Second chance apartments

First time posting on here so appologies for structuring or lack of context, will do my best to clarify here and if not then in the comments. Strap in as its going to be a long one.
Made an attempt at a TLDR at the bottom.
So yeah this is a hard one to explain because I understand where she's coming from but at the same time feel so hurt that I'm unsure how to properly process this.
Her justification is that she doesn't know who she is or what she wants, she has been doing everything for everyone all her life and doesn't feel like she has ever had a chance to create a sense of self, do things without needing to consider anyone else before her. She did everything for her mum, went into her first relationship, as soon as that ended very badly we met and she jumped straight into our relationship then afterwards our relationship has been mostly about survival and us working out of the financial hole we built together. That's the summary pretty much.
Now for context why what she's saying makes some sense.
We've been together for 3 years, we've lived together for just over 2 of those years (due to her going to university for 1 year). Started off super strong, met on tinder and sparks flew, within first few weeks of dating we made things official and blew up like a firework, honeymoon phase was the most amazing high of my life. Our sex life has always been great.
During first year we had lots of ups and down, specifically during the first half of the year having her ex constantly reaching out to her to make amends (he was emotionally abusive af). We had fights over this as it took allot for her to block him then eventually after he kept using different numbers to contact her I told her to sort it out and she called him and had some closure( from that point onwards their interaction ended).
During the 2nd half of the year she was In university, I would visit her every few weeks and stayed for a while as well but her mental health became really bad and During a Suisquid scare I told her she could move in with me in my apartment i shared with a roomate until she decided what she wanted (she was very emotionally dependant on me for that part of our history), this was during covid lockdown by the way.
This was an informal move as the agency I rented from didn't know about this and this ended up causing her allot of stress as she felt like she didn't belong and her position was at risk. She didn't attend university from that point onwards and wouldn't go back with her mum as it would be too shameful for her so she stayed with me.
Now we lived there for the next few months and in all honesty from my perspective things weren't bad, she didn't work for over 6 months and I made enough to get us by quite well so she could slowly find her way and we had lots of happy memories with a not many fights and if we did fights it was about me gaming too much or being a little lazy after work etc.
This got to a point where she didn't feel safe enough anymore and wanted to move out after the agency found out her staying there. So during the end of the 2nd year I found a studio for us to move into and we moved in, bought some furniture and in all honesty things seemed to start going well.
The studio was allot more expensive (London prices) and I started to struggle to keep us afloat which caused me to go into significant debt.
At the point our fights started to escalate, it would always be about me doing something wrong that slighted her in some way or how she started feeling bad about herself putting us in that position and if I didn't make her feel better in that moment she would run the narrative of me being emotionally neglectful and say it would be better both if us for her to leave.(I always thought this was self destructive af as she would always blame herself for everything during tense situations, shes the type of girl to say sorry non stop when she's self loathing). I dont want to paint her negatively as I was also to blame for these escalations, I grew up with constant struggle in my life so emotionally I am very compact and self sustained, if she told me she was OK I thought she was OK and didn't pursue further. That didn't go to well as she still needed me to make her feel better when she was saying she was OK.
There were many of these fights and it got so bad that she ended up packing a backpack and going out where I had to chase her and convince her to come back for her own safety and that I cared and loved her and that whatever she felt we could work through together (she would go out and just stay out on a bench somewhere on the middle of the night in a not so safe part of london).
Allot of this was around me doing everything for us and her not being able to do or even have the confidence to do anything herself. She still didn't have a job by then and as finances got tighter we couldn't do as much so that made her mental health even worse.(I did my best to tell her that I didn't hold anything against her and that all I wanted her to do was to be comfortable and try to find her path at her own pace. But that didn't stop her from holding it against herself., it got so bad that she told me she didn't have confidence to even go back to work anymore and that maybe she should just go on the universal credit system, she eventually got over that after getting a good opportunity in a local office). As I said before due to trauma and a harsh childhood I made sure to at least have everything sorted, bills paid on time, food on our tables, ease of living, chance to experience good memories for dates even on financial pressure, my goal was to always make the best out of life. If anything she felt like I was bringing everything to the relationship and she wasn't bringing enough so it would eat at her. (She rejected me buying her presents on her birthday or just randomly when I was trying to be romantic which blew up into another argument because she couldn't do anything in "return of equal value" her words)
Now through ups and downs we kept at it although it was quite dysfunctional at times she found an even better paying job and things finally started to seem like they were going to start moving forward, we sat down had a deep talk about furtre plans and started saving to move out of London together.
Due to financial constraints and saving requiring allot for cars, new house, new furniture etc (something she planned) we couldn't go on any dates often (we struggled to save during the cost of living crisis with bills skyrocketing so we weren't able to have much saved, which caused her to fall into a mild depression) and then and all we really did was schedule things around her family and their events (she has a large family and every few weeks there would be a birthday or family celebration where we would go out and spend the weekend leisurely enjoying ourselves)
For context I only have my sibling and mother and don't have any contact with my family abroad. Even then my relationship with my mother is strained at times due to conflict from childhood that spanned into adulthood, I also don't really have friends bar from my gaming friends who I talk to online at times so social life wise I didnt really have one but being introverted I never found that an issue.
Now she likes her family but can't stand her mother at times and that stresses her out really badly as theyre complete opposites when it comes to personality and dealing with things so when she gets heated she doesn't back down until she breaks down or wins the argument. Very stubborn but bar from the extremes I liked that about her.
Now on our 3rd anniversary day, (new job she works from 9am - 6:30pm but tends to stay there until 8 or 9pm due to the nature of emergencies at her workplace.) I planned around it and made a candlelight dinner ready tried to have everything detail ready to make her and our night special. She comes home at midnight after a serious emergency which sucked because these things aren't actually her responsibilities. Then ate a little, didn't even mention our anniversary. I was pretty pissed off but didn't show it. We went to bed then she states depressive that she doesn't know who she is anymore, she wants to find out what she likes and who she is. Wanting to not be someone's something while she explores. States she can't do so whilst in a relationship as she will just be someone's girlfriend and not herself. Tells me we should cancel our future plans and save to move out.
She says she wants me, says that this isn't about sleeping around and that if we were to stay in the relationship while she does this it wouldn't be fair on me as she would feel like she's dragging me around (her words).
She mentioned a few terms so far, "youre my ex now" "think of things kind of like friends with benefits but we don't date any other people".
But when we introduce ourselves to other people we should say were single. As again she can't be someone's girlfriend and find out who she is and what she wants.???
So we don't have enough saved to do anything yet. At least for another month and a half. So we're still staying at the studio together. I've tried to clarify what this means for us with hervbut this is literally what she wants. Says it wasn't intentional to happen on our anniversary.
In all honesty I'm blindsided, extremely fucking heartbroken. We built this relationship around a ride or die value that we shared, I would do anything for this girl and now I'm her ex, she's single but we're still together. It's confusing as fuck.
I honestly don't know how to feel, it's killing me inside, I dont want to hurt her and yet it feels like she's hurting me so fucking much.
She says that "it's not as if everythings ended, this is just a short pause for us". What does this even mean. It doesn't make sense to me. How can she act like everythings ok when were literally and officially no longer in a relationship.
I feel like im starting to ramble, there is so much internal conflict rn that I'm having a hard time keeping things structured.
ive been doing my best all this time to give her the best environment for her to get back on her feet but she says it's better for us to "RESET" as she needs this but doesn't want to hurt anyone, that includes her mother. Like why can't she find herself but stay in this relationship?? Whats stopping her? I get she says that she can't focus on herself if she's in one but why??? When we had similar issues in the past we would both support eachother through it but this time.. this is something she wants to do alone by herself. Idk man. It fucking hurts.
Sorry this is getting a little much for me so I'm gonna end it here but will do my best to clarify if anyone needs more context in the comments.
Thank you.
[TLDR: My gf of 3 years has decided to RESET on her life and drop all her relationships so she can find a sense of self, I dont know how to handle this]

Second time trying this as the first time didn't go so well 😔 but I haven't given up hope !! So if anyone is willing to take a chance on a introvert coming out of his shell please feel free to dm :) also willing to try long distance if it feel's right, good things comes to those that wait so hopefully that's the case here 😅

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Hello everyone.I present my case to you, I would like to know if I have managed it well in the end, what possibilities do you think I have and in general any advice I would greatly appreciate.My girlfriend ended a 4-year relationship with me a month ago. The apparent reason was that we drifted apart for a couple of weeks because of college, we had a fight, and then she kissed one of her friends. That destroyed her, to this day she feels like garbage and she can't bear the guilt of what she did. She doesn't understand why it happened, she just started to like that boy and she suppressed her feelings until everything exploded because of the bad moment she had with me. In general we both blame much more the difficult circumstances of our lives, psychological, university, family and economic problems. She neglected everything a lot to dedicate herself completely to her studies. The day after the kiss he told me everything, he apologized and cried a lot. But at the same time she communicated her desire to end the relationship. At that time I accepted without many buts, but it was not what I wanted. Throughout the latter we both reflect on the true causes of the breakup. These could be: monotony, lack of emotional communication, stagnation in our activities and loss of the individual due to the desire to please the couple. Because of that, she lost a lot of interest in me. Because I wasn't going through a good time in my life, and I really think she realized that things would be boring with me. We did not have many arguments in our relationship, and we have always enjoyed each other's company very much. Generally speaking, we were never in a toxic relationship. But if a somewhat careless and took everything for granted.Because of that, I started working on my motivation to get her back. I managed to change my life, and my impatience made me want to get back to her quickly. We saw each other three times during that month, the point was the same. Determine if she wanted to come back, and even though I never begged, I did push her a little. I behaved too complacent and it cost me a lot of work to understand the main reason for her refusal. She wanted time to work on her problems, to clear her feelings and forget all the pain that the breakup caused her. Just today, after a request from her for distancing, we reached an agreement. You see, she hasn't stopped loving me. And it's not just assumptions or lies on her part, she continually shows it when we're together. She kisses me, she hugs me, she cares about me. She is sure that she loves me, likes me and without a doubt desires me. But she understands that we are emotionally damaged and she doesn't want to promise that we can be together again so she doesn't torture me with waiting. She doesn't want to commit to wanting to be with me after the estrangement. Our agreement was as follows: there will be no contact of any kind for 2 months. The goal is to heal and work on our goals, desires and problems. After that we will see each other not to determine if we want to be together, but to determine if we want to start over again. To flirt again and all that, to perhaps start a new relationship. The rules are simple, exclusivity (to actually respect the duel) and communication only in an emergency. Naturally during that time I will continue as before, exercise, study, socializing and many many hobbies.What opinion do you have of the situation? Please make assumptions under the idea that she really broke up with me because we needed to. Not because she doesn't love me or because she wants to be with someone else. She's not a bad person, she just has a lot of problems. Although she does make me feel bad that she has been so determined to end the relationship. It's as if despite her fears, she has the conviction that it's the right thing to do. But I suppose that could change, I haven't given her much space this month and she hasn't had time to think about the situation in peace, again because of the university. She's the type of person who could sleep 3 hours a day when the going gets tough, just because she's obsessed with getting a good grade.Do I have any chance of getting back with her? I really want to heal, leave my pain behind and accept what happened. When we meet again I would like to be ready to fall in love with her again and for everything to work again, but this time better. Any advice? Is our two-month plan a good idea?

Hello Reddit.
This is a throwaway account, in case my boyfriend is lurking a little. I know he doesn't usually look for these subs but Im careful. I am in need of advice and I come here because I want outside perspective. I will give a short history and I hope that any comments will guide me further.
My boyfriend M28 soon 29 and I F29 have been together for 2 years soon. We have known each other since we were 14-15 years old, but back then we couldn't act out on our feelings because of my home life. We got our second chance June 2021 and I was so happy. He did emotionally cheat for almost 5 months with a woman, who contacted me and told the truth. He did hide me well to her, but as you know when a woman smell something fishy she is better than the FBI when searching for answers. I respect her and have no bad feelings towards her. When the truth came out it was hard for me, because he himself is jealous in nature and I tried my hardest to make sure he didn't need to. But alas, here we are. He managed to cheat during the time he was working away from home. First it was delivery, which I helped him with the first 3 drives and on the 4th he actually made plans with her to meet up. If she didn't had gotten cold feet, the cheating would have been physical. And yes, we did have sex that day when he came home.
After the delivery, there is where he worked away. 1 week away and no work 1 week. After an accident at work, he quit and it was short thereafter the truth came out. I did give him a chance. It was hard at first and w still have pur ups and downs, but our reconciliation has been blooming. I have an apartment and we live together, but it's only in my name. To the issue: Today is his first day on a new job and to be honest I have anxiety. Old feelings are coming back, dark thoughts and my heart is beating very fast. Am I stupid for feeling like this? I want to communicate with him some boundaries, in order for me to feel safe. He has worked his butt off in order to create trust, but we aren't fully there yet. Because of my complex PTSD from childhood, I don't work. Ever since he has been out of work, we have been around each other 24/7. I want him to be out and about with no issue, but I can't find a good and straightforward way to ask for boundaries. Like no cellphone during the breaks. I want him to seem professional at work, but also less anxiety for me to think about.
We can't speak about what happened fully without me getting triggered. Yes, he is ashamed and he has worked hard, but he can't look at me if we speak about it and he does close up. He always mention my pain and the betrayal each time the subject is brought up, so he is aware of the damage, and we are in line for couple therapy, but today is hard on me.
Does anyone here have some advice? Sorry for long read.

