#i've been here for literally 7 or 8 business days and i've completely lost the plot on

[zipquips]

oh my god i forgot my laundry outside again fuck

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon back again. Heads up im going to be busy for the next week about so it may be a bit til I submit my next bit. I'll try to get something in though! Even if its just a bunch of incorrect quotes I have stored up or songs that inspired the story (or if you have questions you haven't been able to ask you can ask those, literally any question is fine).

1: Not particularly, but it does give him an advantage in everything basically. Cause he was taught how to survive in many different areas (like treating wounds and how to survive in a tundra when you have nothing), this teaching is what allowed him to live alone for 4 years, and is what gives him a strong advantage in the Pit because he's almost fully trained in fighting and has many different tactics for multiple scenarios. Ranbob was distraught and was sent into a depressive episode when he discovered that, almost his entire family was dead, and got even more distraught and sent into a state of hysteria when he found out he was the one who killed them. He acted much the same when he found out he killed his friends, Ran's friends, and every single mentor and leader that was there. Knowing full well he may of very well doomed Mizu, if anyone was still left alive of course. 

2: Grievous remained salty for the rest of the day, and showed distaste in Ranbob as well. But the day after Grievous was back to being friends with and gently pranking Ranbob, forgiving him for yesterday's accident.

3: Eh? It depends I'll say. For life threatening situations and stressful situations, yes definitely. He doesnt last long before breaking down and begging Benjamin for help. But if its something like getting everyone to work toghere, giving directions, stopping fights, or even making calls in a very important decision, he doesnt get overwhelmed too easily. Benjamin is basically the co-leader of the group, only really leading when Isaac is unable too. 

5: Yep! Just cause this is a mythical and fake world doesnt mean there can't be some real world attributes. Im trying to keep it mythical but also use real world functions and trying to show the change/mix in times (like how while some of the world is machinery and its slowly gaining popularity, it's still mostly midevil based)

7: If the person is in the arena he gets revenge. Though sadly he can't get it outside cause last time he did that he got banned from fighting for a month. But if he sees one of the people who made fun of Jackie in the arena he makes sure to go hard to them, pushing them to their limit, but not pushing hard enough to make them lose if that makes sense. He makes sure to fight in a way that's draining and causing pain for the person, but not draining enough to make the round end so he can drag it on until the person collapses. 

8: He does! He's kept all of his books from his adventures and sometimes re-reads them to make sure he doesnt forget anything. And sometimes if the others beg, he reads them outloud to the group as a sort of bedtime story. He goes wack, he wacks Jackie when he's being a little shit, he wacks Grievous after a prank, he wacks Genevieve when she brakes a training dummy, he wacks Levi especially hard when he gives Jackie alcohol after he specifically told him not too. He watched the dressmaker, baker, farmer, fletcher, cleric, cartographer, and butcher! He learned all tricks of the trade and learned how to properly make clothes, map maps, how to take care of animals and what certain animals need, how to cook anything basically, how to harvest and preserve food, and how to make arrows and the basic necessities for a bow. 

Ran does not necessarily make them often, he mostly only wrote them down so he wouldn't accidentally brew a potion of poison and drink it thinking it was a healing potion. Its considered no longer necessary to go into the nether, as the only thing really needed is netherwart and building supplies, but the building supplies are very rarely needed and every major city has a netherwart farm. Also cause I wanna add it, no one knows about netherite. Only a few adventures know about it but consider it a hoax, it's only Rans netherite sword that actually proves that it does exist. I actually wasnt planning on it at first but now definitely, I could do a lot of things with them in the SMP grounds. Weeks, it takes weeks for Ran to decide their ready. Because they need to pass whats basically tests about mobs of the nether and their habits, mine plenty of gold, learn about what to and what not to do around Piglins, learn about bastions and fortresses and areas to completely avoid, learn to be able to take multiple mobs on at once, and be able to withstand the heat there. Watson tries to get Ran to lighten up on the requirements but Ran is firmly sticking his ground and Watson ends up giving up and letting Ran do whatever. Though even with all of Rans training their not completely ready for the nether. The fishermen originally refuse to go through, but eventually go through, mostly to make sure Ranbob is safe, and because Cletus wouldn't stop whining about going. 

10: I am very tempted to add angst here because their fighting against Dream after all. But I've made a lot of angst so far so I'll only do it if you want me too. 

12: He does end up stepping in! He goes to Ranbob one night and says how he's noticed he's been stressed and always sad and asks how he can help. Ranbob brushes him off at first but is debating going to him again and asking for help one last time.

13: Yeah he's like a final boss. When you fight as a General your allowed to use your own personal weapons and whatever tricks or tactics you want, along with 3 potions of your choice. While when fighting as a typical gladiator, you have to use the weapons supplied (although unless specifically stated you can use any weapon given at any time), and have to use tatics and tricks specifically allowed in the rules. Though there are 2 more titles! Sergeant and Corporal. Ran and Watson are both Sergeants, they get to use personal weapons and mostly any tactic and tricks they want too. While Grievous is a Corporal and only gets to use his personal weapons. 

14: Yep! The whispers disappeared gradually the futher away they got from Mizu, and even while he was moving away from Mizu Dream was asking, almost begging him at the end, to come back to Mizu. Saying how the futher Ranbob gets the lonier and colder he feels, and how he's sorrh, trying to guilt trip him into coming back to Mizu, or at least coming closer again. 

15: It is!

1: Huh. What kind of things would people learn if they chose other idols, exactly? Also, ouch. Why do I keep asking questions I know will hurt me later on?

2: Gently pranking. I applaud his restraint. Is that how Grievous forgives people? Gently pranking them? Just joking with them in general. Also, who laughed at that little situation?

