Wide mesh hardware cloth

Sometimes when you look into the mirror, the mirror looks back.
William Bailey's forehead shattered the mirror like a sledgehammer. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was the feeling that he was falling through the mirror. Sub-cranial hematoma, a concussion, maybe even a cracked skull--that had to be the reason for the strange feeling. The mirror was mounted on the wall just to the right of the bar, four feet tall by about three feet wide. As consciousness slipped away, common sense and his strong belief in the rational world told him that he couldn't fall through the mirror. He must have bounced his head off the wall and be falling toward the floor.
It seemed like just a second or two before William's eyes popped open. He lay on his back, on the hard wood floor of Fausto's, with Johnny Davis towering over him. Big Johnny probably wanted to finish him off, maybe kill him, and finally end their twenty-year-old feud. Either Big Johnny Davis and the ceiling lights above him were spinning, or William's head was spinning, but either way something wasn't right.
He raised his head and looked to his left, toward the bar. Except the bar wasn't there. Instead, he was staring at the bathrooms. That didn't make sense. It must be his brain that had gotten spun around. William turned his head and peered over his size-ten wingtips at the busted mirror. The wooden frame and most of the glass still clung to the wall, the rest sat broken on the ground. The bar had to be on his left. He looked again, and still saw the bathrooms. A brain bruise, maybe some fluid pressure building up might be the cause of it.
"Get up!" Big Johnny Davis said.
William looked up at him. Johnny stood behind him, just beyond his shoulders. Perfect place for him to stomp my head into the plank floor. Except Johnny Davis was holding out his hand.
"Come on, we've got to get out of here."
Davis looked scared. It was the first time William Bailey could ever remember Johnny Davis looking scared. William had always been scared of Big Johnny, but Big Johnny wasn't scared of anything or anyone.
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Johnny glanced over his shoulder. William craned his neck to look where Johnny was looking, saw he was staring at the front door like a man terrified something bad was going to come through it. Big Johnny looked down at him again and pumped his hand. "Come on, get up. They'll be here any second."
"Who?" William asked. "Who'll be--" But before he finished, Big Johnny Davis reached down, grabbed him by both arms, and jerked him to his feet.
As he was dragged toward the door by the only man in town who truly hated him, William glanced up and saw the rusted metal sign nailed above the door. He had to have a concussion, probably severe; that had to be it, because the letters on the sign were backward. It said TUO.
As Johnny Davis pulled him out the door, William heard tires skid on the pavement.
"Where's your car?" Johnny asked.
William twisted away from the big man's grip, then turned to his left. "In the alley." He started to run, still not sure exactly what he was running from.
Behind him, Big John shouted, "The alley's over here."
William kept running but turned his head back toward Johnny. "I know where the alley--"
Something hit him across the midsection and toppled him to the ground. He got his hands up just in time to break his fall and managed to keep his head from slamming into the sidewalk. When he looked up he saw a shopping cart tumbled onto its side.
Once again, William found himself lying flat on his back, this time amid the spilled contents of the cart. It had been filled with junk: paper bags full of dirty clothes, canned food, bags of potato chips, a diamond shaped, orange road sign, and other trash that looked like it had been collected from back alley garbage bins.
The homeless man who'd been pushing the cart was scrawny, and wafer thin. His skin was the color of old shoe leather, and he wore a long gray beard, tangled and matted with food and bits of filth. He was sprawled on the ground next to his cart, half sitting up, staring at William with his bright blue eyes.
Car doors slammed, men shouted.
"You better get going," the homeless man said, as he cocked his head. "The police after you?"
Police!
Before William could assure the old man that the police weren't after him--he was a respected businessman and family man--someone behind him grabbed him under both arms and pulled him to his feet. William turned and found himself staring into the face of Johnny Davis. "The alley's that way," Johnny said, pointing to the other side of Fausto's. With one hand gripping William's jacket, Johnny dashed across the front of the bar toward the alley. The alley--right there, plain as day--on the other side of Fausto's, right where it shouldn't be, where it couldn't be. William had been here a thousand times. As you stepped out of the bar, the alley was on the left, Brockton's Ace Hardware on the right. Now everything was mixed up and in the wrong place.
Johnny Davis turned down the alley, dragging William behind him. After just a few steps, a spotlight flashed in front of them.
"Stop!" a voice commanded. "Get on the ground."
William couldn't see because Johnny was in his way. "Who's that yelling?" he asked.
Big Johnny stopped and William plowed into his back.
"Get on the ground," the voice boomed again.
William poked his head out from behind Johnny Davis's back. The blinding white light was in his face. He couldn't see a thing.
POP! POP! POP!
Gunshots.
Big Johnny sagged, then crashed to his knees. Instinctively, William bent forward and grabbed hold of Johnny. "What's the matter?"
More pops.
Johnny's big hand reached out and shoved William back toward the street. "Back door," he wheezed, then plunged forward onto his face.
William stood alone. Behind the white spotlight he saw blue police lights flashing. He was totally exposed.
POP! POP!
He saw flashes--little yellow spurts of flame--as something tugged at his jacket.
William had said "back door." What back door? Fausto's had a back door, but it didn't lead anywhere except to the open space behind the building used for trash and deliveries. Twenty feet of asphalt between the bar and the back of the building on the next block. William had parked his car at the end of the alley, but the police cars--or whatever they were--had the alley blocked off. The building behind Fausto's also had an alley that ran alongside it, but the owner had closed it off to keep the bums out. He'd put up a gate, padlocked it, and topped it with razor wire. It was a dead end.
Two more pops. Dead end or not it was better than standing here and getting shot. William turned and ran. He burst through the front door of Fausto's, dashed through the bar, past the shattered mirror, hit the back door at a dead run, and was outside behind the bar within seconds.
He could see the tail end of his car sticking out from the corner of the building, but with the cops blocking the alley, his car was useless to him. William glanced across the open space to the alley that ran next to the other building. The gate, the padlock, the razor wire--all still in place. To his right an overflowing garbage dumpster sat beside the back of Fausto's, jammed against the fire ladder.
The fire ladder.
An iron ladder bolted to the cinderblock wall.
William looked up. The top of the ladder was lost in shadow, but he knew it went up two stories to the roof. Last summer, when the toilet had stopped up, he'd come out back to take a leak and had stood behind the dumpster, peeing against the wall like a kid, one hand draped over the bottom rung of the ladder.
He slipped behind the dumpster. The smell made him gag. The bottom of the ladder was four feet from the ground. William reached up as high as he could, grabbed hold of the third rung, then hauled himself up.
Through the partially open back door came the sounds of heavy feet pounding on the hard wood floor of the bar.
Halfway up the ladder, he was exhausted--and scared. Shaking, he white-knuckled the ladder. Being more than ten feet off the ground terrified him. He needed a break, just a second or two to catch his breath. There was enough moonlight so he could see into one of the second story windows. Inside, junk was piled everywhere. Old barstools, a busted jukebox, furniture stacked almost to the ceiling. Years ago, old man Fausto lived on the second floor, but Jake, who'd bought the place from the old man and had decided to keep the name, used it for storage.
Below him, William heard the back door thrown open so hard it banged against the wall. He scrambled up until he reached the top of the ladder, then hoisted himself over the edge of the roof. Down on the ground a voice shouted, "There he is, up there."
Another gunshot. What the hell was going on?
The unmistakable sound of feet--fast feet, in shape feet, boot shod feet--scurrying up the ladder. Standing on the tar and pebble roof, William glanced around for something he could use as a weapon, shocked he was even thinking of such a thing. A five gallon plastic bucket was all there was. It stood upright, filled with rainwater. He picked it up and peered over the edge. A uniformed policeman was three quarters of the way up the ladder. Two more cops were right behind him.
William looked at the heavy bucket in his hands, thought about just dumping the water onto them but knew it wouldn't stop them. There was only one way to stop them, and that was to knock them off the ladder. He thought about warning them, maybe trying to scare them away. But they were cops. You couldn't scare them away.
So why had they shot Johnny Davis, and why were they shooting at him?
The first officer looked up and saw William staring down at him with the bucket in his hands. Their eyes locked for just a second and the cop stopped. In those eyes that stared back at him, William saw an almost maniacal determination that sent a shiver down his spine. The officer held his grip on the ladder with his right hand while his left dropped to the pistol resting in his gleaming leather holster. In one smooth motion he drew his gun and raised it toward William.
William Bailey tossed the bucket down the ladder. A shot rang out an instant before the heavy bucket thudded into the cop's head. Like a gruesome traffic accident happening before his eyes, William couldn't help but watch as the policeman fell, taking his two partners down with him. The last thing William saw before he turned away was a jumbled heap of black uniforms resting on the concrete below the ladder.
* * *
Hiding in the shadow of a telephone booth, thinking. Home. He had to get home. Had to get back to Marge and the kids. Maybe somehow he could explain what had happened. Vincent, his attorney, he would know what to do--maybe--but he was a civil lawyer not a criminal attorney. He wrote contracts and did personal injury on the side; he didn't get people out of jail who'd killed a cop by dropping a bucket of water on his head and knocking him and his buddies off the side of a building.
As the cab he'd been waiting for pulled up, William stepped out from the dark and climbed into the back seat.
The driver turned around. "Where to?"
William pulled the door shut. "Uptown. 1721 Audubon Court."
"Fare's gonna be about fifteen dollars. After dark, I gotta have the money up front."
"What?"
"Company policy." The cabbie shrugged. "A lot of drivers been getting stiffed."
William opened his wallet, pulled out a twenty and handed it across the seat. The driver took it and almost slipped it into his cash box, then took a second look at the bill. His face tightened. "What the hell is this?"
"Huh?"
With the bill stretched between his hands, the cabbie stared at it for a second then looked up at William. "You're either the dumbest counterfeiter who ever lived or you've been had."
"What you are talking about?"
The driver faced the bill toward William but didn't hand it back to him. "It's printed backwards."
William looked at the twenty-dollar bill in the man's hand. It looked like--it was--an almost brand new bill, nothing wrong with it as far as he could tell.
"Get out of my cab," the driver said.
William didn't know what the man was talking about but knew he didn't want to get out. This cab was his only way home. He reached for the twenty. "If you don't like that one I've got another--"
The driver pulled his hands away. "I ain't giving this back. I got to turn it in to the police." He dropped one hand behind his seat back, then came up clutching a pistol, an old German Luger by the looks of it, the muzzle aimed straight at William's face. "In fact, I bet they give me a reward if I bring you in with it."
William jerked the door handle and rolled out into the street. He sprang to his feet and ran, the driver's yells just background noise. Has everyone gone crazy or is it just me?
Home. He had to get home.
* * *
Rain. Driving, relentless rain. William was just two blocks from Fausto's. In two hours, that's as far as he'd gotten--one block an hour. Police cars prowled the neighborhood, shinning spotlights into every nook and cranny, lighting up every shadow. Everyone in Fausto's knew his name. He'd been going there three or four nights a week after work for years. The cabbie had his address. William had given it to him when he told the hack driver where to drop him.
Ten o'clock at night, with nowhere to go and no way to get there, William sat behind the closed Goodwill store, under an overhang that barely kept the rain off of him.
Huddled in the dark, head sunk between his knees, he hadn't heard anyone approach.
"You don't look so good."
Startled, William looked up, prepared to run again. It was the homeless man he'd knocked over outside the bar. The one with the shopping cart and the leathery skin. William relaxed a little. "Excuse me?"
The man pushed his cart closer. "You're not supposed to be here."
William looked around. "Why not?"
The old man grinned, half his teeth gone.
William found it nearly impossible to tell his age. The guy could be forty and maybe had lived a hard life, or perhaps he was a well-preserved seventy, pickled by a lifetime of booze. William waved him off, expecting a plea for money. "I can't help you."
The old man stopped just a few feet away. "Everything's out of place isn't it?" He had a strange lilting voice. Almost like an accent.
And he was right. Everything was out of place--from Johnny Davis to the cab driver--everything was wrong.
Strapped to the back of the old man's shopping cart was a plastic sign about the size of a loaf of bread. William recognized the sign, the words, the colors, the logo of a local supermarket chain, all were familiar to him, but the letters were backward, unreadable.
Rainwater ran down William's face. He pointed to the sign. "Why's it written like that?"
The old man looked at the sign then back at William. "Like what?" he said, then shuffled away behind his basket.
* * *
The rain came down even harder. William slouched in a darkened doorway across the street from Fausto's. Nothing made sense. Everything was messed up, backward, out of whack. Almost like this wasn't his home, like he was a stranger seeing it for the first time.
But that was crazy. He'd grown up here, gone to Brother Martin High School, dated Jenny Underhill who went to Cabrini, lost her to Johnny Davis, then got her back only to lose her again the first year of college to some kid who drove a Mustang. Two years later William married Marge at Saint Luke's. They had two kids.
This town was his home. He recognized it. He knew the people here, Big Johnny and Zeke, the bartender at Fausto's. But things were different, little things. John Davis for one. In trying to help him, the big man had gotten himself killed. That wasn't John Davis--at least not the one William Bailey had known since seventh grade. Everything looked the same but wasn't. Nothing was quite right.
But they knew him--or someone like him.
A strange sensation crept over him that made the hair on the back of his neck rise. Maybe he didn't belong here. Maybe everything wasn't as it appeared. Maybe this wasn't his home. But if that were true, then whose home was it? Another thought, even scarier seeped through his brain. If he was here, who was there--at his home?
Crazy.
William dropped his head into his hands. Just considering such nonsense was a waste of time. Yet, here he was scanning the street, thinking of going back inside Fausto's, back to that mirror.
Not much time to think about it. The bar closed at three AM and it was already two-thirty. When he'd left--run for his life with Big Johnny--most of the mirror was still in the frame hanging on the wall.
Something about that damned mirror.
But Fausto's was dangerous, so a couple of hours ago William had found another mirror. In the men's room of a twenty-four hour gas station. The Chevron on North Rampart.
He had approached it cautiously, afraid he was going mad. As he peered over the sink into the mirror, he saw what he always saw, his own reflection. Holding up his left hand, he looked at the image in the mirror, at the watch strapped to his wrist. He noticed that the man in the mirror wore his watch on his right hand. Just the opposite.
William stood in the gas station bathroom for twenty minutes before he worked up his nerve. Finally, he took a deep breath, leaned back, then slammed his forehead into the dirt-streaked mirror. The glass shattered and cut his head. Blood dribbled off the tip of his nose into the sink. His reflection stared out at him from the other side of the mirror, blood running down his face, too.
I have gone crazy!
So the gas station hadn't worked out. Ducking police cruisers, William had wandered the streets, his head reeling. What was he doing?
On the sidewalk, he found a sopping wet magazine that the wind had blown up against the side of a newspaper machine. The cover caught his eye. He picked it up. It was printed backwards, the letters reversed, words running right to left. The spine was on the right. As he flipped through the pages, he couldn't read a thing. Then William had an idea.
In the bathroom of an all night restaurant he held the wet magazine up to the mirror. Perfect. The reflected image was normal, spine on the left, words running left to right, all the letters printed correctly. He could read it clearly. But what did it mean?
Then he drove his head into that mirror. The glass cracked. Someone walked in, a skinny waiter wearing an apron. He stood gawking as William leaned over the sink with tears of pain filling his eyes.
The waiter looked at the broken mirror, then jabbed a finger at William's bloody forehead. "What the hell are you doing?"
"An accident," he mumbled, pressing his fingers against the fresh cut.
The waiter turned. "I'm calling the cops."
William Bailey ran.
Now he was huddled in the rain staring at Fausto's across the street. Because he had nowhere else to go.
He stood and walked toward Fausto's. When he was halfway across the street, a police car glided around the corner, headlights reflecting off the wet pavement. The cops in no hurry, just cruising. William forced himself to keep walking, not to run. One foot in front of the other. In the downpour, odds were that the cops wouldn't even recognize him.
But they did recognize him.
The police car slid to a stop as its high beams clicked on and its blue strobe lights started popping. Both front doors flew open.
Like a sinner seeking the sanctuary of a church, William ran straight for Fausto's door. As he burst inside, Zeke looked up from behind the bar. "William! What the hell are you doing here?"
He ignored the bartender, running right past him, eyes focused on the broken mirror and its busted frame hanging on the wall.
Zeke again, "The cops been looking all over for you. Say you killed two officers and--"
Behind him the front door banged against the wall. "Police!" a voice behind him commanded. "Stop."
But William didn't stop. He kept running--running straight for the mirror. Reflected in its fragmented pieces he saw two uniformed police officers behind him, heard their boots pounding on the wooden floor. Just ten feet separated him from the mirror. At full speed he took two strides then dove. He stretched his arms out overhead and tucked his chin into his chest as his feet left the floor.
He felt one hand hit wall and the other strike broken glass. Then his head hit. More glass cracked, more skin split.
Darkness.
* * *
William's eyes popped open. He was staring at the ceiling. Rough voices, even rougher hands. They rolled him over onto his stomach and jerked his arms behind his back. He felt cold steel on his wrists and heard the metallic ratcheting as the handcuffs tightened and bit into his skin.
He tilted his head up and rested his chin against the floor. Blood poured down the side of his face; he watched it pool on the floor then seep between the wooden planks. By rolling his eyes up he could just see the empty spot on the wall where the mirror had hung. Lying on the floor, three feet from his head, was the broken frame and the rest of the glass.
The two cops grabbed his arms and yanked him to his feet, sending waves of pain through his shoulders and wrists. As they spun him toward the door, one of the officers said, "You're under arrest."
"Why?" William asked.
The officer pressed his face into William's. "Murdering your family for starters."
"My...my family." William felt his stomach cinch and his bowels turn to ice. A thought he'd had earlier in the night echoed inside his head. If he was here, who was there--at his home.
As the cops dragged him across the floor, William glanced up and saw the rusted metal sign nailed above the door.
OUT.
He was home.

