The black domes, they were pocket dimensions, which were completely detached from the material world. Bound to the stream of souls, flowing inside the ephemeral branches of the world tree, they presented a personal hell for each person cast into them. They are a limbo of regrets, the hell of one’s own making, places where the living meets the dead.
There’s only so many ways to elope them. One must either reconcile with the restless souls, or join them, succumbing to their rage and regret that they carried into their afterlife. After all, to even get there, one must possess unparalleled strength and resilience; and only those who had caused deaths and destruction on their path to greatness can even hope to get to this trial.
Freia, Flare, the First princess of Jioral. For some – a good friend, lover, and companion. For others – a nightmare embodied, a vessel of divine powers, a force to be reckoned with. She had many enemies: princes and princesses felled by her authority, treacherous servants and greedy nobles, the knights, who opposed her corruption, slavers and bandits, destroyed on her quest for redemption and restoration of herself… But there were more. Children she had burned, serving her kingdom, women who perished by the tides she conjured, men that had been torn apart by raging tornados of her making, elderly that were buried under the rubble she created…
And how did she oppose them?
“Flagella terram et vescere inimicis meis, o magnum tempestas ignis!” The sorceress chanted, spinning her staff above her head. Then, right before the raging mob reached her, she hid from them behind a vortex of fire. One move and this wave of heat would incinerate everything and everyone in this accursed realm. But…
“TRAITOR!”
“DON’T HIDE FROM US, FLA-A-A-ARE!”
“COME TO US, SISTER!”
“YOU WERE NEVER ONE OF US!”
“USURPER!”
“GIVE ME BACK MY MOM!””
“THE FALSE PRINCESS!”
“SUNNARI (die)!”
“THE DAUGHER OF A WHORE!”
“YOU SHOULD’VE ROT IN THE SLUMS!”
Curses and jealousy, bitterness and hatred. The chorus of tortured souls surrounding the fiery boundary couldn’t be silenced even by the roaring flame. There couldn’t be any redemption.
“I’m sorry for all of you, who unjustly died by my hand!..” And even though there were people deserving their apologies, those who had to perish in favor of Flare’s political ambitions, those she sacrificed to appease her tyrannical father…
“THEN JOIN US, FLARE!”
“PAPA! WHERE ARE YOU?! GIVE HIM BACK!”
“REPENT, BITCH! DISPELL YOUR WITCHCRAFT!!!”
“But I won’t give in to you!” The pink-haired woman exclaimed, absorbing mana into her staff. “Furthermore, there’re those of you I will never regret killing! And there are those, for whom I must live! I MUST GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!!!” Then, she slammed the lower tip of her weapon into the floor made of the absolute darkness. Instead of wailing, being consumed by fear, guilt, self-loathing, and, ultimately, perishing, Freia sundered this entire “world”. One magical strike from her, and cracks of white and gold covered the entire dome. The wall of fire faded, but when the vengeful spirits rushed forward to maul their prey, they crumbled into piles of black salt. “I’m so… so sorry!” The girl lamented, kneeling near the remains of children, whose future she stole. “But I… I must move forward. I must save…”
…
Sparks and crackling, whistle and dazzling – time and time again the surge of lightning breached through the veil of darkness.
“UO-O-O-O-O-O!!!” A guttural scream filled the oppressive silence under the dome. Eve Reese, so childish and bashful, so eager to prove herself, now wore a stone mask of indifference. “Nira-a-a (no-o-o)!!! Yuarmta (I won’t forgive you)!!!” Cornar yelled, held still by at least seven shadows, he had been tortured, killed, bruised, smitten by the raging element of lightning. No longer did the girl see him as a threat; no longer did she cower at the feet of her former husband. Maybe, Eve was condemned to getting back her memories as a means of punishment, something that would make her sympathize with this petty little tyrant…
“Yuarm yau (I don’t need your forgiveness).” The Me-ua kahul spoke, looking at her crackling right arm, trembling with power and guilt combined. Not for forsaking her would-be-spouse, not for becoming Panakea’s pawn…
These souls, these loyal shadows – turned out, she never called upon them… until the very end. Her subjects, her brethren… Eve feared that if she let them out, they would tear her tyrannical husband into little pieces.
“Haa… Haa…” And now, she had to choose. To turn around and let someone else fix her problem, or… “Haa… HAA!!! HAA!!! HAA!!! SUNI (I’ll kill you)!!!”
A Punch to the maw, to the chest, through the ribs, to the heart! He didn’t die! He couldn’t die here! This scumbag of a man, this monster just wouldn’t go away! No matter how much pain she caused him, no matter how many times she slit his throat, broke through his torso, shocked him with spells, cut him with magical light…
And what of Cornar?
“A-A-A-A-A!!! A-A-AGH!!! HA-HA-HA-A!!! NA SHENBATA, SETOAN (you can’t get rid of me, woman)!!!” The son of Hakuo never relented. He relished in his immortality, laughed through the hellish torments Eve inflicted upon him. The skinned lion spotted a weakness in Eve’s heart, and he pressed at it, as if breaking the girl would get him back to the world of the living…
No, he wanted to take Eve to the world of dead.
“Gha-a-a-a… Agh-h-h…” The queen-to-be grabbed her forehead, her rugged breath not only siphoned all the focus out of her, threatening to cast the girl into a pit of despair, it also deteriorated her control over the mana she wielded. Unlike the city of salt, there was enough ambient magic to harvest here, but doing so would require skills, precision, and, most importantly, personal discipline and control over one’s own mind.
“Praibi, orna Iblis (Drain yourself, my Iblis)!” The prince of Batnara shashu tribe provoked, feeling the grip of the shadows losing its strength. A little more, and he’d be free… A little more…
“Hm…” But Eve wouldn’t relent. She once again covered her arm in a coat of magical lightning. She would never surrender; the queen would never let anyone treat her like a slave ever again. Not after Keyaruga’s perseverance taught her a lesson of resilience. Not after his gentleness, however tainted by his wounds, showed her what true love should look like.
She took a swing, prepared to strike…
“…” But then, two winged shadows stopped her hand. Amda and Sana, they were barely recognizable in their spiritual forms… but Eve would never mistake her parents for anyone else. They couldn’t speak, yet they still communicated with their daughter through other means. Emotions, wishes, urges – they never wished such evil to befall their daughter, but what they hated even more – was to see their child descend into the same pit.
“I… I don’t… have to?..” They asked her to stop, to let them relieve her of that burden. “B-but!.. No! You will die!” The girl snarled, grabbing her parents in a hug. She knew what was to come – her mother, father – they wished to sacrifice themselves to drag Cornar back to the afterlife. But that… wouldn’t that mean she’d lose them all over again? Wouldn’t…
“…”
“Yes! You’re dead! So what?! What do I?..” The feeling of pain and powerlessness engulfed the verdant woman. Barely had she found the strength to stand before her fallen tribe, before those who she desired to see the most now left her.
“YOTJAR (finally)!!!” With Eve’s will getting weaker, so did the shadows of her ethereal court. Her tyrannical husband finally broke free, slamming and stomping her shadows, as they fruitlessly tried stopping him. Amda and Sana Reese hugged their child for the last time… and now they stood up to defend their precious daughter. That is… the least they could do.
…
Freia broke inside another dome. From the outside, they looked like bright constellations of stars, formed on the points of a massive, galactic-scaled pentagram. The personal chamber for each of the contenders. One was broken from the inside, collapsing inwards, into a black hole with an orange halo – this was Freia’s dome. There were four more. Two were dimmed, two still shone brightly. The Hero of Magic travelled through this empty space, lit by numerous distant stars. In her current form, things like speed, form, and time – none of them mattered, aside from her destination. And now, she had to choose one of the two luminous chambers.
…
What is true power? Does one determine this abstract concept by the weight one can lift with their muscles? Maybe it was the charisma necessary to lead the masses? Enough money to influence others? Authority earned or inherited?
“Well-well-well…” Whatever the answer truly was, Ellen had none of it right now. No strength to fight, no troops to hide behind, and certainly – those who opposed her now had little if any need of whatever amount of gold she now carried.
“WENCH!”
“TANOUTUR (murderer)!”
“NEZAH (why)?!”
“MERA RIVARO (my life)!..”
“YAU MA (how dare you)!”
“YOU’LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU’VE DONE, BITCH!!!”
Oh, they came for Norn. There were hundreds, if not thousands of them, some she could recall from her Murian and Teuteccain campaigns – the series of expansions past the great wall; others were the court warlords she and John unseated in her ascension; rebellious villagers too came to exact their revenge on the younger princess, after her demons decimated them; and there were the victims of Buranikka’s carnage. This was the mountain of corpses Norn Clatalissa Jioral used to climb onto the very peak of political power…
“Now then, what do you want from me? An apology? Maybe my penance?” Even now, surrounded by countless dead souls, whose entire being now revolved around their grudge, the girl wouldn’t let herself be crushed by their rage. Not mentally, at least.
“DIE!”
“MAN WOR YAKSI (give me your eyes)!”
“SUFFER, YOU MONSTER!”
“I JUST WANTED TO LIVE!!!”
And so, hundreds of voices began howling in unison. So passionate, so eager to share their hardships and aspirations, that Ellen actually started pitying them a little. So many words, so much pain in them.
“Haa… I guess, that something like this was bound to happen someday. Well…” Instead of listening to the rest of the traumatizing nonsense and wailing, the crimson-headed cutie just began… to simply undress. “I don’t have the power to struggle, I can’t break out of here, and all of you came here for me. So go on. Rape me, maul me, kill me, do whatever you want. I’ve already done everything I wanted.” Ellen, now naked and completely defenseless, stretched out on the ethereal black floor, looking into the endless black void above her. The raging souls now came closer and closer, dozens of faces now loomed above her, as their hands reached out to grab the fallen warlady and tear her apart. This… was the end.
Keyaruga, Setsuna, sister… I hope you won’t miss me too much.
And so, she closed her eyes. Time to finally die.
…
…
…
There was no pain, nobody dragged the girl around, not even a single blow fell upon her. Ellen was… safe?
“A-A-A-A!!!”
“UGH-H-H!!!”
“YOLA-A-A-A-A (it hu-u-u-urts)!!!”
Slice and dicing, the ripping of flesh and clattered bones, “death” of a sort, dealt to the undying, torment for the tormented who themselves wished to inflict suffering upon her – someone kept the restless souls away from the princess. Someone precise, fast, and masterful with his tools of mayhem.
“Haa, is that you, Organ?” Ellen asked sullenly. Denied her excruciating retribution once more, she could only cover her tightly shut eyes with her palms.
“How did you know, Your Highness?” Indeed, it was him. As brutal as he was gallant, the deceased demigod was the only one out of these dead souls, who spoke to her, and not wailed at her like some sort of a beast.
“I know only two men, who’d come for me here, and the other isn’t so discreet, you moron.” The young general replied, opening her eyelids. The first thing she saw was the Champion of Jioral, covered in black blood. His prized amber eyes were no more, only black gaping holes were there instead. “Why’re you here? Do you want a piece of me for yourself?” The girl asked, still unwilling to stand up. Honestly, she felt robbed at this moment. This would be such a fitting end for her, but no! “Don’t tell me you’ve just barged in here to… Pff! PROTECT… me.” The second princess spat these words through her painfully clenched teeth.
“First things first, Lady Norn, I suggest you cover your shame and cease this indecency.” The warrior spoke, piercing and slashing the mob with his sword, impaling them with his hidden blade, tossing them back with his kicks. He was far from his prime form, and so, wounds and sores, cuts and lesions were left on him, as he, alone, overpowered dozens of raging men and women, keeping them away from the girl he swore to protect. Indeed… “Forgive me, princess, but I made a vow to your mother, and death is hardly a valid reason to…”
“YAKS… (giv…) A-A-A-A!!!”
“…to renounce my…”
“DOKI-I-I (step away)!!!”
“…loyalty to her!”
Despite everything, no matter the odds, Hawkeye continued to push back the angry spirits. He couldn’t dodge, as every missed blow could land on the lady, he couldn’t step back, as she needed protection more than any time in her life, and, certainly, sustained by this oppressive dimension, he couldn’t die. He couldn’t kill anyone, as they just rose anew from their own black blood, but the man couldn’t retreat.
“He-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh…” The princess chuckled, curling her torso in order to sit up. It hurt her stomach, but the girl persevered nonetheless. “Why am I always surrounded by stupid stubborn men, who just can’t help but dingle their balls before me? Seriously, a dead man, upholding a promise to a dead woman, how much more ridiculous can this get?” The girl scoffed, pulling back her panties, bra, and whatever she left lying around, back on. After all, why even bother now? “Be honest, idiot! What do you want from me?”
“I came here…”
Slash, backflip, tackle, toss – Organ Trist twirled around his commander, pushing back everyone, who came too close to his prized princess.
“…to ask you, Lady Norn!..”
Shoulder slam, side-kick, a flurry of bloodshed embodied in the son of Artemis!
“…to save my…”
Stabbing enemies with that hidden blade, crushing their skulls with the handle of his blade, ripping their eyes out and tossing them away – however useless this double-sided brutality may seem, Hawkeye had purpose, skill, and, most of all, conviction, that allowed him to push the mob away.
“…daughter! Save Marianna!”
After all, what can be stronger, than a father, eager to protect his dear child?
“And you think keeping me alive will help you with that? You, moron, this bloated pigeon trapped me here! I have only one way out – fucking death!” The second princess, now properly clothed again, yelled however loud she could. Unable to comprehend the reasoning behind this idiocy, the girl just stood there, pulling her crimson hair. “Also, you’re severely mistaken! I’m not Norn! Norn’s dead! My name is…”
“…Elly! Elly-y-y!!!” Barely had the princess opened her mouth; before the dome had been breached from the outside. The Hero of Magic emerged above the ground. She levitated, using magical blue flames; she secured her sister by forming a wall around her, a barricade made from powerful ice spears. The sorceress even went so far as to send one into the undead Champion, it was one he easily avoided, though. “Step away from my sister, Organ!!!” The raging magician demanded, pulling her sibling towards her with a gust of mystical wind.
“Ghh! Oh, hey there, Friea!” The fallen warlady spoke, bracing herself against the dizziness her brief flight had caused. Still, this didn’t look good. The last time those two met, Hawkeye severely injured the pink-haired girl, and she just wouldn’t live through it again, unless two gods appeared to help her. This time, though, it was her turn to be a deity-savior.
“Get away! You’ve bested me once, but this time, I can crash this entire realm down onto your head!” The Hero of Magic promised, putting her staff between her sister and her enemy.
“Aw shit, this just gets better and better…” The little genius lamented, nervously shaking her head. Not only was her glorified suicide rudely interrupted, but now this situation threatened to kill her sister as well. Still…