"Ikn ultro irthir tairais."
I focused on what looked like a meeting room, the sounds of busy Humans reached my ears.
"I can hear their chatter." I said. "For the next twenty minutes, as long as I maintain my concentration, I will hear them."
I let my body relax, focusing on the words, letting them flow through my mind. "I can hear them talking about us, complaints that they got put on 'lizard duty', complaints about how we should have just died off by now. I can hear them talking about me, they are approaching."
The voices grew louder, chairs being moved, the creaking as they sat down, the door sliding shut.
"You all know why we're here." A gruff voice spoke. There was a shuffling of papers. I spoke the words as I heard them. "What the fuck do we do about these goddamn lizards?"
They muttered among themselves, uncertainty, fear."
"More importantly." Another voice spoke. "What do we do about the bulletproof motherfucker? They've got fucking magic that stops a bullet, magic that chases you down and blows your fucking head clean off- I watched as my buddies got killed by those freaks of nature."
"Kobolds." Another, softer feminine voice spoke. "Always chaotic evil creatures, looked them up myself." Another voice spoke. "Based on what the lab coats say, anyone who gets turned into one gradually becomes more like them in mindset and morality. Now, I'm just a humble player, and part of me's fuckin' ecstatic over the fact that one of my favorite games're real-"
"Get to the point." The gruff voice spoke.
"We're disconnected." The softer voice spoke. "Everything we know about the universe is a lie, and as sure as God is my witness, I'm pretty sure this problem of ours is caused by an evil god named Kurtulmak, the God of Kobolds." The room went silent. "That means they've probably god Clerics working under her, plotting nothing less than the spread of her will."
The room erupted with arguing.
"Quiet down!" Gruff Voice shouted. "Corporal, since you're the expert here, what do you suggest?"
"Well, they're clearly using magic, so it stands to reason they've got enough Clerics and Druids to maintain their food supplies. We can't risk any of our fliers going over the quarantine zone, and launching a nuke is just going to cause problems. With Clerics, they can cure any disease or poison we throw at them, and that's not even going into what happens if any when they go underground. Therefore, I think the only reasonably course of action is tapping into that same power they have."
"How?" The question was simple.
"Well, the existence of certain older mythological deities, such as Bhaal, imply that at some point, there was connection. Maybe the rise of Christianity severed us, maybe it just happened regardless. But considering we're against Kobolds, our best option would be to try and make contact with the God who has a longstanding hatred of them."
The room went silent for several moment, followed by Gruff Voice asking, "Whom, and how do you plan on achieving this?"
"The Gnome God, Garl Glittergold." Soft Voice spoke. "He once nearly wiped them out at the height of their power, and based on the reports, our bulletproof Kobold seems to be at the very least a worshiper of Kurtulmak. As for the how, the only thing I can think of is observing one of his holy days, the Communion of Laughter- he's the jovial kind of deity, you see. I'm thinking, if we can get him to notice this going on, he'll be more curious than not as to why an outlier is suddenly paying homage to him, and we can explain our situation to him."
"Draw attention to a god who hates these 'Kobolds', and get him to do what we can't." Gruff Voice said. "I think it's a long shot, but literally anything is better than nothing. When is this holy day?"
"The thirteenth, sir, about five days away, if we can manage it."
"Corporal Martel, I'm investing in you the authority to set this up. Anything and everything you need. we will get it as quickly as we can. We only have one shot at this-"
"It's every thirteenth, sir." Martel stated.
"What?"
"The Communion of Laughter is held every month on the thirteenth. The best case scenario is it works, we get rid of the problem, and then we can go home. Worst case scenario, we party each month and have a boost in morale."
"Very well. Every thirteenth, we'll try our damnedest to get this guy's attention. Dismissed."
They left as my spell petered out. I shook my head and looked at the others, they were stone-faced.
"Five days, huh?" Nakk said softly.
"Their plan won't work." I said. He looked at me, confusion clear in his eyes. "Part of the deal for letting our Emperor out of the cavern below was his agreement to agree to compromise. Even if they remain enemies, with Bahamut interceding on our behalf, Glittergold won't be able to do a damn thing about us. Either he attacks us, and loses Bahamut's support- especially since he'll be attacking innocent victims of Tiamat's actions- he refuses to attack knowing Bahamut will get on his ass about it, or the more likely scenario, he won't even notice at all."
I paused, thinking for a moment. "That said, we need to ensure everyone is safely underground in the event that Glittergold does attack. The day of the thirteenth, we need everyone evacuated underground to Darastrixthurhi. If Glittergold decides to reenact its destruction, he'll have to contend with the fact that it's underground, surrounded by solid rock, as dug out by the first Kobold who would have already anticipated a second destruction."
"We could just kill them." A Rogue remarked.
"We could, but then we're attacking a potentially devout follower of Garl and that might piss him off even more. I will be convening with our Emperor, and I will be making an effort to bring Bahamut's Temple into this. Nakk, I want you present, we tell them I asked you to provide me the means to spy on our enemy."
Nakk nodded.
A Rogue ran over to us. "Leader, the Council has requested to convene."
"It'll have to wait." Nakk spoke. "Imperator, I will follow your lead."
The Council room was quiet when we entered, Tudru and Kuvli looked annoyed, they were glaring at Galax, who was holding his Holy Symbol in hand and silently uttering a prayer.
"We're all here." Merti stated as Nakk and I sat down.
"We are still missing one person." Galax stated. "He will be here soon."
As if on cue, the door opened and my Emperor strode in. Everyone did a double take, except Galax, who simply opened his eyes and looked at us all. "I have had a vision." He said.
"Not this shit again!" Tudru sighed. He stood up. "I'm not fucking having any more of your religious bullshit, from anyone!"
"Tudru, sit down." I said.
"No! Fuck you, Ruuk! Fuck you, Galax! And especially fuck you-!"
My Emperor grabbed him by the throat as Tudru fronted on him, his eyes blazed with divine fury. "I invite you to calm yourself, Fighter, or your people will need to replace you."
Tudru went silent, all anger replaced by terror.
"The Temple of Bahamut and I have, at present, made amends." I stated. "If your concern, Tudru, was that we were going to be at each other's throats, rest assured any further aggression will take place outside of the town." I looked at Galax. "Do not forget that Galax has had accurate visions in the past, I do not think it would be prudent to ignore him simply because he and I have been fighting."
"It's not just you two." Kuvli stated. "They're too fucking high and mighty for their own good, I still remember what he said. Out of his hands, my ass!"
"That's not even going into the shady shit you've been doing." Tatla said. "Don't think I haven't noticed those Sorcerers going in and out of your Tower like that."
"The same Sorcerers who I found today underneath where we sit, who were gathered around an altar, bleeding on it, so they could summon a Demon for power?" I asked. Everyone- except Tallyn- expressed surprise at this.
"I gave them a simple ultimatum." I continued. "Since they could not be trusted with the interests of the Warren, they could either submit to my Master, and have the oversight they desperately wanted to avoid, or I would kill them." I looked at everyone. "At present, my Master has given them a collar which will choke them if they willingly do anything that will harm the Warren. They fucked around, they found out. This will be the case for any spellcaster who endangers the Warren for personal power."
"Do you hear yourself?" Tudru asked.
"Do you have a better option?" I asked. "If so, I will happily release them."
Nobody said anything. I looked at Galax. "Your vision." I said.
He nodded. "I had a vision." He spoke. "My God had delivered to me a platinum blade, and he spoke. 'This blade is the end of your life. Wield it without hesitation.' And then he was gone, and in his place stood a white dragon, who laid upon my hand a single nugget of gold, and then came forth a black dragon, who did the same, and so it was with a red, green, and blue dragon, until my hand was weighed down by the gold. Yet even as I strove to drop the gold, it had melted into it, forming a golden manacle that was as hard as steel, that chained me to my temple. And it was then, and only then, that the sun was blotted out as if by an eclipse, and our town was destroyed."
"What the fuck is that even supposed to mean?" Tatla asked.
"I know the answer." I said. All eyes were on me. "Nakk, please tell the Council about my request to you."
Nakk nodded. "You asked me to send some of my rogues to infiltrate the enemy's base of operations." He said. "You wanted them to get a good look at the interior, and provide silent images for you."
I nodded. "I cast a spell known as Clairvoyance." I said. "With it, I listened in on their base. They were talking about us, and I'm sorry to report that they don't even see us as former citizens, just evil creatures that need exterminated."
I paused, letting everyone come to terms with that.
"How does this relate to the vision?" My Emperor asked.
"I overheard a meeting. One of their own has a plan to, on the thirteenth of this month-" My Emperor's eyes widened, he instantly knew. "-to perform a ritual known as the Communion of Laughter, one that venerates the Gnome God, Garl Glittergold, who destroyed Darastrixthurhi countless ages ago. The thirteenth is five days away."
"It is likely to work." My Emperor said. "But I have learned from that time, I have reinforced my rebuilt fortress, there is solid earth between it and the surface, even then, it is already beneath a mountain. I am certain, should he come, we will survive."
"Bringing in an entire fucking god?" Tudru asked.
"While you remain safe underground, I will confront Garl alone." My Emperor spoke. "Even if he seeks to kill me, so long as I have one faithful remaining, I will not die."
"I'm sorry, Master." I said. "I am not letting you be alone." He looked at me. "Order me as you wish, I have already disobeyed a God to stand at your side."
"I will go too." Galax spoke. "Garl Glittergold will have to contend with the reality that the faithful of Bahamut is willing to stand beside a foe, for we are innocent victims of a cruel mistress."
I looked at the rest of the Council. "The rest of you, please do what you can to ensure the safety of the people. Everything I have done has been for them, I refuse to let them die."
"How can we trust this isn't some sort of trick?" Tudru asked.
"Zone of Truth." I said. "But at this point, since you clearly don't trust us, you'll find a reason as to why we couldn't possibly be telling the truth."
The room was tense.
I could no longer count on Tudru having my back, Kuvli might still have some regard for us. Nakk was on my side, certainly-
"I will." Kuvli spoke. "Five days will prove whether or not they're telling the truth. We continue as normal, and when it's time to go underground, we will."
"Tell us something, Ruuk." Tudru said. "And be honest with us. Have you ever at any point harbored any desire to take over?"
"Clarify the question, please." I said.
"So, you deny it?"
"Clarify the question." I stated.
He paused for a moment. "Have you, at any point, made any efforts behind the Council's back to establish a different form of government?"
"It is my will, that this land one day bears witness to my Empire." My Emperor spoke.
"I'm talking to-"
"And I am answering!" My Emperor snapped. "Just as Bahamut would wish for a nation that holds true to his ideals, who serve him faithfully, so too do I. Under my command, Ruuk lays down the foundation necessary to- if this Council either falls, or deigns to relinquish power- take command. I have named him my Imperator, my faithful call him such. He still clings stubbornly to the necessity of this Council."
"No matter how many times it's brought up, I'm still going to say no." I said in the most exhausted voice I could muster.
"There have been an increase in dissatisfaction with us doing our job..." Kalith spoke. "What is stopping them from simply tossing our authority- such as it is- aside and establishing something else?" He looked at the others. "If it comes to such, I will take up that responsibility."
At first, I was confused as to why he was doing that. I was the Imperator, but then I saw the glares directed at him.
'Merti, Tatla, Galax, and Tallyn.' I mentally noted. Tudru only glared after it became apparent there were others who were doing it, and it wasn't like he wasn't paying attention. Kuvli simply stared at him with no outward expression. With Nakk rolling his eyes, putting on a show for the others. Rekka just looked away.
That made it potentially four people on my side, not counting Kalith. We actually had the advantage.
"No." I said. Kalith looked at me with wide eyes. "That isn't something we can decide on. The only way something like that is happening is if the people overwhelmingly support it. Even then, I couldn't possibly take that kind of role."
I shook my head. "Besides, we need to focus on the threat at hand. Five days from now, we are all going to be facing the potential of death. Merti, Tatla, even if you don't believe us, please work hard to stock up on enough food to support everyone. No matter what, we need to survive, at least long enough for our enemies to lower their guard."
They both looked at each other, then nodded. "We trust Galax's visions, and since you can corroborate something that at least makes sense with it in context..." Merti trailed off.
"We'll do it, for the good of the Warren." She said.
"Galax, do you think your Clerics would be willing to work together with ours to spread the news? So far, the people have only seen us bickering, knowing there is a danger and that we're already making efforts to ensure everyone's survival should heighten our chances of getting people to listen."
Galax nodded. "You brought the sword to me that signals the start of this, one that could have only come about had you any love for my God. We will do this."
"So, what, me and my Fighters are just fucking useless?" Tudru asked.
"Can you fight a mountain?" Kurtulmak asked.
"N-no..." Tudru replied.
"Tudru, Kuvli, you've been working your warriors hard, I know everyone's been using magic to heal sore muscles. That means each and every one of your Fighters and Berserkers are strong. We're going to need that strength to get everything we need moved down in Darastrixthurhi."
I could see in their eyes, in spite of their outward hostility and aloofness, they respected me and wanted to support me.
"Nakk, you know your Rogues better than any of us, do what you need to in order to keep us safe, and tell the Monks that we're not leaving them topside, they're coming with us and that is non-negotiable."
"On it." Nakk replied.
"For someone so unwilling to lead an Empire, you're certainly quick to give orders." I looked at Tallyn. "Are you actually against such a thing for moral reasons, or because you want it, but know you shouldn't take it?"
"Tallyn-" I started.
"Tell us honestly." He said.
My Emperor lightly tapped my back, then he scraped his claw up, then down. So, this was it, then. I looked down, rubbing my hands together, I spoke, "I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't appeal to me." I looked up at him. "But I can't."
Based on the expressions of the others, it seemed that earned me a few brownie points with them.
"Rekka, can you and your Artificers come up with something to ensure we have fresh air underground? I know there are shafts that bring fresh air in-"
"I'm already mentally building the schematics." She said.
"What will you and Kalith be doing?" Tallyn asked.
"I'll be organizing my Sorcerers to ensure everything goes smoothly." I replied. "He and his Warlocks will be doing much the same as me." I paused. "Tallyn, I'm not actually certain what Paladins do, exactly."
"I can lead my Paladins to heal anyone who gets hurt, that should be enough."
"It will have to be." I said.
That was the end of the meeting, nobody made any comment on how I effectively took command. Galax and Tallyn were the first to get up and leave, with Merti and Tatla leaving shortly after.
"Tudru, Kuvli, Rekka." I said. They all looked at me, "Was it my imagining, or does the idea of the Warren becoming an Empire not bother you?"
"No." Kuvli stated bluntly. "It does not."
"It's pretty much inevitable at this point." Rekka said.
Tudru averted his gaze. "I'd be lying if I said it did." He said.
"Then will you support your Imperator when needed?" I asked. Only Tudru and Rekka looked surprised.
"Finally." Kuvli said, smiling. He walked around the table over to me and knelt. "We've been waiting since day one of us Awakening for you to say something like that."
"Imperator." Tudru said hesitantly. He did the same as Kuvli, and knelt.
Rekka followed suit.
"Swear your fealty to me, and our God, our Emperor, Kurtulmak." I said.
"I swear." They spoke.
"In the days to come, I want the people to demand I take command. If anyone speaks out against this, have them detained, so that when I do take command, I release them and show I am a magnanimous leader. Is this understood?"
"Yes, Imperator." They all spoke. Tudru smiled as he said it, it was clear he had been wanting this for a long while yet.
​
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Demographics: Asian (maybe pacific islander too I've seen filipino both considered as asian or pacific islander, for malay i dont really see any conflict ab it online but for the malay people ik some identify as pacific islander, others as asian) Female, Upper-middle income (family has 4 dependents if that plays into anything), georgia, legacy at UIUC and UChicago (idk if they consider it tho)
Intended Major(s): Biomedical for most colleges and either bioengineering or mech engineering at UGA
ACT/SAT/SAT II: Taking ACT in July but based of practice so far I'm expecting anywhere from 31-33, SAT is currently a 1390 superscore (reading score is probably gonna go up after June SAT tho, rn 720 bc i had to skip a couple questions bc proctor accidentally used a broken clock so time management was rly bad, math prob not going up, if anyone has advice on sat math please lmk i keep practicing and i do so much better on practices (700s) vs the actual sat (600s) so im kinda confused on what i might be doing wrong bc usually i feel like the sat went just like the practice and boom bad score)
UW/W GPA and Rank: 4.0/4.0 UW, 4.2 W, 45/825 (top 5% at school and the state)
Coursework: All Honors/Gifted courses throughout HS, 7 APs by end of HS: APHUG 5, Bio 5, Chem (awaiting score, expecting 4), USH (self-study, awaiting score, expecting 4-5), Calc BC (senior year), Phys C (senior year), US Gov (senior year), Macroecon (senior year), maybe self-study either ap lang or ap lit senior year as well idk which one will be more worth it tho
Awards:
2nd in state TSA Photographic Technology (national qualifier)
4th in nation TSA Digital Video Production
9th and 4th respectively in state TSA Engineering Design (national qualifiers) - developed designs for a moldable bioplastic (competed at the national level for this, club advisor forgot to tell us how we placed, def not in the top 10 tho) and a solar-powered nanocrystal radiation detector (also qualified for nationals with 4th but couldn't go due to club financial difficulties and not enough people eligible to compete to make the fees worth it)
Honorable Mention in county science fair - developed a moldable bioplastic to address the concerns of current-day bioplastics
Academic Letter: 9, 10, 11, expecting to letter senior year as well
Orchestra Letter: 9, 11 (took orchestra for one sem only in 10 to fit in a language and 2 sem was required to letter) expecting to letter in senior year as well
Certificates of merit: one from the state, another from the county for achievement bc of placing 2nd in a state competition
Extracurriculars: pretty good but idt their considered exceptional for many of the schools I'm applying to
TSA - Secretary (12) - for anyone that doenst know what this is, its a club based off of competition events around STEAM topics and careers; i kept track of all meetings, organized files and paperwork, in charge of creating/handling forms and sign-ups, filled out some paperwork, Event Lead (11) - organized and led meetings for several competitive events by facilitating stuff like conversation and cooperation among team members, served as a student advisor for certain events, roles from this role will be maintained as secretary
Green Team - Co-President (12), VP (11), Head o. Communications (10), Shadow Officer (9) - in charge of organizing and planning meetings and various events, managed communication between officers and sponsors through emails and social media, as of rn me and co pres are in charge of finding a new sponsor
Crochet Club - Co-President (12), VP (11), Founder (10) - same duties as listed with Green Team, helped teach members how to crochet and gave out advice on crochet
Crochet - tutored others in crochet, had a crochet business in 9-10 grade (had to stop in 11 because it got in the way of school), have a passion project for crochet in the form of an instagram account documenting projects and my crochet journey, potentially might start a non-profit but still figuring out details for if its plausible for me
Viola - played for 7 years so far, highest level orchestra class, section leader (we didn't really count section leaders as just first and second chair in my class), private lessons, alternate position at Emory Youth Symphony (one of the top state orchestras), tutored viola for 3 years (unsure if continuing next year because new orchestra teachers)
Photography - self taught myself photography, been doing it for 7 years, passion project in the form of a private senior year dump on insta comprised of various pictures from the year, designed to showcase the chaos and ups and downs of the senior year experience with pictures for everyday until graduation (styles ranging from professional to looks like a toddler took this), entered my work into several competitions, am currently working on reviving my school's photography club
Creative Writing - write poems in my free time sometimes, had a work published in my schools literary magazine
Work (Paid) - cashiebarista at a boba place
General member for NHS, Beta, AASO, and SWENext
100-150 volunteer hours (could be more could be less but the lady in charge of hours at my school has not responded to the last 5 emails i've sent over the year asking about how many I have)
Essays/LORs/Other:
Common App Essay - solid 7/10 averaging the ones i've started, language arts teacher last year told me I'm one of the strongest creative writers she has and she's very tough on writing. I have what i think might be good topics (might be generic tho in terms of my demographic), I've started on multiple essays for my strongest topics: red and the multiple meanings it carries (i.e. culture, events, people, memories, objects), being torn between my passion for the arts vs academics (as my ecs lean heavy on the arts so that addresses that a bit) and how that divide affects my relationship with those, or my tumultuous history with instruments and my cultures effect on that relationship
LORS:
11th LA teacher - she's my school mom and I love her sm, she's seen me really grow in my writing (and as a person) and has helped me to be able to get more creative with it as well. Whenever I need god advice she's one of the first people I turn to and she's probably my most trusted adult at school; I can ask her about pretty much anything and she won't judge (i'm able to talk with her ab my mental health and how school's been affecting it which I can't really talk ab it to my parents because they don't really believe that much in mental health if its not something obvious), we're pretty close and i even got the chance to write something for her wedding as well, she's definitely going to be a teacher that I'm gonna visit a lot senior year
ap chem teacher - she's seen me really grow as a person over the year and out of all my teachers, she especially can testify to my curiosity, drive to learn, and my determination/dedication as she knows i've stayed up late many nights so i could get good calculations and pre/post-lab questions (i'm surprised i didn't drive her crazy with the sheer amount of stuff i asked too), we're pretty close and i also tie-dyed a onesie for her upcoming baby
Note: my schedule got really messed up in junior year so I wasn't able to take many aps then so trying to make up for it with senior year (considering the self studied ap i did, I'm around 2-3 aps behind most of the top students at my school so my ranking is thus a lot lower than it could be, school offers around 20 aps but many are blocked behind prereq classes), schedule resulted in me taking senior year science in junior year as well an additional credit of Chinese instead of another AP (now at 3 years of Chinese, conversational level)
Schools: going for the ivies and JHU are considered me shotgunning I'm pretty sure considering my ecs lol
Idk which admission path yet so if anyone has any advice on deciding which admissions path would be most beneficial for me, that would be greatly appreciated: JHU (idt its legacy but i have several aunts and uncles that have attended), Cornell, UIUC (legacy, leaning towards EA), UChicago (legacy from grad school, admission path and if i even submit an application is hinging on how creative the writing prompts are gonna be), UPenn
EA: UGA, Georgia Tech
RD: MIT, UMich, Georgia State University, Kennessaw State