I found out my fiance was cheating on me when I was 8 months pregnant. A bit of a hard blow. Now for context this guy was a wealthy guy and he liked nice things. He had a lot of expensive high end clothing. Now I am not a revenge type person and I am don't like conflict (or repercussions) and I was in a pretty vulnerable position. So after I asked him to leave I went and got all of his suit trousers and carefully loosened/I picked the stitches around the crotch/seat area. This was not really noticeable. However any bending or crouching they would have split wide open. I never got to see or even hear about this but I know it must have happened. It was a slight source of comfort.

Wood siding. Cedar I think. What kind of options do I have for repair here?
Previous owner stapled hardware cloth over one hole. Looking for something in between that and replacing boards. Not super concerned with cosmetics. We are in the woods and want to make sure birds, snakes, bats don’t find homes in there.
Is there a product I can fill the hole with and sand and try to match paint? Is there something else I should be concerned with here?

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/30/23742503/motorola-razr-40-ultra-foldable-specs-cpu-leak

• Connection: 5G; Dual SIM
• Cameras: 12MP front, 13MP front wide, 32MP selfie
• Display: 6.9" interior pOLED 165Hz, 3.6" cover screen pOLED 144Hz, Gorilla Glass 7
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Battery: 3800mAh
• Waterproof: IP52
• OS: Android 13 stock
• Colors: Black, Glacier Blud and Magenta

​
In terms of pricing it will sell cheaper in the US (suppossedly $1,000) and suppossedly go by a different name.
Pros of new RAZR vs. Flip 5

1. Bigger and higher resolution & framerate cover screen
2. Higher framerate inner screen (120Hz vs 165hz)
3. Faster charging (33W vs 25W)
4. Larger battery (3800mAh vs 3,591mAh)

Cons of new RAZR vs Flip 5

1. Chip is more power hungry and slower (Snapdragon 8 + Gen1 vs Snapdragon 8 + Gen2)
2. No wireless charging
3. Less waterproofing: IP52 vs IPX8

Not sure why Motorola is selling this new RAZR with the same chip as they did in the RAZR 2022. Regardless more competition in phone foldables is always a good thing to force Samsung to price the Flip 5 competitively and continue to upgrade its hardware and software.

Nvidia graphics cards are at the heart of the hardware that runs AI technology such as ChatGPT and with this increased interest in AI their stocks have shot right up.
Recently I have been seeing some amazing things done with Photoshops new AI features in the beta and with this new obsession with AI I was wondering if anyone thought about jumping in on Adobe stocks because this feature is gonna be widely used in photo editing around the world to be sure and as it gets better even in movie editing. Adobe products are essential in many major businesses already and because of a recent downtrend it could possibly be a good time to invest now before people catch on.

Asking for a friend

Ive had the fold 1 for about 2.5 years and lately its very bad. The hardware and the software both suffer a lot in my experience. And im not some old guy who isnt technologically illiterate. Im very very well versed in tech. It may not happen to all but its a big problem.
It starts off great but over time small problems keep coming up. At first they arent that bothersome but samsung some times doesnt fix it at all. For eg, smart view is so laggy on some tvs. No fix after 2.5 years. Not tvs fault btw. A budget vivo did better by miles.
And recently, the camera app gave up. The zoom camera stopped working in native camera app and even if i zoom 1.2x which is essentially a digital zoom of 1x camera, the app freezes qnd crashes. The 1x works fine. So its obviously a software issue. Another one is that the files app crashes when searching something.
Hardware also suffers as battery degrades waaay to quick even after 85 percent cap and proper attention to keeping it in 40 to 60 range. The display randomly gets dead pixels and the hinge is creaky too. The fingerprint scanner used to be very irritating till the fkin covering itself came off one day when i was cleaning the phone with microfiber cloth. Amazing.
To conclude, im never buying another samsung again. Ill probably try another Android now like pixel but till samsung gets their act together, i aint buying 1 thing from them.
I used to be a samsung fanboy of all things. I have bought s7 edge and loved it. Same for s10 but it was a bit worse but good enough. The fold is really not ready. I know its a 1st gen product but the newer folds arent that much better anyway. Plus the s23 lineup looks like mid-rangers now compared to s10 line where even base model was legit.

note: I'll format and edit this better when I get home. I wrote this on a phone while waiting on an interview that never showed up. I hope this helps and please add a comment with any tips I missed or questions
Whew...there is a lot of misinformation out there and I'm bored as hell, so here's some tips and tricks to changing settings in today's crazy PC gaming world. It feels like we're near the dark ages with the way optimization, pricing, and VRAM availability from a particular company who recently hit a trillion dollar market cap ( stingy bastards) is sowing chaos in the ranks. But fear not, for those new, need reminders, or just bored...here's a quick guide to optimizing your games to get the best bang for your buck.
Just reminding people that not being able to do ultra isn't a reason to be let down. Historically, it was never meant to be there for the vast majority of hardware to attempt. It's there to give the game more life when the game gets older for some and it's there to give a little extra polish for those who have hardware outside of the norm.
Generally speaking, high settings give the best bang for the buck. Although depending on how you educate yourself on each feature, you should be able to get an even better experience if you know your cards limitations and play to its strengths with each individual setting.
For example: AMD card? Ray tracing is going to hurt. If it's got ram like many models do vs nvidia, draw distance and texture quality is in your favor tho.
Nvidia? Ray tracing is easier to do and DLSS is king for cheating your eyes.
Also, remember the heavy hitters in vram use:
Shadow quality: ultra vs high is very very similar but ultra typically uses a ton more vram. If the game is action packed, who cares. If it's slow moving survival horror ... Crank it if you can but don't otherwise
Draw distance: same issue as shadow quality. Even medium in indoor settings will be very similar to high or ultra. Outdoors is another story. Stick to high if you can. Avoid ultra unless you're packing some heat hardware wise. Medium will introduce pop up textures similar to console quality.
Never super sample: know your AA and which to pick. Generally TAA is king if the developers spent the time not to make it blurry.
Texture quality: if your viewpoint is typically from a distance in game then high is a no brainer. If you're from a distance and action is fast, your eyes don't have time to see the finer details anyways so even medium suffices. Ultra can make a difference in this category visually but the vram cost is insane. You won't notice it unless it's a slow moving game.
Gimmick stuff like hair and clothing movement: typically are vram hogs. Turn them down or kill them.
Ray tracing: rough on AMD cards. Nvidia is built around it tho so it's more agile with it and uses less vram. Higher end 7000 series amd cards can typically brute force it's way through. 6000 series should stick to medium or low or turn it off completely and then turn up other features that play to the cards strengths. If you have a $400 or cheaper card, Nvidia or AMD, don't fall for the marketing hype train. We're closer than ever to mainstream ray tracing performance but it's not quite there yet. No matter what any marketing bs you read, it's going to be rough on your hardware unless you shell out the cash and even then you may have to compromise in other settings.
FOV: nice cheat mode here. Turn it down 1 notch for instant 5% less vram use in a lot of cases at 1440p or higher. If you have a ton of vram feel free to increase it to your liking. If you use a ultrawide monitor, the effect for or against your vram will be more significant.
Bloom, lens flair, motion blur, and other post processing filters and tricks: typically don't matter much and are purely based on your preference. If you don't like them and turn them all off you might get a slight boost but just one or two isn't going to matter either way.
Fps and refresh rate: find a refresh rate you're comfortable with and lock your monitor down to it. I don't notice any difference above 120fps personally but everyone is different. My monitor is 165 tho. But if I can't notice the difference between 120 and 165, why stress my video card trying to push 165? I locked it down to 120 max and now my 6900XT is so much quieter for it and my room gets less toasty. Also make sure your games' fps is locked to it via vsync to your monitors refresh rate. I had a buddy who had a 60refresh rate monitor but just let his card go burr for lost useless frames...you're not going to notice 140fps on a 60hrz screen. Match it 60 60.
Most importantly, play around. Get a feel for your card and don't make blanket statements that aren't true in a lot of cases. Remember console quality is typically mediumish with developer specific modifications made to optimize the game to a limited but very well known hardware profile.
PC hardware profile combinations measure in trillions of different situations. It's up to you to make the best of it on a per game basis. If you're seriously lazy, you can go to the auto Nvidia or AMD optimizer route in their extended driver packages but that isn't as fun or efficient.
I'll add more tips later if this gains traction, I hoped this helped someone. Have fun, everyone.

Hey everyone,
So, I've been chewing over the future of VR gaming recently and honestly, I'm on the fence. It's a whirlwind, right? We've got hardware companies throwing out new VR headsets like confetti, but on the other side, it feels like the software bigwigs are giving it a wide berth.
Take Sony for instance, they've just launched their PSVR2 - a solid improvement over the original PSVR, no question. But it's kinda like shouting in a void, because it seems like no AAA studios want to dive in, Sony included.
It's like a classic standoff - the major game developers seem to be holding their breath for VR to hit a wider user base before they're willing to throw their cash into a VR game. But then, you've got gamers twiddling their thumbs, waiting for that one killer game that'll justify splashing out on a VR headset. And so, we're all stuck in this weird limbo.
What's your take on this, folks?

