Dogman Armchair Theories Topic 1: What is Dogman?

Introduction
Dogman Armchair Theories are this hobbyist's approach to a complex and misunderstood topic about the cryptid animal, Dogman. Discussion topics will include brief articles about behavior, habitat, thoughts about what dogman actually is, and other topics of interest. Suggestions from the community are welcome. Expect this topic to develop further with additional input from the community, and from additional research as it comes to light.
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Topic 1: A Brief Introduction to Dogman

Greetings! This first topic of Dogman Armchair Theories will discuss some basic questions related to the topic of Dogman. As stated in the Topic Index, the goal is to eventually create a series of articles that visitors may use to learn more about our favorite cryptid. Without further ado, let’s get’s started.
What is Dogman?
To lurkers of this subreddit, it may seem obvious what a dogman is. However, to a person not familiar with dogman, the term may call to mind a children’s comic by the same name, or perhaps a silly Halloween costume idea.
The reality is far more unexplainable, if not sinister. A dogman is a cryptid creature that appears as a bipedal canine.
Those unfortunate to encounter it describe feelings of fear, dread and that they are seeing something they should not. Aggressive encounters have been reported, with some alleged killings attributed to this creature.
Witnesses may describe dogman with other names of similar-appearing creatures. Examples include: “werewolf”, “dog/human hybrid”, or “wolfman”.
Given the many advances in technology, one may experience disbelief at the idea that a bipedal wolf-like monster is roaming woods around the world. While all opinions are worth exploring, the fact remains that people from all walks of life continue to report seeing something unexplainable in the woods (and occasionally in urban environments, too).
What does a dogman look like?
Typical encounters describe a monster that stands approximately 6-9ft in height, weighs up to half a ton, and has a distinct head with pointed ears, a long canine muzzle, amber or red-colored eyes, and black or brown fur.
Some witnesses describe seeing a tail, while others do not. Others describe hands similar to human hands, but with long nails that appear to be claws.
Typically Dogman is also described as being very muscular and lean.
Dogman is known to both run and walk on two legs, but can also maneuver on four legs. Some sightings describe loud ‘popping’ noises when a dogman goes from walking on all fours to walking on two legs.
The leg descriptions vary, with some saying the creature had human-style legs, or plantigrade, while other encounters described a creature with dog legs, “bent backwards”, possibly suggesting a digitigrade gait.
There is some debate about types and variations of dogman. Some witnesses describe creatures that are more hyena-like in appearance, others with “Anubis”-style heads, baboon faces, and so on. These variations will be discussed in later topic entries.
Where is Dogman found?
A vast majority of sightings of this cryptid occur across North and South America. More work is needed to quantify if certain areas have larger concentrations of sightings compared to others. But from Canada to Brazil, and possibly further, wherever there are ample food and water sources, or burial grounds, Dogman survives and thrives.
Witnesses have spotted Dogman in other places besides national parks or the general woods. Sightings exist on the outskirts of major cities, farms, ranches, and occasionally in urban areas during the late evening hours.
Is Dogman a Physical Animal?
At the present, there is no concrete evidence, such as DNA or a body released to public opinion, to suggest that dogman is a physical animal. This does not, however, cheapen the encounters of those who have been struck by the beast's claws or loved ones who have met grisly ends.
Simply put: there is not enough evidence for the scientific community as a whole to put funding towards research to explore this hypothesis. Until science catches up to the beast, we may never know for certain.
There is some debate about physical types and variations of dogman. Some witnesses describe creatures that are more hyena-like in appearance, others with “Anubis”-style heads, baboon faces, and so on. These will be discussed in a separate topic at a later date.
Several theories postulate that Dogman is both a physical and spiritual creature, walking between our physical realm and the 'other' realm we cannot see with our own eyes. Others claim it is a spiritual entity, hellbent on avenging the dead and chasing away those who disturb burial grounds.
What is the difference between Dogman and Werewolves?
Werewolves described in popular fiction, and also in historic folklore records, are people, humans, who have shapeshifted into a bipedal wolf creature via magic, genetics, or through spellwork with magical items (such as wolf belts). Some folklore stories describe wolf-headed people who can talk and communicate with others.
Dogman, or Dogmen, do not possess any transformation abilities. They simply exist in their oft-described form: a bipedal wolf-appearing creature that cannot communicate with verbal or written words. Some witnesses claim that Dogman speaks telepathically to them, but additional study will be needed to establish a pattern to these claims.
Topic 1 to be continued with feedback from the community. Thank you for your support!

Chapter 1 The Villager’s Warning
In the North near the tempestuous mountains and the groves of the Relum trees, which grow relum, which are like sweet pears, was a prosperous village called “ Alestra”. Alestra is a medium-sized village known for its cloying relums and its soft and crumbly soil perfect for the trees and gardens. They lived a humble and healthy life supplying themselves with veggies and meat from the boars they hunted. The water from Rivenile was the source of their agricultural success and survival. The sound of little children having fun exploring the fields of grain while their family works diligently on the farms. Most of the children spend their time outside either helping with their family's farm or playing near the grains and on the trees playing fun games. All except one particular boy who will spend his days indoors writing stories and reading about the fascinating creatures he wishes to discover. His name was Aran, a 12-year-old with red hair living with his parents who helped the village by transporting their food and veggies to nearby villages. Aran eagerly followed his father, perpetually saying “Father, can I hear the story about the Rift Creators of the Coliseum again please?”. The father replied, “ How about tonight when your mother is back for dinner, is that alright?”. “ Yes Father,” said Aran. Aran rushed to his room whose walls were covered with sheets of drawings and a portrait of his family right in the center of his room. His desk was piled with books and maps slightly torn and dirty. His bed was big enough for him, and a little chest lay at the end of the bed to store the items he cherished. Aran sat on his chair and picked up a book labeled “ Creatures of the Night” and he sat on his bed and read from where he began. Meanwhile, the Father went near his stable and put the ponderous goods on the wagon when he smelled a putrid stench of a rotting corpse. The father looked around to find the smell and discovered a Villager riding a horse carrying a wagon with numerous dead bodies disfigured and all missing body parts. “ What happened to them!?” stuttered the father in shock. “ To be honest I don’t know?” said the villager. “It might be a wolf or a bear,” said the villager. “That can’t be bears since it's winter,” said the father. “We might have to stop shipment to other villages,” said the villager. “Why, though, it's only a few animals we can take care of,” said the father. “Well, that depends if the mayor agrees,” the villager says. “Shouldn’t we mail this to animal control, maybe they can control these beasts,” the father said. “Already mailed it to them, should be arriving in a few weeks or so”. The villager rode his horse to the village square leaving the father worried. When it was nightfall the family was at the dinner table eating their food. They had a hot and warm meat pie filled with lamb and pork all mixed with gravy with a side of pan-fried spinach. After their dinner, Aran rushed towards his room with his father following him. “ Are you gonna tell me the story Father?” asked Aran. “ Alright, hold your patience,” said the father as he sat down on the bed. “ The story of the ..colosseum begins with the Greater wills, gods who judge the realms and serve as the way of evolution”. “When these gods see someone they love they give birth to the demigods. “ Each demigod ruled the realms and served as a ruler for their realms,” asked the Father. “ They had abilities like gravity, time, War, pestilence, and even death, while others had less powerful abilities like sand,” said the father. “ Each of the demigods is known to be the best and the most revered in their worlds.,” said the father in a Joyous mood. '' “All had everything they could need in their lives, but some wanted more”. The father looked outside the dark knight. “ Well it's getting late. The father replied with a tired tone “ Sleep well Aran”. “Can you finish the story tomorrow? " asked Aran, resting his head on the pillow. “Of course,” said the father. Aran closed his eyes and dreamed of himself in the stars, seeing the planets go by as he feels the 5 years later Aran who was now 17 got off his bed with his room no longer having the drawings he used to have and the desk he still had an accumulation of books. He passed his parent's room and went into the kitchen to make his parents some breakfast. Aran's parents were always tired of the number of resources needed for other villages and Aran’s mother sprained her knee when running back to the village. Aran grabbed a few thick pork slices and chopped them to put on the ardent sizzling pan. Aran proceeded to crack a few eggs, mix them with scallions, and place them on the pan with the pork bits until they were cooked well. The sound of the sizzling food awoke the father as he peeked through the kitchen to see his son cook. The father asks” Son it's still dark outside why are you up this early”. “I wanted to give you something to eat while I’m gone with the delivery for the next town,” said Aran. “ Alone, you can’t be alone when Wendigos are out on the road”. “ Let me come and help you deliver the food..” but as the father said that he was cut off and the Aron said, “ It's alright I brought a knife with me and I’ll be cautious”. Aran exited the house and went near the stable to ride his horse carrying the fruits and vegetables on his side. Aran rode his horse down the road to the village square. The village square had big houses with markets surrounding the houses and farms surrounding the Relum trees growing ever so long behind the village. The villagers look depleted and worn out. Aran rode his horse to the other houses to ask for resources and food they offered them all saying “ Tell Newberry to stay strong”. After Aran was finished taking the villager's supplies for Newberry he went to the village chief to gather his resources. He knocked on the door of the Mayor's house and saw him with a pile of water buckets, a few bags of gold, and Packs of wood. “ Ah Aran, please put this on your cart and tell Newberry to stay safe and have hope”. “Of course chief,” said Aran. Aran rode his horse to the village gate next to the tower post. When Aran was next to the post a Knight went outside of the tower replying “ What is your business of leaving Alestra '' . “ I’m transporting my family’s food to the village of Newberry, “ said Aran. “ The village of Newberry isn't doing well since the Wendigos raided them, they're going to need those supplies” said the knight. Aran was permitted to leave Alestera and Aran continued his journey on the path. Aran passed through from a few corpses to an abundance of them until Aran saw the village. The village was burned and ravaged with dark smoke covering the sky and the stench of burning flesh still in the air. Aran rushed to the village to see if anybody survived but found none survived. When Aran was about to leave he saw smoke coming out of the forest, Aran rode his horse swiftly and came to the source of the fire. He saw a few villagers and a small number of children near the fire scared and tired from the raid. “ Are you the villagers of Newberry?” asked Aran. “ We used to be until the Wendigos attacked,” said an elderly lady. Aran with a shocked look on his face asked: “ What about the knights”. “ Most of them died fighting while some died running,” said the old man next to the lady. “ Some more knights tried to help but those insidious beasts forestalled ”. Aran was worried for the villagers of Newberry and shouted“ I have resources from the town of Alestra and we have come for your help!!!”. All the villagers looked at Aran as he continued to shout “ Please gather any resources you need and help yourself to the food you need to survive with!!!”. The Villagers filled with hope and joy rushed to the cart and gathered all the supplies. They were all eating and drinking and covering themselves with blankets making them feel just a little bit safer. “ We don’t know how to thank you, young sir,” said a man with his children next to him. “ Please sir you don’t have to do anything, but if you and the others need help we're just a few miles away south,” said Aran. Aran left with an empty cart and a feeling of beatitude when he saw the villagers of Newberry full of bliss and hope. Halfway through his trip back to his village the horse instantaneously stopped and nearly threw Aran off the horse. “ Stay here Becky,” said Aran smoothly. He jumped off the horse and looked all around to see if anything would jump out and attack him. Suddenly he heard a large screeching sound mixed with screeching. He heard rustling and sticks being broken. He heard the noise again except it was teeth chattering and the sound of a loud sharp horn was closer. “ We have to go, Becky,” said Aran urgently as he jumped on his horse and rode as fast as he could. Aran heard the sound come closer and faster towards him. Aran had the sudden urge to stop the horse midway. Aran stopped his horse and soon after a dark wendigo jumped out in front of him and crashed near some trees and was unconscious for a few seconds. Aran used that time to ride away while horrified by that chase. The wendigo screeched in anger as Aran was out of its sight. Aran returned to the village sweaty and scared and opened the doors only to be on his knees. The father rushed up to him with the mother following him slowly. “ Aran what happened to you?!” asked the father in a frightened manner. “I escaped from a wendigo,” said Aran panting. “ How in this world did you survive?!” asked the father. “ Raranold, let the Aran rest now,” said the mother. “ Aran is traumatized enough for today, we can ask when he is ready but for now let him sleep and rest”. The father took a deep breath and said to Aran “ You can go upstairs and we’ll cook something for you, is that okay ''. “That's okay,” Aran replied. Aran went upstairs to his room and went to his bed to sit. Aran heard voices from downstairs wanting to hear what his parents were talking about. Aran opened the door quietly, walked on the stairs sneakily, and peered through the kitchen to hear what they were saying. “ 7 people died on that road and were eaten, there is no way our son could survive one of their attacks,” said Raranold. “ I think it's time for us to leave the village”. “But where will we go, Raranold,” asked the mother. “ We could go to the city of Elistar and maybe there we can be safe,” said the father. “I don’t know what to do now Elizabeth”. “ We can leave tomorrow when we pack all our stuff and leave while we still have light, and maybe we can reach an inn,” said Elizabeth. “ But what about Aran, how will he handle this?” asked Raranold. “He might be upset about it but I’m sure he’ll love the big city and all its fancy buildings and all the new stuff he’ll like”. “ Plus we have a good amount of money to survive in the city”. “ Now then, we should be cooking dinner at Raranold”. “ Please pass me the mushrooms on your right, we're going to be making some skewers” Aran walked to his room quietly shocked by the fact that he will move from the village he grew up in. Aran looked out the window gazing at the village thinking about how he will never get used to the city. Aran suddenly saw something big and tall in the bushes. It was the same wendigo that was chasing him through the path. Aran quickly fell over in terror and when he got back up, the wendigo was suddenly gone in an instant. “ Oh lords,” said Aran. The wendigo rushed deep into the forests crossing through the dry trees and the murky puddles towards an abandoned camp. The abandoned camp was full of wendigos either resting or fighting each other for food. Near the big stump sat a tall wendigo with various skulls and aches full of bottles and ashes on his sides. The wendigo held a staff with a large skull. The wendigo went towards the large wendigo and shrieked “ Shouldn’t we attack the village now”. The tall Wendigo stood up and said “ We attack when the sun is dim”. They heard horses coming through the road with knights packed with weapons passing by them. The tall Wendigo screamed in the sky letting every Wendigo know that they would attack the village of Alestra.
( This is only chapter 1 and I'm 13 )

