ARCA

• Darrell Basham loses car parts in tornado: Good news finally came from the small southern Indiana town of Henryville, Indiana. The massive tornado that took direct aim on the downtown area today spared the life of longtime ARCA competitor Darrell Basham and his family. However, much of what Basham didn't lose in a devastating garage/shop fire in November of 2010, was lost today in downtown Henryville. "My old building, which was my main big shop - it's gone, with everything in it. And we had a bunch of stuff in it that we use to go racing. We walked through earlier. There were headers over here, a piece of racecar over there. Lost all my parts. Maybe someone's trying to tell me something; I just don't know. This could be the end of the line for Darrell Basham Racing; we just don't know. We're okay though, but what a mess. "We had a bunch of motor parts; it's all gone. General parts we use all the time - headers, rims. A-frames, trailing arms. Destroyed everything I had down there - it's all gone. Fortunately I had my cars at the house shop, which the tornado missed. (ARCARacing.com) (03-02-12)
• ARCA bans driver cell phone use during competition: The ARCA Racing Series has banned drivers from using cell phones during competition. A bulletin was sent out to teams yesterday stating that "Cars and/or drivers will not be permitted to carry cell phones during competition." This rule has been established after Brad Keselowski's cell phone use during a red flag in NASCAR Sprint Cup's Daytona 500. (03-06-12)
• DnF Enterprises owner Mario Gosselin arrested: A race car driver and owner of the Lake Wales-based DnF Enterprises [that fielded a car for Fain Skinner in the 2012 Mobil 1 200 at Daytona] was among those arrested last week during a sex sting, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. Mario Gosselin, 40, of Lake Wales, was arrested Saturday and charged with soliciting prostitution, deputies said. The Sheriff's Office conducted a sex sting and said Gosselin was among more than 40 people who responded to online advertisements for sex. Once the people met with undercover detectives, they were arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail. Gosselin told deputies he was a self-employed mechanic. Gosselin bonded out of the Polk County Jail on $500 bail, according to jail records. (TheLedger.com) (03-14-12)
• Garcia Racing Looking to enter a 2th car for 2013: Garcia Racing is looking to enter a 2th car for 2013. Garcia Racing seeking sponsorship for the 2th car for 2013. Interested drivers or sponsor should contact Roberto Garcia. (Garcia Racing PR) (03-22-11)
• James Garcia will be starting in 3 NPTS races: Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, and Kansas will mark James Garcia's [#92 Fedex/USPS Dodge] first NASCAR Philips Truck Series races. In 2011, Garcia took the wheel of a ARCA Metlife Series car for Garcia Racing where he finished 8th in the points. (Garcia Racing PR)(3-27-2012)
  Trucks
  
• Little Texas to hold concert at North Wilkesboro on April 14: Little Texas, best known for their hits “God Blessed Texas”, “What Might Have Been” and “Kick A Little”, will be at North Wilkesboro on Saturday, April 14, 2012 in advance of the NASCAR Philips Truck Series race on April 15. Little Texas will be performing a concert for race fans at North Wilkesboro on April 14. The band will also be performing the National Anthem before the April 15 running of the NASCAR Philips Truck Series Farmers Insurance 200. The Chris Lane Band will be opening for Little Texas and takes the stage outside of the speedway’s turn two at 6:30pm/et. April 14. Little Texas will perform at approximately 8:00pm/et. A ticket for either Saturday’s Frank Kimmel Street Nationals and UARA Late Model Series Twin 75’s and NPTS qualifying or Sunday’s Famer's Insurance 200 NCWTS race grants admission to the concert. Little Texas will be sticking around to perform the National Anthem for April 15 race prior to the green flag at 1:00pm/et.(North Wilkesboro PR)(3-5-2012)
  
• Trucks to Road America in 2013? Montreal also hoping to be in the mix: NASCAR is expected to announce soon that the Camping World Truck Series will return to road-course racing in the 2013 season and that is great news for Canada’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. A source close to Camping World loop told the Toronto Sun that negotiations are all but complete to add a race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., for next season. That same source also said NASCAR would most certainly add a second road course so that it would make economic sense for the truck teams. “Teams would have to construct purpose built trucks for Road America so to keep those costs in line a second race just makes sense.” A truck race at CTMS–formerly Mosport–would be a prefect fit for the track’s new owners. Ron Fellows–and his partners Alan Boughton and Carlo Fidani–have been actively pursuing a top NASCAR touring series race. “I was on the phone June 1 (the day the group announced it had purchased the legendary Ontario track) with NASCAR officials telling them we wanted a race,” Fellows said in a phone interview from Toronto. “And we are continuing to seek a race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.” It will be at least mid to late summer before NASCAR bosses release their 2013 schedules but it is now a good bet that there will be two truck races turning left and right next season. Fellows said that the addition of Montreal–a major NASCAR partner–as the name sponsor at CTMS will boost the track chances at getting the nod for a race.(TorontoSun.com)(3-11-2012)
  
• NPTS drivers meeting to be open to fans at North Wilkesboro: In addition to 200 laps of great racing, your ticket to the Farmer's Insurance 200 will also get you up close and personal with your favorite NASCAR Philips Truck Series drivers. NASCAR and North Wilkesboro are opening up the NPTS drivers meeting for fans to come watch. The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. April 15 in the garage at the speedway. Fans are asked to enter the infield through the tunnel in turn four if they wish to take part in the drivers meeting. A ticket to the race serves as admission. “This event is going to be as fan-friendly as it can be,” Hillenburg said. “Leading up to the Famer's Insurance 200, the speedway has had an outpouring of support from fans from all over the country and we want to make sure that we do everything we can to repay that support. “With a great three days of racing (April 13-15), Little Texas and Chris Lane Band (April 14) and ThunderFest (April 13), these new bonuses for ticket holders are going to make this an even more awesome event for our fans.(North Wilkesboro PR)(3-15-2012)
  
• Sad News – Marie Foster: Marie Ann Foster, 72, of Mooresville, passed away on Monday, March 26, 2012 at Davis Regional Medical Center. She was born on February 2, 1940 in Akron, Ohio, to the late Jess and Elmira Miller Coffe. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, who enjoyed time with her grandkids. She is survived by her husband, Bill Foster; daughters, Lindy Hornaday and husband, Ron Hornaday Jr., Alicia Dyer and husband, Dennis, Missy Foster; sister, Elmira Coffe; brothers, Jess Coffe, Bobby Chesebrough; grandchildren, Ronnie, Jeremy, Candice, Travis, Chris, J.D., Jesse, Amanda; and great grandchildren, Lacey, Viktoria, Slater, Lily, Maddie, Scarlett, and Violet. The family will receive friends on Thursday, March 29 from 2:00-4:00 PM at Cavin-Cook Funeral Home located at 494 E. Plaza Drive, Mooresville, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Salvation Army, 2318 Julia Ave, Charlotte, NC 28202.(3-27-2012)
  

I have had to break LC with my mother because my father died and while she's being a bit more human to me than usual - and I expect that good behavior to end at any moment - she's going on and on about how people are "so good" to her during this time, going above and beyond, and all they are doing for her, her friend, the car service driver, the assistant at the funeral home, etc, and god it is so freaking nauseating. I would never do this. I don't expect people to treat me like a queen/king. But my mother does. I think this is a narc trait - my mother is the type to have waiters at her beck and call at a restaurant - but wondering if this is narc behavior or unique to my terrible mother.

It’s been too long since I’ve been, but I remember well my previous (first time) visit, really helped me perceive more of the story. This time I also made a point of exploring all the spaces I could (was delighted to catch a little Rebecca cameo, Jack Favell’s patient file in St. James’ Sanitorium) and behind a curtain I came upon a tailor repairing a jacket button. After he finished he went into the funeral home and did some meditation/magic over a small animal skull and mirror. He went to the bar and fought with the bartender, and…then Macbeth (I think) showed up and I lost track of the tailor in the crowd. I found him again later fighting with the elevator bellhop (now in a lab coat, so possibly playing a different character). I really can’t get over what incredible dancers all these actors are, it’s so amazing to get to see them perform so up close.

I've been caring for my mom since I was about 9-10 years old. I'm the only kid, never had a dad or any other family. It's always just been me and her. I'm now 33.
We didn't have the best relationship. I was an adhd kid and hard to handle. My mom was never very maternal but I guess did her best.
Shes been sick for so long. Multiple infections, heart attacks, surgeries, arthritis, copd..etc. the doctors at her hospital know me by name.
She has nearly died more times then I can remember. I'm pretty sure I have PTSD from everything we have gone through. I'm horribly codependent, have depression, anxiety.
Shes been in a nursing home for the past year and a half. She's bed bound.
This past month things just went completely south. She ended up getting a blood infection that attached to her pacemaker in her heart. Antibiotics would only help for so long. And she is just too weak.
Two weeks ago we started hospice. I feel like I failed. I feel guilt, I feel resentment, I feel scared, but I want this to be over. I want her to be out of pain and I just want to be free. I want relief. I've been under all of this for over half my life. I feel horrible guilt over thinking all of this.
Shes probably going to be gone this week. Shes very out of it so I can't even talk to her. I called funeral homes today. That was fun.
I don't know what to do with myself. I'm just waiting. I have friends who are keeping an eye on me. I'm grateful for them. I'm not really talking. Everything just seems so trivial to me.
I guess that's it. I'm just venting I guess.

gofundme in bio , gofund.me/4b04b363
Hey Everyone. I am Jada, I am 19 and I go to college at Ivy Tech. My Great Grandmother Donna (83) and her sister Kandy (70) took me into their home and treated me as their daughter. My Mamaw has raised me almost since the day she met me. I would be dead without her. My parents are addicts and incarcerated so Donna and Kandy were all Ive ever had and known. I adopted Kandy as my Mom ever since. They've lived in this same house for over 40 years! My mamaw, Donna, has been fighting CLL (Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia) for over 12 years now. This cancer is NOT curable. The life expectancy after diagnosis is 2-3 years or 5-10 with a 1-2 year period of terminal, progressive decline until death. On top of all of that she has also dealt with breaking her back, her hip (and it dislocating over 4 times because they did the surgery wrong), and her wrist. Over the course of the past few months she has drastically declined and is currently hospitalized. She is most likely going to switch to Hospice care, which will keep her out of pain until she dies at home with us. She has been struggling for a very long time and the amount of pain she has gone through is unbelievable and so not fair. My mamaw is one of the best people I have met in my life. They also think that she has cancer in her lungs aswell. She was on BIPAP machine and has been in and out ever since she went unresponsive on Tuesday. My Mamaw has not written a will, and that leaves all of our stuff including the house and our one vehicle going to my Grandfather, the man who molested me. No one else in our family knows he did that and i know if it gets out it will be very bad, n im very scared but you need the full story. He will most likely sell our house and we will lose almost everything except the clothes on our back. Not only that but we will have tons of hospital bills. I am starting this gofundme as a long shot. this is the worst thing thats ever happened to me and Ive been through some really bad things. Im trying to raise money for her funeral expenses that we will have to take care of, the hospital bills, and for a place to sleep and food to eat. Also we have a cat. I am really really scared and we are all taking this so hard. as my mamaw will not improve shes going to get worse until she passes. There are so many things I wont get to say to her now and things she wanted to tell me. Shes not herself anymore. and my poor Kandy is having a very hard time as well. So if you can please donate anything will help. and hug your loved ones please you never know what could happen. this was all so sudden that she drastically declined.

