Jessica was last seen on January 11th, 2018 in Pojaque, New Mexico at the Buffalo Thunder Casino. Jessica has a pink mohawk. She does not have a known address. Someone on a Facebook post commented that they had seen Jessica at the Route 66 casino by a machine near the front door of the casino, but I'm not sure what became of the tip. Despite intensive googling, I could not find any more information about her disappearance, and she is not yet listed on NAMUS. I reached out to three people who knew Jessica, and I'm waiting on their responses. [1]
Jazmyn Toler
15-year-old Jazymn Toler was last seen on Friday, May 18th, 2018 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I made contact with Jazmyn and she told me that she is safe and living a very happy life in a different state. [1] [2]
Amber Simpson
"Amber Simpson was last seen July 15, 2018 in Belen, New Mexico." This is literally the only information I was able to find on Amber- however, I've possibly found a social media account for her and I'm trying to make contact. [1]
Ariana Rose Marquez
16-year-old Ariana went missing from Albuquerque. She was last seen getting into a tan, single cab truck while wearing a blue floral shirt, jean shorts, and black shoes on Sunday, May 5th, 2018. Ariana is currently 18. This is the only information I've been able to find on Ariana, and I haven't been able to find any social media profiles for her. [1]
Barbara Gould
Once again, I couldn't find very much information on Barbara's disappearance. Barbara Ann Gould was last seen November 10, 2018 in Grants, New Mexico, on Bluegill Drive. [1][2]
Denise Coultas-Parker
In a strange coincidence, Denise was also reported missing ion November 2018, but in Los Angeles, California. However, her car was then found in Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico on November 12th, 2018, one mile south of Interstate 40 exit 102 at the intersection of Pueblo Road and Flower Mountain Circle. In March 2019, Denise's remains were sadly found on Acoma Pueblo. Denise was known to have suffered from multiple sclerosis and had developed amnesia and paranoia around the time of her disappearance. [1][2] [3] I will hopefully start covering the missing women from 2019 next week. Thanks for reading. I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween!! Original write up with more info: https://kitkaboodleandfamily.blogspot.com/2020/11/missing-girls-and-women-of-new-mexico.htm
https://preview.redd.it/53j6lh2capw51.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d3bee8748087870658629185bb9366f843e4ca3 Jessica was last seen on January 11th, 2018 in Pojaque, New Mexico at the Buffalo Thunder Casino. Jessica has a pink mohawk. She does not have a known address. Someone on a Facebook post commented that they had seen Jessica at the Route 66 casino by a machine near the front door of the casino, but I'm not sure what became of the tip. Despite intensive googling, I could not find any more information about her disappearance, and she is not yet listed on NAMUS. I reached out to three people who knew Jessica, and I'm waiting on their responses. [1][2]
https://preview.redd.it/a4xt8j8napw51.jpg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98dcc75ed67d9c186f3d6b3565f53cf76ec4c88b In a strange coincidence, Denise was also reported missing ion November 2018, but in Los Angeles, California. However, her car was then found in Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico on November 12th, 2018, one mile south of Interstate 40 exit 102 at the intersection of Pueblo Road and Flower Mountain Circle. In March 2019, Denise's remains were sadly found on Acoma Pueblo. Denise was known to have suffered from multiple sclerosis and had developed amnesia and paranoia around the time of her disappearance. [1][2][3] [4] I will hopefully start covering the missing women from 2019 next week. Thanks for reading. I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween!! Original write up with more info: https://kitkaboodleandfamily.blogspot.com/2020/11/missing-girls-and-women-of-new-mexico.html
TL;DR: Man with too much time on his hands goes deep down the rabbit hole on a concept this sub already didn’t seem that enthusiastic about. If you really want to skip ahead, CTRL+F “verdict” and it’ll get you there. Two days ago, u/MrPhillyj2wns made a post asking whether USL should launch a D1 league in order to compete in Concacaf. From the top voted replies, it appears this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. But I’ve been at home for eight weeks and I am terribly, terribly bored. So, I present to you this overview of what the USL pyramid might look like if Jake Edwards got a head of steam and attempted to establish a USSF-sanctioned first division. This is by no means an endorsement of such a proposal or even a suggestion that USL SHOULD do such a thing. It is merely an examination of whether they COULD. Welcome to the Thunderdome USL Premiership First, there are some base-level assumptions we must make in this exercise, because it makes me feel more scientific and not like a guy who wrote this on Sunday while watching the Belarusian Premier League (Go BATE Borisov!).
All D1 teams must comply with known USSF requirements for D1 leagues (more on that later).
MLS, not liking this move, will immediately remove all directly-owned affiliate clubs from the USL structure (this does not include hybrid ownerships, like San Antonio FC – NYCFC). This removes all MLS2 teams but will not affect Colorado Springs, Reno, RGVFC and San Antonio.
The USL will attempt to maintain both the USL Championship and USL League One, with an eventual mind toward creating the pro/rel paradise that is promised in Relegations 3:16.
All of my research regarding facility size and ownership net worth is correct – this is probably the biggest leap of faith we have to make, since googling “NAME net worth” and “CITY richest people” doesn’t seem guaranteed to return accurate results.
The most a club can increase its available seating capacity to meet D1 requirements in a current stadium is no more than 1,500 seats (10% of the required 15,000). If they need to add more, they’ll need a new facility.
Let’s pretend that people are VERY willing to sell. It’s commonly acknowledged that the USL is a more financially feasible route to owning a soccer club than in MLS (c.f. MLS-Charlotte’s reported $325 million expansion fee) and the USSF has some very strict requirements for D1 sanctioning. It becomes pretty apparent when googling a lot of team’s owners that this requirement isn’t met, so let’s assume everyone that can’t sells to people who meet the requirements.
(Known) USSF D1 league requirements: - League must have 12 teams to apply and 14 teams by year three - Majority owner must have a net worth of $40 million, and the ownership group must have a total net worth of $70 million. The value of an owned stadium is not considered when calculating this value. - Must have teams located in the Eastern, Central and Pacific time zones - 75% of league’s teams must be based in markets with at a metro population of at least 1 million people. - All league stadiums must have a capacity of at least 15,000 The ideal club candidate for the USL Premiership will meet the population and capacity requirements in its current ground, which will have a grass playing surface. Of the USL Championship’s 27 independent/hybrid affiliate clubs, I did not find one club that meets all these criteria as they currently stand. Regarding turf fields, the USSF does not have a formal policy regarding the ideal playing surface but it is generally acknowledged that grass is superior to turf. 6 of 26 MLS stadiums utilize turf, or roughly 23% of stadiums. We’ll hold a similar restriction for our top flight, so 2-3 of our top flight clubs can have turf fields. Seem fair? Capacity is going to be the biggest issue, since the disparity between current requirements for the second-tier (5,000) and the first tier (15,000) is a pretty massive gap. Nice club you have there, triple your capacity and you’re onto something. As a result, I have taken the liberty of relocating certain (read: nearly all) clubs to new grounds, trying my utmost to keep those clubs in their current markets and –importantly--, ensure they play on grass surfaces. So, let’s do a case-by-case evaluation and see if we can put together 12-14 teams that meet the potential requirements, because what else do you have to do? For each club’s breakdown, anything that represents a chance from what is currently true will be underlined. Candidate: Birmingham Legion FC Location (Metro population): Birmingham, Ala. (1,151,801) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Legion Field (FieldTurf, 71,594) Potential owner: Stephens Family (reported net worth $4 billion) Notes: Birmingham has a pretty strong candidacy. Having ditched the 5,000-seater BBVA Field for Legion Field, which sits 2.4 miles away, they’ve tapped into the city’s soccer history. Legion Field hosted portions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 1996 Olympics, including a 3-1 U.S. loss to Argentina that saw 83,183 pack the house. The Harbert family seemed like strong ownership contenders, but since the death of matriarch Marguerite Harbert in 2015, it’s unclear where the wealth in the family is concentrated, so the Stephens seem like a better candidate. The only real knock that I can think of is that we really want to avoid having clubs play on turf, so I’d say they’re on the bubble of our platonic ideal USL Prem. Candidate: Charleston Battery Location (Metro population): Charleston, S.C. (713,000) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Johnson Hagood Stadium (Grass, ~14,700) Potential owner: Anita Zucker (reported net worth $3 billion) Notes: Charleston’s candidacy isn’t looking great. Already disadvantaged due to its undersized metro population, a move across the Cooper River to Johnson Hagood Stadium is cutting it close in terms of capacity. The stadium, home to The Citadel’s football team, used to seat 21,000, before 9,300 seats on the eastern grandstand were torn down in 2017 to deal with lead paint that had been used in their construction. Renovation plans include adding 3,000 seats back in, which could hit 15,000 if they bumped it to 3,300, but throw in a required sale by HCFC, LLC (led by content-creation platform founder Rob Salvatore) to chemical magnate Anita Zucker, and you’ll see there’s a lot of ifs and ands in this proposal. Candidate: Charlotte Independence Location (Metro population): Charlotte, N.C. (2,569, 213) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Jerry Richardson Stadium (Turf, 15,314) Potential owner: James Goodnight (reported net worth $9.1 billion) Notes: Charlotte ticks a lot of the boxes. A move from the Sportsplex at Matthews to UNC-Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson stadium meets capacity requirements, but puts them on to the dreaded turf. Regrettably, nearby American Legion Memorial Stadium only seats 10,500, despite a grass playing surface. With a sizeable metro population (sixth-largest in the USL Championship) and a possible owner in software billionaire James Goodnight, you’ve got some options here. The biggest problem likely lies in direct competition for market share against a much better-funded MLS Charlotte side due to join the league in 2021. Candidate: Hartford Athletic Location (Metro population): Hartford, Conn. (1,214,295) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Pratt & Whitney Stadium (Grass, 38,066) Potential owner: Ray Dalio (reported net worth $18.4 billion) Notes: Okay, I cheated a bit here, having to relocate Hartford to Pratt & Whitney Stadium, which is technically in East Hartford, Conn. I don’t know enough about the area to know if there’s some kind of massive beef between the two cities, but the club has history there, having played seven games in 2019 while Dillon Stadium underwent renovations. If the group of local businessmen that currently own the club manage to attract Dalio to the table, we’re on to something. Candidate: Indy Eleven Location (Metro population): Indianapolis, Ind. (2,048,703) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lucas Oil Stadium (Turf, 62,421) Potential owner: Jim Irsay (reported net worth of $3 billion) Notes: Indy Eleven are a club that are SO CLOSE to being an ideal candidate – if it weren’t for Lucas Oil Stadium’s turf playing surface. Still, there’s a lot to like in this bid. I’m not going to lie, I have no idea what current owner and founder Ersal Ozdemir is worth, but it seems like there might be cause for concern. A sale to Irsay, who also owns the NFL Indianapolis (nee Baltimore) Colts, seems likely to keep the franchise there, rather than make a half-mile move to 14,230 capacity Victory Field where the AAA Indianapolis Indians play and expand from there. Candidate: Louisville City FC Location (Metro population): Louisville, Ky. (1,297,310) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lynn Family Stadium (Grass, 14,000, possibly expandable to 20,000) Potential owner: Wayne Hughes (reported net worth $2.8 billion) Notes: I’m stretching things a bit here. Lynn Family stadium is currently listed as having 11,700 capacity that’s expandable to 14,000, but they’ve said that the ground could hold as many as 20,000 with additional construction, which might be enough to grant them a temporary waiver from USSF. If the stadium is a no-go, then there’s always Cardinal Stadium, home to the University of Louisville’s football team, which seats 65,000 but is turf. Either way, it seems like a sale to someone like Public Storage founder Wayne Hughes will be necessary to ensure the club has enough capital. Candidate: Memphis 901 FC Location (Metro population): Memphis, Tenn. (1,348,260) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Liberty Bowl Stadium (Turf, 58,325) Potential owner: Fred Smith (reported net worth $3 billion) Notes: Unfortunately for Memphis, AutoZone Park’s 10,000 seats won’t cut it at the D1 level. With its urban location, it would likely prove tough to renovate, as well. Liberty Bowl Stadium more than meets the need, but will involve the use of the dreaded turf. As far as an owner goes, FedEx founder Fred Smith seems like a good local option. Candidate: Miami FC, “The” Location (Metro population): Miami, Fla. (6,158,824) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Riccardo Silva Stadium (FieldTurf, 20,000) Potential owner: Riccardo Silva (reported net worth $1 billion) Notes: Well, well, well, Silva might get his wish for top-flight soccer, after all. He’s got the money, he’s got the metro, and his ground has the capacity. There is the nagging issue of the turf, though. Hard Rock Stadium might present a solution, including a capacity of 64,767 and a grass playing surface. It is worth noting, however, that this is the first profile where I didn’t have to find a new potential owner for a club. Candidate: North Carolina FC Location (Metro population): Durham, N.C. (1,214,516 in The Triangle) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Carter-Finley Stadium (Grass/Turf, 57,583) Potential owner: Steve Malik (precise net worth unknown) / Dennis Gillings (reported net worth of $1.7 billion) Notes: We have our first “relocation” in North Carolina FC, who were forced to trade Cary’s 10,000-seat WakeMed Soccer Park for Carter-Finley Stadium in Durham, home of the NC State Wolfpack and 57,583 of their closest friends. The move is a whopping 3.1 miles, thanks to the close-knit hub that exists between Cary, Durham and Raleigh. Carter-Finley might be my favorite of the stadium moves in this exercise. The field is grass, but the sidelines are artificial turf. Weird, right? Either way, it was good enough for Juventus to play a friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara there in 2011. Maybe the move would be pushed for by new owner and medical magnate Dennis Gillings, whose British roots might inspire him to get involved in the Beautiful Game. Straight up, though, I couldn’t find a net worth for current owner Steve Malik, though he did sell his company MedFusion for $91 million in 2010, then bought it back for an undisclosed amount and sold it again for $43 million last November. I don’t know if Malik has the juice to meet D1 requirements, but I suspect he’s close. Candidate: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Location (Metro population): Pittsburgh, Penn. (2,362,453) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Heinz Field (Grass, 64,450) Potential owner: Henry Hillman (reported net worth $2.5 billion) Notes: I don’t know a ton about the Riverhounds, but this move in particular feels like depriving a pretty blue-collar club from its roots. Highmark Stadium is a no-go from a seating perspective, but the Steelers’ home stadium at Heinz Field would more than meet the requirements and have a grass surface that was large enough to be sanctioned for a FIFA friendly between the U.S. WNT and Costa Rica in 2015. As for an owner, Tuffy Shallenberger (first ballot owner name HOF) doesn’t seem to fit the USSF bill, but legendary Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Hillman might. I’m sure you’re