishii watches with a hint of sorrow, though ultimately steering clear of treasonous actions. As per the stipulation, an emotional Goto’s forced to leave CHAOS, though he doesn’t walk the plank alone, YOSHI, Rush, and YOH, following suit! Okada seems taken aback at first, though ultimately nods, needing all traces of weakness gone from his stable. Just Ishii and Tanahashi left standing at ringside, Okada declares that the foundations of the group will be rebuilt, starting with… the three of them!
Handing a CHAOS shirt to Tanahashi, he welcomes Hiroshi to the group, before handing over the mic! Tana explains that upon speaking with Okada, he realised this would be the right way for him to protect the future of the company he fought so long for. Just because he’s carrying a flag now though, doesn’t mean he’s any different from the man they all know and love. He’s doing this for the betterment of the place he loves. He’s doing this for a purer New Japan!
As the three stand tall together… BUSAIKU KNEE KICK TO OKADA! Just as quickly as KENTA slipped into the ring, he slips back out, Taiji Ishimori & SHO by his side! Banding together as a group of misfits following BULLET CLUB’s death, SHO leaving House of Torture too, it’s clear KENTA has one thing on his mind… take from the man who took from him.
Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni (April 29, 2023)
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & X) vs KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & SHO
With KENTA and co. targeting Okada, a Six-Man Tag is set, though not with Tanahashi as CHAOS’s third man. Instead, he gives up his spot to their ‘new member’, who reveals himself to be Shota Umino! Okada impressed with his talents a couple months back, he shows off his chops here as a functioning member of the new CHAOS, the three gelling together perfectly. A rather shades of grey encounter between two sides with moral ambiguities, the crowd is evenly split, but alas, it’s KENTA’s crew scoring a bit of an upset after some shenanigans, the Busaiku Knee Kick taking down Ishii! After the match, KENTA gestures Okada’s belt around his waist.
KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & SHO def. CHAOS (14:39)
Wrestling Dontaku (May 3, 2023)
Also on the card:
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs YOSHI-HASHI - NEVER Openweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs Shingo Takagi - IWGP United States Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs KENTA II - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Not having touched one-on-one since KENTA’s debut G1, there’s a big fight feel for the sacred rematch 4 years long overdue. The Black Sun carrying NOAH’s flag in Okada’s eyes, he’s determined to add KENTA to his list of casualties, whilst vengeance remains glued to the challenger’s mind. Returning to his Overture theme, KENTA’s just as arrogant as the champion, the two producing mirroring self-absorbed entrances, but as the bell rings, it remains to be seen whether their skill is also mirrored.
Starting with a feeling out sequence, the two trade a variety of holds back-and-forth with increasing pace, before Okada teases a sudden RAINMAKER! KENTA has it scouted, catching the arm and immediately getting to work on it, remembering Nakajima’s strategy. Hammering it with elbows and kicks, a HIGH KNEE finds its mark on Okada’s shoulder! Whipping him to the mat, a PENALTY KICK follows to the joint! Okada shakes out his arm in agony as KENTA’s target becomes crystal clear, smartly looking to eliminate the Rainmaker from the equation as early as possible!
KENTA races in for a Corner Big Boot, but Okada ducks out the way, dropping KENTA with a BACKDROP SUPLEX! He shakes out his arm as he drops into cover, shooting the half, only for KENTA to reverse the pinfall mid-count into a GAME OVER attempt! Alarm in his eyes, Okada frantically lunges at the ropes for reprieve, though KENTA holds on until 4 to exact as much damage as possible on the limb!
Okada resting against the ropes as he tries to get some feeling back in his arm, KENTA sprints for a RUNNING YAKUZA KICK, but Okada pulls the ropes down, the Black Sun sent crashing to the outside! He whips KENTA into the guardrails for a Big Boot that sends him over, a JUMPING CROSSBODY following suit! Dragging KENTA out the rubble, he teases a HANGMAN’S DDT off the steel, only for KENTA to drop down and SNAP OKADA’S ARM OVER THE GUARDRAIL! Threading it through the gap, a HESITATION DROPKICK MANGLES HIS ARM IN THE STEEL!
Okada lets out a cry of pain as the section crashes down on him, having no time to recover as he feebly frees himself from it, KENTA yanking him by the arm! He tries to send Okada’s arm into the steel post, but the Big Boot takes him down! Rolling KENTA inside, Okada hails down a MISSILE DROPKICK to send him sprawling across the ring, before a STRAIGHT-JACKET NECKBREAKER subdues him for the Rainmaker to lock in RED INK!
Using the opportunity to rest his own arm, it backfires when KENTA contorts it over his shoulder to free himself, a CROSS ARMBREAKER turning the tables! Kazuchika gets a monkey grip to prevent full extension though, rolling KENTA over to his shoulders for 2, before hoisting him up into an AIR RAID CRASH NECKBREAKER! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT! Okada tries to pick KENTA up with one arm for the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but he fails miserably, KENTA turning the predicament around into an EMERALD FLOWSION!
Scaling the ropes, KENTA teases a DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP to the point of Okada’s elbow… MILLION DOLLAR DROPKICK INTERCEPTS! Okada stands KENTA up with a DDT, before dumping him with a GERMAN SUPLEX, though is unable to get the bridge. Wanting to wrap things up and fast, he uses the ropes to get KENTA in position for a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, before securing wrist-control! He looks for the RAINMAKER, only for KENTA to blast the arm with a YAKUZA KICK!
Okada’s arm dropping by his side, KENTA teases going for a RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN, only for Kazuchika to bring him down with a FLAPJACK instead! A SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER shakes off KENTA’s advances on the arm, before a RAINMAKER FINDS ITS MARK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOO!!! Not enough strength behind it for Okada to put KENTA down for good, he tries for another… KENTA SLAPS THE TASTE OUT HIS MOUTH! KENTA RUSH FOLLOWS SUIT! AND A BUSAIKU KNEE KICK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OKADA SURVIVES!!!
Doing the Rainmaker pose, KENTA secures wrist-control himself and puts Okada on his shoulders, teasing a GO 2 SLEEP! OKADA NAILS HEAVY RAIN!!! A LANDSLIDE attempt is stuffed, KENTA again abusing the arm like it’s the Dragongate monkey, BEFORE NAILING A SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN!!! Okada forced to eat stiff shot after stiff shot like it’s Shibata all over again, he looks to be on dream street as KENTA fires up a second BUSAIKU KNEE- DROPKICK COUNTERS!!! Accounting for his deteriorating arm, Okada nails a pair of SHORT-ARM RAINMAKERS with his nondominant arm to ease into one more RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!!
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. KENTA to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (26:35)
It may be the accumulating fatigue talking, but KENTA may have given Okada his biggest scare yet, a lucky last gasp saving the Rainmaker’s reign. Not so bad for an outside, he thinks. As a shattered KENTA collects his bearing, SHO and Taiji by his side, Okada stops him from leaving just yet, instead calling to Tanahashi from commentary, who tosses him a shirt! Mic in his other hand, Okada declares that KENTA impressed him more than he would normally care to admit. It’s almost as though his talents were being wasted in BULLET CLUB… So, why not join CHAOS?
The Black Sun’s understandably stunned, the man he hated just moments ago now offering a truce? But Okada tells him to sit on it, offering a couple more shirts to his pals, stating he could use their talents to fuel his new vision. SHO was always the better Roppongi 3K member after all. And Taiji’s an Ultimo Dragon trainee like him. Just think on it. As KENTA and co. leave to the back in deep thought, it appears big things lie ahead for CHAOS…
submitted by InfernoAA to FantasyBookingElite [link] [comments]
After a rocky start to the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship’s legacy, this past year gave it a much-needed push back into the limelight as one of the most sought-after belts in wrestling, but there’s still work to be done. Kazuchika Okada was about to do that until his fantastic run was cut horribly short by SANADA, but that’ll no longer be an issue as we take matters back to the aftermath of Wrestle Kingdom 17, to the start of the Rainmaker’s 2nd reign. This isn’t just about recapturing the glimmer of the V4 belt though. In each company, the World Championship acts as the centrepiece to its future, any changes affecting the greater surrounding stories as well. Thus, this booking aims to orient NJPW as a whole, smoothing over complaints like the redundancy of BULLET CLUB and the staleness of CHAOS whilst building a promising future for New Japan for when its current pillars ultimately need to hang up their boots.
New Year Dash!! (January 5, 2023)
Also on the show:
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI) vs Sabre-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls)
BULLET CLUB (Jay White, KENTA, El Phantasmo, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi) vs Guerrillas of Destiny, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Master Wato
Kazuchika Okada & Kenny Omega vs United Empire (Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb)
As always, New Year Dash!! has been an explosive night thus far, seeing the debuts of Just4Guys and Sabre-Gun from the ashes of Suzuki-Gun, as well as House of Torture finally leaving BULLET CLUB after their loss earlier in the night, turning their backs on Jay White. But it’s the main event which shakes the company to the core, as legendary rivals IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega shockingly team up to take on Will Ospreay’s United Empire henchmen, both having their issues with the Commonwealth Kingpin and his posse. A fun showcase sees the super-team nail their RainmakeV-Trigger combo on Aaron Henare to seal the deal, with Cobb eyeing Kenny menacingly post-match and Okada going right back to big-leaguing Omega, refusing to acknowledge him.
Once the Cleaner departs, Kazuchika cuts a post-match promo claiming last night was merely the first of many nights of a company-wide purge. He’s tired of these outsiders trying to share his earned spotlight, so one by one, he’s going to send them back home. “Kaito Kiyomiya, young lion, I’ll see you in Yokohama.” Okada drops the mic and heads back, where IWGP Tag Team Champions Bishamon are wrapping up an interview. They’re disgruntled from their loss to Sabre-Gun earlier in the night, Goto seeming even more upset that Okada chose to team with Omega over anyone of them, questioning the use of CHAOS, but Kazuchika pays it no note, shooing him off so he can have his interview time.
Kazuchika Okada & Kenny Omega def. United Empire (Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb) (13:36)
Heading into Yokohama, a 5-match series is announced between Los Ingobernables de Japon and KONGOH’s members! With Shingo Takagi staking his claims to Okada’s title the night prior, Katsuhiko Nakajima raises the question of how deserving the Dragon truly is considering he’s lost twice to the NOAH star. Taking the potshot as a challenge, Shingo agrees to put his shot on the line, the faction with the most wins facing the Rainmaker next!
Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena (January 21, 2023)
Also on the show:
BUSHI vs Tadasuke
Hiromu Takahashi vs Hajime Ohara
SANADA vs Manabu Soya
Tetsuya Naito vs KENOH
Shingo Takagi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) vs Team NOAH (Kaito Kiyomiya & Masa Kitamiya)
Before the LIJ/KONGOH series can commence, Okada calls on his trusty right-hand man Tomohiro Ishii (not Goto) to assist him in driving home the GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito and his main unit ally, Masa Kitamiya, promising to beat Kiyomiya like in last year’s tag. What starts as an average match rapidly devolves into a brawl when Kaito, sick of Kazuchika overlooking and disrespecting him, boots his face off with unbridled intensity, causing Okada to snap, beating the snot out of him! A German Suplex dumps Kazuchika on the floor as referees pull them apart, and as Okada seethes, it’s clear this is far from over.
CHAOS and Team NOAH fought to a no contest (6:35)
Though Kaito’s stunt gains the Rainmaker’s attention, it also garners his wrath, a livid Okada cursing up a storm in a post-match interview. When asked if a match will happen with Kiyomiya, Kazuchika outright refuses to work with the ‘snivelling, puny prick’, claiming he had his chance and ruined the honour of dancing with the Rainmaker. Goto tries to calm Okada down, reminding him that with Nakajima winning KONGOH the series 3-2, they have a preview match with KONGOH tomorrow. In the heat of rage, Okada tells him to ‘f*** off’, before naming Goto their team’s captain since he wants to play smart with him.
The New Beginning in Nagoya (January 22, 2023)
Captain’s Fall: CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto [C], Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI) vs KONGOH (Katsuhiko Nakajima, KENOH [C], Manabu Soya, Tadasuke)
After a turbulent recent weeks, Okada’s in dire need of something to calm him down, hoping a match in his home prefecture of Aichi will help. He’s all calm until he sees Goto’s dumb face though, becoming irrationally angry again, barking at the Aramusha to do his job. Okada sits out majority of the match until Nakajima mouths off with him on the apron, piefacing the Rainmaker when he refuses to get in! Furious, the Rainmaker shoves a concerned Goto aside and tags in, laying into Nakajima to the point of near-disqualification, before murdering Tadasuke to equalise the sides after KENOH eliminated YOSHI-HASHI! He gives Soya the same treatment, tearing KONGOH a new one until Nakajima almost slaps him unconscious, Okada staggering back into his corner, where Goto tags in! As Hirooki and Nakajima go at it, Okada regains his bearings right as Nakajima nails the Vertical Spike to pin CHAOS’s captain to automatically win the match!
KONGOH def. CHAOS (17:11)
As a smug Nakajima snatches Okada’s title away from the referee and holds it over his head, sneering and taunting at Kazuchika, the Rainmaker flips him off! Collecting his boys as Katsuhiko unceremoniously tosses Okada’s belt over to him, Okada returns to the back with gritted teeth, promising to ruin Nakajima, though not before chewing out Goto as the rest of CHAOS watch on uncomfortably.
The New Beginning in Osaka (February 11, 2023)
Also on the tour:
Jay White vs EVIL
Bishamon (c) vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs YOH - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
It’s been a rough tour for CHAOS, from getting whooped by KONGOH to YOH failing to bring back gold, but through their failures, Bishamon is able to redeem itself by beating back Sabre-Gun’s TMDK. Nevertheless, it’s all taking quite the toll on Okada’s mental, who’s been devolving back to his cocky, snappy self. Finally though, he gets a chance at release when he faces arguably his spiritual counterpart from NOAH, the fellow 35-year-old meeting the Rainmaker in a first-time match that’s been a very long-time coming. Nakajima oozes confidence as he strides out to his grand piano theme, while Okada stomps out with a scowl as Katsuhiko crumples raining Okada Dollars in his hand.
As the bell chimes, Okada offers a traditional lock-up but Nakajima stiffly kicks his thigh instead and smirks. Okada though glares a hole through Katsuhiko, launching at him like a mack truck with harsh elbows in response! Whipping him at the corner, Okada charges, but Nakajima slides out the way and rocks him with a Superkick, dusting off his hands and covering for two! He beats a Lariat attempt, nailing a Big Boot and a Leg Sweep, before crashing into the champion with a MISSILE DROPKICK!
Dazed, Okada finds himself in the ropes, Nakajima continuing to rock him with stiff boots, one sending him to the apron! The Genius of the Kick follows, wanting a Roundhouse, but Okada kicks out his other leg and nails an APRON DDT! Back inside, a Senton Atomico and DIVING ELBOW DROP nabs 2! Okada builds momentum with a Neckbreaker, but Nakajima flips out a German and whacks a SOCCER KICK into his chest! He caves Okada’s sides in with more as the champion splutters until Okada flips him off again!
Nakajima charges with a YAKUZA KICK but Okada pulls the ropes down! Nakajima caught, Okada nails a DROPKICK! Katsuhiko collapses out, Kazuchika chasing after, whipping him into the guardrail before cleaning his clock with a Big Boot of his own! FLYING CROSSBODY – SUPERKICK SNIPES OKADA! Nakajima kicks Okada’s arm into the guardrail, before a HESITATION DROPKICK whacks it off the steel post! Seating Okada on the canvas, Nakajima bullies the arm with disgusting shoulder kicks. A Penalty Kick misses, though as does Okada’s Short-Arm Rainmaker, NAKAJIMA WHIPPING THE SHOULDER INTO THE MAT!
BOW-AND-ARROW ON THE ARM! Nakajima tries tearing it off the bone, but when that doesn’t work, he ties Okada in the ropes and goes to town! The referee intervenes to force the break, but as Katsuhiko turns around a DROPKICK awaits! BELLY-TO-BACK SUPLEX! Okada teases a Rainmaker, but Nakajima slaps him away and nails the shoulder – STRAIGHT-JACKET SUPLEX! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT! Keeping wrist-control, Nakajima mockingly kicks the arm and shoves his face, BUT OKADA EXPLODES BACK WITH A LARIAT FROM THE OTHER ARM!
Keeping hold himself, Okada knocks Nakajima down with another Lariat, before a BEAUTIFUL DROPKICK knocks him loopy! HEAVY RAIN! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOO! Okada sets up the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but Nakajima thrashes free with head kicks, pulling him over for a VERTICAL SPIKE attempt! Okada slips free and nails an Enzuigiri! GERMAN SUPLEX! The arm keeps him from bridging, instead climbing the turnbuckles, teasing the Crossbody, only to eat a ROLLING FIFTEEN!
Okada staggers, holding the ropes to keep upright, but Nakajima has other intentions, kicking the arm off, before nailing a RING-SHAKING SUPERPLEX! Rolling through, he pulls him into a TWISTER II!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NO DICE!!! Disappointed, he drops Okada into seated position with a BICYCLE KNEE STRIKE, before lining up a PK! OKADA COUNTERS INTO A SURPRISE EMERALD FLOWSION ON THE NOAH STAR! Regaining his bearings for a moment, Okada smells blood in the water, throws out the arms, wanting the RAINMAKER… NAKAJIMA SLAPS THE SOUL OUT OF HIM!!!
Okada collapses deadweight to his knees as Nakajima grins sick thoughts to himself, before mocking the Rainmaker pose! Ripcording Okada around, he nails a JUMPING KICK, before going for the VERTICAL SPIKE… OKADA REVERSES INTO A SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER!!! Nakajima now stunned, Okada lifts him by the waist and nails the RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOO!!! But a ticked Okada doesn’t let him go, mauling him with haymakers and kicks like he did Kaito as even Nakajima’s forced to cover up!
Frustrated, he slaps Nakajima in the face, but Katsuhiko with a SHOULDER KICK! DOUBLE UNDERHOOK SUPLEX! Okada rattled, he eats a Sliding Dropkick and an AIR RAID CRASH, before Nakajima nails the NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OKADA STAYS ALIVE!!! Nakajima back to the well with the VERTICAL SPIKE… DROPKICK FROM OKADA!!! ANOTHER DROPKICK!!! SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER!!! AND A TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! Lifting him up with hatred, Okada ripcords him into the RAINMAKER!!! But he’s not done, going for another as NAKAJIMA FLIPS HIM OFF!!! RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!!
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Katsuhiko Nakajima to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (27:18)
Triumphing over the outsider, Okada steps over him like he’s dirt and collects his title… BUT HE’S SPUN INTO A BLADE RUNNER!!! Jay White stands over his rival’s fallen body, the respect shown at Wrestle Kingdom a mere ruse, the Switchblade wanting his title back!
Done with White’s antics, Okada agrees to a rematch on one stipulation – if White loses, BULLET CLUB must disband. It’s coming up to 10 years of him dealing with their rubbish, and frankly, he’s hurt and old and tired of the rinse and repeat. It’s time he ends it for good.
Battle in the Valley (February 18, 2023)
Also on the show:
Kenny Omega (c) vs Jeff Cobb - IWGP United States Championship
Tama Tonga (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii - NEVER Openweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Jay White VII - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (If White loses, BULLET CLUB must disband)
With Okada dropping a massive bombshell, a deranged and desperate White can only accept, needing the title back, even if it means risking BC should he fail. Their 7th and potentially final match, Jay’s still 4-2, putting the Rainmaker at a disadvantage, but he couldn’t care less. White makes his entrance flanked by BC, who look downright scared for their future, but KENTA tells them to hold strong. As Jay approaches the ring though, he tells them to let him run this solo against the Black Sun’s advice, White believing this to be his fight despite everything on the line, going it with just Gedo. Okada’s by his lonesome as always, ready to bury the past forever.
Unlike their WK match, this starts surprisingly in Okada’s favour even with the hell he went through just a week ago, the Rainmaker cutting off White’s condescending trash talk with a DROPKICK! Beating on his torso, Okada whips Jay at the ropes for another Dropkick, but Gedo pulls White out, giving him a pep talk to focus as Okada flashes him a ‘Too Sweet’! Not thinking, Jay slides back into a BIG BOOT, Okada continuing control with a Neckbreaker!
Hammering on the neck, Okada cinches in an early RED INK, forcing White to fight as Gedo looks on worriedly. Hissing and spitting, Jay struggles to the ropes, but there’s no breaks for him, a FLAPJACK snapping his neck off the ropes and a Lariat stumbling him to the floor! Regrouping with Gedo again, his friend pleads with him to snap out of whatever this is, only to step back fearfully as a snarling Okada approaches.
Understanding he’s in supreme control, Okada takes his sweet time tossing Jay back in, though his return’s slowed by Gedo, who begs for mercy for Jay as Kazu steps on the apron. Okada rolls his eyes, ONLY TO TURN INTO JAY RUNNING FULL SPEED AT HIM! SHOULDER TACKLE SENDS OKADA FLYING RIB-FIRST INTO THE GUARDRAIL!!! As Okada wails in agony, White cackles. Mission accomplished. Playing possum to lower Kazuchika’s guard, he’s in control now.
Collecting Okada, he rams his spine from apron to post… BEFORE TACKLING HIM THROUGH THE GUARDRAIL ITSELF, BOTH EXPLODING THROUGH!!! As Okada nurses his ribs, Jay plops down on a vacant chair next to a fan and snatches their water, taking a swig and patting himself on the back, before ‘making it rain’ over Okada’s head. He sets up a table at ringside which remains untouched for now as his foe crawls back in, Jay instead nailing a sick DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Chopping and kicking the midsection, a SNAP SAITO gets 2!
A Reverse STO attempt backfires though, Okada lifting Jay into a HANGMAN’S DDT! One Corner Elbow later, and a DROPKICK sends Jay crashing from the top turnbuckle to the ramp! Gedo orients the dazed Jay to a chair, White using it for support, only to yank him off as OKADA SOARS – TOPE CON HILO EATS THE OPENED CHAIR!!! Back in agony, a SLEEPER SUPLEX only doubles it! Sliding Kazu in, a Running Corner European follows into a Blade Buster tease… JAY HITS A BLOODY SUNDAY INSTEAD!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!!
Okada tries fighting back with a forearm, but a HURRICANE DRIVER FLOORS HIM!!! INTO A LIONTAMER!!! Jay tortures the back holding up the company as now Okada searches for the ropes, but the moment he finds them, another SLEEPER SUPLEX awaits! Okada rolls through though and nails a PERFECT DROPKICK! White rocked, he eats a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! Okada goes for a RAINMAKER, but sensing Jay trying to counter into the Blade Runner, he pushes off and nails another DROPKICK!
Remembering the table, Okada nails a SPINNING RAINMAKER, before rolling White onto it! Heading up, Gedo begs him to spare Jay, but Kazu refuses… DIVING ELBOW DROP THROUGH THE TABLE, BUT IT TAKES OUT GEDO!!! JAY PULLED GEDO INTO HIS PLACE!!! Chucking evilly to himself, Jay rolls Okada in for a KIWI KRUSHER, but the Rainmaker writhes, readjusting into seated position on White’s shoulders! He hammers on White’s head, but Jay pulls his body down instead… STEPPING OVER THE ARMS, HE NAILS A STYLES CLASH!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOO!!!
Quickly losing patience, he bashes Sharp Sensations against Okada’s chest, before holding the finger gun to his head… V-TRIGGER!!! IS HE GOING FOR IT?! Lifting Kazu onto his shoulders as the crowd gasps… JAY FEIGNS IT, DROPPING OKADA INTO BLADE RUNNER POSITION- OKADA REVERSES INTO A RAINMAKER!!! HE’S NOT FALLING FOR WHITE’S TRICKS ANYMORE!!! ONE! TWO! THR-JAY KICKS OUT!!! Dumping Jay with a German, he nails a couple Short-Arm Rainmakers, followed by a LANDSLIDE! Getting ready to nail another Rainmaker, he grabs the wrist…
JAY NAILS A RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOO!!! White slams the mat, tears in his eyes, not knowing what to do, but right as he’s about to lose hope, he remembers KENTA. Charging up the Busaiku Knee Kick… HE RUNS INTO A DROPKICK!!! Slugging elbows as Jay returns chops, Okada suddenly scoops him up for a LANDSLIDE!!! And he’s back up in position for the RAIN-BLADE RUNNER!!! BUT JAY CAN’T CAPITALISE, TOO SPENT!!!
Instead, White wills himself to go for another, securing wrist-control to nail a couple Short-Arms of his own, before doing the slit-throat taunt… BLADE RUNNER- OKADA DOESN’T BUDGE!!! Jay tugs, growing frantic as he locks eyes with Okada, who shakes his head! SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! INTO A RAINMAKER!!! Picking a limp Jay back up, Okada ‘Too Sweets’ him on the forehead, before waving goodbye, NAILING ONE MORE RAINMAKERRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!! BULLET CLUB is dead. Long Live Okada.
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Jay White to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (38:48)
A stunned silence fills San Jose at first, followed by a standing ovation for both warriors. 10 years of one of the greatest factions of all-time, now over. BC rush out to White’s side, some shocked, some furious, but overall emotional for their last night together. KENTA gives Okada a soulless look as the Rainmaker leaves the ring, Kazu nodding to Tanahashi on commentary, knowing what this moment means to him too. But alas, the night is over as Jay walks himself out of New Japan, no betrayals on their last night.
Whilst Okada’s been through two tense defences in a short span, yet another challenge awaits him. Kaito consistently calling him out in the past weeks, using Okada’s moves on tours, Kazu finally caves, confirming he’ll be there at Keiji Muto’s retirement show, but he’ll be there for blood.
NOAH Last Love (February 21, 2023)
Also on the show:
AMAKUSA vs Hiromu Takahashi
Keiji Muto vs Tetsuya Naito
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya
The most invigorating Japanese rivalry in recent memory finally receives the pay-off everyone desires as NJPW’s Ace fights NOAH’s up-and-coming Ace. What ensues is awfully one-sided, Okada fully tapping into his role of Big Brother as he demolishes the man he deems lesser than him. Kaito does his best to hold out, getting in Kazu’s face a couple times, but he’s no match for the unbridled arrogance and fury of Okada, who wrecks him with an Antonio Inoki Enzuigiri, a Mitsuharu Misawa Emerald Flowsion, and a stiff-as-hell Rainmaker! 7 years ago, this was Naomichi Marufuji to Okada, but now Kazu is the Alpha Dog in town.
Kazuchika Okada def. Kaito Kiyomiya (16:32)
With Okada drifting into this unrecognisable version of himself, the rift between him and members of CHAOS continues to grow. Goto’s outspoken in his discontentment with CHAOS’s current position, HASHI standing with his partner, believing Kazuchika should be spending more time uniting the faction as their leader rather than running off to humiliate others and dapping up Tanahashi. Ishii and Yano, on the other hand, refuse a rebellion as CHAOS OGs and loyalists, Tom already eating well with his NEVER Openweight Championship. As such, a match between them is set for Anniversary!
As for Okada, with LIJ not getting the chance to fight Okada due to their loss to KONGOH, Hiromu Takahashi challenges him to a Champion vs Champion fight as one of 2 LIJ members who did win against KONGOH.
51st Anniversary Show (March 6, 2023)
Also on the show:
Bishamon (c) vs CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi
A long-awaited rematch from 2020’s New Japan Cup Semi Finals for Hiromu, much like Prince Devitt a decade ago he wants to prove he can hold both titles simultaneously. Though Devitt failed, Takahashi tries to avenge stablemates Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi’s failures against the Ace as Tanahashi commentates again, having surprisingly voiced his support for Okada’s recent regime of culling the outsiders. An 18-minute sprint sees Hiromu rely on his explosiveness to leave Okada reeling, a Time Bomb II banging up the neck for a near-fall, but Takahashi still isn’t on Kazu’s level, a Rainmaker silencing him!
Kazuchika Okada def. Hiromu Takahashi (18:03)
Despite Bishamon’s defiant victory against CHAOS, Okada pays it no regard when choosing a partner for New Japan’s return to Aichi, remembering how Goto failed him last time. Called out by recent Young Lion graduates Ren Narita and Shota Umino, who have been making waves in the New Japan Cup, Narita determined to replicate mentor Katsuyori Shibata’s run to avenge him, whilst Shota wishes to impress idol Tanahashi, Kazu fittingly invites the Ace of the Universe to team with him!
New Japan Cup - Night Five (March 11, 2023)
The Dream Team (Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs Ren Narita & Shota Umino
A true dream team, the company’s Aces battle its future in a thrilling exhibition bout, Shota borrowing from Tanahashi in his performance, whilst Narita remains very much determined to get in Okada’s face. Much like the rest who have tried as of late though, he’s well out his weight class, Okada paying him a mocking headbutt and a Rainmaker to humble the youngster! As Narita wallows in disappointment though, Okada offers a hand to Shota, helping him to his feet and claiming he sees a future in the Tanahashi-derivative star.
