Prince (not so) Charming 2
As promised, I tried finishing it after class UwU but dog walks and walks with my sisters kind of delayed the publication
**[WP] Prince Charming’s are actually a species of monster that kidnap young women with the promise of their dreams and desires. Unfortunately, your younger sister has fallen victim. Together with your father, you venture into the forest to save her! Quite the twisted fairytale!**
Chapter 1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/prince-not-so-charming-6595c237
“No one... else? Do you maybe know someone who that else is??” I was cautious of what to ask, seeing as she might be trying to get me to drop my guard.
“Follow me. You and your father. Only you can stop them from their abductions” She then turned her back and I watched her figure disappear into the darkness of the forest
As I was to follow, my father grabbed me by the shoulder “Darius! Who are you talking to? Have you gone mad already?”
“No, father, she was going to tell us something” I pointed to the small clearing where the woman had disappeared to “We need to follow her!” Out of impatience, I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down the clearing.
There was no elder woman there but past the overgrowth of grass and trees, there stood a cave whose entrance was barely illuminated by whatever fire was lit inside.
“Was there ever a cave here?” I questioned in a hushed tone as we approached the cave’s entrance.
Just from where we stood, inaudible chanting could be heard, accompanied by slow yet heavy drumbeats. Just this atmosphere alone was enough to drive anyone to turn back. Despite the fear the both of us seemed to feel, when Brenna’s voice echoed through the cave, we knew we couldn’t waste any time just standing there. The urgency urged us to rush deeper into the cave where we found her laid on what seemed like an altar. The old lady was right. There was nothing charming about black shapeless figures that seemed to look like mud and clay.
“Brenna, you stupid sister! Why did you sneak off like that!” I called out to her as father lunged towards the altar, knocking over those dark blobs with the ax he carried with him.
“After this, ye ain’t ever stepping foot out the house” Father declared firmly as he chopped off the restraints that held her down the stone altar.
Brenna was thrown over his shoulders “Run for it, Darius!” Father yelled out as he rushed to get back to me.
I couldn’t say the escape was successful when those cut in half only seemed to add to their numbers. The black cut-up masses gained new bodies a]of their own. And to our horror, they weren’t that far behind us
“Sh!t! Do you have any plans in that head of yours, Darius? You were always the man with one”
I frantically looked everywhere and anything we passed. When I noticed that the entrance didn’t look too stable, I wondered how easy it would be to close off the entrance “Father, as soon as we get out of this cave, drop Brenna and help me close off the entrance” I pointed at the loose rock arrangement at the entrance.
He simply nodded then glanced back at Brenna “You heard your brother. We need to close this off, don’t hate me for this later”
She shook her head almost immediately in understanding.
As soon as we managed to set foot outside, I started striking my ax along the weaker boulders. In a split second, my father started on the other side
“Hurry Darius! They’re approaching!” His voice was panicked and he started hitting the rocks faster as the sound of their steps grew louder.
The next thing we knew, rocks came flying. It was Brenna throwing rocks at the heights we couldn’t reach.
It was stressful and we couldn’t tell if the entrance would actually close off but with one final strike, the boulders came tumbling down. Of everything that ever happened in this very forest that we lived in, the abduction of my sister and my encounter with these cursed beings were the most terrifying. Since the incident, my father fortified that cave’s opening by dumping more boulders on it. Hopefully, those creatures never see the light of day ever again.
Prince (not so) Charming
I've been meaning to work on this prompt for a while now OwO
And now it's finally come to light. The next part... I'll try to put up after class tomorrow since I've been so inactive again
**[WP] Prince Charming’s are actually a species of monster that kidnap young women with the promise of their dreams and desires. Unfortunately, your younger sister has fallen victim. Together with your father, you venture into the forest to save her! Quite the twisted fairytale!**
“Darius! Darius! I have amazing news to tell you!”
There goes Brenna again. My sister really can’t seem to let a man sleep. Begrudgingly, I rose to sit and rubbed the sleep from my eyes “What is it this time?”
“I just met my prince charming” She grinned way too brightly than usual when I took a glance at her “We met in the forest while I was harvesting fruits for breakfast” She all but squealed as she hugged my pillow to her chest. A dreamy expression now on her face.
“That’s nice. Did he come with a white horse or something?” I snorted as I got out of bed and stretched a bit to waken my body.
“Yes, he did! Like the prince of my dreams!” She then threw the pillow at me and I could only laugh in amusement.
“Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming again?” I teased and picked the pillow up before throwing it back onto my bed.
“I’m sure what I saw was real! I’m telling you. Next time, I’ll show him to you”
“Do you even know his name, Brenna? He might be some stranger out to get ya”
She answered with a huff and stormed out of the room. Teenagers these days have real problems. I thought so to myself as I followed after her to join our parents for breakfast.
---
For the rest of the day, Brenna didn’t speak on the topic of her prince charming again and I never bothered asking further. I figured I’d let her have her fun as her older brother. A big mistake though. I never expected that she had agreed to meet this so-called “Prince charming” Once the sky turned dark. We only found out that she snuck out when father did his nightly patrol on us.
“Darius! Get yer axe. Yer sister is gone-”
I could sense the urgency in my father’s voice as he barged into my room just as I had blown the flames from my candle.
“What?! She was just in bed! Unless….” I stopped in my tracks when I remembered about her prince charming “She told me she met someone this morning. Her prince charming” I wasted no time in getting dressed.
In a few minutes’ time, Father and I were already deep in the forest. In the parts where she would usually pick the fruits, we have for meals
“Where could she be” I muttered to myself as I kept close track on any trails a horse or any of her shoes may have left behind. I stopped when I saw an old lady that stood where her shoe trails ended.
“Who… are you?” I straightened myself up and eyed her head to toe “Have you perhaps seen a young lass here? About ye high?” I gestured with my hands “With dirty blond hair and brown eyes?”
“The lass that just passed through here, yes. She was with those...creatures” She said as she turned her back to me “If I were you, I’d just go home. She’s a goner already”
“Creatures? It’s not a prince charming???” I asked in disbelief as I stared at the old lady’s back.
“There’s nothing charming about something like that” She turned slightly, just enough that I can see the fear in her eyes “They’re cursed. And once they capture a woman, they’re as good as dead… I don’t think anyone else has ever escaped and lived to tell the tale”
“No one else? Do you maybe know someone who did?”
Low acid coffee for me
I’m pretty sure some of the people here already know how much I love coffee 😅 so much that I’ve written about it before (you can check here: Getting to know your coffee), and nothing is gonna stop me from writing about it again!!!! https://read.cash/@Hanzell/getting-to-know-your-coffee-006fba74
The thing is, my coffee is actually limited to iced coffee and cold steeped coffee. Why? Well, simply because it’s less acidic compared to hot brewed coffee. Normally, hot brewed coffee would have a pH of 4.5-5 and that’s already pretty acidic. But what about the fact that you take it every day? That’s already enough to upset your body’s pH balance and the next thing you know, you have acid reflux, and eventually, you might develop acidosis if you combine it with a highly acidic diet.
Source https://crazycoffeecrave.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/escala-ph-ciencia_1308-15503.webp?ezimgfmt=rs:626x337/rscb7/ng:webp/ngcb7
My sisters are already experiencing acid reflux and to lessen the stomach irritation we’ve been talking about starting a mini cold brew station at home. Sadly McCafe is the only commercialized coffee place that offers cold brew but that’s simply because they rarely serve hot coffee when their market target is people in the teens to young adulthood. Those who have a preference for cold drinks compared to hot ones since it’s easier to consume while on the go. There’s very little adaptation towards low acid coffee tbh.
Anyways, back to the main topic (I may have made a pretty far segway 😅😅😅).
**What makes coffee acidic?**
Besides the fact that coffee is naturally acidic since it has a number of antioxidants in its composition. Organic acids in your cup include Here are the nine main coffee acids: chlorogenic, quinic, citric, acetic, lactic, malic, phosphoric, linoleic, and palmitic. These are the “good,” acids that you taste with every cup and they’re mostly essentially needed for the diet. Each one of them contribute a certain taste to every cup but the difference in the kind of bean you use and the kind of beans you use
**Ways to reduce coffee acidity:**
**Calcium and eggshells**
This part might sound weird because what do calcium and eggshells have to do with this? Well, Calcium binds to some of the oxygen present in coffee. And since eggshells are basically made of calcium, they’re sometimes added to the roasting or brewing process. It sounds weird, yes. But if you are a fan of brewing but the acidity is becoming overbearing, maybe you should look into this method. It’s not such a bad method since the aroma is retained and I know that that luscious coffee smell is what some of us live for. Calcium is also found in milk. That’s why it’s one of the most common coffee additives out there.
**Low-land grown beans**
Yes, geography can play a part in this but then sometimes it isn’t because of the actual geography, but more on the soil pH and nutrient constituent in that soil. It would be hard to elaborate this to most people but just think that if the ground is acidic, the plant will absorb that and the acidity affects the fruit, as simple as that. (it’s kinda why Starbucks and highland’s coffee really comes off as highly acidic to me since their beans are grown in mountains)
**Cold brewing/steeping**
This is actually the main point of this article XD
Anyways, cold brewing/steeping is basically natural extraction through a solvent. It doesn’t require heating so that eliminates the release of some acids that come from heating. On a comparison between hot brew and cold steep, cold steep is honestly 67-70% less acidic. Yes, it still has a pretty acidic pH of 4.85-5.13 but compared to hot brewed coffee, that difference still has a lot of impact on the human body. Besides, there are earlier mentioned ways to lessen that acidity.
I also want to point out that this does affect the taste of your coffee. It will have a sweeter taste and it won’t be that aromatic but then some actually prefer this.
On a side note, the brewing process actually has a lot of debates since yes, hot brew liberates acids but destroys a few other organic acidic components of coffee (That’s why some say over roasting lessens acidity too) whilst cold brewing retains those acids and caffeine so the acidity shouldn’t vary that much since caffeine is also acidic in nature. Idk there are supremacists but I just want to enjoy good coffee that’s fit for my palette so no hate here, just coffee.
No choice
Ahh yes, here we are rushing another story. But then I really wanted to draw today 😅😅😅 It's well deserved after I spent the entire week studying UwU So after this, I'm gonna finish a few of my waving WIPs
**[WP]"I didn't have a choice, if I didn't become the villain I would have been a weapon or a lab rat. Even if you save them, it won't be long before they wonder how to use you" Even if you hate to admit it, they were right.**
BOOOMM!!! Another explosion shook the earth. Our remaining troops probably can’t even form a platoon by now. We’ve lost way too many men in our mission to subdue the escaped mutant. I can’t believe this mutant has grown much more powerful in just 24 hours. A whole 24 hours since we’ve engaged in combat with him. It honestly just makes me laugh while I think of what other f*cked up sh!t the army research team has been doing behind our backs. I don’t even want to think about it. It just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
I take another slow drag from my cigar. The smoke filling my lungs doesn't give much ease and comfort as it did just yesterday. This may be my last one.
I really can’t shake off the idea that every breath I take could be the last one. Intel gathering based on our previous attacks seems pretty useless since this kid can apparently deflect our counter our weapons with his own abilities. The only useful piece of info we could get was the fact that he gets weakened by the rain. It rained for a bit in these past 24 hours and we were quite thankful for it. It gave us a bit of a break from his…. stronger attacks.
Our last resort was cloud seeding. We had an hour at most to prepare before the rain would fall. We also had a few firetrucks ready in case water really was his weakness. It won’t be long till this whole sh*tshow finally came to an end. I checked my watch and took one last look at the wasteland that was once the center of the city.
The kid’s defenses seem like they won’t be easy to take down too. Over the time that we’ve been firing at him with missiles, bombs, guns, whatever we could get our hands on, we have never seen anything pass through nor scratch that skin of his. The spikes must have some sort of resistance to fire but who knows how he’s able to handle the force of everything that’s flying to him. All we’re sure of now is that we can’t stop attacking. If we do, he attacks, and based on the last few times we let that happen, it isn’t a good idea. Half my unit got wiped out with a single counter from him. Who knows to what extent his next attack would be when he just seems like he was made to kill.
I was readying myself for the next shipment of ammo. That’s when it happened. Drop by drop, water came. The cloud seeding is finally completed. As to how long it would keep raining, that we didn’t know.
“This is our chance! Fire with everything you have!”
As the leading commandant, I then went into the tank and told the man to head towards the mutant. On my signal, the firetrucks also prepared their hoses and as soon as I gave the signal, they directed their hoses to the mutant and started splashing him with water.
The closer we got, the more I could hear the pained cries the kid was making. Had I not steeled my heart in preparation for this, I would have called off all the attacks. Nobody can afford to let a kid like this run lose.
“Kill… me…”
For a moment, my resolve wavered and I had to look over the wasteland before I could tell my tank to charge forward again.
“...Please… just kill me”
It was there again. The voice of a pleading child. Was it the mutant? As I took a closer look through the binocular hung over my neck, I could see that the child had already suffered severe damage. This was our chance, wasn’t it? I got my gun and got off the tank. I called off the attacks momentarily as I made my way towards the child soaking in a puddle.
“You… Do you have any idea of the mess you’ve caused? The lives lost? Surrender yourself now” I stated firmly as I pointed the gun at him. I was expecting him to plead for mercy yet his response wasn’t even something I ever considered.
He looked me dead in the eye, A faint and sad smile crossed his lips “I know… will you please kill me…?” His voice was pleading, tired.
“I was told to capture y-” Before I could finish, he sat abruptly.
“Anything but that- I just wanted to die. I can’t go back there” It seemed like he already struggled to speak with how much his voice broke.
“Then why’d you escape and do this much damage, kid?” I knelt down to have a better view of him.
"I didn't have a choice, if I didn't become the villain I would have been a weapon or a lab rat. Even if you save them, it won't be long before they wonder how to use you. I was just lucky that I ended up with bad guys. I wanted to help people, you know?"
Even if I hate to admit it, he was right. The kid was different in every way. I heard that he was discovered just a week ago and that he was only in captivity for that long before his escape. To what he had witnessed while in captivity… the thought just sent shivers down my spine.
I could feel the pang of pain as he continued to speak. There was nothing I could do besides nodding apprehensively. I pointed the gun into his head but he took my hand in his and directed it to his chest. With a knowing look, he gave me a weak smile and I couldn’t help but look away as I fired.
When I looked back at him, he looked relieved, peaceful. I knew I had saved a soul here as I reported to my unit that I already found him dead and that the gunshot was to see if he would try to escape.
Maybe I should be gay
This is romance to me??????? I don't know what is romantic anymore so i just went with something pretty boring, I guess
**[WP] Falling in love is the worst. Whenever I fall for someone, I always unintentionally hurt them. They hurt, I hurt. This is a literal curse, which is why I swore love off. Until my eyes locked with yours**
“How many dates did it take with this one this time?” My roommate was already teasing when he saw my sullen expression as I walked into the apartment.
I just heaved a heavy sigh as I dropped all my weight on the couch. I won’t bother telling him that I had caused her harm yet again… I’m pretty sure he already had a clue on what happened after this increasingly frustrating trend.
I honestly wondered if I’m cursed or something because all I’m ever good for is hurting anybody that gets too close to me. I picked up a throw pillow, using it to cover up my face as I let out a muffled scream.
‘Calm down, no need to take it out on the poor pillow, you’re hurting it too with your bad breath”
I gave him a glare then threw the pillow at him
“Ow! Now you’re hurting me too!”
“Pr!ck” I retorted as I moved to his side. If his good luck wasn’t cancelling out this curse of a bad luck stream, I probably wouldn’t have accepted his offer to remain, roommates, even after we graduated uni.
“Not my fault these girls are too weak for ya”
I could only offer a small smile because that may be the most enlightening thing he’s ever said to me in a while “Maybe I should just date a guy too. F*ck it, I don’t even want to date anymore” I said with a chuckle as I leaned against his frame
“Might be a good idea. You’ll be one of my kind then”
I could still hear the teasing in his tone. Yes, Alec, my roommate, is gay and proud of it. I do believe some of his gay was rubbing off on me. Something I always tell him whenever we go out to buy house supplies and I get stuck in a dilemma over a few things.