“Elly, Elly… Ellen? Ellen the Adopted?” Despite Freia’s expectations, Organ Trist was more interested in the new name she called Norn, rather than anything else, really. He already had his fair share of battles, after all. “Ho-ho-o! I guess, in the end, you really did become the better version of yourself! And the ‘brother’ in question – is that sir Keyaru?” The blinded man asked with the same smugness he once boasted with in his grandiose life.
“What’s the point of answering you now? Aren’t we just traitors to you?” The heroine replied with every bit of animosity she had in her. “Hold on, Elly, I’ll get you out of here.” Freia stated, charging her staff with the magic that shaped this entire “world”.
“Heh, aren’t you afraid of what that damn poisoned pigeon might do to you for breaking her rules?” The crimson-haired cutie scoffed, witnessing the entire black dome covering with cracks.
“I don’t care about her rules! All I want is to see you safe!” The sorceress spoke with even more defiance toward Caladrius than Norn ever had in her. If needed, she would challenge this feathered nightmare to a duel, anything, just to save her family.
“I see…” Hawkeye uttered, kneeling before the two girls. All that time, rather than monitoring Freia’s moves, his supernatural senses were aimed outside, to make sure no restless souls cross the fence of magic ice. But now… “I see your eyes, Princess Flare, they’re just like hers. I’m sure; you’ll make Lady Reeharoze proud of you yet.” Now, before he once again departs to the other side, there was one last thing to tell them. First praise, then a claim… “Lady Ellen, I beg of you. The life of Marianna now lies in your hands.” …and finally a plea. With all that said, Organ Trist crumbled, his body turned into black salt. And with it, the entire realm began to collapse in itself…
“Hold tight, Elly…”
…
And now, there was only one dark dome left. Arguably, the worst of them all, this particular world was to be the prison for Keyaruga… or his cemetery. No doorways to run into, no windows to jump from. He was alone, trapped with hundreds of those who were slain by his hand. Those poor bastards – the restless souls, their minds were so obsessed with hatred, and their grudge – powered by the sheer immortality of their ethereal blackened bodies. This was hell in its purest form. The question is – a hell for who, exactly?
“YE-E-E-E-E-EAH!!! IT’S HEALING TIME!!!” Keyaruga snarled and began splattering blood all over the place. Everyone who was touched by that substance became horribly mutated – their heads bloated, their muscles strained so much, they crushed their very bones! “WHAT’S WRONG?! KILL ME!!! KILL ME NOW!!!” The man demanded, dancing around his would-be tormentors with his blade, blessing his foes with the exquisite gift of perpetual agony! Saber in his right hand, Georgius on his left, one complementing another.
Despite what the lad asked, nobody could bring him down. His immortal flesh defied any blade, his bones healed in an instant, his mad frenzy alleviated any pain.
He thought he could kill his enemies for the second and final time, give them proper death in the most excruciating manner. He was wrong…
“DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND ALL OVER AGA-A-A-A-AIN!!!” The hero yelled chopping off heads and severing limbs! He killed so many, he couldn’t even count the slayings! He murdered the same people over and over, each time their agony being more exquisite then the last!
Kill a man once, he won’t even notice, his rage will only rise! Kill him thrice – he’d waver! Five – and the seeds of fear are sown. Ten – and he’s broken completely!
Keyaruga just couldn’t help himself, he hated these scum so much, he just couldn’t contain all his passionate hatred. It was so strong, that the feeling of pure, raw, primordial wrath transcended every possible modification he had put into himself.
“A-A-A-A-A!!! UGH-H-H-H-H!!!” A soldier was weeping, hugging his boot. “S-S-S-S-SPA-A-A-ARE ME-E-E!!!”
“YO-O-OU!!! I remember you!” The healer spoke, raising the cretin by his neck. “My first kill! You watched me being raped, drugged… BEATEN!!!” The man yawped, slicing off his upper face with one nimble slice. “AND YOU NEVER!!! EVER!!! EVER FUCKING HELPED ME!!!” The lad, tainted by black and red blood, slammed the sentry into the ‘floor’…
“A-A-A-A-A!!! PLE-E-E-EASE!!!” …and gleefully sliced off his arms, ignited sparked his left armored hand into a gauntlet of blazing heat!..
“GU-GHH-GUU!!! UA-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!” And finally, cauterized the wounds, just so that the retard wouldn’t die too soon.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!!!” The crazed avenger yelled, grabbing Leonard, so conveniently nearby, weeping. “YOU SAID, I’VE DONE NOTHING FOR THIS FUCKING KINGDOM?! I’LL SHOW YOU, WHAT I CAN DO NO-O-OW!!!”
And so he did, the madman rested his two fingers on the sadist’s forehead. A second passed, and a purple spark had announced the richest form of suffering.
“Oh… U-u… Uo-o-o-o-o-o… Khh…” Indeed, although it wasn’t as vocal as previous ones, Keyaruga was more than pleased with the result. He knew of a human having specific nerves, specifically for reacting to pain. And he just overloaded them. Toxic spiders, dangerous medusas, venomous snakes and scorpions – all of them could do that with their poisons. Hell, even Keyaruga could brew neurotoxins. But damn, this thing had one ultimate merit compared to all of those – the instant effect, so potent, in fact, that the victim can’t even cry out from the excruciating pain!
“He-e! That’s a neat trick.” The lad mumbled, approaching a maid, lying on the “floor” like an embryo. Flare’s bodyguard shivered and sucked her thumb, completely lost to this twisted world. Just one little touch… “Pam! You’re already dead!” Keyaruga sneered tapping his armored fingers by her temple.
“Uh… Uh… Ugh… W… Wha-?.. A-A-A-A-A-A-AGH-H-H!!!” The woman grabbed her skull, but it was too late. All the blood, bile, and even marrow now came into her brain, bloating it, up until it burst in a fountain of black blood and shining entrails.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! I FUCKING LOVE IT!!!” The deranged healer laughed so loud, and his presence was so overwhelming now, that nobody even dared to come close to him, let alone attack, unless they wished to become a victim of a new twisted experiment. Oh, their fear, this agonizing panic! They’re giving me a fucking boner! I wanna fuck! I want a woman! Oh, this! This will do nicely!
And so, Keyaruga dropped his saber, unfastened his belt, ripped the dress, slapped that ass which he had found, grabbed it, pushed it in! The woman with a blackened tail was slowly dying of blood loss, but that barely concerned the lad. He grabbed her pelvis and began to move, so fast, so frantic, and so mindless, that no one could see a human in him. No-o, this was a wild beast, slamming his bulging cock into the defenseless female, too tired to react, let alone resist somehow. She wasn’t even tight, just barely warm, but even that was enough. A few minutes of such suffering inflicted on her, and he came, this was a brilliant orgasm, deeply perverted, and twisted to the very core…
Oh, that’s the fucking best! I love it so much!
Keyaruga grabbed her hand, wiped his penis with it, pull back his pants, and…
I don’t remember her. I wonder, who that is.
He pushed the body, rolling it to the back.
“Ha-a-a… Hello again, Kailia…” The mad lad recognized her instantly. An agent, sent to find and assist Eve Reese in her quest, hired by someone named Carol. But that alone wouldn’t be enough to get Keyaruga to brutally rape her. “You’ve killed my Norn, but I spared you. Heh, after Kali left, I tasked you to ward off whoever they sent after my Eve, but… It seems like you’ve failed. Really, really sad.” The healer spoke, resting his left hand on her dying flesh, recovering it in an instant. And just like that… “Oh, fuck!” She nearly stabbed him with a knife. Gods only knew where she got it from… “Sit still.” But then, Keyaruga just pressed his finger on her forehead, and completely shut down her limbs functions. He pitied her… but could do nothing for this miserable leopard woman.
“Haa… Damn, it’s getting boring here.” The hero lamented, picking up his weapon of choice. At this point, he just put it back in its sheath. Only then did he spot a couple of new faces in the crowd of weeping bastards. “You there! You don’t look like you should be here. What’s… wait…”
“STAY AWAY FROM ME, MONSTER!!!” The woman cried, she was weeping into her man’s now tainted shirt.
“Heh! He-heh! No-no-no-o! Oh no-o-o!” Keyaruga frantically shook his head, unable to believe what he just saw. This was the worst. This… “Anna! Kurt! What… What’re you even doing here?! I… I avenged you! You shouldn’t have…” His parents were there, they stood among the thugs, slavers, robbers, bandits, zealots, murderers… But they… they weren’t one of them…
“You killed us, traitor. You raped my wife, after everything she’s done for you. You’re disgusting little shit!” The mighty harvester told him, pointing his war-scythe at the hero. The only thing that held him at bay, though, was his spouse, loudly crying with black tears pouring from her eyes.
“Heh… You… really think I’d…”
“No. But you’ve proven it.” Kurt spoke with the coldest possible rage in his voice. Keyaru’s cruelty couldn’t be doubted, after all. Not after everyone he maimed this day. “I don’t give a fuck, what the hell is wrong with you, but I’ll slice your guilty ass as many times as I need.” The older man spoke, pushing Anna aside. And then, he lunged.
Kurt struck as a true warrior – he was swift, accurate, precise – his war scythe – basically a reforged farming tool, grazed Keyaruga’s torso, cut his leg, he even stabbed his foster son through his chest. But… there was no blood.
“Calm down, you two.” The hero demanded, stoically taking hit after hit, like the heavy glaive-like blade was nothing. While Anna crumbled to her knees, lost in her weeping, Kurt wouldn’t stop attacking. “You can’t kill me, I’m immor-…” Barely did the lad say so; before his foster father grabbed the handle in a wide grip, and just swept his head off with one precise strike.
“NO-O-O-O-O-O-O!!!” Strangely enough, despite all of the delusions his parents had about him, Anna just couldn’t stand seeing her child being killed so brutally. “A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!! WHY-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y?!!!” As Keyaru’s head rolled on the ground, the thugs, at least those who weren’t affected by any of hero’s inventive afflictions, started to get rallied again.
“You had it coming, you ungrateful dipshit!” Kurt spat through tightly closed teeth. He couldn’t watch, couldn’t face what he had to do with his adopted prodigy. Even if he was a criminal. Even if…
“I really did…” But the bastards weren’t enjoying the show for too long. Right when the healer seemed to fall, a new body started to grow from his neck-stump, the clothes, the pouches, the weapons – everything turned into ash just to materialize again on the proudly standing conqueror of death itself.
“What devilry is this?” Kurt’s reaction was understandable. A mix of fear, anger, and disgust, was all over his tainted face. In turn…
“KEYARU-U-U-U!!!” Anna just dashed forward to hug her child. No matter, how disgustingly atrocious his resurrection was, without even looking at the beheaded body that now lied nearby, the woman just went ahead and embraced the lad. She… didn’t seem to be in her right mind, even for a dead soul.
“Anna, I… I…” The shivers began taking a hold of him. His hands, his knees – they trembled so much, this simple touch he though he lost forever, this… This was enough to make him cry. “I’m sorry… I’m so, so, so, so-o-o sorry!..”
“DIE, FUCKER!!!”
“THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE ME DOING THIS!!!” Keyaruga yelled, grabbing Leonard by his wrist. Just a little pressure – and he dropped his sword, the weapon faded into nothingness. Then, the man pushed Anna back, punched his foe in the gut, and proudly showed his captive to his family. “Haa… He-heh! He-e-e… This… This is Leonard, Flare’s… right hand…” The hero spoke, this time trying to maintain his sanity, as his parents now cautiously looked at him. “I… I came from the future! I had to rewind time’s flow itself… Because Flare was evil, and he…” Then, the man put his hand onto the barely struggling imbecile, thus transforming him into Keyaru, the motionless child, whose entire mobility, except for breathing, was shut down for the ease of what he was about to do. “I killed Flare! And he took my guilt. Then…” Afterwards, the healer went ahead and summoned raging flames upon his free hand. Kurt and Anna watched motionlessly, as he placed the magic-shrouded palm onto his ‘own’ face, burned it, scourged the blackened flesh with the sorcery he ‘learned’ from Flare… “My trick was revealed, and he headed out to our village, looking just like me. The rest… you know the rest.”
And finally, Keyaruga dropped the motionless doll, unable even to cry out from the excruciating pain the Hero of Healing inflicted upon it. He then faced his parents, still shocked by such a display of merciless brutality, they couldn’t even properly reply, this entire spectacle of bloodshed, mayhem, rape, torture, demonstration of immortality, and now – proofs of metamorphosis – all of that left them utterly silent.
“Kurt, Anna… I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you… But I can’t let you, or any one of these fuckers keep me here! I… I have a family! Freia, Setsuna, Ellen, Eve – I so wanted you to meet them… But you can’t now. You… might not believe me, and I understand that.” The red-eyed lad uttered, as his posture slouched more and more, along with his fading bravery. “This is what it’s like to be a man! I must be strong! I have to be ruthless now, so that nobody would challenge me in the future!” The man added, now turning his back to his foster parents. He stood straight, he stretched his shoulders, took a deep breath, and… “LISTEN HERE, YOU FUCKING MONSTERS!!! WHAT YOU’VE FELT NOW IS BUT A TINY BIT OF WHAT I’LL DO TO YOU, ONCE I’M FUCKING DEAD!!! NOW YOU WILL GO INTO THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL, AND WHEN YOU’RE THERE, PRAY I DON’T FUCKING DIE ANYTIME SOON!!! BECAUSE WHEN I FINALLY KICK THIS SHITTY BUCKET, I’LL FIND EACH OF YOU, AND WE’LL BE PLAYING FOR THE WHOLE OF ETERNITY!!! BUT WHY WAIT, WHEN WE CAN HAVE SOME FUN NOW, HU-U-U-UH?!!!”
The speech was told, the impact made. His words were so zealous, so passionately intimidating, that the weeping fools now reached a whole new depth of despair.
“GET US OUT OF HERE!!!”
“SAVE ME-E-E-E!!!”
“HE’S THE DEVIL!!! DE-E-EVIL!!!”
“UA-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!”
“KUUNDA (I’m so scared)!!!”
“HE-E-E-E-E-ELP!!!”
And so, this entire crowd, this mob of immortal corpses, just ran away. Everyone, who could still stand on their feet, began fleeing in panic, trampling each other in the process. What they failed to notice, though, is that the dome is endless only for its main victim. Everyone else just came up against the invisible wall.
The Trial of Heart – its goal is twisted, to be certain. To pass it would mean releasing the dead souls from their grudge toward you. A saint would shift it to forgiveness, but the deranged avenger pumped so much fear in those criminals, that their hatred was replaced by the purest and most animalistic terror. Still, with the task done, the souls began to dissipate in a white light. They would finally be free…
“REMEMBER!!! YOU’VE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF ME!!! WE’LL MEET AGAIN, YOU FUCKING SHITBAGS!!!” Unfortunately for them, though, Keyaruga’s long shadow still loomed above them all. And such, even in relief, the crowd continued to cry, to sob, to wail, to…
“Keya… ru…” But not all left because of dread. When the avenger turned around, his foster mother, crumbling into white flakes, stood on her tiptoes to give him a last kiss on the cheek. “You’ve grown… so much…”
And so, she faded. Kurt quickly followed, although it wasn’t forgiveness or benevolence that filled his raging soul. No, it was an impotent acceptance. He saw Keyaruga as a mirror, in which he saw himself, before he deserted the royal guard and found himself in Alban.
“Someday… you’ll follow my path…” And this was what the man spoke at last, dropping his war-scythe to the ethereal ground. With no souls to redeem in the most twisted of ways, the dome of blackness quickly turned insufferably bright.
The Trial of Heart had been passed.

