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.

Hail fellow bringers of Muppet misery - it's nice that we have this new 'witness' to comment on as we wait for the ruling on Avery's latest Hail Satan play.
So the new buzz is that Tom C. Buresh has now submitted an affidavit swearing that in 2005 he saw Bobby Dassey driving TH's RAV-4 on a public road.
Noted straight shooter and honest attorney Kathleen Zellner has now attempted to add this new affidavit to the existing Motion, and claims that it 'corroborates' the previous affidavit of Thomas Sowinski, who previously claims that he saw Bobby Dassey pushing the same RAV-4 on the ASY.
First off, Buresh does not corroborate Sowinski, because they claim to have seen two different things at two different times in two different places.
Second off, it is very very interesting to note that all Zellner wants to do is shoehorn this into her Motion and add ONE PARAGRAPH about it to Avery's Motion. Why only one paragraph? Because Zellner knows it's all bullshit and doesn't want to vouch for Buresh's testimony by arguing it vigorously in the Motion.
Zellner, who always tells the 'whole truth', failed to tell the Court about some vital information that one of our kind has uncovered. Tom C. Buresh is not some garden variety witness who forgot all about the case and then decided for some reason to come forward on May 10, 2023.
Tom C. Buresh is a HARDCORE PRO-AVERY MUPPET. He has been opining on this case on twitter (and likely other sites - investigation continues) for at least 4 years. He has been to the Steven Avery rally on the Manitowoc courthouse steps and protested with the 2 dozen other nutbags claiming that Avery was framed. So Tom C. Buresh is no stranger to the Avery case or what's going on with it.
During all that time - Buresh was keeping his cards 'close to the vest', and told no one that he had seen Bobby Dassey driving the RAV-4. Yet somehow, Tom C. Buresh just could not hold the truth any longer and decided to spill his completely unverifiable story (and likely uncontestable - how do you do disprove some rube's made up story about being out driving one night? - especially convenient since the friend he claimed to be with is dead) to Kathleen Zellner just before a ruling is made on the pending PCR Motion.
I think it's blatantaly unethical for Zellner to fail to disclose this person's obvious bias in her filing. And if she doesn't know about it she's an incompetent fool.