The Dream Team def. Ren Narita & Shota Umino (13:32)
As the New Japan Cup rolls on, it reaches a scintillating conclusion with Just5Guys’ Taichi besting Sabre Gun’s Zack Sabre Jr. in the Finals, Taichi having beaten Ospreay in the Semis and Zack triumphing over SANADA! As the group joins the Toshiaki Kawada student for the trophy presentation, complete with a recently-turning SANADA, who betrayed Naito in the Quarter Finals, they invite one last member to their family to Sabre-Gun’s Kosei Fujita’s umbrage – his former friend who he left, Ryohei Oiwa! Whilst J6G and Sabre-Gun’s rivalry bubbles in the background, the important matter at hand is Taichi’s upcoming shot!
Road To Sakura Genesis - Night Three (April 3, 2023)
The Dream Team (Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs Just6Guys (Taichi & SANADA)
Once again calling on Tanahashi, the (Aether) Aces step to their mutual foes of Taichi & SANADA. Looking down on the pair as AJPW guys, Okada & Tanahashi are especially hostile in their treatment of J6G, but unlike Kaito who ate all of it, Taichi & SANADA are a lot more defiant, the Holy Emperor especially passionate in his reminders that no matter where he came from, he still worked his way through the Dojo like Okada and Tanahashi. Still, even with Taichi catching the champion by surprise with multiple near-falls, forcing him to become more serious, it’s not their night… yet, SANADA eating the fall off a High-Fly Flow!
The Dream Team def. Just6Guys (15:27)
Sakura Genesis (April 8, 2023)
Also on the card:
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs Lio Rush - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs Great-O-Khan – NEVER Openweight Championship
Bishamon (c) vs Aussie Open - IWGP Tag Team Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Taichi VI - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Though the tag match may not have gone in J6G’s favour, tonight’s a lot different. One year ago, Taichi watched as his partner ZSJ failed to dethrone Okada after winning the NJC, much like four years before that. But now, he’s earned the chance to be the one fighting Kazu and silence his critics, especially the Rainmaker, rather than spectating a third time. Conducting a full operatic entrance, the Holy Emperor is the fan-favourite in the very arena his mentor Kawada retired, looking to make him proud, and for once, even Okada’s grandeur pales in comparison to his foe, though he looks past it, prepared to stomp out another outsider.
What ensues is a match centred around respect, Okada refusing to give it to Taichi, and Taichi doing everything he can for it! From homages to Kawada with the DANGEROUS BACKDROP and a GANSO BOMB tease from Taichi, to Kazu intentionally attempting NOAH-centric moves like the BURNING HAMMER and EMERALD FLOWSION, they trade bombs from start to finish, Taichi even connecting a RIPCORD AXE BOMBER for a near-fall! Yet despite putting on the best underdog performance of his career, the RAINMAKERS put a stop to it!
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Taichi to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (28:32)
So close yet so far. As another one bites the dust, CHAOS comes out to join Okada for the show-closing promo – Ishii with his gold, but Bishamon now titleless, as well as Lio Rush failing to win gold too. The Rainmaker gloats, saying he’s never been better… though CHAOS could be a lot better. Admonishing their failures, he tells them he’s disappointed in them. Unlike other factions do, he refused to hold their hands every step of the way, putting his faith in them, yet they’ve thrown that in his face time and time again. Certain members are holding the group back, so he invites them to either leave while they can, or face the consequences.
A few moments pass, but no one budges. Okada scoffs, about to speak until Goto gets in his face! Running down Okada, he says he’s done with the treatment he’s received from the Rainmaker lately, his spot in CHAOS always one of shame after all, constant losses to Okada forcing him to join his foe rather than fail further. But he’s no coward. He’s not going to tuck his tail between his legs and scram like Okada wants. He knows Kazu wants him gone, so if that’s the case… he challenges him to put the leadership of CHAOS on the line against him at his 20th Anniversary Show! If Okada wins, he’ll leave. If Goto wins, he takes over. Astonished by Goto’s defiance yet almost respecting it, Okada agrees to let him fight for his future!
Capital Collision (April 15, 2023)
Also on the show:
Kenny Omega (c) vs El Phantasmo - IWGP United States Championship
The Dream Team (Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi) vs Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) (c) vs Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) - NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship
Before Goto’s final stand, Okada makes a trip down to America to challenge for the STRONG Tag Titles, wanting to show Hirooki how it’s done by not only beating the team which dethroned Bishamon, but also the legendary Motor City Machine Guns! Joined by Tanahashi as expected, the icons make up for their lack of tag team experience with sheer talent, giving both teams a tough draw. A Rainmaker to Fletcher sets up Tanahashi for a High-Fly Flow, but as Okada prepares to defend the pinfall, OUT COME BISHAMON! Drawing Okada’s attention, Goto brawls with the Rainmaker whilst HASHI distracts Tana, allowing Davis to take him out, before nailing the Coriolis on Shelley to win the titles!
Aussie Open def. Motor City Machine Guns (c), The Dream Team (25:13)
As Okada realises what’s just happened, Bishamon are long gone by then, Goto waving to a fuming Kazu from the entranceway!
Hirooki Goto 20th Anniversary Event (April 22, 2023)
Kazuchika Okada vs Hirooki Goto XVI
High stakes for the main event, all of CHAOS and Tanahashi are in attendance to witness their stable’s future. Goto’s stoic, not letting the emotions of it all get to him, whilst Okada’s arrogant as ever, overconfident in his abilities despite their series being only 8-7 to him, Goto able to score the grandest of equalisers tonight should he win. What ensues is an all-out war for CHAOS, Goto doing everything to prove himself a worthy member, whilst Okada devotes himself to ruining the Aramusha. And at certain points, Goto has the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion on the ropes, humbling the Rainmaker off a nail-bitingly close near fall on the GTR! But Okada’s simply unstoppable, it taking three Rainmakers to seal the deal, Okada besting Goto!
Kazuchika Okada def. Hirooki Goto (25:10)
Ruining Goto’s big night, Okada’s smug with himself as HASHI, Lio, YOH, and even Yano tend to their fallen comrade, while Ishii watches with a hint of sorrow, though ultimately steering clear of treasonous actions. As per the stipulation, an emotional Goto’s forced to leave CHAOS, though he doesn’t walk the plank alone, YOSHI, Rush, and YOH, following suit! Okada seems taken aback at first, though ultimately nods, needing all traces of weakness gone from his stable. Just Ishii and Tanahashi left standing at ringside, Okada declares that the foundations of the group will be rebuilt, starting with… the three of them!
Handing a CHAOS shirt to Tanahashi, he welcomes Hiroshi to the group, before handing over the mic! Tana explains that upon speaking with Okada, he realised this would be the right way for him to protect the future of the company he fought so long for. Just because he’s carrying a flag now though, doesn’t mean he’s any different from the man they all know and love. He’s doing this for the betterment of the place he loves. He’s doing this for a purer New Japan!
As the three stand tall together… BUSAIKU KNEE KICK TO OKADA! Just as quickly as KENTA slipped into the ring, he slips back out, Taiji Ishimori & SHO by his side! Banding together as a group of misfits following BULLET CLUB’s death, SHO leaving House of Torture too, it’s clear KENTA has one thing on his mind… take from the man who took from him.
Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni (April 29, 2023)
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & X) vs KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & SHO
With KENTA and co. targeting Okada, a Six-Man Tag is set, though not with Tanahashi as CHAOS’s third man. Instead, he gives up his spot to their ‘new member’, who reveals himself to be Shota Umino! Okada impressed with his talents a couple months back, he shows off his chops here as a functioning member of the new CHAOS, the three gelling together perfectly. A rather shades of grey encounter between two sides with moral ambiguities, the crowd is evenly split, but alas, it’s KENTA’s crew scoring a bit of an upset after some shenanigans, the Busaiku Knee Kick taking down Ishii! After the match, KENTA gestures Okada’s belt around his waist.
KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & SHO def. CHAOS (14:39)
Wrestling Dontaku (May 3, 2023)
Also on the card:
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs YOSHI-HASHI - NEVER Openweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs Shingo Takagi - IWGP United States Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs KENTA II - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Not having touched one-on-one since KENTA’s debut G1, there’s a big fight feel for the sacred rematch 4 years long overdue. The Black Sun carrying NOAH’s flag in Okada’s eyes, he’s determined to add KENTA to his list of casualties, whilst vengeance remains glued to the challenger’s mind. Returning to his Overture theme, KENTA’s just as arrogant as the champion, the two producing mirroring self-absorbed entrances, but as the bell rings, it remains to be seen whether their skill is also mirrored.
Starting with a feeling out sequence, the two trade a variety of holds back-and-forth with increasing pace, before Okada teases a sudden RAINMAKER! KENTA has it scouted, catching the arm and immediately getting to work on it, remembering Nakajima’s strategy. Hammering it with elbows and kicks, a HIGH KNEE finds its mark on Okada’s shoulder! Whipping him to the mat, a PENALTY KICK follows to the joint! Okada shakes out his arm in agony as KENTA’s target becomes crystal clear, smartly looking to eliminate the Rainmaker from the equation as early as possible!
KENTA races in for a Corner Big Boot, but Okada ducks out the way, dropping KENTA with a BACKDROP SUPLEX! He shakes out his arm as he drops into cover, shooting the half, only for KENTA to reverse the pinfall mid-count into a GAME OVER attempt! Alarm in his eyes, Okada frantically lunges at the ropes for reprieve, though KENTA holds on until 4 to exact as much damage as possible on the limb!
Okada resting against the ropes as he tries to get some feeling back in his arm, KENTA sprints for a RUNNING YAKUZA KICK, but Okada pulls the ropes down, the Black Sun sent crashing to the outside! He whips KENTA into the guardrails for a Big Boot that sends him over, a JUMPING CROSSBODY following suit! Dragging KENTA out the rubble, he teases a HANGMAN’S DDT off the steel, only for KENTA to drop down and SNAP OKADA’S ARM OVER THE GUARDRAIL! Threading it through the gap, a HESITATION DROPKICK MANGLES HIS ARM IN THE STEEL!
Okada lets out a cry of pain as the section crashes down on him, having no time to recover as he feebly frees himself from it, KENTA yanking him by the arm! He tries to send Okada’s arm into the steel post, but the Big Boot takes him down! Rolling KENTA inside, Okada hails down a MISSILE DROPKICK to send him sprawling across the ring, before a STRAIGHT-JACKET NECKBREAKER subdues him for the Rainmaker to lock in RED INK!
Using the opportunity to rest his own arm, it backfires when KENTA contorts it over his shoulder to free himself, a CROSS ARMBREAKER turning the tables! Kazuchika gets a monkey grip to prevent full extension though, rolling KENTA over to his shoulders for 2, before hoisting him up into an AIR RAID CRASH NECKBREAKER! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT! Okada tries to pick KENTA up with one arm for the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but he fails miserably, KENTA turning the predicament around into an EMERALD FLOWSION!
Scaling the ropes, KENTA teases a DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP to the point of Okada’s elbow… MILLION DOLLAR DROPKICK INTERCEPTS! Okada stands KENTA up with a DDT, before dumping him with a GERMAN SUPLEX, though is unable to get the bridge. Wanting to wrap things up and fast, he uses the ropes to get KENTA in position for a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, before securing wrist-control! He looks for the RAINMAKER, only for KENTA to blast the arm with a YAKUZA KICK!
Okada’s arm dropping by his side, KENTA teases going for a RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN, only for Kazuchika to bring him down with a FLAPJACK instead! A SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER shakes off KENTA’s advances on the arm, before a RAINMAKER FINDS ITS MARK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOO!!! Not enough strength behind it for Okada to put KENTA down for good, he tries for another… KENTA SLAPS THE TASTE OUT HIS MOUTH! KENTA RUSH FOLLOWS SUIT! AND A BUSAIKU KNEE KICK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OKADA SURVIVES!!!
Doing the Rainmaker pose, KENTA secures wrist-control himself and puts Okada on his shoulders, teasing a GO 2 SLEEP! OKADA NAILS HEAVY RAIN!!! A LANDSLIDE attempt is stuffed, KENTA again abusing the arm like it’s the Dragongate monkey, BEFORE NAILING A SHORT-ARM RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN!!! Okada forced to eat stiff shot after stiff shot like it’s Shibata all over again, he looks to be on dream street as KENTA fires up a second BUSAIKU KNEE- DROPKICK COUNTERS!!! Accounting for his deteriorating arm, Okada nails a pair of SHORT-ARM RAINMAKERS with his nondominant arm to ease into one more RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!!
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. KENTA to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (26:35)
It may be the accumulating fatigue talking, but KENTA may have given Okada his biggest scare yet, a lucky last gasp saving the Rainmaker’s reign. Not so bad for an outside, he thinks. As a shattered KENTA collects his bearing, SHO and Taiji by his side, Okada stops him from leaving just yet, instead calling to Tanahashi from commentary, who tosses him a shirt! Mic in his other hand, Okada declares that KENTA impressed him more than he would normally care to admit. It’s almost as though his talents were being wasted in BULLET CLUB… So, why not join CHAOS?
The Black Sun’s understandably stunned, the man he hated just moments ago now offering a truce? But Okada tells him to sit on it, offering a couple more shirts to his pals, stating he could use their talents to fuel his new vision. SHO was always the better Roppongi 3K member after all. And Taiji’s an Ultimo Dragon trainee like him. Just think on it. As KENTA and co. leave to the back in deep thought, it appears big things lie ahead for CHAOS…
2023.05.28 04:16 Ill-Concentrate1218 When?...
Warning. Long story ahead 😂
In a relationship with a man who has 2 kids. SD(9) and SS (5). Been with him for almost 3 years. Lived together for 2. BM would not allow me to meet the kids until they went back to court for a custody adjustment. Her lawyer talked some sense into her so she finally allowed me to meet the kids.
I've never EVER spoken to this woman in my life. She refuses to meet me, but finds the need in always dragging me into their problems. They speak on Talking Parents app and she's still petty and childish. When i was first around the kids, she asked my bf to not leave the kids alone with me. Understandable, i was new to them. But her version staying alone with them was that she was requesting that when we needed to pump gas, i had to do it. Because those were 30 seconds of unauthorized time alone Id have with the kids while he pumped gas...she also requested that when the kids were over, i had to take out the trash. Because again, those were 30 seconds of unauthorized time with them. It has just been petty shit after shit.
One evening during drop off, she was already mad about something and saw me in the passenger seat of his car. Mind you, i never get out of the car, they handle their business. She sent him long paragraphs about how she swore on her life how I'll never be around drop offs and that i wasn't authorized to be there and how she'd take him back to court just to never see me in the car with him again during drop offs.
She pulls stunts to prove to herself or maybe even to me that she still has him by the balls because of the kids. Texted him on a Thursday night at 9pm asking about a jersey, he told her he had it, then proceeds to tell him he needs to drop it off that night. She needed it for Friday morning. He tells her he has plans, she replied "i don't give a fuck about you and your plans, you will drop off the jersey when i say so". They argued for an entire hour. We had plans 1.5 hours way from where she lived but in the end she won. She finally told him that jersey was for a project and SD was going to lose points if she didn't wear it. Guilt tripped my bf. We drop everything we were doing to go drop off the jersey. He emails the teacher about how she did and finds out there was never a project to begin with...an entire show. For what???....and she does this right when things get peaceful or they haven't argued in weeks.
Recently we went to medieval times and the 4 of us took a family pic. His daughter begged us to take a copy home so we bought her one. The next time they came over, the pic was returned to us. She told my bf that his daughter wanted nothing to do with the pic and that there's boundaries. That no picture of me or my bf was to ever enter her home. Like dude...it's for the kids...his daughter was pretty sad she couldn't keep the pic at home.
The only time her and i have ever been close to each other was one time at Starbucks, they had to talk among themselves and the kids because of how the kids had been behaving lately. I purchased my coffee and left back to the car.
I get it, they were together for 10 years, he cheated and she can't understand he's happy again. But this is a lot
My bf had to have an emergency dental procedure and has to be put to sleep. The kids needed to be picked up. He asked her if it was ok for me to do it since he'd be loopy, she replied yes. Then of course the night before his procedure, she replied telling him she changed her mind and she has emailed the entire school to let them know I'm not allowed to be around the kids. Like wtf?? For what?...I'm HELPING you guys. He's tried putting me on the pick up list in case of emergency and she has managed to take me off every time. She's a complete shit show
And again, they talk through talking parents. She's called me names, dragged my name left and right, has called us clowns. Had made up scenarios that never happened and it's crazy to me how she can keep doing this
We went to court to ask how we can get the harassment to stop, printed out about 30 pages of screenshots in the app and they literally told us to turn around and go home. They can't make a person act right.
Like wtf? So we're just supposed to live like this? If her requests aren't done, she's allowed to send 20 + texts until she harasses and guilt trips us enough??? She literally does not stop texting and calling my bf names, and telling him he's a shit parent until she gets her way. It's her way of throwing a tantrum.
Sorry for rant. I needed it.
submitted by Ill-Concentrate1218 to stepparents [link] [comments]
In a relationship with a man who has 2 kids. SD(9) and SS (5). Been with him for almost 3 years. Lived together for 2. BM would not allow me to meet the kids until they went back to court for a custody adjustment. Her lawyer talked some sense into her so she finally allowed me to meet the kids.
I've never EVER spoken to this woman in my life. She refuses to meet me, but finds the need in always dragging me into their problems. They speak on Talking Parents app and she's still petty and childish. When i was first around the kids, she asked my bf to not leave the kids alone with me. Understandable, i was new to them. But her version staying alone with them was that she was requesting that when we needed to pump gas, i had to do it. Because those were 30 seconds of unauthorized time alone Id have with the kids while he pumped gas...she also requested that when the kids were over, i had to take out the trash. Because again, those were 30 seconds of unauthorized time with them. It has just been petty shit after shit.
One evening during drop off, she was already mad about something and saw me in the passenger seat of his car. Mind you, i never get out of the car, they handle their business. She sent him long paragraphs about how she swore on her life how I'll never be around drop offs and that i wasn't authorized to be there and how she'd take him back to court just to never see me in the car with him again during drop offs.
She pulls stunts to prove to herself or maybe even to me that she still has him by the balls because of the kids. Texted him on a Thursday night at 9pm asking about a jersey, he told her he had it, then proceeds to tell him he needs to drop it off that night. She needed it for Friday morning. He tells her he has plans, she replied "i don't give a fuck about you and your plans, you will drop off the jersey when i say so". They argued for an entire hour. We had plans 1.5 hours way from where she lived but in the end she won. She finally told him that jersey was for a project and SD was going to lose points if she didn't wear it. Guilt tripped my bf. We drop everything we were doing to go drop off the jersey. He emails the teacher about how she did and finds out there was never a project to begin with...an entire show. For what???....and she does this right when things get peaceful or they haven't argued in weeks.
Recently we went to medieval times and the 4 of us took a family pic. His daughter begged us to take a copy home so we bought her one. The next time they came over, the pic was returned to us. She told my bf that his daughter wanted nothing to do with the pic and that there's boundaries. That no picture of me or my bf was to ever enter her home. Like dude...it's for the kids...his daughter was pretty sad she couldn't keep the pic at home.
The only time her and i have ever been close to each other was one time at Starbucks, they had to talk among themselves and the kids because of how the kids had been behaving lately. I purchased my coffee and left back to the car.
I get it, they were together for 10 years, he cheated and she can't understand he's happy again. But this is a lot
My bf had to have an emergency dental procedure and has to be put to sleep. The kids needed to be picked up. He asked her if it was ok for me to do it since he'd be loopy, she replied yes. Then of course the night before his procedure, she replied telling him she changed her mind and she has emailed the entire school to let them know I'm not allowed to be around the kids. Like wtf?? For what?...I'm HELPING you guys. He's tried putting me on the pick up list in case of emergency and she has managed to take me off every time. She's a complete shit show
And again, they talk through talking parents. She's called me names, dragged my name left and right, has called us clowns. Had made up scenarios that never happened and it's crazy to me how she can keep doing this
We went to court to ask how we can get the harassment to stop, printed out about 30 pages of screenshots in the app and they literally told us to turn around and go home. They can't make a person act right.
Like wtf? So we're just supposed to live like this? If her requests aren't done, she's allowed to send 20 + texts until she harasses and guilt trips us enough??? She literally does not stop texting and calling my bf names, and telling him he's a shit parent until she gets her way. It's her way of throwing a tantrum.
Sorry for rant. I needed it.
2023.05.28 01:52 freekfast WSSR Roasted Gems Cup Series S6 - R15 - Atlanta Motor Speedway Presented...
 | submitted by freekfast to iracingleague [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 01:52 freekfast WSSR Roasted Gems Cup Series S6 - R15 - Atlanta Motor Speedway Presented...
| | submitted by freekfast to iRacing [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 01:12 Inevitable-Hippo-683 Dallin out spending his adoption scam money 💰 🤑 💸 💲
 | Dallin may be coattailing off Arie's racing connections but if not and he paid for his own VIP package...he's dropping grands. submitted by Inevitable-Hippo-683 to dellavlogssnark [link] [comments] |
2023.05.27 16:41 PhilsTriangle [USA-NJ][H] Nintendo (NES), N64, SNES, Pokemon 3DS XL Console, Gameboy Console CIB, DSi Console, Playstation, PS2, Sega, SMS, and Xbox 360 [W] PayPal, Venmo
Hey everyone, here's a few pictures of what I have for sale . There's a lot listed below that is not pictured so just let me know what you are interested in and I can provide additional pictures.
Prices do not include shipping unless "shipped" is noted. Shipping is $4 for 1 game (1st Class in a Padded/Bubble Wrapped Envelope). An additional $1 per game (if weight exceeds 12 oz). I only accept PayPal via Friends & Family or Venmo F&F, however I do have 295+ confirmed transaction on this board without any issues.