Miscellaneous Skills

"You… embroider?"
"I have many skills"

Medical Skill

• Performs a c-section on a woman pregnant with a centaur's child^S1E24
  • Again^S6E17
• Performs surgery on a centaur whose rib was pressing on his lung^S1E10
• Performs surgery on a man with an arrow sticking through his neck^S1E24
• Coaches a farmer through removing an arrow stuck in her^S1E2
• Saves a man after his windpipe had been severed^S1E8
• Stitches a wound^S1E24

Stealth

• Infiltrates Ming-T'ien's palace without being detected, only failing her assassination attempt because of interference from Gabrielle^S3E6
• Gets the drop on soldiers following her, taking two out without being heard by the other^S1E1
• Disappears from Draco's tent^S2E22
• Chains a slaver to his bed while he sleeps^S4E8
• Trails a man into a camp of soldiers without being seen^S1E12

Senses

Basic

• Recognizes a poison by scent^S3E2
• Discerns that an arrow is poisoned by smell^S3E1
• Can tell that grain has been poisoned by taste^S4E9
• Hears a wagon cross a river ahead & hears a deer grazing^S6E21
• Hears snow falling on a tree & her student's heartbeat^S6E21
• Hears an army approaching & gives an estimate of how many men there are^S6E21

Supernatural

• Senses that she's being watched from far away^S2E1
• Senses that Ares is nearby^S3E22
• Senses where Hades is while he's invisible^S5E19
• Senses something inhuman is watching her group^S4E16
• Senses a man hiding in a tree^S4E11

Trickery

• Manipulates Ares into resurrecting the men he killed in an attempt to frame Xena so that she is declared not guilty at a trial^S1E6
• Tricks Lucifer into committing the Seven Deadly Sins, taking her place as King of Hell^S6E3
• Manipulates the dead souls of Tartarus into attacking them man who overthrew Hades instead of her^S1E16
• Pretends to be stabbed with a spear to lure her foe in close^S5E3
• With Gabrielle, tricks Death into appearing before her so she can trap her^S5E19
• Makes the Gorgons turn each other into stone^TX1

Misc

• A clone breaks a clone of Gabrielle out of prison, beating up the police force, then makes a new sword out of metal from a scrapyard^S6E16
• Pulls Excalibur out of the stone^S3E5
• Cows a dog with a gesture^S1E5
• Flexes in such a way that the dagger hidden between her breasts is flung into the air^S1E23
• Catches a sword with her feet & uses it to cut her bonds^S1E23
• Makes traps from materials she finds in a forest^S5E3
• Invents the kite^S2E15
• Catches an eel in a creek with her hands^S2E15
• Passes a key from her mouth to Marc Antony's with a kiss^S5E18
• Overpowers the Sirens' hold on Ulysses with her own song^S2E19
• Spins her chakram on her finger then juggles it, an apple, & her knife^S3E1
• While trapped in the body of a child, picks a lock with a finger bone^S5E8
• Cheats at dice^S3E15
• Reads the sea to determine that a tidal wave is incoming^S3E19

Gear

"Does anyone really know what a chakram is?"

Standard

• The Dark Chakram, later combined with the Light Chakram, creating the Balance Chakram, which could split in two^S5E2
  • Though typically used as a throwing weapon, it can be used as a melee weapon as well^S4E20
  • Deflects Hades' fireball back at him^S5E12
• Her sword^S1E3
• A whip^S4E18
• A hidden breast dagger^S1E3
• A dagger in her boot^S3E18

Magic

"To conquer others is to have power, to conquer yourself is to know the way"

Chi/The Power

After training under the Chin Queen Lao Ma, Xena could tap into her chi when she reached a state of total calm & balance

Blasts

• Blasts a hole in a stone wall^S3E7
• Wrecks Ming-T'ien's throne room^S3E7
• Knocks three riders off of their horses^S5E7

Telekinesis

• Throws tools to kill her executioner then unlocks her restraints^S3E7
• Knocks over a pot, though she was trying to break it^S5E7

Shield

• Protects herself at the center of a massive explosion^S5E6
• Blocks the explosions of rockets^S5E7
  • A rocket blew a large hole in a fortress wall^S5E6
• Bounces back rockets^S5E7
• Blocks bombs^S5E7

Petrification

• Petrifies Kahn's entire army & destroys the conjoined spirits of Ming-T'ien & Pao Ssu^S5E7
  • Gabrielle said Khan's army numbered 100,000^S5E7
• Petrifies a rabbit^S5E7

Misc

• Floats through the air^S3E7
• Diffuses Pao Ssu's chi blasts^S5E6
• Has a vision of the future^S5E7
• Sucks all of the air out of a tent to stop the fuse of a bomb^S5E7

Shamanism

After training under the evil shaman Alti & a tribe of Amazons, Xena became a knowledgeable shaman

• Defeats Alti in a spiritual battle^S4E2
• Performs a ritual to visit the Spirit World^S4E1
  • Teaches Gabrielle the ritual^S5E5
• Performs an amazon spiritual purge ritual^S4E2
• Instructs amazons to create a charm ring to protect their camp from Alti & her demons^S4E2
• After the spirit of a shaman transfers a mystic dagger from the netherworld to the spirit world, Xena pulls it into the physical plane^S5E16

Misc

• When her daughter Eve is baptized, Xena is given the ability to kill Gods^S5E22
  • This power extends to other immortals, like angels & demons
    • She was stripped of this power when she tried to kill Michael
• After invoking Krishna's name when Indrajit cuts off her arms, he transforms her into Kali, allowing her to win the fight & heal her wounds^S4E16
• When serving under Odin as a valkyrie, learns rune magic, which she uses to set fire to a plant^S6E7
• After dying she possesses Autolycus as part of a plan to bring herself back to life^S2E13
• Passes the test to become an archangel after dying^S5E1
• In 1940, when Xena's broken chakram is restored, her spirit possesses the body of her descendant Melinda Pappas^S2E10

I'm on mobile so sorry if the format it weird.
I picked up a foster kitten from a humane society yesterday who is approximately 5wks old (only weighs 304g) and I noticed he has a patch of hair loss with scaly skin. No redness or itchiness, but I'm still concerned it could be ringworm. Today he also had a small patch of fur come off his left cheek on his face but I haven't noticed anything on the skin underneath and he's also so squirmy it's hard to get a good look. Here's pictures of his tail for reference: https://imgur.com/a/BYYXA2g.
I plan on contacting the humane society in the morning to see if I can take him to one of their vets, I have other pets too so I'm going to isolate him for now in case it is ringworm :/

The Red Lotus

"We lucky few, this band of brothers and sisters in anarchy, are witnessing the beginning of an era of true freedom. Together, we will forge a world without kings and queens, without borders or nations, where Man's only allegiance is to himself and those he loves. We will return to the true balance of natural order. "

Origins: The Red Lotus are an anarchist splinter group whose founder, Xai Bau, separated from the Order of the White Lotus following the Hundred Year War.
History: Seeking to topple the divide not only between peoples and nations, but between that of the world and the Spirit World, the Red Lotus initially planned to release the ancient spirit of chaos Vaatu from imprisonment in the Tree of Time. When their member Unalaq betrayed their order in order to claim Vaatu's power for himself in becoming the Dark Avatar, their leader Zaheer realized the importance of ending the Avatar Cycle once and for all.
Many of the core members were imprisoned following a failed attempt to kidnap Avatar Korra as a child, but escaped more than a decade later when Harmonic Convergence granted Zaheer the gift of airbending. Once Zaheer released his fellows, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and P'Li, the quartet wreaked havoc throughout the world as they assassinated Earth Queen Hou-Ting, toppled the walls of Ba Sing Se, destroyed the Northern Air Temple, and very nearly succeeded in ending the Avatar Cycle.
Notes:

• Full RTs are linked for the core 5 members. This RT provides a sampling of each member's most combat-relevant feats.
• All sources are from Book 3 unless otherwise stated
• Zaheer, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and P'li are said to exhibit a "vagabond form of combat" with techniques collected around the globe and adapted to their own personal style.

Zaheer

• Airbending
  • Dodges several guards' attacks at once as he escapes prison, navigating around them and incapacitating them without taking a hit ^E1
  • Blasts men off into a volcano and slices open a barrel of water ^E2
  • Creates and maintains a large snowstorm to obscure he and his allies approach in a vehicle ^E4
  • Blasts through Kya's water spout to knock her away and KO her ^E5
  • Blows open doors and spills over 3 men ^E6
  • Summons his staff to him, and whips two guards into a wall from a distance away ^E5
  • Creates a whirlwind under Tonraq that lifts him up and throws him off the side of a mountain ^E12
• Special Abilities
  • Pulls the air from the Earth Queen's lungs, suffocating her to death ^E10
  • Begins to suffocate Korra before his attack is interrupted ^E13
  • Flies unassisted and dodges several attacks from Avatar State Korra while flying ^E13
    • The shockwave from flying past Korra throws her around ^E13
  • Capable of teleporting within the Spirit World, throwing a man into the Fog of Lost Souls while doing so ^E9

Ghazan

• Earthbending
  • Blocks Zuko's attacks and knocks him out of the fight ^E4
  • Throws stones hard enough to smash through Kya's ice shield, then upraises a swathe of stone in front of him to send 2 targets over the edge of a balcony ^E11
  • Exchanges earthbending attacks with Bolin, at one point raising a shield and turning it into a projectile to obscure his tackle ^E13
• Lavabending
  • Turns 3 rocks into a spinning sawblade that cuts through a wooden sell, KOs a guard, and knocks another overboard ^E2
  • Reduces more of Bolin's defenses to lava, and fires chunks of molten rock as projectiles ^E9
  • Forms a moat around he and his allies to establish a perimeter ^E8
  • Throws streams of lava from his moat ^E8
  • Raises a massive plume of lava from underneath Korra ^E13
  • Fills an entire room with lava, which begins to topple the building, then engulfs an entire temple in lava and it begins to crumble ^E12

Ming-Hua

• Physicals
  • A large boulder shatters against her and craters her into a wall, though she is up and mobile a moment later ^E13
  • Strikes at Mako, then follows up by freezing his arm to a building before throwing him into a building, knocking him out ^E9
  • Forms a wave of water she rides along while making an ice spear, then catches herself after being thrown off a balcony ^E11
  • Swings out of her cell suspended over a volcano while taking out guards ^E2
  • Creates several arms for herself she uses to move around while attacking, though dies when electrocuted by Mako ^E13
• Piercing
  • Burrows through the ground and into a cavern where she bounces around to incapacitate two guards ^E4
  • Overpowers Kya and slices through statues ^E11
• Freezing
  • Dodges around ice projectiles from Desna & Eska, then navigates the barriers they set up to incapacitate them both simultaneously ^E4
  • Freezes a person to a column in midair ^E10

