I (16F) play a lot of Valorant in my free time, and I end up meeting a lot of guys that I find myself duoing with (Valorant is a 5v5 game, duoing is when you q together with one more person). I usually talk to my duo outside of playing and we often talk about life while playing as well. I find myself interacting with a lot of guys because it’s really hard to find other girls that play valorant on HK/TK servers that are plat/diamond, speak English, and also want to play with me. We all play video games to have fun, and I find getting to know people a part of that fun. I enjoy duoing because playing alone is really not that fun. Something that keeps on happening, however, is that my duos’ significant other is getting mad/jealous that my duos are talking to me.
The first time it happened was in January of last year. I (15F at the time) met MK (17M) on LFG Valorant and we ended up becoming friends and playing a lot together. He enjoyed streaming on the side, and when we did play Valorant we would often do it on stream. At the time MK was dating a girl (16-18F) from across the world. His gf first found out I played with him through the stream, but eventually I got to meet and play genshin with her. I was also dating someone across the world so it was nice to meet MK who was in a similar situation. I thought everything was fine but slowly we stopped playing together properly. First, we stopped playing full valorant ranked games (we still played a couple 1v1s and spike rushes) and at the time, I assumed it was because he wasn’t playing as much of the game. Later, I found out it was because his gf didn’t like the fact that I was playing with her partner. Afterwards, we would still talk over discord about what was going on with our lives occasionally, but I would ask if his gf was ok with us playing together when we did play. He eventually broke up with his gf but we never really went back to playing together.
Second time it happened was around May of last year. I met DN (19M) through a mutual friend I’ll call AL (19M) in the game. We would play often and only occasionally talk. Soon, however, I had to go abroad for the summer. Once I got back in August, we played a lot more and talked more about our personal life after AL told me DN was going through something rough. As a friend, I wanted to make sure my friend was fine, and since we were playing a lot at the time I felt comfortable speaking with him about personal experiences and soon I found myself talking to DN a lot more often than before. Then out of the blue, DN suddenly stopped talking to me all together. Later on, about three months later, I found out while playing with AL that the reason why DN was going through something rough was because the girl he had a crush on had rejected him. What baffles me is that the same girl who rejected him had said she was jealous that he was playing with me and so he stopped talking to me.
The third time, I started playing with PN (24M) after DN stopped playing with me. It started off as us simply playing Valorant together. Over the course of three months, I think it was natural that we started talking about life outside of playing the game and we became genuine friends. I admit, the age gap was weird at first but the internet can be weird and nothing weird ever came of it. Eventually, around three months ago, I stopped playing valorant with him but we still stayed friends and gossiped pretty often. Since he was a lot older he had a lot of stories from his college/high school experience I never got to experience, which we discussed along with my rather weird upbringing. I didn’t have school so I was free to talk during the day and he had breaks during work where he had nothing better to do which is primarily the time we would text. Around a month ago, his wife found out that he was talking to girls on the internet, and decided it was wrong for him to speak with girls. She didn’t mind that he was talking to/playing with other guys my age and she was ok with him playing video games with me and another girl he was friends with that was around my age so I don’t think she was uncomfortable that he was talking to minors. She specifically didn’t want him to speak with girls over the internet. At this point, I didn’t really feel like playing (burnout from playing is a real thing apparently) so at first, we just started talking on a different messaging app. Today, she eventually found out what was happening and basically told me to fuck off.
This last situation in particular got me questioning and really frustrated because unlike the last two situations where I understand some frustration and possible jealousy because the guys and I were in somewhat of a dating range, and the girls were younger so more comfortable with online dating. However, in the last situation, the guy was a lot older, married, and we were just friends talking. To add, I just want to point out that I don’t only play with older guys, and a lot of the people I play with are single and guys that are only a year older or younger. I’m just really frustrated in general because all of these people were my friends, and I love talking to them but they just get jealous of a freaking 16 year old?? I don’t think it makes sense and I’m so tired of losing friends at this point.

I’m (23F) upset with my (40F) mum for watching twilight with my (8F) sister.
Basically I have autism and my special interest is twilight. I love twilight so much I have traveled from Australia to the UK for Comic-Con there to meet the cast. I have seen it 300 times easily and have all the books, the barbie dolls and the illustrated books SIGNED. I even have a site where I edit videos on it. No shame.
I am basically a third parent to my little sister. They rely on me a lot for chores school pickup and babysitting. I moved out at 16 and in 2021 they moved next door to me without telling me to be closer to me.
Last week I had my sister over for a sleepover because they had a party on and I finally got permission to watch the first movie with her. I set the entire house lights to green I made themed snacks and milkshakes for us and even made my bed twilight themed. We didn’t even watch the second one because my mum hadn’t given her permission.
I’m away with my boyfriend and I’ve found out they’ve watched all 5 movies without me.
I asked my mum if this was true and she said “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you would mind. It’s impossible to find something for us to watch. We will watch it again with you for sure But then you guys watched it. I didn’t think you would mind if we watched more Come on!”
I have told her to her face once a fortnight that if she watched twilight without me I’ll be soooo upset and never forgive her I’ve warned her maybe 20 times to her face in the last year. I’ve told her this is super important to me and I’ll never ever forgive her if she does this without me.
I told her than I’m fucking so upset with her. It’s not that fucking hard to watch a movie and if it’s so impossible wtf are they going to watch after this and that is a shitty excuse. That I am devastated that she did this and I cried all morning uncontrollably. How dare she do this. It’s not even that she watched without me it’s the principal that I told her how much this means to me and that I watch this movie every single day for her to completely dismiss me and pretend like I’m over reacting when I have expressed how much this means to me and even travelled half way across the world for this movie & book and she acts like I have no reason to be upset. Anyone who knows me knows how sentimental I am. I was undiagnosed my entire life because they never took me seriously and now that I’m diagnosed they just don’t care about things I’m super into. I told her I’d never do this to her because I actually care how she’s feeling and what’s she’s interested in and because she’s done this I feel like she doesn’t even know me or care about me at all. That I’m done picking up the slack around their house and she can do fucking everything on her own.
My step dad told me I’m being dramatic and that I need to have more initiative in productive things. AITA?

I am trying to figure out if the guy I have a crush on likes me back. Backstory first: met him in the fall and formed a small friend group with him and a few others in the fall. Realized I liked him around OctobeNovember. Since then, I've had a crush on him.
Now we spend so much time together, whether in the group setting (going on hikes, dinners, fun activities around town), or alone. Here lately I have been getting more bold with him and in return I have been getting different vibes from him.
Some stuff for context below:

• Generally, we spend several hours a week walking around town just the 2 of us, just wandering around and getting miles in seems to be a common thing
• About a month ago, I was at his apartment while he was fixing my computer (he offered) and as I was leaving, he asked me to go to a nice theatre event the next day, since he had 2 tickets and nobody to go with. I said "just the 2 of us??" and he said "yes". So I agreed. The next day, we went to a group event earlier in the day, and there was a larger second group event planned after that. One mutual friend who was there made a comment saying "Oh I don't think he can come to [second event], he has a date later! He was in earshot of this comment and didn't deny but I also didn't say anything since I knew she was referring to the "date" with me later. I never questioned him on this though. So that night we go to the event and grab dinner at a fairly nice restaurant downtown and he picks up the entire $125 bill. During the show and dinner, I wouldn't say that I got romantic vibes but after consulting a friend (not in the group so she doesn't know him), she told me "girl that was definitely a date". After we got back to his place (where I met so we could carpool into the city), I went home and that was that. There was a slight moment in his car when we parked but no hugs or anything, but I texted later that night saying we should do more 1x1 stuff and he agreed
• More recently this week, I spent several hours walking around with him and another friend, and once we broke off from the other guy, we went back to his place where I had parked (closer to the downtown area than my house). We came up on his apartment and I could tell it seemed like he didn't want to stop talking so he invited me in for something to drink. This was around 11:30 PM. I ended up staying until 2 am. We talked for ages about randomness, he tried to feed me some soup, (I was full so said no thank you -- but he did use the phrase "next time" regarding me trying the soup(aka coming over again)) and I played some songs on his piano and he played me some back. He also showed me the entirety of his apartment including his bedroom and another room that was previously shut the other time that I visited. This is relevant, because to me, he seems really private and closed off and in showing me those parts of his home, I feel like I've made progress with him. In terms of physicality and body language, it was mixed. When sitting on his couch talking, he was close by but not necessarily touching, but he also didn't shy away if I sat super close to him. Then he was showing me some fidget trinkets on a shelf and I tried to figure one out and he did the thing where the guy grabs the girl's hands and guides her using his hands. Then at the same time, we would stand up and talk to each other but we'd stand anywhere from 3-6 feet apart?? But I did feel a "vibe" in the air if that makes sense. When I got ready to leave and he didn't go in for a hug (but neither did I since I was so nervous to death, and didn't want to spoil if it was just friend vibes).
• there are also a ton of other little details:
  • lots of eye contact
  • I got new glasses and have received several compliments from him, semi-solicited (me mentioning the glasses and getting used to them and him saying "they fit you perfectly" and other things)
  • inside jokes with each other
  • his thoughtfulness about details I've mentioned in the past: I don't like X food so he'll order some thing with X removed/on the side so I can enjoy it too (if it's for the table)
  • lending me books
  • just generally remembering details about me that I've just mentioned in passing/seem inconsequential
  • he does photography as a hobby and on group outings has offered to take pics of me (and the others) but he seems to enjoy doing this and then he'll send them to me after editing
  • he also asked me to a fancy sushi meal with another guy friend of his that I've met a few times (potentially a double date?? I know this guy has been trying to date around), but that is yet to be scheduled

From a guy's point of view, does this sound like he's into me at all or just a caring friend? It seemed like caring friend for the most part but the apartment until 2 am has me thinking otherwise. The vibes were definitely different there, but at the same I also don't think I take "hints" or vibes very well. It's like a form of self sabotage. I don't trust my own intuition. My first date with my ex I didn't realize was a date until he had to basically tell me. Also I am really sorry for the verboseness of this and the text wall!! ETA : another detail