Consoles + Accessories Gameboy Original (CIB; unused condition; even the batteries are unopened) - $300 shipped or BO GBA Wireless Adapter (AGB-015) - $20 shipped GBA to Gamecube Adapter (DOL-011) - $25 shipped Gameboy OEM Clam Shells (lot of 32) - $75 shipped Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon X & Y Limited Edition Console + Luigis Mansion Dark Moon (loose) - $300 shipped Nintendo 64 OEM Gray Controller - $25 Nintendo 64 OEM Controller Pak (NUS-004) - $13 shipped Nintendo 64 GameShark - $25 Nintendo 64 Performance Memory Card - $10 shipped Nintendo 64 OEM Transfer Pak - $20 shipped Nintendo DSI (TMNT Decals) w/ Charger - $50 shipped Sega GameGear Super Wide Gear - $22 shipped Sega Master System w/ hookups + controller (small crack/break in console shell) $125 + shipping Super Nintendo Snes Jr Console (console only; tested) - $90 shipped
N64 Games 007 World is Not Enough (ex-rental) - $14 1080 Snowboarding - $11 Backstage Assault - $12 Blast Corps - $18 Excite Bike 64 - $15 Flying Dragon - $30 F-Zero X - $40 Jet Force Gemini - $13 Madden Football 64 - $5 Mario Kart 64 - $42 MRC Multi Championship Racing - $10 Mystical Ninja Featuring Goemon (ex-rental) - $85 Namco Museum 64 - $12 NBA Jam 99 - $11 NFL Blitz 2001 (torn label) - $18 NFL Quarterback Club 2000 - $5 Pokemon Snap - $20 Pokemon Stadium - $35 San Francisco Rush - $15 San Francisco Rush 2 - $18 Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - $10 Star Wars Rogue Squadron - $14 Super Mario 64 - $38 Superman - $15 Super Smash Brothers - $45 Magical Tetris Challenge - $25 The New Tetris - $30 Tetrisphere - $12 Tony Hawk Pro Skater - $12 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 - $21 Top Gear Overdrive - $11 Toy Story 2 - $20 Turok Dinosaur Hunter - $12 Virtual Pool - $13 Waialae Country Club - $6
N64 Manuals/Strategy Guides Duke Nukem Manual - $10 Flying Dragon Manual - $40 Silicon Valley Space Station Manual - $50 Super Mario 64 Nintendo Power Player's Guide - $18
NES Games Adventure of Bayou Billy - $7 Anticipation - $5 Bad Street Brawler - $13 Battle Chess (CIB) - $32 Battle of Olympus - $16 Blades of Steel - $9 Defender 2 - $10 Dragon Warrior (CIB) - $70 Dragon Warrior II -$60 Dragon Warrior - III - $120 Dragon Warrior IV - $160 Excite Bike - $11 Exodus Ultima - $11 Faxanadu - $12 Fester's Quest - $10 Final Fantasy - $25 Gauntlet II (label wear) - $10 Golf - $3 Gotcha - $7 Ghost 'N Goblins - $15 Greg Norman's Golf Power - $14 Gyruss - $9 Hydlide - $9 Iron Sword - $8 Little League Baseball - $12 Magic of Scheherazade (CIB) - $65 Mach Rider - $8 Metal Gear (w/ worn box) - $80 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out - $40 Paperboy - $16 Pinball $7 The Punisher - $27 Rad Racer II - $7 Renegade - $10 RBI Baseball 2 - $10 Road Runner - $16 Spy Hunter - $6 Super Glove Ball - $7 Superman - $21 Super Mario Bros. - $15 Super Mario Bros./ Duck Hunt - $7 Super Mario Bros. 2 - $24 Super Off-Road - $12 Super Sprint (Tengen) - $7 Super Team Games - $9 Tetris - $12 Tetris 2 -$9 Tiger-Heli - $5 Tiny Toon Adventures 2 Trouble in Wackyland - $16 To The Earth - $5 Toobin (Tengen) - $20 Top Gun - $5 Top Player Tennis - $9 Vindicators - $10 Winter Games by Epyx - $6
NES Manuals Anticipation Manual - $5 Captain Skyhawk Manual - $5 Dance Aerobics Manual - $5 Friday the 13th Manual - $16 Golf - $5 Gotcha Manual - $7 (crease) Hogan's Alley Manual - $9 Iron Sword Wizards & Warriors II Manual - $7 Life Force Manual - $10 (some damage to an interior page) Sesame Street 1 2 3 - $7 Super Team Games - $7 Tiger Heli - $3 (water damage)
Gameboy (cart only) Batman - $24 Dr. Mario - $10 Star Wars - $11 Super Mario Land - (top of label is faded) - $20 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - $30
Gameboy Color (cart only) All-Star Baseball 2000 - $5 Mary Kate & Ashley's New Adventures - $4 Men in Black The Series - $7 Pacman Special Color Edition - $14 Rugrats the Movie - $7 Shrek Fairy Tale Freak Down - $7 Smurf's Nightmare - $10 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 - $6 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - $6 Yu- Gi- Oh Dark Duel Stories - $10
GBA (cart only) 007 Everything or Nothing - $7 A Series of Unfortunate Events -$4 Backyard Baseball - $5 Backyard Baseball 2006 - $7 Backyard Baseball 2007 - $7 Backyard Football - $8 Backyard Football 2006 - $4 Backyard Football 2007 - $5 Battleship / Risk / Clue - $6 Bratz - $4 Butt Ugly Martians: BKM Battles - $5 Cars - $5 Cartoon Network Speedway - $6 Catz - $5 Cho Makaimura R Super Ghouls N Ghost ( Japanese Import) - $95 Shipped Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - $4 Dogz - $6 Dora Explorer's Pirate Pig's Treasure - $4 Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors - $20 Earth Worm Jim - $16 ESPN Great Outdoor Games Bass 2002 - $5 Fantastic 4 Flame On - $3 Finding Nemo - $5 Fire Pro Wrestling - $11 Frogger's Journey - $6 Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge - $3 Hot Wheels World Race - $5 Incredibles Rise of the Underminer - $6 Jimmy Neutron Attack of the Twonkies - $4 Jimmy Neutron Jet Fusion - $3 Lord of the Rings The Two Towers - $10 Lost Vikings - $25 Lizzie McGuire: On the Go - $3 Madagascar & Shrek 2 - $5 Madagascar Operation Penguin - $6 Madden 2005 - $5 Mario Kart Super Circuit (torn label) - $21 Monster Jam Maximum Destruction - $6 Namco Museum - $6 Oddworld Munch's Oddysee - $12 Pong Asterios Yar's Revenge - $4 Power Rangers Dino Thunder - $8 Quad Desert Furty - $3 Road Rash Jail Break - $10 Shark Tale - $4 Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron - $5 Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones - $5 Star Wars The New Droid Army - $5 Super Mario Advance (worn label) - $17 The Incredibles - $3 Top Gear GT Championship - $10 Yu-Gi-Oh Double Pack 2 - $13 Yu-Gi-Oh Eternal Duelist Soul - $12 Wario Land 4 - $45 WWF Road to Wrestlemania - $10
Nintendo 3DS (loose) Transformers Dark of the Moon Stealth Edition - $7
Nintendo DS Games (cart only unless noted) Avatar The Last Airbender - $13 Backyard Sports Rookie Rush - $4 Bionicle Matoran Adventures - $6 Club Penguin - $4 Happy Feet - $4 Mario Hoops 3 on 3 - $10 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - $10 Megaman Starforce Dragon - $95 shipped Metroid Hunters First Hunt - $6 Namco Museum DS - $8 Nintendo Dogs: Chihuahua & Friends - $6 Nintendo Dogs: Dachshund & Friends (CIB) - $10 Nintendo Dogs: Lab & Friends - $6 Ping Pals - $3 Plants vs Zombies - $10 Ratatouille - $5 Ridge Racer DS - $8 Shrek Superslam - $5 MySims - $5 MySims Kingdom - $5 Spectrobes - $5 Spiderman 3 - $8 Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (LEGO) - $6 Super Money Ball Touch & Roll - $6
Nintendo Gamecube Games (CIB unless noted) ATV Quad Power Racing 2 (missing manual) - $9 Cars - $8 ESPN Winter Sports 2002 - $6 Madden 2003 - $5 Madden 2005 - $6 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 - $8 Spongebob Squarepants: Lights Camera Pants - $16 WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (missing manual) - $25 WWE WrestleMania X8 (missing manual) - $12
Nintendo Wii Games (all have cases) All-Star Cheer Squad - $5 Cabelas Big Game Hunter 2010 (CIB) - $8 Call of Duty Black Ops (CIB) - $9 Carnival Games (CIB) - $6 Chuck E Cheese Party Games (Missing Manual) - $10 Country Dance (CIB) - $8 Deal or No Deal (CIB) - $5 Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock (CIB) - $19 Hannah Montana Spotlight World Tour (Sealed) - $8 Major League Baseball 2K12 (CIB) - $10 Thrillville Off The Rails (CIB) - $5 Wii Music - $6 Wii Sports (Disc & Manual) - $20 Wii Sports Resort (CIB) - $30
Playstation PS1 Games (CIB unless noted) 007 Tomorrow Never Dies - $7 A Bug's Life (GH) - $7 Action Bass - $6 Ball Breakers (sealed) - $10 Bass Championship - $7 Battle Arena Toshinden (GH) - $14 Bushido Blade - $36 Crash Bandicoot Warped (GH) - $13 Fighting Force - $20 Gran Turismo 2 (GH) - $12 Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - $13 IHRA Drag Racing - $5 Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Crazy Maze - $8 MediEvil (missing manual) - $35 Missile Command - $6 Monster's Inc (GH) - $9 Nascar Heat (CIB) - $7 NBA Live 2000 - $8 NBA Shootout 98 - $9 NFL Blitz 2000 - $15 NHL 98 - $8 NHL Faceoff 97 (GH) - $5 Parasite Eve - $75 Parasite Eve (missing demo disk) - $60 PlayStation Underground Jampack Fall 2001 - $9 Q* Bert - $10 Resident Evil Director's Cut (GH) - $30 Rugrats Search for Reptar (GH) - $17 Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - $12 Soul Blade - $23 Star wars Dark Forces (unoriginal jewel case) - $13 Syphon Filter 2 (GH) - $10 Tecmo Super Bowl - $20 Tiger Woods 99 - $8 Tony Hawk Pro Skater (GH) - $10 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (GH) - $12 Triply Play 99 - $8 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 2nd Edition - $8 World Cup 98 - $12
Playstation 2 PS2 Games (CIB unless noted) 007 Everything or Nothing - $7 007 Nightfire - $9 Ace Combat 4 Shattered Skies (GH) - $8 All-Star Baseball 2005 - $5 Ben 10 Protector of Earth - $9 Bully - $22 Clock Tower 3 - $70 Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex (GH version) - $10 Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex - $12 Devil May Cry (GH) - $7 Enter the Matrix - $10 Eragon - $6 Family Feud - $5 Final Fantasy X (GH) -$9 Frogger the Great Quest - $7 Godfather the Game - $14 God of War (2 Disc Set) - $12 Guitar Hero II - $7 Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock - $9 High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 - $5 Hobbit - $10 Karaoke Revolution Party - $8 Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol - $5 Madden 2003 - $5 Madden 2007 - $5 Madden 2008 - $5 Midway Arcade Treasures - $11 MLB 07 the Show - $5 MLB Slugfest 2004 - $11 Nascar 2001 - $5 Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7 NFL Blitz Pro - $10 Onimusha 3 Demon Siege - $21 Pinball Hall of Fame - $5 Pirates - The Legend of Black Kat - $12 Red Dead Revolver - $17 Rise of Kasai - $8 Silent Hill 4 The Room (Factory Sealed) - $325 shipped Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith - $9 SSX Tricky (missing manual) - $19 Summoner - $10 Teen Titans - $22 Theme Park Roller Coaster - $8 Time Crisis 3 - $23 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - $6 Ty the Tasmanian Tiger - $11 Warriors of Might & Magic - $10 Wheel of Fortune - $7 Yu-Gi-Oh Duelists of the Roses - $22
PS3 Band Hero - $6 Call of Duty Black Ops - $10 Call of Duty World at War -$11 Crysis 2 - $7 Fifa Soccer 11 - $5 Guitar Hero 5 - $11 MLB the Show 10 - $4 MLB the Show 11 - $4 NCAA Football 11 - $9 Sports Champions - $5
Sega 32X (all cart only) Primal Rage - $50 Virtua Fighter - $24 Virtua Racing - $20
Sega Dreamcast Games (disc & manual only***; do not have original cases unless noted CIB) Centipede - $7 Plasma Sword Night of Bilstein - $50 Psychic Force 2012 - $25 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12 Rippin Riders - $5 Sega Bass Fishing - $8 Sega Rally 2 Championship - $12 Speed Devils - $15 Sword of Berserk: Gut's Rage (game only) - $65 Trick Style - $7 Zombie Revenge - $30
Sega Game Gear (cart only) Columns - $5 Sega Genesis (cart only unless noted) Aladdin (cart + manual) - $10 Boogerman A Pick & Flick Adventure (cart + manual) - $20 John Madden Football (cart + manual) - $20 Mortal Kombat (cart + manual) - $12 Prime Time NFL Football starring Deon Sanders (cart +manual) - $9 Shining Force (Case & Cart) - $75 Shining Force 2 (cart only) - $55 Sonic the Hedgehog (cart + manual) - $13 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (cart + manual) - $12 Sonic & Knuckles (cart only) - $25 Streets of Rage (cart only) - $22 X-Men (cart + manual) - $15
Sega Master System (Mostly CIB; ask me to check manual) Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars - $28 California Games (missing manual) - $20 Choplifter - $18 Ghostbusters - $25 Great Baseball - $10 Monopoly - $10 Parlour Games - $10 Pro Wrestling - $14 Rocky - $17 Space Harrier (missing manual) - $18 Shinobi (includes map; missing manual) - $30
Super Nintendo (SNES) Games (cart only) Aeroacrobat - $9 Best of the Best Championship Karate - $8 Brandish - $85 Brett Hull Hockey - $7 Bulls vs Blazers - $4 Capcom MVP Football - $7 Captain Commando - $175 Cliffhanger - $9 College Slam - $7 Donkey Kong Country - $20 ESPN Baseball Tonight - $4 Family Feud - Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - $17 Football Fury - $20 Harley's Humongous Adventure - $15 Magic Johnson's Super Slam Dunk - $6 Mickey's Ultimate Challenge - $12 MechWarrior 3050 - $17 Monopoly - $5 Ms. Pacman - $12 NCAA Basketball - $5 Nickelodeon GUTS - $16 Ninja Warrior - $130 NFL Football - $5 Pit Fighter - $8 Romance of the Three Kingdoms II - $20 Soldier's of Fortune (rental sticker on label) - $25 Stanley Cup Championship -$6 Street Fighter II - $15 Super Caesar's Palace - $4 Super High Impact - $5 Super Soccer - $9 Super Star Wars Return of the Jedi - $16 Terminator 2 Judgement Day - $15 Top Gear - $15
Xbox 360 (CIB) Assassin's Creed - $6 Battlefield Hardline Deluxe Edition - $10 Battlefield 3 Limited Edition - $6 Fifa Soccer 10 - $5 Fifa Work Cup South Africa 2010 - $5 Grand Theft Auto V - $10 Injustice Gods Among Us - $5 L.A. Noire - $7 Left 4 Dead 2 - $11 Mafia II - $10 N3 Ninety-Nine Nights - $20 Nascar The Game 2011 - $9 NBA 2K12 - $5 NHL 10 - $3 NHL 14 - $6 Pocket Bike Racer - $5 Red Dead Redemption - $9 Saints Row - $10 Saints Row The Third - $5 Skate 3 - $6 Virtua Tennis 4 - $9
submitted by PhilsTriangle to GameSale [link] [comments]
Prices do not include shipping unless "shipped" is noted. Shipping is $4 for 1 game (1st Class in a Padded/Bubble Wrapped Envelope). An additional $1 per game (if weight exceeds 12 oz). I only accept PayPal via Friends & Family or Venmo F&F, however I do have 295+ confirmed transaction on this board without any issues.
Consoles + Accessories Gameboy Original (CIB; unused condition; even the batteries are unopened) - $300 shipped or BO GBA Wireless Adapter (AGB-015) - $20 shipped GBA to Gamecube Adapter (DOL-011) - $25 shipped Gameboy OEM Clam Shells (lot of 32) - $75 shipped Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon X & Y Limited Edition Console + Luigis Mansion Dark Moon (loose) - $300 shipped Nintendo 64 OEM Gray Controller - $25 Nintendo 64 OEM Controller Pak (NUS-004) - $13 shipped Nintendo 64 GameShark - $25 Nintendo 64 Performance Memory Card - $10 shipped Nintendo 64 OEM Transfer Pak - $20 shipped Nintendo DSI (TMNT Decals) w/ Charger - $50 shipped Sega GameGear Super Wide Gear - $22 shipped Sega Master System w/ hookups + controller (small crack/break in console shell) $125 + shipping Super Nintendo Snes Jr Console (console only; tested) - $90 shipped
N64 Games 007 World is Not Enough (ex-rental) - $14 1080 Snowboarding - $11 Backstage Assault - $12 Blast Corps - $18 Excite Bike 64 - $15 Flying Dragon - $30 F-Zero X - $40 Jet Force Gemini - $13 Madden Football 64 - $5 Mario Kart 64 - $42 MRC Multi Championship Racing - $10 Mystical Ninja Featuring Goemon (ex-rental) - $85 Namco Museum 64 - $12 NBA Jam 99 - $11 NFL Blitz 2001 (torn label) - $18 NFL Quarterback Club 2000 - $5 Pokemon Snap - $20 Pokemon Stadium - $35 San Francisco Rush - $15 San Francisco Rush 2 - $18 Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - $10 Star Wars Rogue Squadron - $14 Super Mario 64 - $38 Superman - $15 Super Smash Brothers - $45 Magical Tetris Challenge - $25 The New Tetris - $30 Tetrisphere - $12 Tony Hawk Pro Skater - $12 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 - $21 Top Gear Overdrive - $11 Toy Story 2 - $20 Turok Dinosaur Hunter - $12 Virtual Pool - $13 Waialae Country Club - $6
N64 Manuals/Strategy Guides Duke Nukem Manual - $10 Flying Dragon Manual - $40 Silicon Valley Space Station Manual - $50 Super Mario 64 Nintendo Power Player's Guide - $18
NES Games Adventure of Bayou Billy - $7 Anticipation - $5 Bad Street Brawler - $13 Battle Chess (CIB) - $32 Battle of Olympus - $16 Blades of Steel - $9 Defender 2 - $10 Dragon Warrior (CIB) - $70 Dragon Warrior II -$60 Dragon Warrior - III - $120 Dragon Warrior IV - $160 Excite Bike - $11 Exodus Ultima - $11 Faxanadu - $12 Fester's Quest - $10 Final Fantasy - $25 Gauntlet II (label wear) - $10 Golf - $3 Gotcha - $7 Ghost 'N Goblins - $15 Greg Norman's Golf Power - $14 Gyruss - $9 Hydlide - $9 Iron Sword - $8 Little League Baseball - $12 Magic of Scheherazade (CIB) - $65 Mach Rider - $8 Metal Gear (w/ worn box) - $80 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out - $40 Paperboy - $16 Pinball $7 The Punisher - $27 Rad Racer II - $7 Renegade - $10 RBI Baseball 2 - $10 Road Runner - $16 Spy Hunter - $6 Super Glove Ball - $7 Superman - $21 Super Mario Bros. - $15 Super Mario Bros./ Duck Hunt - $7 Super Mario Bros. 2 - $24 Super Off-Road - $12 Super Sprint (Tengen) - $7 Super Team Games - $9 Tetris - $12 Tetris 2 -$9 Tiger-Heli - $5 Tiny Toon Adventures 2 Trouble in Wackyland - $16 To The Earth - $5 Toobin (Tengen) - $20 Top Gun - $5 Top Player Tennis - $9 Vindicators - $10 Winter Games by Epyx - $6
NES Manuals Anticipation Manual - $5 Captain Skyhawk Manual - $5 Dance Aerobics Manual - $5 Friday the 13th Manual - $16 Golf - $5 Gotcha Manual - $7 (crease) Hogan's Alley Manual - $9 Iron Sword Wizards & Warriors II Manual - $7 Life Force Manual - $10 (some damage to an interior page) Sesame Street 1 2 3 - $7 Super Team Games - $7 Tiger Heli - $3 (water damage)
Gameboy (cart only) Batman - $24 Dr. Mario - $10 Star Wars - $11 Super Mario Land - (top of label is faded) - $20 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - $30
Gameboy Color (cart only) All-Star Baseball 2000 - $5 Mary Kate & Ashley's New Adventures - $4 Men in Black The Series - $7 Pacman Special Color Edition - $14 Rugrats the Movie - $7 Shrek Fairy Tale Freak Down - $7 Smurf's Nightmare - $10 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 - $6 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - $6 Yu- Gi- Oh Dark Duel Stories - $10
GBA (cart only) 007 Everything or Nothing - $7 A Series of Unfortunate Events -$4 Backyard Baseball - $5 Backyard Baseball 2006 - $7 Backyard Baseball 2007 - $7 Backyard Football - $8 Backyard Football 2006 - $4 Backyard Football 2007 - $5 Battleship / Risk / Clue - $6 Bratz - $4 Butt Ugly Martians: BKM Battles - $5 Cars - $5 Cartoon Network Speedway - $6 Catz - $5 Cho Makaimura R Super Ghouls N Ghost ( Japanese Import) - $95 Shipped Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - $4 Dogz - $6 Dora Explorer's Pirate Pig's Treasure - $4 Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors - $20 Earth Worm Jim - $16 ESPN Great Outdoor Games Bass 2002 - $5 Fantastic 4 Flame On - $3 Finding Nemo - $5 Fire Pro Wrestling - $11 Frogger's Journey - $6 Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge - $3 Hot Wheels World Race - $5 Incredibles Rise of the Underminer - $6 Jimmy Neutron Attack of the Twonkies - $4 Jimmy Neutron Jet Fusion - $3 Lord of the Rings The Two Towers - $10 Lost Vikings - $25 Lizzie McGuire: On the Go - $3 Madagascar & Shrek 2 - $5 Madagascar Operation Penguin - $6 Madden 2005 - $5 Mario Kart Super Circuit (torn label) - $21 Monster Jam Maximum Destruction - $6 Namco Museum - $6 Oddworld Munch's Oddysee - $12 Pong Asterios Yar's Revenge - $4 Power Rangers Dino Thunder - $8 Quad Desert Furty - $3 Road Rash Jail Break - $10 Shark Tale - $4 Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron - $5 Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones - $5 Star Wars The New Droid Army - $5 Super Mario Advance (worn label) - $17 The Incredibles - $3 Top Gear GT Championship - $10 Yu-Gi-Oh Double Pack 2 - $13 Yu-Gi-Oh Eternal Duelist Soul - $12 Wario Land 4 - $45 WWF Road to Wrestlemania - $10
Nintendo 3DS (loose) Transformers Dark of the Moon Stealth Edition - $7
Nintendo DS Games (cart only unless noted) Avatar The Last Airbender - $13 Backyard Sports Rookie Rush - $4 Bionicle Matoran Adventures - $6 Club Penguin - $4 Happy Feet - $4 Mario Hoops 3 on 3 - $10 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - $10 Megaman Starforce Dragon - $95 shipped Metroid Hunters First Hunt - $6 Namco Museum DS - $8 Nintendo Dogs: Chihuahua & Friends - $6 Nintendo Dogs: Dachshund & Friends (CIB) - $10 Nintendo Dogs: Lab & Friends - $6 Ping Pals - $3 Plants vs Zombies - $10 Ratatouille - $5 Ridge Racer DS - $8 Shrek Superslam - $5 MySims - $5 MySims Kingdom - $5 Spectrobes - $5 Spiderman 3 - $8 Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (LEGO) - $6 Super Money Ball Touch & Roll - $6
Nintendo Gamecube Games (CIB unless noted) ATV Quad Power Racing 2 (missing manual) - $9 Cars - $8 ESPN Winter Sports 2002 - $6 Madden 2003 - $5 Madden 2005 - $6 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 - $8 Spongebob Squarepants: Lights Camera Pants - $16 WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (missing manual) - $25 WWE WrestleMania X8 (missing manual) - $12
Nintendo Wii Games (all have cases) All-Star Cheer Squad - $5 Cabelas Big Game Hunter 2010 (CIB) - $8 Call of Duty Black Ops (CIB) - $9 Carnival Games (CIB) - $6 Chuck E Cheese Party Games (Missing Manual) - $10 Country Dance (CIB) - $8 Deal or No Deal (CIB) - $5 Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock (CIB) - $19 Hannah Montana Spotlight World Tour (Sealed) - $8 Major League Baseball 2K12 (CIB) - $10 Thrillville Off The Rails (CIB) - $5 Wii Music - $6 Wii Sports (Disc & Manual) - $20 Wii Sports Resort (CIB) - $30
Playstation PS1 Games (CIB unless noted) 007 Tomorrow Never Dies - $7 A Bug's Life (GH) - $7 Action Bass - $6 Ball Breakers (sealed) - $10 Bass Championship - $7 Battle Arena Toshinden (GH) - $14 Bushido Blade - $36 Crash Bandicoot Warped (GH) - $13 Fighting Force - $20 Gran Turismo 2 (GH) - $12 Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - $13 IHRA Drag Racing - $5 Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Crazy Maze - $8 MediEvil (missing manual) - $35 Missile Command - $6 Monster's Inc (GH) - $9 Nascar Heat (CIB) - $7 NBA Live 2000 - $8 NBA Shootout 98 - $9 NFL Blitz 2000 - $15 NHL 98 - $8 NHL Faceoff 97 (GH) - $5 Parasite Eve - $75 Parasite Eve (missing demo disk) - $60 PlayStation Underground Jampack Fall 2001 - $9 Q* Bert - $10 Resident Evil Director's Cut (GH) - $30 Rugrats Search for Reptar (GH) - $17 Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - $12 Soul Blade - $23 Star wars Dark Forces (unoriginal jewel case) - $13 Syphon Filter 2 (GH) - $10 Tecmo Super Bowl - $20 Tiger Woods 99 - $8 Tony Hawk Pro Skater (GH) - $10 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (GH) - $12 Triply Play 99 - $8 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 2nd Edition - $8 World Cup 98 - $12
Playstation 2 PS2 Games (CIB unless noted) 007 Everything or Nothing - $7 007 Nightfire - $9 Ace Combat 4 Shattered Skies (GH) - $8 All-Star Baseball 2005 - $5 Ben 10 Protector of Earth - $9 Bully - $22 Clock Tower 3 - $70 Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex (GH version) - $10 Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex - $12 Devil May Cry (GH) - $7 Enter the Matrix - $10 Eragon - $6 Family Feud - $5 Final Fantasy X (GH) -$9 Frogger the Great Quest - $7 Godfather the Game - $14 God of War (2 Disc Set) - $12 Guitar Hero II - $7 Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock - $9 High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 - $5 Hobbit - $10 Karaoke Revolution Party - $8 Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol - $5 Madden 2003 - $5 Madden 2007 - $5 Madden 2008 - $5 Midway Arcade Treasures - $11 MLB 07 the Show - $5 MLB Slugfest 2004 - $11 Nascar 2001 - $5 Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7 NFL Blitz Pro - $10 Onimusha 3 Demon Siege - $21 Pinball Hall of Fame - $5 Pirates - The Legend of Black Kat - $12 Red Dead Revolver - $17 Rise of Kasai - $8 Silent Hill 4 The Room (Factory Sealed) - $325 shipped Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith - $9 SSX Tricky (missing manual) - $19 Summoner - $10 Teen Titans - $22 Theme Park Roller Coaster - $8 Time Crisis 3 - $23 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - $6 Ty the Tasmanian Tiger - $11 Warriors of Might & Magic - $10 Wheel of Fortune - $7 Yu-Gi-Oh Duelists of the Roses - $22
PS3 Band Hero - $6 Call of Duty Black Ops - $10 Call of Duty World at War -$11 Crysis 2 - $7 Fifa Soccer 11 - $5 Guitar Hero 5 - $11 MLB the Show 10 - $4 MLB the Show 11 - $4 NCAA Football 11 - $9 Sports Champions - $5
Sega 32X (all cart only) Primal Rage - $50 Virtua Fighter - $24 Virtua Racing - $20
Sega Dreamcast Games (disc & manual only***; do not have original cases unless noted CIB) Centipede - $7 Plasma Sword Night of Bilstein - $50 Psychic Force 2012 - $25 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12 Rippin Riders - $5 Sega Bass Fishing - $8 Sega Rally 2 Championship - $12 Speed Devils - $15 Sword of Berserk: Gut's Rage (game only) - $65 Trick Style - $7 Zombie Revenge - $30
Sega Game Gear (cart only) Columns - $5 Sega Genesis (cart only unless noted) Aladdin (cart + manual) - $10 Boogerman A Pick & Flick Adventure (cart + manual) - $20 John Madden Football (cart + manual) - $20 Mortal Kombat (cart + manual) - $12 Prime Time NFL Football starring Deon Sanders (cart +manual) - $9 Shining Force (Case & Cart) - $75 Shining Force 2 (cart only) - $55 Sonic the Hedgehog (cart + manual) - $13 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (cart + manual) - $12 Sonic & Knuckles (cart only) - $25 Streets of Rage (cart only) - $22 X-Men (cart + manual) - $15
Sega Master System (Mostly CIB; ask me to check manual) Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars - $28 California Games (missing manual) - $20 Choplifter - $18 Ghostbusters - $25 Great Baseball - $10 Monopoly - $10 Parlour Games - $10 Pro Wrestling - $14 Rocky - $17 Space Harrier (missing manual) - $18 Shinobi (includes map; missing manual) - $30
Super Nintendo (SNES) Games (cart only) Aeroacrobat - $9 Best of the Best Championship Karate - $8 Brandish - $85 Brett Hull Hockey - $7 Bulls vs Blazers - $4 Capcom MVP Football - $7 Captain Commando - $175 Cliffhanger - $9 College Slam - $7 Donkey Kong Country - $20 ESPN Baseball Tonight - $4 Family Feud - Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - $17 Football Fury - $20 Harley's Humongous Adventure - $15 Magic Johnson's Super Slam Dunk - $6 Mickey's Ultimate Challenge - $12 MechWarrior 3050 - $17 Monopoly - $5 Ms. Pacman - $12 NCAA Basketball - $5 Nickelodeon GUTS - $16 Ninja Warrior - $130 NFL Football - $5 Pit Fighter - $8 Romance of the Three Kingdoms II - $20 Soldier's of Fortune (rental sticker on label) - $25 Stanley Cup Championship -$6 Street Fighter II - $15 Super Caesar's Palace - $4 Super High Impact - $5 Super Soccer - $9 Super Star Wars Return of the Jedi - $16 Terminator 2 Judgement Day - $15 Top Gear - $15
Xbox 360 (CIB) Assassin's Creed - $6 Battlefield Hardline Deluxe Edition - $10 Battlefield 3 Limited Edition - $6 Fifa Soccer 10 - $5 Fifa Work Cup South Africa 2010 - $5 Grand Theft Auto V - $10 Injustice Gods Among Us - $5 L.A. Noire - $7 Left 4 Dead 2 - $11 Mafia II - $10 N3 Ninety-Nine Nights - $20 Nascar The Game 2011 - $9 NBA 2K12 - $5 NHL 10 - $3 NHL 14 - $6 Pocket Bike Racer - $5 Red Dead Redemption - $9 Saints Row - $10 Saints Row The Third - $5 Skate 3 - $6 Virtua Tennis 4 - $9
2023.05.27 15:29 s810 Old Austin Tales: Honey Bee Marshall and the Mystery Grave at Smith Creek - 1900s
Today thanks to a tip from Faraday_Rage, I bring you a ghost story from West Lake Hills, although saying that might be a bit misleading because West Lake Hills is a mid-20th century invention and the events of this story happen mostly before that. There used to be a village called Eanes in that general area full of farmers, ranchers, and cedar choppers before it was subdivided into one of the nicer suburbs.
There was only one bridge for vehicle traffic (besides the train bridge) from Downtown into South Austin before the 1940s. Because of this, the western part of Travis County was separated from the growth of Austin and the eastern part of the county, and remained sort of a wild frontier well after the surrounding lands were settled.
Among the early settlers in that area were two brothers named Alexander and Robert Eanes. There is a historical marker at the intersection of Red Bud Trail and Loop 360 which says the following:
H.B. Marshall was a Civil War orphan. His mom died shortly after childbirth and his dad died as part of Hood's Brigade. He spent his early life in Austin-area orphanages until he graduated high school at the age of 19. That was when the doctors of the era diagnosed him with "consumption", otherwise known as Tuberculosis today. There was no cure in the 19th century. Afflicted people were told to go live in the country and get some fresh air, and that's exactly what he did.
Lucky for him, HB's dad well fairly well off when he died and left him an inheritance. After he left the orphanage he used this money to buy the ranch from the Eanes family, met and married Viola Eanes, and started a family. Legends say a Mexican folk healer convinced him eating goat meat and drinking goat's milk was an excellent remedy for consumption, and so he raised goats.
The book Eanes Portrait of a Community has this photo of H.B. and Viola and their dog, along a brief biographical bit:
The Marshall Family were also beekeepers. HB liked to be called "Honey Bee" Marshall later in life. He lived the rest of his life on that ranch and died in the 1950s.
Now that you have that little bit of backstory, on with today's tale. The following article appeared on page 21 the Austin American-Statesman on May 16, 1966:
So who is in the mystery grave at Smith Creek? I found one lead.
Back in February of 1916 a 20-year-old man named Albert Cook had an unfortunate accident and was killed. The Statesman reported it like so:
Time is short and space is long today so I'll leave it there. The Eanes-Marshall house today is called the Eanes History Center, and sits next to Eanes Elementary School at 4101 Bee Caves Rd. Bonus Items to follow:
Bonus Pic #1 - Photograph of Bruce Marshall standing next to the graves of his ancestors in Eanes-Marshall Cemetery - unknown date (mid 1970s?)
Bonus Pic #2 - "Photograph of Bruce Marshall and Dorothy Depwe in the Eanes-Marshall Cemetary looking down at a tombstone." - unknown date (mid 1970s?)
Bonus Video #1 - Eanes History: HB Marshall (from Eanes History Center)
Bonus Video #2 - Eanes History: HB Marshall Ranch House Tour (from Eanes History Center)
Bonus Article #1 - Masons BBQ meet at The Marshall Ranch - November 17, 1919
Bonus Article #2 - "Better watch out! Spirits on the prowl!" - May 14, 1966
Bonus book excerpt? - Notes from an interview with Earl Short (a reformed bootlegger), in which he mentions he saw H.B. and John Marshall setting up a soda stand one Election Day after he bribed some illiterate people for their votes.
submitted by s810 to Austin [link] [comments]
There was only one bridge for vehicle traffic (besides the train bridge) from Downtown into South Austin before the 1940s. Because of this, the western part of Travis County was separated from the growth of Austin and the eastern part of the county, and remained sort of a wild frontier well after the surrounding lands were settled.
Among the early settlers in that area were two brothers named Alexander and Robert Eanes. There is a historical marker at the intersection of Red Bud Trail and Loop 360 which says the following:
Alexander Eanes (1806-1888) moved to Texas from Mississippi in 1845 and acquired this ranch by 1857. In 1873 he sold the property to his brother, Robert Eanes (1805-1895), who had moved to the area following the Civil War. A log cabin built on the Eanes ranch was the first Eanes school, and the community also assumed the Eanes name. Robert Eanes sold the ranch to his son-in-law, Hudson Boatner Marshall (1862-1951) in 1883. Marshall dismantled the ranch house and moved it to a site adjacent to the nearby creek.So there was a man named H.B. Marshall who lived on the former Eanes Ranch with his wife Viola (Robert Eanes's daughter) and family.
H.B. Marshall was a Civil War orphan. His mom died shortly after childbirth and his dad died as part of Hood's Brigade. He spent his early life in Austin-area orphanages until he graduated high school at the age of 19. That was when the doctors of the era diagnosed him with "consumption", otherwise known as Tuberculosis today. There was no cure in the 19th century. Afflicted people were told to go live in the country and get some fresh air, and that's exactly what he did.
Lucky for him, HB's dad well fairly well off when he died and left him an inheritance. After he left the orphanage he used this money to buy the ranch from the Eanes family, met and married Viola Eanes, and started a family. Legends say a Mexican folk healer convinced him eating goat meat and drinking goat's milk was an excellent remedy for consumption, and so he raised goats.
The book Eanes Portrait of a Community has this photo of H.B. and Viola and their dog, along a brief biographical bit:
H.B. and Viola Marshall sold honey and butter and raised goats. At one time H.B. was president of the American Goat Association and traveled to Chicago to attend that organization's national convention. There he met and talked with Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. In its early days the Ford Motor Company used mohair from goats to make a soft, long-lasting fabric which was used to upholster the seats in its "tin lizzies". H.B. Marshall was one of the company's first mohair suppliers. Later, after Bee Cave Road became a better, more reliable road, Marshall, who was a skilled printer sometimes worked in Austin at that trade.So HB Marshall and his family were very good at raising goats.