Hey guys, I'm currently planning my first (major) solo trip and Hawaii has been on my radar due to the fact that it has... well... a bit of everything. However I can't help but think that I could get more bang-for-my-buck by exploring a destination in the carribean.
I'm planning to spend my trip doing the following activities:

• Body surfing, boogie boarding, and otherwise enjoying wavy beaches.
• Beginner-level surfing lessons
• Scuba Diving Lessons
• Snorkeling
• Hiking
• Kayaking (if there is a navigable river on the island; Kauai has one)
• Going to nice restaurants & bars.

General requirements are:

• Mountainous, highly vertical terrain (ideally where you could see a mountain from the beach).
• Lush jungles near the beach (I don't like how the developed areas of hawaii are all desert).
• Walkable, developed beach strips with many choices for high-quality food and lodging (I want to minimize the amount of driving I'll do)
• The above (^) but still close to nature (not in the heart of a city).
• Low crime rate

Money is not a great concern of mine - I'm willing to pay for high-quality lodging, food/drink, and experiences. However, if I can the same things somewhere else, for a better value, then absolutely I would be interested.

Making deals. Make me an offer, may be surprised what offers I'll accept on some items. I do have other pics of items shown too.
Prices aren't shipped. Everything comes with what you see. I tried to mention what thought was missing. Some prices negotiable, feel free to ask!

Marvel Legends

• [Alpha Flight Complete Team] - (Sasquatch torso is pretty loose; can still stand as shown in pics, but heads up. Also, left leg pops off somewhat easy, but no clue why.) - $175
  
• [Magneto w/ Soft Goods Cape & Accessories] - (Custom head (painted Apocalypse Wave Magneto helmeted head), Purple hands and Unmasked Magneto head from Apocalypse Wave Magneto, Soft Goods Wired Cape (wire around edges). (Cape, as you can see has hole for the peg of armor piece to help it stick to the back. Could glue it if you wanted to.) (Note: Armor piece was cut a bit much on back as shown in pick on bottom part of one side.))) - $60
  
• [Storm w/ GPSlot Soft Goods Cape] - (Doesn’t have lightning. Cape has slight tear around one hand but still looks nice like shown.) - $35
  
• [Scarlet Spider] - (It is missing one of it's original hands, so replaced it with another Spider-Man hand.) - $50
  
• [Orb] - $15
  
• [Titanium Man] - (Marvel Select) - $15
  
• [Mach I] - $5
  
• [Nakia] (No 2nd headscan) - $5
  
• [Taskmaster] - $10
  
• [MCU Wenwu (Missing at least one hand.)/Shang-Chi] - $15
  
• [BAF Heads] - $15
  

Other

• [Harley Quinn Suicide Squad Figuarts] - $40
  
• [NECA TMNT Tokka and Rahzar] - (Missing some food pieces.) - $65
  
• [NECA TMNT Pizza Monsters x 2] - (Missing pizzas.) - $40
  
• [Arkham City Nightwing] - $20
  
• [WWE Elite Curt Hennig] - $30
  
• [Pro Wrestling Lot - Pins & Mongo/Kanyon Toybiz Figures] - $15
  

Album: https://imgur.com/a/xERYxsk

Hello redittors,
I (M31) wanna ask a woman I like (F24) on a date. She said earlier that a good date for her would be for examples going to an aquarium or to karting. Unfortunately there isn't any of these in my city, and I don't have a driving licence to bring her to these kind of activities. Yeah I know I am working on it.
I thought about a street food festival that will start soon in my city, or the Museum of Illusion that seems cool. Maybe both.
What do you think of it ?

Hi I'm a Brit living here in YYC 15 years. To help with the homesickness I send care packages back home to my brother. It has evolved into quite a competitive pursuit. We pick a subject then send a box a few weeks later, must be locally bought stuff. Last time it was Incense and I kicked ass because there's a great Japanese shop in Kenso with something like 30 flavors. This time round its snacks, chips etc, when my brother visits to go snowboarding he's very taken with All Dressed Ruffles and takes some home. So I'm looking for local or Albertan snacks to amaze him with, they can be produced anywhere but must be bought in the city... however, my brother lives in Edinbrugh which is a bigtime artisan food city so I really need to come up with the razzle dazzle. Any suggestions/ leads will help greatly. Peace

Hello everyone! I'm looking for someone to tag along to venture out in or outside the city. Could go bar hopping or try out restaurants since any foods will be cool to me.
I'm single, no kids and never been married, and simple. I'm very 420 friendly and also alcohol friendly. Physically I'm 5'6", midsized, and medium length black hair. I'm also not that social but if we get close, I’ll literally wont shut up but I love the idea of just being silent with someone at peace.
Send me a private message if you're interested to get to know more of me.

I know you've been waiting for this moment, so I want to invite you to join us for an evening of fun and surprises. We can try some new food together, or watch an interesting movie, or go to some interesting activities. Whatever we do, I promise it will be a night to remember. Single men aged 35 can find me to chat.
I thought we could start a fun game called "Find the Best Burger". We can walk around the city, try different burgers, and rate them. Finally, we can aggregate our ratings and see which burger is our favourite.
If burgers aren't your thing, we can go to a movie. I heard that there is a new movie called "Love Apartment", which tells the life and love story of a group of young people in the city. Sounds like fun, right?
Finally, if you want to try something fun, we can go bowling. I admit I'm not a very good bowler, but I promise we'll have a lot of fun and you'll find me a lot of fun.
So are you ready? Let's spend an evening of fun and surprises together

I know you've been waiting for this moment, so I want to invite you to join us for an evening of fun and surprises. We can try some new food together, or watch an interesting movie, or go to some interesting activities. Whatever we do, I promise it will be a night to remember. Single men aged 35 can find me to chat.
I thought we could start a fun game called "Find the Best Burger". We can walk around the city, try different burgers, and rate them. Finally, we can aggregate our ratings and see which burger is our favourite.
If burgers aren't your thing, we can go to a movie. I heard that there is a new movie called "Love Apartment", which tells the life and love story of a group of young people in the city. Sounds like fun, right?
Finally, if you want to try something fun, we can go bowling. I admit I'm not a very good bowler, but I promise we'll have a lot of fun and you'll find me a lot of fun.
So are you ready? Let's spend an evening of fun and surprises together

Waiting to book flights since they aren't on sale yet but booked and paid for lodging. Will book the rails closer to time.
We plan on visiting Edinburgh for 3 days, Manchester for 3 days, London for 3 days, Paris for 3 days, and Brussells for 3 days.
We enjoy exploring cities by foot and we're not huge "activity" people. I can forsee us maybe going to a museum or castle, having afternoon tea somewhere, and visiting a real pub. Beyond that, we usually just go with the flow of what is happening and look into free activities.
We don't typically drink alcohol either - no reason, it just doesn't hugely appeal to us.
Any thoughts on a reasonable budget per day for food/activities?