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A man finds himself in a dark downwards cavern with a talking dog who converses with him about a life well lived.
Edwin found himself walking down a dark cave of sorts with a dog. He had nothing but his clothes on him, and he was walking barefoot over jagged stone. Blood was pouring from his feet, leaving stained red footprints with each step. The cave sloped downwards evenly, and down and down he was going. The dog walked slightly ahead, thin to the point where its skin hugged its ribs. It was covered in a coat of matted brown fur.
Edwin had no idea how he’d gotten here. Why was he in a dark cave? Why was he following a dog? A stray mutt. And why did the cave feel warm instead of cold?
The dog turned to look at him. Edwin stared back as they walked.
“Where am I?” He asked aloud. It made him feel stupid, but the silence was killing him.
“Deep.” The dog replied. It sounded human enough, a friendly but firm voice. Edwin blinked in surprise, yet he did not feel afraid.
“How long have we been walking?”
“Longer than you think.”
“Can I go home?”
“Is there a home to go back to?” The dog asked. “What do you remember of home?”
His mind was a haze. There was a bed, and tables. There was his mother hugging him. His brothers playing. Then choking smoke, glowing fires, and silent ash, leaving a charred skeleton of his home.
“I suppose not.”
“How do you view your life?” The dog asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Was it a life well-lived?”
Edwin racked his brains hard. He remembered the taste of delicious wine, gold bangles and jewellery hanging from his neck and limbs, the exhilaration of speeding cars, and sensual pleasures with more women than he could even recall.
“I enjoyed it, if that’s what you mean.”
The dog was silent, and they walked on. There was no way of keeping time, and the counting of his footsteps were lost into astronomical numbers.
“Why am I here?” He asked the dog.
“My good man, did you not see across your life, Heavenly messengers who reminded and instructed you?”
“I…I don’t remember meeting any such thing. But I’ve been a self-made man. I give my staff pay raises. I donate to my Church. I swear.” Edwin began to feel chills down his spine, despite the cave getting warmer and warmer as they walked.
“Have you seen in your life, a tender baby lying prone and helpless in its own excrement?” The dog asked.
Of course he had. Edwin nodded. Young beautiful Matthias, cradled in Jeanne’s arms. The birth of your child, what a miracle. Too bad it had gone so, so wrong. Young Matthias was afflicted and broken. Jeanne’s fault, and so he had left her with her own mistake.
They walked on in silence for even longer. The stones got warmer until they were like walking on heated floors.
“Have you seen in your life, a man or woman severely ill, racked with pain, vomiting, bleeding, crying, lifted up and laid down only by others?” The dog asked.
Of course he had. Edwin nodded. The sickly and gaunt and their crying parents and spouses, tugging at his sleeves and begging for their medicine. He’s granted this to one or two of them. You couldn’t make things free for everyone, you know.
“Can’t you?” The dog asked.
“I did what I could. It’s just how the world works, you know.”
Onwards they moved. The rocks became pointier, cutting and digging into his soft soles. It was like walking on heated coals now, and he yelped and cried out, but the dog said and did nothing about it.
“Have you seen in your life, a man or woman ninety or a hundred years old, bent over, hobbled on a cane, grey-haired, wrinkled, toothless, with blotchy skin?”
Of course he had. Edwin nodded. His own bedridden father, begging for more and more money. He was like a leech. He needed money for better TV programs and a newer caretaker, and a new wheelchair. Edwin had kindly forked over enough money to let him live, he wasn’t about to give him any more.
As they hiked on, Edwin was struck with the thought that he hadn’t felt hungry or thirsty or even tired. They must have been walking for ages now, that was bizarre.
Strange noises came from ahead. Edwin strained his ears, but it wasn’t until quite a while later that he realised it was voices. Many, many voices, all at once. The rush of a crowd perhaps, so many speaking loudly that you couldn’t hear what they were saying or what emotion was behind it.
The rocks beneath them were so hot now that Edwin could feel it like a hot poker jabbing into his feet with every step. His skin was red and raw, and he had sweated until there was no more water left to sweat. He begged for relief from the dog, who walked on like the cave was cool and windy.
“It hurts?”
“No shit!” He cried out. “It’s like walking on a fire pit.”
“This is the drop of water.”
“What the hell do you mean?”
“Ahead is the ocean.”
“Please…just tell me…this isn’t Hell, is it?” Edwin felt his hands shake. “I was devout. I was good. I repented.”
“Have you seen in your life, a man or woman dead, corpse rotting, oozing with fluids and blood?”
Edwin could see it. His mother unmoving on the kitchen floor, blood pooling all around her. The knife in his hands. The hatred in his head. Then the fear. Then the matches. And the smoke, fire, and silent, silent ash that betrayed no trust, confessed to nothing.
He didn’t nod. He didn’t need to.
“You saw all the Heavenly messengers.” The dog said in a tone akin to a teacher gently chiding a child. “Didn’t the thought occur to you, that you too were subject to birth, and had not gone beyond the miracle of life, that you should better do good with body, speech, and mind?”
“I-”
“Didn’t the thought occur to you, that you too were subject to illness, and had not gone beyond illness, that you should better do good with body, speech, and mind?”
“That’s not-”
“Didn’t the thought occur to you, that you too were subject to aging, and had not gone beyond growing old, that you should better do good with body, speech, and mind?” The dog’s tone changed. It became more pitiful.
“Please I…I didn’t break any laws.”
“Didn’t the thought occur to you, that you too were subject to death, and had not gone beyond death, that you should better do good with body, speech, and mind?”
“SHE DESERVED IT!” Edwin screamed.
“My good man, you did not do good with body, speech, and mind.” The dog spoke as if it did not hear him.
“She fucking deserved it! All of them deserved it! I built myself from nothing! They should too!”
“For that evil karma of yours was done neither by your mother, nor by your father, nor by your brothers, nor done by your friends, nor your companions, nor your kin, nor by the gods, nor done by strangers. The evil karma was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience its result.”
“Please…I beg you.” Edwin could hear himself sobbing. “Have mercy. I-I only did what I had to.”
The dog remained silent and impassive, and from ahead, shadows on walls crawled closer, as if cast by some impossible shape that he could not see.
“Bring him down to Avici.” The dog said.
“Yes, Lord Yama.” The shadows hissed, sounding like a drill digging into his skull. They seized Edwin’s shadow, and he too felt their invisible grip on his real body. He screamed and trashed, and yelled for the dog. He cried for salvation, but they ignored him. The shadows hissed louder, and they laughed in his mind. Laughed because they knew what awaited him. The heat grew more and more intense and then there was

Fire.