The Marshall Family were also beekeepers. HB liked to be called "Honey Bee" Marshall later in life. He lived the rest of his life on that ranch and died in the 1950s.
Now that you have that little bit of backstory, on with today's tale. The following article appeared on page 21 the Austin American-Statesman on May 16, 1966:
MYSTERYWell this old story was apparently told far and wide. There was another article on that same day (May 16, 1966) in The Statesman: (h/t/ jbjjbjbb)
Old Grave Beside Creek
The mystery of who is buried a shallow grave beside Smith Creek, seven miles southwest of Austin, may never be solved.
With it goes a tale of a robbery and killing said to have occurred more than 60 years ago on the Bee Cave Road.
But at least one story told by a man who died last year sticks in the minds of some residents of the hill country behind Zilker Park.
The man was long-time stock man and World War I veteran John Marshall, who lived out his life on the Eanes-Marshall Ranch seven miles southwest of Austin. His story told him as a child by his father, early Travis County settler and school teacher Hudson Boatner (Honey Bee) Marshall goes something like this:
In the late 19th century, a man from Bee Caves came to Austin with a wagon load of cotton. After selling it, he was returning home when his hired hand killed him and took the money. The slain man was not found for several days, and when he was, he was buried on the spot, several hundred feel off the road.
This is the way Cecil Johnson, of 1500 West Bee Caves remembers the story. He heard it in 1956 when he and his brother-in-law, Elmo Freitag, dug into the grave and found a skeleton. Freitag and Johnson went from where they live to buy a dog killed by a car on the Marshall ranch, Johnson said. "When we found the bones, we were pretty scared," Freitag said. "We went up to the ranch house to tell John Marshall about them." "That's when John told us the story," Johnson recalls. "He said we should cover the bones back up and let the old man rest."
The story was brought to the attention of the American- Statesman by Bruce Marshall of Houston, a nephew of John Marshall and an heir to 10 acres of the old ranch land. Others who lived along Bee Caves Road, or who knew John Marshall, recall hearing him tell the story, but no one contacted so far remembers hearing the story from anyone else.
Sheriff T. O. Lang said he has no records dating back that far, Marshall was born around 1887, and Johnson said the killing and robbery occurred "before John's time."
A check into the archives in the Austin Library's Austin and Travis County Collection reveals a similar crime which occurred in 1871. On Feb. 7 of that year, according to Frank Brown's Annals of Travis County, "an old citizen" named Charles Barnes, who "lived seven miles north of Austin," was killed and robbed after he had come to town and sold a wagon load of hay. He was shot and killed "probably for his money," and his body was found 30 yards from the road, three-fourths of a mile from his dwelling. A $1,000 reward was offered for the criminal, but he was never captured.
This "official" report is quite similar to the story told by John Marshall, but the directions from Austin do not coincide.
There are descendants or a family named Cotton who live in Bee Caves, according to Miss Jessie Roy, former teacher who lives on the Rob Roy Ranch on the Bee Caves Road two miles beyond the Marshall ranch. But she said she never heard of any of them being robbed or killed. Her family moved here in the 1890s.
Conceivably, with the tale handed down by word of mouth for three generations, the name Cotton, and the product "cotton" could have gotten confused. And the Brown report, probably taken from a newspaper account, could have been mistaken about the direction (north or west) from Austin where the crime was committed.
But if the wagon load was cotton instead of hay, the crime would have occurred most likely in October, according to Austin rancher and historian Carl Widen. Widen said in the old days Austin, it usually came from the south and west, from Dripping Springs and Bee Caves, in October, "in time for the circus." "The whole family would come to town with the load of cotton usually one or two bales to a wagon and after it was sold the women bought cloth for dresses and the kids went to see the circus. Then they got back home late that night.
Another hill resident, Charles Roberts, 80, who lives on a creek near the Rob Roy ranch, said he remembered people hauling cotton in trains of three or four wagons pulled by oxen, rather than by horses or mules. And Austin resident Charles Dellana said it used to take at least four mules to pull a wagon load of corn out of the bottoms or "The Narrows" between Bee Caves Road and the Colorado River. He opined that the murder and robbery must have occurred "earlier than 1903."
Besides the Cotton family out Bee Caves way, other family names familiar to those still living are Theodore Bose, Joe Beck, the Freitags, the Teagues, the Simpsons and the Moores. But who is buried beside Smith Creek on the Marshall ranch, how he died, and when he was buried, no one seems to remember.
Ghost Hunters Have a Go at GhostingH.B. Marshall had a son named John and he in turn had a son named Bruce. Bruce Marshall was an artist who spent most of his time in Houston but moved back to the family ranch in 1974. Marshall recounted the story of the 1966 ghost hunt in this 1983 article:
San Antonians Learn of Murder and Such Things on Austin Ranch
Ghosts, anyone? A strange tale of murder and theft was spottily told Saturday night by a "spirit" who was supposedly in communication with a group of ghost- hunters seven miles southwest of Austin. The ghost hunters, five people from San Antonio, gath ered on the old Marshall Ranch in West Lake Hills with two news reporters. They apparently believed they were communicating with a ghost named Tom Burns.
"Margaret, Margaret, Margaret," the ghost kept repeating through the automatic-writing technique of Mrs. Joan McKee, wife of Don McKee. McKee is manager of the Builders Exchange of Texas, in San Antonio. He and his wife say they are "student" parapsychologists. Spelling out the name of Margaret Owens, Tom Burns said, "She is dead now. She is my love."
The names of Margaret Owens and Tom Burns were interpreted by the McKees from an almost indecipherable scrawl which Mrs. McKee transmitted to sheet after sheet of paper with a pencil, while her husband held her elbow. They were seated at a table in the single upper room of the old Marshall ranch house. With them were this reporter, ranch owner and Houston Post business writer Bruce Marshall, and San Antonio residents Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gibson, Mr. and Mrs. John Mac-Donald, and Mrs. Mary K. Cook. The only light in the room came from a lantern.
"Burns" said Margaret "Owens" was buried on a mountain top east of the ranch, and had been killed in or near some water. Burns also said he had been killed by three men on a road near the ranch as he was hauling a wagon load of hay. Placing the date at 1904, possibly on a Monday, he said he was shot as he got down off the wagon to move a rock that was in the way.
Although at least two other spirits were supposedly contacted beyond the pale, that of Burns appeared to be the most communicative and the most interesting. It was either Burns, or a ghost named Nathan Anderson who spoke of a John Anderson who came "often" to the ranch to drink "rum from South America" with Robert Eanes.
Eanes, according to Marshall, was the first man in the family to own the ranch property. He died in the 19th century and is buried in a family plot on a hill near the ranch house. Marshall said later there had been a man named John Anderson who was a friend of the Eanes family. Marshall and this reporter have established, from local folklore and from written records, that a man, possibly named Charles Barnes, was killed seven miles from Austin around 1871, after selling a load of ether cotton or hay in town.
There is a grave of an unknown man beside Smith Creek on the Marshal ranch, not far off the Bee Caves Road, which is seven miles from Austin. Neither Marshall nor this reporter have verified that the grave on Smith Creek is the one in which the robbery victim was buried, but the coincidences of the known facts leaves room for speculation that it may be the one.
Burns said he had worked for a man named Cotton Roberts, and that Roberts had worked for a man possibly named Mitchell Treadwell. The name of Treadwell first came to the attention of the group when MacDonald, a former announcer for KONO-TV, fell into a trance through what was called auto-hypnosis. He said he got the name from a ghost present in the room, and that he also received "an impression" of the dates 1890 to 1901. Marshall later disclosed that the old ranch house had been built sometime between 1890 and 1905.
The name "Mitchell" was written on the paper when one of the persons asked aloud, "Does the name Treadwell mean anything to you?" Burns also spoke of his mother, naming her variously Mary Markham, Marstur, Masters and Markem, who he said had been sick in a barn and subsequently died.
Mention was made of a bearded man who wore a big hat and was deaf in one ear, of a box buried beneath a barn, and of wild mohair goats. Marshall said the last man to live on the ranch, his late uncle John Marshall, found a hole on the ranch about 30 years ago where a box apparently had been buried. This was when Miriam A. Ferguson was governor of Texas, he said.
He also said a bearded deaf man had once been a ranch hand there and that John Marshall's father, H. B. Marshall, had raised Angora goats on the ranch. Burns said Roberts had buried the box, and he (Burns) had dug it up. "Money means death," came the scrawled message on the paper.
Two of the most dramatic events of the evening occurred when the McKees tried to communicate with a ghost named "Robert" Both of them believed the ghost to be that of Robert Eanes, whom they described as having a very powerful, domineering personality. Mrs. McKee broke down and could write no more after transcribing the words, "My time is up now. Many have come but nobody will listen." Later McKee tried to communicate, and apparently went into a trance after receiving the word "yes" to the question of whether "Robert" had been born in July.
Just before McKee went into a trance, Marshall and this reporter were curious to notice that a strong wind the only one noticed during the entire night rattled the eaves of the house for about a minute.
The time was shortly after midnight Mrs. Cook, who writes radio and TV commercials, took down the following from McKee's barely audible words: "I have many children. I am as Abraham I shan't stay around where my people don't want me. It is dark. Darkness is in the land. We shall bring light."
Further efforts to communicate with "Robert" failed. After this incident, the "ghosts" seemed to leave the parapsychologists and their fellow delvers into ESP (extra-sensory perception).
A long vigil at the family cemetery until almost dawn proved fruitless. Gibson, sales manager for Pratt and Lambert varnish makers, whose supposedly "haunted" house in San Antonio was the subject of a Houston Post story several months ago, conceded with high good humor that he had seen no ghosts Saturday night "But Robert was around," he affirmed confidently.
Marshall and this reporter scratched their heads, totaling up the number of "unexplainable coincidences" which made the night at least a little provocative if not downright exciting. It would take a patient historian to check the names listed. As for the "ghosts" well, who knows?
THE SEARCH FOR ghosts is not uncommon with visitors to the Marshall Ranch off Loop 360 South. It is the home of artist Bruce Marshall and his family and nine ghosts, those of seven people and two horses.In 1999 Marshall sold the house and the ranch to The Eanes Historical Society, who moved it next to the current location of Eanes Elementary School, where it has become the home of the EHS and serves as a small museum today.
Marshall studio and gallery is a restored, pre-Civil War ancestral home located next to the family residence. Parapsychologists visited the building in 1966 and declared it to be haunted by a man who was attacked, shot and killed near the original entrance of the ranch. The ghost of the dead man, whose unmarked grave is still on the ranch, reportedly told the ghosts hunters about his fate. The ghost also admitted that he had committed murder, killing a woman named Margaret by drowning her.
There are two creeks near the ranchhouse that are the source of several other ghost stories.
"SUPPOSEDLY ONE GHOST walks the creek towards Eanes (Elementary) school calling for someone," said Marshall. "There were some kids camping near the creek about six months ago, they heard dogs barking and the noise of a wagon drawn by horses. The wagon has no driver and follows an old road which used to connect to Bee Cave Road."
Marshall said his family tries to play down the ghosts tales surrounding his homestead. "If we really become convinced that we're haunted, we really lose our enjoyment of the place. People seeking ghosts out here are very unwelcome," he said. "If there are such things, they don't bother me. They like me. They probably feel that if I go, the house goes, the property changes, and they're evicted.
So who is in the mystery grave at Smith Creek? I found one lead.
Back in February of 1916 a 20-year-old man named Albert Cook had an unfortunate accident and was killed. The Statesman reported it like so:
While setting a wolf trap on the Marshall goat ranch, eight miles from Austin, Alfred Lee Cook, 20 years old, accidentally shot and killed himself at 8:30 Friday morning, a charge of buck-shot from the left barrel of a double-barrelled shotgun entering his abdomen.Is this the person in the grave? I can't say for sure without DNA testing, but poor Mr. Cook might be the best candidate.
Cook was a laborer on the Marshall ranch, near Summitt. Early Friday morning he attempted to set a steel trap for wolves. He was carrying a shotgun and was accompanied by two small boys.
Setting his shotgun, both barrels of which were loaded, against a bush, he advanced to the trap. The gun fell across his path and he shoved it aside. As he did so, in some way the left barrel of the gun was discharged, the entire charge taking effect in his abdomen at short range and badly lacerating his body. Death was almost Instantaneous.
Justice of the Peace George W. Mendell, Deputy Sheriff Jim McCoy and Deputy Constable Matt Turner went to Summitt this morning for the Inquest. Justlce Mendell rendered a verdict of accidental shooting. The name of one surviving relative was reported to the Justice of the Peace, being Mrs. Rebecca Ann Brown, mother of the young man
Time is short and space is long today so I'll leave it there. The Eanes-Marshall house today is called the Eanes History Center, and sits next to Eanes Elementary School at 4101 Bee Caves Rd. Bonus Items to follow:
Bonus Pic #1 - Photograph of Bruce Marshall standing next to the graves of his ancestors in Eanes-Marshall Cemetery - unknown date (mid 1970s?)
Bonus Pic #2 - "Photograph of Bruce Marshall and Dorothy Depwe in the Eanes-Marshall Cemetary looking down at a tombstone." - unknown date (mid 1970s?)
Bonus Video #1 - Eanes History: HB Marshall (from Eanes History Center)
Bonus Video #2 - Eanes History: HB Marshall Ranch House Tour (from Eanes History Center)
Bonus Article #1 - Masons BBQ meet at The Marshall Ranch - November 17, 1919
Bonus Article #2 - "Better watch out! Spirits on the prowl!" - May 14, 1966
Bonus book excerpt? - Notes from an interview with Earl Short (a reformed bootlegger), in which he mentions he saw H.B. and John Marshall setting up a soda stand one Election Day after he bribed some illiterate people for their votes.
2023.05.27 13:54 IliacatJoke I am in my 30s, make $95,000, live in Sydney, work in IT and this week I paid my Obstetrician
Apologies this is late, I completely lost track of the date/time difference!
Disclaimer: I am very grateful to have had a lot of parental assistance over the years and also have serious mental health diagnosis, both of these flavour my money choices heavily (e.g. private healthcare and lack of car loan/insurance)
I am also heavily pregnant so please excuse any baby brain related errors!
START SCENE
Retirement Balance: $62,000
Equity: $35k of a $680k property, we bought our 3 bedroom apartment last year using my parents’ equity, so no deposit was required.
Savings account balance: 20k - a lot of health/baby related costs have come out of it lately!
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): $800 which I pay off each monthly pay, if it wasn’t for the grocery rebates I’d consider getting rid of it.
Student loan debt (HECS): BA in passion/fun area, then IT/Accounting degree, very proud to say I am down to my final $19k!
My husband P earns around $90,000 in healthcare but can be more with overtime, he has around $30k in super and his HECS debt is due to be wiped out following our recent election so won’t be including that.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I had been working in retail full time after loving full time work instead of uni, until my transition to IT so started as a retail casual worker on $30k 10 years ago and changed to IT 6 years ago, jumping from $55k to $95k in that time, mostly through promotions, 1 company merger and 2 company changes.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: I am paid $5200 monthly and P is paid fortnightly at $2400 to $3000 depending on his shifts. Both our pay excludes tax, HECS payment and medicare levy, his pay includes salary packaging.
Section Three: Expenses
Mortgage: 3150 (locked rate until next year, pending interest rise)
Savings contribution: $500
Donations: $25-75 a month mostly to various MH organisations
Electric/Council/Water: 400 (we’re currently overpaying ahead of Mat leave)
Internet/our mobile phones: $320 (we’re currently overpaying ahead of Mat leave)
Subscriptions (Newspapers (NYT, SMH), Youtube, Xbox, online backups/cloud, VPN, pregnancy app, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Bitlocker, UberOne, Spotify Duo): $110
Private Health insurance: $420 for Top CoveTop Extras + pregnancy
Car insurance: covered in my parents plan, our car was a gift from my parents
Regular therapy: Psychologist $220/fortnight and psychiatrist $280/quarter
Transfer to P for things like fuel: $500
7 Day Money diary:
Thursday:
5am
I’m staring at the ceiling while the baby kicks my kidney, P snoring next to me, contemplating my existence. I’m trying not to start ‘the list’ run through in my head (buy milk, have I booked my next blood test, where is my winter coat, etc).
5.30am
Give up on sleep and get up for the day, I make a weak coffee for me and a regular coffee for P (I like the taste of coffee, weak lets me have 2-3 cups throughout the day without hitting my pregnant caffeine limit) and start packing up my lunch and bags for work. It’s OB day so I won’t be in the office until 10am today.
9am
After a dance party in the car we’re at the OB, all good news and another list of final scans and tests, we’re now in the downhill run! I pay for my last half of (private) OB management fee since we’re passed 28 weeks now. ($2500 (Medicare rebate soon: $580))
Stop at a bakery to treat myself before work, danishes are the breakfast of champions! ($12.00)
2pm
Last vendor meeting of the day, and i’m ready to take a nap. I’ve decided to spend the rest of the afternoon working on my handover document, I’ve only got 8 weeks to go before Mat leave!
3pm
Text my psych to convert our Saturday afternoon to a Zoom call, I’m not up for extra waddling to the train this week.
5pm
Spend the train ride home working on my crackhead baby spreadsheet (colour-coded, multi tabbed, shopping list, meal prep list, etc) and researching baby items.
P meets me at the station to grab my bags and we walk home, well he walks ahead and I move at a more stately pace.
7pm
Crawl into bed with a bowl of pasta and Ambulance UK on the iPad, kitten at my feet, older cat at my hip. Eventually P awkwardly maneuvers around blankets, my pregnancy pillow and cats.
11pm
Spontaneously adding to my online chemist wishlist of things I need for post birth and hospital bag. Cats and P grumble when I once again get up to pee, pregnancy feels so glamorous now.
Total: 2512.00 (pending MR)
Friday:
6am
Wander around the apartment with coffee in hand and contemplate the nursery layout options, I’ll measure it all tonight and make a floor plan so I can visualise it better. After boarding the train, I scroll through my due date Bump Group on Discord and catch up on the topics, many of the mum’s are NA based so the chat pops off 12am - 4am my time. I message a few friends and my bestie spams me with tiktoks. We tell a few dark MH jokes and I try not to laugh on the train.
8am
Arrive at the office, coffee number 2 in hand and I jump into a few Teams chats with various groups, including my manager and counterparts in another city’s office. They’re in a different time zone ahead of us so they flag any issues that started earlier our time and I’m grateful.
1.30pm
Where the hell did today go? I’ve barely left my desk and can’t believe the amount of firefighting I’ve been doing today, following up vendors, coordinating fallback solutions for outages, soothing ruffled feathers and talking team off the ledge in stressful situations.
I’ve definitely not eaten enough today and decide to place an ubereats order instead of raiding my mini fridge stash - Subway it is! ($18.97)
I spend my lunch break reading my latest pregnancy/birth book (The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth) and it’s honestly my favourite one I’ve read so far. I’m also a big fan of the podcast the authors run. I have queued up this week’s episode for the trip home as the mum featured has a similar mental health issue to me and I’m excited to hear her journey, also to get ideas for things to raise with my care team.
5pm
Security protocols kick us out of the office building and I am thrilled to escape! P picks me up from work since he’s off today, and my hips and feet are very grateful. There’s a quick stop in at Coles for pizza ingredients, milk and the very essential choc chip waffles. ($46.94)
Once we’re home P feeds the cats and unpacks while I get started on the bases, my birthday present last month was a KitchenAid and at the rate I’m going the cost per use is coming out pretty damn good! I leave the base to rise, pop my feet up and do my nightly blood pressure (127/82) which I log into my health app. I also add my weight from yesterday’s OB appointment and I'm thrilled to say I’ve stopped losing weight now the suspected HG has finally settled.
7pm
Take several brag photos of my pizzas #homemade and settled in front of the TV with blankets, footrest and P. I do send P back to the kitchen twice for serviettes and my water bottle, but once I’m settled, I’m not bloody moving.
I queue up the latest Top Chef (International All Stars Season 20) on Plex and get ready to support my fellow Aussie! P grumbles about my fixation with Top Chef, but all he gets is side eye in response. It’s a great episode for creativity, he even admits the winning dish is impressive. He vanishes the second the episode’s over for his office and a rewatch of the extended, super, mega, special edition of The Hobbit. I move on to Ambulance UK and annoy him over text with questions about the medical terminology being used.
8pm
Bedtime with a heat pack as my back is killing me! I try to convince P to come to bed and hold it against me since bubs is not allowing stomach laying anymore.
8.30pm
Success! P is helpfully holding it against me while I finish the episode and scroll the Iconic. Oh no! There’s now Stanley cups on there, I add it to my wishlist and promise myself I’ll think about it first. I want to also be a chic put together Stanley cup girlie!
Total: 65.91
Saturday:
3am
Back scrolling the Iconic and on a hunch check my credits (after rage returning maternity clothes a few weeks ago) and bingo there’s a credit there. I play around with wishlist items and stacking discounts, there’s a pale pink theme developing between the pink pregnancy overalls and the Stanley cup.
3.30am
Screw it, I’m ordering (10 points if you can guess what room of the apartment I made this order from) and it’s all due this afternoon except the pregnancy belt I've been grumbling about wanting. ($14.95)
9am
P brings me coffee, the kitten and the statement that he’s approved our Medicare Safety Net balance (he’s our primary family member) which means the rest of our refunds will be great going forward!! I’m very excited for 90% back on out of pocket costs for most medical things from now until December. Between my mental health and pregnancy I’ve beaten my normal record of September for the max you can pay OOP.
12pm
I’m sitting on the floor in the nursery trying to sort out piles of tiny clothes and remember to get P to help me off the floor before he heads to work. I head to the kitchen and start the bread process, I make our bread from scratch every weekend and the KitchenAid has made this sooo much easier. I decide one x1 wholemeal seed bread for P and x1 rosemary focaccia for me. Once they’re rising I head off to bed for a nap before therapy this afternoon.
3pm
I made myself some tea and washed my face to prepare for therapy as I woke up from my nap feeling like I was on another planet. I head into my office, no no now the nursery, damn I slightly tear up at the thought of my nice office now being a small desk in the corner. Well that can be another topic for my session today!
3.30pm
My psych and I go over all of the last 3 weeks worth of appointments with my health team and what my next steps are. I need to sort out my postpartum stay referral and lock in when I’m starting my top up meds. We talk through some of my work frustrations (not clear cut sexism but a level of obliviousness some of male managers are showing) and how I’m tracking mood/symptoms wise across the pregnancy. We’re both very aware that the final few weeks of pregnancy and the accompanying hormones can cause serious issues, so we go over warning signs and coping mechanisms. We go over the difference between ‘normal pregnancy feelings’ and my mental health condition feelings.($220)
4.30pm
Session done and my bread has all risen nicely despite the cold weather, I start the baking process and contemplate dinner. P is at work until 10pm so I’m on my own, which means all the Top Chef reruns and Ambulance UK my heart desires! I have a craving for spätzl so dig that out of the cupboard and defrost the schnitzel.
Iconic delivery!! I am officially a Stanley cup owner! I ordered the original, not the soft matte because Tiktok told me to, so I’m hoping I’ve made the right choice. Something about cold water through a straw just hits the spot. My glittery Starbucks cup looks on in disgust.
10pm
P finds me at my desk working on my spreadsheet of crazy, I mean baby, and is impressed but also too tired to focus on it now. I hear him calmly explain to the kitten that he can’t join him in the shower but he isn’t entirely successful.
We get into bed and P puts headphones in so I can drift off faster (or because I threatened more Ambulance UK? We’ll never know!).
Total: $234.95 (pending MR)
Sunday:
4am
And I’m up early again, my passenger is apparently an early riser these days which leads to me looking down and asking for more sleep “pleeeeease!” I try 37 positions and try to get comfy before finally drifting off again.
8am
I steal P’s dressing gown (mine’s now got an awkward gap due to the bump) and start the coffee process, the kitten joins me after finding a piece of plastic to pinball around the kitchen with, I am not coordinated enough these days to dodge him so I remove him and plastic to the living room.
I’m craving an egg muffin so I cook some sausages, eggs and toast english muffins and enjoy a mindless tiktok scroll while I eat.
12pm
I’m surprisingly tired after doing nothing all morning and head back to bed for a nap. I really hope the tiredness isn’t a sign my illness from last week is back! I’ve got a support group meeting in a few hours so I set an alarm.
2pm
I join the support group Zoom and immediately hear about how many people are sick or recovering from some flu or cold thing. There’s a lot of bugs going around at the moment! I meet some new people who have the same disorder or same ‘family’ of disorders as me and I update the group on my pregnancy journey. I really bond with 2 of the new ladies and I offer my email up to both to keep in touch before next week’s meeting.
5pm
I’m happily browsing Facebook Marketplace for baby things when Mum calls, she’s been shopping for baby (uh oh) and is excited to tell me about it. Amazingly she’s bought a bedside bassinet very similar to the one I was planning on buying secondhand and a safari themed lamp for the nursery. She’s also ended up with a high chair for their house on the coast and a bunch of themed fabric for swaddles, pillows, etc.
Total: 0.00 thanks Mum!
Monday
7am
I wake with my alarm for once, which would be odd except for how awful I feel. I end up deciding to call in sick, the flu thing that knocked me around until early last week appears to be back. Pregnancy means lots of cold/flu meds etc are not an option so I can’t soldier on. I alert my manager, set my team up with urgent tasks, chuck my OOO on and crawl back into bed.
A few things debit like SMH and Youtube (accounted for in monthly expenses above)
10am
I open my phone to a flurry of emails on my personal account, OH! It’s healthcare cover day! We have finished all our waiting periods and the beacons are lit! Let the floodgates of services and information begin! Our hospital and health fund both email to welcome me to their online learning platforms.
11am
A nice lady from our health fund calls to give me the spiel. I'd normally be wary about what all these amazing services are going to cost, but it’s all covered! She tells me about the learning platform (Nourish), the sleep clinic calls I’ll get after the baby's arrival and the welcome pack I’m going to be mailed. I get my login details as soon as we hangup, another fun thing to explore tonight once I’m feeling human again.
P is amused by how excited I am for all this information, he does caution me against over planning/over researching which is something I’ve been working on with my psych. I struggle to find a good balance between planning for problems and over planning to the point of stress. It’s a work in progress. I suspect I’ll always have issues with control/over planning.
4pm
I’ve napped most of the day, dealt with 1 urgent work issue and am now getting access to the hospital’s learning platform (Cradle). I'm grateful they’re short 5-7 minute long videos so put some on the iPad while I make tea and toast before deciding to tackle the nursery again.
7pm
Mum calls about more baby things - they’ve bought me a change table!? I’m slightly annoyed then I’m thrilled - it’s a brand I like that’s normally $400 ish for $30 at auction yesterday (a Sunday afternoon family hobby). They've just collected it, they’re going to sand and paint it for me in a nice green for the safari nursery. Another thing ticked off the baby spreadsheet.
Dinner tonight was heated up leftovers, I’m too tired for cooking.
Hmm blood pressure is high, I hope this is just sickness related and log it in my app.
8pm
Bed time! Despite sleeping all day I am exhausted and pass out almost immediately.
Total: 0.00 thanks again Mum!
Tuesday
11am
I’m in the office however I cannot tell you what I’ve done today, it’s all a blur and when I sit down with my ipad to make notes for this money diary my brain goes blank. I scroll through my sent emails and can see I’ve sent 26 emails (herding a difficult vendor, setting up meetings for later in the week, submitting my sick leave for yesterday and setting up a new starter orientation). I make another coffee and realise the mini fridge hasn’t been restocked (because I am the one that stocks it each week sigh). I jump online and do a grocery order - yogurt, cheese, salami, tomato paste, sliced bread, babybel cheese, apples and several juices) (52.00) it’s due in next 2 hours.
1pm
I make myself toasted sandwiches and try not to eat the entire packet of babybel. My work lunch group tells hilarious stories from their level of the office and it’s a nice escape from my level’s workload.
2pm
I send off my psychiatrist's referral for my private postpartum care stay (1-3 weeks long) and check it’s all covered with my health care fund (it is!). The private place I’ll be staying at calls me to check in, advise me of next steps and to give me my tentative booking date of 1 week after birth. I’ve got a spare 20 mins so do my intake assessment with them over the phone and get the all clear to be accepted in a few weeks. I’ll get another assessment 2-4 days after I give birth just to make sure I’m still a good candidate. I look over the welcome pack, what to bring lists and advice on partner overnight stays that all hit my email when I hang up. I forward the relevant bits to P and jump back into work.
5pm
An afternoon of meetings meant I did no deep/focus work or work on my handover, but I accept that and move on. I top up my Opal card for the week (50.00) via the app and it’s loaded by the time I’m tapping on the train. I’d normally account for this in the expenses up top but my train trips are very sporadic right now due to pregnancy waddle, so I’ve been carpooling with coworkers and P has been collecting me if his shifts line up along with the occasional UbeShebah.