I'm not sure for how long, but I have been getting a lot of fps drops inside cities and villages for a long time, man, I think even before I started my second recent playthrough.
I have replaced Jk's Skyrim with other mods such as Dawn of Skyrim and The Great Cities but it was not enough. I figured that maybe the polygon count was affecting my fps so I switched from PoeticAnt44's Pride of Skyrim AIO and Courageous Women AIO to Pandorable's whole npc's replacer series which doesn't use high poly head but rather racemenu sliders and others resources, and guess what? Still not enough to save me from that awful fps drop and constant ctd in cities.
Could it be a bad mesh? Or maybe script lag? I don't know, I'll just leave my load order here, pls help.
Load order:
Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
ccbgssse001-fish.esm
RSkyrimChildren.esm
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp
Vanilla Script MicroOptimizations.esl
Occ_Skyrim_Tamriel.esp
DMCO.esl
DodgeFramework.esl
OCPA.esl
Schlongs of Skyrim - Core.esm
skymojibase.esl
TrueHUD.esl
Expressive Facegen Morphs.esl
High Poly Head.esm
RealisticWaterTwo - Resources.esm
Lux Orbis - Master plugin.esm
Lux - Master plugin.esm
Lux - Resources.esp
RASS - Visual Effects.esl
1NGarmor.esl
Resources - The Great Cities.esp
SkyUI_SE.esp
Audio Overhaul Skyrim.esp
Immersive Sounds - Compendium.esp
TrueStormsSE.esp
Obsidian Weathers.esp
AOS_ISC_Integration.esp
SMIM-SE-FarmhouseFlickeringFix.esp
SMIM-SE-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp
Armor of Intrigue.esp
AHZmoreHUD.esp
Weapons Armor Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp
VisualAnimatedEnchants2023.esp
Lux Orbis.esp
JK's College of Winterhold.esp
The Great Cities - Minor Cities and Towns.esp
Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods.esp
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul.esp
AI Overhaul.esp
Skyrim Immersive Creatures Special Edition.esp
MysticismMagic.esp
HoldGuardsKeepArmorSE.esp
SubsurfaceScatteringShader.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
AOS_EBT Patch.esp
Attack_DXP.esp
AttackSpeedConvert.esp
BetterThirdPersonSelection.esp
HotKeySkill.esp
BowRapidCombo.esp
CommunityOverlays1_0T30.esp
CommunityOverlays2_31T50.esp
CommunityOverlays3.esp
Conditional Expressions.esp
Craftable Locpicks - 10.esp
dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp
DiverseDragonsCollectionSE.esp
Elder Souls - sweep attack standalone.esp
ElSopa - Potions Redone - My patches by Xtudo - Falmer Blood Elixir.esp
ElSopa - Potions Redone - My patches by Xtudo - Missing Vanilla Potions.esp
EVGConditionalIdles.esp
Footprints.esp
SkyrimIsWindy.esp
HIMBO.esp
IcePenguinWorldMap.esp
ImmersiveInteractions.esp
Improved Eyes Skyrim - Vamp.esp
Improved Eyes Skyrim.esp
ImprovedAlternateConversationCamera.esp
JustBlood.esp
Keytrace.esp
KS Hairdo's.esp
Mannequins Behave.esp
MCMHelper.esp
MoonGlowSize.esp
NyghtfallMM.esp
Precision.esp
RaceMenu.esp
RaceMenuPlugin.esp
Realistic-Voice.esp
sandboxcylinderheight.esp
scar-adxp-patch.esp
Schlongs of Skyrim.esp
SFO_SkinFeatureOverlays.esp
SkyHUD.esp
skymoji.esp
Sleeping Expanded.esp
SLFR - Flare Effect.esp
SmoothCam.esp
SOS - Smurf Average Addon.esp
SOS - VectorPlexus Muscular Addon.esp
SOS - VectorPlexus Regular Addon.esp
TheEyesOfBeauty.esp
TrueDirectionalMovement.esp
UIExtensions.esp
UltimateCombat.esp
Use Those Blankets.esp
XPMSE.esp
FNIS.esp
DBVO.esp
KALA EYES ELVES.esp
BarenziahQuestMarkers.esp
AllThievesGuildJobsConcurrently.esp
SprintSlide.esp
BeastHHBB.esp
ORM-Arvak.esp
RSChildren.esp
LunarGuardArmor.esp
SLFR - Obsidian Weathers.esp
True Storms - Obsidian Weathers - Patch .esp
GoTDragonsEnemy.esp
dD-Medium Script Range.esp
EBT - IC PATCH.esp
KS Hairdos SMP for Men.esp
Dawn of Skyrim.esp
JK's Understone Keep.esp
JK's The Bards College.esp
JK's Castle Dour.esp
JK's Blue Palace.esp
JK's High Hrothgar.esp
JK's The Winking Skeever.esp
JK's Temple of the Divines.esp
JK's Sky Haven Temple.esp
JK's Arnleif and Sons Trading Company.esp
Odin - Skyrim Magic Overhaul.esp
JK's Jorrvaskr.esp
JK's Mistveil Keep.esp
JK's Haelga's Bunkhouse.esp
JK's Temple of Mara.esp
JK's Palace of the Kings.esp
JK's Temple of Dibella.esp
JK's The Hag's Cure.esp
WACCF_Armor and Clothing Extension.esp
JK's Sinderion's Field Laboratory.esp
JK's Dragonsreach.esp
JK's Silver-Blood Inn.esp
Stendarr Rising.esp
JK's Elgrims Elixirs.esp
JK's Bee and Barb.esp
Lux Orbis - Great Cities and Minor Towns patch.esp
JK's New Gnisis Cornerclub.esp
JK's The Pawned Prawn.esp
JKs Palace of the Kings - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Temple of Dibella - ACE Patch.esp
Player Spell Lighting.esp
JKs Dragonsreach - Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Patch.esp
Stendarr Rising - RDO patch.esp
Lit Road Signs.esp
0Kaidan.esp
BWB - Kaidan 2 Extra Dialogue.esp
Kaidan - Immersive Features.esp
PAN_AIO_big.esp
AmazingFollowerTweaks.esp
Embers XD.esp
JK's Riverwood Trader.esp
Lux Orbis - Dawn of Skyrim patch.esp
JK's Radiant Raiment.esp
Run For Your Lives.esp
Cloaks.esp
Inigo.esp
JK's The Bannered Mare.esp
JK's White Phial.esp
JK's Sleeping Giant Inn.esp
JK's Angelines Aromatics.esp
JK's Temple of Talos.esp
JK's Candlehearth Hall.esp
JK's The Ragged Flagon.esp
Arcanum.esp
JK's Septimus Signus's Outpost.esp
JK's Bits and Pieces.esp
JK's Arcadia's Cauldron.esp
JK's Sadris Used Wares.esp
JK's Temple of Kynareth.esp
Undriel_Ebongrove.esp
Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp
Lux Orbis - Stendarr Rising.esp
Lux Orbis - CC Fish patch.esp
ForgottenCity.esp
Paragliding.esp
Eli_Dovah Vault.esp
Dawn of Skyrim - AI Overhaul Patch.esp
Embers XD - Patch - JKs Skyrim.esp
Missives.esp
JKs The Drunken Huntsman.esp
JKs Elgrims Elixirs - Bee and Barb Patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's High Hrothgar patch.esp
The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp
Lux Orbis - USSEP patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's College patch.esp
My Home Is Your Home.esp
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim.esp
Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp
Cloaks - USSEP Patch.esp
Cloaks_SMP_Patch.esp
JK's Belethor's General Goods.esp
JK's Warmaiden's.esp
JKs Temple of the Divines - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Understone Keep - USSEP patch.esp
JKs Angelines Aromatics - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Radiant Raiment - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Radiant Raiment - Cloaks Patch.esp
JKs Sinderions Field Laboratory - CC - Fishing patch.esp
JKs Bits and Pieces - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Septimus Signus Outpost - SIC Patch.esp
Paraglider Auto-Equip Tarhiel's Gale.esp
JKs Winking Skeever - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Winking Skeever - Fishing Patch.esp
Eli_CLBladeOfWoePatch.esp
JKs Arcadias Cauldron - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Palace of the Kings - Cloaks Patch.esp
JKs Ragged Flagon - USSEP Patch.esp
JKs Sadris Used Wares - ACE Patch.esp
JKs Temple of Talos - USSEP patch.esp
JKs Temple of Talos - ACE Patch.esp
JKs Temple of Talos - Cloaks of Skyrim patch.esp
JKs Drunken Huntsman - USSEP Patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Drunken Huntsman patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Bannered Mare patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Winking Skeever patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Bards College patch.esp
HighPolyInigo.esp
Embers XD - Fire Magick Add-On.esp
Embers XD - Patch - JKs Dragonsreach.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Bee and Barb patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Candlehearth Hall patch.esp
Lux Orbis - JK's Mistveil Keep patch.esp
Kaidan and Inigo Meet.esp
BarbWireBlondeJonSnowKaidan2.esp
LunarGuardArsenal_Battleaxe.esp
Skyland Watercolor - Slow Green-Vanilla.esp
Grass FPS Booster - SFO.esp
BWB - Kaidan 2 Dragon Bow.esp
GreatCitiesMissivesPatch.esp
PAN_NPCs.esp
PAN_NPCs_DG.esp
PAN_NPCs_DB.esp
PAN_NPCs_Males.esp
PAN_NPCs_Males2.esp
PAN_AIO_small.esp
PAN_LethalLadies.esp
PAN_Shieldsisters.esp
PAN_BlackBriar.esp
PAN_Brelyna.esp
PAN_WarriorWomen.esp
PAN_Frea.esp
PAN_Serana.esp
PAN_Valerica.esp
PAN_MarvellousMiners.esp
PAN_DevotedDames.esp
PAN_WickedWitches.esp
PAN_Sovngarde.esp
PAN_DashingDefenders.esp
Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim.esp
06.OrdinatorPAmco-kjg.esp
Lux.esp
Lux - AOS Obsidian Integration.esp
Lux - JK's College patch.esp
Lux - JK's Understone Keep patch.esp
Lux - RWT Patch.esp
Lux - CC Fish patch.esp
Lux - Ebongrove patch.esp
Lux - Forgotten City.esp
Lux - JK's Angelines Aromatics patch.esp
Lux - JK's Arcadia's Cauldron patch.esp
Lux - JK's Arnleif and Sons Trading Company patch.esp
Lux - JK's Bannered Mare patch.esp
Lux - JK's Bards College patch.esp
Lux - JK's Bee and Barb patch.esp
Lux - JK's Belethor's General Goods patch.esp
Lux - JK's Bits and Pieces patch.esp
Lux - JK's Blue Palace patch.esp
Lux - JK's Candlehearth Hall patch.esp
Lux - JK's Castle Dour patch.esp
Lux - JK's Dragonsreach patch.esp
Lux - JK's Drunken Huntsman patch.esp
Lux - JK's Elgrims Elixirs patch.esp
Lux - JK's Haelga's Bunkhouse patch.esp
Lux - JK's High Hrothgar patch.esp
Lux - JK's Jorrvaskr patch.esp
Lux - JK's Mistveil Keep patch.esp
Lux - JK's New Gnisis Cornerclub patch.esp
Lux - JK's Palace of Kings patch.esp
Lux - JK's Pawned Prawn patch.esp
Lux - JK's Radiant Raiment patch.esp
Lux - JK's Sadris Used Wares patch.esp
Lux - JK's Septimus Signus Outpost patch.esp
Lux - JK's Sinderion's Lab patch.esp
Lux - JK's Sky Haven patch.esp
Lux - JK's Sleeping Giant inn patch.esp
Lux - JK's Temple of Dibella patch.esp
Lux - JK's Temple of Divines patch.esp
Lux - JK's Temple of Kynareth patch.esp
Lux - JK's Temple of Mara patch.esp
Lux - JK's Temple of Talos patch.esp
Lux - JK's The Hag's Cure patch.esp
Lux - JK's Warmaidens patch.esp
Lux - JK's Winking Skeever patch.esp
Lux - Stendarr Rising patch.esp
Lux - Inigo.esp
Lux - The Great Cities - Minor Cities and Towns patch.esp
Lux - Embers XD patch.esp
Lux - JK's Blood Inn patch.esp
Lux - USSEP patch.esp
Lux - JK's Ragged Flagon patch.esp
Lux - JK's Riverwood Trader patch.esp
Lux - JK's White Phial patch.esp
Lux - Kaidan patch.esp
BWB - Kaidan 2 Lux Patch.esp
RealisticWaterTwo.esp
JKs Ragged Flagon - RW2 Patch.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Alt Volcanic Watercolor.esp
Modern Brawl Bug Fix.esp

I posted this on the Nerf Reddit for someone asking about reducing shell creaking. It works really well for repairs and body work for integrations. Not sure if someone already posted about this recently. A modder that knows more about modding than I ever will taught me about this. Feel free to add to it. I have it listed as cosmetic but the bond it creates is structural if you let it cure long enough. Generally 24 hours is long enough.
There is a solution that works very well but it takes some work and is a permanent, irreversible mod once done. You can take pieces of plastic from the shell of nerf blasters and dissolve them in a glass mason jar of pure acetone from Home Depot or a hardware store. Make sure you use a glass jar with a metal lid. It will take about a day for the plastic to dissolve into a goey liquid. You can add more acetone if you need to thin the “slurry” once it is completely dissolved. If it is too thin, leave the lid off for half an hour at a time until it reaches a consistency thick enough to work with.
Next, open the blaster and remove the internals completely. Take care (and may pictures) to remember how they go together so you can put the blaster back together when you are done.
Once you have the shell into two halves without internals, speared the homemade mixture on any seams/joints of the blaster. Be careful not to get it on any springs or moving parts or they will be ruined. Let it dry overnight and the next day it should be hard enough to replace the internals and close the blaster.
I used this technique on many blasters to reinforce the shells but in particular on a revolitnator and a modulus ecs-10 that were commissioned builds. It works very well but is incredibly messy and time consuming.
A few things to note:
• ⁠You MUST use ABS plastic. The best place I have found to get them is from Nerf brand shells. Many off brand blaster shells won’t work. • ⁠Most internal plastic is not ABS and won’t work for dissolving. The mixture also won’t stick to most internal pieces properly so trying to use it to fix catches and plunger rods, etc won’t work. • ⁠Most small orange plastic pieces on a Nerf shell are not ABS and won’t work. Triggers, sling mount pieces, some barrels/muzzles, and the like are not abs and won’t dissolve • ⁠You will need to have a thin metal rod of some kind and pure acetone on hand to work with the mixture frequently. The acetone inside the jar evaporated quickly while the lid is off and it will thicken inside the jar to the point where it is almost unmanageable after 1-3 uses. Add a little acetone, stir, close the lid, and wait a few mins to thin the mixture. • ⁠Be careful. The mixture sticks to almost anything and will ruin clothes, tools, furniture, carpet, etc. Work with it like you are working with wet paint that can’t be cleaned up. • ⁠Similar to paint, multiple thin coats are better than 1 thick coat. You can add a little more if you don’t get the desired results after each application. Removing this stuff once it sets will damage the shell plastic since it is a chemical reaction that literally melts the two plastics together. • ⁠Patience is key. If you need the blaster to use any time soon, don’t try this. If you aren’t patient in general, don’t try this.
Good luck!