TIFU, and it happened in my college dorm room. Let me set the scene for you. I'm a freshman, trying to make friends, and show my new buddies how cool and adventurous I can be. Well, this time, my attempt at being impressive turned into an unforgettable disaster. 

It all started when my roommate, Jake, invited a few friends over for a small get-together in our cramped dorm room. We were all feeling bored and wanted to liven things up. I had recently discovered a few "cool" tricks with fire, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to show off my newfound skills.
I confidently proclaimed, "Guys, get ready for a mind-blowing demonstration!" I gathered everyone's attention and grabbed a small bottle of rubbing alcohol from my desk. I had seen videos of people igniting alcohol and creating mesmerizing fireballs, and I figured I could pull off the same trick.
Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a disastrous chain of events. Ignoring the fact that alcohol and open flames don't mix well indoors, I poured a generous amount of rubbing alcohol into a small metal bowl. I held it up triumphantly, ready to impress my friends.
In my eagerness, I didn't realize that the rubbing alcohol had splattered onto the nearby curtains and the carpet. Igniting the liquid in the bowl was supposed to create a brief, controlled flame, but what happened next was beyond my wildest imagination.
As soon as I struck the match and dropped it into the bowl, a massive fireball erupted, illuminating the room like a mini sun. Panic ensued as we realized the flames had caught onto the curtains and carpet. The fire spread with alarming speed, fueled by the highly flammable materials in our tiny dorm room.
In a matter of seconds, the entire room was engulfed in flames. The smoke detector blared loudly, adding to the chaos. Everyone scrambled to find water or something to smother the flames, but our efforts were in vain. The fire grew more intense, threatening to spread to neighboring rooms.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, someone pulled the fire alarm, alerting the entire building. Students poured out of their rooms, horrified at the sight of the smoke billowing from our floor. The fire department arrived within minutes, armed with hoses and fire extinguishers.
The firefighters battled the flames, dousing them with water until the fire was extinguished. By then, our dorm room was reduced to a charred, smoke-filled shell. The damage was extensive, not only to our room but also to the adjacent rooms affected by the spreading smoke.
As the dust settled, the gravity of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. I had endangered not only myself but also my friends, and put the entire dormitory at risk. The guilt overwhelmed me as I watched the firefighters surveying the aftermath of my foolishness.
In the end, I not only ruined my chances of impressing my friends but also faced the consequences of my actions. I had to shoulder the blame for the fire, resulting in disciplinary action from the college and even potential legal consequences.
This unforgettable experience taught me a valuable lesson about responsibility and the consequences of reckless behavior. TIFU by thinking a small fire trick would make me look cool, but instead, it turned into a devastating dorm room disaster that I'll never forget. TL;DR: TIFU by attempting to impress my friends with a fire trick in my college dorm room. The flames quickly spread, causing a massive fire and extensive damage. Firefighters had to intervene, and I faced disciplinary action and potential legal consequences for my reckless behavior. Lesson learned: don't play with fire indoors.

This game is awful I'm sorry I tried to get into it but it's a consistent let down for the Zelda series. Not even sure I want to get the next one, BOTW was literally find Koroks and beat easy Shrines and then multiply that by how much you're willing to bore yourself for me it was a negative number. Also this is a second play through, I honestly wanted to give it a chance and just really be open but this shit sucks. Is it the worst game ever definitely not but it is NOT a good game.

We've all had those teammates that want to forfeit when down 2 or 3 goals with more than a couple minutes remaining. Obviously those guys are butt hurt about something.
We've also all had those teammates that refuse to forfeit with 10 seconds left and down 4 goals.
So where is the line generally?
I typically won't initiate a forfeit with more than a minute to go unless opposing team are smurfs. If another teammates initiates, I might second it though if I really feel like we don't have a chance with the way we vibe.
When its less than a minute though, I pretty much play until the other team scores again and then follow the below general rules. (there are exception though, like based on feel, i might think we can win still and won't forfeit)

• never forfeit when down by only 1
• down by 2, forfeit if less than 10 seconds
• down by 3 or 4, forfeit if less than 30 seconds
• down by 5 or more, forfeit if less than a minute

Scene 1: The Challenge

[The scene is a barren wasteland, with a dark sky and a red sun. A portal opens in the air, and Sun Wukong emerges from it, riding on his cloud. He looks around and sees nothing but desolation.]
Sun Wukong: What is this place? Where am I?
[A voice booms from the sky, echoing across the land.]
The Scarlet King: You are in my domain, monkey. The realm of the Scarlet King.
Sun Wukong: Who are you? Show yourself!
The Scarlet King: I am the one who rules over all that is dark and bloody. The one who will end this world and create a new one in my image. The one who you have dared to challenge.
Sun Wukong: Challenge? What challenge?
The Scarlet King: Do not play dumb with me. I know you have come here to test your strength against mine. To see if you can defeat me and free this world from my grasp.
Sun Wukong: How do you know that?
The Scarlet King: I know everything, monkey. I know your thoughts, your dreams, your fears. I know your past, your present, your future. I know why you rebelled against heaven, why you followed the monk, why you became a Buddha.
Sun Wukong: Then you should also know that I am not afraid of you. You may be powerful, but you are not invincible. You may be evil, but you are not unstoppable. You may be a king, but you are not a god.
The Scarlet King: Ha! You are a fool, monkey. A fool to think that you can stand against me. A fool to think that you can save this world. A fool to think that you are a god.
Sun Wukong: I do not think that I am a god. I know that I am a god. And I will prove it to you.
[Sun Wukong leaps off his cloud and lands on the ground, holding his staff.]
Sun Wukong: Come on then, Scarlet King. Show me what you got. Let us see who is the true god here.
[The Scarlet King laughs maniacally.]
The Scarlet King: Very well, monkey. You have asked for it. Prepare to face my wrath.
[The Scarlet King manifests himself as a giant humanoid figure made of fire and blood, with horns, wings, claws and fangs.]
The Scarlet King: Behold, my true form. Behold, the Scarlet King.
[The Scarlet King roars and charges at Sun Wukong.]