“And because you were dumped over some unknown accident again! We’re going out!” This could never be good. I could tell just with his excitement and the way he wasted no time in getting up from the sofa. I didn’t have much of a choice when I was already being dragged by the arm.
Minutes later, We were standing in front of the grandest gay cub downtown. Alec was already greeting some of his friends while I stood there awkward and a bit dumbfounded. I was so out of element, I muttered to myself as I followed after him.
I was mistaken if I thought the outside was flashy. The inside was far more flamboyant.
“Why’d I let him drag me here”
“Nothing wrong with trying something out”
I jumped where I stood and looked around frantically. My eyes fell upon the brightest hazel eyes I have ever seen in my life. As much as I wanted to retort something or try to defend my earlier words before, nothing seemed to come out
“Oh, Chris! You’re here tonight! What did you get left again” Alec had all but thrown himself at the man named Chris, and there I stood, just watching the interaction.
“Hey there, Alec” A fond smile spread across his lips and I could tell they were close “No need to greet me like that” He clutched his shirt in pretense hurt.
I couldn’t help but feel as if I could keep watching this man
“Perfect timing though!” Alec was already gleeful as he dragged me forward by the arm again “This is Marcus. He’s been my roommate since uni and I think you guys have the same curse so take care of him for me, I’m gonna enjoy myself tonight”
By the time Alec had finished talking, I was shoved into Chris’ arms and I couldn’t help but swear under my breath as I steadied myself “Damn Alec, you don’t just push people like that” I was a bit annoyed but when I heard him laughing, I just couldn’t help but calm down a little.
“He’s always been like that”
I was surprised when he wasn’t even surprised to catch me at the very least. More like he found it amusing?
“Want to get something to drink? I’ll buy it for you since Alec did say take care of you” He teased with a playful wink before he made his way towards the bar.
I have no idea why I followed but there was something pretty attractive about this guy. I couldn’t tell if it was because he knew how to play along or if it was this subtle sullen vibe I often said I possessed.
“So… Chris?” I started as I sat down on the barstool next to his “Sorry you had to be stuck with me”
“No worries. I need the calm company anyways” He flashed me a small smile as he pushed the shot of vodka towards me “I just had a bad night and I could use someone chill to drink with”
A soft hum escaped me as I thought of what he meant by that but I just shrugged it off and took the vodka shot gratefully “What did he mean that since you’re cursed like me?” I had meant it jokingly but when he froze mid-drink, I knew I shouldn’t have asked.
“Can’t seem to stop myself from hurting the people I love. I’m pretty sure something’s wrong with me” He just flashed me a bitter smile before he down the rest of his drink.
“Seems like we do have the same curse after all” I muttered more to myself before asking for a bourbon on the rocks this time. “One way or the other, something just happens and the next thing you know, you can’t stand hurting them so you end things before they get hurt more. Sucks to be an investigator”
When I mentioned the part that I was an investigator, he looked me up and down “Want to know something fun, Marcus? I’m an investigator too” He then reached into his suit pocket and showed me his badge. He really was. A private one but still was. I could see now why he seemed to understand.
That night, we simply occupied a booth at the far end of the club. We spent the night drinking and talking about all the threats on the lives of our loved ones. It wasn’t even an amusing topic yet it was strangely assuring that I wasn’t alone in my situation.
“You know, We should date instead. I need me a man that can stand his ground against these threats” I had no idea, really, what went over me to say such words but before I could get a response, Alec came and draped my arm over his shoulders.
“What did you do to poor little Marc, Chris? He looks dead wasted”
“Nothing, nothing We just talked and I guess he can’t hold his alcohol well” He flashed an apologetic smile and helped us get a cab back to the apartment. When I woke up some time in the afternoon, I had a text from an unknown number. When I opened the text, it just read:
`I look forward to that date with you. Text me when you wake up`
`-C`
With just those words, I couldn’t help but grin. Maybe I shouldn’t swear off love,maybe I should just be gay, after all.
Did it catch your dreams? - 3
I may have dragged the prompt on way too long but I finally finished it OwO now no more series for a while XD I am too lazy for these lately
Here's the **first part****, here's the** **second part** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/did-it-catch-your-dreams-7784324a https://read.cash/@Hanzell/did-it-catch-your-dreams-2-d9d12182
**[WP] Dreamcatchers need to be emptied from time to time, but with serious caution. You accidentally misread the instructions and can’t contain the...things...anymore**
**[WP] The dreamcatcher you bought seemed to work, and you never had nightmares again. Tonight, as you prepare for bed, you hear one of its strings snap. Then another. And another…**
**[WP] Dreamcatchers enable people to sleep well by catching all the nightmares. Dreamcatcher disposal is a dangerous job.**
“Holy f*ck Nick, I know you had really bad nightmares but what in the world went on after the car crash” Charlie growled under his breath as he kept lunging towards the black creature. Slash after slash, nothing seemed to damage this one, whereas most creatures he and Sam took care of usually vaporized after a few deep slashes. With this one… Who knows how long he’ll have to take before it’s finally dead.
“Sam! I could use that incantation right about now!!!” As soon as he spotted Sam from the window, he yelled out while backing away from the creature.
“Be down in a sec!” She yelled back as she carefully took a step out of the window ledge. She steadied herself at the edge on the roof. She took a deep breath and let her eyes flutter shut. The moment her eyes opened, they glowed a blinding white and a foreign language poured from her lips. She never once stopped to catch her breath yet when she leapt from the roof, she made it that the pointed end of her staff would plunge deep into the creature.
“I don’t think it’s working!” Charlie grew impatient. The staff was the most powerful thing in their possession and if that wasn’t enough to dissipate this creature, nothing probably will. He took a long look at Nick who seemed to be struggling as well. He probably could feel the creature sapping away all his happiness again “Don’t worry, buddy. We’ll take care of this so that you don’t have to suffer through those nightmares again.”
Charlie soon made a dash for their house. In a panic, his gaze wandered until it fell upon the leather sheath. “Never thought I’d use you” As he pulled out the blade, the crystal embedded sword came into view. “Let’s hope you really work” With one final look at the blade in his hands, he then charged while reciting the very same foreign incantation Sam had been reciting all this time. As the crystals touched the black mass, sparks of electricity shot up and white lightning like flashes soon came after. The crystals and Sam’s high level incantation were working. A few minutes of the mass bubbling, and the black mass exploded, spreading its strings and thick sludge everywhere.
A pained groan could be heard from the mass's larger body. Charlie really thought there was more to deal with, but when Sam’s hand came to view, he let out a sigh of relief and helped his sister out.
“That was the worst thing I ever tried to kill-” She said in a whine as she trudged over to Nick who still lay unconscious on the ground “You better make sure you clean up this mess when you wake up”
Charlie could only chuckle as he made his way to the sleeping figure. They hoisted him up and carried him to the couch where they allowed him to rest. As they both gazed at their friend, they couldn’t help but feel proud that he finally had such a peaceful expression on his face.
“When he wakes up, you have to explain what we do to him”
Charlie nodded “Yeah but when he wakes. Right now… we should get this gunk off. The ones outside will evaporate anyways”
---
Cleaning up took a while, Luckily Nick woke up when the black mass was gone and it seemed like nothing ever happened on their front lawn. It was a curious event but they still struggled to explain that they cleaned dreamcatchers and other negative energies that come to life. Charlie felt bad that he tried to deny this side of his life from his best friend but when Nick insisted that he be taught what they do, Charlie then understood that he should have done so when they first met. Nick was determined to learn their ways. Years later, the trio became known as the most fearsome groups of shamans in existence. There was no nightmare nor creature they couldn’t counter.
Okay, the ending was rather rushed but I really couldn't think of another way to end this and I was too lazy to go into detail about his training orz ;;-;;
She's worth it
I can’t believe I’m dragged into cringey romance but since I can’t fall asleep again, why not. On a side note: I'm pretty rusty with romance cuz I haven't written romance in months now so this is the best I can do with no sleep and no romantic motivation.
The first part was written by @Princessbusayo (here) The second part was by @George_Dee (here) The third part was by @olawalium (here) And I have no idea how long this should be so I decided to end the cycle cuz 4 parts is pretty long to me already. https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/i-made-a-mistake-of-my-life-9f938228 https://read.cash/@George_Dee/the-twist-fd7bd580#comment-8ebe53d6 https://read.cash/@Olasquare/history-reoccurring-5ca0219e
“You should have trusted me more” George looked Nancy straight in the eyes. He wanted nothing more than to assure her that he would be there no matter what yet he could feel his resolve faltering the more he looked at her sad and confused expression. “But tell me… Why didn’t you wait a bit longer?” The frown grew more evident on his lips.
“I don’t know…” Nancy’s voice was weak, still hoarse and heavy with sleep “I was really scared” She pulled the thin hospital blankets over her as she averted his gaze from him.
From George’s perspective, he could truly sense how terrified she was during his absence “Nancy, trust me. I would never abandon you if you decided to keep the baby. If anything, I would be more than happy to have found out” He reached for her hands which he gently cradled into his own “I promise you”
Nancy couldn’t help but let the tears flow freely as she clung to George. She knew how much it might have affected him, yet he still tried his best to comfort her. “I’m truly sorry” Was all she managed to say.
There was nothing else George could do nor say to help his beloved feel better yet just feeling her warmth, her petite frame fit so perfectly and naturally in his arms, he knew that his morals would be useless to uphold with someone like her. They were both damaged enough and something like breaking up because of abortion wasn’t going to help any of them heal, neither was it going to make the situation any better. If anything, it might deepen the trauma more. He wasn’t sure he could handle parting with the woman of his dreams when he was planning a surprise when he got back. He just chuckled inwardly at the thought of him getting the biggest surprise of his life instead.
“You know… I was planning a surprise for you when I got back” Gently, he muttered into her ear as he pulled her to sit on his lap. He was hoping that the shift in the topic would lighten the mood a bit.
“I don’t think I can handle surprises right now, love” She rested her head over his shoulder as she made herself comfortable on his lap. “And you haven’t told me about your past yet”
He froze as he was reaching for the velvet box he had tucked in his jacket’s pocket “My past… well… it was similar to this” He tried his best to keep his tone light despite how heavy it still weighed in his heart “You see, I dated this girl for so long and she got pregnant with my child”
“And she aborted it too,” She said with a frown, new tears threatening to fall from her eyes
“Sadly… And it’s why we broke up” He showed her the velvet box and slowly he opened it to reveal a ring with a row of pink crystals “I wanted to be a father, you know. I would be more than happy to be the father of my children with you” He flashed her a sincere smile as he used his free hand to guide her to look at him
“What do you mean by this?” A mix of emotions flashed through her face yet she couldn’t question further when he placed the ring on her ring finger.
“I know it’s only been a few months since we started dating but I’m willing to break my morals for you. This ring holds all the promises I told you tonight and the promises I will tell you in the future. I want you to know that I am serious and if you ever have a baby again, you will know that I will cherish them as much as I cherish you”
Nancy grew more speechless as George proceeded with his speech. She could only let her tears flow while tightening her hold on him. She was really thankful that she was placed in a room with no other patients else this moment would never have happened “I Love you”
Although the words came out so softly, George still heard it and he couldn’t help a wide grin from spreading across his face “I love you more” He stared at the band on her hand then at her who was still bawling her eyes out “Does this mean you’ll do me the extraordinary honor of being my wife?”
She could only nod frantically as she wiped the tears from her eyes “Yes”
That night, neither of them slept. They just talked, discussed their future and their past mistakes. When morning came and Nancy was discharged, George couldn’t stop himself from grinning like a fool when he felt the cold metal on nancy’s hand. It was real, he proposed. And he knew that this time he wouldn’t regret his choices
“Are you ready to go home, my soon-to-be missus?”
With that, Nancy smiled at him and gave his hand a little squeeze “Let’s go home, my future hubby”
Did it catch your dreams? - 2
Ha1 Finally found time to continue this. I got a bit demotivated with a lot of things since my dog got sick. But since he's getting better, my mood is also kind of improving. Next, I hope my artist block passes because I know I need to finish my WIPs
Here's the first part https://read.cash/@Hanzell/did-it-catch-your-dreams-7784324a
**[WP] Dreamcatchers need to be emptied from time to time, but with serious caution. You accidentally misread the instructions and can’t contain the...things...anymore**
**[WP] The dreamcatcher you bought seemed to work, and you never had nightmares again. Tonight, as you prepare for bed, you hear one of its strings snap. Then another. And another…**
**[WP] Dreamcatchers enable people to sleep well by catching all the nightmares. Dreamcatcher disposal is a dangerous job.**
When the fourth string snapped right before my eyes, I had to rush over to Charlie’s place. God, I hope his sister would be home. If anyone, I think she’s the only one who could help me with this.
Hastily, I detached the dreamcatcher from my bedroom window and carried it to the car. I placed it on the dashboard then I sped off.
As I drove, I honestly couldn’t tell what was more terrifying. Was it the strings snapping one by one, the speeding limit I had to obey, or was it the fact that the strings were slowly turning black. I figured I’d be terrified with the last thought because white strings just turning black was so unnatural.
Almost a few minutes away from Charlie’s place and the most blood-curdling scream broke the silence in my car.
“Holy f*ck- what was that?!” reflexes came over me and I had to stop the car at the side of the road. Terrifying was an understatement to the screams and wails that came from no other than the dream catcher. Nothing could block the sounds that reverberated in the car. I had no choice, I picked it up, wrapped it around my shirt then I made a run for it. I was in no condition to be driving any more with my messed-up perception.
15 minutes. It took me 15 minutes to get to Charlie’s house and from the window, I saw his sister doing some weird ritual again but the moment I stepped past their gate, her gaze turned to me, and then she was gone from my sight.
It didn’t even take long before she threw the door open. She looked at me worriedly
“Why didn’t you follow the instructions, you idiot” She was yelling while frantically reaching for the bundle of fabric I had in my hands “How long has it been since the strings snapped?”
I couldn’t answer her, I was just in a daze. The moment I walked past their gate, the screams stopped and my head was silenced again
“You’re useless right now-” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence when the black strings suddenly came to life “F*ck, how can your nightmares be this bad”
I honestly thought it was over but when the same screams came out of the dream catcher, my body couldn’t take it anymore. It was much more intense than when I was in the car. Blood oozed from my ears. My eardrums may have been ruined because of this. I didn’t have the strength to move anymore. All I remember was Charlie rushing out of their house then Sam, his sister, had some sort of weapon ready. After that scene, everything just went black.
**Sam’s POV**
The moment I saw nick, my stupid brother’s best friend, I honestly thought he just wanted to hang out again but when I felt the protective barrier in the house fluctuate with negative energy, I knew something was up. The moon ritual can wait. I quickly dashed out of the house and what I saw was one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen. I knew Nick was an idiot but to not follow the instructions I left him, how big of an idiot can he even be???
Furious was an understatement for what I felt right then.
“Why didn’t you follow the instructions, you idiot,” I asked him frantically as I reached for the dreamcatcher I gave him. I needed to know how bad the damage was. I looked him up and down and he really looked so out of it. Just what did he witness to look like that?
“You’re useless right now-” Slowly, I removed the fabric covering from the dreamcatcher but before I could even inspect it, the thing inside it screamed. It was trying to get out! The strings had already morphed with whatever nightmares this idiot was having. “F*ck, how can your nightmares be this bad”
Of all the people I’ve given dream catchers to, this was by far the worst case. I had to cut this thing down and destroy the dreamcatcher before it can manifest further.
“Charlie! Get Nick inside! His nightmares are f*cking powerful!” I cried out to my brother the moment he came running to the door
“The f*ck Sam?! Didn’t you tell him how to clean that thing or something?!” As much as he was complaining, he already had his weapon out, so did I “Nick will be fine on the ground, we need to kill this right now”
I gave him a nod then readied the small knives I kept in my boots “My staff is inside, Distract him while I get it” And with that, I lunged forward at the creature that was fast growing with Nick now unconscious. In the minutes that Nick blacked out, that thing already grew as big as a car. It was hideous, dark, and slimy. Like it was there to suck every ounce of positive energy someone could have in their body. No wonder he was so depressed.