I know you've been waiting for this moment, so I want to invite you to join us for an evening of fun and surprises. We can try some new food together, or watch an interesting movie, or go to some interesting activities. Whatever we do, I promise it will be a night to remember. Single men aged 35 can find me to chat.
I thought we could start a fun game called "Find the Best Burger". We can walk around the city, try different burgers, and rate them. Finally, we can aggregate our ratings and see which burger is our favourite.
If burgers aren't your thing, we can go to a movie. I heard that there is a new movie called "Love Apartment", which tells the life and love story of a group of young people in the city. Sounds like fun, right?
Finally, if you want to try something fun, we can go bowling. I admit I'm not a very good bowler, but I promise we'll have a lot of fun and you'll find me a lot of fun.
So are you ready? Let's spend an evening of fun and surprises together

First Previous Next
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
— Langston Hughes
Catalogue Description
Self-Monitoring Behavioural Management Report: Casimir Szymański, Scazim Institute of Science and Technology - English Translation
Date:
15 Summer-2 3429 (Standard Parimthian Calendar)
November 23rd, 2162 (Gregorian Calendar)
Held by:
The UK National Archives, Kew
Legal status:
Public Record(s)
My father worshipped a fabricated, pagan prophet.
The Senghavi of the Parimthian Empire are principally joined under the ditheistic religion called Siedi, which I do not subscribe to. Of course, the Senghavi's literature, art, and faith flooded the whole of Earth upon their arrival a century ago. From this ocean of civilised culture, my degenerate species drew a sample, claimed it as our own, and polluted it with a distorted, appropriated, dumbed-down doctrine.
The central figure in this corrupt sample of Siedi was a man whom my father called Jesus Christ. He was said to have offered himself as a sacrifice that could be made to a single God. It was a final sacrifice, one beyond lambs or cattle or people. One that would atone for humanity's sins, so that we could have the free choice between the eternal presence of God and the eternal absence of "Him."
My father dressed himself in black, with a standing collar whose white fabric was exposed at the centre. That much, I could recall. He preached to hopeful humans in what was called a church, though I did not know what he was preaching. At the very least, my childhood is fuzzy in that regard.
The pain that throbbed through my skull, after the blonde savage had slammed my head against the ridges of the airlock, faded into the background. I could not focus; perhaps, I thought, one of their improvised explosives had gone off by accident. There was blue Senghavi blood staining my dress shirt. The rush of air escaping into vacuum pierced my ears.
Perhaps it was thirst of water, which binds most sapient beings—the Sons of Liberty had reached an agreement with the Colonial Defence Force to allow spacecraft delivering food, water, and medical aid, only to unleash the anti-collision lasers of this cursed spaceliner upon those very ships.
Or perhaps it was the explosion, as I initially thought, an inadvertent complication which had wrought injury and death over my countrymen, and which had forced the terrorist savages to attempt to patch up the many hull breaches left by debris.
Or perhaps it was simply the stress of betraying, in my desperate efforts to save everyone from this senseless violence, the greatest secret of the Senghavi Terrans: our antimatter research. Word of it had likely been forwarded already, hundreds of light-years away, to that pink-hued marble which was Parimth itself.
Or perhaps it was all three; thirst, explosion, and stress. In any case, my mind shut it all out, and something lost from my childhood flashed before me:
We're standing on the cracked street of the Vennec Human Reservation. In the distance, the Senghavi's white, glassy spires reach above the clouds, their accents of luminescence dim in the broad daylight.
I hold a ball in my palm. It's wrapped in white leather held together with red stitching. I toss it to Dad.
Instead of his clerical uniform, he wears the normal "T-shirt" and "cargo shorts." Along with the clerical getup, they are just two of the many sorts of clothing which the Senghavi have invented for humanity. I toss the ball to Dad, and he swings a primitive wooden bat.
The ball goes soaring, further than he meant to. He jogs down the road to retrieve it, then gives me the wooden bat. The breeze ruffles his hair just as he ruffles mine with his hand.
"Now, you try," he says. "It's just practice, that's all."
For some reason, he lifts one leg in the air, then pitches the ball to me. I swing. The impact of the ball shakes through the wood, and it goes careening off to the left.
"I did it!" I yell. "But it went out of bounds."
"Heyyyy, that's not bad," Dad says with a reassuring voice. "Good job, just try to go a little more right next time."
Mom comes out onto the front porch, the breeze ruffling her dress as she waves to Dad. "Dinner's ready, and Mom's pie is... almost ready."
I stare blankly at her until I realise that she is talking about her Mom, Grandma, who is the best at making pumpkin pie.
"The pie!" I shout, running and jumping to the front door. "I totally forgot about that!"
I am ready to speed my way through dinner just so I can get to dessert, but Dad stops me before my first bite.
Of course, I think. We need to say grace. Me, Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa all hold hands, thanking God for our food, and then dig in. But Mom and Dad just talk about work, and I am too focused on finishing my food quickly to pitch in.
Finally—Grandma's pie!
When you bite into the soft, smooth filling, you can instantly tell it's been made with fresh pumpkins, not the boring canned ones. The taste of cinnamon and spice is balanced out perfectly with the coolness of the whipped cream.
The flavour spreads through my tongue and nostrils, filling my entire brain with a feeling of amazing-ness. If I wrote the Simple-Speak Dictionary for Senghavi Terrans, I'd put Grandma's pie next to the translation of "perfection."
I should save a slice, I think, for the Senghavi kid.
Even though it's only been a week since I met him through the playground fence, we already told each other where we live, and I want to get to know him more. He doesn't live on the Vennec Human Reservation, but his house is just a bike-ride away in Fellye Neighborhood.
I wonder if anyone's ever given pumpkin pie to an alien before. Even though humans only invented it fifty years ago, it makes me feel proud of my species!
When Mom tucks me into bed, kissing my forehead, I tell her what I'm going to do.
"Oh, you wild thing," she coos. "You're so much like your father. And you have his eyes, you know? Just stay safe."
"Don't worry, I'll do my best."
>! "Good night. I love you." !<
>! "I love you, too, Mom," I say. I hug her tightly from my bed, and a warm, fuzzy feeling blossoms within me. I can hardly fall asleep in my excitement. !<
Luckily, Fellye Neighborhood doesn't take apartheid that seriously, and I don't think anybody cares about an eight year-old human riding his bicycle around the gates.
Next evening, I do just that, peddling out of the Reservation's entrance into the violet dusk. When I get to Mensim's address, I ring the hi-tech front doorbell, and a really tall Senghavi shows up.
"Oh, dear," she says in Parimthian. "A barbarian hatchling—by what name do you go?"
"I'm Casimir," I say nervously. I don't pay that much attention in school, but I know just enough Parimthian to talk to the Senghavi woman. "Are you Mrs. Munghazi? Is Mensim fe Munghazi here? I got two slices of pie. You can have one, too!"
She looks at me suspiciously, antennae twitching. "That would be Teacher Munghazi to you; I know not why you natives invented these odd 'Mister' and 'Missis' honorifics. Hold on—Ghanvati! A native hatchling stands at our doorstep!"
Ghanvati must be Mensim's dad. I wonder where his other moms are; only one has shown up to the door. Ghanvati shows up with two of them—they are both shorter and daintier than Teacher Munghazi, their raptorial forelimbs folded shyly against their bodies. In front of the group of three is Mensim, and I involuntarily gasped with excitement.
"Mensim!"
"This is your new companion?" Ghanvati asks Mensim.
Mensim's papery forewings flicker with affirmation. "I met him at school."
"What, pray tell, is the point of apartheid if it does not actually keep natives away from Senghavi?" whines one of Ghanvati's wives.
Ghanvati's antennae droop as if to say "I don't know," while Mensim lifts my arms, inspecting me like I am a test animal in a mad scientist's laboratory.
"How do you guys not get cut all the time?" he asks, tracing his tarsal hairs over my bare skin. "You're so fleshy!"
"I do get cut all the time," I giggled. "We just use band-aids. Oh, do you wanna eat a pumpkin pie?"
It turned out that pumpkin pie is bad for alien stomachs. Mensim had to go to the bathroom for a long time, and three of his moms got mad at me.
When I got back, Dad and Mom were arguing. I snuck close to the back porch, making sure they couldn't hear me.
"Yes, they leave some people alone," Dad said. "Obviously, they can't spy on every single human who believes in human religions. But Katarzyna, they still need people to make an example out of, and I don't want to be that person!"
"Casimir is a responsible kid," Mom retorts. "I told him he can't tell anyone what you do, and he listens to me."
"He's eight years old. You can't just let him wander around aliens with a secret that could have me killed! Or have you killed!"
Mom cups Dad's cheek and looks him in the eye. She's a lot shorter than him. "Look, love. You're a great father, and I think it's amazing that you spend time with him. But you're the only person he talks to. You know just as well as I do that he needs to talk to other kids! It's not healthy; even Teacher Perevvoxath agreed. And now he finally has a friend."
Dad sighs, running his hands through his black hair. My hair. "You really think aliens are a substitute for human interaction?"
>! "I think every human needs a person they can talk to, and Casimir found one. If you really care about him, stop preaching for a while! Your church isn't gonna die without you. It'll be okay." !<
The next day, I visit Mensim's house after school again. And the next day after that, and the next after that. His dad Ghanvati is formally named Engineer Munghazi. I am to call his moms Teacher Munghazi, Teacher Munghazi, Teacher Munghazi, Accountant Munghazi, Priestess Munghazi, Doctor Munghazi, and Maidservant Munghazi.
A couple weeks later, Mensim and I are lounging together on his couch, watching a Parimthian war movie. The main characters are fighting against the evil forces of the Imperium of Orion. Under his head capsule, Mensim is munching something called Synth-Fruit, which is imported from a faraway planet called Mryi. I eat Pop-Tarts, which I'm pretty sure are toxic to him.
"Come on, just give me one," Mensim exclaims, reaching over to steal the sweet snacks from me. "It can't be that bad!"
I lift the Pop-Tarts away from him, laughing. "Stoppit, you're attacking me! Pay attention to the movie, or I'm gonna shoot you!"
"But I just want one..."
"It's gonna poison you, and you're gonna get your weird alien throw-up all over me!"
Priestess Munghazi, the oldest of his moms, bursts into the living room, her jewellery clinking over her clerical cape.
"Your sister conveyed to me quite the disturbing piece of news, Mensim," Priestess Munghazi cries. "The father of Casimir is a priest of a most barbarous and evil perversion of the Siedi faith. Ghanvati and I spoke, and we agreed that you are not to consort with this primitive, pagan savage any longer."
I drop my crumbly Pop-Tart on the couch, confused at the sudden order.
"But Priestess Munghazi, I'm not dangerous or evil. I'm just a kid."
"Nonsense! You are dangerous; your father is a barbarian worshipper of this evil, primate paganism that is called Christianity, and a most woeful effect is begot that even self-respecting Senghavi have 'gone native,' as they say. Mensim, if you continue to consort with this native spawn, I will be impelled to inform the Siedi Court, and they may by chance see to it that he is executed!"