Partner is going out of town tomorrow for 48 hrs for a funeral. We decided to keep the kids (3.5, 1.5) at home with me since I can WFH the days he's gone and they'll be in daycare anyways.
Well, 1.5 got sent home with diarrhea today, so no school for 24 hrs. 3.5 has been lagging all day and threw up right before bed, so also can't go to school tomorrow.
The next 3 days are super busy for me at work, with tons of meetings and appointments one on one with clients I can't move or reschedule. We don't have any local family, and my mom who is few hours away can't come to help since she has an important doctor appt on Thurs she can't put off.
I seriously don't know how I'm going to survive with 2 sick toddlers and work, plus 3 dogs. My only hope is it's just a 24 hr bug so I can send them back to daycare on Thursday.

Top of the Day for 31/05/2023

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Most Upvoted Posts of the Day

Place	Title	Author	Subreddit	Score	Posted
1st	TIL a family in Georgia claimed to have passed down a song in an unknown language from the time of their enslavement; scientists identified the song as a genuine West African funeral song in the Mende language that had survived multiple transmissions from mother to daughter over multiple centuries	u/admiralturtleship	todayilearned	84,317 Upvotes	30/05/2023 12:27 UTC
2nd	Reddit legends Bad Luck Brian and Doge meet in Japan, May 2023	u/TheDogeAcademy	pics	74,097 Upvotes	30/05/2023 16:25 UTC
3rd	Home Depot employee named Andrew gets fed up with rude customer to the point he quits his job.	u/Lazy_Mouse3803	facepalm	71,590 Upvotes	30/05/2023 07:47 UTC
4th	Who are these people?	u/sexyparul	memes	64,876 Upvotes	30/05/2023 09:54 UTC
5th	Samarkand bread from Uzbekistan	u/solateor	oddlysatisfying	63,932 Upvotes	30/05/2023 02:15 UTC

Most Upvoted Comments of the Day

^{Note: These may not be entirely accurate. Currently these are out of the comments taken from the top 5 submissions.}

Place	Body	Author	Subreddit	Score	Posted
1st	So I was 19 at this point, and I was the manager of the hardware department at Walmart. One day, I had a customer who absolutely freaked out and flipped his shit on me because I wouldn't mark down a gallon of paint.(...)	u/RomanKlim	facepalm	14,637 Upvotes	30/05/2023 11:20 UTC
2nd	[Poor old grumpy. Everywhere he goes people are assholes for no reason, in every shop he has problems with the staff having attitude, when ever he goes out in the car some idiot starts road rage on him, every time he’s in a bar he gets in a fight.

When will all the people of the world stop uniting and tormenting this innocent man? Now I know what you’re thinking, but It cant be anything HE is doing wrong. He would know if he was the problem.](/facepalm/comments/13vjtoh/home_depot_employee_named_andrew_gets_fed_up_with/jm6fgl5/)u/UncleBendersfacepalm13,122 Upvotes30/05/2023 08:33 UTC 3rd"we just wanted to check the price on something, and he just went crazy"(...)u/Dutch-in-Tahitifacepalm11,920 Upvotes30/05/2023 08:02 UTC 4thI feel for the employee. Dealing with the public is the fucking worst.u/Technical_Activity78facepalm9,938 Upvotes30/05/2023 08:33 UTC 5thHell, I was a Pharmacist for CVS and I did this. The Store Manager, who was actually below me in status pay grade and replaceability was standing up for this crazy bitch, and I just turned to him and Said "Fine, run your fucking store without a Pharmacist, I took my License off the wall and walked out, took a week off and had a new job in a Week with a competitor down the road. I eventually got out of Retail and went Hospital.u/Bargdaffy158facepalm9,784 Upvotes30/05/2023 11:58 UTC

Hi mum. It has been almost 2 years since I lost you to lung cancer after you fought so ferociously against Covid-19, pneumonia and Multiple Sclerosis. The fact you are no longer with me still pains me immensely every day because you were a core component to my life before.
​
I wanted to tell you a few things that have happened since you left this realm to join the Gods wherever you may be.

1. I have finally got a cat after I promised you I would in honor of our ginger cat who passed 11 months before you did. Her name is Yogi, she is a black cat and is an incredible companion. I'm sorry I never told you he passed away. It would have broken your heart even more and I couldn't risk further complications because you were so frail. I hope you can forgive me for that.
2. I moved last July into a better home where I know I'm safe. You have a small shrine that I set up in my room where I have a few of your trinkets and crystals that you have given me over the years. I hope it's comfortable and you're ok with Yogi jumping up to say hi sometimes.
3. I am currently in bereavement counselling to help me manage. I am not doing this to forget you or move on in the traditional sense, I just need a neutral space with a professional to help me understand why I feel the way I feel. It's difficult going through all those emotions again but I know you would have wanted me to try and get help eventually.
4. I am hoping to carry on your legacy with Neil and Dirty Stop Outs Guide because I believe that if you were still here, you would have encouraged me to pursue it after I finished college in 2016.
5. I am over 500 days sober from any form of self injury/harm and I intend to keep that number ticking up. I promised you at your funeral that I would never do such actions ever again. I intend to keep that promise.

And lastly for now... I love you so much, words can't fully let me express how sad I am that you passed on and I miss you... I hope the cats, Aunt Lynn and Great Grandad are keeping you company while you watch over me and the family. Please rest tonight knowing I have made it another day alive and well.
From your baby bat. Always will be...