I finally understood where it all came from. But I didn’t have time to know the creature further. I struck it with my blades, allowing me a small entrance which was enough to let me rush into the house “Charlie, now!”
With my signal, Charlie pulled out his dagger and tried to get in as much damage as he could on the creature.
The worst lab I’ve been to
This will probably be the last lab I'll write about for now. The next one will be months from now after I've passed my chemistry licensure exam OwO
This is the last lab I had been to and I gotta say, it was honestly the worst of the worst! Even my school’s laboratory was far better despite the constant maintenance of most instruments, at least they’re relatively new. But back in this last lab, I worked with… Everything was from like 20-30 years ago! Those are all basically obsolete, basically almost useless!
I don’t even know where to start with how bad it was really bad. I think starting off with the methods would be good because the methods they used have never changed since the lab started the operation. Sure, it may have worked when it was first established but if you look at how good the method is now, it barely competes with the accuracy it should have now. Then the reagents too! They basically had any? They only had the most commonly used ones in even a high school lab. And to top it off, they had mercury, gallons of it! Yet the usage of such is already prohibited everywhere. But again, old methods that require ancient reagents the ancient people (the supervisor) loved so much.
I really couldn’t understand how they could afford to get mercury yet they couldn’t afford to get more ethanol, phosphate buffers, and other reagents that were always used up. And I do think it will remain a question to me, honestly.
The equipment really got me fuming though. And the laboratory design. It was just so chaotic despite the laboratory employing mostly engineers and chemists, yet these engineers can’t even come up with a more decent solution to something as basic as a sedimentation tank. These sedimentation tanks are needed so that the water is treated enough before going into the sewers yet there was nothing. Sometimes there would be asphalt and pain spillage because of how horrible that tank was designed. What’s worse is that the chemists there who try to come up with a more sustainable solution never get the changes they asked for. All the proposals instantly get trashed because it’s so expensive. They couldn’t understand that it’s just us trying to keep up with the times and the ISO standards. The chemists there never requested anything out of line and anything a standard lab shouldn’t have. But I seriously just don’t get the management of that place. It was a horrible lab with horrible management and extremely outdated everything.
I forgot what this one is called but it's my favorite OwO it tests for the asphalt's
flash point. so at a certain temperature, the asphalt just explodes and goes boom. This
is done to see if it's really asphalt. If the flash goes off at a lower temp, it just
means that the asphalt is contaminated or gasoline is mixed in with it (or diluted with
organic solvents)
This is the extremely ancient hot plate that can only heat like 5-7 samples at a time
but the heat up time takes forever so we barely get anything done when we're on the
heating phase. So when we heat the samples, we also prep the new batch in hopes of
actually making a dent in our backlog
This is also one of the outdated equipment. The asphalt stretcher.
This measures how long the asphalt can be stretched (its ductility). I operated this
machine for a few months
This is a vicat needle. It's used as a penetrometer and you actually
just poke your sample with this needle. It measures how soft the material is
(usually used for cement and asphalt) and this is also the ancient version since
there's a more modern one
One of the outdated methods I was talking about. This is used for emulsified asphalt
but thye problem was that the method is so inaccurate and sa wasteful of time and
resources. That's why I had to make a different method while I was there
Honestly, some of the equipment I’ve used there were things I never have seen before. And I thought I already saw a lot because of the laboratory tours we went on while in my undergrad years. I also heard that the chemistry section head had to have some of the equipment built because the one the laboratory head bought was either bought without confirmation (so it was completely useless in the lab) or they bought the wrong size. The equipment we had to use really was one of the main reasons we had such a massive amount of backlogs.
There was more metal samples where the EOS machine was. usually there would barely be
any walking space because the entire floor would be lined with trays of metal to be
analyzed
This was legit the amount of samples we had to stir. So imagine 50-70 samples a day
and each sample needs to be stirred for 5 minutes. And since we barely have time, we
just naturally learned how to start stirring more beakers at a time. It took me a
month to be able to stir at least 3 beakers per hand
Despite the extremely heavy workload, the people there really kind of helped me keep my sanity. I remember one time when we were busy rushing all the backlogs for September of last year, we had galactic mermaid on full blast, and honestly, the laboratory head almost fired us because she thought we were cussing her 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Luckily the laboratory head was the one who defended us (plus the lab head really can’t afford to lose the section head since he’s the only one that knows all the procedures and he’s the only staff capable of training new hires. Anyways, he resigned the same day I did anyways. And It was so bad ass because he just handed in his letter then left like that (well, I did too since I didn’t want to listen to what the dinosaur had to say)
`This is what we call the gateway to hell because the room temp is around 60 deg celsius on a regular but inside those ovens, the temp is around 1000 - 1500 deg celsius. It's so hot that it can actually melt metal and cause spontaneous combustion to paper and wood`
Did it catch your dreams?
So I came across these three prompt ideas in the past months and I really thought this would work well as a series but I've only started it. I'll work on the rest of the chapters when I don't have a child bugging me in my room XD
**[WP] Dreamcatchers need to be emptied from time to time, but with serious caution. You accidentally misread the instructions and can’t contain the...things...anymore**
**[WP] The dreamcatcher you bought seemed to work, and you never had nightmares again. Tonight, as you prepare for bed, you hear one of its strings snap. Then another. And another…**
**[WP] Dreamcatchers enable people to sleep well by catching all the nightmares. Dreamcatcher disposal is a dangerous job.**
“Dream catchers, huh?” I gave my best friend a deadpan look as I fiddled with the little trinket in my hands
“Yeah. You keep waking me up almost every night because of your nightmares… And I think… you need help” He flashed me a small yet sad smile as he scratched the back of his head.
Honest as always, I couldn’t expect anything else from him “But why dream catchers? Was it your sister’s recommendation?”
The both of us fell into a fit of laughter. We both know she was into all that hippie stuff, the crystals and the moon rituals and all. We both knew that if it’s anyone that would think of something like this, it would be her.
“Well, you got me” He grinned cheekily as he raised his hands as if he was surrendering himself “Give it a try though. She’s been bugging me to give you this for a while now. And she left a note…” His expression changed when he seemed to have forgotten something “the note-” he patted his pockets then sighed in relief when he found the small note in his shirt pocket “she said that you need to read this and follow it strictly or bad things will happen”
“Bad things will happen,” I said mockingly while I reached for the note “I’ll do the reading later. Want to play a round while you’re here?” And with that, I reached for the remote and the controllers that were always on the coffee table.
Later that evening, I tried hanging the little dreamcatcher over my bedroom window and I went through the note. There wasn’t really much to it. The only thing messily scribbled over the note was to empty it during the full moon. That didn’t make sense… How can you even empty something like this?
I just shrugged and pushed the note into the top drawer of my bedside table then I got ready to sleep. And quite honestly, for the first time in years… I actually had a good night’s sleep. I guess that dream catcher does work wonders. I’ll make sure to thank Charlie and his sister the next time I see them but for now, I should get ready for work. I had a feeling today would be a really good day.
A good night’s sleep really did make you feel light. It was the first time I felt that in years. Ever since the accident… I had nothing but nightmares. Chilling nightmares of the very incident I have been trying to escape from for the past 5 years already. It’s ridiculous, I know. And I know I really should see a counselor or something for this, I mean, it’s been long overdue but I don’t think they’ll understand what I’m going through. No one will.
Weeks…. I think 3 months passed and I have never felt this happy and refreshed in years. Even my coworkers noticed the changes as the days passed by. At first, they kept teasing me when I smiled, and now when they see me frown, it seems they become cautious that I might go back to “my depressed self”. I had to assure them that when that happens, it’s because the boss was giving me a hard time again.
Everything was going well and peachy for the first time in my life and I really couldn’t thank the dream catcher enough for this significant change in my life. Well, I was thinking that. But when I heard something snap, my attention quickly looked for the source.
‘Pluck’ There it was again. I looked and looked and by the third plucking sound, my eyes fell on the dream catcher that already had three strings broken. I leaned in closer to get a better view because maybe I was just imagining things. But when the fourth string snapped right in front of my eyes, I knew I needed to get this thing checked.
The best lab I've been to!
Let’s continue off with my laboratory journeys since I only have 2 more labs left to show. So next on the labs that I’ve entered would be on the local food and drug administration. I honestly thought I wouldn’t even make it in since I applied really late there. I’m just happy that I was pretty persistent in following up with them, else I probably wouldn’t have managed to get in and experience their extremely awesome and organized laboratory.
So back when I was doing my internship there, I was deported to the food section. You see, FDA has 5 major testing priorities, namely being Drugs, Microbes/infestations, Medical equipment, containers/toxicology, cosmetics, and of course, food! I was happy to have been assigned to the food section there because I never went hungry there 🤣🤣🤣🤣The first thing my supervisors taught me there was actually how to sneak food into their lab gowns so we could eat it in the pantry. Sometimes we ate the food samples in the lab while sampling but sneaking them into the pantry was the best part.
I think I was pretty lucky when I was assigned to my laboratory because, in those times, I and my fellow interns were assigned to the fake vinegar incident. (yes, there is fake vinegar that was made from petroleum gas byproducts, then those would just be oxidized so that they would become acetic acid. It’s disgusting when you think about it but maybe I’ll write about that on another day)
I remember testing all those vinegar samples and more XD
for almost 2 weeks, I always came home smelling like vinegar
I also had to do the testing for the lambanog poisoning incident, there was also benzene poisoning in some juice brands, nitrate overusing in some processed meat products.
This was all the dissolutioned meat products we needed to filter off since meat fats
and a few other solid contaminants could cause a big problem for us when we check the
niytrate contents of those samples
I think we had to analyze processed meat for a week as well. No other samples besides
these ones came in
then fortifications law adherence on some products. I think we also tested the histamine poisoning that happened in the year 2019. Also, the Borax incidents and I had to test a lot of candies in my stay there.
These were some of the candy samples we had. You see, these candies are checked for
sugar contents and the candy color component used. We extract the color through acid
dyeing then base bleaching. The concentrated color is then spotted on a strip of filter
paper then we leave them in an incubation chamber for almos a whole day
You can see that the colors separate to the basic colors of RGB and that's what we have
to check on their ingredients list. If the color is not listed, the company receives a
warning or if the color is banned here, the candy gets pulled out of the market
this method also applies to spices, to see which brands are real spices and which have
food colorants mixed in it
It was an awesome experience! Made me very wary of what products I used at home but it was still an awesome experience!
What was more amazing was that the types of analysis they did in the lab was mostly traditional analysis like titrations, gravimetry, and the likes. It really made me acknowledge the fact that whatever experiments we were doing in the lab really had practical applications in the industry. It was really an eye-opener. And I really stepped up my studying game then despite always being tired from running around the laboratory. I also had to study hard because my fellow interns asked me to help them review for the chemical technician board exam. I didn’t mind since they shared their food with me all the time during lunch and I did the same UwU
This is one of their most interesting equipment there. This is basically a mini fume
hood specifically designed for the hydrolysis of protein products. This equipment is
only ever used for protein analysis (kjeldal method) And the color change in this kind
of titration is cool because it starts with blue, then green then a light violet and I
think it's the prettiest end point next to the vitamin C end point because that has a
really pretty pink color when you're done
Anyways, I didn’t really get to do that much instrumental analysis because I needed permission from the section head. I couldn’t get that because she was always in meetings but when she was there, she always gave me sweets because she thought I was too thin and that I needed some fats in me 😅😅😅 I loved her tho OwO and all my other supervisors because they answered all my questions and allowed me to do the analysis on my own after a month of training. I was their most asked intern during my stay there because of how fast I picked up the procedures and with how good the results I got were
Ahh, there were more stories I could write bout my 4 months stay here but I’ll tell them in fragments relevant to some science article I’ll be writing in the future. This is all from me today!
A friend from under the bed
**[WP] The girl is forced into a room by her kidnapper. Fearing the worst, she seeks the help of the only thing that can save her, the monsters under the bed**
The darkness Greeted Lana as she slowly opened her eyes. The loud banging of doors and the chilling cries from who knows where roused her from her drug-induced sleep.
“Where am I?” That was the only thing she could say as she slowly raised herself to sit. “This isn’t the party…” Her eyes frantically checked every corner of the room yet there was nothing but darkness and what seemed like a bed that was just across the room. It was strange of her captors to just dump her on the floor when there was a bed just across the room.
She tried to stand but it seemed that her feet were bound together. For safety measures, perhaps? She didn’t dare question what was in her captor’s head right now… or more like she didn’t want to so that she doesn’t end up as one of the people screaming their heads off from agony, like what she’s been hearing since she woke up.
Slowly, she dragged herself across the room, towards the bed. If she was going to be stuck here, she might as well make herself comfortable enough.
The pitch-black darkness wasn’t new to Lana, she had been used to it, or so she said. She wasn’t supposed to be this scared of something she should be well acquainted with. Yet she was.
Once she finally got herself on the bed, she heaved a heavy sigh. And looked back on what she had done in the past few months, questioning if she really deserved any of this.
What else was there to say though. She was a goth wanna-be, the kind that boasted how she would do moon rituals in light of Wiccan practices. Her parents never liked whatever it was she had become and they took this up as her way of rebelling. Yet there was nothing they could do for her anymore. Lana would be 18 in a few months and by then, she had every right to move out.
In the months that came on her approaching adulthood, she became more and more unruly. It started with the ear piercings and the heavy makeup. She often had fights with her mother because of the number of earrings she had on. “They’re so unsightly” was what her mother said, but that only seemed to fuel her to rebel more.
Then came the change in wardrobe. In a matter of two months, All her clothes went from pastel to black, red, and deep violet. There was no exception. Then came the books. Ah yes, the books that were all for Wiccan practices. Incantations, potions, and even some moon rituals. Perhaps it was when she was trying out potions… Maybe that’s when she started feeling eyes on her. And as her birthday gre nearer and nearer, her paranoia kept growing. Her intuition wasn’t far off when it finally happened. On her walk home from campus, all her suspicions had been cleared up when a pair of masked men came to her and covered her face with a cloth. Formaldehyde was what she thought as her consciousness slowly slipped from her.
No, there had to be something her captors wanted was all she could think of until her thoughts came to a halt when a slit of light flashed on the foot of the bed
“It seems our little witch is finally awake.” His voice had venom in it, one that made her fear for the worse “I should tell the boss that the next witch will be ready by the next full moon ceremony… say in a few hours?”
The door creaked open and the man came closer to her “I’d hate to see this pretty little face of yours get ruined” And as he spoke, he grabbed Lana by the chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes “You better be ready for the ritual whether you like it or not” And with one last look, he let go of her face and slammed the door behind him.
“A few hours… I wonder how many hours that is” Fear consumed her and she immediately ran to the door to see if the door would budge, but to no avail.
A silent sob escaped her as she slumped on the floor. She started checking herself for anything she could use to escape but there was nothing but her pens. Just that. Her desperation was growing with each minute that passed. Was there anything from her books that she could even use. She thought hard on what she could remember… or what she had wanted to try. The only thing that could ever come to mind was a summoning spell. But what is there to summon?
At that point, she didn’t have time to even think things thoroughly. She used the pen and made a gsh on her palm. Yes, she was doing this with her own blood. She then drew the pentagram that she was now quite familiar with. Luckily there was still a bit of light seeping into the room, else she probably wouldn’t have managed anything.
She then proceeded to chant the words she could barely remember from her book. She closed her eyes shut and tried to keep her focus on chanting despite the rattling she could hear from the bed.
“Who are you?” A distorted voice echoed in the room. It was one that sent chills down her spine
“I am your summoner” She said bluntly despite the fear she was feeling.
“I have never been summoned in so many years. What does a mortal like you have to offer me, one of the legendary creatures that lurk in the darkness” Its eyes glowed red as it slowly crept out from the bed
“Humans to feast on. In exchange for my and the other hostages freedom. I know you’re capable of dividing yourself. Those who are not held captive, those are the ones you can eat” Lana came to as stand. Her hazel eyes looked the creature into the eyes
“I never imagined my next summoner would be rather strong willed and so understanding of my… feeding needs”
“Go. Once you’ve consumed those you’re allowed to, you may return to your land until I summon you again” She flashed her bloody hand towards the creature, that which it licked the blood off.