Roiling flames like those that had consumed his house.
There was nothing visible but fire. There was no smoke and ash, for where they would be was more fire. There was no wind or air for where they could be there was nothing but fire.
There were people there with him, but Edwin couldn’t see them, nor could anyone see him. They were lost in endless inferno, screaming and wailing into the deafening cacophony he had heard back in the cave.
Hell was an interesting concept that Edwin was no stranger to. There were images of demons with pitchforks, stabbing in motions. There was being dunked in boiling water and turned to ash, but in those there was the tiny reprieve of the pitchfork being pulled out or when they were reforming from ash.
In Avici, there was no such mercy. Knee deep in molten embers, Edwin’s skin blistered and fell off his leg, but each time he raised his leg he was magically whole again for the flames to feast upon.
He forgot his wife and child, and he forgot his family. He forgot his age and the dog, and even his own name, for his mind could only focus on pain. Pain as he ran on white-hot knives, and faced iron trees with razor blade leaves that rained down on him. Molten pewter flooding into his wounds. Iron hooks wrenched into his eye sockets as they dragged him up and down rivers of hot ash. Molten bronze gushed down his throat. Pain. Nothing but pain.
But it still remembered. It still remembered one thing. Its mother lying in her own blood. It had done that. And for that, it was here, suffering and screaming.
All down here are enveloped in the fires of their own evil. Thus, they wail.
 
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Sources taken from are: Genshin's Ojoyoshu. The Devaduta Sutta. Imagining Hell by Robert F. Rhodes.
I've wanted to write something about the Buddhist concept of Hell for a while. The cave is based on the Ojoyoshu's mention that people sentenced to Avici by Yama fall for 2000 years before reaching it, and their suffering in the fall is a drop of water next to the ocean of suffering that Avici is.
The title is taken from the Ojoyoshu as well
As the sinners approach this hell from the sky above, they wail with a great lamentation, quoting from the Scriptures these words: “Everything is nothing but flames. In the sky there is not a space without flames and the whole land in every direction is covered with them. The whole land is filled with evil doers and there is no room for me. I am alone and like an orphan without a friend. I am in a dark and evil place. I am enveloped in a great raging flame. I can see neither moon nor sun in the sky.” Thus they wail.

Intro and what I'm looking for

Idek where to start tbh. I wanna make a post that isn't too boring, long / short, or irritating to read as I have a habit of talking about my emotions + feelings and unnecessary venting about my life in several setences when it comes to this sort of thing, that's mostly what I talked about in my last post... I'm hoping I can get at least someone's attention by writing the right and necessary words on this subreddit... So, where to begin?
I guess I'll start with what I'm looking for in terms of dating. A fresh, warm, healthy and positive long-term relationship is what I've been craving for the last 4¼ years, not as in desperate or obsessed with it, more as in yearning for that right person to come along and bring sunshine to my life for the first time in a very long time. I'm sorry if that sounds a little cheesy but it's true. Someone who'll accept me for who I am and not care about what I have / don't have, someone who'll understand and accept my insecurities and flaws, not to mention me doing the same for her too. I wanna have that happy and bright future with that special someone, similar to all the couples I see on Instagram, laughing, joking, teasing each other, flirting, doing fun activities together both indoors and outdoors, purchasing matching items for them to wear and hold dear, holding hands... the list goes on.
Come and stop by so we can get to know each other first and see what happens if you're fascinated in this post enough, and if you think I'll be that sort of person you want in your life.