"W-Wait!" Mensim says, holding up the remote to pause our movie. He gets off of me, suddenly losing interest in my Pop-Tart, his vestigial forewings rising with concern. "Please, Mother. I promise he won't be any trouble."
My blood runs cold. Dad, executed? Just because what he believes in isn't "civilised" enough? Actually, I thought that Mom told him to stop preaching for a while.
Mensim scrambles to *his father's sleeping quarters, and I trail frantically after him.*
"Father," Mensim says. "Is Casimir's father's job so ghastly that he should be executed by the Siedi Court?"
"We can't just let the natives spread the same barbarous religions that they used to kill each other," Ghanvati replies, his secondary arms clasped together. "It's a threat to safe, moral society. Priestess Munghazi told me his father spreads evil and paganism. I have no reason not to trust the oldest of your mothers."
"But Casimir's my best friend! If you tell the Siedi Court about his father, I'll... I'll run away! I'll hate you!"
Distressed vibrations emanate through the floor beneath my feet; Mensim's antennae and papery forewings and hindwings go limp. Something like lilies and the earthy scent of rain fills the air.
"My dearest Mensim," Ghanvati says softly, dipping his head capsule with compassion. "I will hold off, just this once. It would be apt of you not to cause me to reconsider."
"T-thank you, Engineer Munghazi," I say, wiping my own tears. "My dad's not a bad person, I promise."
After confronting his dad, Mensim and I keep on watching movies and playing digital games. He always wins when we wrestle, but I still haven't given up (even though Priestess Munghazi always tells us to stop roughhousing).
I even bring my Lego pieces to his house. He doesn't know what Legos are, but later, in his sleeping quarters, we build together. He makes a cool-looking spaceship that he calls a "negative energy generator."
"Hey, you took all the cool black and grey pieces," I complain. "Now I can't finish my army base!"
"This is cooler than your army base," Mensim says proudly. "Father used to work in one. It uses the superposition of squeezed vacuum states to produce a field of negative energy density."
"I have no idea what that means, but that sounds really smart."
"No kidding! It's how people make wormholes and fly all the way to other stars."
"Well, my army guys could beat your negative energy-thingy. They have machine guns."
"My guys could just fly a [~million billion trillion kilometres] away, and yours can't do anything about it!"
"Then your guys are wimps. But my guys aren't. Because they're the Army!"
>! We also explore the pine forest in his backyard. Within just two more weeks, we have uncovered all sorts of interesting things, like a piece of a real human skull. One time, we found a human foot sculpted and smoothed out of stone—who would make such a thing?—and a dead metal device with the icon of a bitten-out-of apple printed on it. !<
There were also other human body parts made out of ancient stone, too: the cracked half of a man's face buried a foot deep, a muscly arm sticking out of the soil. Even a private part, which I snickered at, though Mensim seemed unfazed.
There is something else we start to do. My parents have given me "the talk," and Mensim told me that his parents gave him the Senghavi version of it. And so even as we talk and play in the woods, we experiment—because we are curious, and why should we not be?
A fragment of a memory in the forest; Mensim's raptorial forelimbs are set on my shoulders as his compound eyes look into my primate eyes, and he says, "You cannot tell anyone about this. Anyone. Absolutely no one."
I don't know how, but Priestess Munghazi learned of what we were doing, and now she expresses anger and disgust alike, her wings and antennae wild and rigid. Ghanvati is the same. Mensim and I... We're actually making them reconsider their decision not to tell the Siedi Court about my dad.
A fragment of a memory... I feel like I am in space, stranded aboard a spaceliner that has been hijacked by terrorists, its atmosphere venting amid a backdrop of violence... But I am not, I am in the forest that Mensim and I talked and played in; I am in Mensim's home, terrified as I am yelled at by Ghanvati, whose compassion no longer shines through, accompanied by Priestess Munghazi.
"By the names of the Gods, it's those false, pagan corruptions which humans have named as their religions, that are spouted by your father," Priestess Munghazi spits. I am teary-eyed and snot-nosed from guilt and embarrassment. "How horrid is the link between the state of barbarism and a most revolting and shameful propensity for bizarre and perverted behaviour!"
Then I am in my own family's living room, and the mom I love so dearly yells at me, too, but my father is quieter and only seems disappointed. This must be the first time in my life that I have felt true shame, I think; the kind that leaves you with an emptiness inside. Like the whole point of existing just vanished inside of me.
The worst part is that I cannot even lean on Mom's shoulder, because she is distressed—because she knows what will happen—
"This is all on you, Casimir!" she screeches, tears in her eyes. "All on you!"
I remember telling Priestess Munghazi that 'I'm not dangerous or evil; I'm just a kid,' but now I can't be sure anymore. I can tell I am different in the eyes of my family. They are disgusted by me.
It is my fault, after all, that Priestess Munghazi tells the Siedi Court of my father's evil, barbaric Christian teachings.
The Parimthian soldiers bring my father to the gallows. Their snow-white exoskeletons gleam under a burning sun. They have dressed him in his clerical uniform, and the camera is close enough that I can see his cross necklace.
I have been grounded in my room; still, I have a television to see the live broadcast.
Hanging works for primates and mantids alike. It happens in the Forum of Movvaeti, the venue for public events in our area, where my father is a lesser criminal compared to the native leaders and Senghavi malcontents who have dissented from Colonial Governor Nieve fe Skellth.
He is joined with seven other convicts, three humans and four Senghavi, and their crimes are read to the crowd—blasphemy, paganism, monogamy, witchcraft, seditious libel, insulting the Parimthian Crown, treason against the Parimthian Crown, and refusal to quarter Parimthian soldiers.
Why? None of this feels right. Why should my father be killed because of what he says and believes? Why can't these people be judged with fairness, rather than at the whim of some distant space emperor?
Not only have I been grounded, but I grow cold without my mother's touch. I want to hold someone's hand while watching Dad lose his life, but nobody is there. Mom brings me food, but she doesn't even look at me. Why can't she look at me? Why can't she speak to me? I just want things to be the way they used to be, when Dad would help me practise hitting a ball with a bat on the street.
I watch him turn down a caped, bejewelled priestess of the Siedi faith, who thought she could make my dad accept their Gods before his death. Before a modest crowd of humans and Senghavi alike, all eight of the convicts have their arms and legs bound with rope.
I am begging myself to turn the TV off, but I can't bring myself to. The Senghavi executioner uses some kind of hi-tech display to remove the supports from beneath the convicts' feet. My stomach flips over inside of me, a nausea of shame filling my body.
I can't deny it any longer. This is my fault—this is why my family avoids me—this is why they are disgusted by me—and Dad falls and his head jerks when the noose goes taut.
As he hangs there, I cannot tell for how long he remains alive. My insides are cold. After the broadcast ends, after night falls and I sit in the moonlight spilling faintly through my windows, that is when it all comes out. I sob alone. I scream for Mom to help me and be there for me, but she does not come. Her harsh voice resonates through my memory; this is all on me. I am a disgrace to everyone I love, and that is why they have left me here. Why they avoid me as if I am a disease.
The only thing I want is to see Dad again, but he is gone forever. I curl up on my room floor. What is this? What is this loneliness? This stinging hatred I feel against myself?
No one, human or mantid, will be there for me. I cry until my throat cannot ache any more harshly, until my eyes cannot sting any more painfully, and then I go cold inside, my body shivering in the moonlight. I retreat into my happy memories with Dad until it is too painful to bear.
I wish so dearly I could end it all, to take my own life and join Dad in the heaven that he believed in. There is a belt in my closet that I can use on myself in the way the Siedi Court killed Dad.
But beneath the sickly well of shame, the nausea and crushing humiliation at the stupid antics of Mensim and I, with which Mom's brief gaze pierces me—beneath the weight of knowing that I will never fill the torturous vacuum Dad left, knowing that I am a foul and disgusting son to the mother I so desperately need, that I see no end to the infinite river of anxiety and guilt pouring through the hole left in my heart—beneath my isolation and my longing for human touch—something breaks inside of me.
An emptiness of purpose. There is no point in going on, and I feel nothing, not even the desire to stop living. There is one exception: A hatred of myself, and of the humans I loved as family.
One day, Mom appears in my doorway, and she just stands there. Before, I would've welcomed being offered interaction with her beyond just receiving food, but now I am numb, my eyes all out of tears to cry.
"Pack your things," she says, her voice flat. She still doesn't look at me; the eyes she once said I inherited from Dad, she now shuns. "You're going to a residential school."
Indigenous Residential Schools; that is what Colonial Governor Nieve fe Skellth calls them, I think. They're for human kids who have trouble letting go of their "savage" roots; kids that the normal schools aren't enough to civilise. Schools that show you how to act Senghavi, to think Senghavi, to... be Senghavi.
There was a human kid in normal school whose sister went there, but they said that something had happened to her there; something in that residential school had changed her before she finally returned.
But I feel no fear as I pack my clothes into my bags. Every time I look in my bedroom mirror, a violent feeling rushes to my chest, only to dissipate into the hatred-tinged numbness I have grown so used to.
Finally, the time comes to depart. In the early morning, I am already aboard the autonomous public transport. It pulls out of the cracked street I once played with Dad in, passing by the entrance of Fellye Neighborhood, driving off into the fiery, violet Terran dawn. I see my faded reflection in the window, and my chest jumps with revulsion.
So I look down, fidgeting with my touchpad—then the numbness abruptly leaves, and my tears fall once again.
Forgive me for all the redaction, Doctor Morgthax. While I will not disclose what I wrote, you are correct, as always, about the act of writing. There is some semblance of psychological relief in typing one's sullen inner thoughts onto a touchpad. As if one can be heard without being heard.
By the time I drifted back to reality, my mouth and lips dry from dehydration, the hijackers had patched up the holes punched through the hull by the accidental explosion. Plenty of Senghavi passengers were spilling cerulean blood from beneath their exoskeletal coverings; though they were all alive, they needed medical attention.
Two hundred-something Senghavi civilians aboard this luxury spaceliner, and none had yet died. That stroke of luck offered me a glimmer of hope.
Pavok, the child, was emitting vibrations through the floor in his despair, the smell of rain and lilies becoming evident to me. It is starkly fascinating, the evolutionary dissimilarity between how native Terrans and Senghavi Terrans cry.
Those ships were delivering medical aid and critical provisions to the passengers, Commander Lokprel barked, the neutrino signals that encoded his gruff voice coming out from the intercom. Why did you laser them?