3: So Isaac’s good with everyday things, not so much high stress situations. Gotcha. Is there a reason Benjamin is able to remain calm where he can’t? Practice, experience, personality trait?

5: Very cool. Can’t wait to see what else you do with that, honestly.

7: Petty. I love it. 

8: Aww, adventure bedtime stories! Also, him wacking people is so funny to me, thank you for that. And Levi gave Jackie alcohol? How did that go down? Did Jackie get drunk, or did Watson manage to keep them from drinking it? Watson sounds like he could probably establish a small village if he so chose, and honestly, good for him.

Dang. Does this mean like, everything from the Smp has been lost? So many of them had netherite armor and stuff, what happened there for people to not even know it’s a thing anymore? What happened in general, for so much of the past to be lost to history? How does their little Nether trip go? Anyone get hurt? Are piglin tribes around to trade with? Do they find anything cool, like a fortress or bastion?

10: It’s your AU, do what you will. I’m going to read it regardless, because for some reason, I enjoy breaking my heart like that(and the AU in general). Just give us some bonus hurt/comfort if you do, please? Just a smidge?

12: One last time? What does that mean, exactly? Should I be concerned?

13: Huh. So how many people know that Jackie’s the General? What kind of status does it give him? And how many people have managed to beat him when he fights all out? Would you say he and Ran are on par? How about him and Watson? And do the Sergeants and Corporals fight before the General, as like, mini bosses?

14:Oh no. Did it ever cause Ranbob to try and go back to him toward the end, or did the Fishermen manage to distract him long enough to get away from the whispers just about completely?

15: Yay!

[carli-in-the-morning]

Thought Dump/Anxious Ramble

[QUICK WARNING: this is gonna have my unfiltered anxious thoughts here about getting people in trouble, backing out of things, feeling lost & scared & not knowing what to do. If you don't wanna read or deal with my stupid 15 year old anxiety, I completely understand, scroll on by]

Howdy hey! I've had....a terrible awful horrible no good very bad day. And this is that. But first! Some context for our tale.

So I am a self appointed not great person. I'm not a good role model. I do things that are kinda not what your supposed to. Namely, I go out at 2 in the morning and hang with my friends. But Cho, you may ask, how is that not what you're supposed to do? It's actually, where I live, illegal to go outside past 10 pm if you are my age. You can face fines for it. But I do it anyway, been doing it for about a year now. I have only EVER been caught ONCE, but that was by my parents as I sat on our basement floor. They brushed it off and let it be, so really, I've never gotten into any trouble for this. I typically had only gone out with my one girl friend, we'll call her Beth. But last month, I convinced my one guy friend to come out with me, we'll call him Tony. Tony is very new to it all, but Beth and I aren't. He hasn't gotten the entire stealth down pack yet. Which brings us to why I've been having a bad day.

Last night, since I was cat sitting for my grandparents, I had part of the house all to myself. Which fucking ruled, I could get in and out no problemo, and we could even chill at my place. Which we did. He came over, we played Smash (I did horrible), fucked around on Sims, and had a pleasant time. Now, it's a weekday. His dad and grandma wake up earlier in weekdays because...jobs. I asked when Tony wanted to be home by, he said we could leave at like 5:00 (10 minute walk, he'd be home at 5:10)....or he proposed he could stay later and wait for his dad to leave, so we'd leave at like 7:00, get him home at 7:10 (we actually ended up leaving at 7:20ish...so...). I said, as long as he was sure he wouldn't get caught, I was fine with that. We had a blast and then I walked with him most of the way home. I go home, sit down and judt kinda chill. Low and behold, I get a text. (All messages paraphrased for privacy sake):

Tony: Door in was stuck. Good news, my grandma was still home and let me in without asking any questions. Bad news, she might tell my mom that I was outside for no reason at 7:30. But maybe she won't!

Me: Just say you went on a walk after you got woken up by a cat. Don't tell the full truth, but certainly don't lie.

Tony: Yeah, I went for a walk and the door got stuck.

Me: Exactly

Okay....not ideal. But he has an alibi thought out and there's a chance he won't need it. I'm not that concerned. I go about my day, then I get a message on Discord at 5 something in the afternoon:

Tony: So, my mom found out. She's firm on me never doing this again and it all ends now. So, if we wanna do this again, then we're gonna need to wait a long while. I don't think she'll know I can contact you here, so let's chat here.

Me: oof

Tony: In hindsight, maybe we shouldn't have done it so often.

Me: Yeah, but for now lay low. Do everything you can to be helpful and good. Be an angel child and if your parents catch on, say that you just felt guilty and upset for dissapointing them.

Tony: I'll try to fix my sleep schedule as a start, try and get that in check

Me: Yeah, do that. That's a good idea.

Tony: also my mom has my phone. She looked through our texts and said if she caught us again, she'd tell your mom.

Now that....is beyond terrifying. If my mom knew I did this......I'd be dead. She'd cook me and serve me for dinner. My ass would get kicked into the year 3928. Oh, and another bit of context. I had been planning a movie day in two days for Tony and another friend of ours, let's call him Chris. Apparently Tony had not asked his mom yet.

Me: So how much trouble are you in rn, getting in more trouble to watch movies with Chris and I is not a smart idea.

Tony: Uh-huh...because asking to go to watch movies with the girl I've been sneaking out with is entirely clever.

Tony: also, she saw in your contact info that "she said I had a big dick" (inside joke)

Me: oh excellent

Tony: I dont think I ever told my fam you're gay

Me: least of our fucking concerns, we'll deal with that later. Right now I wanna get you in the clear.

Tony: can't do anything rn dude

So. Now onto my anxiety.