Personality (100% the truth)

As you might have guessed, I am a hard core introvert. Although I get along well with people irl; I briefly chat to them by saying the usual "hello" or "alright?", I then usually keep to myself from them most times to avoid feeling ignored / unimportant / irrelevant in their eyes. This is because I'm not that great at socialising in public places like the club or in the street, and also due to the fact that I feel extremely shy whilst meeting new people. All I feel, every single day, is irrelevant to everybody I come across on a day to day basis and tbh, I've gotten used to it over the years. However, if others ARE willing to get to know me and want me in their presence, I will perk up and be quite the confident individual once enough time passes :)
Other things you should know about me is that I'm extremely loyal and will never hurt the people I love and hold dear, no matter what. I care too much about the people in my life, including family, and I also will never let them down or disappoint them in any way.
Just a little fun fact about me, my zodiac sign is Cancer ♋️🦀 for those of you who are interested and if that matters to you at all. This is related to what I've just written above in the second paragraph.
[This is me pretty much nearing the end of this seemingly never ending post now]
Now that all the soppy stuff is out of the way, I will now talk about what I like doing on a day to day basis :D:

I'm an indoor type of person. I like:

•Watching TV shows like Doctor Who when new episodes come out, The Simpsons and Hollyoaks 5 days a week, and binging on a ton of movies.
•Listening to music pretty much every single day as I'm a huge HUGE fan of it.
•Gaming on PC games such as GTA, Red Dead, and Minecraft.
•I may stay indoors most of the time, but I DO also enjoy doing outdoor activities like spending my days out in places in the UK like Scarborough, Blackpool, Hornsea and Withernsea.
•I'm also interested in Photography, taking stunning photos both indoors and outdoors to store and save for later. Wildlife, sea life and everything else in between is what I'm most interested in :)
•Playing different sports such as Badminton, Bowling, Cricket, Dodgeball, Tennis and Volleyball on the beach are activities I really enjoy doing, but I haven't played them recently thanks to a lack of others playing them with me.
•Gardening and working with plants is something that really fascinates me, planting and watching plants of all shapes and sizes grow is everything I've wanted to do since my late high school days. Also getting a bit of sunshine on my neck in the summer does me some good lol.
•I occasionally like doing artistic activities like card making, paper crafting, drawing and painting, but only on special occasions.
•I also like to read from time to time.

Physical Appearance

My appearance is quite normal:
•I'm 5'8 in height
•I've got quite the decent body shape
•I have no tattoos but I'm considering getting a few in the future
•I've got a small amount of facial hair (but I've shaved recently so I'm not quite as hairy on the face as I used to be)
•I've got quite a lot of hair on the top of my head but keep it in control most times with hairspray
•I've got an average to slightly above average face imo (pics can be exchanged if you're interested in knowing what I look like)
•I'm healthy with no health conditions or concerns
•I wear normal clothes such as buttoned t-shirts, hoodies / denim jackets, jeans / tracksuit bottoms, and leather jackets in colder weather.

You

I'm not too bothered what kind of women I talk to / get with tbh. Just as long as you:
•Live in the UK, or at least in different countries that are close to the UK like Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, France, or perhaps even The Netherlands, since all have shorter time-zone differences to the ones in the UK, (but you can message me wherever you are on the globe)
•Don't smoke or do drugs
•My age limit is between 18-23, but people that are past that age range can also message me.
•I'm not religious, by any means, but I don't mind dating people who are.
•Come as you are, no sugar coating, be real, be genuine. 🚫No NSFW content please🚫, that's all I ask.

Outro

Welp, this is me finally signing off and seeing what happens. If you've read this far, then I appreciate you for taking the time out of your schedule to read my post all the way through :) I hope you have a nice rest of your day 🙏🏻👋🏻 Come say Hi if you're feeling up to it! 🙂

Could I get some assistance from the experts here? It has been 19 years since my last custom desktop build and for the last 6 years now I've been on a MSI GT62VR 7RE Dominator Pro laptop. The GPU on my laptop recently took a dive and my wife gave me the go-ahead to build my own desktop gaming rig. I've been dreaming of this day for a long long time now.
I'm looking to build something that will last me years before I need to worry about swapping parts. I want to be able to play any modern game, but I also build containers and work on dev projects. So, I would love for it to be able to run multiple container workloads without it screaming in agony if I also spin up a game in another monitor while I work. Also, I don't really have any preference to RGB (prefer functional over aesthetics).
Here is what I put together so far:
​

• Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi Gaming Motherboard
• CPU: Intel Core i9-13900KF Desktop Processor 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) 36M Cache, up to 5.8 GHz (w/ Thermalright CPU Contact Frame for LGA 1700 Retrofit Kit)
• CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 (is this good enough for an i9 that is not overclocked?)
• PSU: MSI MPG A1000G PCIE 5 & ATX 3.0 Gaming Power Supply - Full Modular - 80 Plus Gold Certified 1000W
• Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB Series (Intel XMP) 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin SDRAM DDR5 6000
• GPU: ASUS TUF GeForce RTX® 4090 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card (PCIe 4.0, 24GB GDDR6X, HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 1.4a) (vertical GPU mount most likely necessary)
• OS Storage: SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4
• Secondary Storage: Still considering options...not a big deal out of the gate.
• Fans: Depends on the case, but still considering options...
• Case: Have yet to decide on a case. Any recommendations would be great. Been looking at these:
  • Thermaltake View 71 4-Sided Tempered Glass Vertical GPU Modular SPCC E-ATX Gaming Full Tower
  • CORSAIR 7000D AIRFLOW Full-Tower ATX
  • anidees AI Crystal XL PRO LITE Full Tower Tempered Glass XL-ATX/E-ATX/ATX Gaming Case

​
So please let me know where I am messing up or shooting myself in the foot or just spending more money than I have to. I am 100% open to changing it up. My wife says my budget is "keep it under $4k unless you also plan to use it as a bed in the garage".

Wondering who still plays red dead. If so and your 18+ you should definitely play red dead with us. Your time zone don’t matter because our red dead group has players from different zones. We’re just a group that’s chill, friendly, and non Toxic and would like to play with others who are the same

A little over a year ago, we moved from regional southwest Western Australia to a small tourist town in rural Japan. For the past year, I've been playing at two different clubs here in Japan and thought I would share some notable observations.
Club facilities in Japan don't extend far beyond courts and a small shed to gather between matches. Both clubs I regularly played at in Australia had a tavern attached to the sporting club where players would mingle after a day of social/competitive play. Zero-tolerance drink driving rules in Japan and the lack of such facilities result in less socializing off the tennis court (and more catching up between sets).
All courts in Japan have been Omni-surface over a concrete base. In Australia, I was able to play on a variety of hard, grass, and synthetic courts. Japanese courts are playable in a moderate amount of rain, and play tends to continue even well beyond what I'd usually consider playable (and I thought we had played through some shocking weather in Australia, but... wow).
The quality of tennis I've found in Japan has been remarkably high. The small club I play at, about a 30-minute drive from our house, consists of skilled players who have a highly developed grasp of not only techniques but also the tactics of tennis. Many are former or current coaches, and two regular players have children who compete at a professional level nationally in Japan.
In Australia, the general level was more social and less technical, but there were also a few standout players who would easily compete at the highest levels here in Japan. The range in skill level I was exposed to in Australia was far greater than here in Japan (while the average level is higher).
I have two kids who also play, and I would also rate the technical ability of children playing in this part of Japan as significantly higher than what we saw in Australia outside of interstate tournaments. My middle daughter was able to compete in Australia, regularly reaching semifinals and higher in her age group at the tournament level. In Japan, she has struggled to reach the same level (partly due to the slower courts). I've been impressed with the footwork and technique of kids in Japan.
The lack of political infighting in Japan has been refreshing after years of watching crabby aging Australians bickering over influence and position.
Social sets in Australia were organized by the tennis captain, who decided on pairings. On weekends, these sets were 20 minutes, with play stopping upon the conclusion of the last game after a bell had been rung.
In Japan, pairings are random, and skill level is not considered. Full sets are played. Players draw a playing card and will play in the position according to which card they have drawn (1 and 2 vs 3 and 4, 5 and 6 vs 7 and 8, and so on). Even in cases of heavily loaded matchups, I've yet to see this being overruled or disputed.
Perhaps cultural, but also aided by the fact that Omni court markings are very easy to read, line calling in Japan is refreshingly honest.
Don't expect to get your first serve back if a ball from the next court rolls into yours in Japan. This was a given in Australia.
Men and women play equally in Japan were as in Australia sets were often organised along gender lines. In general I would rank the quality of women’s and mixed tennis in Japan far higher than what I had experienced in Australia.
That’s been my experience so far. I’m curious about other countries and your experiences.