“Yes my master” In a flash, the creature retreated into the shadows. Lana stood there, awaiting what would happen next.
She wasn't expecting that the creature under the bed would act so fast. In a matter of minutes, her cell was unlocked, and so were the other cells that lined the halls. Blood was everywhere… so it seemed there were more than a few others that participated in abductions like these.
“This way, master” It soon appeared again, from the shadows. It was pointing towards the direction she had lead the other people towards “I have already cleared the path and escorted the other captives”
“Good, thank you” With a curt nod, Lana then headed the direction she was pointed to
“What do I do with this cult organization?”
All her speculations were finally proven right once she was outside and she could look at the building where she and a few dozen other women her age were held captive.
“Burn everything down. Make sure nobody else lives. Do whatever you want to ensure their death” And with that, she and the other girls treaded down the trail
I am so out of practice with these prompts. Or maybe I just lost my edge but I do think a break from the laboratory tour is good sometimes.
A little instrument tour
I got too busy these past few days to put up the continuation of my virtual laboratory tour. Since I showed you guys how chemists have some fun in the lab; this time, I’m going for the serious parts. That starts with the amount of research work we have every single semester. I never understood why my professors asked us for a mini-research every semester so yeah, it came with the paper, the experiments, and the formal defense. It wasn’t until we reached the graduating thesis part that I really understood what those were for. And I gotta say, as much as I hated those research works, they really gave us an edge when it came to presentations and in hosting our own seminars (yes, we held seminars for the school on a weekly basis too and god, it was hell).
Anyways, to start off this virtual tour, I’d like to show you the research room. That room was exclusive for us chemists who were already in the graduating thesis phase.
So just a few paces away from the research room, we have something called the instrumentation room. It’s basically a specified room designed for instruments that have a maintaining temperature. Since it gets too humid here in my country, the air in that room all need to be dry air but cold air with a temperature range of 10-25 degrees celsius. But for the sake of the operators’ cold tolerance, we all set the air conditioning at only 15 degrees celsius.
In the instrumentation room, we have the ever-reliable Uv-Visible spectrophotometer. This is good for identifying liquid sample concentrations and if the sample identity is unknown, it can be used to identify the sample. Sometimes we use it to identify purity and yield from our extraction experiments but most of the time, it’s for identification and supplementary characterization for our chemicals.
Then we have the FT-IR which basically functions the same way but this is more specific since we get to see if the compound we’ve made is similar to the actual pure compound in its database.
We also have pH meters which are used to check for the pH of solutions we have. It’s the most used instrument in the lab too and whether you’re doing thesis or not, you still need to use them since pH is very vital for most experiments, especially when you reach the biochemistry subject. Analytical chemistry is also pH dependant but not as much as Biochemistry.
We also have tons of analytical balances since a laboratory can never be complete without one. These balances weigh up to the milligram, which is very small weights and it always needs to be calibrated because if we mess up the weight of the sample or the container, the entire analysis will be just as messed up. that's why these balances are the ones taken care of the most since they're so fundamental for basically all our analyses
We also have something called sohxlet, which is basically a multiple distillation apparatus but in practice and in research, we mostly use it to remove wax from leaves since you need really high pressure and temperature to melt off wax from leaves.
Lastly, I think I can show off the rotary vaporator which we mostly use for extraction experiments. It’s constantly rotating equipment that maintains a constant temperature. IT’s great for plant product and vitamin extraction since you can easily set its temperature to the temperature at which the solvent evaporates. And since we mostly use organic solvents for this, the temp setting rarely crosses over 40-60 degrees celsius.
And this is it for one part of the instruments I’ve encountered at school. There was more that they added before I graduated but I’ll save that for another article to come when I’m not so busy to sit down and write again.
The very last is a sleeping me and this is basically me after every experiment because it's so physically draining to complete the undergrad experiments while you're computing for the volumes and weights of everything you'll be using fo the experiment.
I miss the laboratory
It has been almost half a year since I’ve last set foot in a chemical laboratory. Although it was much longer when the first lockdown was in place, half a year is still a long time for me. I literally miss the smell of burning stuff and cancer in the air (it’s a chemistry joke and it may be half-true since even solvents can be carcinogenic). I also miss my samples that go into spontaneous combustion. And while I was scrolling through my gallery the other day, I thought of making an adventure blog too. Since I see so many people posting retrospections, adventure stories, and personal stories, why not take a break from my fantasy land to share what it’s like when you’re studying chemistry.
This shot is actually meant as a joke saying "Soda spilled on my laptop" because it's
Carbonated water XD
Although I literally don’t leave the lab once I’m placed in one… but learning also counts as a journey and so this will be my laboratory adventure, starting from college to my last job since those are my adventures so far.
To start off, I was actually a geology student. It’s also a science and I legit chose it because of the number of fieldworks and the beautiful mineral collections I could possibly have. Sadly, I didn’t really enjoy my stay in geology. After spending 2 and a half years there, I shifted to Chemistry. My first year, 2017. I was actually a semester ahead of my batch then and it was nice, it gave me more free time and more time to catch up on the chemistry fundamentals I lacked. I was lucky the chairperson at the time gave supplementary lectures to us shiftees and transferees. Because of those extra classes, we sort of got an edge in lectures. What we didn’t have was the edge in the laboratory classes XD yet we all still managed.
It was only in the chemistry community that I felt close to people. Mostly because we all saw each other in the lab all the time. Unlike in geology, everyone was either out on fieldwork or they’re in class. Here in Chemistry, because of our population size (our batch only had 28 students), we all knew everyone in our batch and we all knew each other’s schedules. We were that close. And we even know everyone from the freshmen to the seniors and even the alumni who visited often. It was a nice feeling that people actually looked out for you. That’s really when I knew that I belonged in that laboratory UwU
This is our little sanctuary. Although it was located on the topmost
floor for safety measures
Of course, we weren’t all study there in the lab. Every semester, before it ends, we always have this Chemistry week and it was always grander than the last. Although we students never really got to enjoy the actual event since we were the hosts and we all had to prepare tricks and presentations, it was always enjoyable when we kind of get into a discussion with our crowd, and what’s cooler is when we get them to shift or enroll in the chemistry program XD we often call it converting rather than shifting since we view chemistry as a religion of sorts. Then after the event, we would throw a huge after-party. We sometimes cook in the lab… Yes, we use our beakers (they were all sanitized before doing so) And I can’t count the number of times we grilled meat on the burners, or made ice cream and stored them in the chemical freezer, or even made wine and other fruit preserves because we all want something to munch on by our evening classes.
This was my last chem fair, and what's funnier was that us seniors had to perform a
harry potter kind of play. WE did that 4 times a day for 3 whole days. But when we didn't
have to perform, we presented our thesis to some science professors that stop by
(They honestly just want to roast us but it was great help in our presentation skills tbh)
Elevator selfies were fun for me XD since I was always one of the earliest people to
arrive in the lab, I usually had the elevator to myself in the morning. Buttttt I rarely
had the confidence to take pics
This is one of the after parties we have after a successful chemistry week
But then we also have all our major events here like seminars, presentations, school
starter parties, christmas parties and orientation parties (yes, we have so many parties
in a semester)
This is where I’ll end my trip down memory lane for now. Maybe next time, I’ll show off the school’s equipment (some of them). I don’t even have a proper flow I want to follow but I just miss the memories I have in the laboratory.
Was it my imagination?
This is basically just a blurb since my brain is on study mode all day and a sudden change in the train of thoughts really isn't cooperating with me XD
anyways, don't hate me for this randomness
Tempting. That was the least that I could describe her. She was new and I… was the unfortunate soul she had to bear with for her orientation at the company. On most days, I wouldn’t have minded being the guide to the new hires but I just can’t seem to deny the fact that I was drawn to her in more ways than one.
It wasn’t just the fullness of her figure that still seemed too obvious despite her being fully clothed. It was also the plumpness of her lips and the glimmer in her eyes that seemed all too innocent. It made me curious if she would still have that same appeal at night.
No, I shouldn’t be thinking of such things against a new hire, but when she would purposely cling or bump to me while I tur her around the company, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep my hands to myself. It might just be the fact that my carnal instincts have been ignited and she simply seemed like easy prey, yet I would never risk my job just for something as disgraceful as lust.
I shook my head from the thought and proceeded to guide her around the company. This orientation week will be increasingly difficult for me. And to think that tomorrow until perhaps Friday? She would be lingering in my office until the higher ups finalize her placement in her respective department. Goodness, being part of the training team wasn’t this vexing before.
For the next few days, I had her go through the standard operating procedures manual. Actually… there were quite a few of those she had to go through so she definitely would need to spend the whole week in my office whether I wanted to or not. I let her occupy one side of the room and I stayed in my desk to go about my usual routine. Yet it has become increasingly hard to do so whenever I hear her call out my name. If only she would call me out on another tone…
But with each of her call, I would waste no time in assisting her. At times she would come over to my desk to clarify some things or ask why a certain procedure had to be done. Explaining wasn’t so bad but when she would lean oh so lowly to the point that I could get a view of her bosom, I start questioning if she was doing so on purpose. I hope not. And as if the view wasn’t bad enough, having a whiff of her scent was really getting to me. This was becoming increasingly dangerous.
After a few more instances and a few more glances at her chest… I instructed her to just raise her hand in case she wanted to ask something and that I would go over to her. And she did so. Yet each time she would call me over, she would still find a way to make herself look appealing. In most instances, she would press the tip of her pen against her plump lips, or at times, she would try to lean incredibly close to me. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday passed with that kind of set up. Thank god She was almost done reading the S.O.P. manuals and her orientation tests. She would be heading to her department by the following week. With just that thought, I was already in relief. I only had to endure one more day.
But why is it that the last day seemed the longest among all the other day.
“Sir?” A call from her had snapped me out of my train of thoughts. When I glanced up, she was already by my desk, leaning impossibly close that she seemed to basically press her front against me. Surprised wasn’t enough to describe it as I pushed myself away in an instant.
“Y-yeah? You wanted to ask something?”
“Today is my last day in your office, right?” Her lips were formed in a pout and it just made them plumper “Would you like to have dinner with me after work? Since I might not get to see you around again”
I contemplated for a while. Did I want my suffering extended for a few more hours? If it was her asking, should I? I simply answered with a nod but before I could fix myself, she was much closer than she was before.
“I hope you would let me thank you for assisting me this week”
Her voice was low, seductive. The fan of her breath against my ear was enough to give me a reaction I had hoped she would never see. She may have noticed it too when I heard her giggling as she proceeded to her side of the room. The wink she directed towards me didn’t go unnoticed though. I suppose I would be in for quite a night.
Images in the sky
I'm finally done and over with publishing my rejected book here OwO It's been a long 2 months of publishing mostly that (and I do think I bored so many of you since I started publishing it) but I would still appreciate it if you guys could give it a look OwO
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** **Chapter 7-2** **Chapter 8-1** **Chapter 9-1** **Chapter 9-2** **Chapter 10** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-1-5d2e387f https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-1-the-time-has-come-5c808365 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-2-the-time-has-come-c4e71849 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-10-there-can-be-peace-640ed2eb
Now that I'm done with semi-shameless promotion of my finished novel, onto the main reason why I'm writing this article.
For a few weeks now, I’ve come to enjoy drawing on the clouds and the sky. Not really cloud watching then imagining that these clouds have a certain shape. No, far from it. What I’ve been doing lately is literally drawing on the clouds, or on the sky. It was a brilliant discovery shared by a noise.cash user named @senkuu and since the day I tried it, I grew mesmerized with the art. It was still digital, yes. Yet it helped me utilize the sketching style I had with traditional. It was basically a traditional and digital art fusion (they call it tradigi in the soc med art groups I was in) and I really think it’s pretty cool. Most tradigi art I’ve seen is basically focused on glow art but sky art is a genre of its own. It’s a combination of photography and of sketching and It’s really helping me revive my sketching skills again (though I’m not really sure if my sketching skills will be like this on paper? Since the output still seems a bit different screen and paper).
Anyways, I’ve found that this kind of art is a way for me to be more expressive compared to my usual styles of ink and watercolors or even with pens. The sky already brings forth a certain mood, depending on its color, the setting, the time of the day you shot it, how the clouds are colored and arranged that day. But adding a few artistic elements can emphasize that mood, and that’s what I’ve really come to enjoy with this genre of art. It can give your moods more justification for some reason
This is the very first one I've made. I have a sort of obsession with fantasy creatures and I really thought this horrible shot of the super moon I shot from my bedroom window could be improved. And improved it did. I do think it came out pretty cute, especially when I added the stars and the outlines on the moon XD
This one was drawn shortly after the wolf and the sky shot was taken that very day too OwO I really thought the soft subtle pinkish-purplish sky would be magical and great for a very graceful ballerina. too bad my proportions for her seem bad but what can I do, I was still editing everything on MS paint and the brushes there weren't really that easy to use and control, even with a drawing tablet.
I couldn't remember the particular reason why I sketched this one but I've always liked the grunge aesthetic. Cigarettes, grainy photos, and messy people have a natural feel to them. it makes the art more relatable than the normal sketches and that kind of natural feeling gives me comfort. knowing I'm not the only one trying to seek comfort in this mess
This one was more experimental than anything, really and I wasn't even sure if I chose the most appropriate image for this one. Since sky art always had this very minimalistic feel to me, I wanted to try adding a few very opaque accents of colors on the sketch. I do think it came out nicely but I don't think I'll be trying this again unless I get another good idea
This one is one of my subject studies and it really made me realized how fine and messy my lines are XD no wonder I have no future in architecture, even my hatching is as messy as my life. But oh well, the art looks good, nonetheless. I do think a darker sky would have been more fitting but I honestly don't have enough good shots of the evening sky since my cam isn't good enough for night photography
Then this is the most recent I've made. Tired and faded. uninspired and demotivated. very fitting for this rainy bed weather, honestly. I sketched this just before starting on this article.
So far I've made 6 of these. now I wonder if they could be NFTs too XD maybe a new collection from me. yet I can never tell what people are interested in when it comes to art so for now, this is me finishing my train of random thought and art.
Ch 10: There can be peace
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** **Chapter 7-2** **Chapter 8-1** **Chapter 9-1** **Chapter 9-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-1-5d2e387f https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-1-the-time-has-come-5c808365 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-2-the-time-has-come-c4e71849
I didn't realize I cut the last chapter this short but ayyyeee!!! I'm done with my book and I can go back to writing at random OwO
**Chapter 10**
Both leaders made their way to the shadow king’s palace. It was a bit of a run, compared to what it looked like from the map. The original plan was that the two leaders would be the ones going to the palace alone, but when flashes of lightning and a few stone pillars came crashing down from the sky, the others had to make sure the leaders were protected. Just getting them into the palace wasn't going to suffice when it seemed like every step of the way was guarded with a purist that was ready to attack/
Those that managed to escape the battle that raged over the town plaza and at the palace gate rushed to the leaders’ side. It didn’t matter who was with them at that point. They all knew that each and every one of them was fully capable of handling the purists now. Humans countered each attack with explosives and a few guns fired while the witches made do with the incantations and the number of spells they had left before their strength ran out.
It was no easy feat getting to the palace, but once more and more of their men came to their aid, both leaders managed to find a chance to escape from the chaos. In the small explosion the humans pulled off, it provided enough smoke to mask them completely.
“How far is the palace,” Elder asked their men who were running with her.
“Just a few more meters ahead!” the men shouted out as they pointed to the ominous-looking castle.
“Can you still get us there safely?” Leader Edric asked as he readied his weapons and the magic neutralizing restraints.
“We will try to even if it kills us” The men said bravely while firing off more smoke bombs along the way.
In a matter of minutes, they finally reached the palace gates. Contrary to what they thought, the castle wasn’t as heavily guarded compared to the path they took to get there. They walked the halls and those that managed to escape the battlefield outside soon joined them. They scanned every room they came across while walking. The entire scenario was all too nerve-wracking when they didn’t even know where the king of shadows could be found.
There was one latest room left on the lower floor they were yet to open, and it was the last door they honestly wanted to enter. The door was heavily ornate and it looked like the door would be impossible to open with just their bare hands. That was when the elder stepped forward and pressed her palms on either door handle. She then turned the knobs then the wind came rushing from the palace entrance. With the winds she made use of, the doors slowly creaked open.