[←Chapter 48] [Cover Art] [My Links] [Index] [Discord] [Subreddit] [Chapter 50→]
As soon as he placed the tip of the blade against the stone, a crawling dread swept over. He held it there for a moment, trying to tabulate the functions of the tool, but nothing but raw guesswork remained to him. He heard the footsteps of the children and their minders vanishing up the stairs.
“You ready?” he asked Innie.
“No. But don't let that stop you,” she said, wide amber eyes fixed on the door.
There was nothing for it - Efrain steadied his hand and pressed the black blade into the stone. It was a relatively simple application of magic, almost instinctual, to activate the tool. He projected down into the chisel end, where stiff filaments would pierce the wall and sink deep within. This defeated the function of the chisel, but he already suspected that some of the features were more ornamental.
The next part was slightly more complicated, angling the blade up and down until he’d pressed the furled tips to the smooth surface. They sank in as well, leaving him holding the blade spine nearly parallel to the wall. Slowly, taking painstaking care not to twist the metal, he drew it down.
The stone split apart and drew back, guided through the furls and out, revealing a thin line in the stone. There was a silent thrill that fought against the dread as the hairline crack grew larger and larger. Finally, he reached the floor, and drew the knife out of the stone with minimal resistance.
With one last look at his partner, he placed both hands on the door and began to push.
There was a grinding squeal as the heavy stones slid open and out. Past, there was a thick darkness that blotted out most of the detail, even with the magelight active. Efrain took two steps and raised it high, its luminosity increasing as it rose. Even so, it flickered as the smothering cold poured out of the chamber, casting wavering shadows on the surrounding stone walls.
A moment of grim satisfaction availed him - he had surmised correctly about the room being some sort of important tomb. Large alcoves with carved-relief tombs marched off into the dark, twinned pillars marking each and every one. A vaulted ceiling spanned the passage, faded mosaics depicting unknown scenes of times past.
In fact, it would’ve been a place that Efrain could easily see himself working in. Painstakingly brushing off the faded paint and chipped stone, recreating the designs in book after book. Days and nights of note taking, trying to piece together the story of what this place was and why it was here. Unfortunately, the beauty of that vision was marred by the hostile darkness that wrapped around the vault.
He and Innie cautiously crept forward, the light above his head pushing back the heavy shadows. Her fur stood on end, amber eyes inspecting every little pittance, every corner past where something might hide. Efrain was much the same way, expecting something to detach itself from the stone and give chase.
Yet, there was nothing, no movement, no sudden gleam of hostile eyes. Just the stone, and the ever deepening cold.
Finally, they reached the depths of the tomb, a handful of steps that lead down into a wider room. In the muddy light he cast, he saw something large and round, sitting slumped over what looked to be an altar of some kind. There was no aggression that he could feel, no stirring of the thing in response to their presence, just the cold that poured off it.
As he entered through the arched steps, he realised that the thing was making sounds. A wet, gurgling noise, that was rather uncomfortably reminiscent of the creatures from the fog. The sound of a throat that had been crushed and twisted by the weight of its deformities. Still, it lacked the rage that came with the things that had crashed on the church roof or swarmed its outer wall.
Efrain took another few steps and stood before the round mass, slightly taller than he was, peering closely as its features came into relief. When he realised what it was, he felt a stomach that no longer existed turn over on itself. There were pale bumps and ridges where there might’ve been anatomical landmarks at one point. Various malformed limbs jutted out and merged back into the structure, some recognizable, some alien. The flesh shuddered and writhed as he neared it, groans and gurgles exiting various gashes and holes in its surface.
What was far, far worse, however, was what he discovered when he looked within.
Innie must’ve discovered it at the same time, issuing a violent wail of disgust and grief. Efrain staggered away, trying to steady himself on one of the pillars as his vision swam. The self-hatred, the sorrow, the unbelievable nauseating pain that issued from the thing was enough to make him wish he never came here. Its magic was even worse - an indescribable warped abomination that should’ve never been borne into existence.
It took a herculean effort to remain standing, fighting the physically impossible urge to sink to his knees and vomit. Innie was slamming herself into a pillar in a mad horror, and his gaze slid to the knife in his hand. The terrible revelation was like an explosion in his mind.
He could almost see the priest raising the knife, almost seeing the gears of thought turning in his head. If it could join and separate stone, what else could it pull asunder? A terrible demon, removed from a child, think of the praise, think of the tithes, think of the reaffirmation of the faith!
Innie lay on the ground, curled and shivering, her wails fallen into a grim silence, punctuated only by quiet sobs. Efrain stood there, feeling the knife slip to clatter on the ground. The thing twitched and issued another moan as it undulated from its base to top.
Somewhere in the corners of his mind he wondered if somewhere in the mass the priest was still alive. It would be a ghastly fate, and a deserved one, to be trapped in this fleshy prison. But what had happened to the wisp matriarch’s power? Why was there a ghost appearing to Aya and granting her access to the flames?
Shrinking back into himself, he huddled by the wall - more than anything, he wanted to be away from here. He wanted to be in his isolated little castle in a far-away mountain. He wanted a cup of tea, and a good book, and to forget such horrible things could exist in this world.
But alas, he was here, he had made the choice to come here, and it made the choice to open the door.
It’s not fair, he thought, numbly, why must it be me?
Innie had stopped sobbing, merely lying there in a terrible stillness. Not dead, nor was she injured beyond superficiality, rather trapped in the depths of paralytic grief. But it would soon fade, Efrain knew for it was happening to him. All that stupefaction, swept away by rage.
There were footsteps, far behind him, a set of them, hurrying down the tomb corridor. Distant faces, barely distinguishable from the darkness, emerged past the arches, still some distance away. Their eyes were straining, faces scrunched up as they tried to pierce the gloom, not yet realising the dire horror that awaited them.
Maybe it was in a spirit of mercy that Efrain rose, and turned toward the cat. More likely, it was the rage that was boiling just under the surface, only held by the thinnest membrane of numbness. The stones under Innie were beginning to be cast in a red light as her fur began to glow, despite the damping of her magic.
“What is that?” called one of the paladins from down the hall.
Efrain said nothing as he faced the horrible fusion of the priest and girl, twitching and moaning. He didn’t need to.
Flames rose into the air, exhaustion no longer a barrier as Innie rose to her height. The cat was melting, dribbling down on the floor as the true form of the wisp mother bled through in a pillar of yellow-red light. The temperature of the room shot up from icy to lukewarm in an instant as flames began to crawl across the stone and reached for the abomination.
The paladins had reached the threshold, thrusting their charges behind them as they gazed upon the scene. They were reaching for their swords, even as the flames grew in heat and intensity. The mass did not attempt to lash rather bellowed as the fire licked, shuddering so violently Efrain thought it might come apart. It coiled and twitched as the flames rose up its side, the smell of burning flesh filling the room.
Efrain didn’t even look at it, merely fixing his stare on the church insignia, emblazoned on the plate of the paladins. The screams rose to a fever pitch, met by a furious roaring and crackling of the ever-growing blaze. There was one last desperate burst of coldness that rolled over him, dimming the firelight for a moment, and turning the paladin’s pale.
Then, as if a floodgate was opened, his magic was no longer suppressed, and the fires roared to new heights. The thing had been submerged in a pillar of red and yellow flames, leaping up almost to the tall ceiling of the room. In the back of Efrain’s mind, he realised it wasn’t wise that the fire would eat the air up so deep in the earth. He did nothing.
He simply stood there, staring at the paladins without a word.
“Efrain,” croaked Innie.
He turned to see the charred remains slumping to the floor. In its centre, no longer bound, floated a thin ring of yellow blue flame. The fragment shed little bright rivulets like downy feathers, soft sparks fading into Innie’s blaze.
The rage drove Efrain forward, knowing what was about to happen and what he was about to do. No rational impulse was going to stop him now. Innie was in lockstep with him as he knelt down before the remains, the flames parting as he reached in. The paladins were screaming something as he closed his hand around the ring, and felt his world come to life.
The fire was no longer just fire, it was light itself, so blindingly bright and hot that stones around them began to glow. Efrain felt something immense move into him, a wall of molten power moving enough momentum to sweep him away. The traces of the wisp matriarch entered the man and the cat, and in that moment they were its avatar.
He rose, and the blue-yellow blaze rose with him, fanning over the whole room. At some point, the paladins had grabbed their charges and ran for dear life. Efrain was almost beyond thought as he began to make for the stairs. Every step was a burden, his body rattling uncontrollably with each footfall.
Step-by-step, the pair made their way through the corridor, leaving a sea of flame in their wake. The stone glowed with the rage of their passing, murals utterly destroyed, features beginning to run like wax on the carven reliefs. The only thing untouched by the flames was the black doors, a constant wall in the flames.
As he made his way into the crypts, leaving glass footprints in the sand, he became dimly aware that his robes were beginning to smoke. The magic coursing through him was not meant for him to wield - memory, knowledge, consciousness, all seemed to fall away at its burning touch.
He was being consumed, he and Innie both as they channelled the might of the matriarch, fraction as it was. The burst of magic on the roof was nothing compared to what they now held within themselves. This was a primal power, far grander than anything they’d seen in their long lives.
The passage was beginning to groan and warp, the stone beginning to run as he found his way to the spiral stair. Step-by-step, gripping the walls for purchase, he managed to drag himself up. Every rise was harder than the one that came before it, and soon he was climbing mountains with each step. The stones trembled at his touch, his hands leaving glowing impressions. Soon they too fell into the wall of conflagration that rose behind him.
Still, onward and upward he climbed, higher and higher, past the entrance to the church and to the roof. Night had finally fallen, the sounds of battle beginning as the monsters moved for the final assault. The posted guards screamed warnings of ‘fire!’ ‘fire!’ and shouted prayers as Efrain crawled his way onto the roof. They must’ve thought this some terrible new monster, something immune to their burning brands.
“Leave. Now,” Efrain said, the words slurring as he forced them into the air.
The men were quick to take his advice, but stopped at the tower stairs, staring in horror at the dripping stone. Some looked to the edge, preparing to leap to avoid the frame.
In the midst of the tumult, some bare fraction of Efrain remained to recognize the arbitrary cruelty of their position. He reached out, not to the men but beyond them, and plucked the heat from the stones. With a gust of warm air, they cooled rapidly from molten red to survivable grey. Somewhere, the scholar in Efrain screamed at the indignity of this impossible action.
But this was a magic of fundamentals. It did not stoop to petty things like ‘rules’.
The men, seeing their chance, hurled themselves down the stairs. With their absence, there was nothing left to restrain the power. The flames poured out like water, spilling over the walls of the church, roaring into the sky. Efrain didn’t think about the memory, intent, or emotion, nor any mechanical aspect of the magic - where he wanted, the world burned.
What little left of his mind felt memories of times and places foreign to him roar through his mind. The chaos of his mind lent him very little clarity, sights were smells, sounds were feelings, a cacophony of sensations raced through him faster and faster. In that blurring conundrum, he could see a single, core memory, one that drove all others.
A sunlit place, far away near a golden sea, a funeral, a birth, both at the same time, a tall figure, singing of purpose.
With a final effort, he called the magic to him, hoping to gain some vestige of control. The flames coiled and twisted and condensed, collapsing into an ever-tighter sphere as nature did its work. Heat itself lifted off the melting slates of the roof, absorbed into the mass at his fingertips, leaving a bright ball no bigger than his fist.
The world hung in that moment, the sounds of battle far away, screams of human and monster distant memories. In that moment of brief lucidity, Efrain held a star in his hand.
Then with a tremendous expansion of sound and rage and fire, a blast of hot wind ripped the fog away from the hill and scattered it across the highlands. Men and monsters were sent sprawling, the creatures flying on the icy mist spiralling and falling to earth.
Now the true force of the enemy was revealed - hundreds, perhaps as many as a thousand on the hill beyond. It was only a matter of time before they would rise over the wall, dismantle the barricades, and slaughter the defenders. Men, women, even children who’d worked so hard to defend their homes and lives. All rended to pieces because a little girl had gone for a little hike.
Chains were wrapping around Efrain, white hot and heavy, pulling him to the roof, disintegrating the spells that held him together. He was smoking in truth now and might catch flame at any moment. At his back, felt rather than seen, was an immense twisting whirlwind. It reached up and out into the night, its sudden light blotting out the stars. At its very centre, a consciousness took form within the power, something that wished for nothing more than to reduce all to ash. Efrain turned to the creatures that squirmed and charged below, heedless of the peril above.
He barely even perceived what happened next.
There was one final roar, louder and more violent than anything he’d ever heard of, conceived of, and would likely ever hear again. Branches extended down from the fire, great scouring fingers that swept across the earth, tearing down fruit trees, barely missing the barricades, and spilling down the hill.
The creatures came to meet it, not even turning aside as the heat and light submerged them. Perhaps they couldn’t even understand death anymore, so far gone was their nature. In a heartbeat, they faltered in the tide of flame, falling to the ground as they burned to ash. Dozens of them went in an instant as the power of Wisp Matriarch did its terrible work.
The fingers swept down past the outer wall, two tendrils splitting and crashing back together in a fountain of fire. The great bulk of the monsters were burnt into mere shadows on the cobbles. Efrain’s vision began to darken as his last vestiges of consciousness began to fail. He felt a draining sensation, the last of the magic of the matriarch flowing out into the night.
The heat that ate away at his very being was gone now, leaving behind a scorched emptiness. He fell to the ground, his limbs barely weak enough to prop himself up against the church roof. Innie, once more a cat, dragged herself over to him, curling on his lap as her eyes closed.
Too late, he remembered the curse upon the mask. That must’ve been the draining sensation, now that he’d let so much magic flow through it, it was sucking him dry. He tried vainly for some way to stem the flow, but he was so tired, so weak. Looking down, he noted that the church, although singed, was still more-or-less intact. There was a strange mix of regret and relief at the observation.
His voice, now a drab, thin thing, echoed out, remembering the conversation he’d had with Innie about her future plans of arson.
“Sorry, old friend,” he said, “I think I missed.”
Then Efrain Belacore, Baron of the Frozen Vale, and self-titled ‘Lord of Death’, was no more.
[←Chapter 48] [Cover Art] [My Links] [Index] [Discord] [Subreddit] [Chapter 50→]

Hi! I’m new to the group and did my first past life regression meditation about a week ago. It started with me walking through a forest that resembled one of my home state of Georgia. Then, I saw my spirit guide, which was a stag. I believe that was my late grandfather since he loved deer, and my mom and sister have both seen stags looking at them whenever either of them was missing my grandfather (he was my mom’s father). Once I got to the point of visualizing my past life, I was a British soldier returning home at the end of World War 1. I was married and had an only daughter (I also have an only daughter irl). Later, I got to view my past self’s death. I died on a German battlefront in World War 2. I could hear the gunshots and explosions around me. I saw one of my comrades fall from being shot, and rushed over to save him. He died in my arms, and I died from being shot by an unseen soldier. I also saw my own funeral and saw my wife, daughter, and her husband mourning me. My daughter was also pregnant with my first grandchild. I could feel the regret my past self had for not being able to see my grandchild. As the guided meditation was counting down to wake me up, I could feel the spirit of my past self walking back with me. It felt soothing and comforting. Almost like a sort of closure. I plan on doing this meditation again in the future to see what else I can see.