5.15pm
I’m pinged regarding a site issue and it looks like the site is down. I jump on via my phone and iPad while on the train, I also start my time tracker for out of hours work. I scrap the conference call between my team and the vendor at 6pm and instruct the site to rollover to fallback mode, my team member gets them online again. I email my manager a quick update and switch back to tiktok scrolling. I’m really enjoying not having to fight for a seat most train trips now since I’m so visibly pregnant!
6.30pm
P meets me at the station again, is horrified that I’m dragging 3 books, several cups to wash, my coat (I overheated on the train) and my iPad around in multiple bags, he snatches it all and we start the walk home.
He’s made bolognese and it is the best smell to walk into after a cold day! I smother mine in cheese and prop my feet up to depuff. Then I puppy dog eyes at him and he agrees to Ambulance UK, we’re now in the London seasons and I’m loving the big city vibes. He still cringes at the medical sounds, but takes the time to explain how these patients would be treated at his hospital after their ambulance trips. I enjoy his commentary and it adds a background I would never normally know about.
8pm
I take my blood pressure and it’s high for the 2nd night, I’m a bit concerned but trying not to stress. It’s not 160/100 aka get your butt to ED but it’s still over normal. I log it in my health app and make a note to monitor it and call the OB if it’s up again tomorrow.
I message a friend about his opinion of epidurals (since he does them all day) and ask for the dumbed down reality check, he’s been an amazing support this pregnancy so I know he’ll give me a great answer, and he replies back with all the pros/cons as well as the common issues and how they get fixed. He reminds me to ask my OB since I’ve got pregnancy hypertension, it’s likely I would almost benefit from that common side effect and I make a note in my phone to ask at the next appointment.
Total: $102.00
Wednesday
5am
Coffee, kitten pats, older cat snuggles and then a small cry because I forgot to wash my preferred pregnancy leggings. I thankfully remember I’ve got an onsite vendor meeting today so don’t dress like a potato! I still wear Stan Smith’s but a cute knit dress and scarf up top so I look presentable. I bathe in embryolisse cream after washing my face (fun pregnancy fact - you can develop dry skin patches that make you look like a lizard!) and actually put some makeup on (Charlotte Tilbury base, YSL touche elcat, innisfree powder, lancome mascara and CT blush) followed by Replica’s By the Fireplace perfume. Ready for battle!
7am
On the train scrolling through the morning reports, I’m relieved to see all systems are reporting green after a few small hiccups yesterday. I move onto discord and catch up the overnight conversations in bump group.
9am
Quick catchup with my team and then I spend the morning preparing for the big cross time zone/country catch up with all IT team leads also updating my WIP tracker. I obviously then forget to save it and rage stomp off to the kitchen to make conciliation coffee.
I rage shop for KitchenAid accessories but don’t actually buy anything and my manager comforts me over teams.
12pm
I’m wrapping up in person site meetings to see a bunch of messages from P, he’s grocery shopping and querying baby wipe brands. (One of the best tips I got was to buy a pack of nappies and wipes each grocery trip to build your stockpile so it’s not such a shock, since newborns go through 10 nappies a day!). I reply but I’m a bit late and he finishes in Aldi, Coles and the butchers for the next fortnight (389.23). I’m getting very over this cost of living price increase on basic things like milk. He’s a smart shopper so I know that he didn’t overdo it.
3pm
I’ve taken my blood pressure a few times today and it keeps coming back high. I ring the OB’s office and book in for tomorrow morning (spoiler: my blood pressure meds are increased and I’m asked to check in with my pregnancy nephrologist sooner)
4pm
What the hell is this debit? Oh it’s the meal delivery service I forgot to suspend this week, guess we’re going to be a bit overstocked on food this week. I’m just going to class this as idiot/baby brain tax. (69.95)
5pm
P collects me and I have a small cry in the carpark, he’s had the baby capsule installed and driven to collect me with it so I can see it. Things are starting to feel very real now! I practice removing it and carrying it up to the apartment when we get home.
Leftover bolognese for dinner and we do separate screen time. I head to my computer after a bit to review my spreadsheet, since P has smashed out a bunch of things today in Baby Bunting. Nappy bin, capsule + install and baby bath are all ticked off! I get the receipts off our emails to log the costs (375.16)
7pm
Mexican bowls for dinner and we decide to try out the new RPA reboot that’s recently come back to TV (from the 90s!). I honestly hate every minute of it, the talking heads are really cringe and after the gritty realism of Ambulance UK (and Nurses Down Under) I can’t cope with it. We switch over to Ambulance UK after 1 episode and discuss deleting the rest. I was also really disappointed by how “doctor focussed” it was to the point where the nurses and allied health professionals (physios, ambos, etc) were cut out of certain shots, but you could still see their hands or shoes, that’s just not reality in Australian healthcare they’re the people patients see 90% of the time! Okay getting off my soapbox now.
8pm
I start my out of hours tracker and handle an issue for a site 3 hours behind me, in the end the onsite team and I get our part done, one of the vendors does not. We decide to tackle it tomorrow and a flick off a complaint to our account manage regarding this vendor rep. I notice a few of my counterparts are all in a teams call in their timezone and realise they must be cutting over a new system since it’s so late their time. I make a note to not bother them first thing tomorrow since they’ll likely all be start late.
9pm
Yep blood pressure is still high, so I’m glad I’ve got the appointment booked for the first thing tomorrow. P takes it for me twice just in case I’m doing something wrong with the cuff but unfortunately it’s still high. I’ve finished my new pregnancy book and I would recommend it to any Aussie mums or dads to be out there, P even flicks through it.
Why are both cats trying to sit on me? Oh we forgot to feed them! I sort them out and all is well again in their world.
10pm
My glorious bed calls me to me and I bundle myself up in the blankets, scroll through tiktok and happy cry at birth videos.
Total: 834.34
END SCENE
Weekly Total: $3749.20
Food + Drink: 589.09
Fun / Entertainment: 0.00
Home + Health: 2720.00
Clothes + Beauty: 14.95
Transport: 50.00
Other (Baby): 375.16
REFLECTION:
Besides the health care costs, this is a pretty normal week for me! I’m obviously thrilled to hit the Medicare max as this makes things so much easier with health care costs. I feel really relieved to know all my future costs are being covered by private health or what isn't is at a higher rebate now. Seeing my hospital estimate last week (before private health covers 95%) was really confronting and made me briefly reconsider my choice to go private, but the things that are now covered by health fund are amazing and worth nearly $30k over the first 3 months of the baby's life (especially if we end up needing special care nursery).
I’m pretty impressed about how many wtf and ffs I say in real life that I’ve removed from this diary. I find the Aussie approach to swearing can be a bit relaxed haha, so I did my best for you guys!
The impact of the baby brain is very real, aside from mental blanks at work, I had to check things like my subscriptions and ask P a few times, since so much of it is bpay and auto-debit, I don’t pay attention to it! There’s a few charges we have always had historically like tolls and ubereats that we’ve cut way back over the past few months.
I'm also considering a "what it costs to have a private baby in Aus" as well as a follow up in a few months once I've settled into Maternity Leave life (minimum wage, not my current salary) because tracking was fascinating and I'm a data hoarder.
Happy to answer any questions in the comments if I've explained something poorly.
submitted by IliacatJoke to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]
Disclaimer: I am very grateful to have had a lot of parental assistance over the years and also have serious mental health diagnosis, both of these flavour my money choices heavily (e.g. private healthcare and lack of car loan/insurance)
I am also heavily pregnant so please excuse any baby brain related errors!
START SCENE
Retirement Balance: $62,000
Equity: $35k of a $680k property, we bought our 3 bedroom apartment last year using my parents’ equity, so no deposit was required.
Savings account balance: 20k - a lot of health/baby related costs have come out of it lately!
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): $800 which I pay off each monthly pay, if it wasn’t for the grocery rebates I’d consider getting rid of it.
Student loan debt (HECS): BA in passion/fun area, then IT/Accounting degree, very proud to say I am down to my final $19k!
My husband P earns around $90,000 in healthcare but can be more with overtime, he has around $30k in super and his HECS debt is due to be wiped out following our recent election so won’t be including that.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I had been working in retail full time after loving full time work instead of uni, until my transition to IT so started as a retail casual worker on $30k 10 years ago and changed to IT 6 years ago, jumping from $55k to $95k in that time, mostly through promotions, 1 company merger and 2 company changes.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: I am paid $5200 monthly and P is paid fortnightly at $2400 to $3000 depending on his shifts. Both our pay excludes tax, HECS payment and medicare levy, his pay includes salary packaging.
Section Three: Expenses
Mortgage: 3150 (locked rate until next year, pending interest rise)
Savings contribution: $500
Donations: $25-75 a month mostly to various MH organisations
Electric/Council/Water: 400 (we’re currently overpaying ahead of Mat leave)
Internet/our mobile phones: $320 (we’re currently overpaying ahead of Mat leave)
Subscriptions (Newspapers (NYT, SMH), Youtube, Xbox, online backups/cloud, VPN, pregnancy app, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Bitlocker, UberOne, Spotify Duo): $110
Private Health insurance: $420 for Top CoveTop Extras + pregnancy
Car insurance: covered in my parents plan, our car was a gift from my parents
Regular therapy: Psychologist $220/fortnight and psychiatrist $280/quarter
Transfer to P for things like fuel: $500
7 Day Money diary:
Thursday:
5am
I’m staring at the ceiling while the baby kicks my kidney, P snoring next to me, contemplating my existence. I’m trying not to start ‘the list’ run through in my head (buy milk, have I booked my next blood test, where is my winter coat, etc).
5.30am
Give up on sleep and get up for the day, I make a weak coffee for me and a regular coffee for P (I like the taste of coffee, weak lets me have 2-3 cups throughout the day without hitting my pregnant caffeine limit) and start packing up my lunch and bags for work. It’s OB day so I won’t be in the office until 10am today.
9am
After a dance party in the car we’re at the OB, all good news and another list of final scans and tests, we’re now in the downhill run! I pay for my last half of (private) OB management fee since we’re passed 28 weeks now. ($2500 (Medicare rebate soon: $580))
Stop at a bakery to treat myself before work, danishes are the breakfast of champions! ($12.00)
2pm
Last vendor meeting of the day, and i’m ready to take a nap. I’ve decided to spend the rest of the afternoon working on my handover document, I’ve only got 8 weeks to go before Mat leave!
3pm
Text my psych to convert our Saturday afternoon to a Zoom call, I’m not up for extra waddling to the train this week.
5pm
Spend the train ride home working on my crackhead baby spreadsheet (colour-coded, multi tabbed, shopping list, meal prep list, etc) and researching baby items.
P meets me at the station to grab my bags and we walk home, well he walks ahead and I move at a more stately pace.
7pm
Crawl into bed with a bowl of pasta and Ambulance UK on the iPad, kitten at my feet, older cat at my hip. Eventually P awkwardly maneuvers around blankets, my pregnancy pillow and cats.
11pm
Spontaneously adding to my online chemist wishlist of things I need for post birth and hospital bag. Cats and P grumble when I once again get up to pee, pregnancy feels so glamorous now.
Total: 2512.00 (pending MR)
Friday:
6am
Wander around the apartment with coffee in hand and contemplate the nursery layout options, I’ll measure it all tonight and make a floor plan so I can visualise it better. After boarding the train, I scroll through my due date Bump Group on Discord and catch up on the topics, many of the mum’s are NA based so the chat pops off 12am - 4am my time. I message a few friends and my bestie spams me with tiktoks. We tell a few dark MH jokes and I try not to laugh on the train.
8am
Arrive at the office, coffee number 2 in hand and I jump into a few Teams chats with various groups, including my manager and counterparts in another city’s office. They’re in a different time zone ahead of us so they flag any issues that started earlier our time and I’m grateful.
1.30pm
Where the hell did today go? I’ve barely left my desk and can’t believe the amount of firefighting I’ve been doing today, following up vendors, coordinating fallback solutions for outages, soothing ruffled feathers and talking team off the ledge in stressful situations.
I’ve definitely not eaten enough today and decide to place an ubereats order instead of raiding my mini fridge stash - Subway it is! ($18.97)
I spend my lunch break reading my latest pregnancy/birth book (The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth) and it’s honestly my favourite one I’ve read so far. I’m also a big fan of the podcast the authors run. I have queued up this week’s episode for the trip home as the mum featured has a similar mental health issue to me and I’m excited to hear her journey, also to get ideas for things to raise with my care team.
5pm
Security protocols kick us out of the office building and I am thrilled to escape! P picks me up from work since he’s off today, and my hips and feet are very grateful. There’s a quick stop in at Coles for pizza ingredients, milk and the very essential choc chip waffles. ($46.94)
Once we’re home P feeds the cats and unpacks while I get started on the bases, my birthday present last month was a KitchenAid and at the rate I’m going the cost per use is coming out pretty damn good! I leave the base to rise, pop my feet up and do my nightly blood pressure (127/82) which I log into my health app. I also add my weight from yesterday’s OB appointment and I'm thrilled to say I’ve stopped losing weight now the suspected HG has finally settled.
7pm
Take several brag photos of my pizzas #homemade and settled in front of the TV with blankets, footrest and P. I do send P back to the kitchen twice for serviettes and my water bottle, but once I’m settled, I’m not bloody moving.
I queue up the latest Top Chef (International All Stars Season 20) on Plex and get ready to support my fellow Aussie! P grumbles about my fixation with Top Chef, but all he gets is side eye in response. It’s a great episode for creativity, he even admits the winning dish is impressive. He vanishes the second the episode’s over for his office and a rewatch of the extended, super, mega, special edition of The Hobbit. I move on to Ambulance UK and annoy him over text with questions about the medical terminology being used.
8pm
Bedtime with a heat pack as my back is killing me! I try to convince P to come to bed and hold it against me since bubs is not allowing stomach laying anymore.
8.30pm
Success! P is helpfully holding it against me while I finish the episode and scroll the Iconic. Oh no! There’s now Stanley cups on there, I add it to my wishlist and promise myself I’ll think about it first. I want to also be a chic put together Stanley cup girlie!
Total: 65.91
Saturday:
3am
Back scrolling the Iconic and on a hunch check my credits (after rage returning maternity clothes a few weeks ago) and bingo there’s a credit there. I play around with wishlist items and stacking discounts, there’s a pale pink theme developing between the pink pregnancy overalls and the Stanley cup.
3.30am
Screw it, I’m ordering (10 points if you can guess what room of the apartment I made this order from) and it’s all due this afternoon except the pregnancy belt I've been grumbling about wanting. ($14.95)
9am
P brings me coffee, the kitten and the statement that he’s approved our Medicare Safety Net balance (he’s our primary family member) which means the rest of our refunds will be great going forward!! I’m very excited for 90% back on out of pocket costs for most medical things from now until December. Between my mental health and pregnancy I’ve beaten my normal record of September for the max you can pay OOP.
12pm
I’m sitting on the floor in the nursery trying to sort out piles of tiny clothes and remember to get P to help me off the floor before he heads to work. I head to the kitchen and start the bread process, I make our bread from scratch every weekend and the KitchenAid has made this sooo much easier. I decide one x1 wholemeal seed bread for P and x1 rosemary focaccia for me. Once they’re rising I head off to bed for a nap before therapy this afternoon.
3pm
I made myself some tea and washed my face to prepare for therapy as I woke up from my nap feeling like I was on another planet. I head into my office, no no now the nursery, damn I slightly tear up at the thought of my nice office now being a small desk in the corner. Well that can be another topic for my session today!
3.30pm
My psych and I go over all of the last 3 weeks worth of appointments with my health team and what my next steps are. I need to sort out my postpartum stay referral and lock in when I’m starting my top up meds. We talk through some of my work frustrations (not clear cut sexism but a level of obliviousness some of male managers are showing) and how I’m tracking mood/symptoms wise across the pregnancy. We’re both very aware that the final few weeks of pregnancy and the accompanying hormones can cause serious issues, so we go over warning signs and coping mechanisms. We go over the difference between ‘normal pregnancy feelings’ and my mental health condition feelings.($220)
4.30pm
Session done and my bread has all risen nicely despite the cold weather, I start the baking process and contemplate dinner. P is at work until 10pm so I’m on my own, which means all the Top Chef reruns and Ambulance UK my heart desires! I have a craving for spätzl so dig that out of the cupboard and defrost the schnitzel.
Iconic delivery!! I am officially a Stanley cup owner! I ordered the original, not the soft matte because Tiktok told me to, so I’m hoping I’ve made the right choice. Something about cold water through a straw just hits the spot. My glittery Starbucks cup looks on in disgust.
10pm
P finds me at my desk working on my spreadsheet of crazy, I mean baby, and is impressed but also too tired to focus on it now. I hear him calmly explain to the kitten that he can’t join him in the shower but he isn’t entirely successful.
We get into bed and P puts headphones in so I can drift off faster (or because I threatened more Ambulance UK? We’ll never know!).
Total: $234.95 (pending MR)
Sunday:
4am
And I’m up early again, my passenger is apparently an early riser these days which leads to me looking down and asking for more sleep “pleeeeease!” I try 37 positions and try to get comfy before finally drifting off again.
8am
I steal P’s dressing gown (mine’s now got an awkward gap due to the bump) and start the coffee process, the kitten joins me after finding a piece of plastic to pinball around the kitchen with, I am not coordinated enough these days to dodge him so I remove him and plastic to the living room.
I’m craving an egg muffin so I cook some sausages, eggs and toast english muffins and enjoy a mindless tiktok scroll while I eat.
12pm
I’m surprisingly tired after doing nothing all morning and head back to bed for a nap. I really hope the tiredness isn’t a sign my illness from last week is back! I’ve got a support group meeting in a few hours so I set an alarm.
2pm
I join the support group Zoom and immediately hear about how many people are sick or recovering from some flu or cold thing. There’s a lot of bugs going around at the moment! I meet some new people who have the same disorder or same ‘family’ of disorders as me and I update the group on my pregnancy journey. I really bond with 2 of the new ladies and I offer my email up to both to keep in touch before next week’s meeting.
5pm
I’m happily browsing Facebook Marketplace for baby things when Mum calls, she’s been shopping for baby (uh oh) and is excited to tell me about it. Amazingly she’s bought a bedside bassinet very similar to the one I was planning on buying secondhand and a safari themed lamp for the nursery. She’s also ended up with a high chair for their house on the coast and a bunch of themed fabric for swaddles, pillows, etc.
Total: 0.00 thanks Mum!
Monday
7am
I wake with my alarm for once, which would be odd except for how awful I feel. I end up deciding to call in sick, the flu thing that knocked me around until early last week appears to be back. Pregnancy means lots of cold/flu meds etc are not an option so I can’t soldier on. I alert my manager, set my team up with urgent tasks, chuck my OOO on and crawl back into bed.
A few things debit like SMH and Youtube (accounted for in monthly expenses above)
10am
I open my phone to a flurry of emails on my personal account, OH! It’s healthcare cover day! We have finished all our waiting periods and the beacons are lit! Let the floodgates of services and information begin! Our hospital and health fund both email to welcome me to their online learning platforms.
11am
A nice lady from our health fund calls to give me the spiel. I'd normally be wary about what all these amazing services are going to cost, but it’s all covered! She tells me about the learning platform (Nourish), the sleep clinic calls I’ll get after the baby's arrival and the welcome pack I’m going to be mailed. I get my login details as soon as we hangup, another fun thing to explore tonight once I’m feeling human again.
P is amused by how excited I am for all this information, he does caution me against over planning/over researching which is something I’ve been working on with my psych. I struggle to find a good balance between planning for problems and over planning to the point of stress. It’s a work in progress. I suspect I’ll always have issues with control/over planning.
4pm
I’ve napped most of the day, dealt with 1 urgent work issue and am now getting access to the hospital’s learning platform (Cradle). I'm grateful they’re short 5-7 minute long videos so put some on the iPad while I make tea and toast before deciding to tackle the nursery again.
7pm
Mum calls about more baby things - they’ve bought me a change table!? I’m slightly annoyed then I’m thrilled - it’s a brand I like that’s normally $400 ish for $30 at auction yesterday (a Sunday afternoon family hobby). They've just collected it, they’re going to sand and paint it for me in a nice green for the safari nursery. Another thing ticked off the baby spreadsheet.
Dinner tonight was heated up leftovers, I’m too tired for cooking.
Hmm blood pressure is high, I hope this is just sickness related and log it in my app.
8pm
Bed time! Despite sleeping all day I am exhausted and pass out almost immediately.
Total: 0.00 thanks again Mum!
Tuesday
11am
I’m in the office however I cannot tell you what I’ve done today, it’s all a blur and when I sit down with my ipad to make notes for this money diary my brain goes blank. I scroll through my sent emails and can see I’ve sent 26 emails (herding a difficult vendor, setting up meetings for later in the week, submitting my sick leave for yesterday and setting up a new starter orientation). I make another coffee and realise the mini fridge hasn’t been restocked (because I am the one that stocks it each week sigh). I jump online and do a grocery order - yogurt, cheese, salami, tomato paste, sliced bread, babybel cheese, apples and several juices) (52.00) it’s due in next 2 hours.
1pm
I make myself toasted sandwiches and try not to eat the entire packet of babybel. My work lunch group tells hilarious stories from their level of the office and it’s a nice escape from my level’s workload.
2pm
I send off my psychiatrist's referral for my private postpartum care stay (1-3 weeks long) and check it’s all covered with my health care fund (it is!). The private place I’ll be staying at calls me to check in, advise me of next steps and to give me my tentative booking date of 1 week after birth. I’ve got a spare 20 mins so do my intake assessment with them over the phone and get the all clear to be accepted in a few weeks. I’ll get another assessment 2-4 days after I give birth just to make sure I’m still a good candidate. I look over the welcome pack, what to bring lists and advice on partner overnight stays that all hit my email when I hang up. I forward the relevant bits to P and jump back into work.
5pm
An afternoon of meetings meant I did no deep/focus work or work on my handover, but I accept that and move on. I top up my Opal card for the week (50.00) via the app and it’s loaded by the time I’m tapping on the train. I’d normally account for this in the expenses up top but my train trips are very sporadic right now due to pregnancy waddle, so I’ve been carpooling with coworkers and P has been collecting me if his shifts line up along with the occasional UbeShebah.
5.15pm
I’m pinged regarding a site issue and it looks like the site is down. I jump on via my phone and iPad while on the train, I also start my time tracker for out of hours work. I scrap the conference call between my team and the vendor at 6pm and instruct the site to rollover to fallback mode, my team member gets them online again. I email my manager a quick update and switch back to tiktok scrolling. I’m really enjoying not having to fight for a seat most train trips now since I’m so visibly pregnant!
6.30pm
P meets me at the station again, is horrified that I’m dragging 3 books, several cups to wash, my coat (I overheated on the train) and my iPad around in multiple bags, he snatches it all and we start the walk home.
He’s made bolognese and it is the best smell to walk into after a cold day! I smother mine in cheese and prop my feet up to depuff. Then I puppy dog eyes at him and he agrees to Ambulance UK, we’re now in the London seasons and I’m loving the big city vibes. He still cringes at the medical sounds, but takes the time to explain how these patients would be treated at his hospital after their ambulance trips. I enjoy his commentary and it adds a background I would never normally know about.
8pm
I take my blood pressure and it’s high for the 2nd night, I’m a bit concerned but trying not to stress. It’s not 160/100 aka get your butt to ED but it’s still over normal. I log it in my health app and make a note to monitor it and call the OB if it’s up again tomorrow.
I message a friend about his opinion of epidurals (since he does them all day) and ask for the dumbed down reality check, he’s been an amazing support this pregnancy so I know he’ll give me a great answer, and he replies back with all the pros/cons as well as the common issues and how they get fixed. He reminds me to ask my OB since I’ve got pregnancy hypertension, it’s likely I would almost benefit from that common side effect and I make a note in my phone to ask at the next appointment.
Total: $102.00
Wednesday
5am
Coffee, kitten pats, older cat snuggles and then a small cry because I forgot to wash my preferred pregnancy leggings. I thankfully remember I’ve got an onsite vendor meeting today so don’t dress like a potato! I still wear Stan Smith’s but a cute knit dress and scarf up top so I look presentable. I bathe in embryolisse cream after washing my face (fun pregnancy fact - you can develop dry skin patches that make you look like a lizard!) and actually put some makeup on (Charlotte Tilbury base, YSL touche elcat, innisfree powder, lancome mascara and CT blush) followed by Replica’s By the Fireplace perfume. Ready for battle!
7am
On the train scrolling through the morning reports, I’m relieved to see all systems are reporting green after a few small hiccups yesterday. I move onto discord and catch up the overnight conversations in bump group.
9am
Quick catchup with my team and then I spend the morning preparing for the big cross time zone/country catch up with all IT team leads also updating my WIP tracker. I obviously then forget to save it and rage stomp off to the kitchen to make conciliation coffee.
I rage shop for KitchenAid accessories but don’t actually buy anything and my manager comforts me over teams.
12pm
I’m wrapping up in person site meetings to see a bunch of messages from P, he’s grocery shopping and querying baby wipe brands. (One of the best tips I got was to buy a pack of nappies and wipes each grocery trip to build your stockpile so it’s not such a shock, since newborns go through 10 nappies a day!). I reply but I’m a bit late and he finishes in Aldi, Coles and the butchers for the next fortnight (389.23). I’m getting very over this cost of living price increase on basic things like milk. He’s a smart shopper so I know that he didn’t overdo it.
3pm
I’ve taken my blood pressure a few times today and it keeps coming back high. I ring the OB’s office and book in for tomorrow morning (spoiler: my blood pressure meds are increased and I’m asked to check in with my pregnancy nephrologist sooner)
4pm
What the hell is this debit? Oh it’s the meal delivery service I forgot to suspend this week, guess we’re going to be a bit overstocked on food this week. I’m just going to class this as idiot/baby brain tax. (69.95)
5pm
P collects me and I have a small cry in the carpark, he’s had the baby capsule installed and driven to collect me with it so I can see it. Things are starting to feel very real now! I practice removing it and carrying it up to the apartment when we get home.
Leftover bolognese for dinner and we do separate screen time. I head to my computer after a bit to review my spreadsheet, since P has smashed out a bunch of things today in Baby Bunting. Nappy bin, capsule + install and baby bath are all ticked off! I get the receipts off our emails to log the costs (375.16)
7pm
Mexican bowls for dinner and we decide to try out the new RPA reboot that’s recently come back to TV (from the 90s!). I honestly hate every minute of it, the talking heads are really cringe and after the gritty realism of Ambulance UK (and Nurses Down Under) I can’t cope with it. We switch over to Ambulance UK after 1 episode and discuss deleting the rest. I was also really disappointed by how “doctor focussed” it was to the point where the nurses and allied health professionals (physios, ambos, etc) were cut out of certain shots, but you could still see their hands or shoes, that’s just not reality in Australian healthcare they’re the people patients see 90% of the time! Okay getting off my soapbox now.
8pm
I start my out of hours tracker and handle an issue for a site 3 hours behind me, in the end the onsite team and I get our part done, one of the vendors does not. We decide to tackle it tomorrow and a flick off a complaint to our account manage regarding this vendor rep. I notice a few of my counterparts are all in a teams call in their timezone and realise they must be cutting over a new system since it’s so late their time. I make a note to not bother them first thing tomorrow since they’ll likely all be start late.
9pm
Yep blood pressure is still high, so I’m glad I’ve got the appointment booked for the first thing tomorrow. P takes it for me twice just in case I’m doing something wrong with the cuff but unfortunately it’s still high. I’ve finished my new pregnancy book and I would recommend it to any Aussie mums or dads to be out there, P even flicks through it.
Why are both cats trying to sit on me? Oh we forgot to feed them! I sort them out and all is well again in their world.
10pm
My glorious bed calls me to me and I bundle myself up in the blankets, scroll through tiktok and happy cry at birth videos.
Total: 834.34
END SCENE
Weekly Total: $3749.20
Food + Drink: 589.09
Fun / Entertainment: 0.00
Home + Health: 2720.00
Clothes + Beauty: 14.95
Transport: 50.00
Other (Baby): 375.16
REFLECTION:
Besides the health care costs, this is a pretty normal week for me! I’m obviously thrilled to hit the Medicare max as this makes things so much easier with health care costs. I feel really relieved to know all my future costs are being covered by private health or what isn't is at a higher rebate now. Seeing my hospital estimate last week (before private health covers 95%) was really confronting and made me briefly reconsider my choice to go private, but the things that are now covered by health fund are amazing and worth nearly $30k over the first 3 months of the baby's life (especially if we end up needing special care nursery).
I’m pretty impressed about how many wtf and ffs I say in real life that I’ve removed from this diary. I find the Aussie approach to swearing can be a bit relaxed haha, so I did my best for you guys!
The impact of the baby brain is very real, aside from mental blanks at work, I had to check things like my subscriptions and ask P a few times, since so much of it is bpay and auto-debit, I don’t pay attention to it! There’s a few charges we have always had historically like tolls and ubereats that we’ve cut way back over the past few months.
I'm also considering a "what it costs to have a private baby in Aus" as well as a follow up in a few months once I've settled into Maternity Leave life (minimum wage, not my current salary) because tracking was fascinating and I'm a data hoarder.
Happy to answer any questions in the comments if I've explained something poorly.