"Stop playing games," Jake snapped wearily into his radio. I recalled that his full name was Jacob Weaver, as Commander Lokprel had mentioned. A drop of blood streaked down his face. "We know what you're up to."
Paranoia will get you nowhere, Jacob. If we don't work with each other, you won't survive. We have detected an explosion aboard the spaceliner. Is anyone dead?
"Not yet," Jake growled. "But Fenni Svim will be if your forces keep approaching!"
Fenni Svim—the Senghavi from the Vellir Veneti Physics Lab, against whose skull Jake had pressed his pistol to halt the CDF's initial approach, hours ago—stiffened in her seat. I had never known the nuclear researcher very well before this barbarous event, but I prayed to the Gods of Siedi (whom I do not really believe in) that she would be okay.
Many of the passengers were still being kept by the windows to deter snipers. They included Pavok, behind whom Khadija stood guard.
"Sorry for attacking you," Jake suddenly said to me, his voice worn-out. "It's like Khadija said. The bugs know that humans are strong when they're united. It's why they try to play us against ourselves, to ally with just some of us, to try to make us hate each other; to hate ourselves. It's how they tore the United States apart. Everything they do... It's to make us ashamed of our species, our own culture, to lose hope in the future. If we were united, Casimir... they'd be terrified of us. And make no mistake—we're uniting again."
"E-even if what you say about mankind is true," I croaked, "Our species would not have settled anywhere but Earth. Our culture and history would still have been negligible and primitive, the richness and complexity of the Senghavi, still greater by many orders of magnitude."
"Casimir, did you go to one of the Indigenous Residential Schools?" Khadija asked.
"Y-yes," I managed, dusting off my formal wear and cleaning my glasses. "I was sent to one as a child. They are for those of us savage natives which conventional education could not sufficiently civilise."
Khadija's eyes softened with compassion, and she gestured to my wrist. "I asked because of that code on your wrist. I've heard about some of the things that happen in those places. The cruelty; the abuse."
I glanced at the abstract identification code tattooed onto my skin, faded with time. I hadn't thought about it in ages; it was but a remnant of my childhood, and I never paid it any attention.
"Residential schooling is necessary and proper," I tell her. "It is similar to human-mantid apartheid in its purpose; it keeps the public safe from savagery. "
"If we get out of this alive, I'm gonna take you with me to Russia," she said, wiping sweat from her brow. "Specifically, Moscow. It's where I lived after the fall of Türkiye. Man controls it, not the Senghavi."
I was already aware that a vast, untamed region named Zvorriu-Sai, located in Earth's northeastern quarter-sphere, is called Russia in simple-speak. A decade ago, Nieve fe Skellth had tried to civilise the hunter-gatherers who lived there, but his troops starved and froze in the snow.
It was with the multitude of planetary habitat fabricators that his army had been using that the native primates of Zvorriu-Sai constructed such cities as Moscow or Saint Petersburg.
"Russian civilization goes back over a millennium," Khadija explained. "I don't give a fuck about what the Senghavi have built on this planet; Russian architecture is my favourite, hands down. Anyway, it's the most stable and self-sufficient of the ten countries we've got left. Hard to invade, you know? It's seen better days, but the cities are nice, the economy is good. I think you'll find it's a hell of a lot less 'savage' than whatever the fuck the Parimthian Empire is doing."
To corroborate her claims, she showed me a photo from the gallery of her cracked, dusty touchpad. Before a busy canal, the waters tinted orange by a rising sun, a more relaxed version of her smiled into the camera alongside some human of the phenotype I had seen in the video of Tokyo. Looming over them was an intricate, palatial structure topped with colourful, onion-shaped domes.
"How... quaint," I replied, unsure of what to say, though it ignited dry laughter in Khadija.
"Looks like we got a communiqué from the UN," another hijacker announced, his mask still covering his face. I couldn't place his accent at all. He held up his own touchpad, displaying photos of the Colonial Governor herself—Perellanth fe Sumur—flanked by armed UN military personnel. They were clad in urban camouflage that was marred with blood. The black, plant-like extraterrestrial gazed defeatedly in the sterile lighting.
The UN had captured her! The Crown's decision to appoint a Vire as the leader of a Senghavi colony had been no small event. I was certain that after all the talk of Senghavi Terran independence, then followed by the Colonial Governor's capture, His Imperial Majesty regretted his progressivist decision.
"We... We did it!" Jake exclaimed, his voice disbelieving. "We took down Perellanth!"
You achieved nothing, Commander Lokprel retorted over the intercom. Not beyond the promotion of Benghoviu fe Prim to Acting Colonial Governor. If you kill Governor Sumur, Governor Benghoviu will become the permanent Colonial Governor as per the chain of command, and he will carry on the fine work of his predecessor.
Jake seemed to consider that situation a fair one, and he nodded to himself subtly. "Okay, sure. But if you do nothing, we'll still kill our first hostage."
What I can promise you is that Delegate Essintsya fe Baryn will submit an Act to the Forum of Delegates to recognize the sovereignty of the UN. It will be deliberated over for months, but it is your only realistic option. In return, we demand that you allow the passengers injured by one of your explosives to board CDF medical ships.
I recalled that the Forum of Delegates had voted Benghoviu fe Prim as Vice Colonial Governor just a year ago. And before even that, the Senghavi who lived on Vennec—my home continent on Earth—had popularly elected the ever-prudent Essintsya fe Baryn to the Forum. She was quite the economic liberal, as her sort was called.
Delegate Baryn's statements on the social contract between a people and their government, as well as her rejection that the Parimthian Crown ruled by divine right, had resonated deeply with me.
Jake's eyes hardened, and he turned his radio back on. "I said no games!"
There are no games here, Jacob! We only aim to preserve as much sapient life as possible. And you are out of options.
The hijacker who had shown Colonial Governor Sumur's prison photo gave Jake a withering look. "We're dragging this on, man. I don't want anyone to die."
"Don't talk to me about death, Ramiro. Not after what happened in the US."
The so-called United States of America... called Gholo Vieda in Parimthian. That region was Nieve fe Skellth's last successful conquest before he attempted to take on the vast, snowy expanses of Zvorriu-Sai. I wondered if, like Khadija's experience in Türkiye in the Niethvahi region, Jake had witnessed firsthand the cultural assimilation and political integration of Gholo Vieda into the rest of Parimthian Earth.
The conquest of Gholo Vieda and Niethvahi were the great accomplishments of Perellanth's predecessor, of course; but, in my opinion, the devotion of the (now captured) Perellanth to the causes of liberty, reason, equality, and sapientism far outshadowed anything that Nieve had done. I am certain, however, that the Parimthian Crown disagrees.
In any case, my faith in CDF Commander Lokprel loth Fonvie had not risen. Perhaps that was a good thing; otherwise, I might have regretted betraying the knowledge of antimatter research in order to elicit a more competent Parimthian intervention.
More security forces took up positions around the spaceliner, each ship split sharply into sunlight and shadow amid the black of space. The hijacker called Ramiro pointed to a series of smaller craft, which seemed to be pulling away from the luxury spaceliner. Escape pods!
"Hostages are falling through our fingers," Ramiro said. "We need to do something."
"Go to the rear," Khadija ordered. "Stop anyone else from sneaking out!"
Jake's radio crackled with the voice of someone in the cockpit. We've intercepted a neutrino transmission from the new guy, Benghoviu fe Prim. He's calling for some kind of emergency council at the highest levels in the Parimthian Empire.
I scoffed internally. The Crown would intervene for the sake of investigating all this talk of antimatter, whose alluring utility had hitherto been confined to theory and fiction. But it was doubtful that His Imperial Majesty would agree to an emergency council for the sake of his colonists' security and well-being. As (relatively) progressivist as he was in policy, he was still very much a punitive emperor, not a rewarding one.
"I told the commander to stop advancing—dammit!" Jake spat. "We're only letting medical craft get any closer. Fire at the corvettes!"
Affirmative, his radio crackled. Targets in sight.
The spaceliner's anti-collision lasers flashed against several faraway spacecraft. A succession of oxygen-fueled fires, each lasting for a [~split-second] against the vacuum of space, flared in the distance. Even so, the growing array of naval craft began to close in upon us again, surrounding the spaceliner in every dimension.
Switching again to the neutrino-connected channel, Jake gave a disgusted scowl. "Are you deaf, Commander? If your people keep getting closer, the deal is off!"
The more you fire, the closer we will get, Lokprel said. We are just making sure it is safe for the medical craft. As long as you refrain from harming them, we will not hurt you.
The hijacker in the cockpit radioed to Jake again, her voice sounding more alarmed.
We're picking up a massive object on our scanners. It's headed our way.
"How massive are we talking?" Jake asked.
It's... some kind of warship, I think. Over a hundred times our size.
"You're joking, right?"
"A Parimthian spacecraft carrier," murmured a soft, whimpery voice.
It was Fenni Svim again, her praying raptorial forelimbs tucked close in fear.
"The Imperial Parimthian Navy?" I asked. "They're really here?"
"Y-you shouldn't act surprised," Fenni said. "I know you were speaking to someone on the P-Parimthian side. You leaked our greatest secret, Casimir."
"R-right."
"What's she talking about, dude?" Khadija asked. Suspicion of betrayal lingered in her dark eyes. She had believed the lie that I was only calling a loved one when I contacted Mensim, >! who is at present an agent of Parimth!<; she had trusted me, and defended me against Jake's wrath.
I didn't answer. The very reason we needed antimatter was that the colonists' outerspace spanned but a meagre few millionths of the Parimthian Empire's total volume. I did not know what exactly a spacecraft carrier one hundred times the size of our spaceliner could do for the hostages, but it would be far more competent than the comparatively flimsy Colonial Defence Force.
Finally, after so many years of strategic modesty in the administration of the Crown's distant colony, of his Earth, as His Imperial Majesty suffered expense upon expense in countering the Imperium of Orion... Parimth had sent a warship of the Imperial Parimthian Navy, here in full force!
There was no need to inquire as to its distance; I could see it through my window. It was far enough that I could view the whole of its great form. Senghavi architecture, of course, is usually round, white, and glassy, traced with glowing accents; however, the imperial warship was boxy and shadowy black, visible only by the silhouette that it carved into the beaming sun.
Already, dozens of smaller craft—operated by some of the finest Senghavi pilots in the Milky Way—began spilling out from the spacecraft carrier, moving in the shadow of their gargantuan mothership. As even the hostage passengers became aware of its presence, the muted chatter and whimpering, which had been ambient across the aisles of the spaceliner, finally ceased.
Because of me, all of us—colonists and savages alike—were, for the first time in a decade, going to face a military intervention by Parimth itself.