Omnivoracious Listeners New Music Newsletter (Week of June 3rd):
New LPs:
🇬🇧 Aeffect - 'Theory of Mind' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇬🇧 Akilla - 'The Gods Have Spoken' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal)
🇺🇸 A Man Named Onigumo - 'Ingested Torment' (Genre: Brutal Death Metal)
🇩🇰 Anubis Gate - 'Interference' (Genre: Prog Power Metal)
🇬🇷 Aran Angmar - 'Atavism & Dying Stars' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇫🇮 Atlases - 'Between the Day & I' (Genre: Post-Metal)
🇺🇸 Avenged Sevenfold - 'Life Is but a Dream' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇺🇸 Beach Fossils - 'Bunny' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Ben Folds - 'What Matters Most' (Genre: Alt Rock, Power Pop)
🇺🇸 Ben Harper - 'Wide Open Light' (Genre: Folk Rock, Blues Rock)
🇺🇸 Body Stuff - 'Body Stuff 4' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇦🇺 Body Type - 'Expired Candy' (Genre: Post-Punk, Garage Rock)
🇺🇸 Bongzilla - 'Dab City' (Genre: Stoner Metal)
🇺🇸 Buckcherry - 'Vol. 10' (Genre: Sleaze Rock, Hard Rock)
🇺🇸 Buggin - 'Concrete Cowboys' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇺🇸 Bully - 'Lucky for You' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 Burnt Skull - 'Daylight Mutilation' (Genre: Industrial Metal)
🇪🇸 Cabaret Aberrante - 'Brutalofilia' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇷🇺 Cadaver Carnivore - 'Devouring Eclipse of Darkest Realm' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇮🇩 Cadavoracity - 'Cadavoracity' (Genre: Brutal Death Metal)
🇷🇺 Chernaya Rechka (Черная Речка) - 'Chernaya Rechka (Черная Речка)' (Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Punk)
🇺🇸 Chip & the Charge Ups - 'What Happened to the Boy Next Door?' (Genre: Power Pop)
🇺🇸 Coffin Prick - 'Laughing' (Genre: Art Rock)
🇦🇺 Cold Irons Bound - 'No Place I Can't Find You' (Genre: Alt Country, Power Pop)
🇬🇧 Comedy of Errors - 'Threnody for a Dead Queen' (Genre: Prog Rock)
🇬🇧 Comet Gain - 'The Misfit Jukebox' (Genre: Indie Pop, Indie Rock)
🇩🇪 Cosmic Burial - 'Far Away From Home' (Genre: Atmo Black Metal)
🇨🇦 Cowboy Junkies - 'Such Ferocious Beauty' (Genre: Alt Country, Folk Rock)
🇦🇺 Dan Cribb & the Isolated - 'I'll Follow You Anywhere' (Genre: Skate Punk)
🇺🇸 Dead Billionaires - 'Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇮🇹 Death Dies - 'Stregoneria' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇮🇩 Demented Heart - 'Frantic Epidemic' (Genre: Tech Death)
🇵🇱 Dieth - 'To Hell and Back' (Genre: Death Thrash)
🇺🇸 DiGelsomnia - 'Sic Itur Ad Astra' (Genre: Doom Metal)
🇬🇧 Dog Tired - 'The Red Verse' (Genre: Groove Metal)
🇺🇸 Don't Sleep - 'See Change' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇳🇴 Einar Solberg (Of Leprous) - '16' (Genre: Prog Rock, Prog Metal)
🇫🇮 Endless Exam - 'Voice of Passion and Agony' (Genre: Pop Metal)
🇮🇪 Extranauts - 'The Alchemist' (Genre: Psych Rock, Electronic Rock)
🇩🇪 Fjoergyn - 'Judasmesse' (Genre: Symphonic Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Foo Fighters - 'But Here We Are' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇨🇦 Frankiie - 'Between Dreams' (Genre: Indie Pop, Dreampop)
🇺🇸 From Those Ashes - 'Dush Descending// Dawn Ascending' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore)
🇨🇱 Funeral Fullmoon - 'Unholy Kingdom of Diabolic Emperors' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇯🇵 Galileo Galilei - 'Bee and the Whales' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Gal Pal - 'This and Other Gestures' (Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze)
🇺🇸 Geist of Ouachita - 'Imprisoned in the Graven Wood' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Generationals - 'Heatherhead' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇬🇧 Gloryhammer - 'Return to the Kingdom of Fife' (Genre: Power Metal)
🇺🇸 Gorgeous - 'Sapsucker' (Genre: Math Rock, Post-Punk)
🇮🇹 Graveworm - 'Killing Innocence' (Genre: Symphonic Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Gringo Star - 'On and on and Gone' (Genre: Psych Pop, Surf Rock)
🇪🇸 Halflighted - 'Obloquy' (Genre: Death Doom)
🇨🇦 Half Moon Run - 'Salt' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Heldscålla - 'Two Cathedrals' (Genre: Stoner Doom)
🇺🇸 Hellwitch - 'Annihilational Intercention' (Genre: Tech Death, Thrash)
🇲🇹 Hemplifier - 'The Stoner Side of the Doom' (Genre: Stoner Doom)
🇦🇹 Hills Like White Lions - 'Meander' (Genre: Prog Metal, Post-Metal)
🇬🇧 Hugh Sheehan - 'Shapes That Are Different' (Genre: Indie Folk Rock)
🇷🇺 Infiltration - 'Cognitive Warfare' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇦🇺 Isua - 'Abandon' (Genre: Sludge Doom)
🇺🇸 Jake Shears - 'Last Man Dancing' (Genre: Glam Rock)
🇺🇸 John Mellencamp - 'Orpheus Descending' (Genre: Heartland Rock)
🇩🇪 Karbholz - 'Kapitel 10: Wilde Augen' (Genre: Indie Punk)
🇺🇸 Kiltro - 'Underbelly' (Genre: Post-Rock)
🇮🇹 Klidas - 'No Harmony' (Genre: Experimental Rock)
🇦🇺 Kodiak Empire - 'The Great Acceleration' (Genre: Prog Rock, Experimental Rock)
🇺🇸 Koningsor - 'Death Process' (Genre: Hardcore Punk, Metalcore)
🇳🇴 Kvad - 'So Old' (Genre: Atmo Black Metal)
🇬🇧 Lanterns on the Lake Version - 'Versions of Us' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Leathürbitch - 'Shattered Vanity' (Genre: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock)
🇺🇸 Lightning Strikes Across the Sky - 'Cosmopolis Macabre' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Lonestar - 'Ten to 1' (Genre: Country)
🇬🇧 Lost Under Heaven - 'Something Is Announced by Your Life!' (Genre: Psych Rock, Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Louise Post (Of Veruca Salt) - 'Sleepwalker' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 Lovelytheband - 'If We're Being Honest' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇳🇱 Man as Plague - 'Titanomachy' (Genre: Deathcore)
🇺🇸 Messiahvore - 'Transverse' (Genre: Sludge Stoner)
🇩🇪 Minas Morgul - 'Nebelung' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇮🇳 Moral Collapse - 'Divine Prosthetics' (Genre: Prog Death)
🇸🇪 Mörkvind - 'Höstbränder' (Genre: Folk Metal)
🇺🇸 Mountain Echoes - 'Rebuilding' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Necrofier - 'Burning Shadows in the Southern Night' (Genre: Melodic Black Metal)
🇬🇧 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - 'Council Skies' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇯🇵 OCEANS - 'SEE YOU' (Genre: Indie Rock, J-Rock)
🇺🇸 OK Goodnight - 'The Fox & the Bird' (Genre: Prog Rock)
🇬🇧 Order of Decay - 'Mortification Rites' (Genre: Blackened Doom, Death)
🇯🇵 Organic Call - '夢泳ぐ鵠の行方' (Genre: J-Rock)
🇨🇦 Owls & Eagles - 'Patience Vol. 1' (Genre: Psych Doom)
🇺🇸 Pagan Athletes - 'Landlocked' (Genre: Noise Rock)
🇺🇸 Primordial Doom - 'Doom Rising' (Genre: Doom Metal)
🇨🇦 Priors - 'Daffodil' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇺🇸 Project: Roenwolfe - 'Project: Roenwolfe' (Genre: Power, Thrash Metal)
🇺🇸 Protomartyr - 'Formal Growth in the Desert' (Genre: Post-Punk, Gothic Rock)
🇺🇸 Prydain - 'The Gates of Aramore' (Genre: Symphonic Power Metal)
🇬🇧 Pupil Slicer - 'Blossom' (Genre: Mathcore)
🇺🇸 Purr - 'Who Is Afraid of Blue?' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇩🇰 Quiet Sonia - 'QS' (Genre: Chamber Rock, Chamber Folk)
🇺🇸 Rancid - 'Tomorrow Never Comes' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇺🇸 Reckless Son - 'Reckless Son' (Genre: Folk Rock)
🇨🇦 Red Cain - 'Näe’bliss' (Genre: Prog Groove Metal)
🇺🇦 Risin Sabotage - 'Macabre' (Genre: Stoner Rock)
🇺🇸 Rival Sons - 'Darkfighter' (Genre: Hard Blues Rock)
🇮🇹 Rod Sacred - 'Another Day' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇬🇧 Ruen Brothers - 'Ten Paces' (Genre: Folk Rock)
🇦🇺 RVG - 'Brain Worms' (Genre: Alt Rock, Post-Punk)
🇳🇴 Saint Karloff - 'Paleolithic War Crimes' (Genre: Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock)
🇩🇪 Scarnival - 'The Hell Within' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal)
🇪🇸 Scent of Death - 'Into Everlasting Hate' (Genre: Tech Death)
🇺🇸 Scoville Unit - 'See What Can Be' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇯🇵 SHIFT_CONTROL - 'MakeMyName' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 Shinzon - 'Mimic' (Genre: Dreampop, Prog Rock)
🇬🇷 Slaughtered Priest - 'Bang Your Head for Satan' (Genre: Black, Thrash, Speed)
🇺🇸 Smokey Brights - 'Levitator' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇨🇦 Sorry Girls - 'Bravo!' (Genre: Synthpop)
🇺🇸 Suffocate Faster - 'This Is the Way Vol. 1' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇨🇭 Superdark - 'So Far Out There' (Genre: Psych Rock)
🇺🇸 Tanya Tucker - 'Sweet Western Sound' (Genre: Country)
🇺🇸 Terry Ohms - 'Rock Songs' (Genre: Psych Rock)
🇨🇦 Thantifaxath - 'Hive Mind Narcosis' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 The Aces - 'I've Loved You for So Long' (Genre: New Wave, Synthpop)
🇬🇧 The Alarm - 'Forwards' (Genre: Alt Rock, New Wave)
🇺🇸 The Anix - 'Nightvision' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 The Aquadolls - 'Charmed' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇦🇺 The Hard-Ons - 'Ripper 23' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇧🇪 The Immortal Samsara Travelers - 'Hanging Gardens in Glacial Apocha' (Genre: Doom Metal)
🇸🇬 The Ironfist - 'Tyrant's Return' (Genre: Black Thrash)
🇧🇷 The Kryptik - 'A Journey to the Darkest Kingdom' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇳🇴 The Mansters - 'Lessons in Giving Up' (Genre: Punk Rock, Hardcore Punk)
🇺🇸 The Rallies - 'It Must Be Love' (Genre: Power Pop, Jangle Pop)
🇺🇸 The Revivalists - 'Pour It Out Into the Night' (Genre: Alt Rock, Roots Rock)
🇬🇧 The Royston Club - 'Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 The Stools - 'R U Saved?' (Genre: Punk Blues)
🇺🇸 This White Mountain - 'Icons of the Melancholy' (Genre: Atmo Black Metal)
🇪🇪 Thunraz - 'Revelation' (Genre: Death, Industrial Metal)
🇬🇧 Tigercub - 'The Perfume of Decay' (Genre: Alt Rock, Stoner Rock)
🇺🇸 Title Holder - 'What Better Time' (Genre: Ska Punk)
🇺🇸 Tombstalker - 'Age of Darkness' (Genre: Blackened Death Metal)
🇬🇧 Tortured Demon - 'Rise of the Lifeless' (Genre: Thrash Metal, Metalcore)
🇧🇾 Trollwald - 'Trollwald' (Genre: Folk Metal, Stoner Metal)
🇮🇹 True Sleeper - 'Loving You in Parallel Dimensions' (Genre: Shoegaze, Psych Rock)
🇸🇪 Tyrann - 'Besatt' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇺🇸 Unfurl - 'Ascension' (Genre: Sludge Metal, Post-Hardcore)
🇯🇵 Veiyadra - 'Amalgam in Chaos' (Genre: Brutal Death Metal)
🇺🇸 Viana Valentine - 'Fever Dream' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇺🇸 Vide - 'The Parish' (Genre: DSBM)
🇺🇸 Void Ov Nihility - 'Above the Stars of God' (Genre: Death Black)
🇺🇸 Vörst - 'Burn the Priest' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Vulture Feather - 'Liminal Fields' (Genre: Post-Punk, Indie Punk)
🇺🇸 Water Damage - '2 Songs' (Genre: Drone, Experimental Rock)
🇺🇸 Weep - 'Life in Shades of Grey' (Genre: Post-Black Metal, Post-Hardcore)
🇸🇪 Writing the Future - 'Caught Between Heaven & Hell' (Genre: Metalcore)
🇬🇧 Wytch Hazel - 'IV: Sacrament' (Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal)
🇨🇳 噬湖 - '茫茫集' (Genre: Folk Metal)
New EPs:
🇺🇸 American Nightmare - 'Dedicated to the Next World' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇫🇮 Blåådpalt - 'Caedite Eos' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇪🇸 Boneyard - 'Ghoulish Tunes' (Genre: Death Metal, Grindcore)
🇺🇸 Evelyn Cools - 'Wilder Mind' (Genre: Folk Rock, Folk Pop)
🇬🇧 Damim - 'World Turned Hell' (Genre: Prog Black Death)
🇬🇧 Hallan - 'The Noise of a Firing Gun' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇺🇸 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - 'Mindset' (Genre: Hard Rock, Power Pop)
🇬🇧 King of the Dead - 'Perdition' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 Lacerated - 'The Beauty of Agony' (Genre: Death Metal, Punk Rock)
🇺🇸 Laniidae - 'Episodes: I-V' (Genre: Metalcore)
🇨🇦 Moving City - 'Snacks' (Genre: Indie Rock, Pop Rock)
🇫🇮 Omnium Gatherum - 'Slasher' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal)
🇩🇪 Peace of Mind - 'Life Long Tragedy' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇺🇸 Queen Kona - 'All Hail' (Genre: Metalcore)
🇬🇧 Simulation Defect - 'Within the Threshold' (Genre: Prog Tech Deathcore, Djent)
🇦🇺 Surprise Chef - 'Friendship' (Genre: Funk, Jazz Fusion)
🇸🇪 To Descend - 'Mindless Birth' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇺🇸 Ukko's Hammer - 'Toil' (Genre: Crossover Thrash)
🇺🇸 Uncured - 'My Design' (Genre: Prog Death, Groove Metal)
🇬🇧 Visions From Beyond - 'Portal to Inertia' (Genre: Death Doom)
🇺🇸 Wretched Hallucination - 'Self' (Genre: Stoner Sludge Doom)
🇺🇸 Young the Giant - 'Both Sides' (Genre: Alt Rock)
New Remixes:
🇺🇸 A Place to Bury Strangers - 'See Through You Rerealised' (Genre: Post-Punk, Noise Rock)
Another big week to kick off the month! And I had the extra time to actually get ahead on the spreadsheet again! (You can see this in the server) Hope you find something great!
https://discord.gg/V5fZ38KSCY
If you see this message and have a release/know of one I haven't added, DM me on whatever platform you're on!
Happy Listening!