P'Li

• Firebending
  • Blocks a blast of fire from a dragon, maintaining them in a ring around her before dissipating them ^E4
  • Dissipates a stream of fire from Mako and returns fire of her own ^E8
• Combustionbending
  • Takes a dragon out of a fight with one blast ^E4
  • Creates explosions that throw and destroy cars ^E6
  • Takes out 2 spotlights, and curves a blast around a corner to destroy a column and blow away 2 people on the explosion's periphery ^E8
  • Destroys large stones and curves more blasts to reach around corners, overcoming Lin Beifong in their showdown ^E12
  • Destroys a wall of stone and throws the earthbender behind it back ^E8
  • Blows up the ground beneath 2 targets, sending out chunks of stone and blowing her attackers away ^E10
• Limitations
  • When a blast is disrupted by a thrown pebble it explodes prematurely and floors the Red Lotus all at once ^E8
  • When a blast is disrupted by metal wrapping around her head she dies, with Zaheer confirming her death shortly after ^E12

Unalaq

• Waterbending
  • Defends from Korra and Mako's attacks with water shields, releasing blasts of his own that down Mako ^S2E4
  • Forms an ice wall and returns a blast of water ^S2E11
  • Wins a duel against Tonraq ^S2E11
  • Exchanges attacks with Mako and Bolin simultaneously ^S2S12
  • Throws several shards of ice, with some embedding into a wall of stone ^S2S13
• Spiritbending
  • Dissipates a large spirit attacking Korra ^S2E1
  • Dissipates several evil spirits simultaneously in his youth ^S2E2
  • Threatens to destroy Jinora's soul while spiritbending her ^S2E10
  • Lifts Korra into the air and begins to consume her before getting interrupted ^S2E10

Aiwei

As the truth seer and top advisor for the city of Zaofu, the metalbender Aiwei had a privileged position in a high society he held nothing but contempt for. After betraying the city's trust in a failed plot to kidnap Korra, Aiwei made his escape where Team Avatar followed. Convening with Zaheer in the Spirit World, the airbender tossed Aiwei into the Fog of Lost Souls where he was never seen from again.
​

• Sensed Korra lying, and explains that he is a truth seer with the ability to detect lying through the subtlest changes in heart rate and breathing ^S3E5
• Can tell Mako is lying about why he hates his seat at dinner ^S3E6
• Raises a large metal wall it takes Korra long enough to tear through Aiwei escapes ^S3E8
• Meditates to enter the Spirit World and meet with Zaheer ^S3E9

Unnamed members

The Red Lotus called a few unnamed members to their aid in their most precious hour when they sought to end the Avatar Cycle once and for all.
​

• Manipulates a liquid metal poison from a bowl ^S3E12
• The metalbender then sinks the poison through Korra's skin to infect her ^S3E12
• One guard is knocked unconscious by a huge boulder smashing against him, and another by Asami electrocuting him after he earthbends an attack ^S3E13

Synergy

• Zuko says that "Individually they can take down any bender. Put them all together they could take down the entire world." ^S3E2
• Effectively make a getaway, with Zaheer blasting away guards, Ming Hua driving away, P'Li firing at pursuing vehicles, and Ghazan creating a moat of lava to stop further pursuit ^S3E6
• Defend and counterattack together, with P'Li taking out spotlghts soon after to better obscure the team ^S3E8
• Escape metal encasing with Ghazan forming a defensive moat around the team ^S3E8
• Help eachother block and lay down cover fire, although P'Li misfiring briefly downs she and her teammates ^S3E8
• Fight off several Dai Li agents surrounding them ^S3E10
• P'Li lays down suppressing fire from an airship when her compatriots are attacked ^S3E11
• Together the Red Lotus overpowers Tenzin in a fight, with P'Li assisting from an airship overhead ^S3E11

I posted this in a narcissistic parent group and someone tagged this group and honestly I just need to scream this whole issue somewhere bc I feel like I’m losing my mind
I (26f) went home to visit my parents this week to go wedding dress shopping. I was originally going to elope and turn the event into a wedding/honeymoon but my mom and my sister practically begged me to have a real wedding. Hey if the parents are paying for it I won’t say no. (And I would love to have my sister there) We found the perfect mother of the bride dress for my mom while we were shopping. I was really excited. Today (now yesterday) I found my dress. I was crying I was so happy!
Then while my dad was paying for the dress (they are fulfilling my grandma’s promise to buy my wedding dress since she passed of cancer and they got the inheritance) my mom was trying once again to convince me to have the wedding where they live. I’m across the country and am planning on having it near where I live. My mom is a pro at the guilt trip and mentioned if we do it where I live my grandparents and aunts and cousins (all her side since everyone on my dads side is dead now) won’t be able to come. Well after a week of this I basically told her (gently) that I really want my friends to be there, and for their safety I wouldn’t feel comfortable inviting my extended family in the first place. Especially my grandparents.
For context, my grandparents and mom are the textbook definition of Qanon trumpers. My grandma was talking all about how she supports book banning after one of my appointments and her and my mom are convinced the election was stolen. Now my friends are all very liberal people. Among the guests we have non-binary individuals, queer individuals, a drag Queen, and a polyamorous throuple. And I finally let my mom know this because it just came to the point where it couldn’t be avoided anymore. I wanted to make sure she knew to be polite around them. She looked like she would be sick. But the kicker came when I mentioned one of our guests is immunocompromised and we were going to ask people to be up to date on their shots.
Now this woman has gotten Covid and had to go to the emergency room. She had to have a respirator. She had long Covid afterwards and started losing her hair. She looked me in the eye and said “maybe I shouldn’t have gotten that dress then.”
She would rather not go to my wedding at all than get vaccinated to protect my friend from dying. She would rather not wear a mask than watch me walk down the aisle.
Luckily my dad is sane and vaccinated but he is so “don’t stir the pot” that I know he won’t do much. The whole thing killed the joy of finally finding my dress and I want to cry. My mom has disappointed me and crossed boundaries and just been a conspiracy theorist wack job my whole life but the little part of me that has been holding out hope and just wanting her mom is crushed. I wanted to cry.
This morning I told my dad that my partner and I would be willing to figure out some compromise with having her take Covid tests leading up to the wedding and he said he would bring it up, but with him and my sister being the only family basically coming that they would no longer pay for the wedding if my mom couldn’t come. Like I never said she couldn’t come I just wanted her to be aware and not potentially make my friends really sick. She’s the one choosing if she would come or not and putting it all on me. She keeps saying how much I’m upsetting her like it isn’t MY WEDDING that SHE is making all about HER! She’s the one who wants to die on this hill. She tried telling me not to invite my friends so she could go but I’m absolutely NOT going to do that bc they are close friends of ours and some are even responsible for my partner and I getting together in the first place. They are like family to us.
And my dad taking her side on the issue by basically threatening to stop funding it (the money would be up to him more than my mom so it’s really a him decision) is honestly the worst part. All these years I gave him more credit than he deserved. Up until now I always felt like he had my back when it came to my mom and that he was someone safe. I just can’t look at him the same after this.
She has begrudgingly agreed to the Covid tests (though she’s still upset bc somehow the government will track her through an at home test or some shit) and I’m guessing they are still funding the wedding now that we have come to that “compromise” but our relationship will never be the same after this. I’ve spent years trying to fix the relationship with my mom but she’s made it impossible. I honestly don’t want her to come anymore after cooling down, but I went through so much just to get a compromise out of her that I might as well just leave it so I can at least have a wedding before the relationship with my parents absolutely dissolves.
Fuck trump and fuck Qanon for making her so much worse than she was. I remember when she believed antivaxers were idiot hippies. At least that was one thing we could agree on. Now she tells me she “woke up” my friends and I are lucky our hearts haven’t exploded or some shit while my friend AND my fiancé have both lost people to Covid. And I know so much of it is fueled by extreme evangelical shit that she keeps spitting even now like there weren’t three raptures that were supposed to occur since I was in the third grade. Oddly enough I wish she was even a little like she was back when I was in the third grade. At least she wasn’t this bad.
What really sucks is IM the one who feels guilty. I feel like I did something wrong. I feel like I’m somehow the selfish one and a disappointment. I just want to go home to my fiancé and cry in bed. I feel like I mean so little to both of them right now. But like… it’s my wedding. Even if I am being selfish, isn’t it at least a little understandable? Am I somehow in the wrong here and just not seeing it?
And cutting them off completely would hurt my mental and physical health because due to a few mental illnesses I have trouble keeping a steady job and am therefor financially dependent on them, especially for things like dr and therapy appointments which I need to stay sane and get my medications.
Once I’m back with my fiancé I’m sure things will feel a little better but this pit in my stomach hurts. Sorry this turned into a big old trauma dump rant but this shit keeps weighing on me.
Sorry about format and all that shit. I’m on mobile.

I'm very skeptical of online personas -- some are only chatty online but the very opposite of conversational in person.
I've chatted with guys whom I had good chemistry with (weeks of chatting!) only to find that we didn't connect well in person.
I'd rather get to know people over coffee than online chats. Bring back old dating traditions where we don't base each other on [filtered] photos and superficial preferences.
So if you're still reading, here are some things about me: - 32, female, plus size, 5'3, fair-skinned, chinita, with glasses - ESFJ - single, never married, no kids - likes reading books - knows nothing about animé and mobile games 🫣 - can drive - has cats and dogs so beware if you're allergic - excited for Hamilton in September! - my feel-good series to watch: Schitt's Creek
About you: - please be taller than me - strictly 30+ - single - can drive (I won't pick you up!) - professional - didn't vote for BBM - has a sense of purpose (wow deep lol)
We don't have to swap photos but okay with me if you want to. And of course since we were not born yesterday, I'd ask for some sort of bona fides before we meet (para iwas budol!)
I'll choose a public place -- probably in Alabang, San Pedro, Biñan or Sta Rosa.
Message me if you're interested!

I'm very skeptical of online personas -- some are only chatty online but the very opposite of conversational in person.
I've chatted with guys whom I had good chemistry with (weeks of chatting!) only to find that we didn't connect well in person.
I'd rather get to know people over coffee than online chats. Bring back old dating traditions where we don't base each other on [filtered] photos and superficial preferences.
So if you're still reading, here are some things about me: - 32, female, plus size, 5'3, fair-skinned, chinita, with glasses - ESFJ - single, never married, no kids - likes reading books - knows nothing about animé and mobile games 🫣 - can drive - has cats and dogs so beware if you're allergic - excited for Hamilton in September! - my feel-good series to watch: Schitt's Creek
About you: - please be taller than me - strictly 30+ - single - can drive (I won't pick you up!) - professional - didn't vote for BBM - has a sense of purpose (wow deep lol)
We don't have to swap photos but okay with me if you want to. And of course since we were not born yesterday, I'd ask for some sort of bona fides before we meet (para iwas budol!)
I'll choose a public place -- probably in Alabang, San Pedro, Biñan or Sta Rosa.
Message me if you're interested!

Respect The Dai Li

"There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

The Dai Li are the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se, a secretive police force responsible for protecting the heritage of the Earth Kingdom's capital city. Their members are recruited at an early age and trained to become an elite and covert earthbending task force specializing in securing, imprisoning, and conditioning political dissidents.
Avatar Kyoshi first formed the Dai Li to preserve Earth Kingdom traditions on behalf of the Earth King. However, over time they became corrupted away from the Earth King's influence, eventually coming under the command of Grand Secretariat Long Feng. Under Long Feng, the Dai Li insulated the Earth King from political influence as they imposed a paranoid police-state over the city. When Princess Azula outmaneuvered Long Feng for leadership of the Dai Li, the force became the city's undoing as she seized control of the capital for the Fire Nation. After serving as Azula's personal guard, the Dai Li returned to obedience under the Earth Kingdom's monarchy when Azula dismissed them during a fit of paranoid mania.
Most recently, the Dai Li faithfully served the Earth Queen in the Era of Korra where they were tasked with collecting and training newly-fledged Airbenders into a military force. Korra and her friends ultimately saved the new Airbenders, and the Dai Li have not been seen since their defeat at the hands of the Red Lotus who subsequently assassinated the Earth Queen to plunge Ba Sing Se into anarchy.