Tl;Dr landlord hid eviction from me. Judge declined to hear emergency motion with proof I gave cited as insufficient. Wondering if a second emergency motion filed asking for a stay based on landlord continuing to collect rent would prevail?
As the title states, my landlord filed eviction paperwork against me for reasons other than rent in Florida. I never was served by the process server. That is only one of the issues with this eviction that I have evidence to back up. on the day and time that the first attempt at service was made I have a still from my security camera at the exact time the process server claims he was attempting to serve me. It clearly shows my vehicle.in the driveway with the door open and from reviewing other cameras I was bringing groceries in from my car. Never did I see a process server and never was anything posted on my door at that time. The following morning is when he claims to have served me by posting it to my door. I have no footage from that morning when he claims to have served me. I can only attribute that to.the fact that he never actually was here. That assertion is backed up by his lying about being here the day prior. Since I was never served I didn't find out about the eviction until this past Monday and a default judgement had already been entered. After looking through the filing I noticed my landlord has altered the original lease she filed to show that the late fee was $100 and not the $50 it says in the lease i have in my possession. She also filed a lease non renewal notice that she dated 2/1/23. That is in direct contention with a lease renewal I have signed by her on 12/14/22. I filed a response and a motion to stay the default judgement but the final judgements was entered the same day that they became viewable on the clerks website. At that point I filed an emergency motion to stay the final judgement based on me being denied due process by not being served. As evidence of this I filed the still image from my camera showing the first date the server claims he attempted to serve me with the same description I gave you, that I was home and the process server was never there. With that being taken into account, like i said earlier, it makes it easier to believe that the process server would lie about actually posting the papers on my door the following day. For background, my landlord is basically a slumlord with a long history in my area. It's not hard to imagine that she has a relationship with a process server who would falsify serving eviction papers for her. The judge said that since I was pointing out the first attempt, and not the following day when they claim process was actually served, that my argument lacks merit. I have no footage from the day when service was processed because their was no motion detected by my cameras because no.one was there! He lied about the attempt, why is it such a stretch of the imagination to conclude that he also lied about serving me? So now the writ of possession has been issued and I have until Wednesday to be out. All after finding out about this less than a week ago. I'm torn between whether I should file another emergency motion to stay the eviction based on the fact that she was collecting rent from me as recently as this past Monday. In total I have made 2 weekly rent payments since she initially filed the eviction. I have text messages from her asking about rent and deposit slips from her bank of my deposits. (I know an argument could be made that me depositing money into the account could be done without her knowledge, but taken with the text messages of her asking for the rent, it's believable that I was depositing it without knowledge of the eviction proceedings occurring, which is what occurred.) I don't have money to move. The transmission on my vehicle went out 2weeks ago so I've been relying on public transportation. And I have to be out in 4 days I believe. I asked her for another month to find a place and she said, "maybe if you didn't goto the courthouse and file papers I would consider it, but since you did you have until Wednesday." How much more rotten can she be? Sorry for the essay. I'm basically wondering if filing another emergency motion and this time citing how she has continued to collect rent both as proof I was unaware of.the proceedings and as evidence that a new tenancy has been created that would require a new eviction to begin before I am forced to leave, if that would just anger the judge or if I am within my rights to file it and it would make a difference in my case. I'm amazed at the ease at which she has done this. Florida is supposed to be the sunshine state for government but this has me wondering if that is still true. Any thoughts would be appreciated. My time, along with my hope, is running out fast.

Been long hauling since 2020. I’ve been relatively ok except for the crushing headaches, fatigue and overall poisoned feeling in the body( difficult to explain) I need a sympathetic ear and se advice. I am a nurse and I have been able to go back to full time work this, while it’s hard and I am often behind in paperwork I manage to do the bare minimum. I am definitely not as mentally sharp, organized and efficient as I once was and it shows. So I have been feeling lead to move the last two years hopefully living in a beautiful place surrounded by nature, trees and natural body of water and a slower paced environment as i believe it would be healing to my overtaxed neurological system. Currently I live and work in Vegas and let me say, in general this is not a place you want to be when you don’t feel well. Not only does the healthcare system suck if is very disorganized, it’s too crowed and fast paced for me now. So I have been working on moving to Reno/ Lake Tahoe area. I was in luck when I found a contract position that was going to pay enough money for me to only work limited hours. I submitted my job application, called the next day interviewed and was hired. They just had nurses leave and the are in dire need. Basically I would be doing wound care in rural areas. I am advanced practice nurse so I would be making the shots, ordering Home health debriding the wounds, and prescribing the treatment plan and do wound grafts. Now I do have experience with wound care except the grafting part which they told me they would train me on. When I spoke with the owner of the company I told her my situation I was in that I still needed to find a place up north, move and tie loose ends at my current job. We just had a several workers leave and I told her I wanted to give them ample time to found coverage. So this company has been asking me to see patients up there at least once a week in addition to remote work on Wednesday I originally agreed but it has become to taxing on my body especially with still working full time in Vegas. I had a major relapse of my fatigue this week, was supposed to fly out Saturday morning see patients and fly back. This morning I woke with fatigue, sore throat and headache and generalized feeling of malaise. No Fever. I thought to myself, there is no way I can manage the travel and drive to these rural areas far away and see patients( two which were new) at the time I agreed because I was feeling ok and they bought my ticket but it’s obvious I still can’t push my body that much. I sent them an email telling them I wasn’t well and let’s just say it was not accepted well. They were in a state of panic( understandably) because they have no provider for these patients. I know my body needed the rest but I feel so incredibly guilty. This is also the second time I called off but first time I was just doing remote visits. Another concerning thing is when I flew down there there first time I barely had the right equipment to do my job. I was told there was wound care supplies in the office but there was not enough to do a good job. I did did the best which what I had and sent her an email regarding the supplies I needed. When they asked me to work this weekend I asked them if they ordered the right supplies to which she responded I needed to ask someone else( one of her partners) when I asked him he said that everything I needed was there that I just had ‘to Dig’ through the Boxes and look for it. To which I told him Last time I was there I looked thoroughly and did not find what I needed to provide the right care. He just seemed to shrug it off like it was no big deal, gave me my office key and swore up and down the supplies were in there which they weren’t . Also another concerning thing is when I flew out there last time I had to get my own rental car( it was very expensive) and when I emailed my manager about reimbursement they ignored my email. So far this company seems very unorganized and not interested in my well being not only as human being, but as clinician. I just don’t know what to do. This is my only position and I will moving there in less than a month so I need the income but to me they seem extremely unreasonable. How would handle this situation? I feel terrible And guilty because they patients are abandoned today and one really needed to be seen but I just couldn’t do it. I am Feeling better this evening after sleeping 😴 her 12 hours but clearly this isn’t sustainable. Anyone a similar situation? Also any other health care workers that can shed some light? I am needing some guidance on what my next step should be? I am terrible at communicating my needs mainly because people look At me and think I am perfectly healthy. Another side effect of COVID too timid to speak my mind because I am afraid of being gas lit as I have been in the past from another employer who fired me.

So a couple days ago I decided to try to get started on After Effects, with a practical project that was passed on to me by a family member. I'm using this as an opportunity to learn and I've made my way through most parts of the project just fine.
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There's just one thing that I can't seem to do right. Make a freaking line.
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Technically it's more complicated than that. I'm wanting to make a templated (MOGRT) lower third and in my brain that means that anchor points have to be on the left for everything, and that if I increase character size on my text, related items should be getting resized to match.
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I want to have a line animate out from 0% to full width of the text layer, from 10 pixels below the text layer, and stay with the text for the rest of its existence.
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Should be simple, right? But I can't seem to figure out the right way to do it. I don't know if focusing on the anchor point is my problem or the fact that I'm trying to left-align everything in my template, since most tutorials I've looked over talk about centering everything. It looks like their designs all animate from the middle though and I always want the lower third to be in the same place when it gets used, even if text character size, character set, or other related settings get modified by user-accessible variables.
Here's what I've done:

1. I made a rectangle as the box that encompasses the entire lower third.
2. The anchor point is set to the lower left corner.
3. I duplicated the rectangle, got rid of the fill and created a stroke, then used 2 trim paths to animate around the border as requested by the family member. I created sliders to control padding and a script to resize the box / trim paths to the width and height of the text layer in the next step. This works properly.
4. I have a text layer animate in and is masked by the rectangle in step 1. I have the anchor point set to the lower left corner on this as well and text align is set to left.
5. I made another rectangle which will be used to animate the line below the text layer.
6. use 2 trim paths to animate a line out from the middle. I did this by duplicating the rectangle component instead of just adding two trim paths. I can't figure out how the trim paths interact with each other with offsets but it seems that making the extra rectangle component was unncessary.
7. I have parenting setup as well. The box is a parent of most of the elements.

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The problem I have is:
When I change the size of the characters for the text, the animated line gets offset and I can see that the anchor point is not where it should be.
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I'm fine going through tutorials but at this point I'm unsure as to whether or not my problem is much earlier in the process or if I should continue focusing on the anchor point problem.
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Also, why the **** do we not always have a width/height property on layers? This seems so weird (I come from photoshop/illustratopremiere pro)

Studies about Chaga are quite scarce lately but this last one confirms us once again its beneficial effects in raising immunity.
Full text :
- https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1709950/v1/f87d329b-444b-4a1f-851b-1b7302f42f8c.pdf?c=1654523969

Hi all! I've been dabbling in microtonal theory for a couple of years now (despite not having any formal training) and came up with something interesting yesterday.
So, my understanding of the tonnetz of Riemannian theory is that given a group of numbers, usually primes which represent the harmonics that form a pitch space, each number has its own axis of movement, for example ...-B♭-F-C-G-D-... for the 3rd harmonic or ...-F♭-A♭-C-E-G♯-... for the 5th harmonic. Additionally, so does each pair of numbers, for example ...-F♯-A-C-E♭-G♭-... for the quotient of the 3rd and 5th harmonics. This seems to be the reason the tonnetz for the 5-limit is a triangular grid: two independent generators (hence 2 dimensions) but with relations between each generator as well as with a neutral element representing octave equivalence (hence a simplicial lattice). Starting from any dyadic chord, the most basic motion is inversion (in the math sense) through some axis - parallel motion is inversion through the 3:2 axis (hence the perfect 5th stays fixed), leading motion through the 5:4 axis, and relative motion through the 6:5 axis. These inversions always induce a change from major to minor mode or vice versa because the orientation of the triangle changes. Focusing on chords which contain only one edge in each axis direction, in the 5-limit tonnetz there is a cycle of motion of order 6 around a single note: RLPRLP. Here is the cycle in just intonation, and here it is in 31 EDO.
In the 7-limit then (or any 3 element pitch group), there are three dimensions (the 3rd, 5th and 7th harmonics) and six axes (3:2, 5:4, 8:7, 6:5, 7:6, 7:5). However, the simplicial lattice in three dimensions is qualitatively different to the two dimensional case: tetrahedra only touch each other along edges so there is now space between them, forming octahedra. In particular, opposite vertices of an octahedron are not directly connected in the lattice, so chords represented by this shape are more dissonant. So if we look just at the tetrahedra with a single note in common, there are 8 of them in the shape of a cuboctahedron, and the graph of their connections forms a cube (you could imagine taking the centre points of each triangle of a cuboctahedron and connecting them if the triangles touch). Motion along an edge of this graph changes the chord from otonal to utonal mode and vice versa, just like in two dimensions, a pattern which seems to continue in higher dimensions (in fact, this graph always seems to be the convex hull of the compound of two simplices, one otonal and one utonal). The cubical graph does have a spanning cycle - it looks like the Cesca chair - but unfortunately since each vertex is 3-connected there is no single cycle which expresses each possible motion. Here is one cycle in just intonation, and here it is in 31 EDO. Since tetrahedra connect only at an edge, motion always fixes the common note as well as one other note (this seems to be the case for every dimension above 2).
In the 11-limit (or any 4 element pitch group), there are four dimensions and ten axes. In the simplicial lattice in four dimensions, known as the A4 lattice, ten pentachora or 5-cells (4 dimensional simplices) meet at a vertex, with dispentachora or rectified 5-cells filling the space between them. Once again, simplices meet only at an edge so a fully 11-limit dyadic chord fixes two notes and changes three during transformation. Similar to in three dimensions, to find the graph of their connections I took the vertex figure of the lattice which is the runcinated 5-cell, took the centre of each tetrahedral facet, and connected them if the tetrahedra touched at a point. This is the same graph as the compound of the decagon and the decagram (10/3 star polygon) and so, unlike for the cubical graph, all possible motions can be expressed using two disjoint spanning cycles. Here and here are one pair of such cycles in just intonation, and here and here they are in 31 EDO.
I thought the symmetries that these cycles ended up exhibiting are super interesting! The sonic character of the motion itself has an intriguing feeling of swirling in place or neutralness. I'm not sure if there is a theoretical use for the cycles themselves, but this seems to be a logical and comprehensive way to generate motion for dyadic chords in n-element pitch groups.
Also, for good measure here is the microtonal keyboard I use for my touchscreen.