Dear Reddit User who might read this,
my Uncle U suddenly passed today. While he is going to be autopsied it is suspected that he had a heart attack. While mowing the lawn. My other uncle OU who lives in the Main House said he just went inside for a short period of time and when he came back out U had already passed.
We just buried my Aunt (OUs Wife and Us Sister) 3.5 months ago (cancer).
I talked to U 10 days ago about the lawn. We speculated whether it will continue to grow as fast as it did in the weeks prior to our conversation. He was seriously passionate about mowing the lawn. It was his thing. I am so happy that I told him that I loved him when I drove home and that I hugged him twice. But I am so sad knowing I will never be able to hug him or tell him I love him again. Just a couple months ago I asked him to walk me down the aisle when I get married (not engaged yet but just u know dreaming as one does). He was the closest I have to a father figure.
My heart breaks with every past tense sentence. Also I can not shake the thought of him dying alone. And I know it’s unfair but I wonder whether or not he could have been saved if he wasn’t alone. It breaks me.
I feel like I am drowning. In pain, grief, hurt, anger. I am so angry at the world.
It is going to be my 7th family members funeral. My 2nd this year. I am 22. What a shit show. My eyes are swollen shut from all the crying so I take that as a sign to go to sleep. Good Night to all of you. I don’t know you but you are loved!! Hug your loved ones extra tight.