Eientei was under attack, with hordes of youkai both feral and corrupt; most of them being rabbit youkai. They were charging in with their broken, bloody mallets while they bore forms more akin to their small and fluffy counterparts; albeit in a much more horrific manner. Some of them shrieked, screaming wildly while they charged forward, only for a long sharp blade to come around and slice a colony down.
Youki sheathed his sword slowly, followed by all the rabbits which had been sliced, having their blood spraying out of their arms, legs and chests until they plummeted to the ground; back where most of them belonged. He looked back for a moment before hearing someone approaching as he pulled out his sword once again.
He sliced another one that came at him with a mallet, then another that tried to attack him from behind. Both rabbits had their heads cut off, leaving them with decapitated bodies that twitched before falling.
“Hmph! Coward, trying to strike an old man while their back was turned.” Youki said to the dying rabbit.
Behind Youki was Kosuzu, Ko, Wakasagihime, Gummy and Shanghai, all of whom were either being carried or hiding behind Kosuzu, leaving the child spirit struggling to hold everyone’s weight; even if she happens to be dead. Ko specifically was shivering and trembling; stuffing herself with chocolate as a form of comfort.
“Uh, s-sir?” Kosuzu said. “I would like it if you didn’t show that kind of scenery in front of the kid. The last thing I want is for her to get nightmares after this.”
“Nonsense. Back when I trained Youmu I showed her many types of corpses and dead carcasses in order to improve her resistance to mental shock. Needless to say I think it didn’t have much success, probably the opposite even.” Youki said.
“Grandfather of the year right here.” Kosuzu thought to herself sarcastically. “I just hope everyone else is okay.”
Back outside of Eientei, Meiling and Mary were punching and slicing their opponents up. Meiling herself had PB equipped in order to boost her abilities; with PB taking the appearance of a blue Chinese fighting dress to match her preferences in design. She was palm striking, roundhouse kicking both feral and corrupted beings out of sight; blowing them away like striking a baseball as hard as one can with a bat in order to get a home run.
“Wow! I never felt so powerful before!” Meiling said while fighting. “I feel like I could face Taisui Xingjun and win without breaking a sweat!”
“That is good to hear, Miss Meiling.” PB said. “However you are aware that the more you use me, the more I drain you of your energy, correct?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll try to be careful.” Meiling said. “How are you doing Mary?”
Mary was too focused right now. She was plowing down rabbits and lost causes one by one while sucking them up of their blood using her daggers. She had a delightful smile on her face, the reflection of the moon on the glasses everyone was wearing.
“I’m doing great! The number of enemies coming to me like blood donors; ohhh… It is glorious!!!” She said while gutting one unlucky rabbit of all their blood.
“Uhhh…Are you okay Mary? You didn’t stare at the blood moon too long, did you?” Meiling asked.
“Oh, don’t mind her. Mary is usually like that on certain occasions.” PB said.
Cirno and Rumia meanwhile were still in the midst of their fight. Their swords clang and swung as they were both focused; though one was keeping a cool head, the other hot-headed. Rumia yelled and screamed with blind rage as her eyes glowed bright as the red-stained moon. Cirno was keeping up with her; not wanting to make the same mistakes she did as last time.
“Rumia! I know you’re in there!” Cirno shouted. “You can’t allow the moon to affect your sanity! Please, for Ko’s sake!”
“GRAAAAAAGH!” Rumia responded, swinging her sword down at the Ice Fairy.
Everyone was able to hold off the fending invasion. Youki sliced down his opponents, Meiling and Mary were out on the offense, and Cirno kept Rumia’s attention.
But further in the bamboo, a large squad of moon rabbits kept an eye on the group; analyzing the situation and the best course of action they should take.
“This is Rabbit group 2, I have an eye on the enemy. The red-haired girl and the crimson dressed lady currently have the armor on hand.”
“This is Rabbit group 1, I have infiltrated inside the base. The only threat so far is the swordsman; the rest do not look as though they pose a threat.”
“Rabbit group 3 here, two of the enemies are fighting one another. It seems one of them has been entranced by the moon.”
“Copy that everyone. Ready for my signal.” The Captain said.
Another feral youkai flailed their arms as they reached forward, only for that hand, their arm, and the rest of their body to be sliced into pieces by Youki, while their phantom half remained flying around them.
“Hmph! That makes another! Honestly, they come one by one just to get struck down by my blade.” Youki said.
Kosuzu and the others continued to stay behind him, but they’d gradually moved a little further back thanks to the pile of chopped corpses that now make up the inside of Eientei. But this was a mistake on their part, as they didn’t notice that someone else had sneaked in and grabbed Ko who was right behind everyone else.
“Wa-” Ko screamed when her voice was suddenly muffled.
“Ko?” Kosuzu looked behind, but only saw the bar of chocolate that Ko was previously eating.
“Ko!? Where are you!?” She asked in a panicked tone.” Youki, Ko is-”
Then Kosuzu’s voice was muffled, as was Wakasagihime, Gummy, and Shanghai thanks to the coordinated effort by the group of moon rabbits who infiltrated inside Eientei to take them away. Kosuzu tried to phase through, but the rabbits were wearing some kind of special equipment that made it impossible for her to accomplish.
Shanghai struggled the most, thanks to her small size. She slipped through the hands of the rabbits to alert Youki.
“Shanghai! Shanghai!” Shanghai let out their voice right before the rabbits grabbed her and stuffed her inside a bag.
“Hm?” Youki turned around and saw what was happening. He quickly readied his sword to attack; intending on striking all his enemies down in a blink of an eye. But the rabbits had prepared for such a scenario.
Falling from the ceiling a small moon rabbit jumped out, using the opportune and shot Youki with a dart, hitting him in the back of his neck. Immediately his body turned limp and he fell to the ground, unable to move his arms or legs.
“Unbelievable…” Youki thought.
“This is Rabbit group 1, we took down the swordsman and secured the others.” One of the Moon Rabbits said.
“Excellent. How’s 2 and 3?” The captain asked.
“This is Rabbit group 3, we’ve managed to capture the fairy. However the blonde one is giving us a hard time due to her frantic strength.”
The moon rabbits had tied up Cirno, with her arms behind her back and her legs together. One of the moon rabbits attempted to lift her fused sword, but found it to be quite heavier than expected. The rest of the group was busy handling Rumia as they tried to pin her down, but she kept throwing them around like rag dolls.
“Keep going, she’ll fall soon enough. How’s group 2 handling the situation?”
“Rabbit group 2 here. Most of us are fighting the crimson dressed lady and the red-head right now. We had one casualty so far but we are doing fine, most-"
*CRACK*
A large fissure appeared below the rabbits, making them trip over as the ground rumbled violently. They quickly got in alert, raising their weapons.
"Sir, an earthquake has just happened! A fissure has been created in the ground!" One of the commanders said.
"Group 2 here! We have felt the shake! We are alert-
*blarghsh*
*fzzzz*
“YOU SPEAK TOO MUCH, MORON! HAHAHAHA!!! GIVE ME MORE BLOOD TO SHED!!!"
"Group 1 here! The prisoners have managed to slip from our grasp due to the earthquake!"
Another voice was heard through the radio.
"Recapture the prisoners and wait for orders! Group 3, split, secure the fairy and return to Eientei! Leave a group behind to deal with the other one!" The captain said.
*RUMBLE*
"Sup."
"What the-"
Then, a gigantic punch came out of the fissure, sending the rabbit commander to the stars in a cartoonish fashion, leaving only the boots and the helmet behind. Shortly after, a couple of horns emerged from the ground, and an oversized Suika made her appearance, along with Satsujin and Sumireko, who flew away by the force. Satsujin ended up crashing into Eientei, where Kosuzu and the others were, while Sumireko was sent where Mary and Meiling were fighting.
Suika landed back on the ground after shrinking to her normal size. She had a look of shaky relief as though she had escaped the presence of death. Satsujin ended up landing on top of Youki, and Sumireko fell flat on the ground.
“Owie…” They all thought in unison.
In the midst of all the chaos, another figure flew right out of the hole that Suika had created, out into the blood-stained night, where more hoards of youkai; massive enough to be considered an army, approached. They had heard of all the chaos from far away, which meant that there was something there they could feast on.
It was time for the night parade of 100 demons.
But down in front of them came the same figure who came out of the hole Suika had created; crashing into the ground and marking a small chasm. The youkai were confused somewhat; tilting their heads over who or what had landed in front.
The figure slowly rose up, standing on their feet, wearing the classic red-white shrine maiden outfit, holding their sharpened gohei to the side, and staring back at all the demons with a fear-piercing gaze.
Chihana looked around her. She saw feral youkai on her left, corrupted on the right, and lost causes here and there. She tightened her grip on her weapon, pulling out her talismans and needles.
“...” Chihana said nothing, she thought of nothing. All that was in her mind was the instinctual urge to cut loose.
"My head…Where did I end up?" Satsujin said, rising from the ground.
"Satsu?" A very scared Ko said, as she hugged Shanghai, who had returned to her side after being stuffed in a plastic bag.
"Ko? Are you okay? Where are the rest?" Satsujin asked while he was helped up from the numb Youki.
“Off…My back.” Youki said. “Proof of my age.” Satsujin helped the old man up, right as Kosuzu and the others were freed from their restraints with the help of Ko.
“Oh thank goodness you arrived, Satsujin!” Kosuzu said. “We were ambushed by the moon rabbits! Youki protected us but we underestimated them. Where were you? What happened?”
“I-It’s a bit of a long story.” Satsujin said. “We were trapped underground in this weird lab, and when we reached the bottom we ran into someone completely unexpected.”
“Unexpected?” Kosuzu asked.
Right then, the sound of destruction was heard outside of Eientei. They all rushed to check outside, where they also saw Sumireko and Suika along with Meiling, PB and Cirno. Suika and Sumireko were already caught up on everything, with Suika now wearing one of the sunglasses that Cirno provided her.
“Oh, there you guys are!” Cirno said. “I was worried when you three fell into that trap door! I know it sounds like a lot, but right now we have ourselves a blood moon happening.”
“A blood moon?” Satsujin asked. He sensed his surroundings, noticing a surmountable amount of malice. “Great, exactly what we need right now.”
“But there’s more!” Cirno said. “This lady came out of nowhere, and now she’s been going on a killing spree!”
And right on cue, Chihana zoomed past the group, ignoring them and instead focusing on throwing another one of the youkai into the ground. She went to another and stabbed them with her gohei, then stabbed another one with the same gohei, and then another one before flinging them all away. She threw her needles around, piercing the skulls of several more, while her paper charms set the forest ablaze; burning any youkai who were unfortunate to have been in the crossfire.
“Who…Even is that?” Meiling asked. “Are they friend or foe?”
“It’s better to say neither.” Suika said. “That’s Chihana Hakurei, one of the predecessors of the Hakurei Shrine.”
“They're Hakurei!?” Meiling asked. “I-I thought Reimu was the only one!”
“Oh you have no idea…” Sumireko said.
"Guess we'll leave her alone with those things. For now, we gotta focus on defending the ones that can't fight. Where is Mary?" Satsujin asked.
Meiling pointed to a nearby building, where Mary had cornered a squad of rabbits who attempted to make a strategic escape.
"Group 2! We have been corn-"
*chop*
"NO ONE'S GONNA SAVE YOU FROM ME!!!" A manic Mary shouted, as she splitted the rabbit in half in one hit.
"Holy sh-*
*slash* *stab* *chop*
"MORE, MORE!!! GIVE ME MORE!!!" She shouted, as her eyes glowed like torches.
*whistle*
Mary turned her head, seeing Satsujin wave at her…without a shirt. She instantly sprinted over to him and hugged him.
“Satsu!!! There you are! I’m so glad you’re okay and safe! Oh what I would’ve been if I found out you were hurt or worse! But you’re not and that is a good thing! Where did you go, who were you with and why is your shirt torn up?” Mary asked in a hasty tone.
“Calm down Mary, I’m fine, but we have other problems to face right now.” Satsujin said.
Once again, Chihana nearly hit Mary and Satsujin as she came right behind with a youkai who she dragged across the ground, resulting in their face being torn off with muscles and bone showing. She threw them over at some bamboo as their blood splattered; marking some of the green stalks red.
Chihana was breathing hard, having gotten a fair share of injuries herself during her blood spree. She looked frantically, as though looking for more youkai to rip and tear. Fortunately, her actions drew the attention of several youkai, hundreds even. She was running low on needles and talismans, and her gohei had broken off due to it having been quite frail from years of inactive use.
But she wasn’t going to give up just yet. She charged at the hoard head on, gripping a fist full of needles as she began to bludgeon and stab the youkai.
She killed one by cracking their head with her fist.
One she killed with a single kick.
Another after their tongue was ripped off and left on the ground slowly bleeding.
Another when she tore off their arm and gutted their heart out with that same arm.
Another when…
Another when…
Another…
…
Chihana was surrounded. She ran out of everything in her arsenal. Her clothes were tattered, her hair a literal bloody mess, and she held one broken arm with the other, all the while missing a foot.
In her surroundings were the piles of piles of youkai she slaughtered, their skulls open, their organs spilled, and their lives long gone. But more still came; never-ending during the night of a blood moon. They all had their eye on Chihana, and didn’t care what it would take to get what they wanted.
All the others were amazed, having been spared of the onslaught of youkai due to Chihana luring them all. They could not believe how long one person could handle such an army on their own. But now Chihana was at her wits end; the horde of youkai clearly too much for her alone to handle.
“...Youkai…” Chihana said. “Creatures of the night… Savages… Monsters… Demons… They’re all… Demons. They don’t care if you’re some little kid, an old-fashioned granny, or a wounded villager; to them they all taste the same… That’s why I exist. I exist to protect the humans from those foul youkai…AND I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO BE MY FINAL STAND!!! YOU HEAR ME YOU EVIL INCARNATE!!! YOU ALL WILL PERISH UNDER THE NAME OF HAKUREI!” She yelled, showing her bloody hands as she spoke with complete determination. An immense battle cry was let out as she got ready to unleash a powerful spell.
“FANTASY-”
The maw of a giant wolf appeared from the stalks of bamboo, unbeknownst to everyone. The wolf bit down on the head of the elder Shrine Maiden, gnawing at her and ripping it off like it was a piece of meat, leaving the rest of her body to spray blood everywhere like a fountain, before it collapsed on the ground, twitching slightly.
Sumireko, Satsujin, Suika, and everyone else were equally shocked by this. They watched the wolf eat the head before it swallowed, leaving nothing behind.
"What in the actual fuck was that? That thing killed a Shrine Maiden like it was everyday business!" Everyone thought in unison, save for Ko, who was being consoled by Kosuzu, due to the immense stress she was going through.
The wolf sniffed the air, before turning its head over to the ground, where it saw a moon rabbit that seemed desperate to escape.
“Dammit… I’m a freaking captain, yet I did not prepare to die here on Earth.” The moon rabbit said. “I need to get back and report to-”
“Grrrrrrrrrr…”
The moon rabbit looked behind her, and saw the giant wolf staring down at her with its gaze and teeth.
“Fuck.” Was all she said before the wolf opened its mouth and began to eat her alive. She let out a terrifying scream as she was thrown into the air and straight down toward the belly of the beast as the wolf snapped its mouth shut.
The wolf looked up at the blood moon, and it howled, a loud howl that could be heard from miles.
The rest of the corrupted rabbits and youkai quickly fled out en masse, frightened by the creature, until it was just the wolf, facing the group of survivors, with a terrifying expression that depicted strong bloodlust.
“Oh, crap.” Sumireko said. “Of all the things, it had to be a giant wolf. What do we do?”
“Only thing we can do obviously… We beat the hell out of it!” Meiling said, rushing right at the wolf with PB still equipped. She ran at the wolf’s head, delivering a heavy kick from below, sending the wolf up into the sky, landing on the ground.
Meiling took a fighting stance, facing the beast as it slowly got up. The wolf growled at Meiling, charging at her again as she kicked it across the face once again to the left. Her punches were much more powerful than they already were; dealing massive blows to the beast again and again.
However, despite the warnings from before, she didn’t realize how much of her energy had already been drained as a result of wearing the armor. The visor on her head started beeping red.
“Miss Meiling! You have been exceeding the amount of energy used while wearing the armor! I suggest we retreat now while you still have enough to flee!” PB warned.
“What! I still feel energized! What are you…”
And then Meiling felt it. Her movement got sluggish, her mind hazy. She felt immense fatigue and the urge to rest. She checked her head while the constant beeping kept reminding her of the consequences of wearing the armor.
“Crap… You weren’t ki-”
The midst of the moment, the giant wolf slashed at Meiling with its claws, then slammed her with its tail, sending her way back rolling on the ground with massive injuries across her body. Had it not been for PB, it probably would’ve been fatal.
“Meiling!!!” Cirno ran over to Meiling as quickly as she could. “A-are you okay!? Talk to me!”
“I-I’m fine…” Meiling said. “It…it’s not the worst thing I survived. Don’t worry, I’ll heal as soon as I can.”
PB was removed from Meiling due to her injuries, stepping away from her right as some of the others went over to see if she’s okay.
"Meiling! I'll heal you shortly, please hold me for a moment." Mary said, handing over her blade, as Meiling took it, feeling the energy flowing through her, as the wounds slowly closed with some steam coming from them.
*ROAR*
The wolf had begun to move towards the group quickly. Everyone got in a fighting stance, and Cirno got in front of them, leading the offensive. However, she felt someone pushing her away, that being Mary, who
"Get off my way! I'll keep that thing away from the old man and the others!" Mary said, as she rushed over to the giant wolf with her blade, and climbed up to the beast's back as fast as she could.
The wolf didn't take notice of her attack until Mary started to carve its skin open with her blade. The beast roared in anger and pain and began to move around, frantically trying to get the intruder off itself, though Mary was extremely resilient, and managed to do a lot of damage.
"Your skin is too- ugh! Can you stop moving for once? I'm not done with- wow!" She said, as she struggled to have a grip in the wolf's soft and silky fur. "Let's see if you can stand this!" Mary began to stab deeper into the beast's back, managing to spray quite a good amount of blood in the process.
However, this made the already tough to grasp grip even more slippery, causing her to be launched upwards, and kicked away by the beast. In the end, despite her efforts, the wolf managed to get her off its back, but not without causing sizable damage in the process. Mary was sent flying towards the armory room, crashing into it. A moment later, she emerged from the dust cloud the impact had formed, with her clothes messed up, and several weapons stuck in her body. Regardless of it, she pulled all of them out, and returned to the arena.
The rest of the group was separated due to the rampaging wolf. They were all knocked back, some getting injured. The only one who wasn’t knocked out of the way was Ko, leaving her with just the wolf. The wolf growled at Ko, moving closer as its dark eyes looked down at the timid girl, opening its mouth so it could devour.
"MOOOOOOOOOM! HEEEEELP!" Ko screamed to the top of her lungs, trying to call Rumia.
Somewhere further away from the fight. Rumia was lying on the ground; tied up as a lone moon rabbit was attempting to pull her away while she remained knocked out. But upon hearing Ko’s voice, she awoke from her slumber.
“Ko…Ko…” Rumia thought. “Ko!!!!” She realized.
“Everyone is dead… I can’t go back home… And we don’t even have the armor… Great, so much for my first ever mission.” The Moon Rabbit said. “At least I have one hostage. If I play my cards right, I could use her as the opportunity I need to acquire the armor. Then I can finally be praised by-”
A dark glowing sword went through the moon rabbit, cutting them in half. Rumia freed herself from her restraints.
“I need to help Ko! I need to save her!!!” Was all that the Youkai of Darkness could think of. She spread out her wings and charged forward with her blade.
The wolf had its mouth wide open in front of Ko. Her eyes were tearing up upon looking inside the mouth of the beast. All hope felt lost. But then the beast was knocked out of the way thanks to Rumia who came out of nowhere and rammed right at the beast with her blade.
“M…Mama!!!” Ko said with newfound hope.
Rumia pushed the wolf further and further away, far enough so that the wolf was nowhere near Ko. She pulled her sword out, and then threw out a barrage of bullets at the beast. The wolf howled in pain, but then quickly turned around to try and attack Rumia with its teeth and claws. It swiped, bit, thrusted forward, but Rumia grazed them all and countered back with more swings of her blade and even more bullets.
"Yes, yes!!! Split it wide open!" Mary shouted, encouraging Rumia as she kept a defensive stance just in case.
Rumia swung her sword in an uppercut at the wolf’s mouth, sending more blood out of the beast as it continued to fight back. Yet it could not do anything against Rumia, who was faster and stronger than it. She held her hands open, releasing two beams from side to side and closed in on the wolf, forming one single beam which burned the wolf’s fur and skin, causing it to howl in even more pain. She screamed in rage as the beam got bigger, causing more pain for the animal.
“THIS IS FOR KO!!!” Rumia shouted.
The wolf was blasted back, knocking down around half an acre of bamboo as a result of the fight. It tried to get up, but it had been weakened; whimpering in pain while Rumia remained floating there, her eyes glowing red.
“Yes! You did it!!!” Mary cheered. Everyone else came over to celebrate. Wakasagihime was carried by Suika over to where the wolf was lying.
“Wait a second. Something’s off.” The mermaid thought, taking a closer look at the wolf.
The wolf looked around, eyeing the group once again. Its eyes, which were dark pupils, softened into a shade of red. And it spoke with raspy words of genuinity.
“Hurts… Save…Please…”
Wakasagihime gasped, recognizing the voice and who it belonged to. “N-No way…”
Rumia had other plans. She approached the beast, still filled with rage and animosity. She knew what needed to be done, regardless of objections.
“W-Wait!!! Rumia!!!” Wakasagihime yelled at her. “Don’t kill her please! That’s my friend!”
“Wait, your friend?” Suika asked.
“Please! I know her! She’s one of my closest friends! You can’t kill her! Stop her from killing her please!!!”
Taking her words at heart, Cirno and Sumireko rushed right at Rumia once again in order to stop her. Cirno and Rumia’s blades clashed before Rumia could slice off the wolf’s head.
“What…are you doing Cirno?” Rumia spoke with bitter hatred. “Get out of the way.”
“They’re already down! They’re no longer a threat! There’s no need to go any further!” Cirno shouted.
“I said, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!” Rumia shouted, banging her head on Cirno’s nose, causing it to bleed. She was then knocked away to the ground.
“Cirno!” Sumireko said. “Rumia! Stop this! We won, Ko’s safe! Please, just put down your weapon.”
“Move Sumireko… Or I’ll make you.” Rumia warned.
Sumireko could tell that Rumia was still under the effect of the blood moon. Right on cue, she noticed something in her cloak glowing, and pulled it out.
The White Rose shone under the blood moon’s light. Realizing what this meant, Sumireko held the rose as high as she could, right as Rumia was raising her sword against Sumireko.
“I said move!!!” Rumia yelled at her.
“Mama!!! Wait!!!” Ko yelled at Rumia, getting her attention for just a moment.
Finally, the rose shone with a bright light, enveloping everything in its energy once again, as it had during the last blood moon. Sumireko, Rumia, Cirno, the group, even the wolf… Everything was shrouded in its energy.
And the rest of the night went on in peace.