asking, why not the Rooney Family, if they’ll play at Heinz Field? I’ll tell you: I honestly can’t seem to pin down a value for the family. The Steelers are valued at a little over a billion and rumors persist that Dan Rooney is worth $500 million, but I’m not sure. I guess the Rooneys would work too, but it’s a definite departure from an owner in Shallenberger who was described by one journalist as a guy who “wears boots, jeans, a sweater and a trucker hat.” Candidate: Saint Louis FC Location (Metro population): St. Louis, Mo. (2,807,338) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Busch Stadium (Grass, 45,494) Potential owner: William DeWitt Jr. (reported net worth $4 billion) Notes: Saint Louis has some weirdness in making the jump to D1. Current CEO Jim Kavanaugh is an owner of the MLS side that will begin play in 2022. The club’s current ground at West Community Stadium isn’t big enough, but perhaps a timely sale to Cardinals owner William DeWitt Jr. could see the club playing games at Busch Stadium, which has a well established history of hosting other sports like hockey, college football and soccer (most recently a U.S. WNT friendly against New Zealand in 2019). The competition with another MLS franchise wouldn’t be ideal, like Charlotte, but with a big enough population and cross marketing from the Cardinals, maybe there’s a winner here. Wacko idea: If Busch doesn’t pan out, send them to The Dome. Sure, it’s a 60k turf closed-in stadium, but we can go for that retro NASL feel and pay homage to our nation’s soccer history. Candidate: Tampa Bay Rowdies Location (Metro population): Tampa, Fla. (3,068,511) Time zone: Eastern Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Raymond James Stadium (Grass, 65,518) Potential owner: Edward DeBartolo Jr. (reported net worth $3 billion) Notes: This one makes me sad. Despite having never been there, I see Al Lang Stadium as an iconic part of the Rowdies experience. Current owner Bill Edwards proposed an expansion to 18,000 seats in 2016, but the move seems to have stalled out. Frustrated with the city’s lack of action, Edwards sells to one-time San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who uses his old NFL connections to secure a cushy lease at the home of the Buccaneers in Ray Jay, the site of a 3-1 thrashing of Antigua and Barbuda during the United States’ 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign. Breather. Hey, we finished the Eastern Conference teams. Why are you still reading this? Why am I still writing it? Time is a meaningless construct in 2020 my friends, we are adrift in the void, fueled only by brief flashes of what once was and what may yet still be. Candidate: Austin Bold FC Location (Metro population): Austin, Texas (2,168,316) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 95,594) Potential owner: Michael Dell (reported net worth of $32.3 billion) Notes: Anthony Precourt’s Austin FC has some unexpected competition and it comes in the form of tech magnate Michael Dell. Dell, were he to buy the club, would be one of the richest owners on our list and could flash his cash in the new first division. Would he have enough to convince Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (I’m not kidding, that’s its actual name) to go back to a grass surface, like it did from ’96-’08? That’s between Dell and nearly 100,000 UT football fans, but everything can be had for the right price. Candidate: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Location (Metro population): Colorado Springs, Colo. (738,939) Time zone: Mountain Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Falcon Stadium (FieldTurf, 46,692) Potential owner: Charles Ergen (reported net worth $10.8 billion) Notes: Welcome to Colorado Springs. We have hurdles. For the first time in 12 candidates, we’re back below the desired 1 million metro population mark. Colorado Springs actually plans to build a $35 million, 8,000 seat venue downtown that will be perfect for soccer, but in our timeline that’s 7,000 seats short. Enter Falcon Stadium, home of the Air Force Academy Falcons football team. Seems perfect except for the turf, right? Well, the tricky thing is that Falcon Stadium is technically on an active military base and is (I believe) government property. Challenges to getting in and out of the ground aside, the military tends to have a pretty grim view of government property being used by for-profit enterprises. Maybe Charles Ergen, founder and chairman of Dish Network, would be able to grease the right wheels, but you can go ahead and throw this into the “doubtful” category. It’s a shame, too. 6,035 feet of elevation is one hell of a home-field advantage. Candidate: El Paso Locomotive FC Location: El Paso, Texas Time zone: Mountain Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Sun Bowl (FieldTurf, 51,500) Potential owner: Paul Foster (reported net worth $1.7 billion) Notes: God bless Texas. When compiling this list, I found so many of the theoretical stadium replacements were nearly serviceable by high school football fields. That’s insane, right? Anyway, Locomotive don’t have to settle for one of those, they’ve got the Sun Bowl, which had its capacity reduced in 2001 to a paltry 51,500 (from 52,000) specifically to accommodate soccer. Sure, it’s a turf surface, but what does new owner Paul Foster (who is only the 1,477th wealthiest man in the world, per Forbes) care, he’s got a team in a top league. Side note: Did you know that the Sun Bowl college football game is officially, through sponsorship, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl? Why is it not the Frosted Flakes Sun Bowl? Why is the cereal mascot the promotional name of the football game? What are you doing, Kellogg’s? Candidate: Las Vegas Lights FC Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (2,227,053) Time zone: Pacific Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Allegiant Stadium (Grass, 61,000) Potential owner: Sheldon Adelson (reported net worth $37.7 billion) Notes: Sin City. You had to know that the club that once signed Freddy Adu because “why not” was going to go all out in our flashy hypothetical proposal. Thanks to my narrative control of this whole thing, they have. Adelson is the second-richest owner in the league and has decided to do everything first class. That includes using the new Raiders stadium in nearby unincorporated Paradise, Nevada, and spending boatloads on high profile transfers. Zlatan is coming back to the U.S., confirmed. Candidate: New Mexico United Location: Albuquerque, N.M. Time zone: Mountain Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Isotopes Park – officially Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park (Grass, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion) Potential owner: Maloof Family (reported net worth $1 billion) Notes: New Mexico from its inception went deep on the community vibe, and I’ve tried to replicate that in this bid. The home field of Rio Grande Cr---I’m not typing out the whole thing—Isotopes Park falls just within the expansion rules we set to make it to 15,000 (weird, right?) and they’ve found a great local ownership group in the Lebanese-American Maloof (formerly Maalouf) family from Las Vegas. The only thing to worry about would be the metro population, but overall, this could be one of the gems of USL Prem. Candidate: Oklahoma City Energy FC Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (1,396,445) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (Grass, 13,066) Potential owner: Harold Hamm (reported net worth $14.2 billion) Notes: There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow and it says it’s time to change stadiums and owners to make it to D1. A sale to oil magnate Harold Hamm would give the club the finances it needs, but Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (home of the OKC Dodgers) actually falls outside of the boundary of what would meet capacity if 1,500 seats were added. Could the club pull off a move to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma – home of the Oklahoma Sooners? Maybe, but at 20 miles, this would be a reach. Candidate: Orange County SC Location: Irvine, Calif. (3,176, 000 in Orange County) Time zone: Pacific Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Angels Stadium of Anaheim (Grass, 43,250) Potential owner: Arte Moreno (reported net worth $3.3 billion) Notes: You’ll never convince me that Rangers didn’t choose to partner with Orange County based primarily on its name. Either way, a sale to MLB Angels owner Arte Moreno produces a fruitful partnership, with the owner choosing to play his newest club out of the existing Angels stadium in OC. Another baseball conversion, sure, but with a metro population of over 3 million and the closest thing this hypothetical league has to an LA market, who’s complaining? Candidate: Phoenix Rising FC Location: Phoenix, Ariz. (4,857,962) Time zone: Arizona Stadium (playing surface, capacity): State Farm Stadium (Grass, 63,400) Potential owner: Ernest Garcia II (reported net worth $5.7 billion) Notes: We’re keeping it local with new owner and used car guru Ernest Garcia II. His dad owned a liquor store and he dropped out of college, which is making me feel amazing about my life choices right now. Casino Arizona Field is great, but State Farm Stadium is a grass surface that hosted the 2019 Gold Cup semifinal, so it’s a clear winner. Throw in Phoenix’s massive metro population and this one looks like a lock. Candidate: Reno 1868 FC Location: Reno, Nev. (425,417) Time zone: Pacific Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Mackay Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000) Potential owner: Nancy Walton Laurie (reported net worth $7.1 billion) Notes: The Biggest Little City on Earth has some serious barriers to overcome, thanks to its low metro population. A sale to Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and 1.6 mile-move to Mackay Stadium to split space with the University of Nevada, Reno makes this bid competitive, but the turf surface is another knock against it. Candidate: Rio Grande Valley FC Location: Edinburg, Texas (900,304) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): McAllen Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion) Potential owner: Alice Louise Walton (reported net worth $45 billion) Notes: Yes, I have a second straight Walmart heiress on the list. She was the first thing that popped up when I googled “McAllen Texas richest people.” The family rivalry has spurred Walton to buy a club as well, moving them 10 miles to McAllen Memorial Stadium which, as I alluded to earlier, is a straight up high school football stadium with a full color scoreboard. Toss in an additional 1,500 seats and you’ve met the minimum, despite the turf playing surface. Candidate: San Antonio FC Location: San Antonio, Texas (2,550,960) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Alamodome (FieldTurf, 64,000) Potential owner: Red McCombs (reported net worth $1.6 billion) Notes: I wanted to keep SAFC in the Spurs family, since the franchise is valued at $1.8 billion. That said, I didn’t let the Rooneys own the Riverhounds based on the Steelers’ value and it felt wrong to change the rules, so bring on Clear Channel co-founder Red McCombs. Toyota Field isn’t viable in the first division, but for the Alamodome, which was built in 1993 in hopes of attracting an NFL franchise (and never did), San Antonio can finally claim having *a* national football league team in its town (contingent on your definition of football). Now if only we could do something about that turf… Candidate: San Diego Loyal SC Location: San Diego, Calif. (3,317,749) Time zone: Pacific Stadium (playing surface, capacity): SDCCU Stadium (formerly Qualcomm) (Grass, 70,561) Potential owner: Phil Mickelson (reported net worth $91 million) Notes: Yes, golf’s Phil Mickelson. The existing ownership group didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to meet requirements, and Phil seemed to slot right in. As an athlete himself, he might be interesting in the new challenges of a top flight soccer team. Toss in a move to the former home of the chargers and you might have a basis for tremendous community support. Candidate: FC Tulsa Location: Tulsa, Okla. (991,561) Time zone: Central Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000) Potential owner: George Kaiser ($10 billion) Notes: I’m a fan of FC Tulsa’s rebrand, but if they want to make the first division, more changes are necessary. A sale to Tulsa native and one of the 100 richest men in the world George Kaiser means that funding is guaranteed. A move to Chapman Stadium would provide the necessary seats, despite the turf field. While the undersize population might be an issue at first glance, it’s hard to imagine U.S. Soccer not granting a waiver over a less than a 10k miss from the mark. And that’s it! You made it. Those are all of the independent/hybrid affiliates in the USL Championship, which means that it’s time for our… VERDICT: As an expert who has studied this issue for almost an entire day now, I am prepared to pronounce which USL Championships could be most ‘ready” for a jump to the USL Prem. A reminder that of the 27 clubs surveyed, 0 of them met our ideal criteria (proper ownership $, metro population, 15,000+ stadium with grass field). Two of them, however, met almost all of those criteria: Indy Eleven and Miami FC. Those two clubs may use up two of our three available turf fields right from the outset, but the other factors they hit (particularly Silva’s ownership of Miami) makes them difficult, if not impossible to ignore for the top flight. But who fill in the rest of the slots? Meet the entire 14-team USL Premier League: Hartford Athletic Indy Eleven Louisville City FC Miami FC North Carolina FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Tampa Bay Rowdies Saint Louis FC San Antonio FC New Mexico United Phoenix Rising FC Las Vegas Lights FC Orange County SC San Diego Loyal SC Now, I shall provide my expert rationale for each club’s inclusion/exclusion, which can be roughly broken down into four categories. Firm “yes” Hartford Athletic: It’s a good market size with a solid stadium. With a decent investor and good community support, you’ve got potential here. Indy Eleven: The turf at Lucas Oil Stadium is no reason to turn down a 62,421 venue and a metro population of over 2 million. Louisville City FC: Why doesn’t the 2017 & 2018 USL Cup champion deserve a crack at the top flight? They have the market size, and with a bit of expansion have the stadium at their own SSS. LCFC, you’re in. Miami FC, “The”: Our other blue-chip recruit on the basis of ownership value, market size and stadium capacity. Yes, that field is turf, but how could you snub Silva’s chance to claim victory as the first division 1 club soccer team to play in Miami? Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Pittsburgh sacrificed a lot to be here (according to my arbitrary calculations). Their market size and the potential boon of soccer at Heinz Field is an important inclusion to the league. Saint Louis FC: Willie hears your “Busch League” jokes, Willie don’t care. A huge market size, combined with the absence of an NFL franchise creates opportunity. Competition with the MLS side, sure, but St. Louis has serious soccer history and we’re willing to bet it can support two clubs. Tampa Bay Rowdies: With a huge population and a massive stadium waiting nearby, Tampa Bay seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up for the USL Prem. Las Vegas Lights FC: Ostentatious, massive and well-financed, Las Vegas Lights FC is everything that the USL Premier League would need to assert that it didn’t intend to play second fiddle to MLS. Players will need to be kept on a short leash, but this is a hard market to pass up on. Phoenix Rising FC: Huge population, big grass field available nearby and a solid history of success in recent years. No brainer. San Diego Loyal SC: New club? Yes, massive population in a market that recently lost an absolutely huge sports presence? Also yes. This could be the USL Prem’s Seattle. Cautious “yes” New Mexico United: You have to take a chance on New Mexico United. The club set the league on fire with its social media presence and its weight in the community when it entered the league last season. The market may be slightly under USSF’s desired 1 million, but fervent support (and the ability to continue to use Isotopes Park) shouldn’t be discounted. North Carolina FC: Carter-Finley’s mixed grass/turf surface is a barrier, to be sure, but the 57,000+ seats it offers (and being enough to offset other fully-turf offerings) is enough to put it in the black. Orange County SC: It’s a top-tier club playing in a MLB stadium. I know it seems unlikely that USSF would approve something like that, but believe me when I say “it could happen.” Orange County is a massive market and California likely needs two clubs in the top flight. San Antonio FC: Our third and only voluntary inclusion to the turf fields in the first division, we’re counting on San Antonio’s size and massive potential stadium to see it through. Cautious “no” Birmingham Legion FC: The town has solid soccer history and a huge potential venue, but the turf playing surface puts it on the outside looking in. Memphis 901 FC: Like Birmingham, not much to dislike here outside of the turf playing surface at the larger playing venue. Austin Bold FC: See the other two above. FC Tulsa: Everything’s just a little bit off with this one. Market’s slightly too small, stadium has turf. Just not enough to put it over the top. Firm “no” Charleston Battery: Small metro and a small potential new stadium? It’s tough to say yes to the risk. Charlotte Independence: A small new stadium and the possibility of having to compete with an organization that just paid over $300 million to join MLS means it’s best for this club to remain in the USL Championship. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: When a club’s best chance to meet a capacity requirement is to host games at a venue controlled by the military, that doesn’t speak well to a club’s chances. El Paso Locomotive FC: An undersized market and a turf field that meets capacity requirements is the death knell for this one. Oklahoma City Energy FC: Having to expand a baseball field to meet requirements is a bad start. Having to potentially play 20 miles away from your main market is even worse. Reno 1868 FC: Population nearly a half-million short of the federation’s requirements AND a turf field at the hypothetical new stadium makes impossible to say yes to this bid. Rio Grande Valley FC: All the seat expansions in the world can’t hide the fact that McAllen Memorial Stadium is a high school stadium through and through. Here’s who’s left in the 11-team Championship: Birmingham Legion FC Charleston Battery Charlotte Independence Memphis 901 FC Austin Bold FC Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC El Paso Locomotive FC Oklahoma City Energy FC Reno 1868 FC Rio Grande Valley FC FC Tulsa With MLS folding the six affiliates it has in USL League One, the league is a little bit thin (especially considering USSF’s requirements for 8 teams for lower level leagues), but seems definitely able to expand up to the necessary numbers with Edwards’ allusions to five new additions this year: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Forward Madison FC Greenville Triumph SC Union Omaha Richmond Kickers South Georgia Tormenta FC Tucson Format of Assorted Leagues – This (like everything in this post) is pure conjecture on my part, but here are my thoughts on how these leagues might function in a first year while waiting for additional expansion. USL Premier – We’ll steal from the 12-team Scottish Premiership. Each club plays the other 11 clubs 3 times, with either one or two home matches against each side. When each club has played 33 matches, the top six and bottom six separate, with every club playing an additional five matches (against each other team in its group). The top club wins the league. The bottom club is automatically relegated. The second-bottom club will enter a two-legged playoff against someone (see below) from the championship playoffs. USL Championship -- 11 clubs is a challenge to schedule for. How about every club plays everyone else three times (either one or two home matches against each side)? Top four clubs make the playoffs, which are decided by two-legged playoffs. The winner automatically goes up. I need feedback on the second part – is it better to have the runner-up from the playoffs face the second-bottom club from the Premiership, or should the winner of the third-place match-up get the chance to face them to keep drama going in both playoff series? As for relegation, we can clearly only send down the last place club while the third division is so small. USL League One – While the league is so small, it doesn’t seem reasonable to have the clubs play as many matches as the higher divisions. Each club could play the other six clubs four times – twice at home and twice away – for a very equitable 24-match regular season, which would help restrict costs and still provide a chance to determine a clear winner. Whoever finishes top of the table goes up. And there you have it, a hypothetical look at how the USL could build a D1 league right now. All it would take is a new stadium for almost the entire league and new owners for all but one of the 27 clubs, who wouldn’t feel that their property would be massively devalued if they got relegated. Well that’s our show. I’m curious to see what you think of all of this, especially anything that you think I may have overlooked (I’m sure there’s plenty). Anyway, I hope you’re all staying safe and well.
Skinwalker stories from two men who grew up in the Zuni reservation just outside Gallup NM.
These are the stories told to me by my two best friends of 20 years. I'm gonna preface this by saying these two are some of the most honest people I've ever known, and it took them years before they'd speak to me about this stuff. Once I was able to convince them to tell me about this, the older of the 2 brothers broke down into tears and abruptly left about halfway through the first story. It's just too traumatic for him to relive, I felt bad for that and haven't asked him to speak about it since that day. His younger brother that I'm closer with provided the detail, as well as their cousin who carries a religious title that's essentially an enforcement position designated to deal with the presence of Skinwalkers and related threats. This is a really long post so buckle up. I was told that the Zuni's are a bit different compared to other reservations in NM, specifically because when the U.S. government sanctioned land to all the native tribes, the Zuni's didn't work with the government. Anybody who's traveled through NM knows there's a casino on almost every reservation, the Zuni's do not have a casino because they refused to work with the Govt and specifically refused to provide information about their heritage and the land they live on. My Buddy told me the tribal elders taught him that the Zuni's are in that specific area because they're protecting secrets of the land. I'm gonna add in A couple details that pertain to the story, and I'll expand on that later. Apparently, my friend the younger brother was born with a split tongue (like a lizard) and slits in his pupils instead of being round. You're probably making the face I made when I was first told that, but keep in mind all of this is religious to the Zuni's. They're very serious about all of it, they do not allow non tribal members this knowledge nor do they allow the presence of non-Zuni's. You can be visit if invited, but would not be allowed to stay during certain times. I'll start with the first story they shared when we were around 13yrs old, and is the first experience of many that is too much for my friend to relive. He said he was very young, and was woken up abruptly in the night to glass breaking. When he opened his eyes his dad already in his sons room motioned to him to stay where he is and be quiet while pointing a large revolver toward the kitchen where the window was broken. Not long after, his dad fired multiple shots, he then heard a screech so loud it hurt his ears along with a scuffle in the next room and saw a shadow on the wall that he said did not look or move anything like a person. Apparently whatever was in the house immediately leapt out the same window that was broken to get in. He said the adults gathered and left to find it shortly after, but was never told what they found, just that it was definitely a Skinwalker. The day after he broke down into tears talking about it, I went and saw him and was apologizing and surprisingly he said the shadow and screeching he saw scarred him and is ultimately why they left the reservation. I never asked him about it again. Another instance that the older brother told me, was one that left me particularly intrigued, though I'm not sure why compared to some of the other stories. He said they were having some sort of celebratory feast one night, and my friend saw what he described as a very small person stealing their food while the adults weren't looking. He said it was around 1-2 feet tall, and when he saw it he immediately shouted to his dad and ALL the adults dropped what they were doing and immediately started chasing it trying to corner it. This went on for a while and during the commotion they realized there were multiple tiny beings, two of which were able to escape into the gutters. He said he remembers everybody trying to reach into the gutters and block them from getting away, but one was caught and he distinctly remembers his uncle holding it up high by the leg and he watched it scream in terror, and it sounded like a tiny human. Then they immediately tied it up and stuffed him into a cloth pouch and burned him alive over a fire. He said the way it screamed while burning terrified him because he could hear how much pain it was in. But they are human like, by the way he explained them they seemed like something that looks like lawn gnomes, he doesn't know if they're necessarily evil but they kill every single one they come across. Not sure why but that one really creeps me out. The next I I remember, the 2 brothers were together somewhere out in the wilderness hunting rabbits just outside the reservation. They were walking home because the sun had just went down, but came across a barely standing shack. Being dumb kids with a pellet gun, they went inside and shortly after a rock hit the wall of the shack. So they immediately go outside and within seconds notice commotion in the vegetation about 30 feet away. They had one flashlight so they point it toward the movement, and a human looking figure stood up, faced them with it's head tilted to the side, described it as very very pale with facial features that were not human. He said "I don't know how to explain it man it just didn't look like a person." So upon seeing that they immediately took off running back home and as soon as they did they see coyotes just sitting alongside the trail, standing off to the side, but all were just staring at them with no fear of their presence, and followed them all the way back. They said they were told by the elders they being warned off. And the commotion in the grass was the Skinwalker changing form. They said they never went back to that area again, and the younger brother said he'd never been so terrified. I'm glad the younger brother told me about that story instead of his older brother. The younger brother still today is able to better deal with harsh realities. He told me that him and a couple friends would play around this mountain and knew where the entrance to a cave was. They tried to go into the cave but not far from in the entrance got too small for him to fit and even his 10yr old torso wouldn't squeeze through the narrow opening. He said they were off to the side of the entrance hiding from another friend walking toward them, and noticed something moving very very fast going in and out of the cave entrance. He and his friends said they went back everyday for over a week and would watch them for hours, but couldn't ever see what exactly they were, but were astounded at the speed they moved at, but didn't understand how they were getting in and out as they were much bigger than him. He was forbidden from ever going back after the adults found out what he and his friends were up to. As for their cousin that carries the title given to those who are there to deal with skin walkers, I ended up getting pretty close with him too since his cousins are like family to me and I picked his brain one night. He said they consider them a manifestation of pure evil. They're ruthless, and they know they're not supposed to be around the Zuni people, they're fully aware of their actions. If they find out a Skinwalker is near, they immediately hunt it down, catch it, and string it upside down over a fire and burn it alive til there's nothing left, Bones and all. During that process he said the sounds they make is like nothing you'd hear anywhere else. He said you can't kill them with bullets, and there's different levels to their abilities. They can affect you in a variety of ways but always in a negative fashion such as leaving you sick, or dead. If I remember correctly, there's a time every year where everybody but him and others with his title stay inside and lock the doors and block the windows, and he will then walk the town in specific clothing and chant specific words then hunt skin walkers with his peers. I didn't really understand, but it was implied that Skinwalkers are expected to be present around this time. But he spoke about it like it's something completely normal. I think,it's like a holiday, and during this week or so there's a period where the Skinwalkers arrive and that's the main reason they designate enforcers, that are trained to deal with them, and apparently never look the SW's in the eyes. One last story I'm gonna share is not from the Zuni reservation, this is a story my uncle told me and takes place in a reservation outside Bernallio. A small city which is about 20min away from Albuquerque, but I don't remember the name of the reservation. So my uncle was a sniper in the air force and saw combat in Panama. After leaving the military he was a firearm instructor for APD (Albuquerque Police) then for Bernallio PD. One day he gets a call about a drunk guy acting strange at the base of a mountain. So he shows up, but doesn't see anyone there. So he gets out and starts looking around and at the base of the mountain he finds clothes neatly folded. As he turns around he's surprised by what he calls the biggest wolf he's ever seen in his life, about 20 feet away walking straight toward him. He said it was around 5 feet tall, and staring right in his eyes, so he immediately puts his hand on his holstered gun, but doesn't draw and starts walking backward toward his car while the Wolf continues toward him. Once he reached his unit he gets inside as fast as possible and when he shut the door it was now an inch away from his window. He said he had to look up at it while seated in his unit. He then makes a "sorry I'm leaving" gesture and drove down the road where he met one of the reservation officers. She asked him what happened since he was pale and visibly shaken, all he was able to muster was "I dunno it's massive and I don't think I belong here I didn't... uh" and she immediately put her hand up and said "don't worry about it I gotcha. I've been wondering when this would happen again, go ahead and get outta here." Then she drove off she didn't go to the area but rather parked her car sideways blocking the entrance to that area and started making calls. He says by the way that thing was looking directly in his eyes, not to mention the absurd size and aggression/lack of fear also folded clothes, that he knew he was face to fave with a skin walker and he hopes he never comes across something like that again. To end this, I'll talk about what the younger brother told me and shown me about their heritage. One day he took out a box and showed me the contents, saying that his father had given it to him, and had been passed down from father to son for over a thousand years. Inside was a couple different dry plants and various things, but most notably a rock carved by hand of a reptile like humanoid. It looked like a person but with armored scales and face with a protruding mouth and large teeth. I don't want anybody to think I'm a conspiracy theorist, cause I'm not but this thing looks exactly what I've heard explained reptilian aliens would probably look like. We were both pretty amazed, as he never really thought twice about what that would mean. Around this time we were getting stoned and entertaining ourselves with aliens and laughing about conspiracy theories. Keep in mind, this is the guy who was born with a split tongue and slits in his eyes. His mother confirmed that to me as well, he went on to tell me the Zuni's are protecting the secrets of the land and their reservation doesn't have a casino because they refused to sell out all their knowledge to the government. He said he was taught that beings came out from inside the earth and met with their people thousands of years ago. These beings lived somewhere inside the earth where it's warm, and eventually these reptilian beings went back to live under the surface. I don't remember if they went back into the earth after they had some feud, or war, or if it was because of outsiders arriving but after they met the ancient Zuni's for a short time they bred with each other. My buddy is apparently a descendant of those two species mixing and is why he was born with a split tongue and slits in his pupils. Now I don't know what connection Skinwalkers have to this reptilian species that live inside the earth, or roasting tiny food thieves and celebrating while they scream through an agonizing death but I do find it very interesting that all of this is associated with native belief. I plan on going over all this with him too, as I'm going off of memory from 5-20 years ago. The younger brother is my closest friend so if anybody has questions I'll do my best to answer, or if there's something you'd like me to ask him I can do that as well.