“I must applaud you weakling for making it to my throne room” An elderly man stood from the throne, clapping his hands slowly and gently. “I suppose I underestimated you all”
“You’re the king of shadows?” One of the men spoke out, looking quite shocked at the condition the man was in. He was basically skin and bones. Someone that looked as fragile as paper. Or maybe the scrolls they were all based the story on were over-exaggerated. They were all speechless except for the elder who looked cautious of every step the king took.
“I am. My apologies. Perhaps you wanted someone who looked like this?” The king closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his pupils radiated nothing but darkness. Thick black smoke enveloped him, and when the smoke disappeared, they came face to face with the demon that gave the king his immortality and abilities. “Is this the opponent you all hoped to face?” The demon laughed maniacally.
“All light manipulators present! Stand by me!” The elder called out as she clasped her hands together “Everyone else, please buy me as much time as you can”
“You heard her! Somebody! Gather all the able light manipulators in battle. Those that are itching for a good fight, come here” The leader stepped up, ready to fight against the Shadow king.
A few humans ran off to call out to every able person they could find. They told them about what was happening at the palace. It wasn’t the time to be celebrating just yet when both leaders were requesting everybody’s assistance. It was their final battle indeed. They just needed to fight the demon then it was all over.
Unfortunately, only a few managed to get to the castle while the rest of their men still struggled to subdue some of the purists.
Any help that came was highly appreciated though. As soon as their men reached the palace, they took their stances and prepared themselves for battle. The support group aided in the incantation the elder was performing yet none of them was quite sure what incantation she was reciting.
“Please, just hold out for a few more minutes, I’m almost done with the incantation! Support group, I'll need all the strength you can give me” The elder then resumed her incantation.
The witches from the offense group did every coordinated attack they could come up with. A range of attacks rained down on the shadow king, yet he somehow still emerged unscathed after each attack. When it was his turn to attack though… The entire room became shrouded in darkness. The humans suddenly started to attack each other. They all fell into the illusion that the one standing before them was the shadow king.
It was fortunate that before the king ever attacked, someone from the defense group managed to make a barrier to protect the Elder.
“Just a few more words” The elder pleaded before she shut her eyes tightly. A few more words slipped out of her lips, and by the time she opened her eyes again, blinding white light came pouring from her. She became shrouded in such bright light.
The demon king looked panicked when he saw the elder walking towards him “No- Impossible! That magic was wiped out from history!” The King kept taking steps backward until he was backed into a corner of the room.
“You have caused so much grief for the past 300 years” The elder raised her hand and directed it towards him “Now your reign will come to an end.” With one final word, The white light enveloped the room, blinding almost everyone in the room.
When the light started fading, the elder dropped to the floor, as well as the elderly man who embodied the shadow king.
“Is he… dead?” The men asked as they neared the body of the shadow king. They tried to feel for a pulse, but when they felt none, they declared him dead and covered his body with the curtains.
“What do we do now?” They all faced the leader who was barely conscious
“Take the king… to the plaza. His people need to see him one last time” Was all the leader managed to say before he too, collapsed from exhaustion.
As commanded, the men carried the king’s corpse down to the plaza. Out of the palace grounds, they gathered as many healers as they could pass. They needed both leaders to make an announcement over their victory.
Their leaders took a while to follow their men to the plaza. But when they finally arrived, they greeted their men in high spirits.
“Men! Thanks to all your efforts, we have defeated the demon king!” Leader Edric smiled triumphantly and the crowd followed suit “But we’re not yet done here. We still need to present his followers with a choice”
“Will you join our side? Or will you remain loyal to your fallen king who trapped you all in darkness?” The elder now spoke as she made her way next to Edric
“You will be given time to make your choice. Until you’ve come to a decision, we will be holding you captive in our magic restraining chambers. We’ve had enough of wars for the past 300 years” The leader said somberly as he gestured for their men to take the captives away.
Days passed, more and more of their captives started joining their unified nation. Not all agreed to the mixing of the races, but when they saw the development that they were unaware of under the shadow king’s ruling, it enticed them. Aside from the technology, the purists didn’t have to live in fear when they came to the choice of merging with the other races. It was a change they all needed. It was a more peaceful life than they all ever had. Since the fall of the shadow king, none of them ever had to witness battles anymore. No family was ever separated from each other. The only battles they would ever support were the ones held at the riots. The kind that served to entertain people.
A randomized version of me
It took me this long to check out the site that offered those never have I ever questions and what’s wrong with you people, why don’t you vary your chosen question? Where’s the fun in just answering a certain set of questions? So in my render of the trend, I thought, why not take a few questions from each category. I wouldn’t want to expose myself too much so this might just be a sneak peek of how random and free-spirited I could be despite my introverted nature.
**3 questions from the Dirty category**
**Never have I ever made out at a drive-in movie theater.**
I’d say no, because we don’t have drive-in theaters in my country anymore. Actually, I’m not even sure my country ever had those since not everyone owns a car? Buuuutttt! I may have made out in a movie theater back in college XD (some 2 years ago??) because on mondays, some days, malls showed old movies in cinemas for cheap. And an ex invited me to watch one of the movies he liked then. Didn’t know it was a romance so one thing lead to another, and oh well.
**Never have I ever have I kissed someone within the first hour of meeting them.**
Actually, I have XD maybe twice now? The first one was just on the cheek because she was a really sweet girl (yes, I am bisexual. I actually ended up dating her for a few months 😅😅😅 up to until she graduated and she had to go back to her country). Second one was my last ex and I kinda forgot how it ended up like that but let it be an experience, I guess? 🤣🤣🤣
**Never have I ever dated a friend's sibling.**
Oh I’ve never done this to you XD but I’ve dumped a friend’s sibling when he was trying to make a move because I really don’t want to date a friend’s sibling or relative no matter what. I even try to stay away from friends of friends for some reason.
**3 questions from the Funny category**
**Never have I ever told a joke and nobody laughed.**
Sadly, this happens a lot to me ;;-;; I know I’m lame but at least I try to be funny?
**Never have I ever done a duck face selfie.**
Uhhhhhhh nope. Big no. I rarely take selfies and usually my lips are in a frown of sorts (or so my friends pointed out) so no duck-faced selfie at all
**Never have I ever Googled my own name**
I actually have, I was curious back in highschool as to why I have never encountered people with the same name. There was still none even in the search because they were either “Hansel”, “Hanselle”, “Hanzelle” or some other variation.
**4 questions from the Drinking category**
**Never have I ever taken a body shot off a stranger.**
I honestly almost did- it was during a college event celebration for us chemists. I do think it was my first chemistry week in my school and as a form of celebration, the professors invited the entire batch and a few other students from another uni for a drinking party. I swear, home-made wine and lots of gin and beer almost had me licking off vodka from someone else’s chest and navel 😭😭😭😭good thing my bish dragged my drunk ass home.
**Never have I ever mixed beer, wine, and hard alcohol during an evening of drinking.**
Oh please, ever heard of king’s cup? It’s one of the deadliest drinking games out there and if you’re unlucky and everyone has a different alcohol preference, then you are dead. I died with one game and as the last unlucky king. Worst drinking experience ever. Gosh it was disgusting-
**Never have I ever tried tequila.**
Nope, I don’t think I can tolerate tequila OnO but I do love mojito UwU and a few other alcohol variations. Maybe I’ll try tequila another time.
**Never have I ever tried sake.**
I have but it’s cooking sake XD but it still counts as sake though. But honestly, it just tastes like the sweeter version of vinegar
Owight, that concludes my never have I ever. So 6 fingers down in this random set of questions UwU I’m still a good girl somehow? Or I at least think so? Well, that’s not gonna be up to me to judge, right? Until the next random article~
@Charlotte @FrieLincs @Ghostwriter @Ozzyy @Leo_kitti
You guys should try this :<
Ch 9-2: The time has come
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** **Chapter 7-2** **Chapter 8-1** Chapter 9-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-1-5d2e387f https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-1-the-time-has-come-5c808365
I'm feeling a little better... I think? At least I'm not as dizzy as I was from this fever. I wanted to write something else but I forgot what it was orz, anyways, enjoy!
One by one, the purists came bursting out of their houses, all ready to put up a good fight with whoever it was that was attacking their territory. By the time they reached the town plaza. The purists were already gathered.
“I knew we shouldn’t have let those messengers get away!” Fleta growled out as she assumed an offensive stance.
“Assume the first formation again!” Both leaders warned their men.
With that command, barriers were created around them. The humans had their shields and weapons ready and loaded. The offense team was getting ready to create a chain of attack, and the neutralizers started their incantations with hopes that this time, their numbers would be enough to affect more purists compared to their first attack.
“Support group, you need to give our defense more strength!” The elder spoke this time before she started with incantations of her own.
It seemed like for a while, both sides couldn’t dare attack. But when lightning rained down from the sky once more, the witches then unleashed the spells they have been reciting. Plants emerged right under the purists' side of the field. While stone fell on their side. Had it not been for the barrier, they all would have been flattened by the myriad of attacks the purists kept making
“Neutralizers, what’s taking you so long?” The Offense group was growing impatient when none of their attacks were making a direct hit. It was only Winthrop’s vines that managed to do any real damage, yet they were all quickly burnt down in a matter of minutes
“Support, we need to give the neutralizers! Give them some of your energy” Alden spoke up this time before she began directing her incantations towards the neutralizer team. Half of them followed suit.
It still took a while but soon enough, the purist barrier was dispelled and the humans and witches in the attack group charged in to face the purists in hand-to-hand combat. It was basically playing dirty when they were all aware of how a witch’s physical strength was. It was no time to worry about that now. Everything could go when it came to war.
They managed to subdue a number of them. Although it was mostly the women and children, it still lessened the attacks their side was receiving. At that point in the battle, they were just happy that the humans managed to create the restraints, else, the neutralizer team would have already been worn out.
“Wait a minute… Why are all our captives women and children?” Cooper then pointed out when they gathered enough captives at the plaza.
“There should be male purists-” Before Camdyn could even finish his statement, Ice shards fell from the sky. Luckily the defense group still maintained the barriers.
“I guess that answers your question,” Audrey said bluntly as she aimed the arm of her mechanical suit at one of them. She fired a net towards one, and once the net came in contact with her target, the purist convulsed violently in pain before he fell to the ground
“Surround the captives!” Leader Edric commanded “Make sure the barrier doesn’t break and the captives aren’t harmed!”
In a split second, the defense team huddled to form a circle around the captives while the offense group took down the male witches one by one. Just taking the male purists down wasn’t working as well as they thought. What was more surprising was that the males knew how to use weapons such as swords and spears.
“Watch out for their weapons!” each of them warned the other. “Get the leaders to the palace! We need to end this!”
“How can we even do that?!” The defense group expanded their circle so that they could pull in those that were getting injured. Everyone could see that they were almost out of strength despite the boost and with their numbers.
“We just need to find an opening!” The elder said enthusiastically.
A thought suddenly came to Fleta’s mind as a last resort to pave a way “All wind manipulator! I’ll need your help! Get in between two defense members and get ready to fire!”
They all nodded in affirmation, when they caught on to Fleta’s idea “When we start, make sure the offense team gets down!”
Fleta started off her count down. “Three!... Two!... One! Get down!” Those that managed to hear Fleta’s words, quickly got down. As soon as the offense group dropped to the ground, Fleta and the other wind manipulators created a strong gust of wind that was enough to leave a large gash across the male purists who were confused with the turn of events. Before any of the purists could react, they were already slashed across the chest and were blown away by the wind.
“That’s it guys… that’s the last of our strength” The wind manipulators all said before they fell to the ground from sheer exhaustion.
“Men! Take the leaders to the palace!” The offense group quickly got to their feet while the humans went outside the circle to tie up the male purists that got blown away.
“Go while the path is clear!” Beverly exclaimed before she ran off to look for the fallen male purists.
It was thanks to the wind manipulators who paved a way for them. The leaders made a run for it. The Offense group and a few members from each group came to their side, ready to protect the people they hoped, would be the ones to finally put an end to this.
“Based on the map, it should be this way” Audrey was up ahead, leading their small group since she was the only one left who clearly remembered the routes on the map “There it is! I can see it!” The palace was finally coming into view when they rounded a few corners. It was honestly a much longer run than any of them expected.
After running for a few minutes, the palace gates came into view… and so did the rest of the male purists they were looking for.
“When will this battle end?” Winthrop groaned in frustration while he moved his hands. Plants, vines, and branches sprouted from the earth and pushed the purists to the side. It was the most he could do before they began burning his plants again “Move forward, we’ll try to stop them” Winthrop said as he grabbed Camdyn by the arm.
Chapter 10 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-10-there-can-be-peace-640ed2eb
Ch 9-1: The time has come
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** **Chapter 7-2** **Chapter 8-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-1-5d2e387f
Ahh I'm so ready to end this. No more long series for a while ;;-;; but ayeee, it's the battle scene, finally OwO
**Chapter 9**
**The time has come**
Once a complete map was drafted, Audrey immediately got to work creating a projection image of it. She wanted to make the image as large as what she managed with the scroll. It was all to make sure that their fighters would have an idea of the terrain that they would be fighting in. As soon as morning came, she made off with the map, of course, with both leader’s permission. By evening, on that same day, she returned the map and presented the fruit of her labor.
On their next gathering with the people, they presented the map and from there, discussions about the best kinds of formations were raised. Within a few days’ time, their attack flow and sequence were polished to perfection. All that’s left was to execute everything. In the meantime, they all tried to enjoy their peace.
A few nights before their planned attack against the purists, the leaders gathered everyone on a nightly basis to discuss and to finalize how their attacks would proceed. The defense would be on the front lines, followed by the neutralizers. The healers would be in the rear and the long-range offense would be in between all of them. That was their first formation and it was the most crucial step that would determine if they could advance or not.
If they succeeded with the first phase, and they could take down the barriers and illusions, they could then proceed to the second phase, which is to get to the shadow king’s castle. At least with the map, the youngins managed to make, it would be much faster to find. They wouldn’t have to waste so much time looking and running around. After they find the king, it would all be up to the leaders while the rest of the citizens would try to gather the other purist witches.
Everything was all ready and they only needed to wait 2 more days until the summer solstice. Yes, they still haven’t found out how their witch companions would escape from being weakened by the effects of the summer solstice but with the amplifier helmets, they were at least guaranteed to still be as powerful as a purist witch. It was the best kind of assurance they could get.
Despite the assurances, they couldn’t help but continue to worry. Anxiety loomed in the air. The usual lively atmosphere they had was temporarily replaced with a kind of stillness. Each and every one of them could feel the tension in the air as they spent their last 2 days making preparations. They had to make sure they all had the items they would need.
The humans spent their last few hours of peace fine-tuning their armor, machines, equipment, as well as amplifier helmets their witch friends would be using on the day of their attack. They also had to make sure that their magic neutralizing restraints were finished and ready to use. They all had to make sure everything was in perfect condition. The witches, on the other hand, tried their best to organize their attack sequence for the actual day. They also needed to find a way to overcome the fear they have of the purists. So many times, the humans had to remind them that they were just as powerful as the purists now.
The day before the attack, the leaders decided to give the people the freedom to do what they wanted to do. There was no telling if there would be many casualties. They were also unsure of the success rate of their plans despite how much they discussed it over.
Finally, on the day of the summer solstice, they came marching towards the purist barrier already in the first formation. At noon, they started the plan’s execution. Those that had the ability to neutralize another witch’s abilities started their incantations. A wall started to become visible, the longer they started chanting.
The next wave was up to the earth manipulators. They all lined up side by side. With a stomp of their feet, the wall came crumbling down as if it weren’t made of stone. Onwards, they marched past the fallen wall. They were all ready to engage in battle if needed. Gratefully, the vast field was not manned that day… Or so they thought. By the time they were entering the forest, the trees started moving on their own accord. Some trees even uprooted themselves.
Even in a weakened state, the purists still possessed amazing abilities. It was terrifying. And if the weak witches had not cooperated with the humans, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against these attacks. But now, they were almost on equal footing with the purists. With a few incantations from the attack group, a fire started to spread across the uprooted trees. It was followed by stone pillars that rained from the sky. Lastly, the water manipulators cleared out the flames so that their group could pass.