I got into the BSD fandom a few years back and, with every new anime I finish, I check out the fandom's fanfictions. I remember adoring this one BSD fanfic I found on wattpad and would reread it every so often. Soon after, I started using AO3 instead and don't really go on wattpad anymore.
With BSD's return with a new season, I recently got back into the fandom and remembered that particular fanfic. I want to go back, check if the author updated, and reread it again since it's been a while. However, I'm not the most organized person. My reading lists are a mess with a bunch of fanfics from different fandoms shoved into one. The majority of them are populated with hundreds of stories I found interesting enough to save to read later but never quite got around to it. My current reads feed is always filled with stories I've never read.
Long story short, I've been spoiled by AO3's convenient system of filtering my bookmarks by fandom, I can't find the fanfic, and it's killing me. So I'm talking this to reddit to seeing if anyone else recognizes this fanfic and finally resolve me of my plight.
*Spoilers for part of the anime and for the plot of this unknown fanfic ahead.*
I think the fanfic was either a female OC or a female identifying reader insert fanfic and that there might have been some romantic scenes with Akutagawa and some with Dazai. The OC (I'll just say OC since it's shorter than reader but I THINK [Name] was used in the story) is a member of Port Mafia who was originally working abroad, but had come back to Yokohama to help stabilize Port Mafia after Dazai's defection. Mori had assigned her as Akutagawa's partner, similarly to how he had assigned Dazai and Chuuya as partners in an effort to create a new Double Black where the OC would be the strategist and Akutagawa would be the brawn. She became a new executive to fill in Dazai's empty place and had received his office at Port Mafia as well (or at least I think so; That part might've been a different fanfic). In the OC's backstory, she had worked in Yokohama Port Mafia's Intelligence Division under Sakaguchi Ango, who was the head of Port Mafia's intelligence in this fanfic, prior to her work abroad. With Ango's status as a traitor to Port Mafia, she became the head of intelligence.
The story started out with tension between Akutagawa and the OC as Akutagawa chaffed at the idea of having a partner, but the OC was less of the hotheaded type and more of the calm, analytical, and does-whatever-is-necessary type and tried her best to work with him civilly. As they completed more jobs and operations together, they become infamous and Akutagawa started to respect her and her skills more.
With the OC becoming more active in Yokohama, the ADA started hearing more about Akutagawa's new partner and tries to figure out the OC's identity. The ADA's investigation eventually led to a rooftop chase between the ADA and Port Mafia duo. The ADA had been walking back to their apartments after a long day's work of trying and failing to find anything on Akutagawa's partner when Atsushi had caught sight of Akutagawa with an unknown person. They started to tail them, but the duo had noticed. The OC somehow convinces Akutagawa to run instead of fight in order to preserve her anonymity for a little longer. The chase ended after the OC manages to injure the detectives enough to prevent them from giving chase (I don't quite remember how, she might've thrown a bomb).
During the chase, the detectives weren't able to get a close look at the OC's face while running and, with her purposefully androgynous clothes and long hair tucked under her coat (jacket? shirt?), the ADA mistook her for a boy. They investigate accordingly and, in an attempt to gather more information about an unknown variable, Dazai sought out Ango in hopes that the Special Abilities Division or the government might have some intel. They meet up at a restaurant where they talk about what Ango knows over plates of shared food (I'm pretty sure there were dumplings). When Dazai referred to the OC as boy, Ango laughs and says that if that's the case, he has nothing to say to Dazai, implying that the one he is asking about is not male. Ango proceeds to tell Dazai about what he knows about the OC and their stint in Port Mafia's Intelligence together.
This is where most of the details elude me. At some point, the OC and Dazai end up chatting face-to-face. I think the OC might have come across Dazai eating in a restaurant that pays Port Mafia for protection / is in Port Mafia territory. They ending up recognize each other and the OC joins Dazai's table for an impromptu meal together. The OC orders a bottle of fancy wine she gets for free since she's a high ranking member of Port Mafia. The meal ends, and the OC insists Dazai take the remaining wine with him.
The story ends, incomplete, with a scene where Chuuya, Akutagawa, and the OC are together in a car (the three of them are somewhat close as it's mentioned that the duo has dealt with a drunk Chuuya griping about Dazai on several occasions). Chuuya disparages Dazai for his treatment of Akutagawa and for his betrayal (he may have been drunk, I don't quite remember). Chuuya shows he cares for Akutagawa like a mentor and it's mentioned that he felt guilty about how Dazai treated Akutagawa. He saw himself and Dazai in Akutagawa and the OC and tells the OC that he hopes the two of them turn out better than how the original Double Black did.
For anyone who reads BSD fanfiction and knows of one that somewhat fits this description, please comment the title or link it. This might finally stop plaguing me.
For those who don't read BSD fanfiction and read my wall of text for whatever reason, thanks for suffering with me. Hope you don't step on any legos.