Scene 2: The Battle

[Sun Wukong and the Scarlet King clash in a fierce battle, exchanging blows with their weapons and powers. Sun Wukong uses his staff, his transformations, his clones and his magic to fight the Scarlet King. The Scarlet King uses his fire, his blood, his minions and his reality warping to fight Sun Wukong.]
[The battle rages on for hours, with neither side gaining an advantage over the other. The wasteland is torn apart by their attacks, creating craters, fissures and explosions.]
[Sun Wukong and the Scarlet King are both wounded and exhausted, but they refuse to give up.]
Sun Wukong: You are strong, Scarlet King. But not strong enough.
[Sun Wukong swings his staff at the Scarlet King's head.]
The Scarlet King: You are brave, monkey. But not brave enough.
[The Scarlet King blocks the staff with his claw and slashes at Sun Wukong's chest.]
[Sun Wukong dodges the slash and kicks the Scarlet King in the face.]
Sun Wukong: You are cunning, Scarlet King. But not cunning enough.
[Sun Wukong creates a clone of himself and sends it behind the Scarlet King.]
The Scarlet King: You are clever, monkey. But not clever enough.
[The Scarlet King senses the clone and grabs it by the neck.]
[Sun Wukong uses the distraction to stab the Scarlet King in the back with his staff.]
Sun Wukong: You are done, Scarlet King. Give up now.
[The Scarlet King roars in pain and anger.]
The Scarlet King: Never! I will never give up! I will never surrender! I will never die!
[The Scarlet King unleashes a blast of fire and blood from his body, pushing Sun Wukong and his clone away.]
The Scarlet King: You think you can defeat me, monkey? You think you can end me, monkey? You think you can kill me, monkey?
[The Scarlet King grows larger and more monstrous, his fire and blood becoming more intense and chaotic.]
The Scarlet King: You are wrong, monkey. You are nothing, monkey. You are dead, monkey.
[The Scarlet King raises his claw and prepares to strike Sun Wukong with a final blow.]

Scene 3: The Finale

[Sun Wukong sees the Scarlet King's claw coming down on him. He knows he has no time to dodge or block. He knows he has no chance to survive. He knows he has no hope to win.]
[But he does not give up. He does not surrender. He does not die.]
[He smiles.]
[He remembers his life. He remembers his adventures. He remembers his friends. He remembers his enemies. He remembers his mistakes. He remembers his achievements. He remembers his rebellion. He remembers his journey. He remembers his enlightenment.]
[He feels a surge of energy within him. He feels a spark of divinity within him. He feels a burst of power within him.]
[He acts.]
[He raises his staff and points it at the Scarlet King's heart.]
[He speaks.]
Sun Wukong: Om mani padme hum.
[He unleashes a beam of light from his staff, piercing the Scarlet King's chest.]
[The Scarlet King feels a shock of pain within him. He feels a crack of weakness within him. He feels a blast of destruction within him.]
[He screams.]
The Scarlet King: No! No! No!
[He explodes.]
[Sun Wukong watches as the Scarlet King's body and essence are obliterated by the light, leaving nothing behind but ashes and dust.]
[Sun Wukong falls to the ground, wounded and weary, but alive and victorious.]
[He laughs.]
Sun Wukong: I did it. I did it. I did it.
[He looks at the sky, which is now clear and blue.]
Sun Wukong: I saved the world.
[He closes his eyes and rests.]
The End

We’ve been together for 18 months and things have been great and ended up living together the last 6 months.
She has always wanted to live overseas and has never had the chance. Recently she had the opportunity to move to the UK to live with a few girlfriends and plans to stay for 6 months.
I have previously lived overseas for 3 years and also have a mortgage and good job so could not leave. She also wanted to have this experience on her own for personal growth etc, so I was very supportive of the idea as much as I did not want to be apart. She wanted us to go on a break so that she felt like she was free and not having to maintain a long distance relationship. I was not as keen for this but was open to the idea.
Leading up to her leaving we acted normal and had some great times together, and it didn’t feel like we were “breaking up” and since she has left we have been talking quite a lot, however we are technically not together. Sometimes when we talk it’s like we are together (even intimate sometimes) although sometimes we don’t talk for a few days and when we do it’s just platonic and cold.
I guess I’m just very confused and not sure what I should do for the next 6 months. I don’t want to put my life on hold but also don’t want to lose her. She’s told me I can date other people but I don’t know if I want to do that.
I’m doing all the cliche things, staying busy, seeing friends, even booked my own trip to back pack around Asia for 5 weeks, but the situation is taking a toll on my mental health. What should I do for the next 6 months, carry on the way things are, or cut comms and get on with things?
Any advice would be great!

Hi everyone, I could use some help.
My character has the unique ability to imbue objects with the power of words but only adjectives in the English language the DM ruled and only objects she has touched with her weapons, chains with a 10ft reach if that makes a difference.
She is a chain master fighter from an older edition 3.5 I believe, homebrewed for 5e at 11th level. For example, she can imbue heat to a piece of metal by touching it with her chains and willing it to be hot but only for 18 seconds and this does not work on creatures so I couldn't say dead or death to creature and kill them. It is also a limited resource so she can't do it willy-nilly.
Now what I need help with is this I need adjectives that she can use while in the middle of a fight for not only her life but her elder brother's as well. You see my fighter is low on her resources no second wind, no action surge, and maybe no indomitable but I think I at least saved that last one I am not totally sure.
The deck is stacked against her and I know a couple of the fighters will fight on the side to save Elder Brother switching sides basically but the side that wants to kill him has at least a bladesinger with the spell of invulnerability.
We will be playing out this battle for the next month and I know the DM has some surprises in store. I, however, wanted to surprise them by using the homebrew ability that they gave my fighter and try to make things more interesting or tilt the scales in my party's favor a bit more. I just need adjectives that could turn the tide of the battle if used correctly, give my fighter a better chance, or adjectives period that could help things even a little please help Reddit my fighter is desperate to save her brother from execution and I am desperate for her. Also sorry for the length.

So for serration passive, it increase 1.5% critical strike chance when you use your bone skills on cast per 10 essence you have. If I have let's say 100 essence. Do I get 15% critical strike chance on the duration of the bone storm which is 10 seconds? Or, does it only apply to the first hit bone storm does?
Also, if I use the aspect to convert bone storm to shadow damage, would ossified passive still work thereby granting me 50% extra damage (assuming I'm still at 100 essence when I cast it) since it's still technically a bone skill?
If the answers to the above questions are yes, then this is pretty sick!
Thanks