“Humans- and the weaklings! How did you manage to breach our barriers?” A number of purists came out from the forest clearing “Those that are able, go inform the king! Tell him that we’ve been breached!” Two of them soon flew to the sky and zoomed away while those that were left, prepared to engage in battle.
“Don’t let those two get away!” It was then that the wind manipulators took to the sky and tried to chase down the messengers who made their quick escape “Where did they go?!” Fleta demanded when she the messengers were nowhere to be found “WE need to split up and find them-”
Before the wind manipulators could even get far, they were all blocked by thunderclouds that looked ready to fire lightning at any moment. When they looked down, they saw the purists that already started to chant. The sky darkened further. Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled and echoed across the sky, and the ground quaked. They were definitely not ones that should be messed with. But at least now, they all stood a chance. The offense group started to chant as well but this time, the air froze. Ice formed and rained over the purists. Fire also blazed once more around the area the purists stood. Yet the flames had no effect on them. That was when they finally realized:
“They have barriers ready!” Someone from the defense group cried out as they advanced.
“The neutralizers! We need that barrier down” The offense group shouted out before they started on a few new incantations.
The neutralizer group then began to dispel whatever barrier it was that the purists created. With their numbers, it took a while, but by the third wave of attacks from the offense group, they finally managed to dispel the barrier. Their victory was celebrated with a few clean shots made by the offense group. The purists fell to the ground. Some sustained a few injuries but no casualties, like what the leaders hoped for. As soon as they managed to subdue the purists that blocked the forest path, they tied the purists up with the magic neutralizing restraints they all worked hard on. Just to make sure that they couldn’t attack anymore, a few of the neutralizers had to stay behind to keep the captured purists contained, while the rest of them marched onwards to the town plaza.
Chapter 9-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-2-the-time-has-come-c4e71849
Why hot and spicy?
I just remembered this recently but this story dates back to when I was still doing my internship under the local Food and Drug Administration.
It’s a fact that additives are added to food. They come in varying forms, either as food colorants, seasonings, spices, herbs, etc. But why are they added?
Based on a few operational books used in food testing laboratories, **food additives are there to maintain or improve food quality (in safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance)**. Mostly, these additives are the ones we test in the labs, besides contaminants.
But back in my orientation there was one particular question that stood out to me: **“Why is there hot and spicy canned fish but no hot and spicy preserved meats?”** and if you think about it… it’s actually true. The closest thing I’ve seen as hot and spicy is the spiced ham then that’s it.
So why are only fish and seafood hot and spicy? Can’t meat be sold like that? Well yeah, it can but the main point of the story was to avoid wasting perfectly fine fish/seafood.
Who in the right mind would want to waste fish right? Well, it was a case a few decades back, before the hot and spicy canned or preserved variations came out. They used to throw away batches and batches of fishes for one sole reason: because of how high the histamine content in those fishes are. It’s either the storage was bad or the fishes got contaminated with a fish that was already decaying when they were caught. A high level of histamine also indicates that the fishes are close to spoilage and that was usually the case in some fish canning industries.
It should be common knowledge now that **seafood can be high in histamine**, thus why so many people have seafood allergies or histamine intolerance. (It's not just seafood though, other products too but I'm focusing on fish. And don’t blame the fish for the histamine tho, blame the fishermen and the suppliers for not having good storage to stop bacteria from producing histamine). For manufacturers, throwing away batches of fish means huge losses. What some research teams tried to crack down on was how to neutralize the histamine or at least lower it so that the company could lower the losses.
**Cooking the fish does indeed lower histamine** but then it can’t really meet the standard level where there would be no bodily reaction to the consumer, thus why additives were used.
There are tons of different additives that could be used for neutralizing histamine and the list follows Amaranth seeds, anise, basil, berberine, Carraway, Chamomile, **Chilis**, cinnamon, **clove, curry powder**, echinacea, oregano, fennel, fig, **ginger**, ginkgo, grapefruit, nutmeg, passionflower, tarragon, **turmeric**, skullcap, **thyme**, yarrow, papaya, reishi mushroom, and stinging nettle (yes, the list is so long;;-;;). But the usage of these additives depends on market tastes and of the abundance of the ingredient, thus why researchers for this particular problem probably ruled out a lot of them and stuck to the most common kitchen items which are chili, ginger, and a few herbs.
Although citrus fruits were an option in neutralizing histamine, I do think they based the hot and spicy flavor on what the consumers would enjoy more. (But there was a Spanish-style kind of preservation that made use of ginger and herbs and that worked fairly well too). I wanted to highlight the mechanism on why chili but I forgot this is deep-level mode of action but the best explanation I can give is that chili has a compound called capsaicin. **Capsaicin** is the compound that gives chilis its natural spiciness. And although there’s a lack of trials where capsaicin is used as an antihistamine, it’s still one of the most popular food additives used when it comes to fish.
I hope this article has been as amusing to you as it was to me when I first heard the story from my supervisor UwU
Source:
**https://www.fsai.ie/faq/histamine_fish.html**
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705351/
Down with the king! 8-2
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** **Chapter 7-2** **Chapter 8-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-1-5d2e387f
Ohhhh just a bit more and I'll be done and free to go back to my short stories and my science stuff OwO
Whoever (me) thought it was a good idea to publish an actual novel here honestly has a few screws loose in the head, I swear. Anyways, the next article will be a sort of breather at least OwO
After that, Winthrop kept himself quiet but he did make sure that he had seeds ready in the case a purist would see them. They were both on high alert with each step they took. After a while, they entered a forest. It was kind of assuring to Winthrop who felt at ease being surrounded by plants he could use.
“There they are-” Voices soon resounded in the forest. With Winthrop on full alert, he quickly made use of the branches to capture the source of the voices.
“Audrey…? Alden? Beverly? Cooper? Fleta?” Winthrop inspected them one by one when he was close enough to see them “What are you guys doing here?”
“We couldn’t let you numbskulls go in here alone. You might not come back alive” Fleta told them cheekily as she wriggled out of the branches.
“That, and Alden and Beverly wouldn’t quit until we all went,” Cooper said cheekily while gesturing to the two in question.
“We also found the tunnel you guys used” Audrey added “What have you found out so far?”
Camdyn gave a slight shrug as an answer to her question “Nothing yet, we’re still trying to see what’s at the end of this forest”
“I saw lights a while ago” Winthrop added “It doesn’t look that far from here” He snapped his fingers to release the others from branches.
With everyone freed from the restraints, they all made their way deeper into the forest until they saw a village similar to Uscad. Or what Uscad used to be before both nations merged.
“So this is the purists’ village,” Fleta thought aloud “Maybe I could try to make a map on an aerial view?’
In a matter of seconds, Audrey already had her journal and pen prepared “That’s a brilliant idea! A map would really be of great help to the upcoming battle”
The rest nodded in affirmation. They assured her that while she made a rough sketch, they would be making sure to hide her presence with incantations. So it was settled; They all formed into a circle as soon as Fleta flew over the kingdom. Once Fleta was high enough, they all started chanting together words that Audrey could not understand. The sketch took a while. Beverly and the others didn’t stop chanting
Audrey kept watch with the binoculars she had brought with her. “Guys! I think we should get out of here soon!” She got fidgety when she noticed that there were some figures approaching their direction “There are purists coming this way!”
They all quickly got to their feet in a panic. They needed to make a run for it before they were seen. Luckily, Beverly was able to send a small bird to Fleta as a warning of the purists that were roaming the forest just moments ago.
The map was unfinished, but none of them needed to be captured yet. Fleta zoomed across the sky and over the forest. Her eyes were kept open so that she could easily spot her friends.
“Fleta, hurry!” Alden shouted breathlessly once she saw Fleta flying over the trees.
“She’ll make it!” Beverly said confidently.
Each of them ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They didn’t stop until they reached the tunnel that Camdyn had made. They wasted no time in jumping into the opening. Camdyn was the last to get into, and with his entry into the tunnel, he made sure that the opening was sealed securely so that none of the purists would notice.
Quickly, they all ran through the tunnel with hopes that they weren’t followed. Luckily Camdyn made sure that the path they passed was completely filled, to the point that the ground looked undisturbed.
“Goodness, you people are insane” Audrey spoke breathlessly, yet one could feel the enjoyment in her tone.
“You’re just as crazy,” Fleta said with a chuckle “here’s the map. I couldn’t finish it. But I can still remember some parts of it at least” She was grinning proudly while handing Audrey the small notebook.
“We need to show that to the leaders as soon as possible!” Beverly said excitedly “And while Fleta still remembers what she couldn’t put on the map”
“Just let me breathe first- that was the most I’ve run since we started training,” Said Camdyn, who fell to the ground as soon as he finished sealing the tunnel.
They all agreed to the idea, and for a little while, they all sat on the ground, panting heavily after the small adventure they all just had. Once things seemed to have settled down, they all got to their feet and made their way to the building both leaders were staying in.
“Leader! Elder! We have something to tell you!” Beverly was ecstatic to present their information that she kept knocking on the building’s door despite knowing how late it already was.
“Maybe they’re already sleeping” Alden suggested while trying to get Beverly to stop knocking on the door.
Just as Beverly was about to land a few more knocks on the door, it creaked open. They were greeted by a drowsy-looking Edric who looked just about ready to head to bed.
“Leader! Leader! We have news for you!” Beverly was basically bouncing with excitement as she let herself into the building.
“Our apologies for barging in so late, Leader. We just thought that we should tell you about the map we created” Audrey spoke as she presented her small journal.
“A map of what?” The leader took the small journal from her hands, yet he wasn’t sure how he would go about understanding it “I can’t understand any of this”
“I was the one who made that. It’s a map of the purists’ territory” Fleta said bashfully, a huge contrast from her usual confident self.
The leader looked at them with a shocked expression when Fleta had mentioned that it was a map of the purists’ territory “When did you?!? Did you go to their territory?” He then looked at the map more intently “You need to explain this to me right now.” Immediately, he ushered each of them inside the building.
They all gathered in the usual meeting room they often used. There, Leader Edric set up a large piece of paper, a few quills, and the journal where a rushed map was scribbled in.
“What did you see while inside that territory?” All sleepiness seemed to have vanished when the leader prepared to draft out a better version of the map.
“There’s actually a wall behind that barrier!”Camdyn exclaimed as he recalled “And the barrier is only surface level. It’s kind of similar to illusion magic”
“What’s this about illusionary magic?” Their attention turned to the elder who was making her way into the meeting hall.
“We got into purists’ territory!” Winthrop soon pointed over the drafted map “There’s an open field past the wall. Then a few meters ahead, there’s a forest there that goes on for a few meters”
As they told him everything that they could remember, the leader made himself busy by drafting out everything he could. They all even had a good laugh when they told both leaders about an encounter they almost had with the purists. By the end of the night, they were all pretty exhausted, but with a better idea of the territory they’re up against, it gave them a more concrete plan and formation sequence that would make their victory sure.
Chapter 9-1
https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ch-9-1-the-time-has-come-5c808365
Down with the king! 8-1
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** **Chapter 7-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17
**Chapter 8**
**Common grounds are needed**
The world was changing day by day. The wall got completely torn down, Uscad flourished and began to adopt technology while humans found a few alternatives to their power sources. Little by little, Uscad and Adroile merged and was becoming one prosperous nation. Some citizens from Uscad and Adroile tried to live within each other’s territory just to experience each other’s lifestyle.
The exchange of information was perhaps one of the greatest gifts each nation could have given each other. Despite the development, they all still continued to train and make preparations for the upcoming summer solstice. They were still trying to figure out how the witches could retain their abilities during their attack. With just a month left to prepare, every single person became extremely occupied with how they could still improve since none of them knew the full extent of what the purists could do now.
With 3 months gone and passed, it was still amazing progress to see witches building their own technology that could rival even the witches. And the one leading them proudly was Audrey and the people from the riots. In between the exhausting training of their abilities, the witches were taught how to do close-range combat in the case that the purists had some people that could nullify abilities as well.
The human had their fair share of struggles when they tried to understand where a witch’s ability came from. No matter what they did to understand, they were sure that they would never be blessed with such abilities, but harnessing spells and incantations from magical tools was the closest they could come to using magical abilities. And it was enough for them to continue studying witches. Aside from studying, every free time they could get, they tried making as many amplifier helmets as they could. They needed as many as they could and they definitely needed to apply some improvements to its design and efficiency if they plan to start an all-out war with the purists.
The days were passing by so fast. Soon they would all have to engage in battle. From that point on, the community they were now building decided to all share meals by supper. It was the perfect conclusion to their day of training and they really hoped to strengthen their bonds by doing so. Since those nights started, the leaders became more open to sharing their discussions with their citizens. The meetings now included those that wanted to attend. Everyone was given a fair chance to speak and to offer ways in which they could still improve. It was exactly as how Chandler Greames would have imagined it.
“What’s on your mind, Dree?” Cooper came up to Audrey who was gazing over everyone as they enjoyed their meal for that day.
“I’m just thinking, my father would have loved to see this” Audrey smiled up to him and Tinble who soon joined them
“Yeah, Daddy would have loved to see this. Even mum was starting to think the same when we would help prepare meals for the people” Tinble muttered in his usual soft tone as he leaned against Audrey’s frame
“Did she now?” Audrey teased and even prodded Tinble’s side “What about your family, Cooper? You've never once mentioned them to us”
“My family… well…” Cooper soon gazed back to where the wall once stood “They were one of the envoys that were sent to do negotiations years ago. They never returned, but they were determined to make peace with the humans. Both my parents were.”
“Is that why you knew how to get here?” Tinble asked.
“We’re the ones that were part human. My father also wanted to have this kind of world we had now” Cooper said softly as he also leaned against Audrey
“I’m sure all that they would be proud of what we all managed to achieve” From a distance, the three of them heard Beverly speak.
“All our parents would have been proud,” Said Fleta proudly as she seated herself next to Cooper “We’ve all come a long way to build the dream they failed to accomplish”
“Hey guys, I have a crazy idea” Camdyn soon came up and draped his arms over Cooper and Fleta “Want to go spying on the purist territory with me?” He grinned cheekily as he announced his thoughts.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Beverly smacked him lightly on the back of his head “Do you want to get killed?”
“We have the amplifier helmets, and I bet we can hide our presence better with that” Camdyn was insisting despite the looks his friends were receiving “I mean, we still need to see how well the improvements are. What better way to test them than on the field?”
“Have you already forgotten how powerful just one purist is? What more a whole kingdom of those purists!” Alden spoke in a hushed tone, hoping that nobody else would know about Camdyn’s ridiculous plan.
“Fine! I’ll be taking Winthrop with me then” As soon as Winthrop came into view, he was whisked away by Camdyn just as fast “We’ll be having a boy’s night out, just you and me, bud”
Winthrop wasn’t so sure how to react when he was being dragged away from the group. But he knew he wasn’t much of a match against Camdyn so he decided against taking action. Going along with the flow seemed like a better and more peaceful solution than anything.
When the pair neared the barrier, they both put on the amplifier helmet, then they began chanting a stealth incantation to mask their presence. Once that was done, Camdyn took a deep breath before he stomped his foot. In a split second, the ground opened up.
“It’s a tunnel. I think it would at least go until the other side of the barrier” said Camdyn as he inspected the opening he made.
“Maybe I should… check if the barrier runs underground” Winthrop breathed a soft sigh before he flicked his hands to mobilize a few plant stems which entered the tunnel before them.
“Well?” Camdyn looked at the plants intensively as they kept extending “Is there anything?”
“Looks like it’s only surface-level” Winthrop shook his head in response to Camdyn’s question. “ We should get going before we get seen by a purist”
“Way ahead of you” Camdyn grinned cheekily and grabbed Winthrop by the arm, dragging him into the tunnel as well.
Winthrop could only whine in protest as they walked further and further into purist territory “Camdyn! When I said get going, I meant that we should head to the others, not into your tunnel!”
“Shut it, Win, we’ll be fighting soon. We at least need information. What do we know about the purists besides their power and that the shadow king is on their side? Nothing, right?”