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First Entry
Second Entry
Third Entry
Fourth Entry ​
Fifth Entry
Sixth Entry
Seventh Entry
Eighth Entry
​
Journal of Camille Lambert - April 14th
​
When the fires finally died, there was almost nothing left of Puriysk. Just about every building was scorched and blackened. Most of the tents had been destroyed too, with only a tattered handful remaining on the far side of town.
​
Driving through the ruins felt almost like driving through a corpse. Everything was so dead… and yet despite the recent fire, I could already see new life growing on the ashes. Small flowers with petals that seemed to shimmer like distant stars. They were both beautiful and unsettling at the same time, although I noticed Dr. Di Cesare… or Gretchen, I suppose… looking down at them with quiet apprehension as we passed.
​
“We should visit what remains of my lab first,” She said. “I had some equipment that should offer suitable protection against any airborne toxins. Atmospheric saturation should currently be low, but best practices recommend not to take any unnecessary risks!”
“Sister, we’re way past best practices right now,” Nina replied sardonically. “Exactly how often were you dealing with this shit if you’ve got ‘suitable protection’ just on hand?”
“Often enough,” Gretchen replied. “Not in some years though… decades, really. I keep it now as a precaution. When studying pocket realities, one can never be too prepared. The Rosen Prince exists in far more than you could possibly imagine.”
​
“And now you’ve gone and brought it here,” Nina replied.
“While I understand you disapprove of my course of action, I stand by that the choice I made last night was the one with the highest probability of a favorable outcome.”
“‘Favorable outcome.’” Nina repeated, before giving a sigh of exasperation. “Whatever you say. I figure that one way or the other, this is gonna end with one of us saying ‘I Told You So’ and I hope to God it’s you.”
“As do I…” Gretchen admitted.
​
We pulled up on what was left of Gretchen’s RV. The roof had been completely peeled off and the entire front end was smashed, but it seemed like the lab portion was still somewhat intact… somewhat.
​
Gretchen got out of the car, pausing to survey the state of her lab. For a moment I thought that she almost looked upset, but if she felt anything at all she buried it quickly and pushed ahead.
“We’ll be out here,” Nina said. “Don’t take too long.”
“I’ll help you look,” I said, getting out of the car as well and following Gretchen into the ruined RV. She was already going through some of the drawers when I joined her inside.
​
Despite everything, the lab part of the RV was almost in good condition. Almost. Papers had been strewn all over the floor and scattered everywhere among shards of broken glass. I heard something crack under my shoe and looked down to see a framed photograph on the floor. I reached down to pick it up. The photograph depicted a group of women, around 14 of them, I think. I recognized one in the corner as Gretchen. I wondered if this was her family.
​
I looked up at her, to see her pausing at one particular drawer, before taking out a series of respirator masks.
“Elastomeric respirators. Good for keeping out paint, dust, and spores. Small particles that can harm the lungs. I’ve found they reduce spore exposure by over 90%. Not foolproof, but helpful.”
She counted four out of the selection she had, before putting one on and handing the rest off to me. I set the photo down to take them and put one of the masks on myself. As I did, Gretchen took a bone handled knife out of her coat.
​
“I do have one further precaution that I use… where would you like to be scarred?”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, taking a step back. Gretchen tilted her head to the side slightly, before realizing that I didn’t understand whatever the hell she was talking about.
​
“As a precaution, I think it would be wise to mark a rune into your flesh. It won’t necessarily protect you against the Rosen Prince, but it will guarantee you die before it takes control of you… here, let me show you…”
She slid off her coat and gingerly hung it over a chair. I could see the revolver resting in a shoulder holster she wore underneath. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. Above the Aquarius tattoo on her wrist, I could see several runes scarred into her arm.
​
“Scarification is a deep form of magic. Not for the faint of heart, but deeply effective. This one here…” She pointed at one about halfway up her forearm. “It’s a curse. Were I ever to be infected by the Rosen Prince, it would drain my life away, killing me before I could be fully claimed by it. Personally, I think it’s the merciful alternative. Assimilation into the hive mind technically does not kill you, but it is not a fate I would wish on most. Everything you were, everything you are lost within an ocean of voices so that you no longer remain because you and It are now one and the same.”
​
“Are you going to do that to Nina and Dom too?” I asked warily.
“I already did Nina this morning. And I’ll offer it to Dominic before we depart. I can not force you to accept this… the spell does not work unless you do it yourself. However I do recommend it.”
I stared at the knife for a moment, before grimacing and rolling up my sleeve.
“Just show me what to do…” I said.
​
Gretchen nodded and beckoned me over to the chair. She knelt by my side and helped me guide the knife.
“It only needs to be a shallow wound. Enough to draw blood and leave a lasting mark,” She said. As the knife pierced my arm, I winced in pain.
“Very good! Now, let me guide you…” She placed a hand over mine. “Look at my rune. We’ll copy it exactly.”
​
I nodded before trying to do just that, gritting my teeth in pain and trying not to scream. Gretchen guided my hand, but I held the knife and I was the one who pushed it into my skin… it wasn’t the worst pain I’d ever felt. But it came very close and I didn’t last long before I had to stop, sucking in air as if that might numb the pain as I felt tears filling my eyes.
“How the hell do you do this to yourself?” I gasped.
“The rewards are worth the pain,” Gretchen replied. “See this?” She pointed to another rune on her arm, “It’s an elemental brand. It’s how I was able to control the fire, last night. And this…” She pointed to another one, “This one allows for limited spatial manipulation. It took me three tries to get it right. Each time I had to carve away the old skin and heal it to begin anew.”
​
I flinched at the thought of it and she cracked a small smile that I think was meant to be reassuring.
“Oh, I assure you that’s nothing,” She said brushing past her long stringy hair and leaning forward so I could see the back of her neck, exposing a far more complicated rune.
​
“This here? That’s an attribution spell. It’s one of the hardest to get right, but once you’ve done it, it keeps you safe.”
“Yeah… howso?” I asked.
“If someone were to pull a gun and shoot me now, I would feel no pain. The wound would manifest on their body instead. Given the fact that he was able to obtain the heart of an Old Fae, it’s possible that Calhoun bears a similar mark. Most powerful witches do. My sisters, for example. Long ago, we each learned this rune and one by one, we carved it into the backs of our necks as a means to ensure our survival. It’s useful… although not foolproof. Stab me, and I feel no pain. Throw me on to a knife and… well… ” She shrugged. “Of course, my little spell would do nothing to protect me from this…”
​
She took the revolver out of her holster and showed it to me.
“There’s no magic in existence that would save you from Malvian Ice. I modified this gun to amplify it’s properties. To ensure every shot was lethal. But the bullets?” She opened the cylinder and took one out. It looked almost like a regular bullet, although the tip seemed crystalline and had a pinkish shine to it.
“They don’t need the gun to be effective. Put this in the heart of Calhoun… and there is no magic, no God, nothing in existence that could offer him salvation. This bullet… this is Death herself. Absolute, inescapable, and final.”
​
She reached over and gently pressed the bullet into my hand.
“You should carry it. The other three bullets may be needed elsewhere. It would be wise to save one.”
“You’re the one with the gun, why don’t you take it?” I asked.
“At heart, I am a scientist not a fighter.” Gretchen said. “I can use this weapon, but as of right now I only carry it for safekeeping. I suspect Valentine may get more use out of it than I will. She would certainly be the better shot… although given her demeanor and what lies ahead of us, I do not want to risk the possibility that she might use all four of our remaining bullets before we reached Calhoun. Therefore… I entrust you with this.”
​
I looked down at the bullet in my hand, before giving a half nod,
“I’ll keep it close,” I promised.
“Excellent! Now… you’re halfway done. Shall we finish the rest?”
I looked down at the bleeding rune on my arm and nodded slowly. Gretchen showed me her rune again, and I pressed the knife back into my skin.
​
The cut was already throbbing with pain… and maybe that was why finishing the rune was easier than starting it was.
“Excellent work,” Gretchen said. “You may have a future as a witch someday… perhaps.” She stared down at the blood on my arm thoughtfully, before tearing her attention away.
​
“You’re a vampire, right?” I asked. “When’s the last time you…”
“Three hours prior to yesterdays incident,” She replied, standing up again. “Strictly speaking I only need to feed once every few days, once per week at minimum. Biting you will not be necessary… although I will admit, your blood does smell…nice. I personally prefer an older male specimen, maintained in reasonable health however just because one likes merlot doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a good rosé. But I digress. You need your strength and I have other provisions to ensure I make do.”
​
She walked over to the far side of the lab and opened a cabinet, rifling around in it for a few minutes before taking out what looked like a wine bottle.
“A little side project some of my sisters entertain. Hardly a full meal… but the wine masks the taste of stale blood. I was saving it for a special occasion. But, it will suffice for now.” She pulled the cork and took a drink from the bottle, before going through the cabinet again and coming back with a white first aid kid.
“Let me wrap that wound for you, at least until the bleeding stops,” She said. I gingerly held out my arm and let her work. It didn’t take long.
​
Outside, I could hear the car horn honking impatiently. Gretchen ignored it, gently cleaning my wound.
“There we go…” She said gently, “All set. Bring the masks outside, I’ll join you momentarily.”
​
I nodded and got up to leave. Looking back, I noticed her standing over the photograph I’d picked up earlier. She stared down at it, before taking the picture out of the broken frame and slipping it into her pocket before finally taking her wine bottle and following me out.
​
***
​
The tents on the far side of town were still mostly intact, although seeing them abandoned still felt a little surreal. The shimmering flowers grew along the ground, and among them I could see creeping red weeds sprawling across the ground. Those weeds had even started to grow over some of the tents.
​
Nina regarded them with unease, before checking to ensure her mask was on right and going in to investigate. She held her rifle at the ready the whole while.
“Fuck… how the hell do you do this to yourself?” I heard Dom seethe from behind me and looked back to see Gretchen helping him scar himself.
“In time, you learn to accept the pain,” She said. “Now breathe. We’re nearly done.”
​
Dom looked up at me as Gretchen guided his hand. I went over to put a hand on his shoulder and stay with him through the pain.
“There… there… now we’re done,” Gretchen crooned. “Let me wrap that for you. You did well.”
“Christ…” Dom panted, “All this over some fucking flowers?”
“Those flowers have ended Universes and brought entire civilizations to their knees,” Gretchen warned. “There is no caution you cannot take with them.”
​
Dom looked over toward some of the glowing flowers. I noticed Nina was giving them a wide berth.
“If they’re that dangerous, why even summon them?” He asked.
“I had four bullets, and more than four approaching targets. Even the more offensive spells at my disposal would not have offered sufficient protection. We were in a dire situation. I needed something that would serve as both a formidable distraction and that could reverse our fortunes. I made a judgment call. The Pocket Reality I opened has been claimed by the Rosen Prince for some time. I’ve done some research there before and I imagine he’s been waiting for my return ever since. I suspected that the moment I gave him a door, he would come scampering… and he did not disappoint. His infection will spread rapidly, but so long as we use the correct precautions, we should be fine. I can not say the same for Calhoun’s local militia and his Nightwalkers, on the other hand. I doubt they are equipped to deal with him.”
​
“No shit, they aren’t…” Dom murmured, “I gotta ask, what exactly happens if this thing reaches Calhoun before we do?”
Gretchen frowned.
“Hard to say,” She admitted as she finished bandaging Dom’s scar. “I don’t have enough data to be certain. But…”
​
“But?” I asked.
“Last night, McClellan said something I found… interesting. He mentioned that there were other towns ‘ripe for the picking’ out there and then said something about Calhoun getting the rest of the 5000 souls he needed. I’ve been trying to figure out what he meant by that.”
“Did you come up with anything?” Dom asked.
“Unfortunately, I did,” She admitted. “I don’t suppose Nina has told you two where your Nightwalkers come from, did she?”
“Something about another pocket. She called it The Midnight Grove,” I said. Gretchen nodded.
​
“Correct. Now… the entity that controls the Midnight Grove, The Lugal. It is known for making deals. Offer it souls and it can be bargained with. And with 5000 souls… well, in theory, the rewards would be great.”
“In theory?” Dom asked.
“There’s a very good reason the wise don’t deal with the Lugal. Whatever he offers you shall inevitably corrupt you, until you are little more than just another of the shambling, mindless beasts who wander his domain. Personally, I’ve found that you can get a better deal elsewhere. But that’s neither here nor there. The future state of Calhoun’s soul is really not important to us. If he completes his deal, then killing him becomes significantly harder… and I have little doubt that he has the means to complete his deal.”
​
“How?” I asked.