February 2001: It’s a bright new era for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. After years of mediocrity and flirts with relegation in the 1990s, a new ownership group is taking over from that cheapskate Alan Sugar. Meet your new overlords in English National Investment Company and your new chairman, Daniel Levy! Its sure to be a great start of a beautiful journey!
May 2001: Finishing 12th is not what you would call ideal. No European football. Not to mention bowing out in the FA Cup Semis and League Cup third round. Enjoy this new manager in Glenn Hoddle.
2001-02 : Sol Campbell signed with our eternal rivals in Arsenal! Levy didn’t offer him a new contract? What?? Doesn’t he know those Gunner clowns can’t be taking our players like that? We also finish 9th but made the League Cup final. It helps having the return of our goal scoring phenom in Teddy Sheringham. Adding Gustavo Poyet helps too. Still no European football.
2002-03: The best way to fight back into the elite is to have more goal scorers right? Welcome Robbie Keane from Leeds United! A crafty piece of business on our end! Him and Sheringham power us to…10th place. The fuck? And third round exits in the Cups…
2003-2004: Glenn Hoddle is underachieving! Get rid of him. David Pleat can surely handle the task at hand. Nope, we finished 14th…and still no trophies. But hey check out our shiny new forward in Jermaine Dafoe.
May 2004: Sol Campbell becomes a key contributor to Arsenal’s Invincibles season and wins the Premier League title. Does it feel cold?
2004-2005: Here’s our new manager in Jacques Santini ~goes 5-4-5~ ok never mind. Here’s our REAL new manager in Martin Jol, much more quality. He’s got the gusto and know-how to guide us to 9th and no trophies. At least Jermaine Defoe was the club top goal scorer…and Ledley King is coming into his own.
May 2005: Our other eternal rivals Chelsea win their first Premier League thanks to that outlandish manager Jose Mourinho and oligarch Roman Abramovich. All they do is buy players whenever they please. Pfft, that won’t be sustainable, they’ll come back to Earth eventually.
2005-06: Martin Jol has been a massive improvement to our fortunes. No trophies yet but we’re back in Europe. It’s good to be back in the UEFA Cup, think of the tv revenue. 5th place is a nice finish. Robbie Keane and newcomer Mido carried us to this spot. We should be keep them around for a while. Bringing in experienced talent like Edgar Davids and this young defensive midfielder in Tom Huddlestone helps. And check out our new record signing in Jermaine Jenas.
2006-07: Michael Carrick is a great defensive midfielder but Manchester United want his services. Here, take him. Edgar Davids is also much too old to be playing Premier League football. Our loss is also our gain with 15 million quid in the books. Let's invest that into a brand-new world class striker in Dimitar Berbatov. And Carrick's replacement in Didier Zokora certainly helps us...but we finish 5th again. No tropies either...at least European football?
2007-08: Jermaine Dafoe and Mido are gone. We need to replace them. Darren Bent seems like a good idea. But who the hell is this young left-back named Gareth Bale? Why is he worth 14 million pounds? Whatever, we need depth, he probably won't be much. Snap up this Jonathan Woodgate guy, too, someone has to help Ledley King here!
Oct 25, 2007: So you sacked Martin Jol at halftime against Getafe because reasons? Maybe if you stopped selling all his good players the division wouldn't have started. The fans are not pleased about this at all. Smooth them over with Juande Ramos from Chelsea.
League Cup Final 2008: All this leads to an 11th place finish, but fear not - YOU WON THE LEAGUE CUP! The first trophy since 1999, a true triumph. Certainly Spurs can aim higher now right?
2008-09: Juande Ramos is a fraudulent piece of shite that doesn't deserve to work in North London. We've promptly canned him for the legend that is Harry Redknapp. Just look at him inspire us to...8th place. We made the League Cup Final broken glass window and we've lost to Manchester United. And sold them Berbatov because money. This is shit. Enjoy this new midfielder signing in Luka Modric. He'd only become one of the best players in the world, nothing too crazy. Oh and Robbie Keane is back. So is Jermaine Defoe! Yay?
2009-10: A full season of Redknapp ball has led to a glorious prize! 4TH PLACE! Tottenham Hotspur will be playing under the lights on Tuesday and Wednesday! Play the music....THE CHAMPPPIONS! All it cost was loaning out Keane, selling Bent, and bringing in Peter Crouch. What a team we have forming. This Aaron Lennon kid is turning into quite the player. Oh and that Gareth Bale kid we paid a premium for? Yea, he's playing left winger now.
2010-2011: Champions League football requires Champions League talent. Quickly, let's eye up cheap deals for Rafael van der Vaardt, Sandro, and William Gallas. The attacking front of Crouch, Bale, Defoe, van der Vaardt, and Roman Pavlyuchenko powered us to 5th. It’s been a tough test balancing these nights. But did you see our massive victories against both Milan teams? I think we'll be back here in no time. Is it really a bad season without winning any trophies?
2011-12: A critical season. Harry Redknapp's contract is set to expire and Daniel Levy hasn't really been known to give coaches pay raises unless they merit it. Unfortunately, Peter Crouch is too old to keep around. Off to Stoke City with you, lad, thanks for that night at the San Siro. Bringing Emmanuel Adebayor from the exile of Manchester City should be a like-for-like swap. It all powers us to finish 4th again! HUZZAH! Another season of Champions League revenues! But still no Cups to take home.
2012 CL Final: Unfortunately, Chelsea did something incredible and won the Champions League in the most chaotic final in recent memory. Thus, for finishing 4th, you get Europa League football...god I hate Chelsea.
2012-13: Gareth Bale is becoming an elite winger without elite help. We've also decided to do something ridiculously unpopular and sell Luka Modric to Real Madrid for huge money. van der Vaardt is also out the door to Hamburg. The revenue brings in Hugo Lloris, Mousa Dembele, Clint Dempsey, and Jan Vertonghen. Under the plucky Andre Villas-Boas we finish 5th and go back to Europa. But our Cup showing was even more abysmal this season. Gareth Bale potted 21 goals...oh god he's next to go isn't he?
2013-14: The worst day has come. Gareth Bale has been sold to Real Madrid. He's joining up with Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo. The money reinvested brings in Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Paulinho, Etienne Capoue, and the meme known as Roberto Saldado. Andre Villas-Boas' tenure was short-lived. Tim Sherwood is a former Spurs lad, surely he can lead us to greatness. If you call 6th place and no trophies greatness.
CL Final 2014: Luka Modric and Gareth Bale become key contributors to Real Madrid's Decima in the Champions League. Bale also scores one of the best goals of the campaign in the Copa Del Rey against Barcelona. The fans are pissed at Daniel Levy and ENIC.
2014-15: We've been knocking on the door of the elite English teams for a few seasons now. Time to put up or shut up. Tim Sherwood, you are not that guy pal. Mauricio Pochettino, welcome to Spurs. Here's the plucky academy kid in Harry Kane. Please get him firing, our striker woes are well-known. You want to sell Gylfi Sigurdsson and Sandro for this League One prospect in Dele Alli? Ok if you say so. Who the hell is Eric Dier and why do you want him? Culminating in a fifth place finish and League Cup final. Harry Kane scored 21 goals though...whoa.
2015-16: Defense needs an upgrade. Let's buy this experienced Belgian in Toby Alderwaiald. Him and Vertonghen played together before, surely it will work. We also need a left winger. How about Hueng-Min Son? He's been torching defenses for Leverkusen, he can surely do it here. The top teams are having a down season, now is the time to strike. We can smell the Premier League title in our grasp.
Final Matchday 2016: They finished third in a two-horse race after Leicester decided to have the greatest sports story ever play out in real life. It seems like a missed opportunity, but there is plenty to build on. Poch's team is coming together. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose are molding into elite fullbacks. The Belgians and Lloris are brick walls. Harry Kane is becoming a world-class striker. He even won the Golden Boot! They just need a little bit more to get over the trophy drought.
2016-17: Ok this is the year. We made it back to the Champions League, but this will be the last year at White Hart Lane. It's much too old for this modernizing football club. We need a really big stadium to bring in that sweet matchday revenue like our rivals. And I'm talking REALLY big, the best in all of England. It would be nice to fill it with some Champions League revenue and some silverware no? Well, seems like we finished 2nd and didn't win any Cups...AGAIN. But hey, Harry won the Golden Boot again! Dele Alli took serious strides in becoming a generational talent. Progress is progress amirite?
Final Matchday 2017: Chelsea win their 4th Premier League title since Abramovich took over. At least you finished above Arsenal again...that's a win isn't it?
2017-18: Kyle Walker has been sold to Manchester City because we like money over glory. Don't worry, we have a solid replacement with Kieran Trippier. We'll use the Walker money to bring a new defender in Davinson Sanchez from Ajax and right winger in Lucas Moura from PSG. Oh and for the hell of it, here's Serge Aurier from PSG too. Glorious depth. We still don't have a reliable backup striker, but how about a cheap deal for the aging legs of Fernando Llorente. He was good in a past life right?
Nov 1, 2017: By God, we've done it. We've slain the evil empire in Real Madrid. It's hard to believe a team of this size and caliber could scar the kings of Europe. Surely the only way is up from here.
March 2018: Nope, the knockout stages pit you up against a thunderous Juventus team that makes you their English bitch. Giorgio Chiellini goes on to make one of the most overused memes in all of football Twitter. "Iz di history of di Tottenham..."
Final Matchday 2018: Respectable 3rd place finish behind Manchester United lads. Too bad no trophies to go with it. Sigh... what else is new? We finished above Arsenal again...yay? Meanwhile, Kyle Walker is part of the Centurion Manchester City team...I need more liquor.
2018-19: Harry Kane is starting to get impatient. He needs to start seeing some silverware soon. Hueng-Min Son is emerging as a top forward in the league. Dele’s dropped off a bit but it’s just a blip, nothing to worry about. Jan and Toby are rock-solid at the back. We have a plucky solid squad, filled with some high-end talent but we didn't get any reinforcements in the summer...what the fuck? You do realize squads transition every season, ENIC? Where's Poch's reinforcements? Why did you sell Mousa Dembele mid-season, he was still useful! Oh dear god, what have they done? Oh that’s right…the new stadium. It’s still not done yet is it?
UCL QFs 2019: This is massive test. We managed to beat Barcelona in the group stage, and cake-walked through Dortmund in the Round of 16 but this is a new beast. We're up against the defending PL champs in Man City. Harry is hurt but we've got Sonny, Lucas, Chrisitan, Dele, and Fernando to make up for his goals. A huge pen save by Hugo on Aguero keeps us in the tie. Son puts us up 1-0 in the first leg. Going to the Etihad without Harry, it's a tight affair. Son and Sterling trading goals, Fernando kneeing in the go-ahead, Bernardo Silva pulling one back, 4-3 Man City, and seeing out the final whistle. Away goals take us over the line. Onto the Semis!
UCL SFs 2019: This Ajax team downed Real Madrid. They're gonna walk all over us. At least in the first leg. The second leg is a masterpiece. Lucas scored not one, not two, but THREE away goals to push us to glory! Gas up the bus boys, WE ARE GOING TO THE UCL FINAL!!!!
UCL Final 2019: What the actual fuck? How was that a handball on Moussa Sissoko??? IT HIT HIS BLOODY SHOULDER! You gifted this match to Liverpool, UEFA! (This is the moment that broke Tottenham Hotspur) And why the hell didn't Lucas start the game? After that fantastic hat trick? I don't care if Kane was fit to play, this is massive managerial blunder. Maybe this is the summer things start to change. All we got for this was a runner-up medal. At least we finished 4th in England. BUT STILL NO MOTHER FUCKING TROPHIES! writer proceeds to smash his laptop in the process
2019-20: The UCL Final should be a springboard for another potential title charge. Poch is calling out ownership for not wanting to give him signings. They only fumbled the Paulo Dybala signing, surely we can still trust Levy and ENIC right? Here's Giovani Lo Celso instead and Tanguy Ndombele to shore up the midfield. Here's our replacement for Danny Rose in Ryan Sessegnon. Unfortunately, Chrisitan Eriksen wants out and we let his contract run down. He leaves in January for basically nothing. Results are starting to flounder so Poch, pack your furniture and get out of our house. Meet our new manager: Jose Mourinho, the Special One. Just nobody tell Daniel he's been sacked infamously by both Chelsea and Manchester United for being a toxic presence. At least the new stadium is ope---ah fuck, it's COVID. An injury-plagued campaign culminates in a 6th place finish, but still no trophies. Another finish over those Gunners though! Why aren't you fans happy? We can't spend money, don't you see we didn't get any matchday revenue???
FA Cup Final 2020: Even though we finished above them, Arsenal take home an FA Cup with a squad arguably much less talented than Spurs. It was also against Chelsea...who finished above you. Can someone drive me to the nearest cliff please?
2020-21: A full season of Mourinho-ball. Tensions are starting to run high. Kane is pissed at the direction we're going. Jan Vertonghen and Kieran Trippier are gone. Dele Alli forgot how to play football under Jose. We need a new center-back...too goddam expensive. Let's convert Eric Dier to CB and have play back there, what's the worst that can happen? Fans aren't happy at all. I know the solution: you kids remember Uncle Gareth?? He's baaaaack! Sure, he's in his early 30s and a shell of himself but he's won 4 UCL titles and scored that fabulous bike kick in 2018. He's still class. Here’s a bunch of mid table players in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty, and Joe Rodon to supplement the team.
March 2021: Europa League is quite winnable. Surely nothing bad will happen like you losing to a team who's manager is in prison for tax fraud. breaking glass sounds you fumbled a 2-0 agg lead to Dinamo Zagreb...who's manager was in prison for tax fraud. You're fucking pathetic you know that?
April 2021: Jose Mourinho is a dinosaur of English football. Look at him playing park the bus tactics while we can't defend score. Let's get rid of this cancer before it spreads. Who cares if it's six days before the League Cup Final against City? Why can't Ryan Mason see it out?
EFL Cup Final 2021: It's not a blowout loss, but it's clearly an overmatching. City run rampant on Spurs as they lift the trophy they basically own at this point. Fans are calling for Levy's head. In fact, they were calling for it as early as the FA Cup loss to Everton in the fourth round.
Final Matchday 2021: Jose refused to play Gareth Bale. Looking back that was a terrible decision. Bale and Kane power us to a 7th place finish. We finish above Arsenal again. It's a successful season in ENIC's checkbook. And there's still European football to play. Harry Kane wins another Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for most assists. We have to keep him around.
May 2021: Kieran Trippier and Christian Eriksen become key contributors to Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan's respective title wins. In other news, Juan Foyth wins the Europa League with Villarreal while on loan. Does that sound familiar?
CL Final 2021: Chelsea find another way to win another Champions League title, despite sacking a manger midway through the season and having misfiring forwards. And it was against Man City…who we beat every now and then.
2021-22: We need a director of football to help us match up to our rivals better. Fabio Paratici built Juventus in the most dominant club in Italy, surely he can replicate that in England. No we won't hire Paulo Fonseca and his 7 assistant coaches, way too much payroll. And no, you can't hire Gennaro Gattuso for his derogatory comments. Wait, where the hell is Harry Kane? Ahh I see he wants to be sold to Man City. HA! Doesn't he know he just signed an extension? Son has too, so if Harry wants to play hardball let him. Quickly, hire Nuno Espirito Santos as our fail-safe. He's not what we wanted but we fucked up so we're fucked now. Wait, how can we be so critical of ourselves? CHECK OUT THIS GLORIOUS STADIUM!!!!
Nov 2021: Nuno is terrible, he's lost 5 in a row. Who cares if we beat Man City on opening day? Get him out NOW! Get Antonio Conte in. It's another former Chelsea manager to restore our standing in the club.
Final Matchday 2022: HUZZAH! After a turbulent season, losing to wifi-password named clubs in the Conference League then getting kicked out of it for COVID reasons, Conte calling us out in the media multiple times, we galvanized ourselves to a 4th place finish. We're back, and it's thanks to the Juve rejects in Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, and Rodrigo Bentancur. Son won the Golden Boot, a true testament to his development at Spurs. Back on track. But still...no trophies. Another finish above Arsenal...they should just make a team award for that at this point.
2022-23: A full season of a happier Conte should lead us to silverware. Let’s not dawddle, start making signings. Richarlison always victimized us at Everton, let’s bring him to back up Kane. Yves Bissouma did the same at Brighton and we do need a batter box to box midfielder. Him too. Ivan Perisic on a free for Conte’s wingback. Surely our defense is fine in the hands of Romero, Dier, Clement Lenglet, and Ben Davies. And Djed Spence because reasons.
April 2023: It’s been a terrible season. From having our best start to a season since 1967 to bottling game after game after game. Tepid football, lack of inspiration. Despite small triumphs like winning the Champions League group stage and mugging Manchester City of points again, they have failed miserably again. Son’s form is gone. Richarlison doesn’t know how to score. The defense is wide open. It implodes after giving up 3 goals to a bottom table Southampton after being up 3-0. Conte is furious, criticizes ownership again, and is canned back to Italy. Fabio Paratici was also banned by FIFA for cooking Juve’s books. To make it worse, Arsenal was leading the top of the table and almost won the title. Thank the football gods for Man City and their oil money franchise. That means nothing as the season prolapses, we fall out of European contention, and finish 8th. No manager, no director football, toxic fanbase crying out for changes. I have now developed heavy drinking. "ZE DON'T WANT TO PLAY FOR SOMETHING IMPORTANT! 20 YEARS THERE IS THE OWNER AND NEVER WON SOMETHING!"
UEL Semi-Final 2023: Did I mention this gets worse because it does. A couple seasons back, Spurs swapped Erik Lamela and 25 million for promising Spanish youngster Bryan Gil from Sevilla. Gil was never favored by Nuno or Conte, with the Italian basically exiling him from the team unless he had no other choice but to play him. Gil would be loaned back to Sevilla where he assisted Erik Lamela's game-winning goal in stoppage time to book Sevilla a place in the Europa League final. I want to drink bleach...
Twenty-three years of failures and memes, Tottenham look like a lost club. All the shiny toys, but nothing to show for it. Champagne expectations with a beer budget. Does the ownership really value profit that much? Daniel Levy always insists his goal every season is to win a trophy. But how do you do that without attracting top talent? They squandered a window in 2019 and can’t remake the glory. They've made signing after signing that are inconsistent or not at the level to win trophies. It feels like they value cheap deals rather than actual talent. It's killing the club. Kane has been a legend at the club but he’s ready to move on. I don’t blame him, his career is incomplete with some hardware. But the future looks bleak. What will Spurs do next? Will they do a full rebuild and risk the possibility of no European football? Or will they try to win at least one trophy before Kane's contract is up?