It was a rare time that Camdyn was actually making sense. With that kind of logic, Winthrop really couldn’t find anything to argue back so he settled to just follow him until they reached the end of the tunnel.
When they looked out of the tunnel, they noticed that the other side of the barrier was nothing but a vast field. And behind the barrier was an actual wall that looked much stronger than the wall they used to separate their kind from the humans.
“Where do we go from here, Camdyn?” Winthrop asked anxiously as they started making their way further into enemy territory.
“We walk forward. Until we find more information” Camdyn said bluntly as he started walking ahead. He didn’t even turn back to see if Winthrop would follow. He was sure Win would anyways.
“What if they see us?” Winthrop could only trail behind Camdyn. He was basically clung onto his arm with each sound that Winthrop could hear
“Win, you need to quit it- Stay quiet or they’ll really discover us!” Camdyn was basically shouting while trying to keep his hushed tone.
Chapter 8-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-2-26a8760f
Into the juungle we go
It's once again time for a quick breather from my fiction stories XD I know Down with the king has gotten long, and that there's a few more chapters left and an epilogue but for now, let's talk about my art activities XD because why not, right?
So recently, I've learned how to mint my own non fungible tokens on juungle UwU Of course I'd start doing this on my most preferred BCH blockchain since it's basically most of what I'm trying to grow.
I know I may have been drawn into this side of the crypto world due to the hype because “Finally, a place for artists and creators to actually flourish” Thus why I thought of getting in on this hype. I really thought, my creations can’t be so lame compared to these 2D waifus, right? well, FOMO really played a huge part in this impulsive idea to learn minting. I swear, I've always wanted to be recognized for my art skills as well as to actually monetize that skill. So far... it isn't really working out... yet?
After seeing the abundance of waifus, then zombies, then rats, and many other kinds of creatures and art getting put up in juungle, I really got convinced that I wanted to do it too. This guide may be confusing but it’s really one of the few guides that really help out with the minting process from scratch. I think it took me a month to even understand it? Then I also asked a noise.cash user (@rang) for help because I just couldn’t get the process done with what little brain cells I have ;;-;;
**https://read.cash/@VideoGameDana/how-to-create-an-slp-nft-that-displays-artwork-properly-on-both-slp-explorer-and-juunglenet-d021c141**
With what I could understand, and with the help I got, my cuties co was created!
I originally wanted to stick with drawing animals and cute stuff, thus why it was called cuties… but the range of what I started drawing gradually branched out and a few other creatures came out of it. It actually got me thinking that maybe I should have named the collection “Creatures” instead of cuties because no way in hell is the demoness of hell cute, she’s damn hot XD
Anyways, this is just shameless self-promotion because I’m really proud of the digital skills I have now UwU I can confidently say that my digital art skills are now on par with my traditional art skills and I am truly proud of what I have achieved through the months that I’ve been trying to get myself up there in juungle.
SO this sloth, may have been my uh.. trial run in minting? and it's also one of the reasons why the collection was named as it is XD
https://www.juungle.net/share/3600d89a47bc8df67f1c125fbbf693701ee04b3d773ce39dee37c7f20b3e514e
Then came my Froggo, which was honestly a gift to the other sister who likes frogs as much as I do UwU https://www.juungle.net/share/342e2c7d9d97ec94bf142802de0c4a15876af497711c431a7ade2bb20db4ea37
From there on out, I really took a liking to digital and I started random object studies. From eyes, to simple sketches to full-on concept art, I just found it so enjoyable, really https://www.juungle.net/share/46e07695413760cd9733a8f988bbc96af347222ef54f19eae224ae9f6bbfbe2e
This is one of those object studies as well UwU of clouds https://www.juungle.net/share/3003f5fa036b82033a9b7be6ffeadb35868bc409add47a73da27276cc64a3a03
I'd mostly call this lighting study than anything tbh. But It's also an anatomy study since side views really aren't my forte when it comes to heads and portraits https://www.juungle.net/share/61b5fe1e0e7d7d82bee80d1ca1ce141626c9baf2b8466b8240f548e36f332b2f
This one is actually an @ArtParkactivity and one that I'm also proud to have thought of. I really enjoyed the 3emoji challenge we did that week and I thought it was really worthy to be sold UwU https://www.juungle.net/share/fa417d28e6235d849dcd2e50b453ed5b058bb9d7dbfe979ca7a84911502b4aad
There's also my red lady UwU which was kind of... what dragged my collection further into a fantasy kind of thing. She's actually a vampire lady that I wanted to keep dressing up with red (yes, my love for red manifests in her) https://www.juungle.net/share/ffbfef2a7c47e0fb1c6b1e86df49804bbe63fe691d1f0c98adad111a08751db1
This is the last on my asset's list. The Demoness. I though of her background as a prisoner of hell. A powerful she-demon that was the rightful ruler of all demons but because the men of her family rejected the idea, she was thrown away in darkness.
https://www.juungle.net/share/44ac4de861b280cbe799f3525ff62f1d8e0327a12aa070be444fc824e3faa4eb
If you follow me on noise, you may have noticed that I haven’t really put up everything I’ve drawn digitally. Well, that’s most likely because I’m not really sure if I should be putting them in with my fantasy creatures. I mean, it’s already random enough in itself, honestly, and adding some random anime characters might make the randomness more chaotic buttttt I will put them here since I’m proud of my progress since I’ve joined the @ArtPark activities a few months back as well.
Then the rest of my artpark entries are on the desktop and I am too lazy to go get them XD But here are some unfinished work in progresses for you guys to look forward to. I need to finish them over the weekends, I swear.
Well, this is all from me for today UwU I hope you guys can check out my juungle collection and I hope you can also appreciate how far my skills have reached in these past few months OwO cuz I'm also extremely proud.
@mictorrani @bloghound, i really appreciate the sponsorship >w< even if i sometimes don't have the mental capacity to interact, i do read
also I've been meaning to thank @Jane @tired_momma and @PVMihalache for always renewing your sponsorships. I've just been shy to make short posts like these bit i really and truly appreciate them
@mictorrani @bloghound, i really appreciate the sponsorship >w< even if i sometimes don't have the mental capacity to interact, i do read
also I've been meaning to thank @Jane @tired_momma and @PVMihalache for always renewing your sponsorships. I've just been shy to make short posts like these bit i really and truly appreciate them
Down with the king! 7-2
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** **Chapter 7-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee
“Look at them, leader” Audrey had been doing her usual rounds with the leader and a few other people “They look like they’re getting along” She had pointed to the children that became fascinated with the witches’ abilities. Yet why they watched in secret was understandable.
To be quite frank, the humans all honestly marveled at the witches’ abilities. Some even envied them for their abilities yet nobody would dare admit that. At the same time, the witches were highly fascinated with the technology the humans possessed and created. Perhaps being more open with each other about some things would lessen the tension between the two races. They were all painfully aware of that fact, but as to how it can be achieved, it was still a mystery and a question that would often be discussed when both leaders would have their regular meetings.
“I think we should gather everyone soon for a little discussion. These trainings aren’t getting anywhere” Was what the leader asked from the elder as they went about their nightly discussions.
“There are fewer fights with the idea of setting out patrols'' As the elder bluntly said “But I agree. Their training would seem forced if they have to do so under monitored conditions. What could be done for them though, this is the best we can think of for now.”
The meeting soon became silenced as each one of them got lost in thought. Nobody could suggest something and nobody knew what to do, especially with the older ones that always seemed to be the instigators of the small brawls.
Punishment wasn’t something they could easily do. It was already discussed before and it seemed like a terrible idea. They needed each person able and in good condition. But if they created a reward system… would it even be feasible with the limited resources they had… yet it could just work!
“Maybe a reward system!” Audrey exclaimed once she was certain that it could work “We could make small tasks for them to do. And maybe we could put them into a smaller group each day!”
Both leaders looked at her curiously for quite some time. It honestly made her want to shrink back into her seat and pretend she hadn’t said anything, but when the elder spoke up, she had a glint of hope with the idea of hers
“It… could be possible,” The elder said reluctantly “But what reward do we give them…?”
“I was about to say the same thing. We have limited resources right now” The leader added in
“The witches have small charms and tools humans don’t have, and humans have small technologies that we witches don’t have. An exchange in technology could be a good idea” Cooper soon started expanding on the idea once he finally got a better understanding of the idea “It could also bring a change in perspective”
Further discussions were held over the idea. They had to agree on what kind of things they could give and share, and they had to think of tasks that wouldn’t be so impossible to achieve. Their meeting came to an end with both factions ready to collect small trinkets and tools that they could use as rewards for their new plan. The very next day, the leader had everyone gather around the wall once more to make an announcement.
“Today, we plan to do something different for the training you would be doing. Each of you will be paired. Each pair has to with be one witch and one human” Leader Edric soon gestured for Cooper and the others to bring in their haul after their meeting the night before “Each pair will have to work together to get a prize of their choice”
“And each of you will have to stay paired for the next 3 days before you are assigned a new partner” Was what the elder added as she brought in her haul of magical trinkets “For today’s goal, you are to get to know as much about your partner as possible. That is, while you do your training. An exchange in information can be a valuable thing”
After both leaders have dismissed themselves, a mix of reactions washed over the crowd. Some were overly enthusiastic to be paired while some struggled to find a pair. Luckily Fleta and the others were there to help with partner designation.
The first day was basically a give-away towards their citizens but the excitement over a foreign prize was apparently enough motivation to make each faction engage in small talk. It amazed even the leaders that it was that effective of an idea. By the end of that day, they saw that some of them found a common ground and newfound respect towards each other. The idea of cooperation was finally becoming a reality. Although some of them grew colder towards each other at least they tried to engage in conversation. Some were stubborn yet at the end of the day, the humans received charms, amulets, small potions, and a few relics that were basically harmless. A few of them insisted on receiving a few scrolls they said they wanted to try reading. As for the witches, they received children’s toys at first, watches, small trinkets that were all very foreign to them. It was quite the sightseeing each person trying to figure out what each object in their possession was for.
“I see that everyone has received their prizes'' The elder said bluntly among the excited chatter of their people “Your task for tomorrow will be to find out about the prize you’ve received. You will know how to use it, and what it’s used for. You may do your own research, or you could ask your partner about it, although we highly encourage you to ask your partner about your item” The elder grew cheeky when she was announcing the task for their final day “And for the last day with your partner, you will learn how to make those items in your possession. If you succeed in replicating it, you will receive a better prize. If you at least get the basic principle of it though, it still qualifies since magical tools are not so easily reproduced”
Again, the tasks threw the crowd into a frenzy but this time, it was a far better sight than the brawls. The wizards struggled to understand the use of toys, watches, matches, and even things like ink-less quilts. It made one question how far behind their technology was. And how simple their living was. Or if they were just heavily reliant on their abilities.
As for the humans, they had a harder time figuring out what the scrolls meant, or rather, the language it was written in. They also struggled with how to activate the charms and amulets they had. The humans honestly struggled more. By the end of the three days, instead of figuring out how to use the witching tools, they created machines that could either be used to analyze how some of those tools worked or the machine would be the one capable of activating the witching tool. It was at least good that by the time they needed to change partners, a better understanding of each side was established.
The challenges still continued for over a month. And as much as the results were far from what they all expected, it was still good progress. It was understandable that humans would struggle with magical tools since they lack a better understanding of a witch’s abilities. Yet seeing that they were trying to make machines that would work to improve a witch’s ability like what Audrey had been doing all along, it made the leaders proud.
But what was more impressive was how fast the witches learned about human technology in such a short span of time. All the improvements since the two factions merged were just outstanding. It was beyond what any of them could have imagined. And once they get the purist faction to join them. Who knows what improvements could be brought into the world they were reshaping.
Chapter 8-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-8-1-5d2e387f
Down with the king 7-1
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** **Chapter 6-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d
Just a few more chapters and I'll be done with my book UwU makes me proud ❤❤
**Chapter 7**
**Sometimes, you just need a change in perspective**
After both leaders finally came to an agreement, they parted for the night with good hopes for the next day. Audrey and the others were especially thrilled that their plans were starting to move forward. Yet there was still the question of how the citizens of different races would react. Audrey stayed with the leader that night, and they discussed some things further. She only left when Tinble heard the news and he was rushing into Leader Edric’s office to apologize on his sister’s behalf.
“I heard Audrey did something unbelievably ridiculous again, this time!” Tinble came rushing into the office, astounded when he saw Audrey and the leader having tea at such a late hour
“Calm down, young one. Your sister has been doing wonderfully” The leader gestured towards the sofa where Audrey was also seated “Why not join us for tea?”
Tinble reluctantly took a seat while Audrey prepared him a cup of tea “Might I ask, is this about the witches again?”
She only nodded before she took another sip of her tea “Tin, I finally figured out what Daddy meant when he said that witches weren’t so bad. Tomorrow, you have to come with me to the wall”
Tinble could only sigh before he took a sip from his tea “I will, I need to make sure you haven’t gone off the rails yet” He said teasingly “After this tea, we need to get home. Mum doesn’t show it, but she worries about you when you haven’t been home in a while”
“Petula has always been like that” Was what Leader Edric said as he leaned back in his seat “Best you both go home to get a good night’s rest. We’re in for a busy day tomorrow”
After their tea, and a bit of small talk, the two were sent home. But instead of resting when they got home, they spent that night talking in Audrey’s room about all the things she learned from the weak witches. She even showed him the ancient scroll and explained the correct history to him. It was like when they were younger, was what they both thought as they enjoyed the night.
On the day their plan was to be done, The leader gathered his citizens towards the walls. So did the Elder. Once The leader fired his smoke flare. Once the smoke spread across the sky, the elder cued Camdyn and the other earth manipulators to start using their abilities on the wall while Fleta and a few other wind casters made sure no debris would go astray. They tore down the wall that has been keeping both races separated for so long. A long silence fell upon the crowd who was completely clueless of what was happening.
Both leaders were the first to step up to show their citizens that they mean no harm with each other. They offered each other small gifts from each side to show that both of them held hostile intent against each other.
“My fellow humans! I apologize for the abrupt gathering. But With the summer solstice nearing, we can’t afford to waste much time going about this slowly so I and the elder of the weak witches’ faction thought of showing you first hand that we have established a friendship” The leader spoke proudly as he reached forward to hold onto the elder’s hand
Various emotions could be seen from either side but the ones that harbored the most violent reactions were the humans. Some of them exclaimed in protest, some even shouted that the elder may have altered the leader’s thoughts with how sudden the announcement came. Some of them were even ready to fire in case it was all a ploy set up by the witches, but that was not the case.
“Worry not, This was all discussed yesterday. No witch besides the King of shadows is able to manipulate thoughts. If you do not believe my words then please look at this scroll which has been passed down from generation to generation amongst our kind” The elder spoke as she gestured towards Audrey who had her projection box ready.
The elder pointed to the undisturbed part of the wall, and there, the image of the scroll was shown to both humans and witches alike.
“This is the truth that has been hidden from us for so long” It was leader Edric that spoke this time. He spoke with a calm tone as he discussed the real history to his people “These witches we have been battling for the past 300 years… They are not who we should be fighting but the purist witches that some of you may have encountered the other day. These purists are the witches that have been loyal to the king of shadows for so long”
The humans were still in disbelief over the turn of events. What was more surprising was when someone from the human’s side threw a small rock over at the witches’ side. Just that small action was enough to spark a reaction amongst the two sides. Humans suddenly got armed and the witches all readied themselves in defensive stances. Accusations and shouting soon erupted from the crowd. Both sides were all ready to attack.
“Stop it! We did not come here to start a battle!”Fleta spoke up as she separated the crowd with a strong gust of wind. “We’ve come to show you the truth that we witches have known for so long. We do not mean any harm so we would appreciate it if nobody would start provoking either side”
“She’s right!” Audrey soon came up and stood right beside her “Just please listen to what our leaders have to say and we should give each side a chance. Some of you have seen how ruthless that purist was. The one that attacked just recently. We didn’t even stand a chance had they not helped us out” She gestured to Fleta, as well as to Cooper and the others that were standing beside their elder.