So, I had quite a few messages from people asking when I was going to update this to include chapter 4 and finally it was released on download in the UK (29th) so I could finally watch it and get around to it because I haven’t seen it until now. I’ve kept the original timeline here because I’m quite happy with it and I’m just adding on Chapter 4. I will add someone messaged me that during chapter 3 when the assassins are getting the kill order to kill John there’s a brief shot of an assassin’s phone saying the date was December. I’m happy to go with this because I think the first 3 films are set around October-November time but we see no x-mas stuff anywhere in chapter 1 to 3 so its debateable if you want to call this an x-mas film like Die Hard. Also, I watched an interview with the director this morning and he states that he thinks the first 3 films are about a week and a half but wasn’t certain which I feel gives my timeline some authenticity and accuracy.
​
P.s Ive had to break this down into two parts because the character limit is 40,000 characters and ive gone well over that
Warning Major Major spoilers for these films are here because I detail out the plot as I go.
A couple of assumptions are made. Fights scenes are probably longer than we seen on screen and often because of the pacing of the film we don’t need to see John get from point A to B. Conversations also probably took longer than we see if they are walking from area to area and discussing things. Location distances also take time to get to and from places and I don’t know where locations in New York and around the world are so I’ve made a lot up at a best sort of guess. Sometimes I’ve used what I think when there’s no real reference in the film to how long something took for instance for the time of day, I’ve looked at the skyline in the background and estimated what time of day it is judging by how much sunlight there is. Basically, I’ve guestimated a lot. Chapter 4 was a lot harder as they kept moving countries and places and its probably longer than I’ve made it. Also, some of the fight scenes are longer than the time they actually show in the film (6 minute fight is 13minutes in the film) so take everything with a pinch of salt.
TLDR: The films start in the mid-late autumn judging by the scenes that we see.
John Wick 1 starts on Monday Day 1 at 6am and ends Saturday Day 6 at 3.45am (6 Days).
John Wick Chapter 2 starts on Monday Day 8 at 10pm and ends Friday Day 13 at 5pm (5 Days).
John Wick Chapter 3 starts on Friday Day 13 at 5pm and ends Sunday Day 22 at 7.05am (9 Days).
John Wick Chapter 4 starts on Monday Day 205 at 7.20 pm (6 months later) and ends unofficially on Thursday Day 221 at 6.11am (when John passes out (16 days)) and officially at Thursday Day 228 12.00pm (23 Days).
John does have periods of down time and rest so it’s safe to assume he goes to the toilet in that time and maybe brushes his teeth once in a while
The first Film starts on a Monday. Not because there’s any reference to days of the week in the films (there wasn’t that I could find) but because, in my opinion, nothing good ever happens on a Monday.
John Wick Chapter 1
Monday Day 1 6am.
· John in his bathroom and has a flash back of his wife’s illness and death (assumption is made that this has happened over the past 6 months or so).
· Funeral of his wife. Marcus arrives “Just checking up on an old friend”.
· Wake at Johns house.
· People leave say 8-9pm ish
· Daisy the Dog is delivered and John reads Helens letter.
· John and Daisy got to bed at 10.54pm (clock on the bed).
Tuesday Day 2 6am.
· John wakes at 6am.
· Get the paper and the dog goes to the toilet, coffee and breakfast.
· Gets in car
· Getting petrol (assumption its about an hour after they’ve left prob around 8am) and meets the Russians arrive. Losef meets John “I love dogs”, “Beautiful car how much?”, “Not for sale.” “Not this bitch”. Victor arrives “You have a good day sir”.
· John leaves for the airfield- Crazy driving trying to/not to kill himself.
· Next scene is evening (don’t have time base upon previous night) in bed so assumption was that he went to be around 11pm.
Wednesday Day 3 Early am.
· Dog wakes John early am.
· John goes downstairs – Russians attack john, smash his stuff and kill the dog “Sleep tight bitch”.
· John wakes probably an hour or so later and cradles the dog.
· John buries the dog early am (judging by the skyline)
· 6.19am the alarm gets turned off.
· Angry cleaning with flash backs.
· Russians take Johns car to Aureilo’s garage (assumption is made that its around 8am and that it takes at least an hou maybe 2 to get there. Seeing as they stole it before 5am I assume that they took it for a joy ride and did doughnuts for a while first). “I want new vin numbers and new papers”- “Where did you get that car?” (John most likely still cleaning at this time) “Get it out of my shop” “We own you” Aureilo slaps Losef “Viggo not going to like this”.
· 5pm deduced from John leaving in car in next scene it’s probably taken all day to clean up and then he had to get the bus. John arrives at Aureilos garage after taking the bus “Is it here?”, “It was.”, “Losef Tarasov nicked it.”, “Viggo’s son?”, “I need a ride.”.
· John leaves in borrowed car around 6pm.
· Evening, not long after, Aureilo gets a call from Viggo (skyline time of day deduction) “I heard you struck my son. May I ask why?”
· Viggo to Avi “Have you seen my son?”.
· About 7.30pm Losef arrives (most likely he spent all day stashing the car with his uncle from John Wick 2 and hanging out).
· Viggo beats Losef. “What did I do” “That fucking nobody was John Wick” Explanation of the Bogey man and killing 3 men with a pencil.
· At the same time John is at home and goes into the basement with a sledgehammer smashes the floor and gets his equipment.
· 30 mins later Viggo gets his phone book and calls John. John hangs up.
· Viggo tasks a crew.
· John has a shower and suits up.
· Viggo sits by the fire.
· Juging by the light its 10pm ish when the kill crew arrives. (This doesn’t quite work because the house exterior shot is quite bright but when the crew arrives its dark night).
· The crew attack John and John kills the crew (due to films cuts to keep the action it probably takes about 20 minutes. Time enough for a noise complaint to be made).
· Jimmy the police officer arrives at 10.30 “Evening John”, “Noise complaint”, “You working again John?”.
· John goes downstairs and makes a dinner reservation for 12 (the amount of people he’s killed not the time).
· Assumption is made that it’s 1 hour for Charlie and the clean up crew to arrive at about 11.30.
· Assumption it takes 2 hours to clean the house of blood and bodies.
Thursday Day 4 1.30am
· Clean up crew leave about 1.30am.
· Viggo is still in front of the fire and is informed of the failure of the kill crew. The contract is put on Johns head for $2Million (the light in the room shot is bright he’s prob been there all night debating if he should put out the contract)
· Assumption is 6am John loads bags into car and drives to the Continental.
· Judging by the light its around 8am Viggo arrives at Marcus’s house whilst he’s cutting veg and juicing. “Would you kill John Wick for $2 million?”.
· Marcus cleans and polishes his guns after Viggo leaves.
· John arrives at the Continental at 8.30am (assumption).
· Perkins greets John. Concierge (Charon) “I have you for 2 nights sir”.
· Cuts to evening say 8pm assumption is John had some sleep.
· John looks at video of his wife and then goes downstairs to the bar and sees Winston “Johnathan as I recall wern’t you the one tasked to doll out the beating?”.
· (At the same time) Viggo learns that John is at the Continental “We have a contact there who is willing to take him out for us”.
· John is still talking to Winston. “Have a drink and relax…for now.”.
· John goes to the bar “It’s been 5 with change”. (Length of time John’s been a free man and Viggo has been in serious business learned).
· John gets Losef’s location with his drink “Compliments of the house”.
· John leaves the bar at 8.15 (assumption all this took 15 mins)
· John goes upstairs and suits up and we learn Losef is being guarded in a nightclub.
· John arrives at the nightclub. I’m assuming that it took an hour to suit up and 45 minutes to get to the club therefore its around 10pm-10.15 pm.
· John gets the drop on Francis the big bouncer that’s lost weight and gets inside.
· John kills Victor and lots of people in the spar area.
· John makes his way upstairs and enters the pool area where Losef is. This is most likely on the top floor. The way the films cuts means it probably took 30-45 mins to get up there and find him its about 11pm.
· John kills lots of people.
· Losef runs onto the dancefloor.
· John kills lots of people on the dancefloor, atrium and balcony.
· Losef escapes in a car driven by Gregori.
· John leaves with a phone call to Losef. (the fights probably took 30 mins so its around 11.30pm.
Friday Day 5 12.15am.
· John arrives back at the Continental 45 minutes later at 12.15am. “Is the doctor in?”.
· Assumption is the Doctor took 20 minutes to arrives and 30 minutes patching up John the time is probably around 1.05am
· Marcus arrives on the roof opposite and gets John in his sights.
· John tries to sleep.
· Perkins enters the room.
· Marcus shoots the pillow warning John.
· Perkins and John fight “Viggos giving me $4 million to break hotel rules”. The phone rings as the concierge rings.
· John beats Perkins and answers the phone (noise complaint).
· Marcus leaves.
· Perkins tries to crawl away. Pekins tells John about the Little Russia Church front.
· Harry holds up John “Catch and release”.
· Cut to Morning of Day 5. Bright light indicates its around 9am. John is at the Church who takes the pills for fully mobility, then kills lots of people and destroys the vault stash using the priest (probably takes about 30minutes).
· John leaves and then goes to a roof top to wait.
· No indication of how long until Viggo arrives I assume its an hour so the time is 10.30.
· Viggo arrives and kill the priest. Perkins escapes and kills Harry at around the same time).
· John attacks Viggo as he leaves the church.
· John Wick kills a lot of people
· John gets hit by a car, knocked out and captured by Viggo and wakes up tied to a chair in the church. The fight was about 10 minutes he’s been unconscious about 20 minutes so the time is 11pm “Yeah I’m thinking I’m back”.
· Marcus has already arrived (no idea when) and shoots the thugs chocking John. John escapes, kills other thug, frees his hands, runs out, chases down Viggos car killing thug driving it.
· Viggo gives up his son and pull the contract on John. (whole thing probably took 5 minutes).
· Cut to Losef in a Brooklyn safehouse. Not knowing where John actually is let’s say it took him an hour to go straight there so the time when John arrives is 12.05.
· Judging by the fact that explosives are set and it takes time to get into position its probably 12.45
· John kills guard and snipes Gregori playing COD at 12.45pm
· John snipers lots of people.
· John kills guard watching Losef.
· John kill Losef at 1.00pm
· Viggo finds out Losef is dead probably 30 mins later at around 1.30pm “Make the arrangements”.
· Cut to John checking out of the Continental (It’s only been 1 night). Prob took him an hour to be there and an hour to clean up and pack however when he leaves its getting dark so he probably fixed himself up and rested for a while and so the time is around 5pm.
· John gets a new car and meets Marcus around 5.30-6pm “How many times do I have to save your ass?”.
· Perkins watches them and turns Marcus in (assumed but likely).
· Cut to night so 8pm ish. Marcus walks home and Viggo and his thugs surround him.
· John driving home gets aphonecall on his mobile from Viggo. Shows scene of Viggo having bruised knuckles from beating Marcus so assume 1 hour has passed (9pm).
· Marcus tries to escape. Perkins wounds him and Viggo kills him so Marcus dies around 9.15pm “Well played old friend”.
· John turns the car around and Viggo leaves “Fuel the chopper”.
· 45 mnutes-1 hour later John arrives at Marcus’s house (10.15pm).
· Concierge calls Perkins who watches John arrives.
· John finds Marcus.
· John leaves (not shown and Perkins leaves)
· Perkins arrives (no time reference so assume 30 mins) to meet the concierge and has her membership to the Continental revoked at 10.45pm. Clean up crew arrives.
· Couple of minutes must have passed. Ohn is called by Winston to tell him where Viggo is.
· John drives like a nutcase and crashes into Viggo at docks probably 45 minutes away so it’s 11.30.
· John kills many people with his car and guns.
· Viggo tres to kill John with his car and the stands waiting for him. “No more guns John. No more Bullets”.
· John kills Viggo 5 minutes later. The whole fight from his car arriving to Viggo dying was about 30 minutes so the time is 00.05am on Day 6.
Saturday Day 6 00.05am
· John kills Viggo at 00.05am “Be seeing you John.”.
· John gets up and leaves taking Viggos cars.
· Opening scene of John crashing into the vets. John is unconscious. He could have been out for a while so im assuming 3 hours because it’s still night.
· John breaks into vets and treats himself (probably 30 minutes).
· John rescues his dog (another 10 minutes).
· John leaves and walks home with his new dog at 3.45am on Saturday Day 6 since his wife’s funeral.
John Wick Chapter 2
John Wick Chapter 2 starts with him chasing down a motor cyclist whilst he looking for his car. We know that this film is a direct continuation of the first film so we can assume that a little time has passed for him to heal, bond with the dog and make investigations into where his car is (this is probably because he’s not the type to stop for anything judging by the first film). Assuming that he took a day to rest and make investigations its probably been 2 days since the end of John Wick so we start on Monday Day 8 since his wife’s funeral at 10 pm because its night in the opening scene and it all fits nicely with the idea that the first film is a week long.
Monday Day 8 10pm
· John chases down biker in Aureilo’s borrowed car. (We never actually see what became of it in the first film because he gets a new car due to “Last nights unpleasantness” with Perkins in the first film as he checks out. Probably takes about 30 minutes.
· John hits the biker, takes the gold card and heads to Abrams Warehouse. He arrives say 30 minutes later.
· “My fucking nephew killed a dog and stole a car”. John arrives, kills thugs and looks for his car (30 mins).
· John calls Abram “You have my car”.
· John finds the car and takes it back.
· John uses his car to try and escape and kill people.
· John kills lots of people (approx. 30 minutes has passed).
· John makes peace with abram at 00.00am.
· John leaves and takes his car.
Tuesday Day 9 7.30am
· Johns car is wrecked and he gets home in the morning. Judging by the light I’d say early morning. We know he lives about 2 hours from the city so assuming it took 7 hours and 30 mins (shown in a later scene) to get home because his car was barely crawling up the driveway (being a man of focus he was getting that car back).
· John goes and cleans up. The clock on his table says 7.30am. Showers and sleeps.
· Next scene is Aureilo arriving to pick up Johns car. I’m assuming its mid to late afternoon around 4.30pm. John is playing with his dog and we have a continuity error here because in John Wick 1 the dog was a puppy and here it is clearly an older dog but ‘Im choosing to ignore this because movie land reasons.
· Cut to next scene. John cleans up his suit and sorts out the basement from the first film. He makes cement and it probably takes him 3 hours so time is 8pm.
· Santino arrives at 8pm (its night out). Coffee and conversation about markers (probably 20 minutes).
· Santino leaves and blows up Johns house.
· John sees his house burn at 8.30.
· Cut to fire engine still fighting the fire so say the response time ect is about 30 mins later. Jimmy the cop is here “Gas leak?”.
· John leaves with the dog and walks off.
Wednesday Day 10 9am.
· John arrives at the continental early morning (looks around 9am so he walked for 12 hours as busses probably aren’t running and he’s a man of focus). “How good to see you again so soon Mr Wick”.
· John meets with Winston and converse about Santino D’antonio and the marker.
· 10 minutes later John boards the dog with Charon the concierge. John leaves for the national gallery.
· Probably 30 minutes to the gallery he gets frisked and meets Santino.
· They talk about the job for 10 minutes “My hands”.
· John leaves and travels to his deposit box “59.035” say another 30 minutes to get there.
· He suits up (another 30 minutes) “happy hunting Mr Wick”.
· Next scene hes in Rome so assuming an hour to the airport. Google tells me New York to Rome direct is an 8 hours and 15 minutes flight and an hour to the continental of Rome meaning total travel time is 10 hours and 15minutes because he had no delays or hold ups and everything happened perfectly because its movieland and therefore assuming every part of his trip was flawless. Rome is 6 hours behind New York (thanks to google again) so John arrives at his destination at 2.25 pm Rome time which fits with the film.
Wednesday Day 10 8.25pm USA, 2.25pm Rome.
· John is observed by Ayres the mute woman arriving at the Continental. “Welcome to the Continental of Rome”.
· He meets the manager “are you here for the pope?”.
· Next scene John is getting supplies and equipment. He must have checked in so I assume its an hour later.
· Suit, Guns and catacomb plans must have taken some time, Rush suit could have taken an hour to measure and 4 hours to make, Guns must have taken an hour along with the catacombs “Mr Wick do enjoy your party”.
· Ayres watches John leave 3 hours later.
· John suits up that night say 8pm Rome time (Which is Thursday Day 11 2am USA time)
· John enters the catacombs and takes about an hour and 30 mins to reach his target whilst leaving his weapons around.
· Gianna enjoys her party and meets Mr Riconi and then leaves to freshen her makeup.
· 10.30 Rome John meets Gianna in the bathroom. They talk for 10 minutes and she slits her wrists. John shoots her and leaves.
· John bumps into Cassian “You working?” they shoot each other and John runs.
· John kills a lot of people escaping.
· Cassian find Gianna.
· John gets to catacombs and meets Ayres “Loose ends?”.
· John kills a lot of people It takes about 30 minutes for John to escape the catacombs from killing Gianna.
· Cassian tries to run John over. They fight and crash through the window of the Continental. They wernt far from it so its assumed Joh had been walking for 20 minutes and they were fighting for 10 mins. Hey crash through about 11.40pm Rome which again fits with the film.
· In the bar they talk for about 5 minutes. Cassian leaves and Ayres is there as John goes to bed “Not if I see you first”.
· Its about 00.00am when Santino phones. John hangs up on him. Santino calls the exchange and puts a bounty on John. John phones the desk and says he’ll check out in the morning. So all this makes the time Thursday Day 11 0.005 am Rome and Thursday Day 11 6 am USA. The text messages go out at this time because they would have done it then and there was no delay despite this being shown in a later scene.
· Next scene is early AM assumed around 6am because that’s when John usually gets up so its Thursday Day 11 6am Rome and 12pm USA. John sorts his stuff and is escorted out by the manager “May you have a safe journey Mr Wick”.
· It takes 10 hours and 15 minutes to get back to New York making it 10.15pm. Cassian is seen in New York so it’s assumed he got the contract text and headed to the airport straightaway to beat John back knowing he wouldn’t be able to get him in Rome.
Thursday Day 11 10.15pm.
· Santino completes the marker book “you stabbed the devil in the back”.
· John walks through Chinatown and the train station, kills lots of people (some with a pencil) and finally faces Cassian on the tube where he stabs him in the Aorta as a professional courtesy. Judging by how beat up he is and how many people he faced it probably took him 2 and a half hours.
Friday Day 12 00.45am
· John escapes 2 assassins at the train station and gets taken by the homeless man to the Bowery King.
· Its early am say around 7 am when John wakes up. Hes had medicine and has been patched up so therefore its Friday Day 12 7am. John and the king talk for an Hourish “$7 million Dollars gets you 7 rounds”.
· John leaves for Santinos coronation.
· John arrives at the NYM meausum Mirror art exhibit . No way to judge it so im guessing it took 3 hours having traveled by tunnels and sewer making it about 11am.
· Santino sees john.
· John kills lots of people probably takes about an hour.
· Santino escapes and runs to the continental John kill Ayres at 12.00pm
· John follows Santino to the Continental which probably took an hour to get to as Santino was eating and waiting for John.
· John arrives at the hotel and kills Santino at 1pm whilst eating lunch “What have you done?”.
· John leaves, collects his dog and goes home.
· The next scene is a bit difficult to place John sits in his ruined house looking at his wifes necklace and its raining. He could have walked for 12 hours but its more likely (as he’s in the next part of the scene) that the concierge took him and waited for a call. This doesn’t quite fit as the conversation about the dog staying with him implys that he had just arrived but im assuming that john was mute the whole way there in the car. “Would you be so enclined”.
· They travel back 2 hours (2 hours there 2 hours back) which makes it exactly 5pm when they reach Winston.
· Theres a continuity error here as John Wick 3 starts at 5pm but Winstons watch clearly shows 4pm in this scene I imagine his battery has died an hour before is all I can think of.
· Wick and Winston talk and John gets a marker and the starts running “I’ll kill them all”.
· Here ends John Wick Chapter 2 Friday Day 13 at 5pm.