Source Key Avatar: The Last Airbender Season & Episode = AS#E# The Legend of Korra Season & Episode = LS#E# Archived Nickelodeon Website = ANW Escape from the Spirit World = ESW Avatar: The Last Airbender: Art of the Animated Series = AoAS 

Scaling: 1) Aang 2) Toph 3) Katara 3) Zuko 4) Sokka 5) Appa 6) Jet and the Freedom Fighters 7) Iroh 8) Korra 9) Tenzin 10) Mako 11) Bolin 12)New Airbenders 13) Red Lotus

Combat

Durability/Evasion

• Knocked away by Toph's columns of earth ^AS2E17
• Jet knocks a Dai Li out by slamming him into the ground, and Aang blasts others away with air ^AS2E17
• Knocked away by Toph's earthbending ^AS2E17
• Blasted away and knocked unconscious by Aang's airbending ^AS2E17
• Several Dai Li are scattered when Appa charges through their stone wall, and Toph and Aang launch more into the lake nearby with earthbending ^AS2E17
• While surrounding Zuko and Iroh, manage to avoid being burned by Iroh's fire breath and give chase ^AS2E20
• Knocked out of a fight by a column of stone from Aang ^AS3E11
• Hit by a jutting of earth from Toph and them imprisoned in metal ^AS3E11
• Dodges a point blank air blast from Kai and brings the ground up around him to bind his limbs ^LS3E4
• Evades attacks, but are ultimately knocked out by attacks from Mako, Bolin and Kai ^LS3E4
• Blasted away by Tenzin and Korra's airbending ^LS3E4
• Quickly taken down by the Red Lotus, who block and evade their attacks ^LS3E10

Projectiles - Gloves

• Discreetly projects earth gloves that grab Katara and Toph and pulls them in ^AS2E14
• Two Dai Li fire their rock gloves against Toph, who intercepts the gloves and knocks the Dai Li away with columns of earth ^AS2E17
• Two Dai Li grab Sokka and Katara with earth gloves from a distance away to reel them in, but are interrupted by an earth wall from Toph ^AS2E17
• One Dai Li manages to grab Toph with an earth glove from behind, but he is interrupted and several Dai Li attacks are intercepted by the Freedom Fighters soon after ^AS2E17
• A projected rock glove pierces through a straw dummy's chest and removes its head ^AS2E17
• Dai Li launch their earth gloves at Team Avatar, binding their wrists behind their backs, though Aang easily escapes the bindings with earthbending ^AS2E18
• Launch pieces of stone from their gloves that tear apart the wall they hit ^AS2E20
• Follow their own shield by launching earth gloves at Zuko that bind his hands and feet to the ground ^AS2E20
• Use earth gloves to grab the fleeing Kai, turn him around and restrain him ^LS3E3
• Fires stones from a surrounding hallway and their gloves at Mako and Bolin, with one managing to grab and retrieve Jinora from a distance ^LS3E4

Projectiles - Misc.

• Dai Li send out columns of earth as attacks ^AS2E17
• Launch several clay discs that explode against Airbenders, injuring them in a training session and then launches more discs more rapidly to overwhelm Kai ^LS3E4
• Fires stones from a surrounding hallway and their gloves at Mako and Bolin, with one managing to grab and retrieve Jinora from a distance ^LS3E4
• Launch earth projectiles that zip past a fleeing sky bison, and fire rocks rapidly that eat into the ground behind a fleeing Mako and Bolin ^LS3E4
• Launches cubes of stone pulled from the ground at Aang, and latch onto the walls when Toph tosses them away to return stony columns at her in response ^AS3E11
• Launch stones at Iroh that explode against his body ^AS2E20

Bindings

• Raises crystals from the ground to bind Iroh in place, though he later escapes ^AS2E20
• Raise crystals from the ground to imprison Iroh after he gives up his fight ^AS2E20
• Catches Jet's hook sword in their earth-gloved grasp and then use the gloves as handcuffs to secure Jet ^AS2E14
• Use surveyors chains to bind Long Feng's wrists in place ^AS2E18
• Restrains the Council of Five with surveyors chains while ambushing them ^AS2E20

Barriers

• Several Dai Li raise massive walls of earth to trap Team Avatar ^AS2E17
• Two Dai Li intercept Zuko's flame attack, raising a piece of the ground as a shield for Azula ^AS2E20
• Two Dai Li close walls of stone together to block off Aang's attack at Azula ^AS3E11
• Raises a large stone wall when Team Avatar breaks apart their first one ^AS3E11
• Races along a wall, outpacing Aang, and raises a wall to impede him, though knocked out of the fight when Aang juts a column into the Dai Li that launches him away ^AS3E11

Mobility

• Dig their earth-gloved fingers into walls to climb up them ^ESW
• Several Dai Li drop from the ceiling and suspend themselves upside down with their rock boots secured against a cavern to ambush Team Avatar ^AS2E17
• Dai Li run on walls and ascend on columns of earth, but are hit away by Toph's earthbending ^AS2E17
• Several Dai Li cling to sheer rock walls to surround Team Avatar ^AS2E17
• Dai Li skate across the ground to quickly maneuver behind Team Avatar ^AS2E18
• Races along a wall, outpacing Aang, and raises a wall to impede him, though knocked out of the fight when Aang juts a column into the Dai Li that launches him away ^AS3E11
• Keeps ahead of Aang and Toph while also using columns to boost Azula's jumps, though hit by a sudden attack from Toph, disarmed, and imprisoned in metal shortly after ^AS3E11
• Slides down a wall of Ba Sing Se to land safely at its base ^AS3E1
• Dai Li leap a vast distance and quickly surround Korra, Tenzin, and the other Airbenders ^LS3E4
• Dig into the ground to hold their place against several Airbenders combining their powers into a continuous gust of wind ^LS3E4
• Use columns to amplify jumps even while in a narrow hallway ^LS3E4
• Use columns of stone to amplify jumps ^LS3E4

Misc.

• Trained from an early age to become master earthbenders ^ANW
• Forms their earth gloves around their hands to contour like a plaster mold ^AoAS
• Explode apart the swell of earth Aang rides atop, tossing him a distance away ^AS2E20
• Explodes apart Toph's earthen binding around Azula and then drops from the ceiling ^AS3E11
• Slides down a wall of Ba Sing Se to land safely at its base, combining their strength to bring the wall down after they land to allow in Fire Nation forces ^AS3E1
• Opens the floor beneath the restrained Mako and Bolin to drop them into a prison, then seals the hole back up ^LS3E10

Intelligence/Tactics

Espionage

• Originally trained by Avatar Kyoshi as an elite force of earthbenders who would be silent, precise, and feared by all ^ESW
• A Dai Li agent poses as a citizen who lies to Team Avatar about Appa's location successfully ^AS2E17
  • His name is Old Sweepy, and he was deliberately lying rather than brainwashed ^ANW
• Two Dai Li agents spy on Team Avatar discreetly from a rooftop nearby without detection ^AS2E17
• Lurks on rooftops, detecting Appa soon after he enters Ba Sing Se ^AS2E16
• Two Dai Li agents spy on Team Avatar discreetly from a rooftop nearby without detection ^AS2E17
• A Dai Li patrolman pursues Zuko, unwittingly falling into a trap ^AS2E17
• Dai Li cling to the columns of a building to spy on Mai and Ty Lee ^AS2E19
• Iroh secured one Dai Li as a prisoner for interrogation ^AS2E20
• Azula states that the Dai Li are the key to controlling Ba Sing Se ^AS2E19
• The Dai Li organize a coordinated ambush that secures the Council of Five and seize control of Ba Sing Se ^AS2E20

Brainwashing

• Brainwashes Jet in secret ^AS2E14
• Jet's brainwashing is so complete that Toph cannot tell he is lying, and he seems to wholeheartedly believe the brainwashing ^AS2E17
• Joo Di's brainwashing is triggered with a phrase that instantly calms her down and brings her to heel ^AS2E17
• Long Feng triggers Jet's brainwashing with a secret phrase, forcing Jet to turn on his allies ^AS2E17
• A whole room of Joo Dees are brainwashed at once, speaking in unison ^AS2E17
• Joo Di's brainwashing is triggered with a phrase that instantly calms her down and brings her to heel ^AS2E17

Respect Long Feng

Physical

• Appa bites Long Feng's leg and tosses him into the lake, skipping him across the surface, and he appears soon after unharmed save for a bite mark on his ankle ^AS2E17-18

Earthbending

• Overturns the ground beneath Appa and himself suddenly^AS2E16
• Strikes Jet with a column of stone killing Jet a short while later ^AS2E17

Intelligence

• Manipulates Katara and Toph in a social setting without arousing suspicion ^AS2E14
• Uses a bison whistle to lure Appa into a trap ^AS2E16
• Remained in control for the Dai Li even after his arrest for a time, though Azula successfully seized control of the Dai Li from Long Feng ^AS2E20

I (26f) went home to visit my parents this week to go wedding dress shopping. I was originally going to elope and turn the event into a wedding/honeymoon but my mom and my sister practically begged me to have a real wedding. Hey if the parents are paying for it I won’t say no. We found the perfect mother of the bride dress for my mom while we were shopping. I was really excited. Today I found my dress. I was crying I was so happy!
Then while my dad was paying for the dress my mom was trying once again to convince me to have the wedding where they live. I’m across the country and am planning on having it near where I live. My mom is a pro at the guilt trip and mentioned if we do it where I live my grandparents and aunts and cousins won’t be able to come. Well after a week of this I basically told her (gently) that I really want my friends to be there, and for their safety I wouldn’t feel comfortable inviting my extended family in the first place. Especially my grandparents.
For context, my grandparents and mom are the textbook definition of Qanon trumpets. My grandma was talking all about how she supports book banning after one of my appointments and her and my mom are convinced the election was stolen. Now my friends are all very liberal people. Among the guests we have non-binary individuals, queer individuals, a drag Queen, and a polyamorous throuple. And I finally let my mom know this. She looked like she would be sick. But the kicker came when I mentioned one of our guests is immunocompromised and we were going to ask people to be up to date on their shots.
Now this woman has gotten Covid and had to go to the emergency room. She had to have a respirator. She had long Covid afterwards and started losing her hair. She looked me in the eye and said “maybe I shouldn’t have gotten that dress then.”
She would rather not go to my wedding at all than get vaccinated to protect my friend from dying. She would rather not wear a mask than watch me walk down the aisle.
Luckily my dad is sane and vaccinated but he is so “don’t stir the pot” that I know he won’t do much. The whole thing killed the joy of finally finding my dress and I want to cry. My mom has disappointed me and crossed boundaries and just been a conspiracy theorist wack job my whole life but the little part of me that has been holding out hope and just wanting her mom is crushed. I want to cry.
This morning I told my dad that my partner and I would be willing to figure out some compromise with having her take Covid tests leading up to the wedding and he said he would bring it up, but with him and my sister being the only family basically coming that they would no longer pay for the wedding if my mom couldn’t come. Like I never said she couldn’t come I just wanted her to be aware and not potentially make my friends really sick. She’s the one choosing if she would come or not and putting it all on me. She keeps saying how much I’m upsetting her like it isn’t MY WEDDING that SHE is making all about HER! She’s the one who wants to die on this hill. She tried telling me not to invite my friends so she could go but I’m absolutely NOT going to do that bc they are close friends of ours.
And my dad taking her side on the issue by basically threatening to stop funding it (the money would be up to him more than my mom so it’s really a him decision) is honestly the worst part. All these years I gave him more credit than he deserved. Up until now I always felt like he had my back when it came to my mom and that he was someone safe. I just can’t look at him the same after this.
She has begrudgingly agreed to the Covid tests (though she’s still upset bc somehow the government will track her through an at home test) and I’m guessing they are still funding the wedding now that we have come to that “compromise” but our relationship will never be the same after this. I’ve spent years trying to fix the relationship with my mom but she’s made it impossible. I honestly don’t want her to come anymore after cooling down, but I went through so much just to get a compromise out of her that I might as well just leave it so I can at least have a wedding before the relationship with my parents absolutely dissolves.
Fuck trump and fuck Qanon for making her so much worse than she was. I remember when she believed antivaxers were idiot hippies. At least that was one thing we could agree on. Now she tells me she “woke up” my friends and I are lucky our hearts haven’t exploded or some shit while my friend AND my fiancé have both lost people to Covid. I need some sort of “lost a loved one to Qanon” support group or something.
Sorry about format and all that shit. I’m on mobile.

smoke_and_secrets86 deleted from /borrow

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[REQ] ($100) (#Penacook, NH, US) (Repay $125 on 07/20/20) (Cashapp, Venmo, Apple Pay)

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My dog has suffered a seizure and I’m short to pay the emergency vet for his bloodwork. Any help is appreciated!

Hej. Jag letar efter en mobil att köpa på blocket. Problemet är att många inte har kvitto till telefonen de säljer. Finns det något annat alternativ för kvitto som säljaren hade kunnat erbjuda? Ge gärna råd om ni vet något bra sätt.

Hello! I am thinking about adopting a pug puppy from a rescue, and I was just sent over his vet paperwork which advised against neutering him because of the risks of putting him under anesthesia. they did say that if I wanted to pursue neutering him that I would need to find a specialist. I would far prefer to get him neutered, but obviously his safety comes first.
As far as his scoliosis goes, it seem moderate, although i haven’t seen any xrays. he is a bit L- shaped and has a small hunch back. He has fine mobility and can run around. However, his spine is pressing on his lungs a bit so he gets out of breath fast. That is also why I wanted to look into the BOAS surgery, so at least he could breathe through his nose a bit better (but obviously that would also require anesthesia).
Any advice or knowledge would be super appreciated! I have tried googling, but haven’t had much luck.
Also I am in WA state if you happen to know of a specialist 🫶

Hello everyone. My guinea pig has recently stopped using his back legs due to arthritis in 3 out of 4 back leg joints ( knee, ankle, and knee). As per the vet I am giving him some medication for pain and inflammation and am doing piggy physio multiple times a day to hopefully strengthen his back leg muscles. It's only been a few days so still too soon to see any improvement on this.
I am hoping that some people may have some ideas on how to improve his comfort, mobility, and also how to avoid urine scald as he is peeing on himself.
For the urine I am doing some pet wipes and every few days I'll be giving him a lower end rinse with some baby shampoo.
He is still happy as he loves going in to his hay piles and making his little tunnels. I just want to make his life as best as possible.
Thank you all for your time.