“When Mr. Durand first reached out to me about joining this operation, there was some discussion on how Ben Calhoun was able to enter and leave this pocket reality. At the time, I’d theorized that he had established a permanent means of doing so. It would not be that difficult… the correct runes on certain doors would likely suffice and would permit him to come and go as he pleased. We theorized that he had set up such doors in other towns he may have been interested in. I had hoped we may be able to find one such door. I even went so far as to look for small towns in the United States that had similarities with the ones we already knew existed in this pocket, that just so happened to have a resident there by the name of Ben Calhoun.”
​
“And what did you find?” I asked.
“Hundreds in the United States alone,” She said. “Enough so that exploring my theory further was not an option… however considering what McClellan said about ‘other towns ripe for the picking’ however I can not help but wonder if my theory is correct. McClellan said that Calhoun needed 5000 souls. To that end, I’ve put together a rough estimate of how many more he might need based on the estimated body count from his… actions… in the other towns.”
​
I felt my stomach sink a little bit.
“Between Rankin Mills, Bakersfield, and Thompson Falls, I estimate casualties of 1500, 2000, and 500 respectively for a sum of 4000 give or take. Puriysk had approximately a thousand people living in it… had we not intervened, Calhoun would have had his 5000 souls. And if I’m right about him having doorways to other towns, then I think I know how he might try and make up the deficit.”
“So he’s going to try and bring another town into the pocket…” I said quietly, before the rest of the realization hit me. “And if the Rosen Prince takes Calhoun, it could use any of those doors to get out of here!”
​
Gretchen nodded.
“It may not even need to take Calhoun,” She said. “All it would need to do is make it to Parsons and fine a door. Those outside would have no means of identifying where it would show up, delaying their ability to form an effective response and at minimum, resulting in further loss of life.”
“Jesus Christ…” Dom said under his breath, “You knew this and you still let that thing out?”
​
“As I said, I made a judgment call,” Gretchen said. “If we get to Parsons first, we can eliminate Calhoun and render all of this null and void. Kill Calhoun, and there is no pocket reality. No pocket reality means no Rosen Prince and if I am correct about those doorways…”
“That’s how we get out,” I said. Again, she nodded.
​
“You can be upset with me for what I did last night… I agree, it was a reckless move and not one that I made lightly. But I traded certain death for a ticking clock and an effective distraction. I stand by that decision, whatever the consequences.”
Dom just sighed and shook his head.
“Well… like Nina said, I guess. This is gonna end with somebody saying ‘I told you so’ and we better fucking hope that it’s you.”
With that, he went off to follow Nina toward the tents.
​
We spent the better part of an hour going through what was left from the FRB’s supplies and even some of the things we did find weren’t exactly useable. One tent which had been used as something of a mess hall was completely overgrown with those glowing flowers, leaving any food in there practically inedible. Most of what we found that we could use was guns and ammo.
​
“Trust me, we’re gonna need this shit,” Nina said as she opened the combination padlocks to the gun lockers. She tossed them aside and pulled the locker open, sorting through the contents before finding something and handing it to me. It had the body of a pistol, but with a stock and a sight.
“Kel-Tec CP33. Should be good for you,” She said before reaching for something else. She admired it for a moment, before setting her current rifle aside.
“Holy shit… I knew they were bringing in some heavy shit, but God Damn!”
​
“What is it?” Dom asked, watching as she took out something that looked like a bigger, smoother version of the rifle she already had
“It’s an AA-12… I’ve never actually gotten to fire one of these before. Should be fun! Hey Dom, you want one too? They’ve got a few in here!”
“What’s it do?” He asked.
“It’s a full auto shotgun with 20 shell drum mag. Basically - it turns anyone you don’t like into ground beef. Should be useful against the Rosen Prince…” She got down, checking a lower shelf and taking out boxes of ammo.
​
“Let’s see… I heard Milo mention something about Dragons Breath rounds. He thought they’d be effective against the Nightwalkers. Lemme just… oh fuck yes!”
She held up a box of shotgun shells, grinning from ear to ear.
​
“Thank you, Milo! Gretchen, think you can help us curse these?”
“I should be able to,” She said, going over to take the box from Nina. She sorted through a few other boxes of bullets on the lower shelf, before sliding one over to me.
​
“Try these out,” She said. “Lemme know if you want something different. We’ve still got a lot out here.”
I nodded before picking up the box. I set it down on a table, took the magazine out of the gun Nina had given me, and loaded it up just the way she’d shown me before. Then I went outside to give it a test run.
​
As I stepped out, I looked over toward the ruins of Puriysk. I could see one charred building that had once been an apartment, now overgrown with red vines and glowing flowers that made the ruins twinkle in the most surreal way. In a sense, the building almost looked infected. The vines seemed more like cancerous growths than real plant life. Looking at it, I was reminded of the state that Bakersfield had been in… and I was reminded of the corpse of my mother, her eyes half open in death. The memory made my stomach turn.
​
I raised the gun up toward the distant building, knowing that if I shot at it I couldn’t kill what was ahead of me, but hoping it might make me feel better. I pulled the trigger, firing into the void.
​
“Hello?” A distant voice called, making me pause. “Hello, is someone there?”
“Hello?” I called back, lowering the gun and trying to follow the voice.
“Hello?!”
Up ahead, I could see a man stumbling past a few of the tents. Judging by his uniform, he’d been part of the FRB.
​
“Oh thank God…” He said, “Thank God I thought I was the only one left!”
“So did we!” I said. I noticed that the name on his uniform read - ‘Gideon’. I looked back toward the tent that Nina and the others were in.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, “We’ve got Dr. Di Cesare with us, I think I saw some spare masks in her lab too. We can get you one!”
“Masks?” Gideon asked, “Why? What’s going on here?”
“I’ll let Dr. Di Cesare explain, come on.”
​
I gestured for him to follow me into the tent. As I turned to go in, I saw Nina coming out.
“I’m hearing voices out here…” She said, before noticing Gideon. Gretchen came out behind her, eyes narrowing slightly.
“We’ve got another survivor,” I said and Nina looked over at Gideon with a raised eyebrow.
“Shit, really?” She asked, although didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about it. She glanced over at Gretchen who was on top of Gideon almost immediately.
​
“Fascinating, how did you survive the night?” She asked, already poking and prodding at him. From the corner of my eye, I could see Dom coming out of the tent, holding the shotgun Nina had given him.
“I… I just stayed out of the fire!” Gideon said, “I let the monsters fight each other! I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t get to the trucks before they left and then the radio went silent… what are you doing?”
​
Gretchen held him by the chin and leaned in to sniff at his neck.
“Did you know a vampire's sense of smell is over ten thousand times more accurate than a regular human's?” She asked, her voice as calm as ever. “It enables us to detect imperfections in the blood and avoid drinking anything that might be adverse to our health… and right now, I can smell the spores in yours.”
​
Gideon locked eyes with her, looking panicked for a moment before his lips slowly began to curl into a knowing rictus grin.
“You were always so astute, Gretchen…”
​
I saw his skull split apart suddenly, revealing rows upon rows of teeth inside. He tried to bite down on her head, but Gretchen seemed to be expecting that. I saw the ground beneath her shift, pulling her back a few feet.
​
Nina raised her shotgun and fired at Gideon before he could make another move. A column of sparks flashed out of her gun, setting Gideon’s body alight. He howled in pain and as he did I saw his body changing. The skin and flesh on his hands peeled back turning his fingers into claws. An inhuman screech escaped him as he lunged for Nina, only to be blown back by another flaming blast from her shotgun and sent crashing to the ground in a twitching, screaming pile of burning flesh.
Nina let out a shuddering, almost orgasmic sigh.
“I love you,” She said to the gun.
​
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a chorus of inhuman screams echoed through the air around us, seeming to come from everywhere at once.
“That doesn't sound good…” Dom said.
“Oh, it’s not. He makes that sound when he’s hungry,” Gretchen ‘assured’ us. “We should leave.”
​
She motioned with her hand, beckoning some of the fire off the burning remains of ‘Gideon’ and allowing them to form into a ball in her hand.
“But we’ve got supplies here!” Nina said, “We’re not getting through Parsons without them!”
“And he’s got the bodies from last night.”
​
Almost on cue, several shapes rounded one of the tents a few feet away. Gretchen casually let loose the ball of fire she’d taken, sending it flying toward one of the creatures racing toward us.
“Then we’ll just bring the car here, load up and leave!” Nina said. “Dom, keep them out of the tent, Cam, grab everything you can carry!”
“I have to state for the record that this is an ill advised-”
“Just shut up and help me get to the goddamn car!” Nina snapped, cutting Gretchen off before raising her gun to unleash hell upon the creatures that came for us.
​
I wasted no time running straight for the tent. Nina had opened a few of the lockers and had been going through the contents. She’d set aside the dragon's breath rounds, and I figured those were probably the ones she was looking to bring. She’d opened up a metal ammo box and had already been setting the shells inside. I didn’t really have the time to set them up in order the way she’d been doing, but I did have time to carelessly dump them in there like an idiot.
​
I could see the flashes from outside as Dom fired at some of the Rosen and judging by the sounds he made, I couldn’t tell if he was having fun, terrified for his life, or both.
​
I grabbed a second ammo box, hastily dumping the remaining shells in there. I didn’t count them and hoped to God that it would be enough, then I grabbed another box of the .22 ammo that my gun used, stuffed that in my pocket, and closed up the boxes. I figured it was as good enough.
“Let’s go!” I yelled to Dom, grabbing both boxes by the handles. They were heavier than they looked, but I did what I could to tough it out.
​
He fired a few more rounds at some of the passing Rosen, bathing them in sparks that caught their bodies alight and sent the ones near them scurrying away. From what I could see, no two were exactly the same. Some of the smaller ones, who looked as if they’d once been human either wore tattered FRB uniforms or the loose ensemble of the Sheriff’s Boys. Although most had discarded their clothes entirely, embracing the monster that now puppeteered them. Their heads opened like flowers, and some even had the same shimmering petals as the glowing flowers that dotted the ruins. Many had those same flowers blooming on their skin, only in their center were sickly yellow eyes. They loped about on all fours like wild dogs, howling and shrieking all the while, trying to escape the flames that bathed them but never quite giving up their single minded pursuit.
​
A few of them ran for me, although Dom dealt with those quickly, washing them in columns of fire with every pull of his trigger. Together we retreated back toward the car. In the chaos, it was hard to keep track of events. There were just so many… too many to count. I left the shooting to Dominic, my only focus was on staying out of his way and reaching the car.
​
I could see flames rising up into the sky a few feet away and knew that Gretchen and Nina were still fighting. We were getting closer to them. A fresh column of fire tore through one of the nearby tents, burning it away almost completely along with the Rosen who were unlucky enough to be caught in its path.
​
As we rounded that tent, I saw Nina hastily backing toward the SUV, unloading her last few rounds into the advancing crowd of Rosen and buying herself enough time to get inside.
​
Gretchen was doing the same, pulling the fire from the burning corpses and forming burning walls between her and the living. Behind the horde, I could see one twisted figure standing atop one of the tents, watching her with a single yellow eye.
​
“A RIPE NEW WORLD TO USHER IN TO SPRING EVERLASTING!” A voice howled through the chaos. I think it came from the thing that watched Gretchen. “How kind of you, Gretchen Di Cesare… an apology for your many insults? Or a failure. The newest of many?”
​
She didn’t humor the Rosen Prince with a response, or at least not a verbal one. A tendril of flames shot out of the wall she’d summoned, to engulf the thing that had spoken to her. Killing it, did nothing to stop the voice, which seemed to come from everywhere at once now.
​
“Shall you outrun me again, Child? Or do I at last claim you as my own?”
Gretchen just turned, and pulled open the car door, getting in as Nina keyed the engine. The wall of flames pivoted, cutting violently across the path before the car and burning anything there before quickly parting. Nina hit the gas and sped toward us, while Gretchen’s trail of fire followed.
​
I saw the Rosen shrink back as the car and the fire drew near. We took the opportunity while it was there. Dom pulled one of the doors open for me and I hefted the ammo boxes inside, looking back to watch him dive in behind me. We didn’t even get a chance to close the door before Nina was driving again. Gretchen rolled down the window and pulled the fires from behind us forward, launching them in front of the car to burn away the Rosen in our path. As she did, I could hear the demonic laughter of the Rosen Prince in the distance.
“RUN IF YOU MUST, DEAR CHILD! FOR I ALREADY AWAIT YOU!”
​
I looked out the back window to see that the Rosen had already given up chasing us. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. Judging by the look on Gretchen’s face, it wasn’t.
“We need to move, quickly,” She said. “Dominic, you can get us to Parsons, correct?”
“I think I should,” He said. “I’m sorry, did that thing just say it was already waiting for us, did it already get to Parsons?”
​
“I suppose we’ll find out shortly…” Gretchen admitted. “If so… we should still have time. The Rosen Prince shouldn’t have the biomass to launch a particularly large assault right now. He’ll need more bodies… but I still suggest we move, the clock is ticking.”
​
Nina pulled the car onto the road leading out of Puriysk, watching the rearview mirror anxiously as she did. The mists of the forest swallowed us up as we left Puriysk behind. All that remained now was ahead of us, at the end of the road.