The emergence of the metaverse has opened up exciting opportunities for freelancers. With virtual worlds becoming increasingly popular, many companies and individuals are seeking freelancers with specialized skills to navigate this digital landscape.
As a beginner looking to enter the metaverse industry, there are several areas you can focus on to start building your skills and knowledge.
If you're eager to find a job as a freelancer in the metaverse, this article will guide you through the process.
Respect these important points!!!
1- Utilize Freelance Platforms
Leverage online freelance platforms to discover metaverse job opportunities. Websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr offer dedicated categories for virtual world-related services. Create a compelling profile highlighting your metaverse expertise and bid on relevant projects. Ensure your profile and proposals are SEO optimized, using targeted keywords that potential clients might search for.
2- Understand the Metaverse
Before diving into the job search, it's essential to have a solid understanding of the metaverse. The metaverse refers to a collective virtual shared space that incorporates augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the internet. Familiarize yourself with popular metaverse platforms like Decentraland, CryptoVoxels, and Somnium Space. Explore the different environments, socialize with users, and get a feel for the metaverse's potential.
3- Identify Your Skills and Niche
To stand out in the metaverse job market, it's crucial to identify your unique skills and niche. Consider the services you can offer within virtual environments. Are you a skilled 3D modeler, virtual event planner, or an expert in virtual reality programming? Determine your strengths and focus on a specific area where you can excel as a freelancer.
4- Build Your Online Presence
Creating a strong online presence is vital for attracting potential clients in the metaverse. Start by building a professional website or portfolio showcasing your work. Highlight your skills, previous projects, and client testimonials. Optimize your website with relevant keywords related to metaverse freelancing to improve its visibility in search engine results.
5- Network and Collaborate
Networking is key to finding job opportunities in the metaverse. Engage with the metaverse community by joining forums, social media groups, and attending virtual events. Connect with fellow freelancers, industry professionals, and potential clients. Collaborate on projects, exchange knowledge, and leverage these relationships to find job openings or gain referrals.
6- Stay Updated and Evolve
The metaverse is an ever-evolving landscape, so it's crucial to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies. Follow influential figures and thought leaders in the metaverse industry through social media and blogs. Participate in virtual events and conferences to expand your knowledge and network further. Continuously improving your skills and adapting to emerging technologies will enhance your chances of success as a metaverse freelancer.
Here are some key areas you can learn as a beginner:
Virtual World Exploration:
Begin by exploring various virtual worlds and metaverse platforms to gain a basic understanding of their features, functionalities, and user experiences. Some popular platforms to start with include Decentraland, CryptoVoxels, and Somnium Space.
Basic 3D Modeling:
Familiarize yourself with basic 3D modeling concepts and tools. You can start by learning software like Blender, which is a free and widely-used 3D modeling and animation tool. Online tutorials and resources can help you grasp the fundamentals and start creating simple 3D objects.
Introduction to VR and AR:
Get acquainted with the concepts and technologies behind virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Learn about the different hardware devices, development platforms, and software tools used in VR and AR experiences. Unity and Unreal Engine are popular platforms for developing VR and AR applications."
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency:
Gain a foundational understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Learn about the basics of blockchain, smart contracts, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Familiarize yourself with popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum and their potential applications in the metaverse.
Read the full article here: https://www.bestmetaversestocks.net/2023/05/How-To-Get-A-Job-In-The-Metaverse.html