Company Name	Title	City
Creek Enterprise	General Laborer	Cedar Falls
LabCorp	Venipuncturist	Clinton
LabCorp	Venipuncturist	Clive
CHI Health Mercy Corning	LMRT	Corning
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs	CT Technician	Council Bluffs
Jobot	Fire Alarm Inspector	Des Moines
Rose International	BDC Assistant	Dubuque
Rose International	Administrative Assistant	Dubuque
Triage Services	Travel RN	Dubuque
Rose International	Administrative Assistant	Epworth
Delivery Drivers, Inc.	Carryout	Laurel
John Deere & Company	Station Representative	Marion
ELITE DENTAL PARTNERS L	DMD	Marshalltown
American Mobile Healthcare	Travel RN	Mason City
Delivery Drivers, Inc.	Carryout	Melbourne
Lazer Logistics	CDL A Driver	Muscatine
Delivery Drivers, Inc.	Carryout	Newton
Delivery Drivers, Inc.	LTL Driver	Newton
Doherty Staffing	PM Technician	Norwalk
CF Industries	Factory Engineer	Sergeant Bluff
Oculus Search Partners	Building Cleaning Supervisor	Sheffield
Oculus Search Partners	Graduate of Industrial Engineering Studies	Sheffield
Lumen Inc	Network Systems Technician	Spencer
Indian Motorcycle	Part Assembler	Spirit Lake
Lazer Logistics	CDL A Driver	Waterloo

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in ia. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.	Fast Food Restaurant Shift Manager	Anderson
Texas Roadhouse	Hostess	Anderson
Encompass Health	RN	Beaufort
Kimberly-Clark	Product Development Engineer	Beech Island
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.	Diner Manager	Belton
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.	Restaurant Manager	Belton
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.	Fast Food Restaurant Shift Manager	Belton
GHR Travel Nursing	SDU Nurse	Columbia
Pampered Pets Mobile Resort	Animal Groomer	Conway
Cortech	BDC Assistant	Fort Mill
Cortech	Administrative Assistant	Fort Mill
TMX Finance	Site Manager	Goose Creek
Groucho's Deli	Back Line Cook	Greenville
Jobot	Pedodontist	Greenwood
Berkeley County School District	Child Speech Therapist	Moncks Corner
Oculus Search Partners	HR Generalist	Orangeburg
IntelyCare	RN	Piedmont
IntelyCare	Registered Nurse (RN)	Piedmont
Cortech	Administrative Assistant	Rock Hill
Penske Truck Leasing	Diesel Mechanic	Spartanburg
DaVita	RN	Sumter
Epic Travel Staffing	Physiotherapist	Sumter
Walmart	Food & Grocery	Hardeeville
Walmart	Shopper	Hardeeville
Walmart	Delivery Person	Hardeeville

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

I had posted a potential itinerary 3 months ago right when I first planned a 5 night trip with my mom.
https://www.reddit.com/AskNOLA/comments/1149d72/a_tentative_itinerary_for_may_for_2_older_folks/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
The day we left happened to be the 6mo anniversary of my dad's passing - I was traveling with my 86yo mom, who had always wanted to go to New Orleans (her vision was traveling down the Mississippi though).
I appreciated help from u/tyrannosaurus_cock/ and u/sardonicmnemonic/ they help many folks on here.
--Day 1: 36$ taxi from airport - arrived at noon and fortunately could check in early at Grenoble House along Dauphine. Went a block to Killer Po'boys. Mom wasn't thrilled with the music inside so we ate by the courtyard pool in the hotel - delicious start! Walked FQ a little, back to change, by now it's raining hard but we have umbrellas. Those don't protect from all the puddles though! My mom was game though for our trip across FQ to Muriel's. Mom choose Muriel's by looking at menus I sent her. I was a little dubious to reserve there but we both loved our meals - their shrimp and grits was probably my favorite entree for the trip (probably a lot of cream, butter but hey). Great table near J. sq. Bread pudding fabulous. Had considered hottest hell tour here but didn't want to walk through tons of puddles, so back to rest.
​
--Day 2: got up fairly early - thought this would be the best day for City Park since other days had breakfast reservations. Jazzy pass got us to city park w streetcar - we immediately went to Cafe du M for beignets, then sculpture garden and NOMA cafe had great salads. Checked out some paintings within, then back to streetcar, use hotel hot tub, showering at hotel. Dinner at GW Fins another wonderful table location. Had lobster dumplings, tuna tartare and we both had the scallibut (not original choices but soo good!) we both love seafood. I remember someone in this sub complaining about the too-quick speed of GW Fins ruining the meal for them - although the meal wasn't ruined for us at all, I can kind of see what they were getting at. Our meal was done in an hour (no dessert) but that was ok for us. Then walked the FQ a little, saw the dueling pianos at Pat's (this was something my mom wasn't thrilled with..too loud since she never goes to bars). Then a Preservation Hall performance with seats in front. We both loved it of course my mom knew dad would have loved it as well.
​
--Day 3: Hottest day for us - Breakfast at Brennan's - wonderful seating again - this time at the courtyard window near the famous turtles - cute to watch. Baked apple (mom's idea) was a great choice, mimosa, we both had poached egg dishes. Just splendid - favorite breakfast for the trip. Walked along Royal st shops, museum, Ms Rau was just a different experience for an antique store. Looked for Doreen Ketchens this day and the next but she wasn't playing this weekend. Alongside J Square and walked behind a shoes-asking guy for a while, watching his patter. Then along riverfront which was hot w the sun, but just took it with rests in shade and water we took along. Then to Creole Queen historical tour. This was something my mom had really wanted to do..closest to her older plans to visit NOLA by coming along the river. Guide was outstanding, but my mom didn't like the 1 hr stop at the battlegrounds, she'd have rather traveled further along the river and back. Then to canal streetcar up to our hotel - had dinner at Napoleon House (fortunately a short walk since my mom was tired). Artichoke dip, muffuletta, Pimms cup, croissant sand.
​
--Day 4: Lots of walking for this day - fortunately it was cloudy and pleasant. Went to some parts of FQ we hadn't seen yet (Decatur) but just more trinkety stores. Circled back to musical legends park just to sit before our jazz brunch at Arnaud's. Didn't want poached eggs again and had the crawfish cheesecake - probably my second favorite entree in a trip of wonderful meals. Band came and played at our table but didn't ask for a request (which was fine for us) - my mom recognized the song from the jazz music my dad would play in the past. Then went inside Jackson square, cathedral and eventually a streetcar up canal to St Charles streetcar for Garden District tour with Lucky Bean tours. Great guide - Tim. Mom was glad to be walking along sidewalks without lots of tourists and shops. I understand the need to get out of the FQ. Then back to streetcar and ate dinner at Meril's - we both had lamb and feta flatbreads a delicious change. Walked to streetcar stop but car wasn't going to come for a while..so walked back to hotel. Mom has a great amount of energy and ability for a 86yo - she can deal with the uneven sidewalks and holes - don't know how less mobile people do it. She kept saying that other folks in her retirement village would have a hard time.
​
--Day 5: Didn't really have plans for this day. I had thought one day we'd go on a plantation tour but my mom has seen enough plantations so we took that out. Found a cemetery tour at 1015 with Haunted History, back to the streetcar up to cemeteries. Had beignets at Morning Call before the tour (we thought they were better than Cafe DM but both taste great). This was historical and not a ghost tour (never got to do one of those) we learned about burial practices, yellow fever, other history - saw 5 cemeteries and the Katrina memorial. Back to hotel for lunch of delicious leftovers (muff. and flatbread). Then Louis Armstrong park/Congo square near hotel. Back to use pool, hot tub. Then St Ch streetcar to dinner at Commander's Palace in the garden room! Emphasis on service here - we each had the 3 course dinner with shrimp and risotto. I think if I could change one thing I would have changed my entree selection here. We ended our evening with bananas foster flambé and wow that was a big flame! Checked the Le Pass app when we finished and fortunately we were quick enough to get to a streetcar before it left the stop. It would have been a bit of a wait for another one. I was always concerned about my mom's safety and comfort and was concerned about this part (using streetcars at night)
​
--Day 6: Went to Jimmy J's cafe in morning but they seem to be a little place and they didn't have a table. So returned to Jazz L. park at ate at Cafe Beignet - very pleasant to eat there before it gets crowded with a line. 36$ rate again for taxi back to airport - said so long to NOLA!
​
We absolutely loved our trip - had great conversations. Things went so smoothly. Besides the FQ we got out to city park, garden district, midcity and a spot in the CBD. I did have to make several restaurant reservations beforehand. Reservations for Brennan's and CP go very quickly - I made a reminder on my phone to do it. I made our tour and paddleboat reservations once we were in NO.
Things I planned to do but didn't: see Doreen Ketchens, visit Pharmacy museum (wasn't open on days we could do it), do a ghost tour
Weather was good but there were times you needed to be in the shade from the heat. I probably over-prepared for the heat with lots of extra underwear and tank tops that I didn't use but they don't take up much room in a suitcase anyway. Small umbrella was good to bring. Try to check out how the Le Pass app works before you have to actually use it.
Thank you to the folks in this sub who spend some time to help out-of-towners like us. Great memories!

I live in the Phoenix area (E. Valley), and spent time with my son driving to a couple of stores - Baxter's in Queen Creek, Warhammer in Chandler, and Games U, in Gilbert. *none* of them had any of the Dark Angels models, except the Combat Patrol. Why is it so hard to find models? Makes me want to switch to Orks or Tyranids, which were far more plentiful. Literally the only thing available. Combat Patrols. No ezekiel, asmodai, azrael, belial, ravenwing, deathwing, lazarus, etc, that I was looking at in the codex. What's up with that. Do you *have* to order them online? (or swap, etc)
and second question. magnets -- my son mentioned them, seems like a good idea, granted, more work, but I'm pretty meticulous/detailed, I think. Good videos/links/tips? my trust dewalt drill will do the job, or easiebetter options?
Thanks!

robinthekid deleted from /borrow

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[REQ] ($125) (#Queens, NY, USA) (Repay $150 06/02/2023) (Venmo, Zelle, PayPal)

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Hi there! I’m needing an additional $125 until next Friday where I can pay out $150. I got hit with a bill that came sooner than expected.