I am so fucking scared right now, because the entire time we've been doing this, I've preached that I'd rather take my fingernails off with a bottle opener than get him in trouble, which is true. I would so much rather get myself in trouble than him, and yet not only did I fail myself, I failed him. I told him repeatedly that I wouldn't let him get in trouble, and now he is and it's my fault. I should've remembered that his grandma woke up early too, he told me that. I should've reminded him. I didn't. Or I should've pushed for him to leave earlier or I should've kept him later. Or I should've never convinced him to join my stupid antics. And because of me and my faults, he's now in hot water. It is entirely my fucking fault. And not only did I get him in trouble, I could've run the risk of getting myself in trouble. Which is a death sentence in my house.

And also! That movie day? Yeah, so, Chris does soccer. And currently he had a very busy soccer lifestyle. His phone is also broken. So he had to put in literal effort to respond to me in the planning process. He just gave the okay for doing it. And now Tony can't go, and I don't wanna cancel on Chris after he A) said he was looking forward to it. And B) put in effort to make the time to respond to me and make this work for him. I'd feel like a bitch for cancelling. But most of the movies we are gonna watch were because Tony hadn't seen them. So I don't wanna watch them without him, but I don't wanna have it be really awkward with just me and Chris for like....8 and a half hours (the original planned time, given our movie list runtimes). I'm not really an entertaining person! Especially not for that long. I wouldn't know what to do! And I don't know if we could shorten the time or if I could even be sure that he would see my messages! So I can't cancel it or keep it going.

Overall I don't know what to do and I'm panicked and stressed. I feel so useless.....

If anyone has advice...I could really use it. Because I.....I messed up....I messed up big time

[irisesand]

for the last fifteen minutes of friendships day, i just want to talk about a few moments with my friends. these moments truly remind me of just how beautiful friendships are supposed to be.

1. recently, I've been trying to relearn my state's language and I was met in a situation where I had to use my limited knowledge of the language to try communicating with someone. when I got home, the first thing I did was send one of my friends who knows the language a long voice mail speaking IN the language but it was completely battered and bruised. and all she did was tell me how shocked she was about how 'good' I spoke and that's all the validation I needed, that's all the encouragement I needed. i now send that friend voicemails speaking in the language and I don't feel shame about how bad I speak.

2. yesterday, I sent my best friend a big voicemail about some emotional turmoil I was feeling. even though she told me that she's bad at providing people with comfort when they rant to her, she sat through the whole voicemail and tried comforting me. she kept being on my side while I let it all out when it was almost midnight and she had college the next day. she told me she had to go to bed, but would respond to me instantly. and the next day she sent me many words of encouragement before i even woke up.

3. I reconnected with one of my old friends from three years ago, and we instantly fell back into that pattern of talking. recently, I was taking a break from social media (you see i do this often, because I want some sanity in my brain in tact). and when I came back, the first thing I tweeted was "hey, do you have whatsapp?" because I wanted to talk to her more often but didn't want to be on social media much. and not even a second later, she sends me a dm with her number, and asks me if I'm okay and reassures me that things will be fine and that she's here for me.

4. a few months ago, I had been feeling an extreme amount of loneliness. I would often text this one friend of mine that i lost contact with and that once steady flow that ignited our friendship had seemingly disappeared. and it truly broke my heart, and I didn't want to let her know bc I didn't want to concern her. but one day, the sadness was too much to take and I was feeling this overwhelming grief over all the friendships that I lost over the years, and I just texted her a few messages about it. I didn't expect anything at all. but the next time I logged in I saw she sent me a few voicemail and in those she gently explained to me that it's okay and that sometimes friendships can't be the same, but it's no one's fault, and that people just tend to get busy. I will probably never forget that bc I cannot tell you how much I needed that.

5. I have these three friends that are my absolute constant for about three years. my ride or die, my pillars, they constitute so much of my life and my love. no matter how difficult life gets, I can always turn to them. I will always be there for them as they are for me. they mean more to me than the entire world. the gentleness of our friendship.

6. my other friend has had her exams for a whole month now, and I have been absolutely broken bc i missed her sm but i didn't want to disturb her. or give her anything else to worry about. so I would leave a message every now and then asking her to take care and if her exams are over yet. and yesterday, her exams were finally done. and as i was thinking of texting her, she sends me a message in all caps "hi bestie, I'm here" I love her so much.

7. just a few days ago, i was telling my friend recently about something stupid like how I asked my other friend who's studying medical to become a dentist bc of the absolute nightmarish fear of the dentist. and my med student friend literally said that she can't now but never said no. and i told my friend, who's also afraid of the dentist, this and she agreed to this insanity.

8. recently I became friends with the most beautiful and kind souls online. she's from my country, and from the first day I texted her, we never ran out of things to talk about (knock on wood). but I think she's the coolest person ever and I LOVE talking to her because she's able to say the most beautiful and kind things to me. just today, I was responding to her messages from days ago. and she told me that she would love if I had been in her college or atleast find someone like me in her college. she also asked for when my birthday is bc there are too many birthdays in august and she wanted to note mine down in her dairy.

[harrycook]

27

June 12th 2018 was my 27th birthday.

Here are 27 things I feel like I have learnt about life so far:

1. Don’t Argue With Stupid People.

You get nowhere. It’s like playing scrabble with a dog, no matter how well you play, the dog will end up shitting on the board and walking away like he won anyway.

2. Eat The Damn Cake.

Yes I know that eating right and exercise is important for your health, but if you are in the vicinity of a cake or delicious bite of something, just eat it.

3. Working Is A Part Of Life, Not The Entirety Of Life.

Unless you adore what you do for a living and it is your pasison and life’s mission, take a deep breath and don’t take it all so seriously. At the end of the day, a job is to pay the bills and have pocket money to go and enjoy yourself when you’re not working. Unless you are genuinely passionate about your career, don’t sweat it. Don’t break your back worrying about a job that would replace you within a week if you dropped dead.