First Entry
Second Entry
Third Entry
Fourth Entry ​
Fifth Entry
Sixth Entry
Seventh Entry
Eighth Entry
​
Journal of Camille Lambert - April 14th
​
When the fires finally died, there was almost nothing left of Puriysk. Just about every building was scorched and blackened. Most of the tents had been destroyed too, with only a tattered handful remaining on the far side of town.
​
Driving through the ruins felt almost like driving through a corpse. Everything was so dead… and yet despite the recent fire, I could already see new life growing on the ashes. Small flowers with petals that seemed to shimmer like distant stars. They were both beautiful and unsettling at the same time, although I noticed Dr. Di Cesare… or Gretchen, I suppose… looking down at them with quiet apprehension as we passed.
​
“We should visit what remains of my lab first,” She said. “I had some equipment that should offer suitable protection against any airborne toxins. Atmospheric saturation should currently be low, but best practices recommend not to take any unnecessary risks!”
“Sister, we’re way past best practices right now,” Nina replied sardonically. “Exactly how often were you dealing with this shit if you’ve got ‘suitable protection’ just on hand?”
“Often enough,” Gretchen replied. “Not in some years though… decades, really. I keep it now as a precaution. When studying pocket realities, one can never be too prepared. The Rosen Prince exists in far more than you could possibly imagine.”
​
“And now you’ve gone and brought it here,” Nina replied.
“While I understand you disapprove of my course of action, I stand by that the choice I made last night was the one with the highest probability of a favorable outcome.”
“‘Favorable outcome.’” Nina repeated, before giving a sigh of exasperation. “Whatever you say. I figure that one way or the other, this is gonna end with one of us saying ‘I Told You So’ and I hope to God it’s you.”
“As do I…” Gretchen admitted.
​
We pulled up on what was left of Gretchen’s RV. The roof had been completely peeled off and the entire front end was smashed, but it seemed like the lab portion was still somewhat intact… somewhat.
​
Gretchen got out of the car, pausing to survey the state of her lab. For a moment I thought that she almost looked upset, but if she felt anything at all she buried it quickly and pushed ahead.
“We’ll be out here,” Nina said. “Don’t take too long.”
“I’ll help you look,” I said, getting out of the car as well and following Gretchen into the ruined RV. She was already going through some of the drawers when I joined her inside.
​
Despite everything, the lab part of the RV was almost in good condition. Almost. Papers had been strewn all over the floor and scattered everywhere among shards of broken glass. I heard something crack under my shoe and looked down to see a framed photograph on the floor. I reached down to pick it up. The photograph depicted a group of women, around 14 of them, I think. I recognized one in the corner as Gretchen. I wondered if this was her family.
​
I looked up at her, to see her pausing at one particular drawer, before taking out a series of respirator masks.
“Elastomeric respirators. Good for keeping out paint, dust, and spores. Small particles that can harm the lungs. I’ve found they reduce spore exposure by over 90%. Not foolproof, but helpful.”
She counted four out of the selection she had, before putting one on and handing the rest off to me. I set the photo down to take them and put one of the masks on myself. As I did, Gretchen took a bone handled knife out of her coat.
​
“I do have one further precaution that I use… where would you like to be scarred?”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, taking a step back. Gretchen tilted her head to the side slightly, before realizing that I didn’t understand whatever the hell she was talking about.
​
“As a precaution, I think it would be wise to mark a rune into your flesh. It won’t necessarily protect you against the Rosen Prince, but it will guarantee you die before it takes control of you… here, let me show you…”
She slid off her coat and gingerly hung it over a chair. I could see the revolver resting in a shoulder holster she wore underneath. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. Above the Aquarius tattoo on her wrist, I could see several runes scarred into her arm.
​
“Scarification is a deep form of magic. Not for the faint of heart, but deeply effective. This one here…” She pointed at one about halfway up her forearm. “It’s a curse. Were I ever to be infected by the Rosen Prince, it would drain my life away, killing me before I could be fully claimed by it. Personally, I think it’s the merciful alternative. Assimilation into the hive mind technically does not kill you, but it is not a fate I would wish on most. Everything you were, everything you are lost within an ocean of voices so that you no longer remain because you and It are now one and the same.”
​
“Are you going to do that to Nina and Dom too?” I asked warily.
“I already did Nina this morning. And I’ll offer it to Dominic before we depart. I can not force you to accept this… the spell does not work unless you do it yourself. However I do recommend it.”
I stared at the knife for a moment, before grimacing and rolling up my sleeve.
“Just show me what to do…” I said.
​
Gretchen nodded and beckoned me over to the chair. She knelt by my side and helped me guide the knife.
“It only needs to be a shallow wound. Enough to draw blood and leave a lasting mark,” She said. As the knife pierced my arm, I winced in pain.
“Very good! Now, let me guide you…” She placed a hand over mine. “Look at my rune. We’ll copy it exactly.”
​
I nodded before trying to do just that, gritting my teeth in pain and trying not to scream. Gretchen guided my hand, but I held the knife and I was the one who pushed it into my skin… it wasn’t the worst pain I’d ever felt. But it came very close and I didn’t last long before I had to stop, sucking in air as if that might numb the pain as I felt tears filling my eyes.
“How the hell do you do this to yourself?” I gasped.
“The rewards are worth the pain,” Gretchen replied. “See this?” She pointed to another rune on her arm, “It’s an elemental brand. It’s how I was able to control the fire, last night. And this…” She pointed to another one, “This one allows for limited spatial manipulation. It took me three tries to get it right. Each time I had to carve away the old skin and heal it to begin anew.”
​
I flinched at the thought of it and she cracked a small smile that I think was meant to be reassuring.
“Oh, I assure you that’s nothing,” She said brushing past her long stringy hair and leaning forward so I could see the back of her neck, exposing a far more complicated rune.
​
“This here? That’s an attribution spell. It’s one of the hardest to get right, but once you’ve done it, it keeps you safe.”
“Yeah… howso?” I asked.
“If someone were to pull a gun and shoot me now, I would feel no pain. The wound would manifest on their body instead. Given the fact that he was able to obtain the heart of an Old Fae, it’s possible that Calhoun bears a similar mark. Most powerful witches do. My sisters, for example. Long ago, we each learned this rune and one by one, we carved it into the backs of our necks as a means to ensure our survival. It’s useful… although not foolproof. Stab me, and I feel no pain. Throw me on to a knife and… well… ” She shrugged. “Of course, my little spell would do nothing to protect me from this…”
​
She took the revolver out of her holster and showed it to me.
“There’s no magic in existence that would save you from Malvian Ice. I modified this gun to amplify it’s properties. To ensure every shot was lethal. But the bullets?” She opened the cylinder and took one out. It looked almost like a regular bullet, although the tip seemed crystalline and had a pinkish shine to it.
“They don’t need the gun to be effective. Put this in the heart of Calhoun… and there is no magic, no God, nothing in existence that could offer him salvation. This bullet… this is Death herself. Absolute, inescapable, and final.”
​
She reached over and gently pressed the bullet into my hand.
“You should carry it. The other three bullets may be needed elsewhere. It would be wise to save one.”
“You’re the one with the gun, why don’t you take it?” I asked.
“At heart, I am a scientist not a fighter.” Gretchen said. “I can use this weapon, but as of right now I only carry it for safekeeping. I suspect Valentine may get more use out of it than I will. She would certainly be the better shot… although given her demeanor and what lies ahead of us, I do not want to risk the possibility that she might use all four of our remaining bullets before we reached Calhoun. Therefore… I entrust you with this.”
​
I looked down at the bullet in my hand, before giving a half nod,
“I’ll keep it close,” I promised.
“Excellent! Now… you’re halfway done. Shall we finish the rest?”
I looked down at the bleeding rune on my arm and nodded slowly. Gretchen showed me her rune again, and I pressed the knife back into my skin.
​
The cut was already throbbing with pain… and maybe that was why finishing the rune was easier than starting it was.
“Excellent work,” Gretchen said. “You may have a future as a witch someday… perhaps.” She stared down at the blood on my arm thoughtfully, before tearing her attention away.
​
“You’re a vampire, right?” I asked. “When’s the last time you…”
“Three hours prior to yesterdays incident,” She replied, standing up again. “Strictly speaking I only need to feed once every few days, once per week at minimum. Biting you will not be necessary… although I will admit, your blood does smell…nice. I personally prefer an older male specimen, maintained in reasonable health however just because one likes merlot doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a good rosé. But I digress. You need your strength and I have other provisions to ensure I make do.”
​
She walked over to the far side of the lab and opened a cabinet, rifling around in it for a few minutes before taking out what looked like a wine bottle.
“A little side project some of my sisters entertain. Hardly a full meal… but the wine masks the taste of stale blood. I was saving it for a special occasion. But, it will suffice for now.” She pulled the cork and took a drink from the bottle, before going through the cabinet again and coming back with a white first aid kid.
“Let me wrap that wound for you, at least until the bleeding stops,” She said. I gingerly held out my arm and let her work. It didn’t take long.
​
Outside, I could hear the car horn honking impatiently. Gretchen ignored it, gently cleaning my wound.
“There we go…” She said gently, “All set. Bring the masks outside, I’ll join you momentarily.”
​
I nodded and got up to leave. Looking back, I noticed her standing over the photograph I’d picked up earlier. She stared down at it, before taking the picture out of the broken frame and slipping it into her pocket before finally taking her wine bottle and following me out.
​
***
​
The tents on the far side of town were still mostly intact, although seeing them abandoned still felt a little surreal. The shimmering flowers grew along the ground, and among them I could see creeping red weeds sprawling across the ground. Those weeds had even started to grow over some of the tents.
​
Nina regarded them with unease, before checking to ensure her mask was on right and going in to investigate. She held her rifle at the ready the whole while.
“Fuck… how the hell do you do this to yourself?” I heard Dom seethe from behind me and looked back to see Gretchen helping him scar himself.
“In time, you learn to accept the pain,” She said. “Now breathe. We’re nearly done.”
​
Dom looked up at me as Gretchen guided his hand. I went over to put a hand on his shoulder and stay with him through the pain.
“There… there… now we’re done,” Gretchen crooned. “Let me wrap that for you. You did well.”
“Christ…” Dom panted, “All this over some fucking flowers?”
“Those flowers have ended Universes and brought entire civilizations to their knees,” Gretchen warned. “There is no caution you cannot take with them.”
​
Dom looked over toward some of the glowing flowers. I noticed Nina was giving them a wide berth.
“If they’re that dangerous, why even summon them?” He asked.
“I had four bullets, and more than four approaching targets. Even the more offensive spells at my disposal would not have offered sufficient protection. We were in a dire situation. I needed something that would serve as both a formidable distraction and that could reverse our fortunes. I made a judgment call. The Pocket Reality I opened has been claimed by the Rosen Prince for some time. I’ve done some research there before and I imagine he’s been waiting for my return ever since. I suspected that the moment I gave him a door, he would come scampering… and he did not disappoint. His infection will spread rapidly, but so long as we use the correct precautions, we should be fine. I can not say the same for Calhoun’s local militia and his Nightwalkers, on the other hand. I doubt they are equipped to deal with him.”
​
“No shit, they aren’t…” Dom murmured, “I gotta ask, what exactly happens if this thing reaches Calhoun before we do?”
Gretchen frowned.
“Hard to say,” She admitted as she finished bandaging Dom’s scar. “I don’t have enough data to be certain. But…”
​
“But?” I asked.
“Last night, McClellan said something I found… interesting. He mentioned that there were other towns ‘ripe for the picking’ out there and then said something about Calhoun getting the rest of the 5000 souls he needed. I’ve been trying to figure out what he meant by that.”
“Did you come up with anything?” Dom asked.
“Unfortunately, I did,” She admitted. “I don’t suppose Nina has told you two where your Nightwalkers come from, did she?”
“Something about another pocket. She called it The Midnight Grove,” I said. Gretchen nodded.
​
“Correct. Now… the entity that controls the Midnight Grove, The Lugal. It is known for making deals. Offer it souls and it can be bargained with. And with 5000 souls… well, in theory, the rewards would be great.”
“In theory?” Dom asked.
“There’s a very good reason the wise don’t deal with the Lugal. Whatever he offers you shall inevitably corrupt you, until you are little more than just another of the shambling, mindless beasts who wander his domain. Personally, I’ve found that you can get a better deal elsewhere. But that’s neither here nor there. The future state of Calhoun’s soul is really not important to us. If he completes his deal, then killing him becomes significantly harder… and I have little doubt that he has the means to complete his deal.”
​
“How?” I asked.
“When Mr. Durand first reached out to me about joining this operation, there was some discussion on how Ben Calhoun was able to enter and leave this pocket reality. At the time, I’d theorized that he had established a permanent means of doing so. It would not be that difficult… the correct runes on certain doors would likely suffice and would permit him to come and go as he pleased. We theorized that he had set up such doors in other towns he may have been interested in. I had hoped we may be able to find one such door. I even went so far as to look for small towns in the United States that had similarities with the ones we already knew existed in this pocket, that just so happened to have a resident there by the name of Ben Calhoun.”
​
“And what did you find?” I asked.
“Hundreds in the United States alone,” She said. “Enough so that exploring my theory further was not an option… however considering what McClellan said about ‘other towns ripe for the picking’ however I can not help but wonder if my theory is correct. McClellan said that Calhoun needed 5000 souls. To that end, I’ve put together a rough estimate of how many more he might need based on the estimated body count from his… actions… in the other towns.”
​
I felt my stomach sink a little bit.
“Between Rankin Mills, Bakersfield, and Thompson Falls, I estimate casualties of 1500, 2000, and 500 respectively for a sum of 4000 give or take. Puriysk had approximately a thousand people living in it… had we not intervened, Calhoun would have had his 5000 souls. And if I’m right about him having doorways to other towns, then I think I know how he might try and make up the deficit.”
“So he’s going to try and bring another town into the pocket…” I said quietly, before the rest of the realization hit me. “And if the Rosen Prince takes Calhoun, it could use any of those doors to get out of here!”
​
Gretchen nodded.
“It may not even need to take Calhoun,” She said. “All it would need to do is make it to Parsons and fine a door. Those outside would have no means of identifying where it would show up, delaying their ability to form an effective response and at minimum, resulting in further loss of life.”
“Jesus Christ…” Dom said under his breath, “You knew this and you still let that thing out?”
​
“As I said, I made a judgment call,” Gretchen said. “If we get to Parsons first, we can eliminate Calhoun and render all of this null and void. Kill Calhoun, and there is no pocket reality. No pocket reality means no Rosen Prince and if I am correct about those doorways…”
“That’s how we get out,” I said. Again, she nodded.
​
“You can be upset with me for what I did last night… I agree, it was a reckless move and not one that I made lightly. But I traded certain death for a ticking clock and an effective distraction. I stand by that decision, whatever the consequences.”
Dom just sighed and shook his head.
“Well… like Nina said, I guess. This is gonna end with somebody saying ‘I told you so’ and we better fucking hope that it’s you.”
With that, he went off to follow Nina toward the tents.
​
We spent the better part of an hour going through what was left from the FRB’s supplies and even some of the things we did find weren’t exactly useable. One tent which had been used as something of a mess hall was completely overgrown with those glowing flowers, leaving any food in there practically inedible. Most of what we found that we could use was guns and ammo.
​
“Trust me, we’re gonna need this shit,” Nina said as she opened the combination padlocks to the gun lockers. She tossed them aside and pulled the locker open, sorting through the contents before finding something and handing it to me. It had the body of a pistol, but with a stock and a sight.
“Kel-Tec CP33. Should be good for you,” She said before reaching for something else. She admired it for a moment, before setting her current rifle aside.
“Holy shit… I knew they were bringing in some heavy shit, but God Damn!”
​
“What is it?” Dom asked, watching as she took out something that looked like a bigger, smoother version of the rifle she already had
“It’s an AA-12… I’ve never actually gotten to fire one of these before. Should be fun! Hey Dom, you want one too? They’ve got a few in here!”
“What’s it do?” He asked.
“It’s a full auto shotgun with 20 shell drum mag. Basically - it turns anyone you don’t like into ground beef. Should be useful against the Rosen Prince…” She got down, checking a lower shelf and taking out boxes of ammo.
​
“Let’s see… I heard Milo mention something about Dragons Breath rounds. He thought they’d be effective against the Nightwalkers. Lemme just… oh fuck yes!”
She held up a box of shotgun shells, grinning from ear to ear.
​
“Thank you, Milo! Gretchen, think you can help us curse these?”
“I should be able to,” She said, going over to take the box from Nina. She sorted through a few other boxes of bullets on the lower shelf, before sliding one over to me.
​
“Try these out,” She said. “Lemme know if you want something different. We’ve still got a lot out here.”
I nodded before picking up the box. I set it down on a table, took the magazine out of the gun Nina had given me, and loaded it up just the way she’d shown me before. Then I went outside to give it a test run.
​
As I stepped out, I looked over toward the ruins of Puriysk. I could see one charred building that had once been an apartment, now overgrown with red vines and glowing flowers that made the ruins twinkle in the most surreal way. In a sense, the building almost looked infected. The vines seemed more like cancerous growths than real plant life. Looking at it, I was reminded of the state that Bakersfield had been in… and I was reminded of the corpse of my mother, her eyes half open in death. The memory made my stomach turn.
​
I raised the gun up toward the distant building, knowing that if I shot at it I couldn’t kill what was ahead of me, but hoping it might make me feel better. I pulled the trigger, firing into the void.
​
“Hello?” A distant voice called, making me pause. “Hello, is someone there?”
“Hello?” I called back, lowering the gun and trying to follow the voice.
“Hello?!”
Up ahead, I could see a man stumbling past a few of the tents. Judging by his uniform, he’d been part of the FRB.
​
“Oh thank God…” He said, “Thank God I thought I was the only one left!”
“So did we!” I said. I noticed that the name on his uniform read - ‘Gideon’. I looked back toward the tent that Nina and the others were in.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, “We’ve got Dr. Di Cesare with us, I think I saw some spare masks in her lab too. We can get you one!”
“Masks?” Gideon asked, “Why? What’s going on here?”
“I’ll let Dr. Di Cesare explain, come on.”
​
I gestured for him to follow me into the tent. As I turned to go in, I saw Nina coming out.
“I’m hearing voices out here…” She said, before noticing Gideon. Gretchen came out behind her, eyes narrowing slightly.
“We’ve got another survivor,” I said and Nina looked over at Gideon with a raised eyebrow.
“Shit, really?” She asked, although didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about it. She glanced over at Gretchen who was on top of Gideon almost immediately.
​
“Fascinating, how did you survive the night?” She asked, already poking and prodding at him. From the corner of my eye, I could see Dom coming out of the tent, holding the shotgun Nina had given him.
“I… I just stayed out of the fire!” Gideon said, “I let the monsters fight each other! I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t get to the trucks before they left and then the radio went silent… what are you doing?”
​
Gretchen held him by the chin and leaned in to sniff at his neck.
“Did you know a vampire's sense of smell is over ten thousand times more accurate than a regular human's?” She asked, her voice as calm as ever. “It enables us to detect imperfections in the blood and avoid drinking anything that might be adverse to our health… and right now, I can smell the spores in yours.”
​
Gideon locked eyes with her, looking panicked for a moment before his lips slowly began to curl into a knowing rictus grin.
“You were always so astute, Gretchen…”
​
I saw his skull split apart suddenly, revealing rows upon rows of teeth inside. He tried to bite down on her head, but Gretchen seemed to be expecting that. I saw the ground beneath her shift, pulling her back a few feet.
​
Nina raised her shotgun and fired at Gideon before he could make another move. A column of sparks flashed out of her gun, setting Gideon’s body alight. He howled in pain and as he did I saw his body changing. The skin and flesh on his hands peeled back turning his fingers into claws. An inhuman screech escaped him as he lunged for Nina, only to be blown back by another flaming blast from her shotgun and sent crashing to the ground in a twitching, screaming pile of burning flesh.
Nina let out a shuddering, almost orgasmic sigh.
“I love you,” She said to the gun.
​
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a chorus of inhuman screams echoed through the air around us, seeming to come from everywhere at once.
“That doesn't sound good…” Dom said.
“Oh, it’s not. He makes that sound when he’s hungry,” Gretchen ‘assured’ us. “We should leave.”
​
She motioned with her hand, beckoning some of the fire off the burning remains of ‘Gideon’ and allowing them to form into a ball in her hand.
“But we’ve got supplies here!” Nina said, “We’re not getting through Parsons without them!”
“And he’s got the bodies from last night.”
​
Almost on cue, several shapes rounded one of the tents a few feet away. Gretchen casually let loose the ball of fire she’d taken, sending it flying toward one of the creatures racing toward us.
“Then we’ll just bring the car here, load up and leave!” Nina said. “Dom, keep them out of the tent, Cam, grab everything you can carry!”
“I have to state for the record that this is an ill advised-”
“Just shut up and help me get to the goddamn car!” Nina snapped, cutting Gretchen off before raising her gun to unleash hell upon the creatures that came for us.
​
I wasted no time running straight for the tent. Nina had opened a few of the lockers and had been going through the contents. She’d set aside the dragon's breath rounds, and I figured those were probably the ones she was looking to bring. She’d opened up a metal ammo box and had already been setting the shells inside. I didn’t really have the time to set them up in order the way she’d been doing, but I did have time to carelessly dump them in there like an idiot.
​
I could see the flashes from outside as Dom fired at some of the Rosen and judging by the sounds he made, I couldn’t tell if he was having fun, terrified for his life, or both.
​
I grabbed a second ammo box, hastily dumping the remaining shells in there. I didn’t count them and hoped to God that it would be enough, then I grabbed another box of the .22 ammo that my gun used, stuffed that in my pocket, and closed up the boxes. I figured it was as good enough.
“Let’s go!” I yelled to Dom, grabbing both boxes by the handles. They were heavier than they looked, but I did what I could to tough it out.
​
He fired a few more rounds at some of the passing Rosen, bathing them in sparks that caught their bodies alight and sent the ones near them scurrying away. From what I could see, no two were exactly the same. Some of the smaller ones, who looked as if they’d once been human either wore tattered FRB uniforms or the loose ensemble of the Sheriff’s Boys. Although most had discarded their clothes entirely, embracing the monster that now puppeteered them. Their heads opened like flowers, and some even had the same shimmering petals as the glowing flowers that dotted the ruins. Many had those same flowers blooming on their skin, only in their center were sickly yellow eyes. They loped about on all fours like wild dogs, howling and shrieking all the while, trying to escape the flames that bathed them but never quite giving up their single minded pursuit.
​
A few of them ran for me, although Dom dealt with those quickly, washing them in columns of fire with every pull of his trigger. Together we retreated back toward the car. In the chaos, it was hard to keep track of events. There were just so many… too many to count. I left the shooting to Dominic, my only focus was on staying out of his way and reaching the car.
​
I could see flames rising up into the sky a few feet away and knew that Gretchen and Nina were still fighting. We were getting closer to them. A fresh column of fire tore through one of the nearby tents, burning it away almost completely along with the Rosen who were unlucky enough to be caught in its path.
​
As we rounded that tent, I saw Nina hastily backing toward the SUV, unloading her last few rounds into the advancing crowd of Rosen and buying herself enough time to get inside.
​
Gretchen was doing the same, pulling the fire from the burning corpses and forming burning walls between her and the living. Behind the horde, I could see one twisted figure standing atop one of the tents, watching her with a single yellow eye.
​
“A RIPE NEW WORLD TO USHER IN TO SPRING EVERLASTING!” A voice howled through the chaos. I think it came from the thing that watched Gretchen. “How kind of you, Gretchen Di Cesare… an apology for your many insults? Or a failure. The newest of many?”
​
She didn’t humor the Rosen Prince with a response, or at least not a verbal one. A tendril of flames shot out of the wall she’d summoned, to engulf the thing that had spoken to her. Killing it, did nothing to stop the voice, which seemed to come from everywhere at once now.
​
“Shall you outrun me again, Child? Or do I at last claim you as my own?”
Gretchen just turned, and pulled open the car door, getting in as Nina keyed the engine. The wall of flames pivoted, cutting violently across the path before the car and burning anything there before quickly parting. Nina hit the gas and sped toward us, while Gretchen’s trail of fire followed.
​
I saw the Rosen shrink back as the car and the fire drew near. We took the opportunity while it was there. Dom pulled one of the doors open for me and I hefted the ammo boxes inside, looking back to watch him dive in behind me. We didn’t even get a chance to close the door before Nina was driving again. Gretchen rolled down the window and pulled the fires from behind us forward, launching them in front of the car to burn away the Rosen in our path. As she did, I could hear the demonic laughter of the Rosen Prince in the distance.
“RUN IF YOU MUST, DEAR CHILD! FOR I ALREADY AWAIT YOU!”
​
I looked out the back window to see that the Rosen had already given up chasing us. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. Judging by the look on Gretchen’s face, it wasn’t.
“We need to move, quickly,” She said. “Dominic, you can get us to Parsons, correct?”
“I think I should,” He said. “I’m sorry, did that thing just say it was already waiting for us, did it already get to Parsons?”
​
“I suppose we’ll find out shortly…” Gretchen admitted. “If so… we should still have time. The Rosen Prince shouldn’t have the biomass to launch a particularly large assault right now. He’ll need more bodies… but I still suggest we move, the clock is ticking.”
​
Nina pulled the car onto the road leading out of Puriysk, watching the rearview mirror anxiously as she did. The mists of the forest swallowed us up as we left Puriysk behind. All that remained now was ahead of us, at the end of the road.