Part 1/3 (rest in comments) : 1 E.I.01 FIDE LAWS of CHESS Contents: PREFACE page 2 BASIC RULES OF PLAY Article 1: The nature and objectives of the game of chess page 2 Article 2: The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard page 3 Article 3: The moves of the pieces page 4 Article 4: The act of moving the pieces page 7 Article 5: The completion of the game page 8 COMPETITION RULES Article 6: The chess clock page 9 Article 7: Irregularities page 11 Article 8: The recording of the moves page 11 Article 9: The drawn game page 12 Article 10: Quickplay finish page 13 Article 11: Points page 14 Article 12: The conduct of the players page 14 Article 13: The role of the arbiter (see Preface) page 15 Article 14: FIDE page 16 Appendices: A. Rapidplay page 17 B. Blitz page 17 C. Algebraic notation page 18 D. Quickplay finishes where no arbiter is present in the venue page 20 E. Rules for play with Blind and Visually Handicapped page 20 F. Chess960 rules page 22 Guidelines in case a game needs to be adjourned page 24 2 FIDE Laws of Chess cover over-the-board play. The English text is the authentic version of the Laws of Chess, which was adopted at the 79th FIDE Congress at Dresden (Germany), November 2008, coming into force on 1 July 2009. In these Laws the words ‘he’, ‘him’ and ‘his’ include ‘she’ and ‘her’. PREFACE The Laws of Chess cannot cover all possible situations that may arise during a game, nor can they regulate all administrative questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by studying analogous situations which are discussed in the Laws. The Laws assume that arbiters have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute objectivity. Too detailed a rule might deprive the arbiter of his freedom of judgement and thus prevent him from finding the solution to a problem dictated by fairness, logic and special factors. FIDE appeals to all chess players and federations to accept this view. A member federation is free to introduce more detailed rules provided they: a. do not conflict in any way with the official FIDE Laws of Chess, and b. are limited to the territory of the federation concerned, and c. are not valid for any FIDE match, championship or qualifying event, or for a FIDE title or rating tournament. BASIC RULES OF PLAY Article 1: The nature and objectives of the game of chess 1.1 The game of chess is played between two opponents who move their pieces alternately on a square board called a ‘chessboard’. The player with the white pieces commences the game. A player is said to ‘have the move’, when his opponent’s move has been ‘made’. (See Article 6.7) 1.2 The objective of each player is to place the opponent’s king ‘under attack’ in such a way that the opponent has no legal move. The player who achieves this goal is said to have ‘checkmated’ the opponent’s king and to have won the game. Leaving one’s own king under attack, exposing one’s own king to attack and also ’capturing’ the opponent’s king are not allowed. The opponent whose king has been checkmated has lost the game. 1.3 If the position is such that neither player can possibly checkmate, the game is drawn. 3 Article 2: The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard 2.1 The chessboard is composed of an 8 x 8 grid of 64 equal squares alternately light (the ‘white’ squares) and dark (the ‘black’ squares). The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near corner square to the right of the player is white. 2.2 At the beginning of the game one player has 16 light-coloured pieces (the ‘white’ pieces); the other has 16 dark-coloured pieces (the ‘black’ pieces). These pieces are as follows: A white king usually indicated by the symbol A white queen usually indicated by the symbol Two white rooks usually indicated by the symbol Two white bishops usually indicated by the symbol Two white knights usually indicated by the symbol Eight white pawns usually indicated by the symbol A black king usually indicated by the symbol A black queen usually indicated by the symbol Two black rooks usually indicated by the symbol Two black bishops usually indicated by the symbol Two black knights usually indicated by the symbol Eight black pawns usually indicated by the symbol 2.3 The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as follows: 2.4 The eight vertical columns of squares are called ‘files’. The eight horizontal rows of squares are called ‘ranks’. A straight line of squares of the same colour, running from one edge of the board to an adjacent edge, is called a ‘diagonal’. 4 Article 3: The moves of the pieces 3.1 It is not permitted to move a piece to a square occupied by a piece of the same colour. If a piece moves to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece the latter is captured and removed from the chessboard as part of the same move. A piece is said to attack an opponent’s piece if the piece could make a capture on that square according to the Articles 3.2 to 3.8. A piece is considered to attack a square, even if such a piece is constrained from moving to that square because it would then leave or place the king of its own colour under attack. 3.2 The bishop may move to any square along a diagonal on which it stands. 3.3 The rook may move to any square along the file or the rank on which it stands. 3.4 The queen may move to any square along the file, the rank or a diagonal on which it stands. 5 3.5 When making these moves the bishop, rook or queen may not move over any intervening pieces. 3.6 The knight may move to one of the squares nearest to that on which it stands but not on the same rank, file or diagonal. 3.7 a. The pawn may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file, or b. on its first move the pawn may move as in 3.7.a or alternatively it may advance two squares along the same file provided both squares are unoccupied, or c. the pawn may move to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, which is diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file, capturing that piece. d. A pawn attacking a square crossed by an opponent’s pawn which has advanced two squares in one move from its original square may capture this opponent’s pawn as though the latter had been moved only one square. This capture is only legal on the move following this advance and is called an ‘en passant’ capture. 6 e. When a pawn reaches the rank furthest from its starting position it must be exchanged as part of the same move on the same square for a new queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. The player’s choice is not restricted to pieces that have been captured previously. This exchange of a pawn for another piece is called ‘promotion’ and the effect of the new piece is immediate. 3.8 a. There are two different ways of moving the king: by moving to any adjoining square not attacked by one or more of the opponent’s pieces or by ‘castling’. This is a move of the king and either rook of the same colour along the player’s first rank, counting as a single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is transferred from its original square two squares towards the rook on its original square, then that rook is transferred to the square the king has just crossed. Before white kingside castling After white kingside castling Before black queenside castling After black queenside castling Before white queenside castling After white queenside castling Before black kingside castling After black kingside castling 7 b. (1) The right to castle has been lost: [a] if the king has already moved, or [b] with a rook that has already moved. (2) Castling is prevented temporarily: [a] if the square on which the king stands, or the square which it must cross, or the square which it is to occupy, is attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces, or [b] if there is any piece between the king and the rook with which castling is to be effected. 3.9 The king is said to be 'in check' if it is attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces, even if such pieces are constrained from moving to that square because they would then leave or place their own king in check. No piece can be moved that will either expose the king of the same colour to check or leave that king in check. Article 4: The act of moving the pieces 4.1 Each move must be made with one hand only. 4.2 Provided that he first expresses his intention (for example by saying „j’adoube“ or “I adjust”), the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces on their squares. 4.3 Except as provided in Article 4.2, if the player having the move deliberately touches on the chessboard: a. one or more of his own pieces, he must move the first piece touched which can be moved b. one or more of his opponent’s pieces, he must capture the first piece touched which can be captured c. one piece of each colour, he must capture the opponent’s piece with his piece or, if this is illegal, move or capture the first piece touched which can be moved or captured. If it is unclear, whether the player’s own piece or his opponent’s was touched first, the player’s own piece shall be considered to have been touched before his opponent’s. 4.4 If a player having the move: a. deliberately touches his king and rook he must castle on that side if it is legal to do so b. deliberately touches a rook and then his king he is not allowed to castle on that side on that move and the situation shall be governed by Article 4.3.a c. intending to castle, touches the king or king and rook at the same time, but castling on that side is illegal, the player must make another legal move with his king (which may include castling on the other side). If the king has no legal move, the player is free to make any legal move d. promotes a pawn, the choice of the piece is finalised, when the piece has touched the square of promotion. 8 4.5 If none of the pieces touched can be moved or captured, the player may make any legal move. 4.6 When, as a legal move or part of a legal move, a piece has been released on a square, it cannot be moved to another square on this move. The move is then considered to have been made: a. in the case of a capture, when the captured piece has been removed from the chessboard and the player, having placed his own piece on its new square, has released this capturing piece from his hand b. in the case of castling, when the player's hand has released the rook on the square previously crossed by the king. When the player has released the king from his hand, the move is not yet made, but the player no longer has the right to make any move other than castling on that side, if this is legal c. in the case of the promotion of a pawn, when the pawn has been removed from the chessboard and the player's hand has released the new piece after placing it on the promotion square. If the player has released from his hand the pawn that has reached the promotion square, the move is not yet made, but the player no longer has the right to play the pawn to another square. The move is called legal when all the relevant requirements of Article 3 have been fulfilled. If the move is not legal, another move shall be made instead as per Article 4.5. 4.7 A player forfeits his right to a claim against his opponent’s violation of Article 4 once he deliberately touches a piece. Article 5: The completion of the game 5.1 a. The game is won by the player who has checkmated his opponent’s king. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the checkmate position was a legal move. b. The game is won by the player whose opponent declares he resigns. This immediately ends the game. 5.2 a. The game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in check. The game is said to end in ‘stalemate’. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the stalemate position was legal. b. The game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate the opponent’s king with any series of legal moves. The game is said to end in a ‘dead position’. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the position was legal. (See Article 9.6) c. The game is drawn upon agreement between the two players during the game. This immediately ends the game. (See Article 9.1) d. The game may be drawn if any identical position is about to appear or has appeared on the chessboard at least three times. (See Article 9.2) e. The game may be drawn if each player has made at least the last 50 consecutive moves without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. (See Article 9.3) 9 COMPETITION RULES Article 6: The chess clock 6.1 ‘Chess clock’ means a clock with two time displays, connected to each other in such a way that only one of them can run at one time. ‘Clock’ in the Laws of Chess, means one of the two time displays. Each time display has a ‘flag’. ‘Flag fall’ means the expiration of the allotted time for a player. 6.2 a. When using a chess clock, each player must make a minimum number of moves or all moves in an allotted period of time and/or may be allocated an additional amount of time with each move. All these must be specified in advance. b. The time saved by a player during one period is added to his time available for the next period, except in the ‘time delay’ mode. In the time delay mode both players receive an allotted ‘main thinking time’. Each player also receives a ‘fixed extra time’ with every move. The countdown of the main time only commences after the fixed time has expired. Provided the player stops his clock before the expiration of the fixed time, the main thinking time does not change, irrespective of the proportion of the fixed time used. 6.3 Immediately after a flag falls, the requirements of article 6.2 a. must be checked. 6.4 Before the start of the game the arbiter decides where the chess clock is placed. 6.5 At the time determined for the start of the game the clock of the player who has the white pieces is started. 6.6 a. Any player who arrives at the chessboard after the start of the session shall lose the game. Thus the default time is 0 minutes. The rules of a competition may specify otherwise. b. If the rules of a competition specify a different default time, the following shall apply. If neither player is present initially, the player who has the white pieces shall lose all the time that elapses until he arrives, unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides otherwise. 6.7 a. During the game each player, having made his move on the chessboard, shall stop his own clock and start his opponent’s clock. A player must always be allowed to stop his clock. His move is not considered to have been completed until he has done so, unless the move that was made ends the game. (See the Articles 5.1.a, 5.2.a, 5.2.b, 5.2.c and 9.6) The time between making the move on the chessboard and stopping his own clock and starting his opponent‘s clock is regarded as part of the time allotted to the player. b. A player must stop his clock with the same hand as that with which he made his move. It is forbidden for a player to keep his finger on the button or to ‘hover’ over it. 10 c. The players must handle the chess clock properly. It is forbidden to punch it forcibly, to pick it up or to knock it over. Improper clock handling shall be penalised in accordance with Article 13.4. d. If a player is unable to use the clock, an assistant, who must be acceptable to the arbiter, may be provided by the player to perform this operation. His clock shall be adjusted by the arbiter in an equitable way. 6.8 A flag is considered to have fallen when the arbiter observes the fact or when either player has made a valid claim to that effect. 6.9 Except where one of the Articles: 5.1.a, 5.1.b, 5.2.a, 5.2.b, 5.2.c applies, if a player does not complete the prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, the game is lost by the player. However, the game is drawn, if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player’s king by any possible series of legal moves. 6.10 a. Every indication given by the clocks is considered to be conclusive in the absence of any evident defect. A chess clock with an evident defect shall be replaced. The arbiter shall replace the clock and use his best judgment when determining the times to be shown on the replacement chess clocks. b. If during a game it is found that the setting of either or both clocks was incorrect, either player or the arbiter shall stop the clocks immediately. The arbiter shall install the correct setting and adjust the times and move counter. He shall use his best judgement when determining the correct settings. 6.11 If both flags have fallen and it is impossible to establish which flag fell first then: a. the game shall continue if it happens in any period of the game except the last period b. the game is drawn if it happens in the period of a game, in which all remaining moves must be completed. 6.12 a. If the game needs to be interrupted, the arbiter shall stop the clocks. b. A player may stop the clocks only in order to seek the arbiter’s assistance, for example when promotion has taken place and the piece required is not available. c. The arbiter shall decide when the game is to be restarted in either case. d. If a player stops the clocks in order to seek the arbiter’s assistance, the arbiter shall determine if the player had any valid reason for doing so. If it is obvious that the player had no valid reason for stopping the clocks, the player shall be penalised according to Article 13.4. 6.13 If an irregularity occurs and/or the pieces have to be restored to a previous position, the arbiter shall use his best judgement to determine the times to be shown on the clocks. He shall also, if necessary, adjust the clock’s move counter. 6.14 Screens, monitors, or demonstration boards showing the current position on the chessboard, the moves and the number of moves made, and clocks which also show the number of moves, are allowed in the playing hall. However, the player may not make a claim relying solely on information shown in this manner. 11 Article 7: Irregularities 7.1 a. If during a game it is found that the initial position of the pieces was incorrect, the game shall be cancelled and a new game played. b. If during a game it is found that the chessboard has been placed contrary to Article 2.1, the game continues but the position reached must be transferred to a correctly placed chessboard. 7.2 If a game has begun with colours reversed then it shall continue, unless the arbiter rules otherwise. 7.3 If a player displaces one or more pieces, he shall re-establish the correct position on his own time. If necessary, either the player or his opponent shall stop the clocks and ask for the arbiter’s assistance. The arbiter may penalise the player who displaced the pieces. 7.4 a. If during a game it is found that an illegal move, including failing to meet the requirements of the promotion of a pawn or capturing the opponent’s king, has been completed, the position immediately before the irregularity shall be reinstated. If the position immediately before the irregularity cannot be determined the game shall continue from the last identifiable position prior to the irregularity. The clocks shall be adjusted according to Article 6.13. The Articles 4.3 and 4.6 apply to the move replacing the illegal move. The game shall then continue from this reinstated position. b. After the action taken under Article 7.4.a, for the first two illegal moves by a player the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to his opponent in each instance; for a third illegal move by the same player, the arbiter shall declare the game lost by this player. However, the game is drawn if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player’s king by any possible series of legal moves. 