4. Don’t Take Anything Seriously, Seriously.

Unless you are performing open heart surgery or have the cure for cancer in your back pocket, lighten the fuck up. No matter what your job is, ask yourself if it will matter in 100 years? If not, giggle and let it go. The world won’t stop spinning if you miss a deadline or make a mistake. Breathe. It’s all good.

5. Ignorance Is A Choice.

Yes. It’s 2018. There is no excuse for ignorance or stupidity when we have more information on our phones than a public library. If you don’t understand something, research it. Pick up a book, scan the internet, question everything, especially the news. Be curious, ask questions and most of all, don’t be lazy. Educate yourself so the world can be full of kinder, more worldly individuals who know what they are talking about.

6. Throw Away Anything You Thought You Knew That Doesn’t Sit Well With Your Values.

We grow up in a society that feeds us garbage from the moment we enter the world. Boys are taught to be one way and girls are taught to be another. It’s a system that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years because society wants us to constantly keep within the mold. Screw that. Break the mold and let people be who they want to be. Go after a job you want, not what society wants for you. Travel, see the world, stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and go after the stuff that means something to you.

7. Laugh At Every Chance You Get.

Nothing beats a good belly laugh. Plus, it’s also extremely healthy. Laugh as often as you can. This goes straight back to the not taking anything seriously thing. Giggle more. It works wonders for the soul.

8. Get A Hobby.

The past year I have picked up the piano again (not literally 'picked it up', obviously, but started learning again), attempted to learn Spanish, set a goal of reading a book a fortnight (up to book 25) and started working out a minimum of three times a week. Each year older I start realising how quickly time goes and how many amazing things are at my disposal to learn or try.

9. Read The News, Then Read It Again, And Then Research Some More.

Don't take anything at face value. Just because the news tells you one thing, don't take it as gospel. These news shows are run by multibillionaire white men and corporations with agendas. Don't take it at face value. Look in to things. Read as much as you can and become your own private investigator for the truth. Just because a news show says something, doesn't make it fact.

10. Read More.

Nothing opens up the heart and mind more than a good book. The excuse of not having enough time to read doesn't cut it. Instead of watching an hour of Netflix, take an hour to open a good book. It's good for the soul. Trust me.

11. Get A Pet.

YASSSSSSS. Get a dog. Then get another dog. Then when you think you simply can't handle the amount of snuggles you are getting, get another dog!! In all seriousness, dogs are extremely good for your health. They reduce stress and anxiety, boost happiness and are wonderful snuggle buddies. Adopt don't shop! There are plenty of rescue animals in need of good homes.

12. Sometimes People Hurt You. It Sucks.

Yes. Sometimes the people you never in a bazillion years thought could hurt you, will hurt you terribly. I had an experience in recent years with extended family that completely shifted my entire outlook on people in general. Sadly, some of the people you think you know are far from what you think. It sucks, yes, but once you acknowledge it, it slowly stops hurting. You can move on with your life when you realise that sometimes a wake-up call is all you need to realise that you're better off without certain people in your life. And that's totally ok.

13. Log Off. Often.

The age of social media is WONDERFUL for so many reasons. Keeping in contact with people, viewing beautiful content, learning things with a click and the hours and hours of streamable content are all fantastic reasons to use social media. But on the flip side, it can also be an information overload and I highly advise switching off, taking a bath and leaving your phone somewhere away from you for a few hours. It can't be healthy getting a constant stream of negative news 24/7. So unplug. Those cute puppy pics will be there when you get back.

14. Exercise.

I know, I know, YUCK. Exercise isn't the most fun of activities, and I am the first to admit that whenever I heard someone say "but the endorphins are good for your happiness levels" I'd roll my eyes so far back in my head I could see my brain. But it's completely and utterly true. Just a 40 minute run 3 times a week has improved my mood ten fold. I've suffered with depression, anxiety and addiction for years, but exercise allows me to completely refresh and enjoy the day on a belly full of endorphins. Do it for the feeling you get, not to achieve some unattainable body. It works a treat. Trust me.

15. Napping Is AMAZING.

Yes. Napping is one of the best damn things to do. Nothing beats an afternoon nap. It refreshes you for the rest of the day and is a great way to reboot the system. Don't let people tell you otherwise. It's bloody fantastic.

16. Journal.

I've written a journal since I was ten years old and looking back on all the adventures, worries, achievements and memories throughout the years is something I cherish so incredibly much. Studies have shown that journalling is really healthy for the mind and soul. Grab a notebook and get doodling.

17. Take Photos.

If taking selfies is your thang, go for it. If taking pictures of trees, animals or the sunset gets you going, snap away. Taking photos is therapeutic for a number of reasons, but most of all it's a lovely way to document your life with things to look back on. Get snapping.

18. Never Think You Know It All.

It's easy to be arrogant when we are conditioned all our lives with things we are expected to believe. "Boys should do this", "girls should do that". But just because we've been taught it from a society that has never been challenged to think differently, doesn't make it right. Question everything. Stay curious. Look into things and don't dismiss stuff you know nothing about. Not only is it a really ugly personality trait, it gets you nowhere in life. Opening your mind and heart is a surefire way of experiencing life in all its' beauty.

19. Go After What You Want In Life.

Jim Carey did a graduation speech about his father who never went after his dreams because he wanted to do the ‘safe thing'. Have a 'stable' career that would provide for his family. From memory, his father failed and lost everything in his 'stable' career. The moral being that if you are going to fail at something, at least let it be something you love, because the fact is it is just as possible to fail at something you hate. Give it a go. Life is too short to not go after what you want.

20. Travel. Travel. Travel.

See the world. It'll show you that we humans are all the same. It replaces ignorance with knowledge and shows you how vast our planet is. Get out there.