2023.05.27 10:30 BaseballBot [General Discussion] Around the Horn - 5/27/23
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Saturday's Games
| Away | Score | Home | Score | Status | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:35 | |||||
| ★ | 1:35 | ||||
| 1:35 | |||||
| 1:40 | |||||
| 1:40 | |||||
| 2:10 | |||||
| 2:10 | |||||
| 2:10 | |||||
| 2:20 | |||||
| 3:10 | |||||
| 4:07 | |||||
| 4:07 | |||||
| 4:10 | |||||
| 4:10 | |||||
| 7:10 |
Yesterday's ATH
This Week's Schedule (all times Eastern)
| Day | Feature |
|---|---|
| Sunday 5/21 | ESPN Sunday Night Baseball: Guardians @ Mets at 7pm EST - Postgame Thread |
| Monday 5/22 | baseball Power Rankings |
| Tuesday 5/23 | baseball Players of the Week |
| Wednesday 5/24 | No subreddit features planned |
| Thursday 5/25 | Division Discussion Thread: The Wests |
| Friday 5/26 | Friday Compliment Thread |
| Saturday 5/27 | No subreddit features planned |
2023.05.27 04:48 mostreliablebottle If Best Picture was decided by Critics Polls (1940-2021)
Roughly 7 years ago u/TheGreatZiegfeld did an experiment of a post to determine what the best films of each year would be from 1940 to 2011 (before the 2012 S&S polls).
With the recently updated TSPDT and the 2022 S&S list, I decided to do the same from 1940 to 2021 regarding what critics thought were the best of each year.
Keep in mind this is all from a critics' poll, not from one specific critic's list. Also no short films or miniseries (meaning no Twin Peaks or Meshes of the Afternoon), as well as those from 2022 and beyond because of the last S&S poll.
With all that in mind, let's begin.
1940
Winner: His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks)
Other nominees: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin), The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford), The Shop Around The Corner (Ernst Lubitsch), The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor)
1941
Winner: Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
Other nominees: The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges), Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges), The Maltese Falcon (John Houston), How Green Was My Valley (John Ford)
1942
Winner: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
Other nominees: The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles), To Be Or Not To Be (Ernst Lubitsch), The Palm Springs Story (Preston Sturges), Cat People (Jacques Tourneur)
1943
Winner: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell and Pressburger)
Other nominees: Day of Wrath (Carl Theodor Dreyer), Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock), I Walked with a Zombie (Jacques Tourneur), Ossessione (Luchino Visconti)
1944
Winner: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder)
Other nominees: Ivan the Terrible, Part I (Sergei Eisenstein), Meet Me in St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli), A Canterbury Tale (Powell and Pressburger), To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks)
1945
Winner: Children of Paradise (Marcel Carné)
Other nominees: Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini), Brief Encounter (David Lean), I Know Where I'm Going (Powell and Pressburger) Les Dames du bois de Boulogne (Robert Bresson)
1946
Winner: It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra)
Other nominees: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger), Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock), My Darling Clementine (John Ford), Paisan (Roberto Rossellini)
1947
Winner: Black Narcissus (Powell and Pressburger)
Other nominees: Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur), Monsieur Verdoux (Charlie Chaplin), The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
1948
Winner: Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica)
Other nominees: The Red Shoes (Powell and Pressburger), Letters from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls), Spring in a Small Town (Mu Fei), Germany Year Zero (Roberto Rossellini)
1949
Winner: The Third Man (Carol Reed)
Other nominees: Late Spring (Yasujirō Ozu), Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (John Ford), White Heat (Raoul Walsh)
1950
Winner Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa)
Other nominees; Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder), All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel), In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray)
1951
Winner: The River (Jean Renoir)
Other nominees: Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson), Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica), Early Summer (Yasujirō Ozu), Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock)
1952
Winner: Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
Other nominees: Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa), Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica), The Life of Oharu (Kenji Mizoguchi), The Quiet Man (John Ford)
1953
Winner: Tokyo Story (Yasujirō Ozu)
Other nominees: Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi), The Earrings of Madame de (Max Ophüls), The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli), Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Jacques Tati)
1954
Winner: Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa)
Other nominees: Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock), Journey to Italy (Roberto Rossellini), La Strada (Federico Fellini), Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi)
1955
Winner: Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
Other nominees: The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton), Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray), All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Kirk), Floating Clouds (Mikio Naruse)
1956
Winner: The Searchers (John Ford)
Other nominees: A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson), Written on the Wind (Douglas Sirk), Aparajito (Satyajit Ray), Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray)
1957
Winner: Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman)
Other nominees: The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman), Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini), Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa), Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick)
1958
Winner Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock)
Other nominees: Touch of Evil (Orson Welles), Ashes and Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda), Ivan the Terrible, Part II (Sergei Eisenstein), The Music Room (Satyajit Ray)
1959
Winner: The 400 Blows (François Truffaut)
Other nominees: Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder), North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock), Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks), Pickpocket (Robert Bresson)
1960
Winner: Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock), La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini), L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni), The Apartment (Billy Wilder)
1961
Winner: Viridiana (Luis Buñuel)
Other nominees: Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais), La Notte (Michelangelo Antonioni), West Side Story (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins), Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa)
1962
Winner: Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean)
Other nominees: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford), Jules and Jim (François Truffaut), Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda), L'Eclisse (Michelangelo Antonioni)
1963
Winner 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
Other nominees: Le Mepris (Jean-Luc Godard), The Leopard (Luchino Visconti), The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock), The Executioner (Luis García Berlanga)
1964
Winner: Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Gertrud (Carl Theodor Dreyer), The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pier Paolo Pasolini), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Jacques Demy), Black God, White Devil (Glauber Rocha)
1965
Winner: Pierrot Le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: Chimes at Midnight (Orson Welles), Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Parajanov), Le Bonheur (Agnes Varda), Doctor Zhivago (David Lean)
1966
Winner: Persona (Ingmar Bergman)
Other nominees: Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky), Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson), The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo), Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni)
1967
Winner: Playtime (Jacques Tati)
Other nominees: Mouchette (Robert Bresson), Le Samouraï (Jean-Pierre Melville), Belle de Jour (Luis Buñuel), The Graduate (Mike Nichols)
1968
Winner: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone), Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski), Memories of Underdevelopment (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea), Faces (John Cassavetes)
1969
Winner: The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)
Other nominees: The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov), Kes (Ken Loach), My Night at Maud's (Eric Rohmer), Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville)
1970
Winner: The Conformist (Bernado Bertolucci)
Other nominees: Wanda (Barbara Loden), Performance (Nicholas Roeg), Husbands (John Cassavetes), Tristana (Luis Buñuel)
1971
Winner: A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman), A Touch of Zen (King Hu), Out 1 (Jacques Rivette)
1972
Winner: The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog), Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel), Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky)
1973
Winner: Amarcord (Federico Fellini)
Other nominees: The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache), The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice), Don't Look Now (Nicholas Roeg), Badlands (Terrence Malick)
1974
Winner: The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Chinatown (Roman Polanski), A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), Celine and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette)
1975
Winner: Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Akerman)
Other nominees: Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky), Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick), Nashville (Robert Altman), Jaws (Steven Spielberg)
1976
Winner: Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
Other nominees: News from Home (Chantal Akerman), Kings of the Road (Wim Wenders), In the Realm of Senses (Nagisa Oshima), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (John Cassavetes)
1977
Winner: Annie Hall (Woody Allen)
Other nominees: Star Wars (George Lucas), Close Encounter of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg), Eraserhead (David Lynch), The Ascent (Larisa Shepitko)
1978
Winner: Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
Other nominees: Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick), The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi), In a Year with 13 Moons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
1979
Winner: Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky), Alien (Ridley Scott), Manhattan (Woody Allen), All That Jazz (Bob Fosse)
1980
Winner: Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
Other nominees: The Shining (Stanley Kubrick), The Empire Strike Back (Irvin Kershner), Heaven's Gate (Michael Cimino), The Elephant Man (David Lynch)
1981
Winner: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
Other nominees: Possession (Andrzej Żuławski), Blow Out (Brian de Palma), Mad Max 2 (George Miller), An American Werewolf in London (John Landis)
1982
Winner: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)
Other nominees: Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg), The Thing (John Carpenter), The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese)
1983
Winner: Sans Soleil (Chris Marker)
Other nominees: L'Argent (Robert Bresson), Videodrome (David Cronenberg), Nostalgia (Andrei Tarkovsky), A Nos Amours (Maurice Pialat)
1984
Winner: Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
Other nominees: Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders), Love Streams (John Cassavetes), Amadeus (Milos Forman), Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch)
1985
Winner: Shoah (Claude Lanzmann)
Other nominees: Come and See (Elem Klimov), Ran (Akira Kurosawa), Vagabond (Agnes Varda), Brazil (Terry Gilliam)
1986
Winner: Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
Other nominees: The Green Ray (Eric Rohmer), The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky), Aliens (James Cameron), Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
1987
Winner: Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)
Other nominees: Where is the Friend's House (Abbas Kiarostami), The Dead (John Huston), Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson), Yeelen (Souleymanne Cisse)
1988
Winner: My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
Other nominees: Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore), Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies), The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris), Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
1989
Winner: Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
Other nominees: A City of Sadness (Hou Hsiao-hsien), Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen), When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner), The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway)
1990
Winner: Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
Other nominees: Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese), Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-wai), An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion), Paris is Burning (Jessie Livingston)
1991
Winner: A Brighter Summer Day (Edward Yang)
Other nominees: Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash), The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski), The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme), Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou)
1992
Winner: Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
Other nominees: The Quince Tree Sun (Victor Erice), Orlando (Sally Potter), Life, and Nothing More (Abbas Kiarostami), Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
1993
Winner: The Piano (Jane Campion)
Other nominees: Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg), Three Colors: Blue (Krzysztof Kieslowski), Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis), The Puppetmaster (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
1994
Winner: Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
Other nominees: Satantango (Bela Tarr), Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai), Three Colors: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski), Through the Olive Tree (Abbas Kiarostami)
1995
Winner: Heat (Michael Mann)
Other nominees: Underground (Emir Kusturica), Safe (Todd Haynes), Casino (Martin Scorsese), Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch)
1996
Winner: Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier)
Other nominees: Fargo (Joel Coen), A Moment of Innocence (Mohsen Makhmalbaf), Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh), Crash (David Cronenberg)
1997
Winner: Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami)
Other nominees: Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai), Lost Highway (David Lynch), Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson), Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki)
1998
Winner: Histoire(s) du Cinema (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick), The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen), The Celebration (Thomas Vinterberg), Flowers of Shanghai (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
1999
Winner: Beau Travail (Claire Denis)
Other nominees: Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson), The Matrix (Wachowskis), Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick), All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar)
2000
Winner: In The Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai)
Other nominees: Yi Yi (Edward Yang), The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda), Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr), In Vanda's Room (Pedro Costa)
2001
Winner: Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
Other nominees: Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki), La Ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel), A.I: Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg), The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
2002
Winner: City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
Other nominees: Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Wang Bing), Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar), Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sukurov), Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay)
2003
Winner: Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Tsai Ming-liang)
Other nominees: Dogville (Lars von Trier), Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola), Elephant (Gus van Sant), Oldboy (Park Chan-wook)
2004
Winner: Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry), The Intruder (Claire Denis), Before Sunset (Richard Linklater), Sideways (Alexander Payne)
2005
Winner: Caché (Michael Haneke)
Other nominees: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu), Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee), The New World (Terrence Malick), Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
2006
Winner: Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Inland Empire (David Lynch), Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro), The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck), Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
2007
Winner: There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Other nominees: No Country for Old Men (Coens), Zodiac (David Fincher), Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas), 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu)
2008
Winner: The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel)
Other nominees: WALL-E (Andrew Stanton), Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman), The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan), Hunger (Steve McQueen)
2009
Winner: The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke)
Other nominees: A Prophet (Jacques Audiard), Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold), Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino), Avatar (James Cameron)
2010
Winner: Uncle Boonmee (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Nostalgia for the Light (Patricio Guzman), The Social Network (David Fincher), Mysteries of Lisbon (Raul Ruiz), Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)
2011
Winner: The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
Other nominees: A Separation (Asghar Farhadi), Melancholia (Lars von Trier), The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
2012
Winner: Holy Motors (Leos Carax)
Other nominees: The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer), The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson), Amour (Michael Haneke), Tabu (Miguel Gomes)
2013
Winner: Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
Other nominees: The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino), Blue is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche), Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski), 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
2014
Winner: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Other nominees: Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson), Girlhood (Celine Sciamma), Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
2015
Winner: Mad Max; Fury Road (George Miller)
Other nominees: Carol (Todd Haynes), Cemetery of Splendor (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien), No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman)
2016
Winner: Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
Other nominees: Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade), American Honey (Andrea Arnold), Arrival (Denis Villeneuve), Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
2017
Winner: Get Out (Jordan Peele)
Other nominees: Zama (Lucrecia Martel), Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson), You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay), Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)
2018
Winner: Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
Other nominees: Happy as Lazzaro (Alice Rohrwacher), Burning (Lee Chang-dong), An Elephant Sitting Still (Hu Bo), Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
2019
Winner: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)
Other nominees: Parasite (Bong Joon-ho), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino), Atlantics (Mati Diop), First Cow (Kelly Reichardt)
2020
Winner: Nomadland (Chloe Zhao)
Other nominees: Time (Garrett Bradley), Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hitman), Days (Tsai Ming-liang), Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Zbanic)
2021
Winner: Petite Maman (Celine Sciamma)
Other nominees: The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion), Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Titane (Julia Docournau), Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
submitted by mostreliablebottle to movies [link] [comments]
With the recently updated TSPDT and the 2022 S&S list, I decided to do the same from 1940 to 2021 regarding what critics thought were the best of each year.
Keep in mind this is all from a critics' poll, not from one specific critic's list. Also no short films or miniseries (meaning no Twin Peaks or Meshes of the Afternoon), as well as those from 2022 and beyond because of the last S&S poll.
With all that in mind, let's begin.
1940
Winner: His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks)
Other nominees: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin), The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford), The Shop Around The Corner (Ernst Lubitsch), The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor)
1941
Winner: Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
Other nominees: The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges), Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges), The Maltese Falcon (John Houston), How Green Was My Valley (John Ford)
1942
Winner: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
Other nominees: The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles), To Be Or Not To Be (Ernst Lubitsch), The Palm Springs Story (Preston Sturges), Cat People (Jacques Tourneur)
1943
Winner: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell and Pressburger)
Other nominees: Day of Wrath (Carl Theodor Dreyer), Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock), I Walked with a Zombie (Jacques Tourneur), Ossessione (Luchino Visconti)
1944
Winner: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder)
Other nominees: Ivan the Terrible, Part I (Sergei Eisenstein), Meet Me in St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli), A Canterbury Tale (Powell and Pressburger), To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks)
1945
Winner: Children of Paradise (Marcel Carné)
Other nominees: Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini), Brief Encounter (David Lean), I Know Where I'm Going (Powell and Pressburger) Les Dames du bois de Boulogne (Robert Bresson)
1946
Winner: It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra)
Other nominees: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger), Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock), My Darling Clementine (John Ford), Paisan (Roberto Rossellini)
1947
Winner: Black Narcissus (Powell and Pressburger)
Other nominees: Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur), Monsieur Verdoux (Charlie Chaplin), The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
1948
Winner: Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica)
Other nominees: The Red Shoes (Powell and Pressburger), Letters from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls), Spring in a Small Town (Mu Fei), Germany Year Zero (Roberto Rossellini)
1949
Winner: The Third Man (Carol Reed)
Other nominees: Late Spring (Yasujirō Ozu), Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (John Ford), White Heat (Raoul Walsh)
1950
Winner Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa)
Other nominees; Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder), All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel), In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray)
1951
Winner: The River (Jean Renoir)
Other nominees: Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson), Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica), Early Summer (Yasujirō Ozu), Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock)
1952
Winner: Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
Other nominees: Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa), Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica), The Life of Oharu (Kenji Mizoguchi), The Quiet Man (John Ford)
1953
Winner: Tokyo Story (Yasujirō Ozu)
Other nominees: Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi), The Earrings of Madame de (Max Ophüls), The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli), Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Jacques Tati)
1954
Winner: Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa)
Other nominees: Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock), Journey to Italy (Roberto Rossellini), La Strada (Federico Fellini), Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi)
1955
Winner: Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
Other nominees: The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton), Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray), All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Kirk), Floating Clouds (Mikio Naruse)
1956
Winner: The Searchers (John Ford)
Other nominees: A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson), Written on the Wind (Douglas Sirk), Aparajito (Satyajit Ray), Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray)
1957
Winner: Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman)
Other nominees: The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman), Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini), Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa), Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick)
1958
Winner Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock)
Other nominees: Touch of Evil (Orson Welles), Ashes and Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda), Ivan the Terrible, Part II (Sergei Eisenstein), The Music Room (Satyajit Ray)
1959
Winner: The 400 Blows (François Truffaut)
Other nominees: Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder), North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock), Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks), Pickpocket (Robert Bresson)
1960
Winner: Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock), La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini), L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni), The Apartment (Billy Wilder)
1961
Winner: Viridiana (Luis Buñuel)
Other nominees: Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais), La Notte (Michelangelo Antonioni), West Side Story (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins), Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa)
1962
Winner: Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean)
Other nominees: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford), Jules and Jim (François Truffaut), Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda), L'Eclisse (Michelangelo Antonioni)
1963
Winner 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
Other nominees: Le Mepris (Jean-Luc Godard), The Leopard (Luchino Visconti), The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock), The Executioner (Luis García Berlanga)
1964
Winner: Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Gertrud (Carl Theodor Dreyer), The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pier Paolo Pasolini), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Jacques Demy), Black God, White Devil (Glauber Rocha)
1965
Winner: Pierrot Le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: Chimes at Midnight (Orson Welles), Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Parajanov), Le Bonheur (Agnes Varda), Doctor Zhivago (David Lean)
1966
Winner: Persona (Ingmar Bergman)
Other nominees: Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky), Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson), The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo), Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni)
1967
Winner: Playtime (Jacques Tati)
Other nominees: Mouchette (Robert Bresson), Le Samouraï (Jean-Pierre Melville), Belle de Jour (Luis Buñuel), The Graduate (Mike Nichols)
1968
Winner: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone), Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski), Memories of Underdevelopment (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea), Faces (John Cassavetes)
1969
Winner: The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)
Other nominees: The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov), Kes (Ken Loach), My Night at Maud's (Eric Rohmer), Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville)
1970
Winner: The Conformist (Bernado Bertolucci)
Other nominees: Wanda (Barbara Loden), Performance (Nicholas Roeg), Husbands (John Cassavetes), Tristana (Luis Buñuel)
1971
Winner: A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman), A Touch of Zen (King Hu), Out 1 (Jacques Rivette)
1972
Winner: The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog), Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel), Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky)
1973
Winner: Amarcord (Federico Fellini)
Other nominees: The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache), The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice), Don't Look Now (Nicholas Roeg), Badlands (Terrence Malick)
1974
Winner: The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Chinatown (Roman Polanski), A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), Celine and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette)
1975
Winner: Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Akerman)
Other nominees: Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky), Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick), Nashville (Robert Altman), Jaws (Steven Spielberg)
1976
Winner: Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
Other nominees: News from Home (Chantal Akerman), Kings of the Road (Wim Wenders), In the Realm of Senses (Nagisa Oshima), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (John Cassavetes)
1977
Winner: Annie Hall (Woody Allen)
Other nominees: Star Wars (George Lucas), Close Encounter of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg), Eraserhead (David Lynch), The Ascent (Larisa Shepitko)
1978
Winner: Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
Other nominees: Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick), The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi), In a Year with 13 Moons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
1979
Winner: Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky), Alien (Ridley Scott), Manhattan (Woody Allen), All That Jazz (Bob Fosse)
1980
Winner: Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
Other nominees: The Shining (Stanley Kubrick), The Empire Strike Back (Irvin Kershner), Heaven's Gate (Michael Cimino), The Elephant Man (David Lynch)
1981
Winner: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
Other nominees: Possession (Andrzej Żuławski), Blow Out (Brian de Palma), Mad Max 2 (George Miller), An American Werewolf in London (John Landis)
1982
Winner: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)
Other nominees: Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg), The Thing (John Carpenter), The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese)
1983
Winner: Sans Soleil (Chris Marker)
Other nominees: L'Argent (Robert Bresson), Videodrome (David Cronenberg), Nostalgia (Andrei Tarkovsky), A Nos Amours (Maurice Pialat)
1984
Winner: Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
Other nominees: Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders), Love Streams (John Cassavetes), Amadeus (Milos Forman), Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch)
1985
Winner: Shoah (Claude Lanzmann)
Other nominees: Come and See (Elem Klimov), Ran (Akira Kurosawa), Vagabond (Agnes Varda), Brazil (Terry Gilliam)
1986
Winner: Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
Other nominees: The Green Ray (Eric Rohmer), The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky), Aliens (James Cameron), Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
1987
Winner: Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)
Other nominees: Where is the Friend's House (Abbas Kiarostami), The Dead (John Huston), Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson), Yeelen (Souleymanne Cisse)
1988
Winner: My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
Other nominees: Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore), Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies), The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris), Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
1989
Winner: Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
Other nominees: A City of Sadness (Hou Hsiao-hsien), Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen), When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner), The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway)
1990
Winner: Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
Other nominees: Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese), Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-wai), An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion), Paris is Burning (Jessie Livingston)
1991
Winner: A Brighter Summer Day (Edward Yang)
Other nominees: Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash), The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski), The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme), Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou)
1992
Winner: Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
Other nominees: The Quince Tree Sun (Victor Erice), Orlando (Sally Potter), Life, and Nothing More (Abbas Kiarostami), Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
1993
Winner: The Piano (Jane Campion)
Other nominees: Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg), Three Colors: Blue (Krzysztof Kieslowski), Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis), The Puppetmaster (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
1994
Winner: Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
Other nominees: Satantango (Bela Tarr), Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai), Three Colors: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski), Through the Olive Tree (Abbas Kiarostami)
1995
Winner: Heat (Michael Mann)
Other nominees: Underground (Emir Kusturica), Safe (Todd Haynes), Casino (Martin Scorsese), Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch)
1996
Winner: Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier)
Other nominees: Fargo (Joel Coen), A Moment of Innocence (Mohsen Makhmalbaf), Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh), Crash (David Cronenberg)
1997
Winner: Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami)
Other nominees: Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai), Lost Highway (David Lynch), Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson), Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki)
1998
Winner: Histoire(s) du Cinema (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick), The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen), The Celebration (Thomas Vinterberg), Flowers of Shanghai (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
1999
Winner: Beau Travail (Claire Denis)
Other nominees: Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson), The Matrix (Wachowskis), Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick), All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar)
2000
Winner: In The Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai)
Other nominees: Yi Yi (Edward Yang), The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda), Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr), In Vanda's Room (Pedro Costa)
2001
Winner: Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
Other nominees: Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki), La Ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel), A.I: Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg), The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
2002
Winner: City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
Other nominees: Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Wang Bing), Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar), Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sukurov), Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay)
2003
Winner: Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Tsai Ming-liang)
Other nominees: Dogville (Lars von Trier), Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola), Elephant (Gus van Sant), Oldboy (Park Chan-wook)
2004
Winner: Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry), The Intruder (Claire Denis), Before Sunset (Richard Linklater), Sideways (Alexander Payne)
2005
Winner: Caché (Michael Haneke)
Other nominees: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu), Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee), The New World (Terrence Malick), Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
2006
Winner: Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Inland Empire (David Lynch), Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro), The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck), Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
2007
Winner: There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Other nominees: No Country for Old Men (Coens), Zodiac (David Fincher), Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas), 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu)
2008
Winner: The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel)
Other nominees: WALL-E (Andrew Stanton), Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman), The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan), Hunger (Steve McQueen)
2009
Winner: The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke)
Other nominees: A Prophet (Jacques Audiard), Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold), Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino), Avatar (James Cameron)
2010
Winner: Uncle Boonmee (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Nostalgia for the Light (Patricio Guzman), The Social Network (David Fincher), Mysteries of Lisbon (Raul Ruiz), Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)
2011
Winner: The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
Other nominees: A Separation (Asghar Farhadi), Melancholia (Lars von Trier), The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
2012
Winner: Holy Motors (Leos Carax)
Other nominees: The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer), The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson), Amour (Michael Haneke), Tabu (Miguel Gomes)
2013
Winner: Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
Other nominees: The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino), Blue is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche), Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski), 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
2014
Winner: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Other nominees: Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson), Girlhood (Celine Sciamma), Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
2015
Winner: Mad Max; Fury Road (George Miller)
Other nominees: Carol (Todd Haynes), Cemetery of Splendor (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien), No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman)
2016
Winner: Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
Other nominees: Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade), American Honey (Andrea Arnold), Arrival (Denis Villeneuve), Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
2017
Winner: Get Out (Jordan Peele)
Other nominees: Zama (Lucrecia Martel), Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson), You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay), Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)
2018
Winner: Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
Other nominees: Happy as Lazzaro (Alice Rohrwacher), Burning (Lee Chang-dong), An Elephant Sitting Still (Hu Bo), Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
2019
Winner: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)
Other nominees: Parasite (Bong Joon-ho), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino), Atlantics (Mati Diop), First Cow (Kelly Reichardt)
2020
Winner: Nomadland (Chloe Zhao)
Other nominees: Time (Garrett Bradley), Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hitman), Days (Tsai Ming-liang), Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Zbanic)
2021
Winner: Petite Maman (Celine Sciamma)
Other nominees: The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion), Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Titane (Julia Docournau), Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2023.05.27 04:41 lost_library_book The Cuckoo's Calling Re-read: Part 2, Chapter 11
Happy Friday, everyone! With this installment, we finally get to the interview with Tansy and also conclude Part 2.
I'm headed down to Universal Orlando for the holiday weekend, so no updates during that time, but I will be reading any comments you dear readers might provide. I'll also see if I can pitch my banger of an idea for an annex to Wizarding World that's a walkthrough Denmark Street Office attraction and Tottenham Pub restaurant. I mean, who wouldn't want that?
If you're looking for the previous installment of this re-read, here ya go.
Chapter 2.11 - Rich Girl Thin
What happens:
The next morning, Robin informs a besuited Strike that Duffield is flatly refusing to meet or give any interview about Landry and Guy Some has similarly rebuffed her attempts. Rummaging through the pile of boxes that, like any other element of his living at the office, she is studiously ignoring, Robin finds his appearance like that of “a rugby player en route to an international.” He finally emerges in triumph with the invitation to Jack’s birthday only to realize that he cannot remember how old he is. [It’s ok Strike, we’ve all been there.]
Robin presents an appreciative Strike with an article about Freddie Bestigui that she has copied from the previous day’s paper, commenting, mildly, that he is “not lucky in love.” When Strike responds that this goes along with the impression that Wardle had given, Robin’s curiosity gets the better of her and she asks how he has police contacts. This leads Strike to tell her for the first time about his prior service in the Military Police and his departure after an unspecified injury. She is intrigued by this background which certainly goes a way to refute Matthew’s poor opinion of Strike.
On his way to the meeting with Tansy and Bristow, Strike peruses the article on the former’s husband. Born into wealth, Freddie parlayed his inheritance into a highly successful career as producer of popular films. His pending divorce turns out to not be Freddie’s only legal entanglement, as he is currently fighting it out in court with two newspapers which had reported on numerous allegations of sexual harassment and bullying of his female staff. Freddie clearly has more than enough reasons to avoid any more publicity.
Arriving at the upscale Cipriani restaurant, Strike is mildly surprised to see not just the lawyer and Tansy, but another woman, who turns out to be Ursula May, Tansy’s sister. May is married to Cyprian [a name that’s likely illegal to have unless you come From Money], a senior partner at Bristow’s firm, which is also representing Tansy in the divorce. This means that they had a tangential pre-existing connection to Landry, but this apparently never came up before her death.
Strike’s famous father notwithstanding, the sisters automatically place him as a class beneath and treat him dismissively as such. Nonetheless, Tansy wants to make one last try at getting someone to believe her story about the overheard fight, although adamant that she won’t go public again. Ursula, on the other hand, is against the whole thing, believing it could stir up trouble in the divorce.
Beginning the interview proper, Strikes pulls out his notebook, prompting a panicked Tansy to say she wants nothing in writing. Strike agrees to this, deftly setting his cell phone to record while putting his notebook away.
Lula had moved into the building only three months prior to her death and during that time, she remained basically a stranger to Tansy. Freddie likewise hardly knew here; however, not for lack of trying. He had made several invitations and followed her once to a party. Tansy supposes this was partly sexual interest, but mostly a desire to get her to play a role in one of his films. Freddie was obsessed with getting headline catching celebrities into his movies, to the consternation of the directors who have to shoe-horn them in. The business with the white roses was likely a similar ploy to strike up a relationship with Deeby Macc for the same purpose, but, to Tansy’s knowledge, the two never ended up meeting.
It looks like Lula never signed any sort of agreement to pursue a picture with Freddie; however, Bristow does reveal that a couple of weeks ago Freddie had approached his mother about making a biographical film on her life. Yvette turned him down and Tony later chewed him out, closing down the prospect of further contact. Bristow regrets this somewhat as he wonders if Freddie had dug up any useful information on Lula’s early life.
Moving to the events of the night of Lula’s death, Tansy’s account is broadly what we’ve heard before, with some alterations and additional details. She says that she had got up to get a glass of water from the bathroom, and, while on her way back to the bedroom, heard the shouted words that Wardle repeated to Strike on the previous day. Then she saw Lula fall, something she mimes while Bristow seems to react with nausea.