I try to hit 1.5 to 2, is my sweet spot in my smallish city. Anything above that is sweet and below is reject. Why my AR is in single digits after one month ..
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ChatGPT helped me come up with this study plan to learn to host a one-shot Pathfinder game in two months. Here is the first month; the detail is too long for one post. Any suggestions on how to improve the study guide is appreciated.
Week 1:

• Day 1: Read Chapter 1 (Basics), Chapter 2 (Character Creation), and Chapter 3 (Playing the Game) of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
• Day 2: Read Chapter 4 (Skills), Chapter 5 (Feats), and Chapter 6 (Equipment) of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
• Day 3: Read Chapter 7 (Magic), Chapter 8 (Spells), and Chapter 9 (Adventuring) of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.

Nightly Homework (Week 1):
Create a Sample Character:
For each night of Week 1, your homework will revolve around creating a sample character. This exercise will help you familiarize yourself with the character creation process and the various options available to players in Pathfinder 2nd Edition. Here's a breakdown of the nightly tasks:

• Night 1: Choose Ancestry and Heritage: Select an ancestry for your character, such as Human, Elf, or Dwarf. Explore the different heritage options available for that ancestry and choose one that resonates with your character concept. Take notes on any racial abilities or unique features.
• Night 2: Determine Ability Scores: Assign ability scores to your character's Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Consider the role or concept you have in mind for your character and distribute the scores accordingly. Take note of any ability modifiers or adjustments based on your ancestry and heritage.
• Night 3: Choose a Background: Select a background for your character, which represents their upbringing, training, or past experiences. Consider the skills, ability boosts, and other benefits provided by the chosen background. Think about how it fits into your character's story and motivations.
• Night 4: Select a Class: Decide on a class for your character, such as Fighter, Wizard, or Rogue. Read through the class description, abilities, and initial proficiencies. Take note of the class features, skills, and proficiencies your character gains at 1st level.
• Night 5: Finalize Details: Complete any remaining character creation steps. Choose skills, determine hit points, select starting equipment, and make any additional choices or adjustments based on your chosen ancestry, background, and class. Ensure that all choices align with your character concept and the rules outlined in the chapters you've read.

By completing these nightly homework tasks, you'll have a fully fleshed-out sample character ready for your one-shot session. This exercise will give you a deeper understanding of character creation and the mechanics of Pathfinder 2nd Edition. It will also help you become familiar with the specific abilities and options available to players, enabling you to better guide your players when they create their own characters for the game.
Weekend Project (Week 1): Create a Sample Adventure Scene
Rather than focusing on a full encounter or puzzle, for this weekend project, you'll create a sample adventure scene based on the chapters you've read so far. This exercise will help you apply your knowledge of character creation, basic gameplay, and equipment. Here's how you can approach it:

1. Setting: Choose a location for your adventure scene. It could be a dense forest, a mysterious cave, or a bustling marketplace. Consider the atmosphere, potential challenges, and the overall theme or purpose of the scene.
2. Characters: Create a few non-player characters (NPCs) that the player character(s) may encounter in the scene. Give them names, appearances, and brief descriptions. Consider their roles, motivations, and how they can interact with the player character(s).
3. Goal or Objective: Determine the goal or objective of the adventure scene. It could be a simple task like delivering a message, solving a minor conflict, or gathering information from an NPC. Keep it focused and achievable within the scope of a one-shot session.
4. Challenges and Interactions: Plan potential challenges or interactions that the player character(s) may face in the scene. These can be skill-based encounters, social interactions, or small combat situations. Ensure that the challenges align with the rules you've learned so far, such as skills, feats, or basic combat mechanics.
5. Rewards or Consequences: Consider the potential rewards or consequences for the player character(s) based on their actions or choices in the scene. These can include valuable information, new equipment, or minor impacts on the overall story. Ensure that the rewards or consequences are meaningful and have a direct impact on the narrative or gameplay.

By creating a sample adventure scene, you'll get a hands-on experience in applying the rules and concepts you've learned. It will also give you a chance to practice designing encounters, creating NPCs, and guiding the player's choices within a focused setting. Remember to keep it manageable within the time constraints of a one-shot session.
Week 2:

• Day 4: Read Chapter 10 (Playing the Game), Chapter 11 (Magic Items), and Chapter 12 (Gamemastering) of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
• Day 5: Read Chapter 13 (Game Mastering Basics) and Chapter 14 (Running Encounters) of the Gamemastery Guide.
• Day 6: Read Chapter 15 (Adventuring) and Chapter 16 (Building Encounters) of the Gamemastery Guide.

Nightly Homework (Week 2):
Create a Brief Outline for Your One-Shot Session:
During Week 2, your homework will revolve around creating a brief outline for your one-shot session. This exercise will help you structure the narrative, plan key encounters, and consider important NPCs and their motivations. Here's a breakdown of the nightly tasks:

• Night 4: Define the Central Conflict: Determine the central conflict or problem that the player characters will face in your one-shot session. It could be a rescue mission, a heist, or a mystery to solve. Outline the main objective and consider potential twists or complications that can arise.
• Night 5: Plan Key Encounters: Identify the key encounters or challenges that the player characters will face throughout the session. These can include combat encounters, social interactions, skill-based challenges, or puzzles. Determine the purpose and difficulty of each encounter and how they contribute to the overall story.
• Night 6: Develop Important NPCs: Create a list of important non-player characters (NPCs) that the players will encounter during the session. Give each NPC a name, appearance, and a brief description of their role in the story. Consider their motivations, relationships with other NPCs, and how they can interact with the player characters.
• Night 7: Outline the Narrative Flow: Develop a general outline of the narrative flow of the session. Consider the pacing, the order of encounters and events, and any branching paths or choices that the players can make. Outline the beginning, middle, and end of the session, ensuring a clear progression and resolution.
• Night 8: Refine and Revise: Review and refine the outline you have created so far. Make any necessary adjustments, add more details or subplots, and ensure a cohesive and engaging structure for the session. Consider the balance between different types of encounters and opportunities for player agency and decision-making.

By completing these nightly homework tasks, you'll have a solid outline for your one-shot session. This exercise will help you structure the session's narrative and encounters, ensuring an engaging and coherent gameplay experience. It will also provide you with a framework to guide your players through the session and keep the game flowing smoothly.
Weekend Project (Week 2): Create a Detailed Map for Your One-Shot Session
For this weekend project, you'll create a detailed map for the locations where your one-shot session takes place. Having a well-designed map helps both you and the players visualize the environment, navigate the areas, and adds immersion to the game. Follow these steps to create your map:

1. Determine Key Locations: Identify the important locations in your one-shot session, such as a town, dungeon, or wilderness area. Consider the purpose and significance of each location within the narrative.
2. Sketch the Layout: Begin by sketching a rough layout of each location. It doesn't have to be artistically perfect, but it should provide a general sense of the area's layout, including key features, landmarks, and points of interest.
3. Add Details: Add details to your sketch, including specific rooms, structures, or natural features. Consider the purpose and function of each area within the location. Incorporate any elements that may affect gameplay, such as obstacles, traps, or hidden passages.
4. Label and Annotate: Label the various areas and features on your map to provide clarity. Use descriptive names for key locations, and annotate important details or notes that will assist you during the game. This can include NPC locations, potential encounters, or any relevant information for the players.
5. Finalize the Map: Once you're satisfied with the sketch and details, transfer it to a clean or digital format. You can use map-making software or online tools to create a more polished version of your map. Consider adding color, shading, or symbols to enhance readability and aesthetics.
6. Optional: Create Player Handouts: If desired, consider creating separate maps or handouts for the players to use during the game. These can be smaller sections of the main map or specialized maps for specific encounters or challenges.

By creating a detailed map, you'll have a visual representation of the locations in your one-shot session. This will aid in describing the environment to the players, planning encounters, and ensuring consistency in your storytelling. It will also serve as a valuable reference during the game, helping you navigate the world and keep track of important details.
Week 3:

• Day 7: Read Chapter 17 (Creating NPCs) and Chapter 18 (Building Worlds) of the Gamemastery Guide.
• Day 8: Read Chapter 19 (Rewards) and Chapter 20 (Designing Adventures) of the Gamemastery Guide.
• Day 9: Read Chapter 21 (Campaigns) and Chapter 22 (Running Published Adventures) of the Gamemastery Guide.

Nightly Homework (Week 3):
Create Compelling Non-Player Characters (NPCs):
During Week 3, your nightly homework will revolve around creating memorable and engaging NPCs that the players will encounter in your one-shot session. NPCs can bring life to the game world, provide quests or information, and offer opportunities for interaction. Here's a breakdown of the nightly tasks:

• Night 9: Determine Key NPCs: Identify the key NPCs that the players are likely to interact with during the session. These can include allies, villains, quest givers, or important individuals within the setting. Consider their roles in the story and their motivations.
• Night 10: Develop Personalities and Backgrounds: For each key NPC, develop their personalities and backgrounds. Think about their quirks, values, and attitudes. Consider their past experiences, goals, and any secrets or conflicts they may have.
• Night 11: Establish Relationships: Determine the relationships between the NPCs. Consider their alliances, rivalries, friendships, or conflicts. This will add depth and complexity to the interactions between NPCs and the players.
• Night 12: Outline Dialogue and Interactions: Outline the potential dialogue and interactions the players may have with the NPCs. Consider their mannerisms, speech patterns, and any unique traits. Prepare important information or clues the NPCs may provide.
• Night 13: Create Backstory Hooks: Identify opportunities to connect the NPCs to the players' backstories or personal goals. This can create personal investment and intrigue for the players. Consider how the NPCs can provide assistance, challenges, or opportunities related to the players' backgrounds.

By completing these nightly homework tasks, you'll have a roster of well-developed NPCs that can enrich your one-shot session. These NPCs will have distinct personalities, backgrounds, and motivations, making them more engaging for the players to interact with. They can provide quests, information, or become recurring allies or adversaries, adding depth to the game world and enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
Weekend Project (Week 3): Design a Dynamic Encounter
For this weekend project, you'll design a dynamic encounter that offers an engaging and challenging experience for the players in your one-shot session. A dynamic encounter includes multiple elements, such as combat, environmental factors, and strategic choices. Follow these steps to create your encounter:

1. Determine the Objective: Decide on the objective or goal of the encounter. It could be defeating a group of enemies, solving a puzzle, or navigating a treacherous environment. Consider how the encounter fits into the overall narrative and what the players can gain or lose based on their success or failure.
2. Establish the Environment: Choose a specific setting or location for the encounter. Consider how the environment can impact the encounter. Are there hazards, obstacles, or unique features that the players can interact with strategically? Ensure that the environment adds depth and provides opportunities for creative problem-solving.
3. Populate the Encounter: Determine the opponents or creatures the players will face during the encounter. Consider their strengths, weaknesses, and unique abilities. Ensure that the difficulty level aligns with the capabilities of the player characters and the overall challenge you want to present.
4. Include Dynamic Elements: Introduce dynamic elements to make the encounter more engaging and exciting. This can include timed events, changing environmental conditions, or unexpected reinforcements. Think about how these elements can affect the flow and strategy of the encounter.
5. Design Tactical Options: Provide the players with tactical options and choices during the encounter. Consider different approaches or paths they can take to achieve the objective. Include interactive elements, such as objects they can interact with or strategic positions they can utilize.
6. Test and Refine: Playtest the encounter to ensure it offers a balanced and enjoyable experience. Make adjustments as needed based on the feedback and observations from the playtest. Pay attention to the pacing, difficulty, and player engagement throughout the encounter.