One day I was hiking along a small mile long trail and it was an ordinary weekend and a nice sunny day. I knew the weather was going to be nice today so I decided to go for a hike and I drove to my nearest state park and once I got out of my car I smelled the nice fresh air of the outdoors and then I saw a small one mile trail and decided to go on it I walked a while on the trail and while I was walking on the trail I heard the peaceful sounds of the birds chirping and I saw the beautiful forest and the beauty of mother nature around me as I was walking near the end of the trail and I was greeted by a blocked off gravel path and a sign saying please do not go on this path hikers are not allowed on this path 500 dollar fine if caught walking on it.
I was curious when I saw this and I looked around to see If anyone was around me and I saw that no one was around me and I then jumped the fence that was blocking the gravel path I was finally walking on the forbidden gravel path and I got a rush out of it knowing I was doing something forbidden. On this so called forbidden path I looked around me to see if there was any park rangers I of course did not see any. I then kept walking on the gravel path and I was walking for a while and I kept seeing signs telling me to go back and stop walking on this path of course I ignored the signs and kept walking.
I looked at my clock and saw it was getting late and I was starting to get worried because the park is closing soon and the park rangers usually check the park to see if anyone is still in the park at closing time and If I got caught that means I would get fined 500 dollar so my paranoia made me to look around me to see if there were any park rangers around me there were none around and that gave me sigh of relief. I kept walking and it was really starting to get dark and I heavily searched my bag to see if I had a flash light I found a small dim flash light in my bag but it was bright enough to see around me but as I looked around to see I thought I had saw something in the corner of my eye of course it scared me a bit but I shrugged it off as my mind playing tricks on me. I then heard the wind howling and I thought I could hear something faint in the wind as I was listening.
I at first thought my mine was playing tricks on me and I kept listening I found out my mind was not playing tricks on me I was hearing voices in the wind and the voices were telling me to go back and to get off the forbidden path. I looked around to see that no one was there,was I hallucinating? I was walking and for a while I did not hear anything but then the wind started to howl again and I heard "please go back it's not safe". I was shaken up by this so I looked around me to see that no one was there I was for sure I heard someone. I then kept seeing stuff in the corner of my eye again and I thought I saw a ghostly figure for a second but every time I looked they were gone. I then once again started to hear the wind howling and I began to hear voices again and I kept hearing "go back go back get off the gravel path". At this point dawn was starting to come and the sky was starting to turn brighter and I saw something in the distance it was some sort of mansion me being the curious and adventurous I was happy to explore what ever this mansion was. I proceed to approach the mansion and as I was walking to it the wind began to howl very violently and the wind gust were very strong and it almost knocked me over my feet.
I began to hear "please go back go back do not go in there". I of course was too curious about the mansion to listen to what the voices were saying. I then opened the front door of the mansion and I walked in and saw that the place was old and was falling apart the wooden boards were rotting away and it smelled like mildew. I knew by the looks of this place it was abandoned and no one lived there. I was curious to explore this place so I walked around and I proceed to walk to the first room and I saw that there was a lot of holes in the wall and it looked torn apart, the bed was broken and the window was broken and I could tell that this place was old and rotting away. I then proceeded to the next room and I saw that there was symbols wrote with dried blood on the wall, this of course scared me bad and I jumped and I saw that there was rotting away skeletons of animals in this room, It looked like as if there was devil worshipers here. I then tried to walk to more rooms in this mansion and I saw more scary stuff. I saw that there was a warning wrote in dried blood on the walls saying whatever you do, do not go in the basement it's dangerous.
I then was curious to go in the basement of the mansion and I was the cat who could have died from their own curiosity. I then saw the door to the basement and I looked at it for a good 20 minutes, and after minutes I finally made up my mind to go open the basement door and go down there. I then proceeded to open the basement door and I then walked down the stairs and as I walked down the stairs the basement door slammed shut and I walked back up and tried to open the basement door I tried to open as hard as I could but it would not budge "shit I'm trapped in this basement and can't get out". I tried again to get the door to open I even tried pounding the door down but it did not work the door was locked shut.
I then gave up on trying to open the basement door and walked back down the stairs and I saw that the basement was huge and the was dried blood all over the walls It was crazy how much dried blood was on the walls and I was very scared I wanted to pound on the basement door again and get out of this place but I knew that would not work. I walked around some more around the basement and saw that there was more stairs it seemed as if the stairs went down to another floor. I proceeded to walk down the stairs and I got to where this floor was and I saw on this floor had a bit more dried blood on the wall then the previous floor I was on. I saw that this floor was bigger than the previous floor I was on and It was a massive room and in the corner of my eye I saw a figure of some sort and when I turned around it was not there I jump but then told myself that my mind was playing tricks on me because this basement was just so creepy.
I again saw that something was in the corner of my eye I looked around me fast and saw that no one was there. I kept walking around this floor and saw that it was full of furniture like very old stuff from what seemed to be from the 70s or 60s and they was a radio of some sort it only had AM on it and no FM. I thought to myself if I could turn on the radio but wondered if it still had worked so I pressed the button and surprised it turned on and starting working. All I heard at first was just static but then I kept listening and I could barely hear anything and I thought I heard something though the static but then I could finally hear something though the static and I hear what sounded like creepy voices in the static. I still could not hear it because there was still a lot of static on the radio and I tried to tune the radio to see if I could hear it more but nothing came out of it and I could still hear a lot of static but then after a few minutes I heard the voices again on the radio and I heard the voices louder this time and I could hear what they where saying and I heard a bone chilling sound coming from the radio a girl screaming "dad please help me I'm being tormented the beast is tormenting me please make it stop"!
My heart nearly stopped due to how scared I was. I saw that there was even more stairs that went down what seem like even another floor a 3rd floor even. I was curious and walked down the stairs and walked into the 3rd floor it even had the number 3 on it. I saw that this floor was not as big as the 2nd floor. I began to see that there was spiders on the wall but there was only of few of them on the walls and saw some more stuff it looked like there was some writing on the wall and it said the further you go down the worse it gets.
There were bricks on the walls of this floor and there was no wallpaper just bricks on the walls and I saw that there was a door to another room of some sort on this floor. I opened the door and saw that it was pitch black in this room and I walked into the room and could not see in the room so I got the flashlight from my bag and turned it on and it still was pitch black it's like this room was sucking any light away so I had to feel around the room but as I got walking around this room and feeling my way around I felt as if someone was behind me and I felt as if I was not alone in this room and the longer I stayed in the room the stronger the feeling got and tried to find my way out of the room because I felt as if someone was behind me and I felt as if someone was gently touching me and It got me scared but I then bolted and tried to find my way out of the room but could not for a few minutes and I then could hear a faint growl in my ear and I was running as fast I could and I finally found my way out of the room I was in. I slammed the door shut to the room I was in and I saw even more stairs that went down to another floor and ran down the stairs.
I was now on the 4th floor and saw that on the 4th floor there was cobwebs on the ceiling of the floor and spiders were more common than on the 3rd floor and there was more dried blood on the wall than the previous floors I was in. There was a lot more stuff on this floor and there was dining tables and chairs on this floor and it looks like as this was a restaurant from the 60s or 70s and I walked around the floor and there was cobwebs on the tables and chairs and spiders were crawling on the table but then I saw that there was a kitchen of some sort and I kept feeling as if something was behind me but the feeling was not that strong and I kept seeing stuff in the corner of my eye but when I turned I saw that nothing was there I realized that in the darker places that where less illuminated the feeling of something being behind me was there .
There were flickering lights in this place that seem as if they were about to die out. I somehow walked into a darker place in the floor and the feeling of something behind me was coming back. I felt as if something was lurking in this place and they lurked in the darker areas with less light. I saw that was of course more stairs that went down into the 5th floor. I was now in the 5th floor and holy crap this place was getting creepy there was a lot more cobwebs on this floor then there was on floor 4 and the spiders where now in big numbers and the spiders looked even bigger than before. This floor was even darker with less light. I saw that there was tables and chairs on the 5th floor just like the last one but they where on the tables but then as I looked away and looked back I saw that the chairs were now on the floor and broken for some reasons and I thought to myself this place has to be haunted. There less light bulbs that were on this floor than on the last floor and it was darker and there was less light.
Like I said in darker areas I felt as if someone was behind me and on this floor the feeling was stronger than on the last floor. I walked around and was in darker areas with less light and the feeling of someone behind me was getting stronger and stronger until I stopped walking and I listened closely and I could faintly hear a voice of some sort and it sounded creepy and I got scared and walked to a lighter area with more light and I saw something in the corner of my vision and then turned around to see a tall skinny shadow figures and it appeared to be afraid of the areas of the place with more light so I kept going around the place and saw more figures and I went into a darker area and something jumped out at me and tried to attack me and I ran to where a light bulb illumined the place and the figures stopped were scared off by the light of the light bulb and stopped attacking me because of the light.
I kept going down more floors and my god it felt like this thing was going down forever I was on the 15th floor when things really started getting bad the cobwebs where getting the point to where they are covering everything and spiders where so big to the point to where they are the size of the palm of my hand. I saw that there was little spiders in such massive numbers that something you could not see what they were because it was covered in so many spiders. On the 15th floor it was so dark that you could barely see in front of you the only reason I could see that there spiders everywhere was because there was only a few light bulbs on the floor that were dimly lit . The Odor on this floor was bad and it smelled like dead rotting corpses and so much dried blood on everything that it covered every square inch on what was on the floor and on the wall on everything and on everywhere.
I was standing under a dimly lit light and around me I would hear voices screaming "help me help I'm being tormented"! I then saw that around be where hundreds of glowing eyes around me but I felt as if I would be safe as long as if there was light around me. I stayed under the light bulb for until the eyes went away but then a few minutes later the light bulb above me went out and when that happened I knew I was in trouble and I bolted and I could not see in the dark so I bumped around everything and tripped and fell and as I fell something grabbed me and I could tell that this thing was big. It was dark and I could not see anything but I was in this what ever this thing was grip and I thrashed and tried to punch this thing but it was not budging I felt as if my life was coming to an end.
A stroke of luck happened and for some god only knows reason I escaped from what ever this thing was grip and ran as fast I could in the dark tripping over objects and then getting back up. I was in the dark and saw a dim light in the distance and I got closer to see it was a dimly lit light bulb I felt safe under this light bulb and the thing did not go near it. I went down more floors and on floor 18 is when some very scary stuff started happening at this point spiders where the size of cats and the cob webs where so thick that it was getting hard to walk through. I was getting attacked by spiders I was fighting them off it was getting to the point where I was getting overwhelmed by them. I found a baseball bat on the floor and used it to beat the spiders and kill them.
I heard screams everywhere and they were ear piercing. All I could hear was "I'm being tormented help"! I then realized that there was water on the floor about an inch of it. I kept walking around and I kept hearing the sloshing of water on the floor as I walked I tried to turn on my flashlight because it was dark but the darkness of the room was so bad that it sucked all the light away from the flash light. I was walking and a very nasty smell hit my nose, it was the smell of rotting corpses but the smell was very strong and I began to throw up and nearly passed out. I felt as this place I was in was filled with corpses and that was confirmed when I saw a very dim light in the distance and when I went to it I was hundreds of rotting corpses and some of them where in the very thick cobwebs hanging with web wrapped around them like mummies.
I looked down and saw that the so called inch of water was not water at all it was an inch of blood filled with maggots and flies swarming them by the thousands. I looked and saw a corpse and I kept staring at it and saw that it had long flowing blond hair and was wearing a pink backpack with yellow stars and had a purple shirt that said lets go tigers and that when it hit me like a truck and tears started flowing down my face this was my daughter she is dead and was smelly rotting corpse that mostly been mummified. My daughter was 16 when she went missing and her school mascot was a tiger and her name was Amy and she had a pink backpack with stars. I miss her so much and if she was alive by now she who have been an adult at the age of 18. I then look to see at her backpack to confirm if it was her and I saw the name Amy written on her backpack I confirmed that this was in fact my daughter. I kept digging in the backpack to see what was in it and found her phone it turned on with 45 percent battery and no password was on it.
I could no longer hold it in anymore and the tears flowing down my face become full blown sobbing. My daughter is just a mummified dead corpse. I took my daughters phone out of her backpack and put it in my pocket and as I was doing that is when I heard it a low pitched growl and a very creepy one and then I froze for a solid minute and then heard a another growl and I tried to be as quiet as I could and heard the sound of water sloshing around but that of course was not water but it was blood sloshing around. I kept hearing the blood sloshing as if something was moving around in it and my heart was pounding very hard and I felt as this was the end of me I then realized I was in this thing's nest and I was going to be the fly in the web.
I heard the sloshing again and it sounded like it was getting closer to me and I felt a warm draft over me and that when I booked it and ran I fast as I could and ran up the stairs that was closest to me. I ran to the other floors I was now at floor 17 and I knew the thing was chasing after me. I was now hyperventilating and heart pounding I could hear roaring at the stair well I knew I had to run up to floor 1 and bust the door down as hard as I could I kept running tripping over everything in the dark and dirty as hell and covered in blood. I then ran up to the stairwell that went to floor 16 and of tripped and fell while on the stairwell to floor 16 and busted my head and blacked out and woke up in a spiderweb. I open my eyes and saw I had passed out and I was back on floor 18.
I knew I was doomed and I would never be found down here I was going to be this thing's meal a few hours had passed I kept struggling and struggling and could not get out of the web. I felt a warm draft on me and I felt as if I was being stabbed this thing was digging into me with it's fangs I felt I was done for. The pain of the thing digging it's fangs in me was unbearable and I was screaming. The thing was sucking my blood until it was dry. I was there in that web for god knows how long it had to be a very long time because I was dehydrated and very hungry. I was very weak and could not move much and could barley move my limbs but for some reason I began to slowly fall out of the web and broke free from the web and I got out of the web. I began to walk slowly to the stairwell that lead to the 17th floor and I climbed up the stairs slowly and when I was up on the 17th floor I walked around the floor for a while and I saw a place I could hide in from the thing there was a door and I open and there was a glowing light in the room I opened and the light was a light blub glowing and turned and lit up the room and I saw that I was in luck because there was 2 bottles of water on the shelfs in the small room I was in and a small bag of trail mix that was month passed its expiration date. I put a chair in front of the door so the thing would not get in.
I happily ate the trail mix and drank the 2 bottles of water and I put my ear on the door to see if I hear anything and when it was ready to go. I did not hear anything when I was putting ear my ear on the door at first but then a few hours had passed, and I heard a sniffing sound a faint growl. I tried to be as quiet as I could and hoped the chair in the door made where the thing could not get in the room with me, and I was no longer weak because I drank the water and ate the trail mix. I heard banging on the door the thing was trying to get in and get me. I had to think fast, and I saw a trap door and I opened and crawled into it as fast as I could. I was inside vents now and crawling and I heard the thing break down the door, but it was too big to get in the vents I was crawling in.
I began to crawl faster and found an exit to the vents, and it was on floor 15. I was now on floor 15 and the vents for some reason just collapsed right as when I crawled out of them, and I could not get back into the vents to get away from the thing. I heard the sound of the thing getting up to the floor I was at, and I booked it as fast as I could and ran up the stairwell to floor 14. I ran up more floors and I'm now on floor 12 and I fell as if this thing is catching up to me and I ran I fast as I could and kept running until I reached floor 11 and at floor 11 I grab a knife on the table and I kept running until I got to floor 10 and then on floor 10 I fell into a huge hole that was on the floor and the wood on the floor was rotting and I fell back into floor 11. I was catch up by the thing and was in its grasp and struggled to get out of it grasp and I then stabbed it in both of its eyes and it let go of me and it was screeching in pain. I ran back into the 10th floor and went around the hole and then went up into the others floor and at floor 7 I could hear it getting closer to me again but kept running as fast as I could and heart pounding.
I few more floors left, and I could pound the door down and get out of the basement. I was running and finally got up to floor 1 and began to violently pound down the door that was the entrance to the basement and I pounded as hard I could and I had super human strength from the adrenalin and I could hear the thing coming up the floors so I did one last super hard pound on the door with all my strength and busted a hole in the door and walked out the door and at last I was no longer in the basement of this damn mansion. I then ran out of the mansion and was finally outside and I kept running on the gravel path as fast as I could and then for a while, I finally found the fenced I had jumped and got over it and was back on the small 1 mile trail and collapsed on the ground where people saw me drenched in blood.
I then woke up in the hospital and the doctor said I was lucky and almost died from severe blood loss and I realized I had my daughter's phone in my pocket and cops were in the hospital room where I was at. I also saw my wife there too and she said where were you I called the cops and your boss said you were not at work, and he then called cops and I went all over the city looking for you and stayed up and it was on the news of you going missing and I'm glad you're okay and you are alive. I told them everything of what happened I told about the thing in the basement of abandon mansion in the woods and I would never go back to that place.
My wife told me her story and she told me that she looked everywhere in town for me and her first thought I was at the bar with my friends but then saw I was not there she said it was getting dark and I had to be home to or she would call the cops and she said I did not answer the phone and she got worried and called the cops. The cops came and began to search for me, and days had passed, and they did not find me so a whole search group came and looked for me and she said she looked around the city and she tried to look for me at the small park near the house and did not find me.
She said a cop was at a state park and saw a passed out person on the ground at a 1 mile trail which was me and the ambulance came and picked me up and got me to the hospital and then a cop was at the hospital and realized it was me as I was waking up.
A few months had passed and I was diagnosed with ptsd and I told my therapist everything.

Hey guys, This post might be a little out of place here (so mods delete if not allowed) but with the wide amount of different people with different perspectives and experiences, I couldn’t think of a better place to ask. I previously started studying electrical engineering straight out of Highschool and completed the first year and was surprisingly good at it but hated the content, just got no enjoyment out of it and hence have decided to switch degrees. However because I decided too late to change, the course I wanted to get into, being a Bachelor of Construction Project Management at UTS, only has one intake at the beginning of the year and I had missed this. I then planned to start at Sydney Uni for semester 2 (I got an offer) in a Project Management Degree, majoring in Construction. I don’t believe this course is enough on its own and is really something that should be paired with another course as it is essentially just a project management degree with some Civil engineering subjects sprinkled in from what I can see. The UTS course appears to be more flushed out and higher quality for construction management than the Sydney Uni one, but it would mean I have to spend another 6 months not studying which I hate. It would also put me starting this course 2 years later than others, and its already a 4 year course.
Basically, I was just wondering if anyone in industry has any feedback, and whether or not I should just stick with the Sydney Uni course or wait for the UTS course.
Secondly, if I were to wait the 6 months for UTS, I’d much rather start working in the industry in the mean time and getting some experience under my belt, so I was also wondering if anyone had idea as to where to start, as apart from being a floor manager at a retail store and 1 year of electrical engineering study I have little to no experience, but I’m willing to work hard and learn.
Thanks in advance, I appreciate any feedback!