Just venting because I know card acquisition changes are coming… but

1. CL 2.5k no Luke
2. Face HE most games
3. Retreat bc you have no answer
4. Only way to get Luke is play more games and pray for reserve pull
5. Don’t want to play more games because of steps 2-3.
6. Bitch on Reddit.

While we’re at it, anyone got HE counter tips without Luke? :/

I've sorta narrowed my search down to two laptops.

1. The ROG Strix G16 G614JI-N4151WS (RTX 4070)

Link to laptop on official website.
I'll list out the basic deets here for the laptop.

Processor: 13th Gen, Intel Core i9-13980HX Processor 2.2 GHz (36M Cache, up to 5.6 GHz Turbo Boost, 24 cores: 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores)
Memory: 16GB DDR5 (8GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM *2) RAM expandable upto 32GB using 2x SO-DIMM slots

Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD expandable using 2x PCIe slot(s)

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with 8GB GDDR6 Graphic Memory MUX Switch + NVIDIA Advanced Optimus Mode ROG Boost: 2225MHz* at 140W (2175MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 115W+25W Dynamic Boost)
Display: 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600, WQXGA) ROG Nebula Display having 16:10 Aspect Ratio 240Hz Refresh Rate 3ms Response Time 500nits Brightness
Operating System: Windows 11 Home

1. ROG Strix SCAR 15 G533ZWZ-LN136WS (RTX 3070ti)

Link to laptop on official website
Basic deets ahead:

Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H Processor 2.5 GHz (24M Cache, up to 5.0 GHz Turbo Boost, 14 cores: 6 P-cores and 8 E-cores)
Memory: 32GB (16GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM *2) RAM expandable upto 64GB using 2x DDR5 SO-DIMM slots (Support dual channel memory)
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Performance SSD expandable using 2x PCIe slots
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU with 8GB GDDR6 Graphic Memory ROG Boost: 1460MHz* at 150W (1410MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 125W+25W Dynamic Boost)
Display: 15.6-inch Anti glare WQHD (2560 x 1440) Display with 16:9 Aspect Ratio 240Hz Refresh Rate 3ms Response Time (G2G) 300nits Brightness with Aura Sync
Operating System: Windows 11 Home

I'm gonna be using it for work (software development, hence I'm gonna be needing a really good processor) and I wanna game too, mostly AAA titles, really need to play RDR2 and Valhalla among others. Thing is, I was set on the 3070ti, because I thought the 4070 would cost as much and they'd drop the price for the 3070ti, but ironically the 4070 option is cheaper. I need a laptop that can run games smooth (I know both these laptops can do that for current gen games), and I need them to be respectfully future proof. My current laptop is repping a 960m and boy did it last long.
My main question is, is the DLSS 3 on the 4070 worth it, since it's got less memory and cuda cores than the 3070ti. Also remember in my case the 4070 is the cheaper option. I'd also like to know what were the launch prices of the 3070 mobile GPUs when they were released, I'd like to know what they were priced in the beginning so I can compare them to the rates today, cuz I'd like to know how far down can the rates for 4070 and 3070ti go. Also I'm wondering if the next gen cards (I believe they'd be named the tis, so I'd be looking at 4070ti laptops) would be priced same as the launch figures of the current 40 series cards.
Looking forward to your suggestions. Happy gaming everyone!

I've assembled a first device that met my standards today. I'll be making small refinements to the enclosure and will begin shipping first prototypes to the beta crew. I expect the packages to ship in about a month, after I come back from FlutterCon.If all goes well I'd be reaching out to all the people who supported this project in the last 18 months; they made it happen and want them to have priority.Once again, If all goes well the "retail" units will be available to order this summer. I have not ordered the Compute Modules yet and I am stalling until the hardware is tested. I am not doing any kickstarters, the public store will open when most of the cases would be manufactured and the electronics would have a estimated delivery date.
Some specs:

• Compute Module 4 with 4GB of RAM + external Wi-Fi antenna (no more connectivity problems in cars prior to 2021)
• PWM temperature based cooling
• CarPlay module integrated internally, with proper cooper radiators and ventilation to ensure the best stability
• Global LTE Modem integrated internally, configuration and management will be integrated with Tesla Android
• 1 full size HDMI port for 2nd row entertainment
• Two additional USB ports for expansion (2.0, good for controllers, capture cards, cameras and other stuff)
• One gigabit ethernet port
• 1 PCIE slot for NVME, retrofitting Wi-Fi 6 network interfaces. Not used currently