7.5 If during a game it is found that pieces have been displaced from their squares, the position before the irregularity shall be re-instated. If the position immediately before the irregularity cannot be determined, the game shall continue from the last identifiable position prior to the irregularity. The clocks shall be adjusted according to Article 6.13. The game shall then continue from this re-instated position. Article 8: The recording of the moves 8.1 In the course of play each player is required to record his own moves and those of his opponent in the correct manner, move after move, as clearly and legibily as possible, in the algebraic notation (See Appendix C), on the scoresheet prescribed for the competition. It is forbidden to write the moves in advance, unless the player is claiming a draw according to Article 9.2, or 9.3 or adjourning a game according to the Guidelines of Adjourned Games point 1.a. A player may reply to his opponent’s move before recording it, if he so wishes. He must record his previous move before making another. Both players must record the offer of a draw on the scoresheet. (See Appendix C.13) 12 If a player is unable to keep score, an assistant, who must be acceptable to the arbiter, may be provided by the player to write the moves. His clock shall be adjusted by the arbiter in an equitable way. 8.2 The scoresheet shall be visible to the arbiter throughout the game. 8.3 The scoresheets are the property of the organisers of the event. 8.4 If a player has less than five minutes left on his clock at some stage in a period and does not have additional time of 30 seconds or more added with each move, then for the remainder of the period he is not obliged to meet the requirements of Article 8.1. Immediately after one flag has fallen the player must update his scoresheet completely before moving a piece on the chessboard. 8.5 a. If neither player is required to keep score under Article 8.4, the arbiter or an assistant should try to be present and keep score. In this case, immediately after one flag has fallen, the arbiter shall stop the clocks. Then both players shall update their scoresheets, using the arbiter’s or the opponent’s scoresheet. b. If only one player is not required to keep score under Article 8.4, he must, as soon as either flag has fallen, update his scoresheet completely before moving a piece on the chessboard. Provided it is the player’s move, he may use his opponent’s scoresheet, but must return it before making a move. c. If no complete scoresheet is available, the players must reconstruct the game on a second chessboard under the control of the arbiter or an assistant. He shall first record the actual game position, clock times and the number of moves made, if this information is available, before reconstruction takes place. 8.6 If the scoresheets cannot be brought up to date showing that a player has overstepped the allotted time, the next move made shall be considered as the first of the following time period, unless there is evidence that more moves have been made. 8.7 At the conclusion of the game both players shall sign both scoresheets, indicating the result of the game. Even if incorrect, this result shall stand, unless the arbiter decides otherwise. Article 9: The drawn game 9.1 a. The rules of a competition may specify that players cannot agree to a draw, whether in less than a specified number of moves or at all, without the consent of the arbiter. b. If the rules of a competition allow a draw agreement the following apply: (1) A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before stopping his clock and starting the opponent’s clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid but Article 12.6 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In both cases the offer cannot be withdrawn and remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other way. 13 (2) The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on his scoresheet with a symbol. (See Appendix C.13) (3) A claim of a draw under Article 9.2, 9.3 or 10.2 shall be considered to be an offer of a draw. 9.2 The game is drawn upon a correct claim by the player having the move, when the same position, for at least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of moves): a. is about to appear, if he first writes his move on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move, or b. has just appeared, and the player claiming the draw has the move. Positions as in (a) and (b) are considered the same, if the same player has the move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares, and the possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same. Positions are not the same if a pawn that could have been captured en passant can no longer be captured in this manner. When a king or a rook is forced to move, it will lose its castling rights, if any, only after it is moved. 9.3 The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the player having the move, if: a. he writes his move on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move, which shall result in the last 50 moves having been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture, or b. the last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. 9.4 If the player touches a piece as in Article 4.3 without having claimed the draw he loses the right to claim, as in Article 9.2 or 9.3, on that move. 9.5 If a player claims a draw as in Article 9.2 or 9.3 he may stop both clocks. (See Article 6.12.b) He is not allowed to withdraw his claim. a. If the claim is found to be correct, the game is immediately drawn. b. If the claim is found to be incorrect, the arbiter shall add three minutes to the opponent’s remaining thinking time. Then the game shall continue. If the claim was based on an intended move, this move must be made as according to Article 4. 9.6 The game is drawn when a position is reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal moves. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing this position was legal. Article 10: Quickplay Finish 10.1 A ‘quickplay finish’ is the phase of a game when all the (remaining) moves must be made in a limited time. 10.2 If the player, having the move, has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall summon the arbiter and may stop the clocks. (See Article 6.12.b) 14 a. If the arbiter agrees the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall postpone his decision or reject the claim. b. If the arbiter postpones his decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra minutes and the game shall continue, if possible in the presence of an arbiter. The arbiter shall declare the final result later in the game or as soon as possible after a flag has fallen. He shall declare the game drawn if he agrees that the final position cannot be won by normal means, or that the opponent was not making sufficient attempts to win by normal means. c. If the arbiter has rejected the claim, the opponent shall be awarded two extra minutes time. d. The decision of the arbiter shall be final relating to (a), (b) and (c). Article 11: Points 11.1 Unless announced otherwise in advance, a player who wins his game, or wins by forfeit, scores one point (1), a player who loses his game, or forfeits scores no points (0) and a player who draws his game scores a half point (½). Article 12: The conduct of the players 12.1 The players shall take no action that will bring the game of chess into disrepute. 12.2 Players are not allowed to leave the ‘playing venue’ without permission from the arbiter. The playing venue is defined as the playing area, rest rooms, refreshment area, area set aside for smoking and other places as designated by the arbiter. The player having the move is not allowed to leave the playing area without permission of the arbiter. 12.3 a. During play the players are forbidden to make use of any notes, sources of information or advice, or analyse on another chessboard. b. Without the permission of the arbiter a player is forbidden to have a mobile phone or other electronic means of communication in the playing venue, unless they are completely switched off. If any such device produces a sound, the player shall lose the game. The opponent shall win. However, if the opponent cannot win the game by any series of legal moves, his score shall be a draw. c. Smoking is permitted only in the section of the venue designated by the arbiter . 12.4 The scoresheet shall be used only for recording the moves, the times of the clocks, the offers of a draw, and matters relating to a claim and other relevant data. 12.5 Players who have finished their games shall be considered to be spectators. 12.6 It is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner whatsoever. This includes unreasonable claims, unreasonable offers of a draw or the introduction of a source of noise into the playing area. 15 12.7 Infraction of any part of Articles 12.1 to 12.6 shall lead to penalties in accordance with Article 13.4. 12.8 Persistent refusal by a player to comply with the Laws of Chess shall be penalised by loss of the game. The arbiter shall decide the score of the opponent. 12.9 If both players are found guilty according to Article 12.8, the game shall be declared lost by both players. 12.10 In the case of Article 10.2.d or Appendix D a player may not appeal against the decision of the arbiter. Otherwise a player may appeal against any decision of the arbiter, unless the rules of the competition specify otherwise. Article 13: The role of the Arbiter (See Preface) 13.1 The arbiter shall see that the Laws of Chess are strictly observed. 13.2 The arbiter shall act in the best interest of the competition. He should ensure that a good playing environment is maintained and that the players are not disturbed. He shall supervise the progress of the competition. 13.3 The arbiter shall observe the games, especially when the players are short of time, enforce decisions he has made and impose penalties on players where appropriate. 13.4 The arbiter can apply one or more of the following penalties: a. warning b. increasing the remaining time of the opponent c. reducing the remaining time of the offending player d. declaring the game to be lost e. reducing the points scored in the game by the offending party f. increasing the points scored in the game by the opponent to the maximum available for that game g. expulsion from the event. 13.5 The arbiter may award either or both players additional time in the event of external disturbance of the game. 13.6 The arbiter must not intervene in a game except in cases described by the Laws of Chess. He shall not indicate the number of moves made, except in applying Article 8.5, when at least one flag has fallen. The arbiter shall refrain from informing a player that his opponent has completed a move or that the player has not pressed his clock. 13.7 a. Spectators and players in other games are not to speak about or otherwise interfere in a game. If necessary, the arbiter may expel offenders from the playing venue. If someone observes an irregularity, he may inform only the arbiter. 16 b. Unless authorised by the arbiter, it is forbidden for anybody to use a mobile phone or any kind of communication device in the playing venue and any contiguous area designated by the arbiter. Article 14: FIDE 14.1 Member federations may ask FIDE to give an official decision about problems relating to the Laws of Chess. 17 APPENDICES A. Rapidplay A.1 A ‘Rapidplay’ game is one where either all the moves must be made in a fixed time of at least 15 minutes but less than 60 minutes for each player; or the time allotted + 60 times any increment is at least 15 minutes, but less than 60 minutes for each player. A.2 Players do not need to record the moves. A.3 Where there is adequate supervision of play, (for example one arbiter for at most three games) the Competition Rules shall apply. A.4 Where supervision is inadequate the Competition Rules shall apply, except where they are overridden by the following Laws of Rapidplay: a. Once each player has completed three moves, no claim can be made regarding incorrect piece placement, orientation of the chessboard or clock setting. In case of reverse king and queen placement castling with this king is not allowed. b. The arbiter shall make a ruling according to Article 4 (The act of moving the pieces), only if requested to do so by one or both players. c. An illegal move is completed once the opponent's clock has been started. The opponent is then entitled to claim that the player completed an illegal move before the claimant has made his move. Only after such a claim, shall the arbiter make a ruling. However, if both Kings are in check or the promotion of a pawn is not completed, the arbiter shall intervene, if possible. d. 1. The flag is considered to have fallen when a player has made a valid claim to that effect. The arbiter shall refrain from signalling a flag fall, but he may do so if both flags have fallen. 2. To claim a win on time, the claimant must stop both clocks and notify the arbiter. For the claim to be successful, the claimant’s flag must remain up and his opponent’s flag down after the clocks have been stopped. 3. If both flags have fallen as described in (1) and (2), the arbiter shall declare the game drawn. B. Blitz B.1 A ‘blitz’ game’ is one where all the moves must be made in a fixed time of less than 15 minutes for each player; or the allotted time + 60 times any increment is less than 15 minutes. B.2 Where there is adequate supervision of play, (one arbiter for one game) the Competition Rules and Appendix A.2 shall apply. B.3 Where supervision is inadequate the following shall apply: a. Play shall be governed by the Rapidplay Laws as in Appendix A except where they are overridden by the following Laws of Blitz. b. Article 10.2 and Appendix A.4.c do not apply. c. An illegal move is completed once the opponent’s clock has been started. The opponent is entitled to claim a win before he has made his own move. However, if the 18 opponent cannot checkmate the player’s king by any possible series of legal moves, then the claimant is entitled to claim a draw before he has made his own move. Once the opponent has made his own move, an illegal move cannot be corrected unless mutually agreed without intervention of an arbiter. C. Algebraic notation FIDE recognizes for its own tournaments and matches only one system of notation, the Algebraic System, and recommends the use of this uniform chess notation also for chess literature and periodicals. Scoresheets using a notation system other than algebraic may not be used as evidence in cases where normally the scoresheet of a player is used for that purpose. An arbiter who observes that a player is using a notation system other than the algebraic should warn the player about of this requirement. Description of the Algebraic System C.1 In this description, ‘piece’ means a piece other than a pawn. C.2 Each piece is indicated by the first letter, a capital letter, of its name. Example: K=king, Q=queen, R=rook, B=bishop, N=knight. (In the case of the knight, for the sake of convenience, N is used.) C.3 For the first letter of the name of the pieces, each player is free to use the first letter of the name which is commonly used in his country. Examples: F=fou (French for bishop), L=loper (Dutch for bishop). In printed periodicals, the use of figurines for the pieces is recommended. C.4 Pawns are not indicated by their first letter, but are recognized by the absence of such a letter. Examples: e5, d4, a5. C.5 The eight files (from the left to right for White and from right to left for Black) are indicated by the small letters, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h, respectively. C.6 The eight ranks (from bottom to top for White and from top to bottom for Black) are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, respectively. Consequently, in the initial position the white pieces and pawns are placed on the first and second ranks; the black pieces and pawns on the eighth and seventh ranks. C.7 As a consequence of the previous rules, each of the sixty-four squares is invariably indicated by a unique combination of a letter and a number. 19 C.8 Each move of a piece is indicated by a) the first letter of the name of the piece in question and b) the square of arrival. There is no hyphen between a) and b). Examples: Be5, Nf3, Rd1. In the case of pawns, only the square of arrival is indicated. Examples: e5, d4, a5. C.9 When a piece makes a capture, an x is inserted between a) the first letter of the name of the piece in question and b) the square of arrival. Examples: Bxe5, Nxf3, Rxd1. When a pawn makes a capture, the file of departure must be indicated, then an x, then the square of arrival. Examples: dxe5, gxf3, axb5. In the case of an ‘en passante’ capture, the square of arrival is given as the square on which the capturing pawn finally rests and ‘e.p.’ is appended to the notation. Example: exd6 e.p. C.10 If two identical pieces can move to the same square, the piece that is moved is indicated as follows: 1. If both pieces are on the same rank: by a) the first letter of the name of the piece, b) the file of departure, and c) the square of arrival. 2. If both pieces are on the same file: by a) the first letter of the name of the piece, b) the rank of the square of departure, and c) the square of arrival. If the pieces are on different ranks and files methof 1) is preferred. In the case of capture, an x may be inserted between b) and c). Examples: 1. There are two knights, on the squares g1 and e1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Ngf3 or Nef3, as the case may be. 2. There are two knights, on the squares g5 and g1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either N5f3 or N1f3, as the case may be. 3. There are two knights, on the squares h2 and d4, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Nhf3 or Ndf3, as the case may be. If a capture takes place on the square f3, the previous examples are changed by the insertion of an x: 1) either Ngxf3 or Nexf3, 2) either N5xf3 or N1xf3, 3) either Nhxf3 or Ndxf3, as the case may be. C.11 If two pawns can capture the same piece or pawn of the opponent, the pawn that is moved is indicated by a) the letter of the file of departure, b) an x, c) the square of arrival. Example: If there are white pawns on squares c4 and e4 and a black pawn or piece on the square d5, the notation for White’s move is either cxd5 or exd5, as the case may be. C.12 In the case of the promotion of a pawn, the actual pawn move is indicated, followed immediately by the first letter of the new piece. Examples: d8Q, f8N, b1B, g1R. C.13 The offer of a draw shall be marked as (=). Essential abbreviations 0 - 0 = castling with rook h1 or rook h8 (kingside castling) 0 - 0 - 0 = castling with rook a1 or rook a8 (queenside castling) x = captures + = check ++or# = checkmate e.p. = captures ‘en passante’ It is not mandatory to record the check, the checkmate and capturing on the scoresheet. 20 Sample game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. e5 Ne4 5. Qxd4 d5 6. exd6e.p. Nxd6 7. Bg5 Nc6 8. Qe3+3 Be7 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. 0-0-0 Re8 11. Kb1 (=) D. Quickplay finishes where no arbiter is present in the venue D.1 Where games are played as in Article 10, a player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his clock and before his flag falls. This concludes the game. He may claim on the basis:

The night’s white lily, In eternal tranquil, Cynthia. Her gaze caresses the hilly, Meadows of Carinthia Whence the brooks and creeks pour Into Danube-billows ultramarine, Pummeling the tranquil shore, Whispering to the rocks, unseen. While the forest painted hills Meet the crystal-clear lakes, The wispy strand of wind fulfils, The ballad of the snowflakes.
Amidst night’s sable veil Shines Cynthia, ever bright. The caravels face the violent gale, Under her loving light. The weary eyes of the explorer, Blurred in mists of tears, As Cynthia, hope-restorer, On the way, shines like corn-ears. On opulent ominous oceans Blanketed in briny foam, Cynthia, of joyful emotions, Guides homesick seamen home.
As she smiles down upon the world, Radiance which the stars exalt, Her white visage pearled, Ornaments the mein of even robust basalt. Ever-graceful Cynthia, beauty’s source, Purer than the minds of the divines, Whose praise makes the nightingale’s voice hoarse, For fairness and elegance, she entwines. O Cynthia, ever serene, In whose light the cloud joyfully rains, The night’s bashful queen, In her embrace fades all worldly pains.
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Repost, with better formatting

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