Tansy then screamed and ran out of their apartment, past Freddie, to get the security guard. She is still frustrated that Wilson first went out to check on Landry instead of going directly to her flat, which Tansy thinks could have let the murderer get away. When Wilson returned from the street, he told them to call the police, which they did, but not until Freddie dragged her back up to their flat.
At this point, the interview is paused as Bristow excuses himself to take a call from Alison, his secretary and girlfriend. While the lawyer is out of earshot, the sisters take the opportunity to share that Alison is infatuated with Tony and only with Bristow as a sort of consolation. They clearly take cruel delight in the gossip about Alison’s unrequited affection. Ursula, loquacious after the glasses of wine that she has been downing at an impressive rate, speculates to Strike that the call must be about the late financier Conway Oates’s executors, who are furious about the handling of his affairs. Tony and Cyprian are having John handle the shit work of trying to get things quieted and Ursula’s tone implies that Bristow doesn’t exactly enjoy much status at the firm.
Bristow returns and Strike continues the interview, this time pushing on the issues the police had with her account. Tansy claims that she had opened a window on the way from the bedroom to the bathroom as it was “stuffy”. When pressed, she admits to having used cocaine earlier in the evening, during the dinner they hosted. Tansy believes that the police have been deliberately trying to discredit her to cover up for their incompetence and inability to arrive quickly enough to catch the murderer.
Strike steers back to the line of questioning, clarifying that Freddie had been asleep and in bed, then woken when Tansy screamed. Tansy confirms this, leading Strike to point out an inconsistency: she had said that she ran past Freddie when going down to the lobby, but, if he had only just woken up when she screamed, how could he have made it to the room with Tansy so quickly? She is caught off-guard by this, then says she must have frozen from shock for a moment between screaming and running downstairs. [I don’t wanna be a cynic folks, but I’m starting to wonder if this lady is 100% trustworthy]
Tansy quickly moves to the subject of her speculation on how the killer got in. She’s decided that he must have followed Lula in and was missed by Wilson while he was in the back, her having already expressed her low opinion of the security guard. She doesn’t know how they would have had the security code, though.
When Strike asks if she could recognize the voice of the man if she heard it again, Tansy is doubtful. [Given present company, I’m gonna rate that a solid “no”] This leads to her speculation as to whether it may have been Duffield. Like everyone else so far, she has a low opinion of the heroin-chic rocker, and recounts how he previously had to be thrown out of the building by Wilson as he was shouting and trying to bust down Lula’s door. She knows his alibi seems airtight, though.
After a digression on how little the sisters think of Lula’s friends and some casual racism, the interview and meal begin to wrap up, Tansy reiterating that she wants everything she has said to be off-the-record. As they prepare to leave, they are shocked by the sight of a tall, smartly-dressed man near 60 entering the restaurant and striding directly to their table. This is Cyprian, who was definitely not told that any such meeting might be happening by his wife. After he escorts the sisters out, Bristow confesses that his senior partner will definitely be displeased that Tansy has spoken to Strike and speculates that Alison had ratted them out. Strike notices Bristow’s hands apparently trembling at the prospect of what might be in store when Cyprian inevitably tells Tony about what happened.
Making his way back from the restaurant, our detective is deep in thought until he is jolted back to the present when he almost catches a ride in the worst way possible while crossing the street. Finding a safer spot outside the way of both automobile and human traffic, Cormoran pulls out his phone to go over the recording of Tansy’s interview. [He’s also smoking, but he’s outdoors and standing still, so I think we can call that a given.] Strike listens to her account of the argument specifically twice, then begins to make notes.
Strike knows all about liars and how to spot them, and Tansy had just done quite a bit of that. Yet, that specific account of the argument, he was sure that at least Tansy believed she was telling the truth on that, however many other lies about that night's events she wrapped it in.
Commentary:
Ok, we’ve now got another crucial clue revealed in Tansy’s contradictory statements about where Freddie was. Have you put it together? Ready to find the murderer? Well, I wasn’t either, at this point: I had absolutely no idea where it was going.
I think there’s definitely good bits to this chapter. I would especially highlight the Sisters Sophisticate in their description, attitudes, and dialogue. Like:
Following that description, we get this exchange which says so much:
Alright, on to miscellaneous
Bristow’s apparently nauseated reaction to Tansy specifically talking about, and miming, Lula’s plunge. I’m not sure what this is. I don’t think he feels any remorse, but maybe he is still off put at the memory? He doesn’t seem like a person made of stern stuff. Or maybe it is just acting? Thoughts?
Although:
We have Strike finally tell Robin that he was in the military and he was injured, even if he avoids specifics not wanting to see a “shocked expression.” I think it is a little bit of a deserved flex to just drop that he was SIB (yes, I know that SIB is a higher grade than just MP, work with me), kinda like casually mentioning an engineering degree from Stanford.
I’ll finish with this paragraph that I just really enjoyed:
submitted by lost_library_book to cormoran_strike [link] [comments]
I'm headed down to Universal Orlando for the holiday weekend, so no updates during that time, but I will be reading any comments you dear readers might provide. I'll also see if I can pitch my banger of an idea for an annex to Wizarding World that's a walkthrough Denmark Street Office attraction and Tottenham Pub restaurant. I mean, who wouldn't want that?
If you're looking for the previous installment of this re-read, here ya go.
Chapter 2.11 - Rich Girl Thin
What happens:
The next morning, Robin informs a besuited Strike that Duffield is flatly refusing to meet or give any interview about Landry and Guy Some has similarly rebuffed her attempts. Rummaging through the pile of boxes that, like any other element of his living at the office, she is studiously ignoring, Robin finds his appearance like that of “a rugby player en route to an international.” He finally emerges in triumph with the invitation to Jack’s birthday only to realize that he cannot remember how old he is. [It’s ok Strike, we’ve all been there.]
Robin presents an appreciative Strike with an article about Freddie Bestigui that she has copied from the previous day’s paper, commenting, mildly, that he is “not lucky in love.” When Strike responds that this goes along with the impression that Wardle had given, Robin’s curiosity gets the better of her and she asks how he has police contacts. This leads Strike to tell her for the first time about his prior service in the Military Police and his departure after an unspecified injury. She is intrigued by this background which certainly goes a way to refute Matthew’s poor opinion of Strike.
On his way to the meeting with Tansy and Bristow, Strike peruses the article on the former’s husband. Born into wealth, Freddie parlayed his inheritance into a highly successful career as producer of popular films. His pending divorce turns out to not be Freddie’s only legal entanglement, as he is currently fighting it out in court with two newspapers which had reported on numerous allegations of sexual harassment and bullying of his female staff. Freddie clearly has more than enough reasons to avoid any more publicity.
Arriving at the upscale Cipriani restaurant, Strike is mildly surprised to see not just the lawyer and Tansy, but another woman, who turns out to be Ursula May, Tansy’s sister. May is married to Cyprian [a name that’s likely illegal to have unless you come From Money], a senior partner at Bristow’s firm, which is also representing Tansy in the divorce. This means that they had a tangential pre-existing connection to Landry, but this apparently never came up before her death.
Strike’s famous father notwithstanding, the sisters automatically place him as a class beneath and treat him dismissively as such. Nonetheless, Tansy wants to make one last try at getting someone to believe her story about the overheard fight, although adamant that she won’t go public again. Ursula, on the other hand, is against the whole thing, believing it could stir up trouble in the divorce.
Beginning the interview proper, Strikes pulls out his notebook, prompting a panicked Tansy to say she wants nothing in writing. Strike agrees to this, deftly setting his cell phone to record while putting his notebook away.
Lula had moved into the building only three months prior to her death and during that time, she remained basically a stranger to Tansy. Freddie likewise hardly knew here; however, not for lack of trying. He had made several invitations and followed her once to a party. Tansy supposes this was partly sexual interest, but mostly a desire to get her to play a role in one of his films. Freddie was obsessed with getting headline catching celebrities into his movies, to the consternation of the directors who have to shoe-horn them in. The business with the white roses was likely a similar ploy to strike up a relationship with Deeby Macc for the same purpose, but, to Tansy’s knowledge, the two never ended up meeting.
It looks like Lula never signed any sort of agreement to pursue a picture with Freddie; however, Bristow does reveal that a couple of weeks ago Freddie had approached his mother about making a biographical film on her life. Yvette turned him down and Tony later chewed him out, closing down the prospect of further contact. Bristow regrets this somewhat as he wonders if Freddie had dug up any useful information on Lula’s early life.
Moving to the events of the night of Lula’s death, Tansy’s account is broadly what we’ve heard before, with some alterations and additional details. She says that she had got up to get a glass of water from the bathroom, and, while on her way back to the bedroom, heard the shouted words that Wardle repeated to Strike on the previous day. Then she saw Lula fall, something she mimes while Bristow seems to react with nausea.
Tansy then screamed and ran out of their apartment, past Freddie, to get the security guard. She is still frustrated that Wilson first went out to check on Landry instead of going directly to her flat, which Tansy thinks could have let the murderer get away. When Wilson returned from the street, he told them to call the police, which they did, but not until Freddie dragged her back up to their flat.
At this point, the interview is paused as Bristow excuses himself to take a call from Alison, his secretary and girlfriend. While the lawyer is out of earshot, the sisters take the opportunity to share that Alison is infatuated with Tony and only with Bristow as a sort of consolation. They clearly take cruel delight in the gossip about Alison’s unrequited affection. Ursula, loquacious after the glasses of wine that she has been downing at an impressive rate, speculates to Strike that the call must be about the late financier Conway Oates’s executors, who are furious about the handling of his affairs. Tony and Cyprian are having John handle the shit work of trying to get things quieted and Ursula’s tone implies that Bristow doesn’t exactly enjoy much status at the firm.
Bristow returns and Strike continues the interview, this time pushing on the issues the police had with her account. Tansy claims that she had opened a window on the way from the bedroom to the bathroom as it was “stuffy”. When pressed, she admits to having used cocaine earlier in the evening, during the dinner they hosted. Tansy believes that the police have been deliberately trying to discredit her to cover up for their incompetence and inability to arrive quickly enough to catch the murderer.
Strike steers back to the line of questioning, clarifying that Freddie had been asleep and in bed, then woken when Tansy screamed. Tansy confirms this, leading Strike to point out an inconsistency: she had said that she ran past Freddie when going down to the lobby, but, if he had only just woken up when she screamed, how could he have made it to the room with Tansy so quickly? She is caught off-guard by this, then says she must have frozen from shock for a moment between screaming and running downstairs. [I don’t wanna be a cynic folks, but I’m starting to wonder if this lady is 100% trustworthy]
Tansy quickly moves to the subject of her speculation on how the killer got in. She’s decided that he must have followed Lula in and was missed by Wilson while he was in the back, her having already expressed her low opinion of the security guard. She doesn’t know how they would have had the security code, though.
When Strike asks if she could recognize the voice of the man if she heard it again, Tansy is doubtful. [Given present company, I’m gonna rate that a solid “no”] This leads to her speculation as to whether it may have been Duffield. Like everyone else so far, she has a low opinion of the heroin-chic rocker, and recounts how he previously had to be thrown out of the building by Wilson as he was shouting and trying to bust down Lula’s door. She knows his alibi seems airtight, though.
After a digression on how little the sisters think of Lula’s friends and some casual racism, the interview and meal begin to wrap up, Tansy reiterating that she wants everything she has said to be off-the-record. As they prepare to leave, they are shocked by the sight of a tall, smartly-dressed man near 60 entering the restaurant and striding directly to their table. This is Cyprian, who was definitely not told that any such meeting might be happening by his wife. After he escorts the sisters out, Bristow confesses that his senior partner will definitely be displeased that Tansy has spoken to Strike and speculates that Alison had ratted them out. Strike notices Bristow’s hands apparently trembling at the prospect of what might be in store when Cyprian inevitably tells Tony about what happened.
Making his way back from the restaurant, our detective is deep in thought until he is jolted back to the present when he almost catches a ride in the worst way possible while crossing the street. Finding a safer spot outside the way of both automobile and human traffic, Cormoran pulls out his phone to go over the recording of Tansy’s interview. [He’s also smoking, but he’s outdoors and standing still, so I think we can call that a given.] Strike listens to her account of the argument specifically twice, then begins to make notes.
Strike knows all about liars and how to spot them, and Tansy had just done quite a bit of that. Yet, that specific account of the argument, he was sure that at least Tansy believed she was telling the truth on that, however many other lies about that night's events she wrapped it in.
Commentary:
Ok, we’ve now got another crucial clue revealed in Tansy’s contradictory statements about where Freddie was. Have you put it together? Ready to find the murderer? Well, I wasn’t either, at this point: I had absolutely no idea where it was going.
I think there’s definitely good bits to this chapter. I would especially highlight the Sisters Sophisticate in their description, attitudes, and dialogue. Like:
They were both as pristine and polished as life-size dolls recently removed from their cellophane boxes; rich-girl thin, almost hipless in their tight jeans, with tanned faces that had a waxy sheen especially noticeable on their foreheads, gleaming dark manes with center partings, the ends trimmed with spirit-level exactitude.and:
The unbuttoned neck of her thin silk shirt revealed an expanse of butterscotch skin stretched over her bony sternum, giving an unattractively knobbly effect; yet two full, firm breasts jutted from her narrow ribcage, as though they had been borrowed for the day from a fuller-figured friend.Ok, that last one made me laugh. And I don’t want JKR to ever write a mockery of my appearance. We see that they are crafting a particular image to show the world which is as much intended to project a message of how they want to be perceived as a teenager’s choice of edgy t-shirt from Hot Topic.
Following that description, we get this exchange which says so much:
‘We could have met somewhere more discreet,’ commented Strike.Yet, at this point we’re going through our third account of the same night in the span of just a few chapters and, while there are details and clues to be found in each one, it’s getting a bit wearying. I think this is one of the things that makes Cuckoo’s Calling feel longer than something like Career of Evil or even Lethal White. It’s also something JKR avoids in the rest of the books. Growing pains, it’s understandable.
‘No, it’s fine, because nobody here will know who you are. You don’t look anything like your father, do you? I met him at Elton’s last summer. Freddie knows him. D’you see much of Jonny?’
‘I’ve met him twice,’ said Strike.
‘Oh,’ said Tansy.
The monosyllable contained equal parts of surprise and disdain.
Alright, on to miscellaneous
Bristow’s apparently nauseated reaction to Tansy specifically talking about, and miming, Lula’s plunge. I’m not sure what this is. I don’t think he feels any remorse, but maybe he is still off put at the memory? He doesn’t seem like a person made of stern stuff. Or maybe it is just acting? Thoughts?
Although:
And Tansy made a tiny jerky movement with her hands that Strike understood to indicate flailing.The image of this in my mind is actually funny and it’s possibly because I’m a terrible person.
We have Strike finally tell Robin that he was in the military and he was injured, even if he avoids specifics not wanting to see a “shocked expression.” I think it is a little bit of a deserved flex to just drop that he was SIB (yes, I know that SIB is a higher grade than just MP, work with me), kinda like casually mentioning an engineering degree from Stanford.
I’ll finish with this paragraph that I just really enjoyed:
Her [Ursula] antipathy towards Strike seemed to have evaporated. He was not surprised; he had met the phenomenon many times. People liked to talk; there were very few exceptions; the question was how you made them do it. Some, and Ursula was evidently one of them, were amenable to alcohol; others like a spotlight; and then there were those who merely needed proximity to another conscious human being. A subsection of humanity would become loquacious only on one favorite subject: it might be their own innocence, or somebody else’s guilt; it might be their collection of pre-war biscuit tins; or it might, as in the case of Ursula May, be the hopeless passion of a plain secretary.
2023.05.27 04:32 BoundlessDRK [LFM] [NA] [Savage] [MC] [Static] [7 of 8] [Pure Healer]
Hello there,
We're a group of friends looking to return to raiding. We are currently a 7/8 group consisting of a DRK, PLD, SCH, RPR, NIN, DNC, and MCH looking for a PURE HEALER
We are searching for likeminded players to form a MIDCORE group. A few of us have cleared multiple ultimates while others have not, experience with a previous tier is preferred but we can potentially work something out if you're a newereturning player. What we value most is the ability to have fun whilst progging, decently consistent, willing to accept criticism (and give it without attacking someone), and the ability to adjust strats if necessary. A Laidback/calm attitude is required. We don't want someone who's going to be passive aggressive the entire raid night.
Our times are:
6-10 PM CST on Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday
5-7:30 PM CST on Friday
We aren't particularly aiming to clear the tier incredibly quick, but we aren't wanting to drag our feet. Be prepared to come to raid with the mindset of progging and having fun first and foremost. Logs aren't necessarily important as long as you're consistent and willing to improve. If strats are posted, we expect you to look into them and come to raid prepared (Questions are okay and encouraged if you aren't clear on something.)
Here are our logs:
DRK: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/exodus/arsene%20itsuka
PLD: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/ultros/nils%20furukane
SCH: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/siren/othins%20williams RPR: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/exodus/helios%20itsuka
NIN: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/ultros/callback%20spanner
DNC: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/ultros/kona%20furukane
MCH: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/malboro/akio%20foxx
As mentioned before, we're looking to make a return. A few of us do not have impressive logs for the tier or finished last tier. Please look at previous tiers for more information if uncertain. We have a member returning to raiding from Stormblood as well with no logs for the recent savages.
If interested or if you have questions about skill-levels and previous raid experience of each member, please message Arsene#8448 on Discord.
submitted by BoundlessDRK to FFXIVRECRUITMENT [link] [comments]
We're a group of friends looking to return to raiding. We are currently a 7/8 group consisting of a DRK, PLD, SCH, RPR, NIN, DNC, and MCH looking for a PURE HEALER
We are searching for likeminded players to form a MIDCORE group. A few of us have cleared multiple ultimates while others have not, experience with a previous tier is preferred but we can potentially work something out if you're a newereturning player. What we value most is the ability to have fun whilst progging, decently consistent, willing to accept criticism (and give it without attacking someone), and the ability to adjust strats if necessary. A Laidback/calm attitude is required. We don't want someone who's going to be passive aggressive the entire raid night.
Our times are:
6-10 PM CST on Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday
5-7:30 PM CST on Friday
We aren't particularly aiming to clear the tier incredibly quick, but we aren't wanting to drag our feet. Be prepared to come to raid with the mindset of progging and having fun first and foremost. Logs aren't necessarily important as long as you're consistent and willing to improve. If strats are posted, we expect you to look into them and come to raid prepared (Questions are okay and encouraged if you aren't clear on something.)
Here are our logs:
DRK: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/exodus/arsene%20itsuka
PLD: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/ultros/nils%20furukane
SCH: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/siren/othins%20williams RPR: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/exodus/helios%20itsuka
NIN: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/ultros/callback%20spanner
DNC: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/ultros/kona%20furukane
MCH: https://www.fflogs.com/charactena/malboro/akio%20foxx
As mentioned before, we're looking to make a return. A few of us do not have impressive logs for the tier or finished last tier. Please look at previous tiers for more information if uncertain. We have a member returning to raiding from Stormblood as well with no logs for the recent savages.
If interested or if you have questions about skill-levels and previous raid experience of each member, please message Arsene#8448 on Discord.
2023.05.27 04:29 Saturdead There was something under the Oak Valley Grain Farm
Back in April of 2013, I was a building and zoning inspector for Mon County, West Virginia. We were situated in an office up in Morgantown, where I usually worked with zoning permits and annual municipal building inspections. Not the most exciting job, but in my line of work, the best day on the job is a day where nothing happens. The fight against entropy is constant, and I had a sign hanging above my desk to remind me of such. It simply read ‘everything breaks’ in cursive, with a baby cherub in the corner.
I remember being called up early one morning. There had been some sort of “geological event”, and every inspector would be pulled off desk duty. We needed immediate building inspection in the area surrounding the outskirts of Greenbrier Valley. We were to coordinate our efforts with a central command up in Greene County. That morning, it seemed like everything was topsy turvy. The local news talked about an escaped murderer, and we were getting calls about a lake being drained. The local hospital desperately needed blood donations, but couldn’t tell us why.
Overall, something was up, and neither of us liked it. But we went along with it.
I was assigned to a full inspection of a farm close to the epicenter; the Oak Valley Grain Farm.
I was handed a dossier on the owner, employees, tax records, zoning permits, all that stuff. But I was practically pushed out the door before I got the chance to go through any of it. I’d only finished half of my morning coffee when I found myself standing in the parking lot with a stern-looking man impatiently tapping his foot, waiting for me to get on my way. Given the way they were hurrying us, I got the impression that something terrible had happened. And yet, we were told to expect minimum damage; if any at all.
Still, I had to remind myself of that eternal adage; everything breaks. That includes old barley farms.
Once I was out on the road, I took some time at a rest stop to go through the dossier. Mostly to get a feel for the place, and an idea of what to look out for.
So, the Oak Valley Grain Farm. A 75-acre area, originally established in 1882. The site was used both as a barley farm and a lumber storage yard, as most of the surrounding area was covered in oak trees. A few years into operation they expanded into having an off-site cooper and making their own barley malt for whiskey production. The original malting facility and accompanying barrel storage was still in use to this day.
The one problem I could spot was the historical buildings. Oak Valley had a series of prohibition-era buildings and underground storages, some of which were still being used. It was all legitimate, and more of a quirk than anything, but those areas had not been properly inspected for years. The landowner had been reluctant to allowing inspectors free reign, and Mon County hadn’t seen the use in harassing the owner because of what could be, at most, considered a curiosity.
There was about a dozen employees, not counting irregular extra labor, the off-site cooper workshop, and seasonal farm-to-table event organizers.
I got there at about 10 am. Even from the parking lot I could see rolling hills of sprouting barley. Red birds were circling overhead; some kind of migrating species that had come home to roost. There was a constant low droning in the air, both from machinery and emerging spring insects. The air was dense with a smell of rain-drenched manure and fertile soil.
I was greeted by one of the equipment operators, Elsie. A quiet middle-aged woman with a permanent squint on her face, like she was always blinded by the sun. I stifled my instinct to ask if she’d had her vision checked in the past 6 months and settled with shaking her hand.
“Welcome to Oak Valley,” she smiled. “Lacy will be out in a minute.”
“Is the landowner in?” I asked. “Mister, uh… Kettleman? Anders Kettleman?”
“Yeah, he’s not usually around that much,” Elsie sighed. “Lacy is the, uh, de-facto boss lady. Runs the day-to-day operations. Anders is sort of a hands-off kind of guy ever since he got sciatica.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I nodded. “Let’s see the boss lady then.”
Elsie showed me past the office and the silos. I was regretting not putting on more appropriate footwear, but most of my on-site inspections were usually municipal buildings. This was out of my comfort zone, and my feet would have to suffer for it. Manure-ridden water pressed into my socks.
I met Lacy Kettleman outside of the workshop. She was busy trying to get a hold of someone to finish the repairs on her secondary combine. Lacy was in her early thirties but had already started to go gray. She held up a finger as we approached, finished her phone call, and turned to me with an eagerness to walk right through me.
I’d met a lot of people like Lacy Kettleman before, but there was something about her that put me off. There was something… there.
“What’s this about then?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“A standard inspection, ma’am,” I said. “On account of the geological event in the area.”
“We ain’t had any geological events,” she shrugged. “So your services aren’t necessary.”
“This here is a sizeable property,” I said. “I’m sure you haven’t had the time to check if everything is up to code. I can help you with that, then I’ll be on my way.”
“I appreciate that, but no. No need. Business as usual.”
I looked over at Elsie, still hovering on the outskirts of the conversation. I clutched my dossier and resumed eye contact.
“Miss Kettleman. Do you mind explaining the problem with your combine harvester?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” she said. “That’s why I’m trying to get a hold of someone who does.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind me having a look at your garage? Or better yet, the combine?”
“The combine doesn’t constitute a building, sir. Not much use for a building inspector to look at that.”
“Let’s start with the garage then.”
While Lacy took off with her cellphone in hand, Elsie stayed by my side and guided me around the property. Turns out, Elsie was the one supposed to operate the second combine. Since it was out of commission, she didn’t have much to do. She only had access to a few buildings, but it was enough to get me started.
First off was the garage. While Lacy had said there’d been no noticeable ‘geological event’, there was clear signs of disturbance. Several items had been knocked off the walls, and there were web-like cracks in the concrete floor. Nothing major, but enough for me to take note. There was no way Lacy was unaware of this. I took some pictures, made some notes, and wandered off to check the storage sheds.
Over the next few hours, Elsie escorted me through the grounds. While most buildings were off-limits to her, and Lacy was nowhere to be found, I could still check the exterior. And while I didn’t see anything obviously dangerous, there were clear signs of the area being disturbed. I could see the ground having shifted downhill from the storage sheds; entire rows of barley were bent.
While waiting for Lacy to meet us by the offices, Elsie and I started wandering by the edge of the grounds. There were plenty of oak trees there, historically used for making their own barrels, and there were several old trails snaking through the undergrowth.
We were walking past a gazebo when I noticed an old well. Nothing out of the ordinary, at first sight, but I noticed something strange about it; algae.
I took a closer look. Turns out the well was overflowing with water. Elsie seemed just as surprised as I was.
“It’s been dried out for years,” she said. “That’s… definitely new.”
There was a pulse to it. Gulps of water making tiny bumps in the surface tension. Algae and lily pads overflowing, making a green circle around the stonework. It had a strange smell to it, like salt and ammonia. Lake water?
This wasn’t normal.
We met up with Lacy, and I explained the various signs I’d seen around the farm. Elsie quietly retreated, not wanting to be dragged into the conversation. Lacy just nodded along but didn’t seem to react as I told her about the cracked concrete, the tilted rows of barley, or the various disturbed shelves. Seeing as there was clear signs of the area being affected, I told her I had to take a closer look at the structural integrity of the main buildings. And finally, there was the well.
This time, she reacted.
She had nodded and accepted everything up to that point. But all of a sudden, she was defending herself. She tried to explain that the well was backed up, and that they’d had problem with water runoff in the past. There was nothing in the dossier about flooding, but Lacy was adamant. Also, arguing with her didn’t do us any favors in gaining access to the farm interior.
“You can stall all day, miss Kettleman,” I reminded her. “But we’re not done until I say so.”
“We’re not keen on government folks skulking about, sir,” Lacy smiled. “This place has history.”
I told her I’d be back the next day, and the day after that. As many days as it took for me to do my job. Lacy just grinned. She wouldn’t make it easy for me.
I took some time checking in with the other inspectors. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed some strange abnormalities. A lot of bursting pipes, it seemed. The local high school was also a mess. Not to mention the elementary school over in Juniper. I was given no details about it, except that no one was allowed on the premises, and the entire school was sealed off; even for inspectors.
By comparison, my overflowing well was nothing. And still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Lacy was off.
I checked the dossier over and over that night, trying to make a game plan for the following day. I’d take some extra time checking the irrigation and plumbing, and put an emphasis on the interior. Lacy would just have to comply.
And yes, I would even check the old prohibition-era storages. She’d just have to deal with it.
I was up bright and early the following morning. I got to the Oak Valley Grain Farm at about 7 am, only to notice that it had been closed. Lacy had put up a sign on the door; “Closed for Renovations”. That was it. Maybe she figured we wouldn’t have to conduct any inspections if there was no current business being conducted, but that’s not how things work. I tried calling her, but got no response. I sent her a single text; she was either to open up the facility for inspection, or I had to take legal action. Shortly afterwards, she assured me she’d be there.
One hour and thirty minutes later, Lacy came out of the main office building. Apparently, she’d been there all along. Strange though, she had no car in the parking lot. She was out of her work clothes, having just slapped on a gray hoodie and a pair of torn jeans. She looked exhausted.
“Pleasant morning?” I asked.
I cursed myself for forgetting to bring appropriate footwear; again. Lacy didn’t respond; she just wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down. Something was wrong.
We headed into the main office. Nothing out of the ordinary. No damage, no problem with the plumbing. All in all, it seemed perfectly fine. I couldn’t figure out why she was so reluctant to show it to me. Then I double-checked the dossier. Of course, there was the prohibition-era cellar.
“Alright,” I sighed. “Time to head underground.”
“Is that absolutely necessary?” Lacy asked. “It’s a mess, we don’t use it for much.”
“You’ve been putting off an inspection for a long time, miss Kettleman. Given the circumstances, I can’t really motive putting it off any further.”
“It’s a cellar,” she shrugged. “There’s not much that can go wrong with it.”
“Everything breaks, ma’am.”
The door to the cellar was so small I had to move sideways to fit. How they moved contraband whiskey through there back in the day was a mystery to me. Still, I was there to check for damages; not sightseeing.
We came down to a larger open space, with an eight-foot drop into a storage area. It was about 16 by 20 feet in total. There was an old steel ladder leading down, with two open paths leading deeper down. A set of flashlights were hanging on the wall, so I brought one with me. As I put my hand on the first rung on the ladder, I noticed Lacy’s expression change. While she’d been angry or frustrated before, she looked almost apologetic now.
“This will complicate things,” she sighed. “But we’ll… work it out, somehow.”
“Sure thing. Now, the supports seem fine,” I said, climbing down. “But there might be damage further in.”