Take a look on the prototype, I love how it turned out:
https://twitter.com/teslaandroid/status/1662789434868211713?s=61&t=SUJAP13rFUONtk7BMbikfw
There is only one thing that might delay the first deliveries, CM4s. There is a backup plan with another SBC but I have not pulled the trigger on it yet. The B2B availability of all those boards is improving, especially for bulk orders.PS: The housing is so nice that it exceeded my expectations to the point that I am considering making it available for the regular PI 4 users. It will be like 1cm deeper but most of the features would be the same(modem and carplay internally, very good pwm cooler and no visible wires). This would be a nice upgrade for people who want the best experience possible and do not have any other use cases for their existing board s(PiHole, Homeassistant, VPN gateway, Octoprint etc)
Let's use this post to start a Q&A. I am happy to answer all of your questions. There is also a thread in the Slack group for those interested in a more detailed discussion

Hey, I was wondering if you guys have ideas for straightforward very budget deck ideas :-) [meaning mono colored and only non expensive cards under 2€/$ per card i.e.]
the deck i mainly use is based on a core of
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar, The underworld cookbook, Step Through(as a ghetto version of Finale of Devastation), bone shards, street wraith, ovalchase daredevil
I am wondering if you have ideas for simular deck cores to build around that are straight forward, and can deal with a certain powerlevel, without using expensive cards. :-)
I really like decks that use engines like this and am wondering if there are more i would call engine decks in modern that you guys know :) (i also like playing tortured existence in pauper)
Thanks in advance already

Brock Sampson played poker with Ash Williams of Evil Dead fame, Claptrap from Borderlands, Sam of Sam and Max, and the mute player character (with GLaDOS from Portal being the dealer) in the Telltale game Poker Night 2. Sadly, the game has been delisted thanks to Telltale going bankrupt (they just had to try and repeat the Walking Dead formula over and over again) but you can still play it if you already bought it on Steam.
What are your favorite moments from the game involving Brock and other Venture Bros elements? My personal favorites are Brock beating up Steve off-screen if he is eliminated from the tournament first with the Borderlands set and finding out that Brock is a direct descendant of Ash via the latter banging Shelia in the 1300s. An honorable mention is the off-screen involvement of Doctor Orpheus in the bittersweet Wendy storyline.

Put all the components of my older pc into a new case and swapped out the CPU cooler.
When I had successfully put everything together the PC won't boot. The only reaction I get out of it is a red light on the motherboard (not cpu/gpu or ram light).
List of what I've tried so far 1. Reseat CPU. 2. Try with different CPU. 3. Check all PSU connections. 4. Reset CMOS battery. 5. Swap out CMOS battery. 6. Try to power up PC with a different PSU. 7. Reseat RAM. 8. Start PC with only 1 and 2 ram sticks. 9. Boot PC without GPU. 10. Check ALL connections down to every last wire.
I'm literally out of ideas and to me it seems like the Mobo might be dead. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas about what could be the issue here? Been building several PCs through the years and never seen anything like this.
It's basically the same setup as before, swapped out the AIO for a Noctua NHD-15S and that's the only difference except for the case.
Thanks in advance!

Intro and what I'm looking for

Idek where to start tbh. I wanna make a post that isn't too boring, long / short, or irritating to read as I have a habit of talking about my emotions + feelings and unnecessary venting about my life in several setences when it comes to this sort of thing, that's mostly what I talked about in my last post... I'm hoping I can get at least someone's attention by writing the right and necessary words on this subreddit... So, where to begin?
I guess I'll start with what I'm looking for in terms of dating. A fresh, warm, healthy and positive long-term relationship is what I've been craving for the last 4¼ years, not as in desperate or obsessed with it, more as in yearning for that right person to come along and bring sunshine to my life for the first time in a very long time. I'm sorry if that sounds a little cheesy but it's true. Someone who'll accept me for who I am and not care about what I have / don't have, someone who'll understand and accept my insecurities and flaws, not to mention me doing the same for her too. I wanna have that happy and bright future with that special someone, similar to all the couples I see on Instagram, laughing, joking, teasing each other, flirting, doing fun activities together both indoors and outdoors, purchasing matching items for them to wear and hold dear, holding hands... the list goes on.
Come and stop by so we can get to know each other first and see what happens if you're fascinated in this post enough, and if you think I'll be that sort of person you want in your life.