21. Someone Who Is Nice To You But Not Nice To The Waiter Is Not A Nice Person.

I love this quote because it's so damn true. Don't be a dick to service people. Don't think you're better than anyone because you're not. End of story. Period.

22. Get Over Yourself.

Sort of a continuation of the above, this is just a reminder to get over yourself, have a giggle and realise that just because you have a fancy car, a nice suit or well manicured hands means absolutely sweet F.A. Being a good person, showing kindness, empathy and caring about the planet and human beings as a whole is what counts in my books. Just be a good person. It's that simple.

23. Tell Your Loved Ones You Love Them And Don’t Go To Bed Angry.

Pretty self explanatory this one, but all the same, something to remember constantly. Life is far too short to go to bed angry at someone. Throw away silly arguments and tell the people you care about how you feel.

24. Screw What People Think Of You.

I mean it. Who cares what someone else thinks of you? That's their stuff. How they perceive you and how they feel about you is none of your business. Water off a ducks' back. Let it go.

25. Try Not To Worry So Much.

I know. Easier said than done, but sometimes it helps to take a step back, take a deep breath in and ask a few key questions: Can I do anything to change the current situation? If yes, do it. If not, let it go. Breathe through it and remember all we ever have is right in this moment.

26. Meditate.

YASSSSSSSSS times a million. Meditating is one of the most powerful things I have ever learnt in my 27 years on this planet. Taking a moment to just sit and reflect and focus on the here and now is one of the most intensely wonderful ways of reconnecting to what matters. There are a million different apps you can use or simply sit and count your breaths. It works wonders.

27. Life is what you make it, but most of all it’s about love.

Love, family, friends and making memories is the most important thing in life. Every year on this earth I realise more and more how utterly stupid it is to worry about material things. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy material stuff whatsoever, but it shouldn't be what you go after in life. Nobody ever gets to the end of their life clutching on to their Chanel bag. The things that matter are the people you love and the memories you make.

So go for a walk, take in the view, have a laugh and breathe in every moment of every day. It's all we ever have.

- Harry.

[gayshitiguess]

So since @riahawk messaged me the second after I made that post saying simply “playlist yes” I thought I would share.

So I chose one song for every chapter and thought I would do a Critical Role styled explanation! I hope you guys like it!

Chapter 1: Modern Literature

“Dying in LA” By Panic! At the Disco

“Every face along the boulevard is a dreamer just like you./ You looked at death in a tarot card and you saw what you had to do.”

What can I say, this song has always screamed Mollymauk to me, especially these two lines in the pre-chorus. Beware takes place in LA, so the title is just that much more accurate. In this first chapter and for most of the story, Molly keeps drawing the same three cards from his deck, the Fool, the Devil, and Death. He is literally looking at death in a tarot card. This is him trying to find his way, trying to gleam where he’s supposed to go from here. Luckily, he finds his way.

Chapter 2: A Show of Scrutiny

“I Put a Spell on You” By Screamin Jay Hawkins

Enter magic awkward dude! This chapter deals mostly with the aftermath of Molly finding out holy shit, magic is real. I chose this version of the Nina Simone version simply because I wanted to capture the frantic, scream argument part of this chapter. This version has Jay Hawkins literally just screeching into the mic, and if that doesn’t sum up Molly’s mood for this chapter, I don’t know what does. Bonus, it's a love song, and this is where the seeds are planted. Love is in the air, but mostly panic and magic!

Chapter 3: Lost and Found

“Junkie Church” By AJJ

“Last week I saw you at the junkie church/ you told me all the things I need to hear/ like I’ve got a heart of gold/ and a kind and open soul.”

This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire piece. I love to put in little lunar interludes of sorts between the big stuff, and this really was that at its best. In this chapter, we get a bit of insight into Caleb’s past, but not nearly the entirely. We also get a tarot reading from Molly to Caleb that somehow managed to give Caleb’s fucking terrible story positivity. Con men really are in the business of telling people what they want to hear. Molly made it his business to tell Caleb pretty things. He’s very good at that.

Chapter 4: Shadows

“Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” By Fall Out Boy

“I hope the roof flies off and we get blown out into space/ I always make such expensive mistakes.”

You know my emo ass had to throw in some Fall Out Boy. Really, everything that they do in this chapter is mistakes. This is where shit gets bad. So many bad choices were made from Caleb giving Molly the necklace to letting the entire group into the haunted house. It had to end in a possession. Plus, I need some sick guitar riffs to get into a fight scene.

Chapter 5: Passed Through Fire

“Holy Calamity [Bear Witness II]” By Handsome Boy Modeling School

Did I say that I needed sick guitar riffs for a fight? I’m so sorry, I meant that I needed classics of the hip hop scene blowing out my speakers. This song just captures the absolute chaos of what the fuck is happening in the chapter. Shit gets crazy from the moment that the song begins, and this chapter’s contents are enough to have you screaming “Holy Calamity!” from beginning to end

Chapter 6: Reunions

“Safe in my Garden” By The Mamas & The Papas

This really is the quintessential Caduceus song to me. Really, the idea of him bopping to The Mamas & The Papas is such a lovely one. This song just reminds me of the Blooming Grove, the smooth, sweet sound, the very name just feels like the Grove. And here we get to see everybody coming to Caduceus for help and for protection. They’re all safe in his garden.

Chapter 7: What Lies Beneath the Surface

“Zombies” By Childish Gambino

“You will find/ there is no safe place/ to hide.”

Zombies! I mean, really, there was no better song for this chapter. If I was going to do a chapter about the undead, I had to throw Gambino in there. This whole album could be the soundtrack for this story, but this one especially. This chapter completely negates the safety of the last, completely ruins the safe garden that Caduceus maintains. It's a wrench in the plan and it’s a song that sounds so different from any other on the playlist, that its a wrench in the sound.