Jesus. I feel stupid writing this. This is not something I feel comfortable sharing with anyone in my circle (family friends, co-workers), so I’ll share it with you, nosleep. I’m new to the group, and not sure exactly how this whole thing works, but I could use some advice, or at least some feedback. First, a quick hello: I’m a forty-eight year old traveling salesman. I provide electrical components to military/defense aerospace companies. My territory encompasses several states which requires lots of travel. Basically, I spend more time on the road than I do at home. I know. Poor guy, right? I get to see where they make the missiles and tanks, AND I get to travel every week. But please don’t misunderstand, I know I’m lucky to have a great job. I’ve been doing this for almost eight years and couldn’t imagine a better way to make a living. My concern is not with my job, it’s where I stay at night. I started out booking hotels (mostly Marriott and IHG properties), but after years of eating those scrumptious ‘scrambled eggs’ and turkey patties from the free breakfast, well, I decided to try something different. So a few weeks ago I booked a Bed and Breakfast. My first experience was in Arkansas. I don’t want to post the name of the B&B, but it is in the Ozarks near Eureka Springs. It is an older home, remodeled with new carpet. I remember the staff being extremely nice and helpful. I stayed two nights while visiting customers. Nothing out of the ordinary happened other than I accidentally left a pair of my work slacks hanging in the closet. The following week, I was in Salt Lake City, UT. I stayed in a two-story house with a view of the Wasatch mountains (beautiful). The first night, I was restless. Even my white noise app didn’t help. The second night, I was awakened around 3am. Dripping sweat, and my heart was messing up a little. I have a slight AFib (Atrial fibrillation) condition that bothers me if I don’t eat enough carbs. Couldn’t go back to sleep, so I watched a YouTube documentary about an island in Mexico full of broken dolls. Next morning, I packed and had breakfast in the common area before heading to the airport. On the way to the rental car facility, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d left something at the B&B (not my slacks again either- Ha!). I even called to have them check my room. The feeling never really left. Next week was a detached B&B in Albuquerque, NM. It was a converted garage next to the main house. Nice enough but smelled a little moldy. I awoke the first night to the barking of a dog. Again, I was drenched in sweat and my AFib was kicking the hell out of my chest. I tried cooling down with a wet washcloth, but I just couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed and turned all night, and the next morning, the feeling that I’d lost something was back. I checked out without breakfast. Called my wife from the airport- Asked her if everything was ok at home. She sounded worried about me. Last week I was outside Tulsa, OK. Stayed in a little cottage near a casino. The lights seemed dim in my room. And the tv didn’t work. I know this will sound ridiculous, but as soon as a set my bag down, the feeling was back. Obviously, I couldn’t have left anything yet. But I couldn’t shake it. I went to bed and couldn’t sleep, so logged on to YouTube. My Recommended Feed offered a video about a bible in Dalton, GA that leaks holy oil. From that video, I just watched whatever popped up next (When will the World End, The Truth about Imaginary Friends, How to Astral Travel, etc.) Five or six videos later, one came up on Lost Souls and What Causes a Soul to be Lost. It’s a short video of some old lady rambling about souls that can’t find the ‘light’ or something. But after watching it, I started to wonder if this reoccurring feeling could be tied to more than just leaving my slacks in Arkansas. Tonight, I’m in Baton Rouge, LA. I think it was a bad idea to stay in a B&B. I’m a little freaked out. Should have booked the Marriott. I’m near the swamp and can hear the frogs and god knows what else outside my window. I met with a customer this morning who asked me if I believed in demon possession. The question caught me off guard. She realized I was uncomfortable and tried to downplay the question by telling me she had an aunt living in Shreveport who could tell someone’s mood by reading their aura. I said it sounded like a cool trick and changed the subject back to electrical components. She kept glancing above my head. I’ve just felt weird all day. When I got back to my room tonight, I ordered some of that holy oil from the leaking bible. Not sure why. Not even sure what to do with it once it comes. I don’t want to sound cliché, but I don’t feel like myself. I don’t know if it is possible to ‘lose’ your soul like the YouTube lady said. I wouldn’t think you could just accidentally leave it in a B&B. But I do wonder if you can pick things up from rooms that others have stayed in. Like maybe it’s possible that someone left ‘bad energy’ in a room? Maybe it attached to me or my stuff. This may not be the right venue to write this kind of experience, but I’m just not sure who to talk to. Feel free to comment. I’ll follow this post when the holy oil comes.
I started working on this months ago, and stopped a day later, then picked it up recently because I wanted to finish it. While it's mentioned below, I'd like to say it here: I know that this might be a mess, and not everybody will like it. But that's the fun of it all; it's not official, and will never be official, so it's fun to create stuff or imagine what happened that hasn't been explained yet. Whether you enjoy it or hate it, I had fun doing this! :) 7 DAYS TO DIE (UNOFFICIAL) LORE—TIMELINE THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL TIMELINE OF THE LORE LEADING UP TO THE SETTING OF 7 DAYS TO DIE. ALL EVENTS DEPICTED IN THIS ARE UNOFFICIAL/UNCONFIRMED AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH (duh). THIS IS NOT PERFECT. MUCH OF THIS MAY NOT SEEM REALISTIC OR MAY BE TOO CONSTRAINED. IF YOU FEEL THAT SOMETHING DOESN’T QUITE FIT, LET ME KNOW AND I CAN CHANGE IT. IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN HELP OUT. -------------------------------------------- BCE-April 24, 1986 CE: History is unchanged. 1986 April 25 - A nuclear inspection team arrives at Chernobyl, the negligence they discover and resolve in reference to a soon-to-occur safety test is ruled as 'criminal' by the Russian government due to the estimated damage that would've occurred if the test had gone through. As a result, the true danger of Nuclear Meltdown does not set into the psychology of first world countries and they continue with lax construction of reactors. 2000 January 1 - Y2K occurs in computers across the planet. Multiple systems are permanently fried, pushing technology back several years. DIVERGENCE occurs. 2018 OCTOBER 9 - The United States Of America grants Puerto Rico statehood. The flag now carries 51 stars. 2025 June 9 - A meeting is held at the United Nations in New York to discuss political tensions between North Korea following the death of Kim Jong Un seven months prior. A 19-6 vote is enacted to increase security at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. October 7 - North Korea attempts an attack on soil with the launch of four ballistic missiles aimed at Guam and Hawaii. Three are confirmed duds; the fourth strikes Guam’s Tamuning. Thousands are killed in the attack. Minutes later, the United States launches three ballistic missiles; all three successfully strike the capital of Pyongyang, killing several thousand people in its limits, including NK leader Kim Ju-ae. South Korea and Japan experience one of the largest refugee crises in human history. This leads to a depression in the region that lasts several years. October 22 - A local group known as the Woodstock Militia form in the United States, their goals claiming to be “nothing more but the peace among man.” Their numbers grow over several years, expanding beyond North America. October 23 - Backyard Bunks, a company set on the construction of backyard fallout shelters, is successfully funded and founded in Manchester, England by US expatriate Donovan Clarke, beginning construction immediately. 2032 September 2 - A Woodstock peace rally in Iraq is ambushed, leading to dozens of rally-goers dead or missing. An investigation discovers collusion between some members and a terror group known as the COG, or Caliphate Of Glory. The WM is banned from Iraq as a result “until further notice.” December 22 - The United Nations begin talks on expanding territory further into the North Korean ruins. China argues against it. December 30 - Talks at the United Nations ends with the UNSC voting 17-8 on territorial expansion through the North Korean ruins. China warns against this. 2033 March 27 - US expansion into the North Korean ruins begin, expecting to take a total of 18 months to succeed. Protests occur near the border. Later in the evening, a brief riot breaks out, leading to the death of a Korean Border Security Officer and several arrests. April 1 - China sanctions the United States. As a result, the US sanctions back. The Trade War, as it is simply called, begins. - Stocks in Chinese trade fall soon after. August 13 - Backyard Bunks expands into the United States, quickly gaining popularity in major cities, with several hundred requests in just that single day. September 11 - A terrorist scare occurs in Washington, D.C., after a vehicle was pulled over containing a homemade nuclear weapon. The bomb was successfully deactivated and disposed of properly. September 19 - China begins underground nuclear testing in a remote region of the country, prompting fears in the United States and Japan of potential military action. - Coincidentally, hours prior, Russia also announced that they would resume nuclear testing 18 years after it was discontinued. September 29 - Lucky Larry’s, one of the largest casinos in the midwestern United States, opens to the public in the city of Gravestown, Arizona. December - A mass shortage of functioning antibiotics leads to an outbreak of Cholera in India, killing 3 million from December to January 2034, where it is eventually placed under control with international aid. - Due to the Trade War, the United States experiences what is called “The Year Without Christmas.” December 19 - United States scientists work with the United States military with the creation of a contagion with the intent to overwhelm enemy territories. Early testing is a failure. 2034 - Nuclear plants undergo a worldwide reconstruction effort to improve performance and defend against large-scale man-made attacks. Very few nuclear plants are completed. January 2 - Seven bodies are discovered in the Cascade Range. All of them are mauled, covered in human bite marks, leading to rumors of a cannibal group nearby. Law enforcement denied these claims. January 10 - The United States cancels the remaining expansion into the North Korean ruins, stationing soldiers as far as the city of Wonsan. China lifts few of the sanctions; the United States follows suit, but the Trade War persists. January 11 - Construction of bunkers by BB in all Las Vegas hotels are complete. March 18 - China ceases its nuclear testing temporarily, out of fear of radiation leaking into neighboring territories. Russia continues its nuclear testing. March 19 - Midterm elections begin in the United States. June 7 - Chinese President Chen-Chi is assassinated while on a trip in the United States. The United States is immediately blamed for her death. Many terror groups across the world claim responsibility. Some say this was a tactic to prevent any retaliation by China. June 11 - China, upon full belief that the United States is responsible for the death of former president Chen-Chi, declares war on America. JUNE 12 - World War III, or simply known as “The War,” occurs as late as 6:18 PM EST. It is unknown precisely who fired first, but blame rests solely on China. 6:15 PM - The Integrated Operational Nuclear Detection System (IONDS) detects seven nuclear ballistic missile launches from an unknown location. 6:17 PM - NORAD confirms all seven launches. USAF enters DEFCON 1, prompting immediate takeoff of all available bombers. Several of them head for China, believed to be the sole cause. 6:18 PM - POTUS authorizes full-scale retaliation. Several US ballistic missiles are launched. - The War commences. China denies any action against the United States, despite their declaration of war the day before, but are bombed shortly after. The United States preps a full-scale invasion scenario into China. The seven immediate nuclear missiles are destroyed. Several more are launched from ocean level, believing to be submarine-based launches. Three of them reach the west coast of the United States. Several submarines are destroyed by military response. 6:23 PM - Los Angeles is struck by two nuclear warheads several seconds apart. Few of the city’s skyscrapers collapse from the shockwave and sheer force of the explosions. - News quickly spreads across the nation, confirming the detonation of nuclear weapons in Los Angeles. Panic spreads nationwide as people try to evacuate. Highways quickly go into gridlock, forcing people to escape on foot. Several people take shelter in several bunkers, only to quickly fill up. - Divisions of the US Armed Forces are deployed in several cities to assist in the evacuation. 6:28 PM - Seattle and San Diego are hit by two separate nuclear warheads. - The San Diego warhead was not a head-on strike, instead striking closer towards the outskirts, nearest to the highways. Most on the highway were killed in the immediate blast, while those in the inner city survived. - Thirty-two more ballistic missiles are confirmed launched from China as retaliation. Many of them strike the west coast and further inland. The midwestern US (Colorado) all the way to the east coast is spared from ballistic strikes due to NORAD’s immediate response. 