Hello all,
So my Q and I have been together for a long time. Eight years. I love him. I truly do. I want to be with him. I want my future to with him.
My Q wasn't always an alcoholic. It started during COVID and just got worse and worse, until he began passing out in his car, blacking out, throwing up, etc. At first, I didn't realize drinking was the cause. I did wonder why he was so quick to rage, why we fought so much, why he was sick so much but eventually I found the bottles hidden, him passed out, I noticed the slur to his words.
He didn't have a great job then, and spent almost the majority of his money on alcohol, so much so he got into financial trouble which I had to bail him out. Like bad trouble. Basically, it was a really, really terrible time. There were threats of break ups.
Eventually, it did get better. I started breathalyzing him, which I didn't love because it felt incredibly unhealthy but it helped. He didn't stop drinking, but he didn't drink as often, or as much. Things improved, got manageable. I felt comfortable with it. We bought a house, he got a great job that(one of reasons he drank was because of his bad, low paying job).
Lately, he's been drinking a lot again...Like every day. Tonight he had most of a bottle of wine and two beers. Every nigh, he's drinking, Iit's been this way since we moved in. And honestly, probably a couple months before that. The week before we closed on our house was a really bad, so much so I was ready to stop the closing. I didn't. We're now committed to a house together.
The thing is, he isn't blacking out, he isn't getting sick, he is still "better" and he's 'happy' with his improvement. Which I get. So am I. But I still feel all these thoughts hurt, mad, nervous, sad, lost. Every day I come home from work(I'm usually home a couple hours after he's done with work), he's had something to drink.
When I bring up being upset with his drinking, he gets mad at me, especially if he's drunk. From what I'm reading, it seems he uses a lot of words other Qs use. He calls me 'manipulative' 'controlling', makes me out to be a villain who looks down on him. He brings up my stubbornness, my indecisiveness, equating it to his drinking. He mockingly calls me 'flawless' or more, that I don't have flaws he can 'catch', like I can his drinking problem. He says I dismiss him, and belittle him, says I don't ever appreciate him or say he does anything good. He says I never apologize, and its always him. He basically just makes me feel super small, super wrong, like I'm the bad guy.
I mean, I am stubborn and indecisive. I hope I don't dismiss and belittle him, but I do think, when he drinks, I put my guard up and I'm colder, and yes, probably more dismissive, especially when he's talking and is drunk and not making sense. I try to be mindful of appreciating him, and voicing that more. I try apologizing and admitting my flaws.
He mentions how he doesn't like himself sometimes too, he's had issues with his family, insecurity, and a couple of other things that I think therapy would help with. But he doesn't want to go to therapy. I don't want to breathalyze him, I don't want to say 'the alcohol or me' because I just don't think he can stop drinking completely(friends, family, I just don't think it's in his personality to stop 100%)
I'm not sure how to handle the drinking anymore. He says I can "give him an ultimatum" of alcohol or me, but he admits he'd be incredibly mad and resentful about it. So I don't know what to do. Today, randomly, while driving, I just got so into my head and depressed about my situation. I want to have a family, I want to marry him, but I'm just nervous about it...He says "I wouldn't drink when we have a kid" and I'm like "are you sure?"
The thing is, these past few weeks, I just have my guard up around him and its affecting our relationship. He says he notices, I told him why and he just got mad at me. I told him I felt sad today, and he paid attention to me for like thirty seconds, then talked to his friends on text, drank and got mad at me when I brought up feeling a bit hurt that I brought up my feelings, only to be ignored. But because he was drunk(after I told him I was in my head about his drinking, he finished the bottle and had two beers), he wasn't really listening and just accused me of being mad at him for talking to his friends, which wasn't the case.
I know this post is all over the place. I have no one to talk to about this because he doesn't want anyone else to know about his drinking problem. So this is my first time getting all this out..I'm just been really sad lately, and kind of lonely., and I'm not sure how to navigate my own thoughts and all the things I'm feeling. I want to be better at it. Better at not having my guard up around him or being in my head. I'm just not sure what to do, and what's the best, healthiest thing for our relationship.
I love him so much. I really do. He's a great person. He's sweet and kind, and funny. He's my person. But it's just so hard.