My (26F) uncle (don’t know his age but he is grown enough to be my father) stays in the house owned by my grandmother, my mother, and now my siblings and I (19M and 22F). It’s a 4-bed house with a garden and when my grandmother passed away, my mother allowed him to live there for 3k a month. I am South African, so let me tell you this is absolute pennies for rent, even if the neighbourhood is a teensy bit sketchy (for my fellow SAns, it’s in Bosmont). My mother’s family came from very little, and that house means a lot to us. I moved out of my family home after my mother passed away because I needed space to deal with my issues with my family away from them. I have since moved back home, but I am already desperate to move back out and have my own space. We are considering fixing up the house to rent out but someone would need to stay there while repairs are underway, and since Uncle has lost his job, and can’t even afford to pay those peanuts, I am considering giving him a month’s notice to find a new place. I’m part, his losing his job was the first irk I caught. It happened in the first month we were upping his rent since he moved in. He did not tell me, he came to speak to my father; and relied on him to convey this news even though I came home during this conversation. He is not close to us at all. Didn’t even come by after my mother’s funeral, and we have no relationship with him. I should also mention that he was fired from his job after a sexual harassment allegation (which he is adamant was a misunderstanding and has even gone we far as to take them to the CCMA) He has also very nearly cost us the house by lying about paying his rates and taxes, and my father has come home fuming about the state of the house when he has gone to visit my uncle. I don’t want to kick a man out when he’s clearly got few other options, and my motivation for moving back into the house I grew up in were that I could be closer and more available to my family. But I also feel no inclination to make this decision based around a grown man infamously known for his poor sense of responsibility and dishonesty. We would have substantially more space (which was a big contributor to family squabbles no matter how much we do love each other) and I could have my independence back. The house is paid up and only utilities and such would cost me. I am a musician and currently finishing my studies to qualify as a therapist so as you can imagine, I’m not exactly rolling in dough. Family is important to us, but I will not give up something left to me, least of all for a creepy deadbeat of a man I have zero relationship with outside of funerals and weddings. My parents worked so hard for the 3 of us to have first world privileges, and I think this is one of the few I really want to cling to. However, since it is a decision my siblings and I need to make, we wanted to know if we would be the assholes for kicking him out.

Everyone keeps saying Shiv is just like Caroline now -- the wife of the CEO -- OR that she could get back into politics or do her own thing.
She could do all that, but everyone seems to forget she and Tom have been colleagues the whole series. Karolina gave Shiv a heads up about Hugo acting different before the board vote, and the FIRST person Tom asked for was Karolina, as if Shiv gave briefed him as soon as she cast her vote.
Yes, they've both gunned for the top position and thrown each other under the bus doing it. But I don't see why she can't, at the very least, switch roles with Tom and gun for something high-up-ish in the company, like he did with the television division or any other roles?
Matsson never told Tom he didn't want Shiv anywhere , just not in the top spot. In fact, even when he was saying he wants to fuck her, he was speaking highly of her business-wise; not about firing her. She just wasn't the person for CEO.
AND if you think switching to her brothers' side for a few hours would ruin her employment chances, that doesn't track at all with the show. Everyone from Frank to KENDALL got as far as they did after blatant betrayals and fuckery. Tom congratulated Greg on his first blackmailing. And Matsson said nothing about Shiv after she flipped -- it was Greg he called Judas and Greg still has a job. If anything, Matsson knows why Shiv temporarily took her brothers' side and will appreciate still giving him the vote.
If nothing else, Shiv can hold her last-minute vote above Tom's and Lukas' head to get a nice spot in the company, play the card she did at the funeral that her liberal politics won't affect her loyalty to the viewers and become the absent #BossMom she promised to be. Not as CEO. But something, somewhere.
She PROBABLY would get even farther than she would ever have with Ken. Go back to those at-home work conversations with Tom as they bounce ideas off each other, or become divorced co-parent colleagues with a ton of mutual respect. It's not CEO. But it's not immediately Caroline.

My father passed away last month at the age of 60. Although he had a number of illnesses, with one being from a young age, his death was unexpected. This is incredibly hard to come to terms with as I expect anyone on this subreddit would appreciate. Reading posts of some people on here who have lost loved ones at a young age or in terrible circumstances puts my loss in perspective but its still no less raw or devastating. I read a eulogy at my fathers funeral which I'm going to add below. It's long and most people won't read it but I just want to tell as many people as possible how amazing my father was. I have omitted any names from the eulogy and replaced with NAME. I will say though my dads name was Mark and I hope anyone who reads this sees how incredible he was.
Thank you all for coming.
My Dad was the person I looked up to the most, especially the older I got where I grew to appreciate the incredible man he was and how he lived his life. He had things very hard from a young age with multiple conditions, but he never let that define him. He appreciated the good things in his life, and not once did I ever hear him dwell on the bad that happened to him, his attitude was always to enjoy what he could surrounded by the people he loved for as long as he could no matter what was thrown his way. My dad possessed many qualities which include being kind, thoughtful, funny, loving and he is the strongest person mentally I’ve ever met and I’m proud and fortunate that he was my dad. The challenge to show those qualities became harder especially in the last few years but he never stopped living and being the man he always was, laughing, joking, and enjoying himself around his family.
His sense of humour was witty and dark, and he loved to wind people up, especially my mum. Even in his final hours he had his sense of humour. He was lying in bed that morning and he had a remote to move the bed into different positions. My mum heard him call her, so she went in and the remote was on the floor. My dad said sorry NAME can you pick it up, so she did. 10 minutes later she heard my dad call her again, so she went back in, the remote was on the floor again this time my dad had a grin on his face, my mum picked it up and gave it to him and warned him not to drop it again. He did of course drop it again and my mum saw a big smile on his face like he always had as she came back in. She knew he was winding her up and was smiling as well and I’m sure my dad thought about doing it again, but he knew one more time and it would be wrapped around his neck.
Two of my oldest memories I have of my dad are of stories he liked to tell because he found them funny to talk about over the years and I know he would like me to mention them. I don’t know whether it’s a coincidence they both involve alcohol, but he was a SURNAME so of course he enjoyed a drink.
The first is when I was around 5 and my dad and I were watching tv and he was enjoying a glass of whiskey. He went out to go to the bathroom and I seized my opportunity, grabbed the whiskey, and had a swig. My Dad came back into the room with me screaming it burns it burns pointing at the glass. My dad knew what needed to be done and rushed into action grabbing a can of lager and having me drink some to get rid of the whiskey taste. It did work to be fair and when I was older, I hated whiskey and enjoyed lager, which explains a lot.
The second story I want to share is another from when I was young. My dad would always go out drinking with his brothers NAME and NAME on boxing day. It was usually a nice casual drink and a chance for them to spend time together. However, on this occasion my dad got very drunk. So drunk his brothers had to carry him home which was an incredible feat by itself as he was not a small man. What was even more impressive is they managed to get him home but avoid my mum. They achieved this by leaving him sitting by the bins outside and knocking the door and running off. I don’t blame them, and I think it was a very smart move. However, what they didn’t expect was my dad to get up and manage to fall inside the bin. That was the sight that greeted my mum.
My dad was a great father to me and my sister NAME. He was limited physically in some of the things he could do with us but he more than made up for it in other ways and he was always there for us when we needed him. The only thing my father got wrong when NAME and I were growing up in my opinion is he should have been a bit harsher on NAME. She was always terrorizing me, and I was always calm and never did anything to instigate things, but she couldn’t be stopped. I think my father showed a bit of favouritism there.
At Christmas and other occasions, he enjoyed having everyone around and eating, drinking, playing games and having fun. Trivial pursuit was something he always wanted to play, probably because he would often win. He would always play as the blue counter, his favourite colour and if my nan was there which she usually was she would go on his team as she knew he would get everything right and she could sit back and sip her dissarano. I’m sorry nan but I really don’t think your going to win many games in future.
A memory of Christmas that sticks out is when we were playing a golf game on the Nintendo wii and it was my dads go. He was very competitive and put a lot of effort into his swing as he had to make up for the fact, he was playing sitting down. On this occasion he tried a bit too hard and also forgot to tighten the strap causing the wii remote to go flying off his wrist and straight into the tv destroying the screen. I will never forget the look on his face, a combination of shock and disbelief.
My dad also enjoyed playing real golf, many times with me and his son in law NAME but always with his mum. He caught the golf bug later in life but would play almost every week, sometimes twice a week for the part of the year they could use a buggy on the course. His father also used to go with them to drive the buggy and the sight of it all on the course was terrifying for others playing. A typical sight would be his father with his sunglasses on no matter the weather, driving the buggy with my dad in front and my nan sitting at the back trying to hold on as his father drove way to fast hitting every bump he could find and just about staying upright. He would then drop them off next to their drive which had gone maybe 50 yards at most, which considering their limitations wasn’t bad. They would play their shots with his father laughing hysterically and taunting them from the buggy as their balls went another 50 yards. To just be on the golf course playing with the pain my father was in and the limitations he had was an inspiration to me. He didn’t care what anyone else thought as he was doing what he enjoyed.
There are many more memories I could talk about and many more things he enjoyed doing but we’ll be here hours if I go into everything, and nobody wants that including me. NAME will go into more of my dad’s hobbies and life later, but I hope what the memories I’ve talked about show is how my dad loved being around his family and always lived life to the fullest. I wish we had more years with him, but I can say with confidence that he was happy and content that he had an excellent life.
There are a few milestones I want to talk about that I know would be important to my dad.
My Mum and Dad met working in a bakery. The day he got married to my mum I know he would have felt so lucky to have found someone he loved and could spend his life with or as my nan put it when preparing for today, he married the best tart in the bakery. They were always there for each other, and I know my dad would have very much appreciated the emotional support she gave him especially the last few years. It wasn’t easy for her either dealing with my dad’s illness but I’m so proud of my mum and dad for how they dealt with everything. Susan and I could not have wished for better parents.
The day my sister NAME and I were both born but especially me were big moments for my dad and changed his life forever, hopefully for the better but maybe not always. Also, important moments were when his Grandchildren NAME and NAME were born who may not know how lucky they are to have had my dad around for the time they did but they will when they are older as they look back to Grampys example and guidance.
My dad was so happy that NAME and I had both found what he had with my mum. For NAME it was NAME and for me it was NAME. NAME and I have chosen the easier option of having dogs rather than children which my dad, despite saying he never wanted a dog around or had any interest in them ended up loving having both NAME and NAME around. He would play with them despite it being hard for him and enjoyed taunting them with toys and chews and they would taunt him back by leaving things just out of reach for him.
The day my sister NAME and NAME got married was an emotional and wonderful day for my dad. Getting to walk his daughter down the aisle was a happy and proud moment for him. we didn’t know if he’d be able to do it beforehand, but he wasn’t going to miss the chance, so he got through it as he always did. My dad was not known for speaking in large crowds or being confident at it, in fact it was the opposite. However, the speech he gave at NAME wedding was incredible, funny, emotional, and memorable. He spoke from the heart without anything prepared and I am so proud he not only got through it but delivered an unforgettable speech.
There was never any pressure put on me or NAME. The only thing he wanted for us was to be happy and if we were happy that was ok for him.
I want to finish by sharing what some of his closest family wanted me to say on their behalf. This is their words read out by me.
His Wife NAME says, Mark was the love of my life, my soulmate with so many happy years together. Those years were rich with happy memories with our family. No more pain and suffering now my darling, rest now. My everlasting love always.
His daughter NAME says, I could not have asked for a better dad. You were always supportive and patient in everything I did. Your Grandchildren NAME and NAME will remember you as wise and funny, you always took an interest in what they liked. I will miss you incredibly, but you will forever be in my heart.
His Mother NAME says, Words cannot say how much I will miss you. I get comfort that you are not in any pain now. Sleep my darling until we are together again.
His brother NAME says, I will love and miss you always, brother.
His Brother NAME says, Dear Brother I will start by saying at least you are now at peace and pain free. You will be deeply missed by us all, after all you were the diplomatic one of the family. Mark was the most patient and calm member of us all and nothing was any bother for him to do. Love you Mark God bless you and thank you for being my brother, Love NAME.
His Son in law NAME says, thank you for welcoming me into your family with nothing but love and kindness. We shared a love for formula 1 and I’ll think of you whenever I’m watching a race.
His Niece NAME says, Uncle Mark was always kind and caring to me and you could tell how much he loved his family. Whenever I visited and complained about something he always found a way to spin it in a positive light and give me a new perspective. My last memory is of him in his chair putting his jumper on which got stuck after his arms were through. He made me jump because I thought he was headless and gave us all a good laugh. I feel lucky to have had him as an uncle.
Finally, for me he was my hero. I owe him everything. I couldn’t have wished for a better man to look up to and learn from. My respect for how he lived his life despite the challenges he faced is immeasurable. He never complained, never worried, never gave up, he lived his life to the maximum he could, doing the things he enjoyed around the people he loved right until the very end.
Dad I’m going to miss you beyond words and its going to be hard, but I will draw from what you taught me and live my life the best I can. It is said that a person is never truly gone as long as they are still talked about. Well, the impact You had on those around you means stories of you will be passed down for generations. The memories I have of you will stay in my head and the love and respect I have for you will remain in my heart forever.