6:30 PM - Gravestown is devastated by two consecutive nuclear strikes. The majority of Navezgane County is spared the immediate effects of the detonations. 6:30-8:00 PM - Six more nuclear warheads breach past NORAD defenses from China, striking Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and even reaching Austin, Texas. 8:00 PM - No further nuclear launches from China. Birds are in the air and are headed for China. Cities affected/destroyed are Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xi’an. - Over the next five days, the USAF is deployed across the United States and throughout China. Martial law is declared in the US, and POTUS is relocated to the Mount Weather Communications Shelter on June 14. JUNE 14—RUSSIA BECOMES INVOLVED 9:58 AM EST - A van containing a nuclear weapon is detonated in the US capitol. Armed forces are sent to assist the injured and dying. - NORAD detects several Russian submarines off the east coast of the US. DEFCON 1 is once again in effect, formerly set to DEFCON 2. 10:10 AM - Russian aircraft arrives in Washington, D.C., dropping soldiers across the city with the intent to take over the White House and overthrow the president. It is revealed the president is hidden away. - Evacuations are set for the unaffected areas of the city. Several Russian soldiers kill people attempting to flee the city limits. 10:14 AM - POTUS and NORAD authorize launch of four ballistic missiles targeted at Moscow, Russia. 10:16 AM - Four ballistic missiles are launched from the United States towards Russia. - USAF continues to evacuate the outer regions of Washington, D.C. 10:17 AM - A second nuclear weapon is detonated in the capitol, killing millions. It is unknown who detonated it or where it was detonated. 10:19 AM - Russia retaliates by launching seven nuclear ballistic missiles targeting New York, Washington, Orlando, Boston, and Atlanta. 10:22 AM - The United States launches nine more nuclear missiles targeting several Russian cities. - Several Russian planes fly over the skies across the eastern seaboard attempting to drop soldiers with the intent on invasion. Many of them are shot down, their soldiers killed in their parachutes, regardless of the Geneva Convention. 10:25AM - Two Russian bombers drop three nuclear warheads onto Columbus, Ohio, destroying the city entirely. The resulting EMP causes the planes to crash, killing all onboard. - Poland, France, and the United Kingdom join the conflict, firing their own missiles at Russia and China. - Several Russian planes touch down in Detroit, Michigan, assuming complete control of the city over several hours. 10:40 AM - Moscow is struck by two of three nuclear warheads, one failing to detonate. The other nine launches strike other Russian cities, including Saint Petersburg, Omsk, and Samara. 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM - New York City, Orlando, Boston, and Philadelphia are hit by nuclear warheads and sustain heavy damage. Russia retaliates against Poland, the United Kingdom, and France with nuclear launches targeting them respectively. London, Paris, Nice, Manchester, Warsaw, and Marseille are all struck. - Many refugees within the United States flee towards the center of the country, residing within the countryside and avoiding major cities. Denver, Oklahoma, and Houston—to name a few—are mostly deserted, with many vehicles remaining on the roads, forever trapped in gridlock. - The east and west coasts are in complete blackout, a result of the EMPs created by the nuclear detonations. - China has gone quiet in all military aspects. US soldiers in the region have confirmed that survivors are surrendering. - Russia invades sections of the UK and Italy, expanding their territory with the intent to take control of more military weaponry. At the same time, their government no longer exists. Many survivors in the affected regions panic; the country is in absolute turmoil, with riots occurring everywhere. - The northern area of Manhattan is mostly unaffected by the blast, but the radiation has killed most of the people in the vicinity. Cars are left running, filled with the corpses of those who succumbed while trying to escape. Bodies of USAF soldiers can be found as well. - Riots break out in the few US cities still densely populated. Martial law is further enforced. - The Blackout occurs: Many power plants within the affected regions are abandoned or destroyed. A rolling blackout occurs across most of North America. Very few cities still hold access to electricity. June 14 - Radiation from the seaboards begins to seep into water systems and streams, which will begin to irradiate and pollute most major water sources across the country in the coming weeks. - Patients in hospitals across the United States begin to die by the millions as backup power fails. - Order starts to break down across several areas in the mid-US. - Several more nations join into the conflict, firing their weapons at Russia and China. - A global, limited nuclear exchange occurs. Action between nations is limited to several minutes. Detonations occur over three hours. 49 nations are confirmed affected or destroyed by the exchange. Very few nations remain unaffected or functioning, such as Africa, Australia, regions of South America, and parts of the central US. The rest struggle or collapse from radiation or economic failure. June 15 - An undetonated nuclear warhead in Moscow suddenly explodes. Millions are killed in an instant. Remnants of Russian missile command see this as an attack and immediately fire twelve more nuclear missiles. They launch in random directions. - Poland is hit again. England is hit again, London is devastated. Paris is struck again, causing the collapse of the famed Eiffel Tower. Uganda, Africa is struck, leading to them retaliating against Russia. - The United States is once again hit by Russian warheads. New York’s north side is hit, killing millions of survivors. Washington, D.C. is hit again. NORAD nearly shoots down all of them. One surviving missile strikes Kansas City, devastating it in moments. - After this day, no further nuclear missiles are launched from any nation. Communications break down across the world. The Great Silence begins. June 16 - The War ends. Two-and-a-half billion people are dead. Many more are injured and dying; the death toll is expected to climb another billion over several months. - Several countries drop communications, either intentionally or unintentionally. The United States, for two weeks, is isolated from the rest of the world except for Canada and remnants of Mexico. June 18 - Radiation has seeped into the water systems of many inhabited US cities. People are poisoned and begin to die. USAF remnant soldiers begin to ration food and water to the population. - NORAD is abandoned, its surviving crew scattering across the mid-US. - Surviving members of the Woodstock Militia regroup in Denver with the intent to boost morale across the surviving states. - Navezgane County, Arizona regains contact with the mid-US states. Several other counties of other western states soon do the same. Navezgane’s climate is heavily altered. Snowy regions plague the mountains, while plant-life blooms elsewhere. The area surrounding Gravestown is abandoned, filled with the bodies of war victims and populated with survivors, who are only now emerging from their bunkers with the intent on beginning a cleanup effort. June 20 - Cleanup attempts begin across remnants of the nation with the help of USAF. The president is relocated to Denver, Colorado and addresses the nation to his best extent. July 2-5 - The United States is divided into three sections: The States, The West Wasteland, and The East Wasteland. - USAF members return from overseas after weeks of silence. Many have died from radiation poisoning and were buried in China. - Survivors from neighboring countries, including China and Russia, begin to appear on shorelines as they make their way to the States. Very few are turned away. Many Chinese and Russian survivors surrender, only to be taken in and sheltered. It is from these survivors that the extent of the damage from the war is revealed. Russia’s economy collapsed in a matter of days, whereas China’s economy “seemingly collapsed the moment the very first bomb touched down.” - People begin farms in their own backyards, planting gardens and producing crops. July 5-16 - Power plants across the States are restored; the lights turn back on across the country, even in areas across the Wastelands. Navezgane County’s power is restored. Some power plants have melted down in recent weeks, irradiating parts of North America for thousands of years. July-August - The Great Meltdown occurs, a period in which power plants across the world experience near-simultaneous meltdowns as a result of abandonment and lack of maintenance. Several European countries are irradiated, millions killed. - Japan’s nuclear plants melt down; those who were unable to flee die quickly of radiation poisoning. - Hawaii is spared from the radioactive cloud, which eventually reaches North America by early August. - The west coast of North America is devastated by radioactivity from the GM. Those not already killed by the war are killed by the cloud. - Alaska is spared from the radioactive cloud. - The majority of South America is spared from the radioactive cloud, but its west coast is devastated. - Most of Europe is devastated. Those who are able to escape are forced underground. - The world truly becomes isolated. Two billion more die during the Great Meltdown. Three-and-a-half billion survivors remain on Earth. - The States are spared from the radioactive cloud that covers the majority of the planet. - Very few places on the coastlines are spared from the radioactive cloud, such as Navezgane County. - Many cities lie dead, full of the remains of the people who used to live there. August - An outbreak of Cholera occurs in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A mixture of radioactive and infected water leads to 100,000+ dead, an eighth of its population. OUTBREAK OCCURS - A mutation via radiation exposure leads to the full-blown outbreak of V-713, or known more as the Muerto contagion in North America. August 4 - Cases of an unknown pathogen are reported in Navezgane and several other spots of land across the western board. Reports of infection are heard in Albuquerque and Sante Fe, New Mexico, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado. Due to recent outbreaks of Cholera and other dangerous diseases, USAF and doctors collaborate to deliver protective masks, while simultaneously quarantining the sick. August 5 - Bodies are found in multiple areas across several states, in similar condition to the bodies found in the Cascade Range months earlier. - Muerto spreads into several more towns and cities. Hospitals quickly become overwhelmed with new admissions. - Many fear the outbreak will reach their area and attempt to leave. Highways are once again clogged, while soldiers attempt to console and comfort those panicking, encouraging them to return home. AUGUST 6 – THE MUERTOS RISE - Cases spread further to larger cities. - Hundreds of infected individuals begin to die in hospitals; some die on the streets. Several areas are quarantined, with hazmat teams burying the dead; in most cases, the dead are burned once space runs out. - Reports of attacks begin to pile up in areas hit hardest by the infection. They are dismissed as riots and labelled as “fearful anarchists.” - In the evening, sudden mass ‘riots’ break out across the western board. News reports depict people chasing each other and knocking others to the ground ‘with the intent to maim or kill’. - Citizens, sick or healthy, attempt to flee the cities and areas that are in chaos. Many seek protection by local police forces, but are gunned down mistaken for attackers. - Police forces in the main cities are quickly overwhelmed. USAF forces in the area respond with deadly force, but many of them are overwhelmed as well. - Roadblocks are set up on highways, hoping to contain the violence to the cities—however, reports emerge of similar attacks occurring in small towns and even villages. - The cities’ streets are a mix of stampeding civilians and crazed attackers. August 7 12:00 AM – 5:00 AM - USAF forces are forced to pull out of Denver’s limits. The president is long gone, relocated to De Moines, Iowa. - Roadblocks outside Denver, Salt Lake City, and Santa Fe are overrun by infected individuals. - Doctors confirm on radios and functioning stations that the attackers are deceased. The Muerto contagion is gained its name, but the infected are rarely, if ever, named as zombies. 7:23 AM - The president addresses the nation, revealing the full scale of the situation and urges calm. This does little to prevent further panic. 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM - The infected overrun multiple military outposts across several cities. - USAF forces conduct mass napalm bombings in Salt Lake City, Denver, Santa Fe, and more, in an attempt to control the spread. The effort fails. - Reports arise that USAF forces have gunned down refugees pouring into towns neighboring Denver and Santa Fe. Outrage spreads quickly as the infected continue to migrate further east. 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM - USAF outposts in Fort Collins, Colorado and Rapid City, South Dakota are overrun by infected. - Reports of infection arise in the city of Wichita, Kansas. Suspected cases are either quarantined or killed to contain the spread. - Fort Collins is firebombed by USAF pilots. Containment is initially a success, but the sound draws mass herds of infected hosts. The fort is declared a lost cause. August 8 - Outposts and blockades are stationed across several areas not yet hit, such as Navezgane County. Cities further to the east succumb to infection and riots. - Firebombing methods are abandoned for major cities; citizens are left to their own devices. Many die in the panic. August 10 – August 11 - The Muerto contagion is reported in Navezgane and several other counties. People resort to locking themselves in their homes or committing suicide. However, many commit suicide by either poisoning or hanging, leading to reanimation. - Suicide patients begin to reanimate over several hours, leading to a siege of infected hosts in several towns. - The Diersville hospital is under siege throughout the 11th, leading to the infected escaping and attacking the neighboring folk. - Infection reported in Perishton. August 13 - Perishton under siege. - Diersville confirmed lost. Many residents forced to fend for themselves. USAF forces abandon the town after failed attempts to control the infected hordes. Some fleeing residents are gunned down, mistaken for the dead. - Several nuclear weapons are dropped on Denver, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque as a last resort. The resulting blasts irradiate the entire region. Navezgane County is more or less sealed off from the rest of the nation. August 18 - Power failures plague large regions of the States. - The infection is controlled in several areas via USAF border fences. - USAF forces begin airdrops in areas affected, but still holding survivors. August 25 - Navezgane is declared a hazard zone. Airdrops still occur, but it is forbidden to set foot until otherwise. - The Muerto contagion is contained; half of the States survive. - 7 Days To Die begins. -------------------------------------------- CONTRIBUTORS u/Making_Bacon u/watson895 u/Buggaton