The emergence of the metaverse has opened up exciting opportunities for freelancers. With virtual worlds becoming increasingly popular, many companies and individuals are seeking freelancers with specialized skills to navigate this digital landscape.
As a beginner looking to enter the metaverse industry, there are several areas you can focus on to start building your skills and knowledge.
If you're eager to find a job as a freelancer in the metaverse, this article will guide you through the process.
Respect these important points!!!
1- Utilize Freelance Platforms
Leverage online freelance platforms to discover metaverse job opportunities. Websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr offer dedicated categories for virtual world-related services. Create a compelling profile highlighting your metaverse expertise and bid on relevant projects. Ensure your profile and proposals are SEO optimized, using targeted keywords that potential clients might search for.
2- Understand the Metaverse
Before diving into the job search, it's essential to have a solid understanding of the metaverse. The metaverse refers to a collective virtual shared space that incorporates augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the internet. Familiarize yourself with popular metaverse platforms like Decentraland, CryptoVoxels, and Somnium Space. Explore the different environments, socialize with users, and get a feel for the metaverse's potential.
3- Identify Your Skills and Niche
To stand out in the metaverse job market, it's crucial to identify your unique skills and niche. Consider the services you can offer within virtual environments. Are you a skilled 3D modeler, virtual event planner, or an expert in virtual reality programming? Determine your strengths and focus on a specific area where you can excel as a freelancer.
4- Build Your Online Presence
Creating a strong online presence is vital for attracting potential clients in the metaverse. Start by building a professional website or portfolio showcasing your work. Highlight your skills, previous projects, and client testimonials. Optimize your website with relevant keywords related to metaverse freelancing to improve its visibility in search engine results.
5- Network and Collaborate
Networking is key to finding job opportunities in the metaverse. Engage with the metaverse community by joining forums, social media groups, and attending virtual events. Connect with fellow freelancers, industry professionals, and potential clients. Collaborate on projects, exchange knowledge, and leverage these relationships to find job openings or gain referrals.
6- Stay Updated and Evolve
The metaverse is an ever-evolving landscape, so it's crucial to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies. Follow influential figures and thought leaders in the metaverse industry through social media and blogs. Participate in virtual events and conferences to expand your knowledge and network further. Continuously improving your skills and adapting to emerging technologies will enhance your chances of success as a metaverse freelancer.
Here are some key areas you can learn as a beginner:
Virtual World Exploration:
Begin by exploring various virtual worlds and metaverse platforms to gain a basic understanding of their features, functionalities, and user experiences. Some popular platforms to start with include Decentraland, CryptoVoxels, and Somnium Space.
Basic 3D Modeling:
Familiarize yourself with basic 3D modeling concepts and tools. You can start by learning software like Blender, which is a free and widely-used 3D modeling and animation tool. Online tutorials and resources can help you grasp the fundamentals and start creating simple 3D objects.
Introduction to VR and AR:
Get acquainted with the concepts and technologies behind virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Learn about the different hardware devices, development platforms, and software tools used in VR and AR experiences. Unity and Unreal Engine are popular platforms for developing VR and AR applications."
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency:
Gain a foundational understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Learn about the basics of blockchain, smart contracts, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Familiarize yourself with popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum and their potential applications in the metaverse.
Read the full article here: https://www.bestmetaversestocks.net/2023/05/How-To-Get-A-Job-In-The-Metaverse.html

The emergence of the metaverse has opened up exciting opportunities for freelancers. With virtual worlds becoming increasingly popular, many companies and individuals are seeking freelancers with specialized skills to navigate this digital landscape.
As a beginner looking to enter the metaverse industry, there are several areas you can focus on to start building your skills and knowledge.
If you're eager to find a job as a freelancer in the metaverse, this article will guide you through the process.
Respect these important points!!!
1- Utilize Freelance Platforms
Leverage online freelance platforms to discover metaverse job opportunities. Websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr offer dedicated categories for virtual world-related services. Create a compelling profile highlighting your metaverse expertise and bid on relevant projects. Ensure your profile and proposals are SEO optimized, using targeted keywords that potential clients might search for.
2- Understand the Metaverse
Before diving into the job search, it's essential to have a solid understanding of the metaverse. The metaverse refers to a collective virtual shared space that incorporates augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the internet. Familiarize yourself with popular metaverse platforms like Decentraland, CryptoVoxels, and Somnium Space. Explore the different environments, socialize with users, and get a feel for the metaverse's potential.
3- Identify Your Skills and Niche
To stand out in the metaverse job market, it's crucial to identify your unique skills and niche. Consider the services you can offer within virtual environments. Are you a skilled 3D modeler, virtual event planner, or an expert in virtual reality programming? Determine your strengths and focus on a specific area where you can excel as a freelancer.
4- Build Your Online Presence
Creating a strong online presence is vital for attracting potential clients in the metaverse. Start by building a professional website or portfolio showcasing your work. Highlight your skills, previous projects, and client testimonials. Optimize your website with relevant keywords related to metaverse freelancing to improve its visibility in search engine results.
5- Network and Collaborate
Networking is key to finding job opportunities in the metaverse. Engage with the metaverse community by joining forums, social media groups, and attending virtual events. Connect with fellow freelancers, industry professionals, and potential clients. Collaborate on projects, exchange knowledge, and leverage these relationships to find job openings or gain referrals.
6- Stay Updated and Evolve
The metaverse is an ever-evolving landscape, so it's crucial to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies. Follow influential figures and thought leaders in the metaverse industry through social media and blogs. Participate in virtual events and conferences to expand your knowledge and network further. Continuously improving your skills and adapting to emerging technologies will enhance your chances of success as a metaverse freelancer.
Here are some key areas you can learn as a beginner:
Virtual World Exploration:
Begin by exploring various virtual worlds and metaverse platforms to gain a basic understanding of their features, functionalities, and user experiences. Some popular platforms to start with include Decentraland, CryptoVoxels, and Somnium Space.
Basic 3D Modeling:
Familiarize yourself with basic 3D modeling concepts and tools. You can start by learning software like Blender, which is a free and widely-used 3D modeling and animation tool. Online tutorials and resources can help you grasp the fundamentals and start creating simple 3D objects.
Introduction to VR and AR:
Get acquainted with the concepts and technologies behind virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Learn about the different hardware devices, development platforms, and software tools used in VR and AR experiences. Unity and Unreal Engine are popular platforms for developing VR and AR applications."
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency:
Gain a foundational understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Learn about the basics of blockchain, smart contracts, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Familiarize yourself with popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum and their potential applications in the metaverse.
Read the full article here: https://www.bestmetaversestocks.net/2023/05/How-To-Get-A-Job-In-The-Metaverse.html