Watched June 4 2023 in theaters - Started May 15 2023
Synopsis/Review
Miles Morales learns of a multidimensional society of Spider-People tasked with protecting the multiverse
I usually leave these kind of comments at the end, but I need to bring this up first: See this movie and see it on the biggest screen possible.
Across the Spider-Verse takes place about a year after the events of the first movie, with Miles Morales (voiced my Shameik Moore) mostly settled into his role as Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man. A run-in with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), who herself is from another universe, has him stumble upon a society of Spider-men/women/animals who are tasked with protecting every reality where a Spider-Person exists. This society is run by a Spider-Man by the name of Miguel O’Hara (voiced by an incredible Oscar Isaac) who is hellbent on protecting the canon of every Spider-Man universe - the very events that make the varying versions of Spider-Man exist. If you know anything about the lore of Spider-Man, you could see how an adolescent version of this hero like Miles would be hesitant to follow the canon to the letter.
The first film was well regarded for its visual style, art, acting, and writing. I’m so very happy to say that everything that made the first one great is intact and expanded on. Every universe visited in this movie still has its own unique art style, the framing of the shots and cinematography make everything look and feel like a comic book come to life, and there are genuine emotional moments that had me misty eyed in my seat.
I can’t really talk about the entire cast without spoiling some really cool surprises for folks like me who avoided trailers like the plague. The characters you did see in some of the trailers, namely Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy and Miguel O’Hara, all do great in their roles. What I can say about the other characters that show up is that they were all perfectly cast, and everyone knows exactly what they need to do to really sell their roles and scenarios.
A movie like this is going to have tons of easter eggs and winks to the fans of Spider-Man where if you blink you miss them. For the sake of making them all as awesome as possible, I will not be talking about any of them specifically, but by god they brought so much joy to my nerdy little heart. If it’s a Spider-Man property, it’s probably referenced somewhere in this movie.
My favorite performance is, unfortunately, one I can’t talk about here. But I will say that this version of Spider-Man was one that I found the funniest and most surprising when I saw the end credits roll. He perfectly adapts to the absurdity of the role, and steals the scenes he’s in, while leaving the main plot just early enough that you’ll be left wanting more, and more we will get, as we are told “Miles Morales will return in Beyond The Spider-verse.” 2024 can’t get here fast enough.
I’m going to be blunt here: This is the best Spider-Man movie I have ever seen. It may even be the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen. And the fact of the matter is, I will be watching this one multiple times to take in more of the art, the colors and visuals ripped straight from the comics, the acting, everything.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. It’s better than the first Miles Morales movie. It’s better than Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (2004). I dare say this movie is better than the MCU’s No Way Home (2021). If you are able to, find this movie and watch it on the biggest screen you possibly can, and then watch it again because chances are you will catch something new on a second viewing.
5/5