Personality (100% the truth)

As you might have guessed, I am a hard core introvert. Although I get along well with people irl; I briefly chat to them by saying the usual "hello" or "alright?", I then usually keep to myself from them most times to avoid feeling ignored / unimportant / irrelevant in their eyes. This is because I'm not that great at socialising in public places like the club or in the street, and also due to the fact that I feel extremely shy whilst meeting new people. All I feel, every single day, is irrelevant to everybody I come across on a day to day basis and tbh, I've gotten used to it over the years. However, if others ARE willing to get to know me and want me in their presence, I will perk up and be quite the confident individual once enough time passes :)
Other things you should know about me is that I'm extremely loyal and will never hurt the people I love and hold dear, no matter what. I care too much about the people in my life, including family, and I also will never let them down or disappoint them in any way.
Just a little fun fact about me, my zodiac sign is Cancer ♋️🦀 for those of you who are interested and if that matters to you at all. This is related to what I've just written above in the second paragraph.
[This is me pretty much nearing the end of this seemingly never ending post now]
Now that all the soppy stuff is out of the way, I will now talk about what I like doing on a day to day basis :D:

I'm an indoor type of person. I like:

•Watching TV shows like Doctor Who when new episodes come out, The Simpsons and Hollyoaks 5 days a week, and binging on a ton of movies.
•Listening to music pretty much every single day as I'm a huge HUGE fan of it.
•Gaming on PC games such as GTA, Red Dead, and Minecraft.
•I may stay indoors most of the time, but I DO also enjoy doing outdoor activities like spending my days out in places in the UK like Scarborough, Blackpool, Hornsea and Withernsea.
•I'm also interested in Photography, taking stunning photos both indoors and outdoors to store and save for later. Wildlife, sea life and everything else in between is what I'm most interested in :)
•Playing different sports such as Badminton, Bowling, Cricket, Dodgeball, Tennis and Volleyball on the beach are activities I really enjoy doing, but I haven't played them recently thanks to a lack of others playing them with me.
•Gardening and working with plants is something that really fascinates me, planting and watching plants of all shapes and sizes grow is everything I've wanted to do since my late high school days. Also getting a bit of sunshine on my neck in the summer does me some good lol.
•I occasionally like doing artistic activities like card making, paper crafting, drawing and painting, but only on special occasions.
•I also like to read from time to time.

Physical Appearance

My appearance is quite normal:
•I'm 5'8 in height
•I've got quite the decent body shape
•I have no tattoos but I'm considering getting a few in the future
•I've got a small amount of facial hair (but I've shaved recently so I'm not quite as hairy on the face as I used to be)
•I've got quite a lot of hair on the top of my head but keep it in control most times with hairspray
•I've got an average to slightly above average face imo (pics can be exchanged if you're interested in knowing what I look like)
•I'm healthy with no health conditions or concerns
•I wear normal clothes such as buttoned t-shirts, hoodies / denim jackets, jeans / tracksuit bottoms, and leather jackets in colder weather.

You

I'm not too bothered what kind of women I talk to / get with tbh. Just as long as you:
•Live in the UK, or at least in different countries that are close to the UK like Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, France, or perhaps even The Netherlands, since all have shorter time-zone differences to the ones in the UK, (but you can message me wherever you are on the globe)
•Don't smoke or do drugs
•My age limit is between 18-23, but people that are past that age range can also message me.
•I'm not religious, by any means, but I don't mind dating people who are.
•Come as you are, no sugar coating, be real, be genuine. 🚫No NSFW content please🚫, that's all I ask.

Outro

Welp, this is me finally signing off and seeing what happens. If you've read this far, then I appreciate you for taking the time out of your schedule to read my post all the way through :) I hope you have a nice rest of your day 🙏🏻👋🏻 Come say Hi if you're feeling up to it! 🙂

after playing red dead online for months and getting all of those trophies, i finally decided to go back to story mode to go for platinum. i put it off this long because it looks to be a grind. i think i am on chapter 2 now. any advice for getting trophies on this epic journey as i go along? should i just play through then go back for the ones i missed?