Chapter 8: Omens

“Nausea” By Jeff Rosenstock

“I got so tired of discussing my future/ I started avoiding the people I love./ Evening of silence and morning of nausea/ Shake and sweat and I can’t throw up/ I got so tired of discussing my future/ That I walk through my life like I'm the only one”

Caleb has a really hard time communicating what he wants to other people. He also has a hard time talking about his future, since he hasn’t really planned on having one since the academy. It's hard for him not to push people away, but Molly is stubborn and he isn’t willing to let Caleb push people out of his life.

Chapter 9: Strange Bedfellows

“I’ve Got Problems” By Harley Poe

“Talking to myself again/ About how I'll never win/ I look into the mirror/ And that's how my day begins/ I wonder when did all this black fill up my mind/ Well I don't shower/ I'm a slob/ I've gone years without a job/ And I can't seem to keep my hands out of my pants and off my knob/ Because the perversions in my head are of the sickest kind”

What can I say? Caleb’s got problems. Like, big time problems. He’s one fucked up shit. Just as “Safe in my Garden” is the quintessential Caduceus song, this is the quintessential Caleb song. I really could put the entire song in quotations because it is perfect. He’s trying his best here to convince Molly that he is FUBAR and honestly? It kind of works. He’s a fucked up guy who does fucked up things, and there’s very little that either of them can do about it.

Chapter 10: Dangerous Liasons

“Would you Be So Kind” By dodie

Caleb and Molly have been hinting at romance for the entire piece, but this is where it really starts to bloom. Molly expressed how serious he is about this, and tells Caleb that whenever he’s ready, Molly’s there. Molly is baring his soul in a way he hasn’t to anybody before. He’s trusting Caleb in a way he hasn’t with anybody. It's scary and he’s afraid to fuck it up, and all he can do right now is ask Caleb “could you maybe fall in love with me?”

Chapter 11: Crimson Deplomacy

“Devil’s Haircut” By Beck

Molly’s worst fucking nightmare; finding out what exactly is in his head. It turns out that it's Lucien. It's his worst case scenario. Getting real, concrete answers to his past that he never once asked for. And it only means bad things on the way. There’s something decidedly evil in his mind and he’s stuck. All he can do is hope that he’ll be okay. Plus, what a use of the kazoo.

Chapter 12: At Dawn, We Plan!

“Bad Moon Rising” By Creedence Clearwater Revival

This song is cursed and so is this chapter. It's all about bad tidings and warnings, an omen of bad things on the rise. Although this chapter is relatively tame, there is a permeating sense of unease. Molly knows that this is going to go badly. He knows that something horrible is about to happen. And there is absolutely nothing that he can do about it. There’s a bad moon on the rise, and Molly’s going to have to face it.

Chapter 13: Found and Lost

“Through The Roof N’ Underground (feat. Eugene Hütz)” By Gogol Bordello

“When there's a trap set up for you/ In every corner of this town/ And so you learn the only way to go is underground/ When there's a trap set up for you/ In every corner of your room/ And so you learn the only way to go is through the roof”

Taliesin said it himself, Molly was always going to end with this song. This whole chapter is a fucking disaster. Molly “dies,” Lucien comes back, Lucien “dies,” there’s a lot of our favorite Bloodhunter biting the dust. Molly is doomed the second that that demon enters the room, and so he makes his way underground. Lucien is dragged up by his teeth from the inside of himself, and he goes straight through the roof. I’ve really found a love for this song and the intense, falling to pieces nature of it. By the end of it, the instrumentals and vocals fall out of sync and fade into nothing, just like Molly.

Chapter 14: Epilouge: The Chapter Closes

“Safety Song” By Andrea Gibson

“I was walking home in the red night zone/ I had a pair of flowers/ you had pegs on the back of your bike/ it was almost the morning hour/ I said come with me to the carnival/ we can sneak in when the power goes out/ we can sit real still in the bumper carts/ and see what it's all about to be safe/ from the crashing day/ we can be safe from everything/ you caught my eye in the funhouse mirror/ you look so pretty even like that/ you held my hand while I held my tongue/ and blushed beneath my baseball cap/ you said we've all got monsters under our bed and under our skin as well/ we can hold them in the corners of our little shame or bring them to show and tell/ just know your safe to tell me anything/ you are so safe to tell me anything/ lying in the grass by the ferris wheel/ I saw a train i knew we could catch so/ we ran through the streets and the parking lot/ and we caught that train as we caught our breath and we rode through the hills and the silo fields/ I knew my heart had no fire escape/ but I stood in your lightning like a sycamore tree/ love is a risk you have to take I feel safe to risk everything/ I feel safe to risk everything”

Finally, finally Molly has made it. After several months of recovery, plenty of therapy, and lots of soul searching, he’s able to breathe. This entire story has felt suffocating for me. I believe that Molly’s arc would have been an extremely painful and cathartic one to watch, so I thought that I would make something similar. This song is slow and sweet and tenuous. For a story that goes so hard for so long, I wanted to slow it down at the end and deliver something sweet. This is where Caleb and Molly decide to risk it, amnesia and trauma be damned, because love is a risk, but it's one that they have to take. And he’s safe. Finally safe.

[permanentplaceholder]

No one wants to talk about this, but we all should be. - Citadel Has No Clothes (original research by u/atobitt on Reddit) - If you've heard about Gamestop, you should read this to get a better idea what's really going on.

source

EDIT: This is not financial advice. Everything disclosed in the post was done by myself, with public information. I came to my own conclusions, as should you.

TL;DR - Citadel Securities has been fined 58 times for violating FINRA, REGSHO & SEC regulations. Several instances are documented as 'willful' naked shorting. In Dec 2020 they reported an increase in their short position of 127.57% YOY, and I'm calling bullsh*t on their shenanigans.