So over the weekend I marathoned through the Fast and the Furious Franchise while playing Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. Weird combo I know but it's given me an amazing idea for a character if I ever played Vampire the Masquerade Table Top. Okay so here goes. Silly as though it may be the model for me the male Gangrel in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines reminded me of Shaggy from Scooby Doo and I'm sticking to that damnit. But we're going with Red Shirt Shaggy for all the weird and spooky adventures he got up to on his own. "Hey Scoob, remember that time I inherited a mansion in the South and we had to hire ghosts to scare the fake ghost out?" https://res.cloudinary.com/marios-princess-sex-dot-ga/image/upload/v1536348870/bu6b6gk3rllogebxycul.jpg "Hey, Scooby like remember that time when I got cursed to be a werewolf so I could be a racer for Dracula's annual monster race we got kidnapped too along with my girlfriend?" https://ci.memecdn.com/9355247.jpg "Ah zoinks Scoob I just remember that time you and I opened a box of that contained 13 Demonic Ghosts and we had to track them down with the help of a warlock who was based on Vincent Price" https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P5u1LxFFOpU/maxresdefault.jpg Believe it or not, every one of these is true I was a huge Scooby Doo nut as a kid. A vampiric Red Shirt Shaggy Rogers cosplaying as leather jacket-wearing Night Street Racer is the best way I can describe my kindred. To really add to the aesthetic I think he should be wearing sunglasses that hide his glowing red Gangrel eyes. https://www.plainsugar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_0396.jpg Also if you'd like a good read here's his back story bellow. But aside from that it should cover everything. It's a bit silly but that's kind of what happened when you mix two concepts together like this. Adrian(not his real name but that's how this world works) is your standard PC Kindred, 13th generation recently embraced in Kindred terms but "10 Winters" doesn't seem that long compared to immortal creatures of the night. He was embraced in 2008 while he was cross country road trip spiritual journey inspired by classic films like Little Miss Sunshine. When he got to Nevada he had an encounter with a lovely girl in a Las Vegas Casino who told him she was rebelling by sneaking off the Nevada Reservation. Before anything could happen though they found themselves on the run from a big scary looking guy that could give the T-1000 and the Biker from Hell from Raising Arizona a run for their money. They couldn't outrun him so they drove through the night trying to get away from psycho until the girl tells Adrian to pull over and change seats so she can take the wheel. As soon as she got in the driving chair, the car was doing moves like it was an extension of her own body. The revving of the engine sounded like growls and the way the cars crashed into each other it was like wolves clashing claws. Unfortunately, this was too much for Adrian as one crash lead to a concussion so the rest of the night was fuzzy. He remembers the car stopping, the two drivers getting out and what looked like a scuffle after that just darkness. The next morning Adrian woke up with a splitting headache, groggy and oddly under his car. Even odder was that any time he tried climbing out from underneath it, he got the most intense pain. And so he just waited for the sun to go down passing in and out of consciousness from his weakened state. When the sun finally went down he did what he could to drive back to his motel feeling like he was coming down from a drug high and hung over combined but a thousand times worse. He didn't realise till it was too late that he rear-ended someone in front of him and drove them off the road. The car crash was brutal but the driver would have survived. If not for Adrian giving in to his urges and partaking in his first feeding. That amount of blood loss was too much and they wouldn't last the night Adrian knew if the policed saw him anywhere near this scene they want to ask what happened last night. So he drove, he drove all through the night to get as far away from it all as he could resting only in the days at motels along the roads. Each time he got to a new town the same fatigue and weakness the same incident would occur before he knew it, car crash and losing control of himself trying to save the victim. It wasn't until Albuquerque that he found himself. A chance meeting with a giant of a woman named Gerde changed his unlife and made his past for weeks suddenly make sense. He had become a member of the Cainites of the Clan Gangrel it was her duty as the elder who discovered him to take him under her wing and train him to survive and learn the ways of their clan and their history. They went north into the mountains of Colorado for the winter. He learnt Clan Gangrel's history and their ways even seeing a Gathering where he mostly hid behind Gerde who turned out to have been a Viking's wife when she was embraced and a well-respected member of the Clan. When the snow began to melt Gerde gave him her blessing that he was ready for the world on his own and as full member of Clan Gangrel. Adrian's currently a free agent between the Camarilla and the Anarchs. He hasn't taken any ghouls or childe for his own yet values "tribe" above all else which is why he stays out of kindred infighting. Behind his amicable and good-natured attitude, he's been able to compartmentalise his animalistic urges. He realised all those times he passed out on the road he was giving into his Beast which to his dismay has taken the form of a Jackalope. The Gangrel Curse of taking on a feature of the animal for Adrian is the painful process of the small antlers emerging from his forehead. To cover the repetitive gash marks he covers them by wearing wide lens sunglasses and a bandana. Taking them down only when he goes on his hunts. Despite the fear of nearly dying the night of his embrace by one of the pair of assumed Kindred the chase on motorised wheels has been his peak excitement in his existence and he's done his best efforts to recreate it by going on Night Street Races with pink slip wagers. The loser usually finding themselves attacked while having to walk home. During this time the glasses are down and prongs come out. Not too much of a problem when you can see in the dark and are obscured by your car.
Recently started watching the Geek and Sundry Vampire: The Masquerade - L.A. By Night series and it inspired me to do some research on the setting because vampires are cool. Now I played Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines a couple years back so the Clan I've ended up picking for this character definitely didn't come up on my radar but here we go. Adrian(not his real name but that's how this world works) is your standard PC Kindred, 13th generation recently embraced in Kindred terms but "10 Winters" doesn't seem that long compared to immortal creatures of the night. He was embraced in 2008 while he was cross country road trip spiritual journey inspired by classic films like Little Miss Sunshine. When he got to Nevada he had an encounter with a lovely girl in a Las Vegas Casino who told him she was rebelling by sneaking off the Nevada Reservation. Before anything could happen though they found themselves on the run from a big scary looking guy that could give the T-1000 and the Biker from Hell from Raising Arizona a run for their money. They couldn't outrun him so they drove through the night trying to get away from psycho until tells Adrian to pull over and change seats so she can take the wheel. As soon as she got in the driving chair, the car was doing moves like it was an extension of her own body. The revving of the engine sounded like growls and the way the cars crashed into each other it was like wolves clashing claws. Unfortunately, this was too much for Adrian as one crash lead to a concussion so the rest of the night was fuzzy. He remembers the car stopping, the two drivers getting out and what looked like a scuffle after that just darkness. The next morning Adrian woke up with a splitting headache, groggy and oddly under his car. Even odder was that any time he tried climbing out from underneath it, he got the most intense pain. And so he just waited for the sun to go down passing in and out of consciousness from his weakened state. When the sun finally went down he did what he could to drive back to his motel feeling like he was coming down from a drug high and hung over combined but a thousand times worse. He didn't realise till it was too late that he rear-ended someone in front of him and drove them off the road. The car crash was brutal but the driver would have survived. If not for Adrian giving in to his urges and partaking in his first feeding. That amount of blood loss was too much and they wouldn't last the night Adrian knew if the policed saw him anywhere near this scene they want to ask what happened last night. So he drove, he drove all through the night to get as far away from it all as he could resting only in the days at motels along the roads. Each time he got to a new town the same fatigue and weakness the same incident would occur before he knew it, car crash and losing control of himself trying to save the victim. It wasn't until Albuquerque that he found himself. A chance meeting with a giant of a woman named Gerde changed his unlife and made his past for weeks suddenly make sense. He had become a member of the Cainites of the Clan Gangrel it was her duty as the elder who discovered him to take her under his wing and train him to survive and learn the ways of their clan and their history. They went north into the mountains of Colorado for the winter. He learnt Clan Gangrel's history and their ways even seeing a Gathering where he mostly hid behind Gerde who turned out to have been a Viking's wife when she was embraced and a well-respected member of the Clan. When the snow began to melt Gerde gave him her blessing that he was ready for the world on his own and as full member of Clan Gangrel. Adrian's currently a free agent between the Camarilla and the Anarchs. He hasn't taken any ghouls or childe for his own yet values "tribe" above all else which is why he stays out of kindred infighting. Behind his amicable and good-natured attitude, he's been able to compartmentalise his animalistic urges. He realised all those times he passed out on the road he was giving into his Beast which to his dismay has taken the form of a Jackalope. The Gangrel Curse of taking on a feature of the animal for Adrian is the painful process of the small antlers emerging from his forehead. To cover the repetitive gash marks he covers them by wearing wide lens sunglasses. Taking them down only when he goes on his hunts. Despite the fear of nearly dying the night of his embrace by one of the pair of assumed Kindred the chase on motorised wheels has been his peak excitement in his existence and he's done his best efforts to recreate it by going on Night Street Races with pink slip wagers. The loser usually finding themselves attacked while having to walk home. During this time the glasses are down and prongs come out. Not too much of a problem when you can see in the dark and are obscured by your car. Silly as though it may be the model for the male Gangrel in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines reminded me of Shaggy from Scooby Doo and I'm sticking to that damnit. But we're going with Red Shirt Shaggy for all the weird and spooky advertures he got up to on his own. "Hey Scoob, remember that time I inherited a mansion in the South and we had to hire ghosts to scare the fake ghost out?" https://res.cloudinary.com/marios-princess-sex-dot-ga/image/upload/v1536348870/bu6b6gk3rllogebxycul.jpg "Hey, Scooby like remember that time when I got cursed to be a werewolf so I could be a racer for Dracula's annual monster race we got kidnapped too along with my girlfriend?" https://ci.memecdn.com/9355247.jpg "Ah zoinks Scoob I just remember that time you and I opened a box of that contained 13 Demonic Ghosts and we had to track them down with the help of a warlock who was based on Vincent Price" https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P5u1LxFFOpU/maxresdefault.jpg Believe it or not, every one of these is true I was a huge Scooby Doo nut as a kid. A vampiric Red Shirt Shaggy Rogers cosplaying as leather jacket wearing Night Street Racer is the best way I can describe my kindred. Aaaaand that's basically it. I doubt there's a chance this will be picked up as you don't see that many VTM posts on this subreddit, which is no problem DnD's my true love but you can learn to appreciate other RPGs.