I stepped away from the ladder, taking in the smell of salt water and ammonia.
The moment I did, Lacy pulled the ladder up.
This caught me completely by surprise. I hadn’t even considered that an option. The ladder just rattled away, and I was left down there. It was so sudden that I didn’t know what to say. I just threw my arms out in a confused shrug.
“What the hell?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Like hell you are, put the ladder back!”
“I can’t.”
“I’m calling the police.”
There was no coverage. We were too far underground.
I was slowly realizing that she was going to leave me down there. All I had was this flimsy flashlight and a couple of hours of battery on my phone. Lacy remained up there, holding the ladder.
I could feel my heart pounding; drowning out the background noises in my mind. I was growing short of breath, struggling to exhale. I’ve never been claustrophobic, but this was something else. Something darker. A real, actual threat to my life.
“They came to me, looking for shelter,” Lacy said. “They speak, you know.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“They said you were coming, and I want to hear what else they have to say.”
“You can’t keep me here!”
“We just need time.”
“What do you-“
There was a sound coming from one of the side corridors.
My heart shrunk and floated up into my throat. I held my breath, trying to hear the sound through my hammering pulse. I could feel my fingertips growing cold.
There was a strange hissing sound, like someone trying to start a dying motor. Lacy stood at attention, listening intently.
Something was down there with me.
“We came to their home,” Lacy whispered. “Now they’re coming to ours.”
I backed into the corner of the room, only now noticing the thin layer of water covering the dirt floor. I turned off the flashlight and listened, trying to calm myself enough to not go into hyperventilation.
Something was coming this way. Footsteps.
“Hello?” Lacy whispered. “Will you speak to me?”
The footsteps stopped. There was another hissing noise, rattling me. It felt like someone was playing fiddle with my nerves.
“Of course,” said Lacy. “He’s all yours.”
I could hear her stand up to leave; taking the ladder with her.
The footsteps came closer.
Closer.
I tried to move, but I made too much noise. The footsteps stopped for a moment.
I thought I’d scared it. Frightened it; made it hesitant.
Then it burst into a sprint.
I turned my flashlight back on and ran down the corridor on the opposite side of the room. I tore down all kinds of debris as I went; planks, old barrels, empty jars. Whatever I could get my hands on. I glanced back, catching a pair of eyes coming out of the dark. A wide, shark-like mouth.
A side room; some kind of meeting area. I jumped over a table, knocked it down, and backed away. Seconds later, the table was smashed in two. Fragments of wood scattered across the room, making my nose itch.
But the thing stopped. It stayed just outside my vision; on the edge of the flashlight.
It hissed again, sending another shiver up my spine. But somewhere in that vibration, I heard something. It wasn’t a word, but a collection of scrambled thoughts. Much like a word square; a jumble of information that you had to find your own meaning in. But rest assured; there was meaning.
Fear. Anger. Hunger.
“What… what do you want from me?” I asked.
My flashlight flickered, and the thing twitched. It was ready to strike, like a coiled snake.
It hissed in response.
Hunger. Hunger. Sadness.
I retreated into the corner of the room, accidentally knocking over a shelf of empty prohibition-era bottles. I could see the reflection of those dark eyes shining back at me, as they patrolled back and forth; looking for an opening.
Another hiss.
A pleading. A promise. A bone-chilling coldness.
It was starting to sound like language. An old, primal language. A language that could summarize so much, with so little.
I fumbled with my hands, looking for the biggest bottle I could find. Finally, I got a hold of an old wine bottle. Waiting for the creature to hiss again, I readied the bottle for a throw.
As soon as I felt that tingle in my spine, I knew I was about to hear it. I stood up, lowered my flashlight, and threw as hard as I could.
There was a thick, fleshy thunk.
The hissing stopped, and I could see the dark eyes rise another two feet into the air. The thing had been hunched over; now it was taller than the tunnel itself. It flinched, spitting out another word. With that single word, a series of impressions washed over me.
Cold, water-filled tunnels. The crunch of raw fishbone in my mouth.
Dying men in black togas, giving praise to a drowned God; hoping against hope to see another dawn.
I didn’t notice I’d been zoning out. I’d leaned the flashlight downwards, and I could see those dark orbs inching closer. I backed up against the wall and inched away, effectively sidestepping my way around the room. The creature followed my movements, matching them. I ended up with my back against the corridor; so I turned to run.
It was right behind me, and it was fast. I just kept going, hearing the hissing coming closer.
Hunger. Joy. Hunger. Warmth.
I went straight through the storage room and into the opposing corridor. It twisted and turned, only to spit me out into a room with a slightly lower floor. I fell forward haphazardly, spraining my ankle and dropping the flashlight.
In an instant, the flashlight flickered, and died.
I fumbled through my pockets, bringing out my phone. My hands were shaking so bad I couldn’t unlock the screen. On the third try, I got it open, and the flashlight app came on.
This time, the creature was almost upon me. It screeched and retreated; blinded.
It had too many limbs. Too many… everything.
Anger. Anger. Desperation.
Leaving my phone on, I tried to get back on my feet.
I couldn’t. My foot was too badly sprained. I could jump around a bit, at most, but I was no match for whatever was out there. Instead, I looked around the side-room I was in.
It must’ve been a kind of armory. There were broken wooden crates and used-up shotgun shells littering the floor. A used-up old oil lamp on the wall.
“Don’t… don’t come in here,” I said out loud. “I’m not dying here.”
Hissing. A strange word hidden in the fog of my mind.
A man handing a venomous snake to a golden woman.
Rolling hills of endless crucified men.
A certainty of a violent death, the wailing song of the doomed.
It didn’t understand my fear. I was already doomed, there was no point in fighting it. To the creature in the dark, time was an insignificant factor.
I realized I’d been sitting there listening to it hiss to me for at least ten minutes. My cellphone was running hot, and the water level had risen by about an inch.
Of course, the water level! There had to be water coming from somewhere!
Everything. Breaks.
It was a miracle that I hadn’t seen it before. There was an overturned table in the middle of the room. That’s what I’d sprained my ankle on. Kicking it with my good foot, I revealed a crack in the dirt floor from which water came bubbling up. A few lily pads plopped up, their coloration a strange blue; like a sad sunflower.
The crack in the floor might’ve been the remains of a well, or the start of a tunnel going deeper underground. Either way, I had to take a chance. There was no telling how deep it went. I could drown, but I could also find my way out.
I left my cellphone with the light shining on the entrance, holding the creature back.
With a final screech, it conveyed a final picture;
Webbed fingers, deep underground.
Tearing a human body to pieces.
I took the plunge.
I crawled my way forward; inch by inch. The wet dirt barely gave me any grip, and the water stung my eyes. My nails hurt from all the debris trying to dig into my fingers. I could feel my chest tightening; cramping.
A fork in the path. I went left.
A current. A stream. Brushing something slimy out of my face.
A tilt upwards.
Cold.
Can’t feel my arms.
Hunger. Reaching. Hunger.
I broke through the surface. I was in the stone well.
I threw myself out, gasping for air, looking back only to see something just under the surface of the overflowing well.
Two black orbs retreated into the dark, sinking back into the unfathomable depths.
I made my way to the nearest road and flagged down the first car I could see. Lacy Kettleman was brought in for questioning, but that’s all I know. There was no trial. No debriefing. I just told about my experience to a stern-looking man in a suit, and that was that. I was told to sign an NDA lasting a minimum of 10 years. It ended recently, and I’ve been waiting to tell my story.
Anders Kettleman eventually took back control of the Oak Valley Grain Farm. As far as I know, Lacy never went to jail. Something must’ve happened though; she was missing for the better part of a decade.
Maybe she had something they wanted.
I think that whatever I met in Oak Valley had something to do with the crisis of 2013. There were a lot of rumors coming out of that area, and I’m sure at least some of them originated with whatever Lacy had invited to stay in her cellar. There haven’t been many others coming forward about their experience of that incident, but I know they’re out there.
Maybe they’re hoping we’ve all moved on or forgotten. Maybe they’ve been safe behind their contracts and fear tactics. But I’d like to remind them, as much as I remind myself every day;
Everything.
Breaks.
submitted by Saturdead to nosleep [link] [comments]
I remember being called up early one morning. There had been some sort of “geological event”, and every inspector would be pulled off desk duty. We needed immediate building inspection in the area surrounding the outskirts of Greenbrier Valley. We were to coordinate our efforts with a central command up in Greene County. That morning, it seemed like everything was topsy turvy. The local news talked about an escaped murderer, and we were getting calls about a lake being drained. The local hospital desperately needed blood donations, but couldn’t tell us why.
Overall, something was up, and neither of us liked it. But we went along with it.
I was assigned to a full inspection of a farm close to the epicenter; the Oak Valley Grain Farm.
I was handed a dossier on the owner, employees, tax records, zoning permits, all that stuff. But I was practically pushed out the door before I got the chance to go through any of it. I’d only finished half of my morning coffee when I found myself standing in the parking lot with a stern-looking man impatiently tapping his foot, waiting for me to get on my way. Given the way they were hurrying us, I got the impression that something terrible had happened. And yet, we were told to expect minimum damage; if any at all.
Still, I had to remind myself of that eternal adage; everything breaks. That includes old barley farms.
Once I was out on the road, I took some time at a rest stop to go through the dossier. Mostly to get a feel for the place, and an idea of what to look out for.
So, the Oak Valley Grain Farm. A 75-acre area, originally established in 1882. The site was used both as a barley farm and a lumber storage yard, as most of the surrounding area was covered in oak trees. A few years into operation they expanded into having an off-site cooper and making their own barley malt for whiskey production. The original malting facility and accompanying barrel storage was still in use to this day.
The one problem I could spot was the historical buildings. Oak Valley had a series of prohibition-era buildings and underground storages, some of which were still being used. It was all legitimate, and more of a quirk than anything, but those areas had not been properly inspected for years. The landowner had been reluctant to allowing inspectors free reign, and Mon County hadn’t seen the use in harassing the owner because of what could be, at most, considered a curiosity.
There was about a dozen employees, not counting irregular extra labor, the off-site cooper workshop, and seasonal farm-to-table event organizers.
I got there at about 10 am. Even from the parking lot I could see rolling hills of sprouting barley. Red birds were circling overhead; some kind of migrating species that had come home to roost. There was a constant low droning in the air, both from machinery and emerging spring insects. The air was dense with a smell of rain-drenched manure and fertile soil.
I was greeted by one of the equipment operators, Elsie. A quiet middle-aged woman with a permanent squint on her face, like she was always blinded by the sun. I stifled my instinct to ask if she’d had her vision checked in the past 6 months and settled with shaking her hand.
“Welcome to Oak Valley,” she smiled. “Lacy will be out in a minute.”
“Is the landowner in?” I asked. “Mister, uh… Kettleman? Anders Kettleman?”
“Yeah, he’s not usually around that much,” Elsie sighed. “Lacy is the, uh, de-facto boss lady. Runs the day-to-day operations. Anders is sort of a hands-off kind of guy ever since he got sciatica.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I nodded. “Let’s see the boss lady then.”
Elsie showed me past the office and the silos. I was regretting not putting on more appropriate footwear, but most of my on-site inspections were usually municipal buildings. This was out of my comfort zone, and my feet would have to suffer for it. Manure-ridden water pressed into my socks.
I met Lacy Kettleman outside of the workshop. She was busy trying to get a hold of someone to finish the repairs on her secondary combine. Lacy was in her early thirties but had already started to go gray. She held up a finger as we approached, finished her phone call, and turned to me with an eagerness to walk right through me.
I’d met a lot of people like Lacy Kettleman before, but there was something about her that put me off. There was something… there.
“What’s this about then?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“A standard inspection, ma’am,” I said. “On account of the geological event in the area.”
“We ain’t had any geological events,” she shrugged. “So your services aren’t necessary.”
“This here is a sizeable property,” I said. “I’m sure you haven’t had the time to check if everything is up to code. I can help you with that, then I’ll be on my way.”
“I appreciate that, but no. No need. Business as usual.”
I looked over at Elsie, still hovering on the outskirts of the conversation. I clutched my dossier and resumed eye contact.
“Miss Kettleman. Do you mind explaining the problem with your combine harvester?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” she said. “That’s why I’m trying to get a hold of someone who does.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind me having a look at your garage? Or better yet, the combine?”
“The combine doesn’t constitute a building, sir. Not much use for a building inspector to look at that.”
“Let’s start with the garage then.”
While Lacy took off with her cellphone in hand, Elsie stayed by my side and guided me around the property. Turns out, Elsie was the one supposed to operate the second combine. Since it was out of commission, she didn’t have much to do. She only had access to a few buildings, but it was enough to get me started.
First off was the garage. While Lacy had said there’d been no noticeable ‘geological event’, there was clear signs of disturbance. Several items had been knocked off the walls, and there were web-like cracks in the concrete floor. Nothing major, but enough for me to take note. There was no way Lacy was unaware of this. I took some pictures, made some notes, and wandered off to check the storage sheds.
Over the next few hours, Elsie escorted me through the grounds. While most buildings were off-limits to her, and Lacy was nowhere to be found, I could still check the exterior. And while I didn’t see anything obviously dangerous, there were clear signs of the area being disturbed. I could see the ground having shifted downhill from the storage sheds; entire rows of barley were bent.
While waiting for Lacy to meet us by the offices, Elsie and I started wandering by the edge of the grounds. There were plenty of oak trees there, historically used for making their own barrels, and there were several old trails snaking through the undergrowth.
We were walking past a gazebo when I noticed an old well. Nothing out of the ordinary, at first sight, but I noticed something strange about it; algae.
I took a closer look. Turns out the well was overflowing with water. Elsie seemed just as surprised as I was.
“It’s been dried out for years,” she said. “That’s… definitely new.”
There was a pulse to it. Gulps of water making tiny bumps in the surface tension. Algae and lily pads overflowing, making a green circle around the stonework. It had a strange smell to it, like salt and ammonia. Lake water?
This wasn’t normal.
We met up with Lacy, and I explained the various signs I’d seen around the farm. Elsie quietly retreated, not wanting to be dragged into the conversation. Lacy just nodded along but didn’t seem to react as I told her about the cracked concrete, the tilted rows of barley, or the various disturbed shelves. Seeing as there was clear signs of the area being affected, I told her I had to take a closer look at the structural integrity of the main buildings. And finally, there was the well.
This time, she reacted.
She had nodded and accepted everything up to that point. But all of a sudden, she was defending herself. She tried to explain that the well was backed up, and that they’d had problem with water runoff in the past. There was nothing in the dossier about flooding, but Lacy was adamant. Also, arguing with her didn’t do us any favors in gaining access to the farm interior.
“You can stall all day, miss Kettleman,” I reminded her. “But we’re not done until I say so.”
“We’re not keen on government folks skulking about, sir,” Lacy smiled. “This place has history.”
I told her I’d be back the next day, and the day after that. As many days as it took for me to do my job. Lacy just grinned. She wouldn’t make it easy for me.
I took some time checking in with the other inspectors. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed some strange abnormalities. A lot of bursting pipes, it seemed. The local high school was also a mess. Not to mention the elementary school over in Juniper. I was given no details about it, except that no one was allowed on the premises, and the entire school was sealed off; even for inspectors.
By comparison, my overflowing well was nothing. And still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Lacy was off.
I checked the dossier over and over that night, trying to make a game plan for the following day. I’d take some extra time checking the irrigation and plumbing, and put an emphasis on the interior. Lacy would just have to comply.
And yes, I would even check the old prohibition-era storages. She’d just have to deal with it.
I was up bright and early the following morning. I got to the Oak Valley Grain Farm at about 7 am, only to notice that it had been closed. Lacy had put up a sign on the door; “Closed for Renovations”. That was it. Maybe she figured we wouldn’t have to conduct any inspections if there was no current business being conducted, but that’s not how things work. I tried calling her, but got no response. I sent her a single text; she was either to open up the facility for inspection, or I had to take legal action. Shortly afterwards, she assured me she’d be there.
One hour and thirty minutes later, Lacy came out of the main office building. Apparently, she’d been there all along. Strange though, she had no car in the parking lot. She was out of her work clothes, having just slapped on a gray hoodie and a pair of torn jeans. She looked exhausted.
“Pleasant morning?” I asked.
I cursed myself for forgetting to bring appropriate footwear; again. Lacy didn’t respond; she just wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down. Something was wrong.
We headed into the main office. Nothing out of the ordinary. No damage, no problem with the plumbing. All in all, it seemed perfectly fine. I couldn’t figure out why she was so reluctant to show it to me. Then I double-checked the dossier. Of course, there was the prohibition-era cellar.
“Alright,” I sighed. “Time to head underground.”
“Is that absolutely necessary?” Lacy asked. “It’s a mess, we don’t use it for much.”
“You’ve been putting off an inspection for a long time, miss Kettleman. Given the circumstances, I can’t really motive putting it off any further.”
“It’s a cellar,” she shrugged. “There’s not much that can go wrong with it.”
“Everything breaks, ma’am.”
The door to the cellar was so small I had to move sideways to fit. How they moved contraband whiskey through there back in the day was a mystery to me. Still, I was there to check for damages; not sightseeing.
We came down to a larger open space, with an eight-foot drop into a storage area. It was about 16 by 20 feet in total. There was an old steel ladder leading down, with two open paths leading deeper down. A set of flashlights were hanging on the wall, so I brought one with me. As I put my hand on the first rung on the ladder, I noticed Lacy’s expression change. While she’d been angry or frustrated before, she looked almost apologetic now.
“This will complicate things,” she sighed. “But we’ll… work it out, somehow.”
“Sure thing. Now, the supports seem fine,” I said, climbing down. “But there might be damage further in.”
I stepped away from the ladder, taking in the smell of salt water and ammonia.
The moment I did, Lacy pulled the ladder up.
This caught me completely by surprise. I hadn’t even considered that an option. The ladder just rattled away, and I was left down there. It was so sudden that I didn’t know what to say. I just threw my arms out in a confused shrug.
“What the hell?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Like hell you are, put the ladder back!”
“I can’t.”
“I’m calling the police.”
There was no coverage. We were too far underground.
I was slowly realizing that she was going to leave me down there. All I had was this flimsy flashlight and a couple of hours of battery on my phone. Lacy remained up there, holding the ladder.
I could feel my heart pounding; drowning out the background noises in my mind. I was growing short of breath, struggling to exhale. I’ve never been claustrophobic, but this was something else. Something darker. A real, actual threat to my life.
“They came to me, looking for shelter,” Lacy said. “They speak, you know.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“They said you were coming, and I want to hear what else they have to say.”
“You can’t keep me here!”
“We just need time.”
“What do you-“
There was a sound coming from one of the side corridors.
My heart shrunk and floated up into my throat. I held my breath, trying to hear the sound through my hammering pulse. I could feel my fingertips growing cold.
There was a strange hissing sound, like someone trying to start a dying motor. Lacy stood at attention, listening intently.
Something was down there with me.
“We came to their home,” Lacy whispered. “Now they’re coming to ours.”
I backed into the corner of the room, only now noticing the thin layer of water covering the dirt floor. I turned off the flashlight and listened, trying to calm myself enough to not go into hyperventilation.
Something was coming this way. Footsteps.
“Hello?” Lacy whispered. “Will you speak to me?”
The footsteps stopped. There was another hissing noise, rattling me. It felt like someone was playing fiddle with my nerves.
“Of course,” said Lacy. “He’s all yours.”
I could hear her stand up to leave; taking the ladder with her.
The footsteps came closer.
Closer.
I tried to move, but I made too much noise. The footsteps stopped for a moment.
I thought I’d scared it. Frightened it; made it hesitant.
Then it burst into a sprint.
I turned my flashlight back on and ran down the corridor on the opposite side of the room. I tore down all kinds of debris as I went; planks, old barrels, empty jars. Whatever I could get my hands on. I glanced back, catching a pair of eyes coming out of the dark. A wide, shark-like mouth.
A side room; some kind of meeting area. I jumped over a table, knocked it down, and backed away. Seconds later, the table was smashed in two. Fragments of wood scattered across the room, making my nose itch.
But the thing stopped. It stayed just outside my vision; on the edge of the flashlight.
It hissed again, sending another shiver up my spine. But somewhere in that vibration, I heard something. It wasn’t a word, but a collection of scrambled thoughts. Much like a word square; a jumble of information that you had to find your own meaning in. But rest assured; there was meaning.
Fear. Anger. Hunger.
“What… what do you want from me?” I asked.
My flashlight flickered, and the thing twitched. It was ready to strike, like a coiled snake.
It hissed in response.
Hunger. Hunger. Sadness.
I retreated into the corner of the room, accidentally knocking over a shelf of empty prohibition-era bottles. I could see the reflection of those dark eyes shining back at me, as they patrolled back and forth; looking for an opening.
Another hiss.
A pleading. A promise. A bone-chilling coldness.
It was starting to sound like language. An old, primal language. A language that could summarize so much, with so little.
I fumbled with my hands, looking for the biggest bottle I could find. Finally, I got a hold of an old wine bottle. Waiting for the creature to hiss again, I readied the bottle for a throw.
As soon as I felt that tingle in my spine, I knew I was about to hear it. I stood up, lowered my flashlight, and threw as hard as I could.
There was a thick, fleshy thunk.
The hissing stopped, and I could see the dark eyes rise another two feet into the air. The thing had been hunched over; now it was taller than the tunnel itself. It flinched, spitting out another word. With that single word, a series of impressions washed over me.
Cold, water-filled tunnels. The crunch of raw fishbone in my mouth.
Dying men in black togas, giving praise to a drowned God; hoping against hope to see another dawn.
I didn’t notice I’d been zoning out. I’d leaned the flashlight downwards, and I could see those dark orbs inching closer. I backed up against the wall and inched away, effectively sidestepping my way around the room. The creature followed my movements, matching them. I ended up with my back against the corridor; so I turned to run.
It was right behind me, and it was fast. I just kept going, hearing the hissing coming closer.
Hunger. Joy. Hunger. Warmth.
I went straight through the storage room and into the opposing corridor. It twisted and turned, only to spit me out into a room with a slightly lower floor. I fell forward haphazardly, spraining my ankle and dropping the flashlight.
In an instant, the flashlight flickered, and died.
I fumbled through my pockets, bringing out my phone. My hands were shaking so bad I couldn’t unlock the screen. On the third try, I got it open, and the flashlight app came on.
This time, the creature was almost upon me. It screeched and retreated; blinded.
It had too many limbs. Too many… everything.
Anger. Anger. Desperation.
Leaving my phone on, I tried to get back on my feet.
I couldn’t. My foot was too badly sprained. I could jump around a bit, at most, but I was no match for whatever was out there. Instead, I looked around the side-room I was in.
It must’ve been a kind of armory. There were broken wooden crates and used-up shotgun shells littering the floor. A used-up old oil lamp on the wall.
“Don’t… don’t come in here,” I said out loud. “I’m not dying here.”
Hissing. A strange word hidden in the fog of my mind.
A man handing a venomous snake to a golden woman.
Rolling hills of endless crucified men.
A certainty of a violent death, the wailing song of the doomed.
It didn’t understand my fear. I was already doomed, there was no point in fighting it. To the creature in the dark, time was an insignificant factor.
I realized I’d been sitting there listening to it hiss to me for at least ten minutes. My cellphone was running hot, and the water level had risen by about an inch.
Of course, the water level! There had to be water coming from somewhere!
Everything. Breaks.
It was a miracle that I hadn’t seen it before. There was an overturned table in the middle of the room. That’s what I’d sprained my ankle on. Kicking it with my good foot, I revealed a crack in the dirt floor from which water came bubbling up. A few lily pads plopped up, their coloration a strange blue; like a sad sunflower.
The crack in the floor might’ve been the remains of a well, or the start of a tunnel going deeper underground. Either way, I had to take a chance. There was no telling how deep it went. I could drown, but I could also find my way out.
I left my cellphone with the light shining on the entrance, holding the creature back.
With a final screech, it conveyed a final picture;
Webbed fingers, deep underground.
Tearing a human body to pieces.
I took the plunge.
I crawled my way forward; inch by inch. The wet dirt barely gave me any grip, and the water stung my eyes. My nails hurt from all the debris trying to dig into my fingers. I could feel my chest tightening; cramping.
A fork in the path. I went left.
A current. A stream. Brushing something slimy out of my face.
A tilt upwards.
Cold.
Can’t feel my arms.
Hunger. Reaching. Hunger.
I broke through the surface. I was in the stone well.
I threw myself out, gasping for air, looking back only to see something just under the surface of the overflowing well.
Two black orbs retreated into the dark, sinking back into the unfathomable depths.
I made my way to the nearest road and flagged down the first car I could see. Lacy Kettleman was brought in for questioning, but that’s all I know. There was no trial. No debriefing. I just told about my experience to a stern-looking man in a suit, and that was that. I was told to sign an NDA lasting a minimum of 10 years. It ended recently, and I’ve been waiting to tell my story.
Anders Kettleman eventually took back control of the Oak Valley Grain Farm. As far as I know, Lacy never went to jail. Something must’ve happened though; she was missing for the better part of a decade.
Maybe she had something they wanted.
I think that whatever I met in Oak Valley had something to do with the crisis of 2013. There were a lot of rumors coming out of that area, and I’m sure at least some of them originated with whatever Lacy had invited to stay in her cellar. There haven’t been many others coming forward about their experience of that incident, but I know they’re out there.
Maybe they’re hoping we’ve all moved on or forgotten. Maybe they’ve been safe behind their contracts and fear tactics. But I’d like to remind them, as much as I remind myself every day;
Everything.
Breaks.
2023.05.27 03:17 ChrisM_SoL21 Viewing parties for All Stars 8?
Was wondering if there was any bars that would be showing Drag Race All Stars 8 Friday nights. I’ll be there next Friday (6/2) and wanted to know if I’ll have to watch it on my phone/laptop or can experience it with the community while having some drinks and possibly food too before the club
submitted by ChrisM_SoL21 to provincetown [link] [comments]
2023.05.26 23:38 Prestigious-String90 Memorial Day weekend Live Music in Macon
 | Happy weekend: there are plenty of places to hear live music in Macon during the next few days. The following are just a few of the musicians performing in Macon this Memorial Day weekend. Read the full article on Middle Georgia Times for more. submitted by Prestigious-String90 to MiddleGeorgiaTimes [link] [comments] The Douglass Theatre's new season of free Jazz in the Courtyard concerts kick off this Sunday with Alphonso Thomas and Moments Notice (Photographer Nate Weeks) FRIDAY, MAY 26 DJ CARLOS PLAYS FREEDOM FRIDAY AT THE CRAZY BULL (8:30 P.M.) DJ Carlos Ramos will be spinning at Freedom Friday to start off the Memorial Day weekend and the patrons at Crazy Bull will be celebrating our freedoms until early in the morning on Saturday. MAY KARAOKE AT REBOOT (9 p.m.) Reboot Retrocade & Bar will host an evening of karaoke presented by Talk Nerdy to Me Friday night. This song filled event is free and for patrons 18 and older. SOLID COUNTRY GOLD AT GRANT’S LOUNGE (9 P.M.) Solid Country Gold Review will perform at historic Grant’s Lounge Friday night. They will play 90’s hits as well as classic country music. General Admission tickets cost $10. SATURDAY, MAY 27 MACON POPS’ HAWAIIAN SWING REVISITED AT MUSEUM OF ARTS AND SCIENCES (4 - 7 P.M.) Hawaiian Swing Revisited will celebrate the legacy of The Big Kahuna and The Copa Cat Pack Saturday evening. In addition to the neo-swing music, there will also be Hawaiian food from Satterfields and drinks from JBA and Kona Ice. The event starts at 4 p.m. and Macon Pops start playing at 6 p.m. General Admission tickets for adults cost $25 and $10 for children 10 and under. THE GARRETT COLLINS PROJECT AT AMICI MACON (8 P.M.) The Garrett Collins Project will perform on the roof of Amici Macon this Saturday evening. This band based out of Atlanta describes themselves as a “funky blues based rock power trio”. Amici Macon is located on the campus of Mercer University, does not have a cover charge and is a restaurant known for their wings, pizzas, and pastas. FREE LANCE RUCKUS AT THE SOCIETY GARDEN (8:30 P.M.) Free Lance Ruckus is an alternative Americana rock band from Middle Georgia who will performing covers as well as original songs at The Society Garden on Saturday. The Society Garden charges a cover that helps support the performers. THE SHADY RECRUITS AT GRANT’S LOUNGE (9 P.M.) The Shady Recruits is a band based out of Greenville, South Carolina that plays jazz and funk music inspired by the musicians like Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, and Parliament-Funkadelic. General Admission tickets cost $10. SOUTHBOUND MOJO AT THE HUMMINGBIRD (10 P.M.) Southbound Mojo is a band from Macon that plays country and rock covers. The Hummingbird Stage and Taproom has a $5 cover charge. SUNDAY, MAY 28 ALPHONSO THOMAS AND MOMENTS NOTICE PLAY JAZZ IN THE COURTYARD AT THE DOUGLASS THEATRE (7 P.M.) Alphonso Thomas and Moments Notice will play the first concert of The Douglass Theatre’s summer Jazz in the Courtyard concert series. This band is based out of Warner Robins and they play smooth jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues. The Jazz in the Courtyard concerts are free to attend. |