Hello
Here's a thought experiment. Imagine that, in 2017, Activision did not publish Call of Duty: WWII but instead Call of Duty: Eternal. This is a story which is very much the same as what Call of Duty: WWII transpired as but with a couple of significant differences. For a start, it's not set during World War Two - it's set in a fantasy world with a 1940s/50s level of technology. A global war is raging between mankind and Orks, with the Orks having conquered great tracts of the world, and the story opening with the efforts by humanity to retake "Albion" from Ork occupation. I like to imagine the faces of Call of Duty fans when the first trailer came out and, seeing what looked like D-Day, got excited that at last the franchise was going back to its roots - only to see that the enemies are Orks and the main character is a Lenape woman.
To help with this imagining - below you'll find the full script for the first mission of Call of Duty: Eternal, based on the first mission of Call of Duty: WWII. The rest will gradually follow.
You might find it useful to follow along using this video - a walkthrough (no commentary, thank God) of the actual first mission in Call of Duty: WWII to help with visualising it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7y1bDQBEhA
Call of Duty: Eternal Mission 1 X-Day
Text slowly appears on-screen:
The world is bathed in flames.
The Ork clans, united for the first time in centuries, are on the march.
Man faces extermination.
A human skull is shown before an Ork boot comes down on it, shattering it.
Radio broadcast: With unmatched ferocity, the Ork war machine has launched its onslaught against the world… mankind faces the abyss.
The camera pans up on the Ork boot to show an Ork soldier as, behind him, Ork soldiers and tanks move through a devastated city.
Radio broadcast: As we brace for our darkest hour, we must summon our strength to be the bulwark against oppression.
Ork bombers are shown bombing London, recognisable for the Thames if not for the architecture. They are four-engine bombers, like B-17s, and the camera closes in on a propeller which shifts to a ceiling fan.
Radio broadcast: The Ork onslaught will be the greatest test we'll ever face.
The camera pans down from the ceiling fan Mona Kanti, a young Lenape woman and the protagonist, is shown joining the Imperial Armed Forces. She stands in a line in a recruitment office as a recruitment officer stamps her papers.
Radio broadcast: But face it and defeat it… we must.
To punctuate the “we must,” a sudden cut to black with the sound cut out. Then, we hear the voice of the Ork Primarch. A speech plays, meant to mirror FDR’s D-Day Prayer, with shots of the Ork war machine we’ve been hearing so much about.
Primarch: With this war we set upon a mighty endeavour.
Fade from black to show huge lines of Ork soldiers in formation, like big Nazi rallies, are shown.
Primarch: A struggle to restore our civilization…
Ork soldiers on one knee in this rally are shown, closer up, dressed in battle gear and their faces daubed in war paint.
Primarch: …and to set free a suffering people.
A view from the rear of the rally, with the vast architecture of the Primarch’s palace shown looming over it all, resembling the Palace of the Soviets.
Primarch: Our Sons. Pride of our Clans.
Another panning shot of the assembled Orks, this time from the side.
Primarch: May the Mother lead them straight and true.
An Ork mystic, on the balcony overlooking the assembly, blesses the troops with hands raised to the sky.
Primarch: The road will be glorious. Men's souls will be broken with the beauty of war.
A shot from behind the mystic, seeing the assembled troops stretching towards the horizon.
Primarch: In this time of fire and blood…
The face of one Ork soldier is shown up close.
Primarch: …we shall prevail.
With the slightest of grimaces, the Ork uses a knife – and, in the background, we see the others doing the same – to ritualistically slice his forehead and let blood trickle down.
The cutscene then shifts to the Imperial Navy ships, including battleships of a scale similar to the Super Yamato, that are heading for the beaches of Albion. Mona Kanti is writing a letter to her sister, Luna Kanti, and we hear her voice-over as we view shots of the fleet.
Kanti (narrating): Luna. Oh, I wish you could see this, sister. An armada from one horizon to the next. I turned sixteen too late to help free Ériu. But not Albion – and it’s gonna be tougher. Much tougher. You know, I think I could bear the blood, and the misery… and the Orks. But the waiting… well, that’s a whole other battle.
Inside the troopship living quarters. We are now in first-person as Kanti. Kanti is sat at a table, hanging out and talking with her squad-mates Kinsi Rei (female Somali; shaved head), Thea Adlai, (female Swedish; ginger, freckles, glasses) and Ren Tao (male Chinese). Ren Tao is eighteen – the others are all sixteen. Bunks are stretched out behind them and other soldiers, of all ethnicities and sexes, walk by throughout. Rei is holding court while playing with a knife, every now and then jabbing between her fingers.
Rei: So she asks me for my watch and I'm thinking, "what in the Nether do you want my watch for; your parents make like fifty times mine!" But I turn around, and I felt this punch. And it's cold like ice.
Some of the dialogue is drowned out by Kanti’s narration. Every now and then, Kanti glances down at her fingers as she snaps them, but whatever she’s trying to do with that isn’t happening.
Kanti (narrating): Believe it or not, I managed to make some half-decent friends in Basic. All scared as can be. But nobody’s letting on.
Rei keeps playing her knife game as she talks.
Kanti (narrating): I hated Rei when I met her – and now she's my best friend. Funny how that works. She's always looking for trouble. If there wasn't already a war on she'd be off trying to start one.
Rei offers her knife to Thea Adlai and, though we can’t hear her given the narration, seems to be asking her if she wants to try the knife game. Adlai refuses.
Adlai: Besides, I gotta keep all my fingers if I'm gonna take photo of the year.
Kanti (narrating): Adlai says she's gonna be a photographer for a fashion magazine. She’s got a good eye. Except when she takes off her glasses – then she can’t see shit.
Rei offers her knife to Kanti and Kanti turns to Ren Tao.
Kanti (narrating): Tao's the vet but, if I’m honest, he's what kokomi would call “a bit of a bumpkin.”
Ren Tao is tempted to play Rei’s knife game.
Tao: Okay, okay. Let's make this interesting.
Rei: It’s not interesting? Kanti – what’re you doing?
She says this in reference to Kanti’s finger-snapping.
Kanti (narrating): I swear I used to be able to do this…
Tao: So you keep saying.
Tao take off his talisman and dangles it in front of Rei.
Tao: Xu Yaling. Spirit of war.
Adlai: And sex, right?
Tao: Sssh. (Rei and Adlai laugh) He's had my back since Sabha. And, yeah, that’s real gold. (drops the talisman down on the table) Rei, three times in ten seconds, and he's all yours. (Sits back down)
Rei: I don't know.
Tao: Oh, you could always wimp out. That’s a choice, too.
Kanti: My money's on Rei.
Rei: Okay. Okay, I'm in.
Adlai: I can't watch.
Tao: I can.
Rei looks to Adlai.
Rei: Just time me when I tell you. Back to my story – me and my girls, we muscled our way into this chess game that the wrestling team had going. We had a bona-fide genius among us – but it was me playing. We worked out a system where she can signal to me what moves to make. You should have seen the Head Girl’s face when I took that pot. (To Adlai) You ready? That's what happens when you try to hustle a hustler. Now…
Rei plays the knife game while Adlai times her and wins the bet in a few impressive seconds.
Rei: Checkmate!
Tao: There ain’t no way!
Kanti (narrating): Tao had enough fight in him for two men.
Rei: Much obliged.
Rei offers to shake hands with Tao.
Tao: My mother told me never touch a Nube.
Rei doesn’t flinch but you can tell she’s ready to throw hands. Instead…
Rei: That's not what she said last night.
Rei winks and Tao shakes her hand.
Kanti (narrating): And enough bigotry for six.
Tao: Meh, who needs a stupid talisman anyway.
Rei: Apparently, you did. Here, have it back.
Tao: You won it.
Rei: It’s fake gold.
Tao: What? No, no, no, that’s as real as you or I.
Rei: A hustler always knows.
Tao: Ah, whatever, if it’s fake I don’t want it. I'm gonna get something better. A real trophy. You'll see.
Rei: Good luck with that.
Kanti snaps her fingers and finally produces what she wanted – a finger of flame, like a lighter, appears.
Kanti: I did it! Look, look, I did it!
Rei: Well, by Baphometh, isn’t that something?
Tao: That’s very pretty, Kanti. You’re ready to take on the Primarch, I should think.
Rei: She was always ready. Right Kanti?
Tao: You got any healing spells we could use or is it all evil magic with you?
Kanti: Well-
Rei: Oh, go on, tell him, Kanti! Tell him about that thing you can do!
Adlai: What thing?
Rei: And there’s no such thing as good and evil magic. Just good and evil people.
Kanti: It’s not that I can do it; it’s just that it happens sometimes. When someone’s dead I can kinda, you know, see into their past. But they have to of died recently. And I can’t do it with most people.
Tao: Well, we’re invading Fortress Albion, my friend. Good time to find yourself some corpses.
Rei: Maybe even your own.
Adlai: Hey, Kanti, do that spell again for the camera.
Adlai raises her camera then, seeing her watch, realizes that they are late for the mission briefing.
Adlai: Oh! Never mind, briefing’s at 18:00; we're gonna be late!
Adlai jumps up and runs from the room. The others also stand.
Tao: Run, little mouse.
Rei: I got us covered Kanti; don't worry about it (Showing the pendant to Kanti and winking). It is real gold.
As Kanti and Rei leave the living quarters, they encounter Khand, their turban-wearing sergeant, and in terms of personality very much a cranky sergeant stereotype.
Khand: Briefing's about to start; what in the Nether are you idiots doing?
Kanti (narrating): Then there's Sergeant Khand. He’s a sweetheart.
Khand: Oh, you think you're special, huh? The Orks are gonna eat you alive.
Rei: No, not me, sergeant. I’m high in salt.
Khand: Watch your lip, Rei. On me.
Khand leaves. The other two move to follow.
Rei: Since I'm obviously on a lucky streak, whatever happens, stay close. First Albion, then the Great Pale, then home in time for tea and medals. We got this, Kanti.
Scene fades out.
All of the 66th Infantry Division troops are on the deck of the ship as the rain pours down and Colonel Kitwana, a Swahili man, gives his pre-battle speech. As he does, we see the soldiers assembled watching him.
Kitwana: Today… we embark on an operation of unparalleled importance. To establish a beachhead in Albion… and roll back the Ork horde... that has terrorized the world since before many of you were born. We are all that separates the world from darkness. This is so much more than a chance to be heroes in our own lifetimes. If we prevail… our triumphs will be etched into the hearts and minds of a grateful world for untold generations. I'm talking about glory. True glory.
Kanti narrates her letter to Luna and soldiers begin to climb down the cargo net on the side of the ship into landing craft. These craft start making for the Albion coast.
Kanti (narrating): Colonel Kitwana can give a nice speech. His pep talk reminded me of the one Coach Pakwa gave us on our Mother’s Night game against Susquehanna. I'm sure you remember we lost by 67 points. (Focuses on Sokolov and Khand) Always looking over Khand’s shoulders is Lieutenant Sokolov. He's got him on a tight leash. But if Khand breaks free, we'll all get bit. Ever since I found my gift, I wanted to be like you, Luna. You've always been a tough act to follow. But I'll do my best.
Gameplay
We are now in first-person again as Kanti.
Kanti (narrating): It's now or never.
Kanti is writing in her notebook, the photo of Luna pinned to a page, as their landing craft drives for the Albion shore. Kanti is interrupted by Rei.
Rei: Hey! I wish I was coming home to her!
Kanti: That’s my sister! Just wait ‘til we hit Lutetia. Enough girls for the rest of your long life.
Rei: I’m starting to realise how far away it is.
Kanti take a quick glance at her notebook and closes it before tucking it into her pack.
Sokolov: Remember. No digging in at the shore. You advance. You need to stay low and do not bunch up. Stick to your training and you're gonna make it through.
Khand: Most of you, anyway.
Medium bombers pass by overhead, resembling the Junkers Ju 88 (in this universe known as Dragons) on a heading towards Albion.
Tao: Alright! Give em hell, boys.
Text appears across the screen.
X-DAY Lùnastal 17th, 397 NE Rheged, Northern Albion
Rei: The beaches are meant to be flattened, right?
Khand: You sound scared, Private.
Rei: No, sir.
Khand: You should be.
Driver: Hey, you! You!
Kanti turns to look at the landing craft’s driver behind her.
Driver: Got a light?
Kanti: Sure thing.
Kanti snaps her fingers a couple times and produces the flame again.
Driver: Oh – you’re one of them.
Soldier: Never trust a witch.
As the driver lights his cigarette on her finger, a bullet hits the boat’s machine gunner in the throat; he falls, flailing, with blood spurting out of his neck like in a Tarantino film. Shells start to fall.
Driver: Bastards!
Sokolov: Everyone down!
Rei: This is it!
Ork artillery lands in the grey ocean all around, spraying the craft with water. Kanti crouches with the rest of the troops.
Soldier: Watch out!
Bullets bounce off the landing craft’s armour.
Soldier: This isn’t fun!
Driver: Five hundred yards!
Another shell lands nearby and sprays the craft with water. Kanti trips but is held up by Khand grabbing her arm.
Driver: We’re gonna have to pull off!
Sokolov: No, we stay on mission! You're taking us in!
Driver: We must have drifted! I can't see the landmark!
Khand: You heard the lieutenant. Full speed!
Sokolov: Incoming!
An artillery shells blows up the neighbouring landing craft.
Soldier: By the Gods!
Sokolov: Hold tight!
An artillery shell, again, lands near the boat.
Kanti: Damn it!
Driver: Two hundred yards!
Looking up, a Dragon bomber is visible coming down with an engine on fire.
Driver: Twenty seconds!
Sokolov: Remember the plan! Get to the seawall!
Khand: Ceres! Aradove! Get the bangalore to the wire, fast! Everyone ready? Here we go!
Sokolov: Drop the ramp!
Driver: There's no cover!
Khand: That was an order, damn you! Drop it!
The ramp drops just as a landing craft consumed with flames comes crashing into theirs.
Rei: Oh, shit!
Kanti is knocked off her feet by the impact. Looking up, she watches as machine gun fire from the clifftops chops down a number of soldiers on the boat now that the ramp has been dropped. One has his head blown off and his neck is left spouting blood over Kanti as others are also cut down.
Sokolov: Over the sides! Now! Now!
Kanti follows as the survivors climb over the boat’s side. She stays underwater for a few seconds before being helped to her feet by Sokolov, spluttering.
Sokolov: I got you, child!
Just behind him, the beach is consumed by fighting and the noise of war is deafening.
Sokolov: Get your head down and keep moving!
Sokolov leads Kanti out of the surf, a burning soldier falls screaming from another landing craft and into the water, while carnage reigns all around. Bodies are floating all about and the water is red with blood.
Sokolov: Kanti; on me!
Running through the sand as explosions go off all around, artillery can be seen curling from the Ork lines towards the beach. Sokolov and Kanti hit the deck in front of some Ork tank traps.
Sokolov: Demolition team is dead! Take the bangalore and get to the seawall! We need to clear a path to the bunkers!
Kanti temporarily looks away, back to the water, and witnesses the bloodshed of soldiers dying, and a number running out of a landing craft on fire, while a warship close to shore opens fire on the coastal defences. Sokolov gets Kanti’s attention.
Sokolov: Kanti!
An explosion goes off nearby, half-soaking Sokolov’s face with gore. Someone just blew up.
Sokolov: This is your job! You got that?! Now pick up the banger!
Kanti moves the severed arm of a dead soldier to retrieve the bangalore. She looks upon the dead soldier’s corpse and, suddenly, her vision fades away and she sees his memories. This is the first of the Internal Vortex collectibles which can be found throughout the game, whereby additional lore is provided through Kanti’s ability to tap into the memories of certain corpses (human and Ork). In this case, the accessed memory tells a brief story of the soldier (Private Omid Afshani) and how he was part of a traditional military family and all his brothers have already fallen, told he would be a general someday, how he was born on a ship evacuating Persia (which goes some way to explaining why the Imperial military is so multiethnic – the whole world evacuated to the Americas) and how his last letter home from the ship told of how “I can’t wait to hear the birdsong again.”
Afterwards, she returns to lucidity.
Sokolov: Kanti! Kanti! You with me?!
Kanti: Yes!
Sokolov: You can do this!
Sokolov stands and starts running up the beach. Kanti watches after him.
Kanti: I hope so, sir!
Kanti looks at the dead soldier that was carrying the torpedo bangalore, and with one hand closes his eyes.
Kanti: Sorry.
Kanti takes the body’s R7 Remi rifle (comparable to the M1 Garand) and proceeds up the beachhead, trying not to get killed. The machine gun nests in the clifftop fortifications will open fire on the soldiers then wait for a few seconds to reload. This will be the player's chance to move up to avoid taking damage. The player moves from cover to cover – tank traps, the wreckage of vehicles such as half-tracks and light tanks, and shell craters, mostly.
Khand: Hurry before they reload! Move it!
Sokolov: Kanti! This way! Hurry! Stop and you’re dread!
Tao: Shit!
Sokolov: Those MGs are killing us! Get off the beach!
Khand: Private Kanti – get to the seawall!
Rei: Get to the seawall! I’ll meet you there!
A couple of armoured vehicles – light tanks resembling Soviet BT-7s, here called LT-5 Termites – are now also moving up the beach and providing fire support. One blows up.
Sokolov: Keep low. When there’s a break in the fire, run for it!
There’s a break in the fire – you run for it.
Sokolov: Kanti, get the bangalore!
When Kanti reaches the seawall, which is made up of a big mound of sand lined at its top by barbed fire and burning gasoline, she falls against it. Her fellow soldiers fall in alongside her or are already there. A lot of wounded are also there, being treated by medics as machine gun fire flies over their heads. Rei falls next to Kanti, her face covered in dirt and blood.
Rei: Kanti! Use the banger; I'll cover you! After we breach, keep pushing toward the bunker!
Kanti: You’re covered in blood.
Rei: It’s not mine. Focus!
Kanti sets up the torpedo bangalore, made up of two cylindrical rods, with the second able to fit inside the first. Her handling is shaky and she drops one rod. Rei picks it up for her and gives it back.
Rei: We're nearly there!
Kanti pushes the torpedo bangalore into the seawall.
Rei: Pull it! Pull it!
Kanti: Fire in the hole!
Kanti scrambles backwards and the bangalore explodes, tearing a hole in the seawall for the soldiers to pour through, dirt pouring down like rain.
Sokolov: Weapons ready! Fix bayonets!
Kanti fumbles for her bayonet and fixes it to her rifle. You can now use this as a melee weapon against enemy infantry.
Rei: Ready to see your first Ork?
Sokolov: Attack!
Sokolov leads the troops through the hole – and many, though not Sokolov, are cut down.
Rei: Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Sokolov: Push forward!
After passing through the hole, you are faced with a clearing sprinkled with tank traps and barbed wire. After that, trenches, and then the bluffs with fortifications spitting machine gun fire.
Rei: Into the trench! Hurry!
Soldier: Orks!
You now face your first Ork drones as you push towards the trenches. Once you get into the trench, you slowly clear it and a mortar position, presumably losing Health as you do. Once done, you turn a corner deeper into the trenches where Rei is located.
Rei: That wound looks bad! Here, take this!
Rei throws a health pack to Kanti. The player can now call on Rei, when the squad meter fills, to add a pack for a total of four.
Kanti: Many thanks!
The player moves through the trenches, clearing out Ork drones. Friendly troops leap across the trenches. The player then gets to the end of the trenches and reaches the bluffs covered by Ork fortifications. A slope goes uphill between the bluffs but machine gun fire pins the friendly troops down and makes it impassable.
Khand: We can't advance with those MGs firing on our position!
Sokolov: Hold tight. Fire support incoming!
Khand: Kanti, mark the target!
Khand throws a canister to Kanti. Kanti catches it and throws it uphill towards the Ork bunkers. Red smoke emanates. Sokolov is shouting into a radio.
Sokolov: Kestrel, target is lit up! Hit it now and hit it hard!
Radio: Roger, we have your smoke visual. Attack run inbound.
Explosions hit the MG bunker as rockets from a trio of dive-bombing jets which resemble de Havilland Vampires (in this universe called Banshees) come in and obliterate the fortifications. The jets pass by close overhead.
Tao: That's it! Let 'em have it!
Adlai: MGs are dead!
Kanti: (laughs) They tore them to shreds!
Sokolov: Get to the top!
You and your squad move up the hill – a wounded Ork, both arms missing, stumbles from the smoke and still tries to fight by biting at Sokolov. Sokolov shoots it down.
Sokolov: Crazy bastards.
More Ork infantry advance.
Ork: I shall wear your hide as a coat!
After defeating these Orks, the player advances to the top of the hill through which additional trenches burrow.
Sokolov: Kanti; I need you and Rei to take point and clear those bunkers! Go!
Rei: Had to be us!
You move in with your squad. There are five bunkers to clear. The first has a clearing full of mortar positions, where Ork infantry defend, and there’s more firing at you from inside the bunker itself.
Sokolov: Orks are dug in. Kanti, get a grenade in that bunker!
You break into the bunker and clear it out, including the machine gun post covering the beach.
Rei: First one’s down!
Sokolov: Bunker’s clear – everyone out.
You move on. Taking the adjoining trenches, you come across an Ork Officer – larger and more heavily armoured than the Drones you’ve been fighting so far – holding a human soldier by the neck. Assuming you shoot him in the head, the only non-armoured part, he’ll go down and the soldier is saved.
Soldier: Thanks! I owe you!
If not, and your bullets bounce off the Officer’s armour, he crushes the man’s neck in his hand and comes for you.
After that, you drive on through the trenches, killing a few more Orks, before turning and entering an underground bunker. Inside, the entry is covered by a machine gun post.
Khand: MG's pinning us! Someone toss a smoke!
You can do that, or you can perhaps kill the machine gunner. Up to you. Afterwards, you drive on through the underground bunker. It’s a bit of a catacomb full of dormitories and a radio room. Eventually, you clear it.
Khand: Bunker's clear. Let's go!
Sokolov: Everybody out, bunker's clear!
You head back outside, 2 of 5 bunkers complete. You continue through the trenches, meeting fresh Orks.
Rei: There’s artillery hitting the beach! The next assault wave won’t make it!
Khand: Keep pushing! That artillery is hammering our ships!
Kanti: On it, sir! Yeah, I can do this, I can do this…
You carry on through the trench. Some Banshee jet fighters screech overhead. Reaching the entrance to the next bunker, you see a friendly – Corporal Lieu – with an F3 Inferno – a backpack flamethrower. He fires it down the bunker at unseen enemy troops before being gunned down.
Kanti: I'm going in!
Rei: Careful!
You enter the bunker – you can pick up the F3 Inferno as you do, which doesn’t last long but which is fun to use.
Ork: Come, little men!
You clear the bunker. As you reach the machine gun post, you enter into a quicktime moment. Kanti gets ambushed around a corner by an Ork soldier, who grabs her by the throat and pins her to the wall, but she jams her combat knife into his neck. Falling from his grasp, she sees the machine gunner just as a shell from a ship offshore hits the bunker dead-on and blows it, and him, to smithereens. Rei appears from the dust and helps Kanti to her feet.
Rei: Shit! Fucking Navy. Don’t they believe in us?
Returning from the machine gun nest, some Orks have shown up to try and retake the bunker. Take them out and then the bunker’s cleared.
The next bunker is just a hop from this one – you enter, at first finding nobody, before discovering an Ork pinning an Imperial soldier to the wall.
Soldier: Somebody help!
You, I should hope, kill the Ork.
Soldier: Thanks! Oh, hey, a girl…
Kanti: You wish.
You drive into the bunker, in the heart of which is a mortar position, and take out the Ork defenders. With that, the bunker is cleared.
Khand: Move up, move up!
Everyone rallies at the big steel door at the end of the bunker.
Khand: Adlai. Tao. With me. Kanti, you and Rei clear the next bunker. Rally at the top of the bluff, and for fuck’s sake try not to get yourselves killed.
You interact with the big steel door and open it, before going with Rei down some more trenches.
Kanti: Alright, Rei. One more!
Rei: We got this!
You turn a corner into a clearing before the bunker. There’s Orks both defending it on the ground and a sniper on top of the bunker itself. After dealing with this, you head inside, Rei behind you.
As you enter the bunker, Kanti is ambushed by an Ork Major – she is thrown to the floor and the Ork stands over her, pulling out a knife.
Ork: Never did fear smell so sweet.
Rei jumps onto its back and holds onto him around the neck. The Ork manages to throw Rei onto the ground before stabbing her through the belly.
Kanti: Rei! Oh, shit, no!
The Ork soldier leaves the wounded Rei, knife still sticking from her stomach, and approaches Kanti.
Ork: Stand and face me, woman. Show some honour.
Kanti stands and fights the Ork, which through its superior strength easily ends up on top of her, taking away her knife and now pushing it down towards her with both hands. Then, Kanti’s hands light up and the flames return – her whole hands are on fire. The Ork roars in pain and surprise and backs away, looking at its burned hands, before Kanti runs at him as the flames go out and tackles him to the ground. The Ork is still stronger and goes back to throttling her – but they’ve fallen near Rei, who yanks the knife out of her belly and jams it into the Ork’s chest.
Ork: The glory…
The Ork dies. Kanti climbs off and approaches Rei, who suddenly brandishes a pistol.
Kanti: Whoa, Rei…
Rei: Duck!
Kanti does so and Rei shoots the unseen Ork which was behind her. Kanti looks back to Rei, who is dealing with quite a lot of pain.
Kanti: Come on, you’re okay, you’re okay.
Rei: I can't walk.
Kanti pulls up Rei’s uniform to see her stomach – the wound is gushing blood.
Kanti: Oh, shit…
Rei: That bad?
Kanti: It’s not great.
Rei: Would you mind getting me out of here?
An explosion, presumably artillery – Kanti looks down the bunker to see it shudder, rubble falling from the ceiling.
Kanti: Yeah, course, no problem Kinsi, just stay with me, okay? Can you do that?
Rei: I’m gonna have to try. Pulling that knife out was pretty fucking stupid, huh?
Kanti: No comment. Come on.
The player starts dragging Rei out of the bunker and outside. Across a pretty dangerous clearing are friendly lines.
Kanti: We've gotta get back to friendly lines!
Kanti starts dragging Rei across the grass
Rei: On your left!
Kanti shoots the Orks which appear from the left with her pistol and keeps going.
Rei: You’re gonna… have to tell me… how you did that fire thing.
Kanti: I will when I figure it out myself!
They keep going.
Kanti: Not much further. Just keep pressure on that wound.
Rei: I’m trying!
Kanti drags Rei to a wall of sandbags and clambers over them.
Kanti: We gotta take cover!
Rei, in what is pretty clearly a painful endeavour, follows suit and lays in the mud. With her pistol, Kanti faces the Orks now coming for them.
Ork: Tasty, salty man-flesh!
Rei: How many?
Kanti: Too many!
Once the Orks are dispatched, Kanti looks back down at Rei.
Kanti: We're clear! Come on!
Kanti starts dragging Rei through the mud.
Rei: You call that fuckin' clear?
They skirt the edge of the trenches – an Imperial soldier with a flamethrower is dousing a group of Orks in fire. They continue along the edge of the trench, which is lined with barbed wire and so inaccessible, at least for Rei.
Rei: I'm losing too much blood. I think. You need more than half, right?
Kanti: Just hang in there! I gotta find a clearing to get in the trench!
Kanti places Rei down as smoke canisters pop, obscuring the next Ork wave to come their way.
Ork (from somewhere in the smoke): The clan will feast on you!
Kanti: Keep your head down!
Rei: Did you get 'em?
Kanti: They keep coming! How many of these fuckers are there?!
After taking out four or five, Kanti turns back to Rei.
Rei: Watch out!
Rei, with her sidearm, shoots down an Ork drone running at them from behind.
Rei: Still got it.
Kanti: Now’s our chance!
Kanti keep dragging Rei along the edge of the trench, smoke from the Ork canisters obscuring everything. As she goes, an Ork grenade lands at her feet.
Kanti: Fuck!
Kanti throws grabs it and throws it away. She sees an open area in the trench.
Kanti: Bingo!
Kanti jumps down into the trench, up to her ankles in mud, then turns back to Rei.
Kanti: I got you!
Rei rolls off the edge of the trench and lands in the mud at Kanti’s feet. A few more Orks appear from the smoke and Kanti shoots them down. She then looks down at Rei, who’s on the edge of losing consciousness, and then looks down the trench where more Ork infantry are coming at them.
Kanti: Oh, give us a break!
Kanti takes them out. Then, she turns back to Rei and starts dragging her down the trench.
Rei: Oh, wow, I'm actually bleeding out.
Kanti: Just keep pressure on it!
Rei: I’m trying! I’m trying!
Kanti: Almost there!
They reach some concrete steps – a friendly soldier is at the top.
Soldier: Come on up here! Move, move!
Kanti starts dragging Rei up the stairs – the soldier runs down and helps.
Soldier: I got you!
Two Orks come around the corner – someone on the top of the stairs shoots them both down. They reach the top of the stairs and find themselves in the middle of a friendly improvised triage centre. Kanti lays Rei down, whose face is very dazed, as she flicks off her helmet, blood trickling from her mouth.
Kanti: Okay. Stay with me. Healer!
Nobody comes – everyone’s busy.
Rei: I need morphine. All the morphine.
Kanti takes out a syringe of morphine, pulls off the cap with her teeth, and injects Rei in the thigh. Rei’s breathing is strained and painful. Kanti puts a hand under her head as a pillow.
Kanti: You gotta hang on. Those girls in Lutetia are waiting for you.
Rei: Really?
Kanti: Of course.
Rei: I… uh… how about another look at your sister?
Rei manages a smile, sniggering through the pain, and Kanti laughs, too.
Kanti: You’re infuriating.
Rei: It's okay. I can't see shit. I'm just gonna rest right here.
Rei’s eyes close.
Kanti: No, no, no, you need to stay awake. Hey.
Kanti puts her hand against Rei’s face, slapping her awake, and Rei’s eyes open.
Rei: Mona…
Kanti: I'm here.
Rei makes eye contact.
Rei: Help me.
Kanti: I need a fucking Healer!
A Healer finishes treating a wounded soldier and rushes over, taking over from Kanti in trying to stop the bleeding.
Healer: I got this! Go!
Kanti looks back down at Rei.
Kanti: But… but I…
Sokolov appears, standing over them.
Sokolov: Kanti! He'll take care of her. I need you with me. (to others) Listen up! There's an Ork cannon just a little up the road. It's tearing up the beach – we’re gonna stop it. Let's roll!
Kanti looks back down at Rei, who’s reaching out to her. Kanti takes her hand for a moment.
Kanti: Just stay alive, okay?
For a moment, with Rei on the very edge of death, little flickers of her memories flash before Kanti’s eyes. We see her mother telling her she’s a disappointment, Rei sitting in a prison cell, and then being told by a recruiting officer that “the Army’s running out of men – we need some ladies ready to be heroes.” Then Kanti returns to lucidity and Rei’s face.
Rei: I promise.
Their hands part and Kanti stands, grabbing a rifle, and joins the rest of the squad.
Sokolov: Check your ammo and grenades!
Khand: You heard him! Up the road, now!
Kanti and the rest of the squad move out of the top of the bunker, along a field pock-marked with craters, then go onto a dirt road leading towards a farm.
Kanti: Moving up!
Khand: Let's move!
Sokolov: Be ready – these Orks don’t look like the surrendering type!
You keep moving up the road, finding some dead cows as you go.
Khand: Move fast! They're shelling the beach to shit!
You reach the target – a machine-gun nest is set up in a half-destroyed farmhouse and starts shooting at you as you appear.
Sokolov: MG in the hay loft! Take cover and take it out!
After taking out the machine gun, you keep moving up to fight Orks among the farmhouses and hay bales. A large artillery cannon is in the centre and you move to clear it and secure the area, moving in a couple of the farmhouses to do so.
Adlai: Where’s all the civilians?
Khand: In the Ork’s stomachs, probably!
Once you’ve cleared everything, silence seems to fall.
Soldier: Orks coming in from the south! A lot of them!
Sokolov: They’re gonna try to retake the cannon! We gotta hold this position!
Khand: Not a step backwards!
The squad defends the position as a couple waves of Orks swarm towards them. You can use the machine gun posts in the upper floors of the farmhouses to help fight them off.
Adlai: There’s too many of them!
Khand: Hold! Have courage!
Still the Orks swarm the field to the south – until explosions start to blow them away. Termite tanks appear from the left, their 45mm guns tearing through the Orks, which are either slaughtered or flee.
Tao: Our boys are coming in!
Adlai: Look at them scatter!
Sokolov: Alright, everyone. We mopped them up good. I don’t think they’ll be back.
Khand: Clear! Destroy that cannon!
Kanti goes to the cannon and crouches down behind it. An Imperial soldier appears next to her.
Soldier: Thermite!
The soldier carries a number of thermite charges inside his helmet like a bucket and empties them out in front of Kanti. Kanti lights one of them.
Kanti: Fire in the hole!
Everyone backs away – you probably should too – and the thermite explodes. The cannon is destroyed.
Sokolov: Excellent work, Kanti. Alright, everyone, rally on me to the assembly point. Khand, I'll need a casualty report. We lost so many.
Khand: But we took the beach.
Sokolov: What a price.
At the rally point, Rei is on a stretcher on the ground, a cigarette in her mouth as Tao is knelt next to her.
Rei: Kanti...
Rei tries to sit up and Tao puts out a hand to encourage her to lay back down. Given the pain on Rei’s face, that’s probably a good idea.
Tao: Man, I thought I'd seen everything…
Kanti: She gonna be okay?
Tao: Yeah. They taped her up pretty good.
Rei: I should’ve stayed on the boat.
Tao: Oh, now she tells us.
Kanti: Hey, what you did back there… I owe you. Big time.
Rei: I’d say we're even.
Kanti: We'll see this through.
Rei smiles.
Rei: To the end. I guess.
Kanti: Whenever that may be.
Sokolov and Khand walk by behind Rei; Sokolov addresses everyone. Kanti glances up at them, then back at Rei, who just gives her a knowing nod, then stands as she looks back at their superiors.
Sokolov: Beachhead's secured. We'll bivouac at the second hedgerow after the ridge. It’s not over, everyone.
Behind them, a couple of dead Orks are being examined. Adlai is taking photos of one while a soldier gently kicks the head of another.
Soldier: Stop kicking it.
Soldier #2: I don’t wanna.
Khand regards Kanti. There’s blood in his beard.
Khand: Welcome to the Smiling Sixty Sixth. You're a long way from home, farm girl.
Khand walks off. Sokolov watches Kanti, then approaches when Khand is out of earshot.
Sokolov: That’s his way of saying he’s grateful. You did well. Not bad for your first day.
Kanti: Thanks, sir. I, uh…
Sokolov puts a hand on Kanti’s shoulder.
Sokolov: You'll be alright, child.
Kanti: Yes, sir.
Sokolov pats her shoulder, nods, then walks off. Kanti looks down at her hands, covered in dirt and blood, which hold each other before slowly separating.
Kanti: Course I will.
The level ends.