Previous
That night Simon and Nemeria watched from the rooftop of a rented apartment in Coven as shooting stars fell over Homeworld for the first time. "Make a wish, my love." She said as she put her head in his lap, the rapidly disintegrating space station above filling the sky with streaks of light that reflected in her eyes.
He thought about it for a second. "Should I tell you what it is?"
"No, definitely not." Nemeria replied. "Then it won't come true."
"Oh… then I will not." Simon said as he played with her hair. For a moment he felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, straddling two potential futures, then the feeling faded. He had wished for them to have a happy life together. He felt they at least deserved that after all they had been through and all the time they had spent apart.
The morning after Haven fell something interesting happened. Pirate radio stations began to emerge, filling the airways with music, but it wasn't like anything they had heard before. It was something new.
"Good morning Homeworld!" Called out a rough but enthusiastic voice in Dansk from the clock radio on the dresser. It was out of arm's reach, probably so the person being woken up would have to actually get out of bed to shut it off. "This is not a test, this is rock and roll! Time to rock it from Katzenlund to the Winter lands! Is it too early to be this loud? Too late!"
Simon frowned at the clock radio. He didn't remember scheduling an alarm. "I'm Mr. Bones and this is human music! I'm going to start off with a favorite of mine, Zombie by the Cranberries!"
He went to turn it off but Nemeria tackled him before he could reach the button. "Do you dare." She said as she pulled him back into bed. "That song is a classic."
So instead of starting the day early they stayed in bed and listened to The Doors, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Pink Floyd. It was surprisingly good, even if his wetware had a hard time translating the lyrics.
"Human music on the radio." Nemeria mused, her head on his chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Oh? I just assumed you people didn't like to share." Simon tousled her hair, it was starting to change from dull brown to a more vivid copper red.
"No. There are countermeasures in place, Haven would have sent a kill team to destroy anyone who tried or just blasted the site from orbit. We had a black market, exchanging things from the old world, books, music, things to keep us sane. But it was very hush hush." Nemeria looked at him, her eyes were different too, they were an almost opalescent green. Something had changed in her. "I want to read you something."
"Alright." Simon sat up, his muscular shoulders against the headboard and he listened as she recited Edna and Shakespeare from memory, beautiful human words, full of sentiment and meaning.
"That was beautiful." Simon said. "Why haven't you shared this with me before?"
"It wasn't allowed. You would have felt compelled to share it and then Haven would have come for you." She smiled, but for once there was no pain behind it, or guilt. Perhaps it was the first real smile he had even seen on her face. It was like a weight had been lifted. "But now, there is no Haven. We don't have to worry about them anymore. We can live our lives, start anew."
"You seem different… unburdened." Simon observed.
"I am. I woke up this morning and realized that I don't have to feel guilty for something someone else did. Something that I never played a part in. I should have realized it sooner, but something was blocking me from making the connection." She laid back in bed. "I feel… new? Is that the word? Yes, new. I feel like I'm not the same person who went to sleep last night."
The old hund's words echoed in Simon's mind. He had said he would crack Haven like an egg, destroy the Howl, then set everyone free. So was he free? How different would he be now that his programming no longer bound him to her?
Before they had parted the old hund had given him a piece of advice. He had told Simon that love was a choice, not a feeling. That if he wanted things to work out with Nemeria he would have to choose her, and keep choosing her, to decide once and for all that he would always love her. And to stand by that choice.
"Would you please give me your ring?" Simon asked. "There's something I need to do."
Nemeria slipped the silver band off her finger and handed it over. Then Simon sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt down. "The world is new, we are new, so I ask… will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
Nemeria paused, realizing that she had a choice to make. Before then she had been hard coded to love him, hard coded to believe that she was someone, now all that was falling away. Her mind was free, unshackled. Unburdened. She remembered so much that had been kept hidden from her.
The Red Titan had stolen one of Esmerelda's backup clones and poured their mind into it, essentially putting the mind of one warden into the body of another. But that didn't make her them. She was someone else, someone new. She didn't have to pay for their mistakes anymore.
But what about Simon? Did she love him? Could she love him? Did she want to commit to this when her whole life was ahead of her? And the child, she had agreed to raise a child! Did she even know that she would like being a mother? Or that she would be a good one?
A soft caress brought her back to reality. It was Simon, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I don't know what is going on, or what tomorrow will hold, or even how I will feel, and it terrifies me. But I know that together we can face anything. We have a chance to choose for ourselves, and I choose you. I promise that I will always choose you."
Then as he went to slip the ring on her finger he repeated what she had told him when she handed him his first Vampirzahn. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant. But the sentiment had been clear, that she couldn't protect him from the world, that she couldn't keep him safe, that this was all she could give and she hoped that it would be enough. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
Nemeria laughed and accepted the ring. "Yes it is, isn't it? I suppose you're stuck with me now."
"Damn. Perhaps I should rethink things?" Simon laughed as he pulled her back into bed. "No, I think I like this." He gave her a playful nip on the side of the neck. "Yes, I believe I do."
They made love until the afternoon then went out for pastries and provisions. Somehow it felt right, finally choosing each other. They walked hand in hand, ignoring the looks of surprise at a human and a hund so boldly displaying their affection. GG had said she would contact them when the child was ready to be picked up.
"I can't believe Haven is actually gone." Nemeria said as she sat on a bench eating an ice cream cone. Technically they were in a graveyard, but between the sunshine and the families with their strollers it felt just like any other park.
She took a second to make sure nobody was listening. "I joined some of the old nets anonymously and asked around. Everyone says it was some kind of system failure, or possibly sabotage. Apparently the boosters just went haywire, spun it until it fell apart."
"It's hard to believe it." Simon looked up at the clear sky, there wasn't a single sign of the once proud space station. "I wonder if there will be a backlash against humans now that there isn't anything stopping us from getting even."
"Possibly, but we're resilient and useful. With Haven destroyed I expect you will see a lot of human tech being sold to the highest bidder. And not just tech, entertainment as well. There are a bunch of black market music and books that are going to see the light for the first time in centuries."
Simon felt a call come in from GG and he accepted it. The encryption in their wetware made sure nobody else could listen in. She got straight to the point.
"Someone took out all of the Howl's senior leadership last night." She said over the link, "It was a bloodbath."
Simon blinked in surprise. "What happened? And why wasn't I invited? Was it Las Brujas?" He replied back, his wetware translating thoughts to words.
"Details are sparse but apparently they had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about the Haven situation and someone took the opportunity to clean house. It was some kind of commando style raid, nobody knows who or why. All the tapes and satellite images were erased. Just a lot of dead bodies." She sent him a few choice photos. "Multiple locations were hit simultaneously. All locations were remote and heavily guarded. Looks like whoever this was they hit hard and fast. Local security was packbound and armed to the teeth, didn't help. They were put down with precise shots and a minimum of fuss. Look familiar?"
He sucked in his breath. Somebody had been using a Jagdkommando carbine, he recognized the tiny entrance and massive exit wounds. Yes, they looked familiar. He had carried that same rifle.
Even five decades after their defeat Döbi still produced some of the most sought after weapons. Half the militaries on Homeworld used their hardware. But these were old classics, pre-war. Someone was sending a message.
New tech was all about drones and smart munitions. Why risk a soldier's life when you could lob a smart grenade through a window that would identify friend from foe and destroy the latter with smart shrapnel? No, this was old school. Someone looked them in the face and pulled the trigger.
Apparently the old hund hasn't been lying when he said he would destroy the Howl. But what kind of power vacuum would that leave? And who would step in? The Howl wasn't just a supremacist group. They ran weapons, narcotics and black market tech all over the globe. They had strongholds in various capital cities and major political protection.
"Any noise on who is going to step up now that they're out of commission?" Simon asked.
"It's too soon to say but my money is on the Bone Syndicate. They've been looking to expand and with the Howl out of the way they'll probably jump at the chance. They've been staying out of the news but my sources say they have been muscling out smaller gangs and taking over their turf. Nobody seems to mind because there aren't gunfights in the streets anymore. But it's still organized crime."
Simon was familiar with the Bone Syndicate, he had even done some work for them after they restructured a few decades back. Territory under their control tended to be mostly peaceful and safe, so long as you followed the rules. They even helped out during national disasters. But the line between gangsters and good samaritans tended to blur.
They might extort local restaurants then give them money to rebuild after a fire. They would blackmail politicians… to ensure a new school got funded. Or to pass a social welfare bill. It was almost as if they had decided that the best way for them to make money was to improve the areas which they controlled. And it was working.
They operated almost in the open and had so thoroughly greased all levels of local government that any attempt to take them down would cause a major budget crisis. But when they did choose violence, it was with massively overwhelming force and military precision. Yes, this sounded like their way of doing things. The old hund must have tipped them off.
"Any news on our bundle of joy?" Simon asked.
"Yes, she is en route." GG confirmed. "She should arrive in a few hours. We have papers for her ready as well as a safe house in Porto."
Porto? Now that was a surprise. "Why Porto?"
"Because they acknowledge mixed species marriages and it's one of the few places you have amnesty." GG reminded him. "You are technically a war criminal. Even if most of the world thinks you are dead."
After the war Porto had offered him amnesty in return for helping them hunt down and kill those responsible for the genocide of their fellow katzen. Porto was after all a mostly katzen nation and they knew how to hold a grudge. So he had joined a task force of other enhanced hunds and katzen with a similar thirst for blood and they had done their best to kill every last one of the people responsible. Afterwards he had gone into the private sector, but it was true, he did have a place to go if he ever felt like retiring.
He contemplated that for a moment. If he was going to raise a child he couldn't exactly run off for months at a time to do contract work. Perhaps it was time to retire, at least until she was grown. It wasn't like he needed the money. Perhaps it was time to become the warrior in the gardens like the old hund had said.
"How do you feel about moving to Porto?" Simon asked after he broke the connection.
"Oh, I have a little place near Intra, on the coast." Nemeria frowned. "I don't think I've been back in quite some time though. Let me check something…"
Her eyelids fluttered as she scanned the net. "Yes, the management company I hired is renting it out. I can have them cancel the bookings and make it ready for us, if that's what you want." She smiled. "It's quite well defended, I purchased it in my post-war phase when I thought everyone was out to get me. We could hold off an army there."
"Perfect." Simon said, squeezing her hand three times and receiving three squeezes back in reply. In the camps that had been their secret way of saying "I love you" and he was happy to see that she still remembered.
He looked out across the park and frowned. "Darling, was that church always there?"
Nemeria followed his gaze, her eyes narrowed. "No… I'd say it wasn't. Now the question is, was it hidden or did it just appear?"
Simon cocked his head to the side, surprised at the flexibility of her thought process. It was like she was waking up, becoming bright again, becoming the person he had fallen in love with in the camps. "Shall we investigate?" He asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Nemeria made a gesture with her fingers and he could almost swear there was a faint rainbow flickering of light in the palm of her right hand.
"Dearest, what was that?" He asked as they stalked across the graveyard.
"Oh, it's something old. It goes nicely with the something new." Nemeria said playfully, nudging him with her hip.
Simon mentally filed that strangeness into a drawer marked "wife/human stuff" and put it out of his mind. There was no sense trying to understand it all, to attempt to do so was to invite madness.
The church was old, hundreds of years old. With moss growing from the roof and black stones making up the walls. Which made it very strange indeed that it seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere and hadn't been there yesterday.
"Fascinating." Nemeria said as she turned around, not looking at the church but at the people around them. "Absolutely fascinating."
Simon didn't get it. "What is so interesting, my love?"
"It's an SEP field." Nemeria replied.
"And that is?" Simon pressed.
"Someone else's problem." She turned to him and smiled. "They can all see it, they just ignore it. But look at them. Really look."
Simon did as requested, they seemed like normal hunds to him. There were certainly more bicycles than he was used to but then again this was Coven. Then he looked with his other senses and he quickly realized that what was going on was anything but normal.
Almost everyone in the park was running some form of wetware, even the pups. Warhunds shared data along a kind of mesh network that mixed low power local signals with satellite uplinks and repeaters to allow them to communicate nearly instantly and move as a team. This was something similar but with vastly more users.
He looked up with his mind and touched a commercial recon satellite, purchasing some time through a shell company, accessing its spectral analysis capabilities. The whole city was a hotbed of activity, and the network was growing at an exponential rate.
A wave of digital traffic was spreading out over the country, awakening new mesh nodes as it went, strengthening and spreading the network. Soon it was in Döbi, Möhi, Sühi, and the rest of the continent.
He looked down, his own wetware telling him something very important. It wasn't just the living who were part of the network. Somehow it seemed to be leveraging the dead as well.
Some of the more recent graves seemed to be exchanging packets with the network. Answering queries perhaps? But what could the dead possibly have to say?
"Many things, I would imagine." Said a raspy voice from the entrance of the church, seemingly reading his thoughts. It was an old Döbian with high cut ears, but it was hard to say if it was the same one he had met in his dream. He was wearing plain black clothes and a white priest's collar rubbed with sandalwood, the traditional scent of his station. "Come, you don't want to be late for the wedding."
Nemeria and Simon exchanged a knowing look. "It's our wedding, isn't it?" Simon asked.
"Of course." The old hund said with a dry chuckle. "Who's else would it be? You know that this is one of the few places you two can get married, don't you? Why else bring you here?" He gestured for them to come inside.
Nemeria shrugged and walked towards the door, that same strange shimmer dancing around the fingertips of her right hand. "You said you brought us here. Why?"
"As bait, mostly." The old hund laughed as he turned his back on her and entered the building, talking as he walked. "But also because I have fond memories of this city. Plus the whole marriage thing. It was owed to you, a chance at a happy ending."
Nemeria looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow.
Simon just shrugged. "He's a friend… I think."
The church was well maintained, if dusty. The windows were not particularly ornate and the altar didn't hold anything worth stealing. Simon tried not to let his hackles rise at the idea of being used as bait. But bait for what? He wondered.
The old hund spun on his heel and faced Simon. "Bait… for a warden." He explained. "A very nasty warden who has quietly been growing their power and influence since the war. A cancer which, if unchecked, will spell the end of this world and all within it. Also he is a threat to my granddaughter, so that means he must die."
"How are you reading my mind?" Simon demanded angrily. It seemed like all he had to do was think of a question and the hund would answer it.
"Because to think of a question when we share a network, dear brother, is to ask it." The old hund replied cryptically. "Your wetware is querying me for information, seeing if I have an answer."
Simon frowned. "I know you… don't I? From before the war? You said we were like half brothers…" He felt a name coming to his lips, but it was as if the memory was fighting him. "Are you Gershwin's son? The pup he brought back from the dead? The reason for all this madness?"
"Yes, I am Kerner. As are many others." The old hund shrugged. "I suppose it is a very common name where I come from. Perhaps more common now."
Simon blinked. "Copies… you and the other hund I spoke with… you're copies of Kerner. The same mind spread out over different bodies." He could see it now, the advanced age made it hard to tell but this wasn't the same hund he had met in virtual.
"Duplicates yes, but not necessarily equals. Not until today." The old hund explained. "Only one of us at a time had the ability to make more, to overwrite wetware at will, to influence the Gravekeeper. But he patched out those vulnerabilities yesterday after Haven fell and the Howl was brought low. Now we are all just regular warhunds. The more recent of our number may revert back to their former selves, others will find a middle ground, and the old ones will most likely remain the same. After all, I have been Kerner for most of my life. I see little reason to change now."
"But how many of you are there?" Simon pressed.
"Many." Kerner said with a shrug. "Though now that I have revealed myself perhaps that number will decrease rapidly." The old hund chuckled, gesturing towards Nemeria. "Your other half will see to that if I am unable to stop him."
Now it was Nemeria's turn to be confused. "You don't mean Simon, do you?"
"No, I do not." The old hund sat down on an old wooden chair, looking up at the bare altar. "The problem with making copies is that the original still remains. I was made when Kerner was murdered by his sister during a training exercise. He jumped out of an airplane and realized half way down that his parachute had been sabotaged. I remember feeling his fear, his desperation, and I remember seeing him hit the ground."
The old hund looked back over his shoulder at her. "You my dear are one possible answer to a question. What does one do when the body does not fit the mind? Either the being must suffer, the body must change, or the mind must change."
The old hund went back to looking at the altar. "It's amazing how paths can split. You went one way, and he went another. You took a form to fit your mind, and he altered his mind to accept his form."
There was a polite knock on the ancient timbers of the open church door as a tall well built man with flaming red hair entered the building.
He looked at Simon and smiled. "Hello, Puppy." He said softly. It was Nemeria's old form, her old identity, the Red Titan, very much alive.
Simon realized now that the dead body he saw in the lab as they were fleeing had been a fake. This was Raul Reyes, in all his glory. A flash of anger rose in Simon as he realized that Raul had tricked him, made him think that he was alone for all these years. What a cruel thing to do to someone that you said you loved. The betrayal of it wrenched at Simon's heart, tearing open old wounds.
Simon reached out and took Nemeria's left hand, squeezing it firmly three times. "I choose you." He said. "I will always choose you. Fuck him, he's dead to me."
Nemeria squeezed back three times. "I have your back, whatever happens."