“Thank you for your intervention, children. I’ll take over from here” It was the elder that had stepped up into the human crowd “It’s as they say, the purists are powerful that even we are no match for them. But to resolve that, we’ve thought of having everyone cooperate with each other. We are asking for your cooperation”
“We’ve decided that those who can handle offensive attacks will be grouped together” Leader Edric announced proudly as he motioned towards one side where Cooper, Camdyn, Winthrop, and Beverly stood. “Those that can heal and those that know medicine will be grouped as well.” He then motioned to Alden who was standing on another side.
“Those that can erect barriers and those that can nullify powers will be much needed in our plan too. And those that are able to build machinery will be much appreciated. They will be working with all of us to help build these amplifier helmets this young child has presented to us” The elder then gestured towards Audrey who was proudly holding onto the amplifier helmet.
With both leaders’ assistance, the people were sorted based on what they were capable of doing. The sorting took much longer than any of them could have hoped for. It took almost a week before each and every person was sorted accordingly. Among the people they have gathered, the largest group were the fighters. Witches who could manage elemental manipulation were automatically assigned to the group to make things easier for them. And those who could handle explosives, close-range fighting, and even guns, were assigned in the same group.
As for the healers, Their group wasn’t so large yet it still contained a significant number of members. In their group were witches that were blessed with healing abilities, as well as humans that practiced a medical profession. Then there were the witches that could amplify and nullify other witches’ abilities. They were assigned to stay near the elder since they would be what they would call their secret weapon.
There was also the defender’s group. The people that constituted this group were the ones that knew how to erect barriers and runes, as well as those that could push away enemies so there were a few wind and water witches that could be seen in the mix, as well as humans that had expertise over armors and shields.
Despite the fact that grouping them seemed a good idea, it set off a lot of internal arguments that they had not foreseen. There were a lot of internal brawls that happened within each of the groups too. Had the leaders not come to put a stop to each and every one of those fights, nothing would have happened. They had 4 months left before the summer solstice, the witches were painfully aware of that when they would often receive threats from the humans within their groups. It terrified the witches that when humans would often tell them “Just you wait on the summer solstice, you won’t be acting so smug anymore”
For the first month, since the two races were grouped, the leaders kept a close eye on each and every move they made during training. It was still a struggle to get most of them to cooperate, especially with the older ones who were often the most stubborn ones. But for the younger ones, like those that were still in their teens, they got along much better than anyone would have expected.
Chapter 7-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-2-baab9d17
One more tale, human
I wanted to keep this as a short story but even short stories reach 1k+ words for me now 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
**[WP] The deity sighs and takes your hand, looking up at you with tired eyes making a gentle request, "Would you tell me a tale, young one? Something with adventure. I would so like to hear one more story before my time is up." You gather yourself, inhale deeply, and begin, "Once upon a time... "**
Mythology, adventure, explorations. That has been my life since I’ve come of age. It may have been an unusual hobby for someone to try to prove the existence of gods, goddesses, deities, and the likes, but I was sure that I encountered one while in my childhood. The one that lived on an island of flowers.
It may sound strange but I had met her. I was too young to recall everything. All I managed to remember was that she had saved me from the forest when I was lost during a camping trip with my family. I still can’t remember how I got lost. however, I remember her words clearly “If you want to thank me one day, I will be waiting for you on my island”
Those were her words when she saw me off by the borders of the forest. After that, it became habitual of me to come into the forest in hopes of seeing her again. No such luck with each time.
When I was finally old enough to go further, I asked my father to accompany me on my trips. We started going around mountains and even other islands, all in the guise of wanting to hike or to go mountain climbing. My family thought I may have become addicted to extreme sports. But, in reality, I only yearned to find her again. Throughout my teen years, I wandered aimlessly during breaks from studying mythology. Yes, it was a strange combination but there, I found the identity of my rescuer. She was Chloris, the goddess of spring. As to why she wandered so far off Greek territory, I would never know but she goes where the flowers bloom and where produce is lush. It excited me to know that If I was getting closer to finding her. Call this an obsession but I still want to give her my heartfelt thanks for having saved me.
I was encouraged to start leaving the country I grew up in a few weeks after my graduation. There was no luck of finding her there anyways. I knew I had to go exploring the oceans if I wanted to prove her existence. The field of Elysium was said to be in the river of Oceanus yet to know where that is, I could only rely on Greek mythology and the works of Homer from the Iliad and The Odyssey.
It was a blind quest, it seems but I had to try my luck. My first voyage was to the Atlantic ocean. Atlantis was still part of mythology and I was sure there were still isles that were yet to be discovered.
People called me a mad man but I knew she would be there… somewhere. Months passed and there was minimal luck. I believe I did manage to find a few islands but none could compare to how the elysian fields were described in the literature. I was beginning to question if I needed to be dead to actually see her, like how I was almost dying when I had first met her. It felt like that would be the case.
I was nearing the boundaries of Africa when there was one particular island that stood out from all the isles that I’ve set foot upon. While its edges were white sand, its very center was a field. A vast field of every colored flower imaginable. It was beautiful. It was as if every single day could be spring there. The trees bore fruits yet there was nobody else to appreciate the splendor of the island.
Just as I was wandering the greenery of the magnificent island, a strong gust passed by, making petals and leaves scatter with the wind. I had closed my eyes for a brief moment and when I opened them, there she stood, beautiful as the day I had first met her.
“Chloris?” I had questioned cautiously. The last thing I wanted to do was to feel the wrath of a deity whose identity I was quite unsure of.
“Young human. You are not dead, why do you come to my isles”
It seems she has forgotten me “My goddess, I’ve searched endlessly, day and night, to thank you for having saved me when I was nearing death many years ago” I had bowed my head yet she had turned her back on me.
“The living is not permitted here, you must go” Was all she could tell me before she vanished with the wind again.
I didn’t leave though yet I kept my distance from the field to not anger the deity. I set up camp and managed with what remaining supply I had. It was fortunate that there was fish that could easily be hunted and freshwater that flowed from the rivers yet I was surprised when fresh fruit was on the deck of my boat. There was plenty at that. It made me wonder if Chloris had come to accept my presence. I paid her another visit to which she now welcomed. She did not give me such a cold gaze as before. It was a relief.
“Tell me human, how did you manage to find my isle”
I can sense her curiosity and with that, I excused myself and returned with what few materials I could carry by hand. I showed her the books and various amounts of text that had guided me to explore the Atlantic ocean.
I also showed her images of her and the other Greek gods, to which she just laughed. It seemed human understanding of the gods was too strange for even her. She shared her stories as I had shared mine. It was blissful living on that island, that was for sure. I hadn’t even realized that it had already been a couple of years since I first went on a voyage. I needed to see my family again and I do think I need to present my findings to the scholars I had met while studying. I bid her a momentary goodbye and assured her of my return. I wasn’t sure how long it would take but I knew I would find my way back.
My stay in the town I grew up in wasn’t that long, I simply convinced my parents of where I wanted to spend the rest of my days and informed the scholars through letters of the things I had witnessed on my voyage. I was sure they would all think I’ve gone mad but I was sure that the Elysian fields were where I wanted to spend the rest of my life in.
On my return, It was quite different from before I left. I was pretty sure I had only been gone for 2? Maybe 3 months? Yet what had happened to the isle? I look around frantically, hoping Chloris would still be around.
There, she hid in an opening of her favorite tree. She didn’t seem as youthful as she did. Something changed. Even the flowers were losing their colors.
“Chloris, what has happened in my absence?” I approached her slowly
“It was Zeus. That capricious man that came to envy that a human took such a great liking to me” Carefully, she climbed out of the spot she had nestled herself in. Her body grew thinner and frailer as if it was the onset of autumn.
“And what did he do to appease that anger?” I didn’t dare ask but I needed to know what would happen to the isle I grew to love so much.
“He would abolish this Elysian realm and burden Hades with the task of guiding even the god’s souls to the afterlife.” The deity sighs and takes my hand, looking up at me with tired eyes making a gentle request, "Would you tell me a tale, young one? Something with adventure. I would so like to hear one more story before my time is up."
I gathered myself, inhaled deeply, and began, "Once upon a time… there was a boy that was saved by this beautiful goddess”
I could see how her lips quirked up with the beginning of my tale. And as I continued on with my adventure of finding her, I could feel her lids getting heavier and heavier, until they had stayed shut and all the flowers and trees withered with her.
Down with the king! 6-2
I think... this was where it kind of got boring for me while I was writing up this book. I was kind of running out of ideas then so I wasn't even sure I was executing things properly
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** **Chapter 6-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740
“We just need to talk with you... so we would appreciate it if you listened” It was Cooper that spoke this time. He said firmly as he raised his hand to make the room freezing cold
“You don’t need to scare him like that,” Audrey prodded Cooper on his side. She again approached the leader who seemed more disoriented and frightened than he did when they brought him.
“What do you want anyway!” The leader was starting to grow furious now as he balled his hands into fists “And you, young lady! I promised your father I would look after you. Is this your way of tarnishing your father’s last wish?!”
“We just hope for a negotiation” Alden spoke up this time as she got out of her seat “You already know about the purist witch’s attack. We only tried to show you humans the purist witches’ barrier as a means of making you humans aware of their existence but the attack that followed… It wasn’t us anymore. We never anticipated any of that”
“So you were all responsible for this mess!” The leader all but growled as he shouted profanities at them “You put my people in danger! Some of them perished!”
“We didn’t know the purists would be watching!” Fleta spoke, outraged by the claims. Her eyes were already starting to glow a blinding white as she approached the leader “And who did you think had to rescue your weak people when the purist attacked?!”
“Calm down, Fleta… We’re trying to explain, not start a fight” Beverly had to hold onto Fleta’s hands to stop her from using her abilities “My apologies for their behaviour… as she was saying, when the purist attacked, we saved your people, and Alden here, healed those that were injured by the purist’s attack. Reviving those that were lost is beyond her abilities but we surely would have if we could. Hopefully with that knowledge in mind, we would appreciate it if you would listen to our small request in exchange for the help we provided. We did not harm any of your people when we led them to the barrier either. So your claims are a bit too harsh, leader Edric”
Everyone gazed down, especially the leader who had just been cursing at them since “I apologize. I just can’t stand my people suffering from those witches. Before you go about your negotiations, who are these purists you keep talking about?”
“The purists are the pure witches… The ones that are loyal to the shadow king… Perhaps it would be better to show you” Cooper tried to explain but when he saw the confused look of the leader, he simply scratched his head and looked to Audrey “Do you still have the scroll, Dree?”
“I have something better” Audrey looked into her bag, pulling out a small box which projected a large image of the scroll on the wall. She grinned proudly while everyone else was in awe at her new creation, even the leader who has never seen the technology before.
“Anyways…” Despite his amazement, Cooper cleared his throat and gestured to the projection on the wall. “The history you know is quite different from what it really is” He motioned to the black figure at the top of the scroll “We believe the shadow king may have altered the memories of your ancestors some 300 years ago. The king made humans believe that your enemy was us, the weaker witches. It was… a way to get back at us for choosing humans over him, or so we believe. And some of us weak witches are part human to begin with so some of us had no intentions to harm your kind. If anything, we’ve been trying to protect your kind from those purists whenever they would try to attack. You’ve been battling with the wrong enemy all this time, sir”
The leader looked incredulously at Cooper and the rest of the weak witches that could only nod in affirmation to the story “I- then why didn’t any of them try to reach out to us? Why was there no attempt to communicate before all this?”
“We have… for the past 300 years. Yet each time, our kind would be prosecuted simply when you humans found out we were witches. A number of us made attempts to send an envoy through the years but none returned to us” Camdyn spoke, his tone sounded somber
“What negotiation can be done to at least make up for what our kind has done to you?” The leader’s gaze became downcasted as he listened to all the tragic things their kind has done to the weak witches.
“We only seek cooperation. Our elders have forbade us from harming humans since it was in the doctrine our ancestors passed onto us…” Cooper again spoke with a somber tone “But the yearly attacks when we’re at our weakest… it’s getting harder and harder for us to defend ourselves when your technology has become this destructive” He heaved a deep sigh as he remembered the things he saw at the riots and with the attacks he witnessed while growing up.
“How do you hope to reach cooperation? Does your elder have an idea what you have been doing?” The leader spoke in a softer tone now that he had a better image of what was going on.
“It will be easier to talk things out with her. She’s not someone who would be swayed by trivialities… and false information” Fleta said bluntly, almost in an offensive manner.
With those final words, The leader nodded, and they all asked Winthrop to remove the vines so that the leader wouldn’t feel so threatened anymore.
“Will you come to our territory to show your willingness to cooperate, sir?” Alden soon approached him as she checked the leader’s arms for any sort of injuries or cuts he may have gotten from Winthrop’s vines.
He simply answered with a nod and got up from his seat “I will, but before that, the citizens must be made aware about this. We should inform them immediately”
“We already have a plan for that, leader” Audrey spoke again as she carefully placed her projection box back into her bag “We thought it would be good to tear down the walls and have everyone work together” She said with a wide grin on her lips
Before he could say anything about the plan, Fleta already blew the furniture barricade away so that they could open the door
“We mustn't waste time now. We should head to our elder’s home as soon as we can” Beverly said enthusiastically as she called out a few creatures they could use to get to their territory faster. In a matter of minutes, neighing and wheezing could be heard, as well as the clack of hooves on wood. Horses came in an instant.
They wasted no time in boarding the horses and dashing out onto the streets. They made sure that nobody followed. Luckily Fleta was able to create a wind barrier around them until they reached Uscad, the weaker witches’ territory. This time, no incantations were needed. They didn’t need to hide Audrey’s nor the leader’s presence. If negotiations would be made, why would they need to sneak in anymore.
The witches gazed at the leader and Audrey as soon as they passed by, some of them even hid, thinking that humans came into Uscad to attack them again. But when they saw that they were headed to their elder’s home, they prepared themselves to attack. If Fleta and Beverly hadn’t stopped to explain to them what they were planning, the weak witches would have attacked right then and there.
As soon as they arrived at the elder’s doorstep, they asked the guards for an audience with the elder, which they were granted immediately when they showed them that the human leader was with them to make negotiations.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of having humans in my humble abode” Was what the elder said as she welcomed them into her office.
“I come to negotiate with you, dear elder. As a fellow leader, I hope you would hear me out” Leader Edric knelt before the elder, as did Audrey and the others.
“Very well, what do the humans want?” She spoke in an uninterested tone as she took a seat behind her desk. With a flick of her fingers, the door shut tight and seats were pulled forward.
“Wind manipulation” Fleta assured the leader who seemed to be surprised with objects moving on their own
“I wish to cooperate with you. My kind has wronged your kind for so long. After talking to these young ones” The leader paused and gestured to the young witches that stood behind him “I came to understand that your kind has shouldered so much and has been attacked by both factions for so long. I know this cooperation cannot make up for the past 300 years of warfare, but it would be a good start for the future of both our nations”
The elder looked skeptically at the leader, and at Audrey “If you wish to cooperate, what can you humans offer us that we don’t already have? What can you give us that would help each of us without causing more harm? We are simple people that can live with nature. Why would we need your destructive contraptions?”
“If I may speak, elder?” It was Audrey that spoke up.
Luckily, the elder gave her a nod of affirmation “Go ahead and speak. Human child”
“We don’t have much to offer but we can help improve your abilities with our technology” Audrey gestured to the amplifier helmet she’s made for them and even asked Cooper if he could demonstrate his abilities with and without the helmet. Both leaders were astounded with the difference “I can also teach our technology to your people. It would be a good precaution after having seen what a purist witch can do”
Upon the mention of a purist, the elder’s eyes widened with shock “You’ve encountered one?!? When did this happen?!”
“We have, elder” Beverly rose up and gestured to all of them “We didn’t expect to come face to face with one… but with this technology, we stood a chance against him.”
The rest of them didn’t need to speak, the elder came closer and gave them all a pat on the back “You children did amazing to come face to face with them and to come back unharmed. I’m thankful our ancestors have guided you” She then turned to face Audrey “And I thank you for helping them improve their abilities. Very well, I will have my people cooperate with your kind. What is it you have in mind, young one?”
With the affirmation the elder gave them, Audrey began discussing her plans that will immediately be executed on the following day.
Chapter 7-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-7-1-026c2bee
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