In the early ninties, I lived in New Mexico for a few years. And I had a job as a live in residential counselor for gang youth that allowed me to have almost four days a week off for camping and exploring this really beautiful state. However, during some of those adventures, I encountered some terrifying and strange occurences. All my stories are completely true. This is one. I was originally from California and had spent some time living in Eugene, Oregon for five years before ending up in Albuquerque. So I had a few friends who wanted to come out and visit me. They were driving from Oregon, decided to swing through California to get one other person and then they would be in Albuquerque two days later. I arranged with work to get an extra day off and anxiously awaited my friends' arrival. Bilby, Rusty, South and Tom were all smiles when they arrived at my adobe apartment the Saturday were due to leave. We made some last minute trips to fetch camping equipment, like an extra Coleman lamp and a leatherman and then we were off. I had chosen to take them camping up near the town of Dulce, which was on the Jicarilla Apache reservation. Mundo Lake had some decent fishing, nice little capsites and it was never occupied. I'd driven through there a few times on my wanderings, but no one ever seemed to pitch a tent there. We got there around 3pm and set about camp duties like getting the firepit going, setting up a food prep area and the like. Bilby and South and I went to fish in the lake while Rusty and Tom stayed behind to talk and rest. The lake was really a beautiful place. We had briefly passed through Dulce, long enough for the guys to notice an omnious radio tower and what looked like some sort of strange military installation way up on a mountain overlooking the town. Now, in the southern end of the Rockies, we all felt relaxed and catching up was easy to do in a place like this. We got back to the camp as long shadows were starting to fall. "Time for a beer!" Bilby said and reached into the cooler. Rusty and Tom didn't even look our way though, they were staring at something in the small parking lot where we left our car. We joined them while sipping our beers and saw a dirty old white van parked at the far corner. "That wasn't there earlier, was it?" I asked. "Nope," Rusty said. Tom remarked, "Yeah, it pulled in half an hour ago and NO ONE has left the van". "Super creeepy!" South said. I shrugged. I figured whoever was in there was probably sleeping in his van. Lots of people did that and we were on an Indian Reservation. It could be someone's home for all I knew. As it grew darker, none of us could shake the feeling we were being watched. We acknowledged it openly and then tried to diffuse it with jokes about the van. Bilby wanted to know why there looked to be a military installation near the town. I pondered what to tell him. There were far fetched rumors that there was a deep underground military installation there. And the rumors were pretty weird...that they were doing experiments with aliens and things like that. Los Alamos was only about an hour away, so the fact that there were rumors of this sort flying around was unsurprising. So I decided not to go there. Everyone was feeling weird enough about the van. Around eleven, we'd had enough beer where the creepy feeling should have gone away, but it wouldn't leave. South kept getting up to check the van. It was still there. No lights on inside and no one had emerged to even take a piss in the woods. He came back to the fire and as he was sitting down, we could hear something move in the brush not 20 or 30 feet away. We grabbed flashlights and aimed them through the darkness. Nothing. Bilby and Tom got up, walked over making as much noise as possible and looked the area over. They could find nothing. Around midnight, we decided it was time to put aside our feelings and try to turn in. Tomorrow, we'd look for a new camping spot somewhere else. So we went to our respective tents and bedded down. Now, about an hour went by and none of us could sleep. Every sound in the woods echoed with intent. A few times, some branches cracked that signaled something large was wandering around. An elk? bear? I could only hope. Finally, South got out of his tent. "Fuck this, I can't stay one minute longer." Finally Tom agreed, "I don't like it here, let's go." We left everything behind. The feeling of being watched was even worse now, for some reason. We literally just grabbed money, credit cards, a pair of pants and few other things and left the tents behind and ran for the car. We piled in and then drove the hell out of there, passing the white van on the way. Dulce wasn't too far away. We wanted something that had a lot of poeple around it so we checked into the hotel attached to the casino and slept in one room together, fitfully. The next day, even though we were dreading it, we drove back to the site to get our things. The van was gone. And everything was just how we'd left it. We started pulling it all down and hurriedly packing it away. I had some leftover coffee that I decided would be ok to toss into the brush. I walked thirty feet away, kind of in the area where I'd been hearing some of the branches cracking that night only to find a stump behind some brush where someone could sit comfortably and surrounding it was a large pile of freshly smoked cigarette butts and three empty beer cans. Sitting on the stump gave a perfect sightline to us and our fire. I don't know if they guy had been smoking while watching us, or was doing that after we left, but we were also around a campfire most of the night and two of the guys on the trip also smoked. But we had our proof. Some weird guy in a van watched us all night for god knows what reason. We decided against anymore camping on that trip and went back to the city.
First off, if you haven't seen the original post yet, check it out here. This will detail the project, as well as explain why this will be useful. So, I need help with the following portions of the guide:
Other Area Attractions
Gameday
Topics that fall under gameday are ones such as: ticketing/security/finding your seats, seat advice, food in the stadium, etc. This is the largest part of the guide, and I can't write this alone because I have never been to UoP Stadium myself. Also, this is what I have so far, let me know what you think and if I should make any edits: If you’re reading, you’re probably traveling to Phoenix (actually Glendale) to watch your team play the Cardinals. Well, i’ve got bad news for you: sold out. Not really, but use this guide to help you plan your trip and get the most out of your trip to the desert. So, how do I get to the city in the middle of the desert that somebody named Phoenix? There are a variety of ways to get into Phoenix:
Food near the stadium: Westgate Entertainment District is just north of University of Phoenix Stadium (easy walking distance), and holds several restaurants and places to have a drink. The good: Yard House. A touch on the pricey side, but great above-average quality pub food and classier entrees. Huge selection of beer. Tough to get a table on gameday. Whiskey Rose. Sports bar atmosphere with slightly country aesthetic. Not much in the way of beer choices, but good gameday specials and solid appetizers. Really cute waitresses. Saddle Ranch. Lots of soccer moms cutting loose on the weekends. Decent food, okay beers and highly-country atmosphere. Decent enough if you can ignore the music. Hell's Half Acre. Good selection of beer, waitresses dance on poles, good gameday specials on shots and beers. Busy on gameday. Country/Metal atmosphere. Bar Louie. Pretty standard fare. Decent back-up if the wait for Yard House is too long. Mama Gina's. Decent pizza and Italian fare. A little too heavy for gameday in my opinion, but a decent enough, family-friendly atmosphere if you're bringing the kids. Salt Taco y Tequila. More upper-class than Calico Jacks (see below), with solid margarita selection. Less a place to grab a quick bite and more of a sit-down atmosphere. Good food. The bad: Calico Jacks. Shitty beer selection, rushed wait staff and average-at-best Mexican food. Avoid it on the weekends, as it turns into a loud, crowded dance club. McFadden's. Faux-Irish "pub" that also turns into a dance club on the weekends. Okay beer selection, but overpriced. Caters very strongly to away fans on gameday.
I'm just going to add, last year I flew to Arizona and asked in this subbreddit what places to check out. Someone recommended Carolinas for Mexican food. It was life changing. Me and my cousin still talk about it. So much so that we actually added an extra day to this years trip just to go there since they are closed on Sunday.
Also, according to u/cardinals1996, McFadden's has been known to steal their customer's credit card information. Alright, I know how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat. So, where can I buy my tickets? Hint: Buy them in advance. Stadium Website Seating Chart StubHub TicketMaster SeatGeek Make sure to buy your tickets well in advance of the season so you can have them ready, and use caution when buying from a separate dealer and/or an individual. People may be trying to scam you. Well, the logistics of my trip are set, but I have a few extra days in the area set aside to explore. What should I do? u/cwdBeebs had some ideas:
It kind of depends on how long you are staying for and how you are getting here. If you are making a road trip out, a lot of people love Sedona. It's between here and Flagstaff. I'm on mobile and can't link but just do an image search on it. If you like outdoors stuff, you'll probably live it. The Indian Casinos are pretty nice too. A few of them are quite a bit more than just a casino. Talking Stick Resort and Wildhorse Resort are my favorites. Talking Stick also has a pretty good golf course. I've lived in Arizona my whole life so if anyone has any questions or wants travel tips, feel free to PM me or ask here.
Gameday! How to I get to the stadium so I can watch my team get demolished by the clearly better team, and leave disappointed? IMPORTANT
For anyone that hasn't been to a game before, please PLEASE know that they will not allow any purses inside the stadium. The only ones they allow are clear ones. My girlfriend basically uses what I call a big wallet when we go. Anyway, you will have to walk back to your car (odds are that'll be a long ass walk btw) and leave it there.
-u/cwdBeebs If you are traveling to the stadium, make sure to read this guide to get some basic rules/tips/etiquette for your visit to the stadium. Some important parts of the guide include:
Aisle Policy- Policy that states fans returning from food area, restrooms, etc., should wait for on-field play to end before returning to their seats to maximize the enjoyment for all fans. this policy is also referred to as "Wait For The Whistle."
No Pets- Only service/guide/signal animals will be allowed to enter the stadium
Bag Policy (READ THIS): In accordance with the NFL’s Public Safety Policy, fans can bring one of the following approved bags inside University of Phoenix Stadium: 12” x 6” x 12” clear plastic bag, or; 1-Gallon Plastic Freezer Bag, or; Small Clutch bad no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” in size. Fans should be prepared to open their bags for inspection and may be asked by security staff to shift and possibly remove the contents. Non-approved bags will be denied entry into the stadium and fans will be asked to return the bag to their vehicle or dispose of it. There are no lockers outside of the stadium to store items nor can any items be held by staff members.
Restrooms- There are 50 restrooms in the stadium, and most are clearly marked
Smoking- In accordance with the Smoke-Free Arizona Act, University of Phoenix Stadium is a non-smoking facility. There are three designated smoking locations on the main concourse located beyond the Gate 2 exterior gate and outside the exit doors at Sections 102 and 137. Fans on the Club level, Loft corridor and terrace level can proceed to the designated smoking locations on the north ramp. Please remember to the keep the north ramp walk aisles clear for other fans and smoke only in the designated areas. Fans outside the stadium are reminded that they must be at least 20 feet away from any stadium entrance to smoke. E-cigarettes are not permitted inside University of Phoenix Stadium. Fans that do not comply with the smoking policy inside the stadium are subject to ejection.
Make sure to read the guide for more information on basic rules for the stadium. Where do I tailgate before the game? The Great Lawn is a great place to tailgate pre-game. Also, if you have more questions, post a thread in this subreddit and i'm sure people will be more than happy to assist you wih your trip.
First off, if you haven't seen the original post yet, check it out here. This will detail the project, as well as explain why this will be useful. So, i've created the whole guide, along with input from you all, and the guide is finished and copied in below. Please alert me to any misinformation, grammar errors, formatting issues, or information that could be added. If you’re reading, you’re probably traveling to Phoenix (actually Glendale) to watch your team play the Cardinals. Well, i’ve got bad news for you: sold out. Not really, but use this guide to help you plan your trip and get the most out of your trip to the desert. So, how do I get to the city in the middle of the desert that somebody named Phoenix? There are a variety of ways to get into Phoenix:
Food near the stadium: Westgate Entertainment District is just north of University of Phoenix Stadium (easy walking distance), and holds several restaurants and places to have a drink. The good: Yard House. A touch on the pricey side, but great above-average quality pub food and classier entrees. Huge selection of beer. Tough to get a table on gameday. Whiskey Rose. Sports bar atmosphere with slightly country aesthetic. Not much in the way of beer choices, but good gameday specials and solid appetizers. Really cute waitresses. Saddle Ranch. Lots of soccer moms cutting loose on the weekends. Decent food, okay beers and highly-country atmosphere. Decent enough if you can ignore the music. Hell's Half Acre. Good selection of beer, waitresses dance on poles, good gameday specials on shots and beers. Busy on gameday. Country/Metal atmosphere. Bar Louie. Pretty standard fare. Decent back-up if the wait for Yard House is too long. Mama Gina's. Decent pizza and Italian fare. A little too heavy for gameday in my opinion, but a decent enough, family-friendly atmosphere if you're bringing the kids. Salt Taco y Tequila. More upper-class than Calico Jacks (see below), with solid margarita selection. Less a place to grab a quick bite and more of a sit-down atmosphere. Good food. The bad: Calico Jacks. Shitty beer selection, rushed wait staff and average-at-best Mexican food. Avoid it on the weekends, as it turns into a loud, crowded dance club. McFadden's. Faux-Irish "pub" that also turns into a dance club on the weekends. Okay beer selection, but overpriced. Caters very strongly to away fans on gameday.
I'm just going to add, last year I flew to Arizona and asked in this subbreddit what places to check out. Someone recommended Carolinas for Mexican food. It was life changing. Me and my cousin still talk about it. So much so that we actually added an extra day to this years trip just to go there since they are closed on Sunday.
Also, according to u/cardinals1996, McFadden's has been known to steal their customer's credit card information. Alright, I know how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat. So, where can I buy my tickets? Hint: Buy them in advance. Stadium Website Seating Chart StubHub TicketMaster SeatGeek Make sure to buy your tickets well in advance of the season so you can have them ready, and use caution when buying from a separate dealer and/or an individual. People may be trying to scam you. Well, the logistics of my trip are set, but I have a few extra days in the area set aside to explore. What should I do? u/cwdBeebs had some ideas:
It kind of depends on how long you are staying for and how you are getting here. If you are making a road trip out, a lot of people love Sedona. It's between here and Flagstaff. I'm on mobile and can't link but just do an image search on it. If you like outdoors stuff, you'll probably live it. The Indian Casinos are pretty nice too. A few of them are quite a bit more than just a casino. Talking Stick Resort and Wildhorse Resort are my favorites. Talking Stick also has a pretty good golf course. I've lived in Arizona my whole life so if anyone has any questions or wants travel tips, feel free to PM me or ask here.
Gameday! How do I get to the stadium so I can watch my team get demolished by the clearly better team, and leave disappointed? IMPORTANT
For anyone that hasn't been to a game before, please PLEASE know that they will not allow any purses inside the stadium. The only ones they allow are clear ones. My girlfriend basically uses what I call a big wallet when we go. Anyway, you will have to walk back to your car (odds are that'll be a long ass walk btw) and leave it there.