I've been digging into the financial statements of Citadel Securities between 2018 and 2020. Primarily because Citadel Securities actually has a set of published financial statements as opposed to the 13Fs filed by Citadel Advisors.

First... Citadel is a conglomerate.. they have a hand in literally every pocket of the financial world. Citadel Advisors LLC is managing $384,926,232,238 in market securities as of December 2020...

Yes, seriously- $384,926,232,238

$295,347,948,000 of that is split into options (calls & puts), while $78,979,887,238 (20.52%) is allocated to actual, physical, shares (or so they say). The rest is convertible debt securities.

The value of those options can change dramatically in a short amount of time, so Citadel invests in several "trading practices" which allow them to stay ahead of the average 'Fidelity Active Trader Pro'. Robinhood actually sells this data (option price, expiration date, ticker symbol, everything) to Citadel from it's users. Those commission fees you're not paying for? yeah.... think again.. Check out Robinhoods 606 Form to see how much Citadel paid them in Q4 2020.. F*CK Robhinhood.

Anyway, another example is Citadel's high-frequency trading. They actually profit between the national ask-bid prices and scrape pennies off millions of transactions... I'm going to show you several instances where Citadel received a 'slap on the wrist' from FINRA for doing this, but not just yet.

Now.... the "totally, 100% legit, nothing-to-see-here, independent*"* branch of Citadel Advisors is Citadel Securities- the Market Maker Making Manipulated Markets. The whole purpose of the DTCC is to serve as an third party between brokers and customers (check out this video for more on DTCC corruption). I'll bring up the DTCC again, soon.

Anyway, Citadel Advisors uses their own subsidiary (Citadel Securities) to support their very "unique" style of trading. For some reason, the SEC and FINRA have allowed this, but not without citing them for 58 'REGULATORY EVENTS'.

So that got me thinking.... "WTF is Citadel actually putting out there for the public to see?" Truthfully, not much... a 12-page annual report called a 'statement of financial condition'.

Statement of Financial Condition in 2018.

The highlighted section above represents securities sold, but not yet purchased, at fair value for $22,357,000,000. This is a liability because Citadel is responsible for paying back the securities they borrowed and sold. If you're thinking "that sounds a lot like a short", you're correct. Citadel Securities shorted $22 big ones (that's billion) in 2018.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Same story for 2019- but bigger: $25,270,000,000

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2020 starts to get REALLY interesting...

Throughout the COVID pandemic, we all heard the stories of brick-and-mortars going bankrupt. It was becoming VERY profitable to bet against the continuity of these companies, so big f*cks like Citadel decided to up their portfolio... by 127.57%.

That's right. Citadel Securities upped their short position to $57,506,000,000 in 2020.

We've all heard Jimmy Cramer's bedtime stories: "It's important to create a narrative in your favor so that your short position helps drive those businesses into bankruptcy." Personally, I'm convinced that most of the media hype throughout COVID was an example of this, but I digress.

EDIT: Credit to u/JohnnyGrey for the deeper-dive, here..

Out of the $32,236,000,000 increase in shorts during 2020, $22,740,000,000 (70.5%) were increases in financial derivatives (options)...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anyway, Citadel shorted another $32,236,000,000 in 2020 and rolled into 2021 with some PHAT $TACK$. Now it's time for a quick accounting lesson; this is where you're going to sh*ted the bed.

You see the highlighted section below? Citadel (and other companies reporting highly liquid securities) uses 'Fair Value' accounting to measure the amount that goes on their balance sheet (including liabilities like short positions). The cash that Citadel received (asset) was accounted for when the security was sold, but the liability (short) needs to be recorded at the CURRENT MARKET PRICE for those securities while they remain on the balance sheet..

At the end of 2020, the 'Fair Value' of their short positions were $57 billion.

At the end of 2021, however, Citadel will need to adjust the value of those liabilities to their CURRENT market value... Since we don't know the domestic allocation of their short portfolio, you can only imagine the sh*tsunami that's coming for them..

Take $GME for example....

We KNOW that Citadel "had" a short position in $GME along with Melvin Capital... Can you imagine the damage that r/wallstreetbets has done to the other stonks in their portfolio? If Melvin lost 53% in January from this, there's no telling what the current 'Fair Value' of those shorts are..

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I trust a wet fart more than Citadel, Melvin, and Point 72. Here's why.

This is a FINRA report published in early 2021. It cites 58 regulatory violations and 1 arbitration. After explaining how Ken Griffin basically controls the world through the tentacles of the Citadel octopus, it lists detailed cases and fines that were usually 'neither admitted or denied, but promptly paid' by Citadel Securities.

Let me shed some light on a FEW:

INACCURATE REPORTING OF SHORT SALE INDICATOR. FIRM ALSO FAILED TO HAVE A SUPERVISORY SYSTEM IN PLACE TO COMPLY WITH FINRA RULES REQUIRING USE OF SHORT SALE INDICATORS. DATE INITIATED 11/13/2020 - $180,000 FINE

TRADING AHEAD OF ACTIVE CUSTOMER ORDERS... IMPLEMENTED CONTROLS THAT REMOVED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MOSTLY-LARGER CUSTOMER ORDERS FROM TRADING SYSTEM LOGICS... INTENTIONALLY CREATING DELAYS BETWEEN MARKET MAKERS' TRANSACTIONS WHILE THE UNRESPONSIVE PARTY UPDATED PRICE QUOTES.... NO SUPERVISORY SYSTEM IN PLACE TO PREVENT THIS. DATE INITIATED 7/16/2020 - $700,000 FINE