My father passed away last month at the age of 60. Although he had a number of illnesses, with one being from a young age, his death was unexpected. This is incredibly hard to come to terms with as I expect anyone on this subreddit would appreciate. Reading posts of some people on here who have lost loved ones at a young age or in terrible circumstances puts my loss in perspective but its still no less raw or devastating. I read a eulogy at my fathers funeral which I'm going to add below. It's long and most people won't read it but I just want to tell as many people as possible how amazing my father was. I have omitted any names from the eulogy and replaced with NAME. I will say though my dads name was Mark and I hope anyone who reads this sees how incredible he was.
Thank you all for coming.
My Dad was the person I looked up to the most, especially the older I got where I grew to appreciate the incredible man he was and how he lived his life. He had things very hard from a young age with multiple conditions, but he never let that define him. He appreciated the good things in his life, and not once did I ever hear him dwell on the bad that happened to him, his attitude was always to enjoy what he could surrounded by the people he loved for as long as he could no matter what was thrown his way. My dad possessed many qualities which include being kind, thoughtful, funny, loving and he is the strongest person mentally I’ve ever met and I’m proud and fortunate that he was my dad. The challenge to show those qualities became harder especially in the last few years but he never stopped living and being the man he always was, laughing, joking, and enjoying himself around his family.
His sense of humour was witty and dark, and he loved to wind people up, especially my mum. Even in his final hours he had his sense of humour. He was lying in bed that morning and he had a remote to move the bed into different positions. My mum heard him call her, so she went in and the remote was on the floor. My dad said sorry NAME can you pick it up, so she did. 10 minutes later she heard my dad call her again, so she went back in, the remote was on the floor again this time my dad had a grin on his face, my mum picked it up and gave it to him and warned him not to drop it again. He did of course drop it again and my mum saw a big smile on his face like he always had as she came back in. She knew he was winding her up and was smiling as well and I’m sure my dad thought about doing it again, but he knew one more time and it would be wrapped around his neck.
Two of my oldest memories I have of my dad are of stories he liked to tell because he found them funny to talk about over the years and I know he would like me to mention them. I don’t know whether it’s a coincidence they both involve alcohol, but he was a SURNAME so of course he enjoyed a drink.
The first is when I was around 5 and my dad and I were watching tv and he was enjoying a glass of whiskey. He went out to go to the bathroom and I seized my opportunity, grabbed the whiskey, and had a swig. My Dad came back into the room with me screaming it burns it burns pointing at the glass. My dad knew what needed to be done and rushed into action grabbing a can of lager and having me drink some to get rid of the whiskey taste. It did work to be fair and when I was older, I hated whiskey and enjoyed lager, which explains a lot.
The second story I want to share is another from when I was young. My dad would always go out drinking with his brothers NAME and NAME on boxing day. It was usually a nice casual drink and a chance for them to spend time together. However, on this occasion my dad got very drunk. So drunk his brothers had to carry him home which was an incredible feat by itself as he was not a small man. What was even more impressive is they managed to get him home but avoid my mum. They achieved this by leaving him sitting by the bins outside and knocking the door and running off. I don’t blame them, and I think it was a very smart move. However, what they didn’t expect was my dad to get up and manage to fall inside the bin. That was the sight that greeted my mum.
My dad was a great father to me and my sister NAME. He was limited physically in some of the things he could do with us but he more than made up for it in other ways and he was always there for us when we needed him. The only thing my father got wrong when NAME and I were growing up in my opinion is he should have been a bit harsher on NAME. She was always terrorizing me, and I was always calm and never did anything to instigate things, but she couldn’t be stopped. I think my father showed a bit of favouritism there.
At Christmas and other occasions, he enjoyed having everyone around and eating, drinking, playing games and having fun. Trivial pursuit was something he always wanted to play, probably because he would often win. He would always play as the blue counter, his favourite colour and if my nan was there which she usually was she would go on his team as she knew he would get everything right and she could sit back and sip her dissarano. I’m sorry nan but I really don’t think your going to win many games in future.
A memory of Christmas that sticks out is when we were playing a golf game on the Nintendo wii and it was my dads go. He was very competitive and put a lot of effort into his swing as he had to make up for the fact, he was playing sitting down. On this occasion he tried a bit too hard and also forgot to tighten the strap causing the wii remote to go flying off his wrist and straight into the tv destroying the screen. I will never forget the look on his face, a combination of shock and disbelief.
My dad also enjoyed playing real golf, many times with me and his son in law NAME but always with his mum. He caught the golf bug later in life but would play almost every week, sometimes twice a week for the part of the year they could use a buggy on the course. His father also used to go with them to drive the buggy and the sight of it all on the course was terrifying for others playing. A typical sight would be his father with his sunglasses on no matter the weather, driving the buggy with my dad in front and my nan sitting at the back trying to hold on as his father drove way to fast hitting every bump he could find and just about staying upright. He would then drop them off next to their drive which had gone maybe 50 yards at most, which considering their limitations wasn’t bad. They would play their shots with his father laughing hysterically and taunting them from the buggy as their balls went another 50 yards. To just be on the golf course playing with the pain my father was in and the limitations he had was an inspiration to me. He didn’t care what anyone else thought as he was doing what he enjoyed.
There are many more memories I could talk about and many more things he enjoyed doing but we’ll be here hours if I go into everything, and nobody wants that including me. NAME will go into more of my dad’s hobbies and life later, but I hope what the memories I’ve talked about show is how my dad loved being around his family and always lived life to the fullest. I wish we had more years with him, but I can say with confidence that he was happy and content that he had an excellent life.
There are a few milestones I want to talk about that I know would be important to my dad.
My Mum and Dad met working in a bakery. The day he got married to my mum I know he would have felt so lucky to have found someone he loved and could spend his life with or as my nan put it when preparing for today, he married the best tart in the bakery. They were always there for each other, and I know my dad would have very much appreciated the emotional support she gave him especially the last few years. It wasn’t easy for her either dealing with my dad’s illness but I’m so proud of my mum and dad for how they dealt with everything. Susan and I could not have wished for better parents.
The day my sister NAME and I were both born but especially me were big moments for my dad and changed his life forever, hopefully for the better but maybe not always. Also, important moments were when his Grandchildren NAME and NAME were born who may not know how lucky they are to have had my dad around for the time they did but they will when they are older as they look back to Grampys example and guidance.
My dad was so happy that NAME and I had both found what he had with my mum. For NAME it was NAME and for me it was NAME. NAME and I have chosen the easier option of having dogs rather than children which my dad, despite saying he never wanted a dog around or had any interest in them ended up loving having both NAME and NAME around. He would play with them despite it being hard for him and enjoyed taunting them with toys and chews and they would taunt him back by leaving things just out of reach for him.
The day my sister NAME and NAME got married was an emotional and wonderful day for my dad. Getting to walk his daughter down the aisle was a happy and proud moment for him. we didn’t know if he’d be able to do it beforehand, but he wasn’t going to miss the chance, so he got through it as he always did. My dad was not known for speaking in large crowds or being confident at it, in fact it was the opposite. However, the speech he gave at NAME wedding was incredible, funny, emotional, and memorable. He spoke from the heart without anything prepared and I am so proud he not only got through it but delivered an unforgettable speech.
There was never any pressure put on me or NAME. The only thing he wanted for us was to be happy and if we were happy that was ok for him.
I want to finish by sharing what some of his closest family wanted me to say on their behalf. This is their words read out by me.
His Wife NAME says, Mark was the love of my life, my soulmate with so many happy years together. Those years were rich with happy memories with our family. No more pain and suffering now my darling, rest now. My everlasting love always.
His daughter NAME says, I could not have asked for a better dad. You were always supportive and patient in everything I did. Your Grandchildren NAME and NAME will remember you as wise and funny, you always took an interest in what they liked. I will miss you incredibly, but you will forever be in my heart.
His Mother NAME says, Words cannot say how much I will miss you. I get comfort that you are not in any pain now. Sleep my darling until we are together again.
His brother NAME says, I will love and miss you always, brother.
His Brother NAME says, Dear Brother I will start by saying at least you are now at peace and pain free. You will be deeply missed by us all, after all you were the diplomatic one of the family. Mark was the most patient and calm member of us all and nothing was any bother for him to do. Love you Mark God bless you and thank you for being my brother, Love NAME.
His Son in law NAME says, thank you for welcoming me into your family with nothing but love and kindness. We shared a love for formula 1 and I’ll think of you whenever I’m watching a race.
His Niece NAME says, Uncle Mark was always kind and caring to me and you could tell how much he loved his family. Whenever I visited and complained about something he always found a way to spin it in a positive light and give me a new perspective. My last memory is of him in his chair putting his jumper on which got stuck after his arms were through. He made me jump because I thought he was headless and gave us all a good laugh. I feel lucky to have had him as an uncle.
Finally, for me he was my hero. I owe him everything. I couldn’t have wished for a better man to look up to and learn from. My respect for how he lived his life despite the challenges he faced is immeasurable. He never complained, never worried, never gave up, he lived his life to the maximum he could, doing the things he enjoyed around the people he loved right until the very end.
Dad I’m going to miss you beyond words and its going to be hard, but I will draw from what you taught me and live my life the best I can. It is said that a person is never truly gone as long as they are still talked about. Well, the impact You had on those around you means stories of you will be passed down for generations. The memories I have of you will stay in my head and the love and respect I have for you will remain in my heart forever.