By designing a dynamic encounter, you'll provide the players with a memorable and immersive experience. This encounter will challenge their abilities, promote strategic thinking, and encourage teamwork. It will also showcase your creativity as a Game Master and provide an exciting highlight within your one-shot session.
Week 4:

• Day 10: Review the chapters you find most challenging or want to deepen your understanding of. Take notes on specific rules or concepts you want to clarify.
• Day 11: Review the combat rules, including actions, conditions, and spells commonly used in combat encounters.
• Day 12: Review the skills and abilities of your sample character. Familiarize yourself with their options and think about their role in the one-shot session.

Nightly Homework (Week 4):
Create Engaging Puzzles and Challenges:
During Week 4, your nightly homework will revolve around designing puzzles and challenges that will engage and challenge the players in your one-shot session. These elements can add variety and intrigue to the gameplay, providing opportunities for problem-solving and critical thinking. Here's a breakdown of the nightly tasks:

• Night 14: Determine the Purpose: Identify the purpose or objective of the puzzles and challenges. Consider how they contribute to the overall narrative or the specific location where they are encountered. Determine what the players need to accomplish or discover to overcome these obstacles.
• Night 15: Design Puzzle Mechanics: Determine the mechanics of the puzzles and challenges. Think about the rules, actions, or steps the players need to take to solve them. Consider logical connections, patterns, or clues that can lead to the solution. Ensure that the puzzles are challenging but solvable with proper deduction and exploration.
• Night 16: Create Visual Aids: If applicable, create visual aids or props to accompany the puzzles or challenges. This can include maps, diagrams, riddles written on parchment, or physical objects that represent elements of the puzzle. Visual aids can enhance immersion and provide additional clues or hints.
• Night 17: Balance Difficulty: Evaluate the difficulty level of the puzzles and challenges. Ensure they are appropriately challenging for the player characters' abilities and the overall session's difficulty. Adjust the complexity or clues provided, if necessary, to maintain engagement without causing frustration.
• Night 18: Prepare Alternative Solutions: Consider alternative solutions or paths to overcome the puzzles and challenges. Allow for creative thinking and improvisation from the players. Think about potential rewards or consequences for different approaches, encouraging exploration and experimentation.

By completing these nightly homework tasks, you'll have a collection of engaging puzzles and challenges ready to be integrated into your one-shot session. These elements will provide moments of mental stimulation and interaction for the players, fostering problem-solving skills and encouraging teamwork. They will add depth and variety to the gameplay, making the session more memorable and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Weekend Project (Week 4): Design a Unique Setting
For this weekend project, you'll design a unique and immersive setting that serves as a backdrop for your one-shot session. The setting should be intriguing, visually appealing, and offer opportunities for exploration and interaction. Follow these steps to create your setting:

1. Determine the Theme: Decide on the theme or concept for your setting. It could be a haunted mansion, a mystical forest, a bustling city, or any other theme that fits your session's narrative. Consider the atmosphere, mood, and overall ambiance you want to convey.
2. Establish Key Locations: Identify the key locations within the setting. These could be landmarks, important buildings, or distinct areas that the players will encounter during the session. Consider their relevance to the story and the unique features or elements that make them stand out.
3. Develop the Environment: Describe the physical environment of your setting in detail. Consider the geography, climate, flora, and fauna. Think about how these elements impact the atmosphere and affect the characters' interactions within the setting.
4. Populate the Setting: Populate the setting with NPCs, creatures, or other inhabitants. Determine their roles, motivations, and relationships within the setting. Consider how they interact with the players and how their presence enhances the overall atmosphere and narrative.
5. Create Points of Interest: Create points of interest within the setting that provide opportunities for exploration, interaction, or discovery. These could be hidden treasures, ancient ruins, mysterious artifacts, or intriguing NPCs. Consider how these points of interest can engage the players and contribute to the session's narrative.
6. Incorporate Lore and History: Develop the lore and history of the setting. Consider its backstory, legends, and notable events that have shaped the current state of affairs. This will add depth and richness to the setting, providing a sense of history and intrigue for the players.
7. Visualize the Setting: Use visual aids, such as maps or artwork, to bring the setting to life. Create a visual representation of the key locations and important elements within the setting. This will help the players visualize the environment and immerse themselves in the game world.

By designing a unique and immersive setting, you'll provide a captivating backdrop for your one-shot session. The setting will contribute to the overall atmosphere and enhance the players' engagement and immersion. It will offer opportunities for exploration, interaction, and storytelling, making the session more memorable and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Hi everyone! I lived in PDX from 2009-2013 and haven’t visited since before the pandemic, and I understand the city has changed since. I would love some tips on neighborhoods or hotels to look at/avoid. For context, I’m an outdoorsy type who lived in a few areas in PDX, specifically Sellwood, and NW right off upper Burnside. Also, this is a solo trip so looking to get some R&R so the hotel does matter to me. And I defplan on hitting up some of my old haunts for some delicious food and drinks. Any tips would be super helpful. Thanks.

millywyco.com is the place to get the things!
Cash App, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Bitcoin and Amazon Gift Cards (US ONLY). Cash by mail also accepted :)
***PLEASE NOTE*** We cannot ship active spores to CA, ID or GA but boy howdy laws are a changin'! Shouldn't be long at all.
***PLEASE NOTE*** All cultivation inquiries or any mention of cultivation of active species will result in a block, cancelled order, and invalid for any refunds or exchanges. Spores are for microscopy use only.
Welcome back, mega masters of the mush collective!
Before we get into the gooooods, I wanted to address a recurring issue we've been having for a couple weeks now with duplicate orders. For some unknown reason, some of you are submitting an order just fine as usual, however, sometimes my website is kicking out an error after clicking "submit" to place your order. EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR ORDER HAS NOT GONE THROUGH, IT HAS! Check your email to confirm your order has been placed before placing a duplicate order please! If you refresh or go back and place another order, it's still fine and you can checkout as usual, I just have to go through and manually cancel those duplicates. I submitted yet another ticket with Wordpress today to try and get this resolved, as my past attempts have not been resolved. So sorry for the hassle friendos!
On a positive note, APPLE PAY is back as a method of payment! Still working on the traditional credit/debit service and shouldn't be long!
On perhaps an even better positive note, we're nearing order #20,000 over here! What!?!?! All this still seems surreal. I had no idea when all this started that I would reach so many people all over the world, but my heart still feels the same as it did on day one. Thank you everyone who has shown support over the years and allowed me to live up to my true calling and ultimate dream of spreading happiness, kindness and healing. I feel like every day is a true blessing, each month somehow tops the last in some way, and I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Y'all rock so hard!
I suppose we haven't actually hit 20k yet, since some duplicate orders recently had to be canceled, but 19.8k or whatever the actual number is is close enough and still an accomplishment, so I'll count it! Plus you want a chance at some free stuffs, right? We will likely hit number 20,000 today or tomorrow, and if that lucky duck is you, here's what we're looking at:
Everything.
I mean, I'd like to keep the house, car and my pet reindeer Ned, but order 20,000 is in for a lifetime treat:
23qt. Pressure Cooker
50 different cubensis syringes
10 different exotic syringes
20 swab packs (you choose!)
5 spore prints (you choose!)
And whether you are into gourmet cultivation or not, you'll also snag the following:
20 gourmet liquid cultures
20 pre-poured agar plates w/parafilm
10 lbs of the finest perfectly hydrated and sterilized grains (10lb total split however you want! ex: 5-2lb bags, etc)
Two 5lb bags of substrate
If you really REALLY aren't into the gourmets, of course I won't force it on ya. We can work out some kind of substitution but I strongly encourage expanding your knowledge and growing some actual food!
Aaaaand because I'm a fun gi, order #19999 and #20001 will score a surprise box similar to the ones I've given away in the past month or so. You don't know what's in it yet because I don't know what's in it yet. Each care pack is a bit different, and I usually feel out what to include as I'm packing it up (and somehow it's usually just what is needed on the other end. Thanks universe!). I don't think I've seen any pics or reviews of the ones I've already sent out, but I can say the receivers are very pleased :) Which also reminds me I have not updated rewards points for those reviews in a couple weeks gah!! I'll get on that tomorrow, my b!
As promised last week, this was an exotic heavy restock week! Fresh from the printing press, we have a FULL stock of Azurescens, Ps. Cyanescens, Gymnopilus Luteofolius, Gymnopilus Spectabilis (Laughing Gym), Natalensis, Ovoids, Subaeruginosa, Tampanensis and Zapotecorum! All are available in both syringes and swabs and shouldn't run out any time soon!
New(ish) to the cubensis library this week, I'm pleased to report that S. African Transkei is back in full force! We're in the final testing stages of a few other cubes that \should** be ready by next week too!
Enjoy this last day of May my friends! LOVE yourself, spread alllll the kindness and call yo momma! Mush Love <3
CREDIT/DEBIT card payments: we're working on a fix for this, again with no certain ETA. But I know that's a popular and easy payment method, so all hands are on deck with this issue! In the meantime, if you'd still like to pay with a card, try this unenthusiastic workaround:
Purchase an Amazon e-gift card from THIS LINK. Enter [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) as the recipient, add your order number to the memo line and badda bing badda bang, it's sent straight to me. If you're anti-Amazon, I get it. Please keep that mentality. Credit/debit will be back ASAP!
It's ALWAYS now forever. It's NEVER not now. BE HERE NOW! You have no choice...
***I love trades!**\* Trades are the best! If you're an artist or have a specialty of your own and would like to work out a trade for some genetics, please let me know! I've never ever turned down a trade and my lab is full of art, messages and nick knacks from this fantastic community. Diabetic supplies needed and accepted too :) Get in here!
Need to talk? Need a friend? Need to vent? I'm here, let's chat! Always in Love <3
PLACING AN ORDER:
All orders must be placed on the website to receive order confirmation and tracking emails. I have several coupon codes to fit most packages, but if you have a large order or need a custom coupon code, please email me, and I'll take care of you :) You may mix-n-match swabs, spore syringes, and liquid cultures (exotics and "special" swab packs excluded)
The most common order, and the best deal is with coupon code 5PACK, which is for 5 cubensis spore syringes, swabs, or gourmet liquid cultures for $30, including shipping! Coupon code 10PACK is $60 for 10 cubensis or gourmet varieties. Use coupon code 2PACK for 2/$20, or if you need any exotics with your 5-pack, you can use coupon code NEEDMORE for 5 cubes and 1 exotic for $40. NEEDMORE2 for 5 cubes and 2 exotics for $50, and so on :)
NEW EXOTIC COUPON CODES:
TWOSpicy - 2 for $25 Exotic syringes and swab packs
FOURSpicy - 4 for $40 Exotic syringes and swab packs
***PLEASE NOTE*** We cannot ship active spores to CA, ID or GA
***PLEASE NOTE*** All cultivation inquiries or any mention of cultivation of active species will result in a block, cancelled order, and invalid for any refunds or exchanges. Spores are for microscopy use only.
LIST OF AVAILABLE VARIETIES (list accurate at 17:00 on 5/31/23, but will change as varieties sell out):
CUBENSIS SPORE SYRINGES AND SWABS AND SOMETIMES PRINTS:
Acadian Coast
Alacabenzi
Avery's Albino (SWABS ONLY)
B+
Blue Magnolia Rust
Blue Meanie
Burma
Cambodian Gold
Columbian Rust
Costa Rican
Creeper
Ecuador
Elephant Gate
Fiji
Ghost
Golden Mammoth
Golden Teacher
Hillbilly
Huautla
Iquitos
Koh Samui
Leucistic Cambodian
Lizard King
Malabar
Mars
Matapanas
Mazatapec
Mexi-Cub
Namuang
Orissa India
Penis Envy #6
PES Amazon
PES Hawaiian
PF Classic
PF Redspore
Phobos (swabs only)
Puerto Rican
Red Boy
Rusty Whyte
S. African Transkei
S. American
Subcubensis
Tasmanian
Texas Yellow Cap
Tidalwave
Treasure Coast
Xico
Z-Strain
EXOTIC SPORE SYRINGES AND SWABS:
Gymnopilus Luteofolius (Yellow Gilled Gymnopilus)
Gymnopilus Spectabilis (Laughing Gym)
Pan Cam Jam
Ps. Allenii
Ps. Azurescens
Ps. Galindoi ATL7
Ps. Natalensis
Ps. Ovoideocystidiata
Ps. Semilanceata (Liberty Cap)
Ps. Subaeruginosa
Ps. Tampanensis (Pollock)
Ps. Zapotecorum
GOURMET LIQUID CULTURES:
Agarikon
Artist's Conk
Bear's Head
Beefsteak
Bitter Oyster (Bioluminescent!) < Black Pearl Oyster
Black PoplaPioppino
Blue Oyster
Branched Oyster
Chaga
Chestnut
Chicken of the Woods
Coral Tooth
Cordyceps Militaris
Enoki
Florida Oyster
Golden Brown Beech
Ghost Fungus
Honey Mushroom
Jack-O-Lantern
Lions Mane
Nameko
Pathfinder Oyster
Pearl Oyster
Pestalotiopsis Microspora (Plastic munchin' non-fruitin' machine! Or is it?? We need our finest on this)
Pink Oyster
Red Reishi
Shaggy Mane
Shiitake
Sordid Blewit
Sporeless Oyster
Tarragon Oyster
Tiger Sawgill
True Morel
Turkey Tail
Veiled Oyster
White Elm
***PLEASE NOTE*** We cannot ship active spores to CA, ID or GA
***PLEASE NOTE*** All cultivation inquiries or any mention of cultivation of active species will result in a block, cancelled order, and invalid for any refunds or exchanges. Spores are for microscopy use only.