FAILED TO CLOSE OUT A FAILURE TO DELIVER POSITION; EFFECTED SHORT SALES. DATE INITIATED 2/14/2020 - $10,000 FINE

BETWEEN JUNE 12, 2013 - OCTOBER 17 2017 (YEAH, OVER 4 YEARS) THE FIRM PRINCIPALLY EXECUTED BETWEEN 248 AND 7,698 BUY ORDERS DURING A CIRCUIT BREAKER EVENT; FAILED TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN SUPERVISORY PROCEDURES TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE. INITIATED 1/22/2020 - $15,000 FINE

ON OR ABOUT 11/16/2017, CITADEL SECURITIES TENDERED 34,299 SHARES IN EXCESS OF IT'S NET LONG POSITION (naked short); DATE INITIATED 8/21/2019 - $30,000 FINE

CEASE AND DESIST ORDER ON 12/10/2018: FAILURE TO SUBMIT COMPLETE AND ACCURATE DATA TO COMMISSION BLUESHEET ("EBS") REQUESTS. (BASICALLY FAILED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF TRANSACTIONS TO THE SEC). BETWEEN NOV 2012 AND AUG 2016, CITADEL SECURITIES PROVIDED 2,774 EBS STATEMENTS, ALL OF WHICH CONTAINED DEFICIENT INFORMATION RESULTING IN INCORRECT TRADE EXECUTION TIME DATA ON 80 MILLION TRADES. DATE INITIATED 12/10/2018 - $3,500,000 FINE

TENDERED SHARES FOR THE PARTIAL TENDER OFFER IN EXCESS OF ITS NET LONG POSITION (more naked shorting); FAILED TO ESTABLISH SUPERVISORY PROCEDURES TO ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE RULES. INITIATED 3/22/2018 - $35,000 FINE

IN MORE THAN 200,000 INSTANCES BETWEEN JULY 2014 AND SEPTEMBER 2016, FIRM FAILED TO EXECUTE AND MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS, TWO-SIDED TRADING INTEREST WITHIN THE DESIGNATED PERCENTAGE (scraping pennies between bid-ask) ABOVE AND BELOW THE NATIONAL BEST BID OFFER.... INITIATED 10/13/2017 - $80,000 FINE

ANOTHER CEASE AND DESIST FOR MAJOR MARKET MANIPULATION BETWEEN 2007 - 2010. INITIATED 1/13/2017 - $22,668,268 FINE

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quite frankly, I'm tired of typing them. There are STILL 49 violations, and most are BIG fines.

Naked shorts, failure to provide documentation to SEC, short selling on trade halts..... is this starting to sound familiar? When r/wallstreetbets started exposing the truth, they lost the advantage. Now that the DD is coming out about this sh*t, they're getting desperate.

Let's look at some recent events that occurred with trading halts in $GME. On March 10 2021 (Mar10 Day) we watched the stock rise until 12:30pm when an unbelievable drop triggered at least 4 circuit breaker events (probably more but I walked away for a bit).

Price drop of 40% in about 25 minutes

Now... I do not believe retail traders did this.. most importantly, the market was totally frozen for the majority of that 25 minutes. Even if people were putting in orders to sell, there were just as many people trying to buy the dip.

The volume of shares flooding the market- at the same exact time- was premeditated. I can say that with confidence because several media outlets (mainly MarketWatch) published articles WHILE this was happening, after nearly a week of radio-silence. MarketWatch even predicted the decline of 40% before the entire drop had occurred. When Redditors reached out to ask WTF was going on, the authors set their Twitter accounts to private... slimy. as. f*ck.

"But wait.... didn't example # 4 say that Citadel was fined $15,000 for selling shorts during circuit breaker events!?"

Yup! and here are TWO more instances:

CITADEL SECURITIES LLC EFFECTED TRANSACTIONS DURING NUMEROUS TRADING HALTS..

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2: And another...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Think Citadel is alone in all of this? Think again... It's actually been termed- "flash crash".

$12,500,000 fine for Merrill Lynch in 2016..

$7,000,000 for Goldman...

$12,000,000 for Knight Capital...

$5,000,000 for Latour Trading...

$2,440,000 for Wedbush...

PEAK-A-BOO, I SEE YOU! $4,000,000 for MORGAN STANLEY

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I can't tell who was responsible for the flash crash in $GME last Wednesday; I don't think anyone can. However, to suggest that it wasn't market manipulation is laughable. The media and hedge funds are tighter than your wife and her boyfriend, so spending time on this issue is a waste.

But what we can do is look at the steps they're taking to prepare for this sh*tsunami. So let's summarize everything up to this point, shall we?

Citadel has been cited for 58 separate incidents, several of which were for naked shorting and circuit breaker flash-crashes

The short shares reported on Citadel's balance sheet as of December 2020 were up 127% YOY

The price of several heavily-shorted stocks has skyrocketed since Jan 2021

Citadel uses 'Fair Value' accounting and needs to reconcile the value of their short positions to this new market price. The higher the price goes, the more expensive it becomes for them to HODL

We know that Citadel is on the hook for $57,000,000,000 in shorts, but at least they're HODLing onto some physical shares as assets, right?.... RIGHT??

This should soothe that smooth ape brain of yours...

"UHHHHHH ACTUALLY, THE DTCC & FRIENDS OWN OUR PHYSICAL SHARES".....

Well that's just terrific, because the DTCC just implemented SRCC 801 which means they DON'T have your f*cking shares... I've seriously never seen so much finger pointing and ass-covering in my LIFE....

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I know this post was long, but the story can't go untold.

The pressure being placed on hedge funds to deliver has never been higher and the sh*t storm of corruption is coming to a head. Unfortunately, the dirty tricks & FUD will continue until this boil ruptures. There are several catalysts coming up, but no one truly knows when the MOAB will blow.

However, desperate times call for desperate measures and we have never seen so much happening at once. For all of these reasons and more: Diamond. F*cking. Hands.

-----

once more, original credit to u/atobitt on Reddit, source here