I just finished my second year of college. For my first 3 semesters I was struggling with unmediated ADHD, and depression. My grades in gen ed classes where poor because of this. Averaging a 2.6-2.9 and ultimately ending with a 2.7 going into the spring 2023 semester. However, this semester I was able to get help. I ended this semester with 3.7, bringing my cumulative gpa up to a 3.0. Still not great but still an improvement.
I would like to attend grad school, but am worried these few bad semesters will prevent my chances. I’m on track to graduate next spring a year early, and I’ve received nothing lower than a B+ in courses related to my major. But I don’t know if that’ll matter much or help me out.
I’m also pretty involved on my campus as an RA. I also have a board position in one of our campus clubs that’s related to my major and am part of my school student giving society and student activity board. I have also worked with the schools office of institutional giving by reaching out to alumni for fundraising opportunities. Will being heavily involved on my campus help improve my chances of getting into a grad school?
I go to school in la, and realistically would prefer to stay in la for school. I’m currently studying journalism and would like to keep studying journalism in grad school or study public relations. At the moment programs at USC have sparked my interest, but I don’t know if it’s worth it for me to even apply given my past few rough semesters.
Has anyone in a similar position had success with getting into grad school? If so, where do you go?

I just finished my second year of college. For my first 3 semesters I was struggling with unmediated ADHD, and depression. My grades in gen ed classes where poor because of this. Averaging a 2.6-2.9 and ultimately ending with a 2.7 going into the spring 2023 semester. However, this semester I was able to get help. I ended this semester with 3.7, bringing my cumulative gpa up to a 3.0. Still not great but still an improvement.
I would like to attend grad school, but am worried these few bad semesters will prevent my chances. I’m on track to graduate next spring a year early, and I’ve received nothing lower than a B+ in courses related to my major. But I don’t know if that’ll matter much or help me out.
I’m also pretty involved on my campus as an RA. I also have a board position in one of our campus clubs that’s related to my major and am part of my school student giving society and student activity board. I have also worked with the schools office of institutional giving by reaching out to alumni for fundraising opportunities. Will being heavily involved on my campus help improve my chances of getting into a grad school?
I go to school in la, and realistically would prefer to stay in la for school. I’m currently studying journalism and would like to keep studying journalism in grad school or study public relations. At the moment programs at USC have sparked my interest, but I don’t know if it’s worth it for me to even apply given my past few rough semesters.
Has anyone in a similar position had success with getting into grad school? If so, where do you go?