I finally got a digital copy of the books and I've been searching out phrases to support many of my theories. My most recent find is as follows.
I find it suspicious that Pat points out several times that people had food whose origin is hard to explain. It's a recurring theme. The following passages make me think more than one person is getting food from the Fey.
NOTW Ch 13:

...He rose smoothly from the table and began to make his way through the maze of empty tables toward the empty bar. “I can offer you almost anything, dark ale, pale wine, spiced cider, chocolate, coffee. . ..”
Chronicler raised an eyebrow. “Chocolate would be wonderful, if you have it. I wouldn’t expect to find that sort of thing this far from . . .” He cleared his throat politely. “Well, anywhere.”
“We have everything here at the Waystone,” Kvothe said, making an offhand gesture to the empty room. “Excepting any customers, of course.”

NOTW Ch 51:

...But when I reached out to steady myself, my hand didn’t come to rest on leaves and dirt. It touched something round and hard and smooth: a green apple.
I emerged from the hedge and made my way to the northwest corner where the apple tree stood. No apples were on the ground. It was too early in the year for that. What’s more, the iron grate was on the opposite side of the small courtyard. It couldn’t have rolled that far. It must have been carried.

TWMF Ch 4 (meal with Auri):

Using my sackcloth as a table, we sat on the ground and shared our dinner. The bun was a little stale, but it had nuts and cinnamon in it. The head of lettuce was surprisingly fresh, and I wondered where she had found it.

TWMF Ch 30:

Denna wasn’t at any of the inns where she occasionally stayed. She wasn’t listening to music at the Taps or Goat in the Door. Neither Deoch nor Stanchion had seen her. I worried she might have left town entirely while I was occupied. She could be gone for months. She could be gone forever.
Then I turned a corner and saw her sitting in a small public garden under a tree. She had a letter in one hand and a half-eaten pear in the other. Where had she come by a pear so late in the season?

Cinema story enti ante, Guntur lo Mahesh Babu valla Nanna deggara nunchi oka masala chese small room inherit cheskuntadu. Aa room lo kaaram noori, transparent packets lo katti ammutaru. Pure masala without added content. Aiythe, business expand chesi Inka ekkuva profits ravali ani, Mahesh vadi masala packets teeskoni city lo sell chedham ani vastadu.
Akkada Spices lo jarugutunna kalti, under the table dealings, Inka families ki vache health issues because of adulteration with sawdust, chalk powder and lead chromate in spices, idi antha choosi badha padatadu. Aa spices ni kalti chesi illegal ga amme Vilains toh manodu fight chestadu.
Aa villains andariki head emo Jagapati Babu. Jagapati Babu thrives on illegal foods and kalti vyaparam. Fssai committee lo unna Posani Inka Tanikela Bharani lanti old members toh support teeskoni, Jagapati Babu gari factories meda raids veyamani vallaki strength ichi, Mahesh scam ni expose chestadu. And thana pure Guntur Kaaram ni Hyderabad lo ammutadu.
Pooja Hegde is a nutritionist who wants to expose Jagapati Babu but gets killed. She used to study with Bob in college. Flashback Love track. Sree Leela emo currently Bob ki Spice Mafia toh fight cheyadaniki help chese media reporter. Sree Leela also loves Bob but Bob remains in memory of Pooja.
Highlights: Guruji gari 10 super dialogues, Bob ki mass look, Climax lo Food Adulteration meda oka class, nutritionist Pooja Hegde ki credit istu emotional scene, Thaman beats.
Anthe, superhit. Claps baa...

Im sorry to anyone reading this, its basically just me crying and being upset I just don’t have anyone else to say this to
About a year ago I moved countries across the world back to my home country however, I wasn’t born, didn’t grow up in and don’t know anyone or much about the country which Is resulting in me really struggling to talk and get to know people as I just didn’t understand how things were run and what people said I do and people can’t see this because to them I just look like another guy who grew up here. However a few months after moving here this girl came up to me, I know it’s not much but I really appreciated her so much she made it easy to talk to because she understood and saw my struggles, she was the only person I didn’t feel like I was annoying with my constant confusion and mis understanding.
As a result she really turned into someone ill never forget, she taught me and showed me everything about the country and city I live in, football games, events, restaurants, movies and locations, she introduced me to so much of her family and went to her family events who where all so nice and actually seemed interested in me and all actually really liked me (according to her). From the beginning it was clear we liked each other, quickly after spending a little time together we both admitted to liking each other a lot, she would lie on my shoulder, tuck under my arms she would cuddle in cinemas, she said liked me and my build on texts, asked me out for graduation (Just to confirm she did these without me asking), we would discuss our future together and how many children we wanted swell. I liked her style, looks, personality and how nice and how much she actually cared about me because I had never had someone be so caring, loving and interested in me in my life, I would have and probably still would do anything for her. There’s more but I just want to make it clear that it wasn’t just me liking her, it was both of us. However we where never actually in a relationship as she apparently didn’t want to look like a slut as she had just gotten out of a 2 year relationship with someone.
A few months ago she went on holiday with her family and during this time she went very cold over text, I thought it was nothing as I mean she was busy on holiday of course but when I got back it was clear something had changed, she stopped wanting to go out, deleted all her stories and posts with me in and would not want to speak and would only give very few word answers. This made me so upset because I didn’t know what I had done and I didn’t want to make her upset if I was doing something wrong. I started to ask her what I did / why she was mad at me repetitively because I really didn't want her to be upset with me which I ironically made worse. and we would got into long disagreements (that I caused) that would make her extremely upset and leave me confused and question everything even more as she would say stuff like I mad her uncomfortable in the cinema when I leant on her, but she was the one who tucked into my arm during and before the cinema so what was I meant to do? Not take the hints and possibly loose her or act on them? I was genuinely questioning because I didn’t know what to do. In all there were probably about 8-10 of these disagreements over the span of two months on text. During this time I kept trying to talk to her a little in person but kept my distance because I knew she was upset but I still went to her because I knew she was nice and I didn’t really have anyone else, all I woukd say I would do to her during this time was wish her luck on exams, or ask her if she wanted a lift or some food. One day she got mad at me after I asked if I could sit with her one day via text (this started a another one of these). She then avoided the question and said that she never liked me and all of that including the admitting to her liking me was just her being friendly according to her, and apparently I had “trapped” her and forced her into awkward situations over the last two months and then she blocked me on everything and I don’t blame her because she was obviously annoyed with the messaging. I feel so bad, like an abusive husband who has just hit his wife with a brick or something.
Its been about a month since this and I haven’t and probably won’t talk to her for a while or ever again but it still hurts my head so fucking much. I keep thinking about this so much about how I messed up upsetting her with the messages and what I could have done before that so it never started in the first place. Its hard to get out my head because her family where pretty much all I knew and I feel like they all hate me and think that I’m some sort of harraser and not only that but all the buildings and places here remind me of her and this situation because all my first memories of seeing these new things where with her. Fuck even ice reminds me of her because the first time I saw black ice I jumped and slipped on it whilst she was sliding over it. Not only that but it makes me so sad thinking about all the stuff we could of done because we had so many plans for the summer and just seeing them all destroyed after being so excited about them for months and months has really messed me up. It's like a constant stress and pain I cant get out my head, i struggle to even eat or sleep anymore. I just can’t stop thinking about the what ifs and what I could of done better to prevent this because I know most of the reason why this all happened was because of me, I wish I could get this out my head I miss her so much, she was so nice and caring and I got to addicted to her care. I miss It, I miss her and I don’t know what to do. Im sorry.