First time in ERP consulting (small and medium enterprises for D365 BC), but my clients are really toxic to the extent I am quitting. We charged by an hour, and I am perpetually onsite.

1. Accountants and Finance Managers do NOT know double entries, refused to give any listing required for migration for the past year (yea 12 months), gaslighting consultants, and ignored any email communications. Blamed it on me.
   
2. Basically, training was performed more than 10 times, and she still didn't get it! I have provided every single step and provided very detailed screenshots as if they are 3 years old kid (actually 3 years old kids are smarter than them). Every single invoice, she could not even perform the data entry, and I have to step in to advise (I am an ERP consultant, now I am an accountant, finance manager and ERP Consultant, altogether). Eventually, even with extremely good screenshots, they blamed it on me and said I should be doing the entries (WTF I have been doing doing data entries for past one year). I think they just refused to do anything and just want to get paid.
   
3. I don't even get bonuses for years, and there are no increments.
   
4. Complained to management to pull me out, never got pulled out. I am so tired.
   
5. Senior is really incompetent as well and never defended me. Just varnished into air after promising stupid deadlines. Basically just dump me alone there.
   
6. Clients are mean, demanding, and unreasonable. Can you believe spoonfeeding them with golden spoon every single minute with good screenshots and documentation, pretty doing reconciliation and posting together, yet they complained about you? All these things require so much effort.
   

Entitled clients, very entitled persons.
When I was a user doing migration, my consultants were only doing 1% of the work I am doing. And now I am doing so much, yet I am not being rewarded, I only get blames and monsense!
I have a wealth of knowledge from being a financial auditor and senior accountant, I think I shouldn't be here. Seriously, this is too much. With the news about Accenture and Salesforce retrenchment, I really don't know where my future lies.

It was Friday night, and I had the whole weekend to myself. My parents had left for their anniversary trip and my little sister was at a sleepover, leaving me, a 16-year-old, alone in our big house. The weather forecast predicted a blizzard, but I wasn't too worried about it; I had stocked up on snacks and had a whole list of movies to watch.
As the snow began to fall, I settled in on the couch, wrapping myself in a cozy blanket, and pressed play on the first movie. The wind howled outside, whipping the snow against the windows, making the house creak and groan. It was the perfect atmosphere for a scary movie marathon.
A couple of hours into my movie marathon, I paused to make some popcorn. As I waited for the kernels to pop, I glanced outside and saw the blizzard had picked up. The snow had piled up high, and visibility was almost zero. Even though I knew we lived far away from our neighbors, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at the thought of being so isolated.
Shaking off the feeling, I took my popcorn back to the couch and resumed my movie. My phone buzzed with a text message. It was my best friend, Sam, checking in on me.
"Hey, you surviving the blizzard?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, just watching scary movies and eating popcorn," I replied.
"Be safe! Don't let any creepy strangers in," Sam teased.
"Thanks, Sam, now I'm going to be paranoid all night!" I responded with a laugh.
We said our goodbyes and I returned to my movie. Just as I was getting engrossed, I heard a loud thud from upstairs. My heart raced, but I tried to rationalize it as the wind or maybe some snow falling off the roof.
I turned the volume up on the TV to drown out the noises from outside, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. As I watched the movie, I felt like I was being watched. Every so often, I would glance out the window, but I couldn't see anything through the swirling snow.
The next thud came from the front door. This time, I couldn't ignore it. I muted the TV and listened, straining to hear any other noises. The wind whistled, and I heard the faint sound of footsteps crunching in the snow outside.
My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to rationalize the situation. Maybe someone was lost in the blizzard and needed help. Or maybe it was just my imagination running wild. I decided to investigate, grabbing my dad's flashlight from the kitchen drawer.
The cold air hit me as I opened the front door, and I was instantly blinded by the snowstorm. I stepped out, shining the flashlight in the direction of the footsteps. As I followed them, I noticed they led to the side of the house, near the garage. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, and I realized they led to a set of ladder rungs that led up to the roof.
My pulse quickened as I thought about the earlier thuds and the implications of someone climbing onto our roof. I rushed back inside, locking the door behind me. My mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. I remembered my dad had installed security cameras around the house, and I could check the footage from my phone.
As I pulled up the app and began scanning the footage, I noticed something strange. There was a figure dressed in dark clothing, seemingly trying to hide behind a snowbank. I couldn't make out any details, but the person was definitely watching the house.
I called Sam, my hands shaking. "Sam, there's someone outside my house, and they were on my roof. I don't know what to do!"
Sam's voice wavered, "Call the police, right now. I'm coming over, too. Just stay on the line with me until I get there."
I dialed 911 and explained the situation to the operator. They assured me that they would send a patrol car, but with the blizzard, it could take a while for them to arrive. I felt a pit in my stomach, realizing I was on my own until help arrived.
I locked all the doors and windows, double-checking each one. As I did, I couldn't help but feel like the figure was watching my every move. I glanced out the window, and for a brief moment, I saw the dark figure standing near the edge of our property, still watching the house.
I retreated to the living room, turning off the TV, and sat in the darkness, waiting for either the police or Sam to arrive. The only sound was the howling wind, punctuated by the occasional thud from the roof or the walls.
Time felt like it was dragging on, and I couldn't help but feel increasingly paranoid. Every small noise made my heart skip a beat, and my mind raced with possibilities of what the intruder might do. I clutched the flashlight tightly, as if it were a lifeline, and I kept my phone close, waiting for a call or message.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I heard a car engine approaching. Relief washed over me, thinking it was either Sam or the police. Peeking through the window, I saw Sam's car pull up, the headlights cutting through the darkness and snow.
I quickly unlocked the door, letting Sam in. Their face was a mix of worry and determination. "Are you okay? Have you seen the person since you called?"
"No, I haven't seen them, but I keep hearing noises," I replied, my voice shaking.
Sam suggested we wait together in the kitchen, where we'd have a clear view of the front and back doors. We sat in silence, the tension in the room thick as the snow outside.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the house, followed by the sound of shattering glass. We both jumped to our feet, my heart pounding like a drum. The noise had come from the back of the house.
We cautiously moved towards the sound, flashlights in hand. As we turned the corner, we saw the back door wide open, shards of broken glass scattered across the floor. The intruder had made their way inside.
Sam and I exchanged terrified glances, knowing we had no choice but to confront whoever had invaded my home. We moved through the house together, checking each room, but found nothing. The intruder seemed to have vanished as suddenly as they appeared.
As we neared the staircase leading to the second floor, we heard a door creak open above us. We looked at each other, fear in our eyes, and began to ascend the stairs. Our flashlights revealed a trail of wet, muddy footprints leading down the hallway. We followed them, our hearts pounding in our ears.
The trail led us to my parents' bedroom. We hesitated, unsure of what we might find behind the door. Taking a deep breath, we pushed the door open, revealing the intruder standing by the window, their face hidden behind a dark mask.
We froze in terror, our flashlights illuminating the stranger. And that's when we heard the sirens, growing louder as the police approached. The intruder looked at us, then back to the window, before disappearing into the blizzard.
The police arrived moments later, searching the house and the surrounding property. They found no trace of the intruder, who had seemingly vanished into the storm. The officers took our statements, assuring us that they would do everything they could to find the person responsible.
Sam stayed with me that night, both of us too shaken to be alone. We huddled together in the living room, watching comedies to try and take our minds off the frightening ordeal.
The next morning, the storm had subsided, leaving a thick blanket of snow covering everything. As we stepped outside to assess the damage, we noticed something unusual. Near the broken back door, there was a small, snow-covered object. Curiosity piqued, we brushed off the snow to reveal a strange, intricately carved wooden box.
The box seemed to have no visible lock or latch, but it was clearly sealed shut. We exchanged puzzled glances, wondering if the intruder had left it behind. It was then that we decided to call the police and inform them about the mysterious box.
The officers arrived shortly after, taking the box with them as potential evidence. They promised to keep us updated on any new developments. Days turned into weeks, and the memory of that terrifying night began to fade. The police never found the intruder, and we never heard anything about the strange wooden box.
Life eventually returned to normal, but the feeling of being watched never completely went away. Every creak, every howl of the wind, would bring back memories of that harrowing night. The intruder had disappeared into the storm, leaving behind a lingering sense of unease and the haunting mystery of the wooden box. And in the back of our minds, we couldn't help but wonder if one day, the stranger would return to finish whatever they had started.