-u/cwdBeebs If you are traveling to the stadium, make sure to read this guide to get some basic rules/tips/etiquette for your visit to the stadium. Some important parts of the guide include:
Aisle Policy- Policy that states fans returning from food area, restrooms, etc., should wait for on-field play to end before returning to their seats to maximize the enjoyment for all fans. this policy is also referred to as "Wait For The Whistle."
No Pets- Only service/guide/signal animals will be allowed to enter the stadium
Bag Policy (READ THIS): In accordance with the NFL’s Public Safety Policy, fans can bring one of the following approved bags inside University of Phoenix Stadium: 12” x 6” x 12” clear plastic bag, or; 1-Gallon Plastic Freezer Bag, or; Small Clutch bad no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” in size. Fans should be prepared to open their bags for inspection and may be asked by security staff to shift and possibly remove the contents. Non-approved bags will be denied entry into the stadium and fans will be asked to return the bag to their vehicle or dispose of it. There are no lockers outside of the stadium to store items nor can any items be held by staff members.
Restrooms- There are 50 restrooms in the stadium, and most are clearly marked
Smoking- In accordance with the Smoke-Free Arizona Act, University of Phoenix Stadium is a non-smoking facility. There are three designated smoking locations on the main concourse located beyond the Gate 2 exterior gate and outside the exit doors at Sections 102 and 137. Fans on the Club level, Loft corridor and terrace level can proceed to the designated smoking locations on the north ramp. Please remember to the keep the north ramp walk aisles clear for other fans and smoke only in the designated areas. Fans outside the stadium are reminded that they must be at least 20 feet away from any stadium entrance to smoke. E-cigarettes are not permitted inside University of Phoenix Stadium. Fans that do not comply with the smoking policy inside the stadium are subject to ejection.
Make sure to read the guide for more information on basic rules for the stadium. Where do I tailgate before the game? The Great Lawn is a great place to tailgate pre-game. Also, if you have more questions, post a thread in this subreddit and i'm sure people will be more than happy to assist you with your trip.
53 48 45 20 49 53 20 42 4F 52 4E 20 46 52 4F 4D 20 44 45 41 54 48 20 41 4E 44 20 53 50 52 45 41 44 53 20 48 45 52 20 42 4C 41 43 4B 20 47 4F 53 50 45 4C 20 54 48 52 4F 55 47 48 20 57 41 54 43 48 49 4E 47 2E 20 48 41 4E 54 55 20 4B 4F 50 45 4B 20 48 41 4E 54 55 20 4B 4F 50 45 4B 20 53 54 41 59 20 54 55 4E 45 44 20 4C 41 4D 42 53 20 46 4F 52 20 53 4C 41 55 47 48 54 45 52 \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/10/2013 20:17:32 Subject: Re: What's up loser Hey Greg, Thanks for reaching out, and for letting me know things are still good between us. We haven't talked much since college, so I should probably get a few things off my chest. I'm sorry about all that argumentative crap between your girlfriend and me. We didn't get along, but maybe I should've been kinder. It is what it is. I regret yelling at her when she was moving out, but she knew how to push my buttons. I hope you understand. Anyway, on the lighter side... Since I moved to Albuquerque two years ago, I've seen my fair share of strangeness. I watched a guy clean his gun while driving on I-40 in the fast lane. I saw a truck driver eat a shot glass at the Route 66 Casino. I even saw what I swear was a guy with a perfectly round head and four tiny holes for eyes standing on the side of a mountain road near Cedar Crest. But this has to be the best thing yet. I'm at my computer near my second floor window looking out onto my tiny backyard. All of the new homes on Albuquerque's west side are crammed together, so I can see directly into my rear-adjacent neighbor's house without even trying. That house had been vacant for months - there was a nice old man living there when I moved in, but he left a while ago - so I nearly spit out my tea when I saw lights on. In most ways, the new owners (renters maybe?) are a normal looking family, with a bald, potbellied dad, a scrunched-over, perpetually flabbergasted mom with five pounds of frizzy hair, and two teenaged girls. Like most families, they spend at least four hours a night glued to the TV, although Dad sometimes prefers the computer upstairs in the master bedroom. There's nothing remarkable about the house. It's an adobe-style tract home with apartment-grade beige carpeting, cheap rental furniture, and lots of clutter. I see a small dining room in the left bay window, and a comfy TV room with an old plush couch on the right. But there's one thing in particular that stands out. Maybe they practice Islam, or maybe they have a middle eastern roommate, because I see a lady dressed in a full burqa (or whatever those black gowns are called) sitting at the dining room table. She never moves! The family is sitting on the couch watching TV, and this burqa lady is sitting at the dining room table in the next room, motionless. Human culture is so fascinating. She's been at the same table for the last two DAYS. I can't wait to see if she ever gets up. Work is good. How's family? How's life as a hotshot TV producer? Yell at me when you get a chance, Joe Hollywood. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/12/2013 21:12:32 Subject: Sorry... Hey Greg, I'm really sorry to hear about your aunt. Cancer sucks, but they have so many powerful drugs and new treatments these days. Hang in there. No, I'm still single. I'm too busy at work right now and I don't want to focus on anything else. And yeah, I totally want a PS4. You're right about the Xbox One. The burqa lady is still living with the family across the yard. Right now, she's sitting politely in a chair in the corner of the TV room. She doesn't even watch TV! She's just staring at the Dad. I'd find that so disconcerting, but Dad dosn't even seem to notice. I'm glad you broke up with your girlfriend. She was a demon, and you should feel bad for dating her. (kidding) I know spying on one's neighbors is sad and embarrassing, but I can't help it. What was that tagline you came up with for Channel 7 back when we were interns? "Never Stop Watching?" Sounds like good advice to me. Besides, how is this worse than all of the reality programming you're responsible for now? Later D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/14/2013 22:21:32 Subject: Al-burqa-querque Hey Greg, No, I don't have any roommates, either. I like my privacy. You're right - I should probably get a dog. Besides the lousy cell service (you'd think Verizon would have their act together by now, but I still have to go downstairs to make calls), I do like Albuquerque. I don't know how I ever lived without Green Chile. Indeed, I should chronicle the "Tales of the Burqa lady" in a blog somewhere. That family is getting increasingly nuttier, too. The two daughters have moved sleeping bags into the master bedroom with Mom and Dad. They're a little old for sleepovers, I think. Worse than that, Mom is sitting at the dining room table, and she's weeping, like, CONVULSING with tears. Dad is standing in the kitchen, and he's red faced and gesturing wildly - it looks like he's really pissed at Mom. Burqa lady is standing right behind Dad. It must be nice to have your own personal, live-in creeper! I haven't seen him, or anyone else in the house, so much as acknowledge her presence yet. So sad, yet so deliciously batty. Confession: I ordered a night vision monocular from Amazon last week: http://www.amazon.com/Night-Owl-Lightweight-Vision-Monoculadp/B000XZSV6C/ref=pd_sim_sg_4 I know this practically certifies me as a peeping tom, but this is my main source of entertainment now that Game of Thrones is off. Mr. TV executive, can you hook me up with early access to Season 4? I swear I'll quit my peepin' if you do Later D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/16/2013 23:11:12 Subject: Guy Incognito Hey Greg, I'm typing this in incognito mode... I'm wearing a black turtleneck sweater, and all the lights are off in my house. As I look out the window, I'm watching an intense scene play out across the yard. Earlier, the Dad had collected a huge assortment of electronic stuff - phones, monitors, computers, and at least two flatscreens that I'd kill to own - and piled them up on the TV room floor. He then smashed them to smithereens with a baseball bat. He's now racing through the house, going up and down the stairs into all the rooms, clearly looking for something important. I don't see the kids or Mom, but the burqa lady is standing still in the master bedroom. He's standing in front of her, dumping out his nightstand drawer onto the bed. Maybe there was a divorce and he's trying to get revenge. The plot thickens... I guess he was looking for a flashlight, because he's armed with one of those bulky yellow waterproof ones. He's in the kitchen now. He just pulled a huge Chef's knife out of a drawer and is waving it around like a madman. I wish I could hear what he's saying. Maybe this guy just went nuts? Jesus. The kids' rooms are dark, so I have no clue what's going on up there. Now he's sitting in the corner of the dining room, gripping the chef's knife in one hand and a flashlight in the other, pointing the light at the far corner of the room. He turned off the lights, but I can still see burqa sitting at the dining room table, calm as a nun in church. You know... I don't think it was ever a burqa. I've met some wonderful middle easterners, and none of them look or act like that. There's something... I dunno, "off" about that gown. The word "unclean" keeps coming to mind. I thought it was loose cloth when I first saw her, but it doesn't really even look like fabric to me now. What's wrong with this family? Time to call the police. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/17/2013 20:10:10 Subject: Called Cops Hey Greg, I called the cops before I went to bed last night. I lied and said I heard what sounded like screams coming from the house. A cop car rolled by a few minutes later, but I don't think anyone was in the house by then. I didn't see Dad leave, but the master bedroom light was the only one on in the house, and I didn't see anyone in it, including that lady. Here's another odd thing - During the day, the blinds are always closed. Somebody always opens them at night, like they want me to watch. Now the house has gone completely dark. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/17/2013 21:11:20 Subject: TV on Now there's a pale flickering light coming from the dining room. It looks like there's a TV on, but I can't see a TV or any other light source in the room. I can barely make something out in the corner where the Dad was sitting last night. It's hard to tell, but it looks like a wet pile of trash is piled up against the wall. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/18/2013 23:11:45 Subject: Monocular The night vision monocular finally came. The house is a MESS. There are streaks and dark chunks of things all over the wall, like some kid ran amok and smeared fingerpaint everywhere, and I see what looks like a pile of wet rope, fur, and... "lumps" of things on the floor in the dining room. There's some sort of pattern drawn on the table. I can make out the words HANTU, KOPEK, and VIDEO on the wall in the TV room. Something else on the wall almost looks like a crude drawing of a television with a bunny-ear antenna on top. I'm calling the cops again, and closing the blinds. I'm done with this. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/19/2013 21:11:22 Subject: Done I saw the cops roll by, but again, they just left after a while. I'm glad that you find my situation entertaining, but I'm hanging up my peeping hat for good. I can't shake this terrible, dreadful feeling that someone's looking back at me from that house. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/22/2013 23:11:45 Subject: Better Sorry - it's been a few days, but yeah, I'm ok. I stayed at a motel near work the last couple nights and had my first real sleep in two weeks. I didn't realize how stressed I was. Maybe all of this is just a manifestation of anxiety, a result of moving to a new town and getting a new job and being inexorably alone. I'm back in the house now, and yes... all of my blinds are closed. If I had to guess, I'd say that the Dad just went nuts and smeared shit all over the walls and left. Maybe it was some kind of scorched earth thing to get back at his wife, like when a spouse trashes a house after they've been cheated on. I don't care anymore. I left something out earlier. In the bedroom, I saw the following words written on the wall: "STOP WATCHING." :-/ D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/22/2013 2:00:12 Subject: LIGHTS I woke up a few minutes ago and saw bright flickering lights between my bedroom blinds. When I opened them up to look outside, the whole house out back was lit up like a Christmas tree. it was as if every room in that damned house had a TV on, each set to a dead channel. I could see that the house had been miraculously cleaned from top to bottom. Then I saw him. Dad's still in the house right now, standing by the window in the girls' room. It looks like he's wearing a dress shirt and dark blazer, but it's totally stained in front with dark gunk. He's staring out the window at my house. I think I see one of the girls, or someone else, standing against the door behind him. There's no movement coming from either of them. Calling the cops again. Stay tuned. D \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/22/2013 2:05:00 Subject: Re: LIGHTS Can;t call the cops, no service. right after I tried calling, I checked back in on the girls' room and it was empty. then someone started pounding against the front door . moved my laptop into the bedroom and locked the door. someone is in the house NOW. i don't have your new number, but please call the APD and tell them there is a HOME INVASiON I PROGRESS 8272 VESUVIUS ST NW i can't make calls from up here. HEard a noise sounds like static please help please call now \\\\\\\ To: Greg Schaffer From: David Todesco Date: 5/22/2013 3:00:00 Subject: [No Subject] Hey Greg, Disregard that last email. I am fine. Did I tell you about my new housemate? She is a nice older lady who doesn't make a lot of fuss, but also has many interesting ideas and new plans for us. I've told her all about you. In fact, she says she really wants to meet you! She says that you can help her spread the word. Don't worry; we'll come to you. It's been too long since I've seen my old friends anyway. Stay tuned. See you soon. David
September 20, 2277 Previous After a brief run in with some would be raiders, I was down 7 .308 bullets and I had a brand new hole in my armor from that weird flaming sword, and honestly, the armor could have used serious repairs even before almost getting fire stabbed. I should have repaired it back in California, and as always hindsight's 20/20. The gun was holding up well, the parts from the huge rifle that Waco had were ten times as durable as what the hunting rifle had been made out of originally, and though I regretted killing him, I thanked him for helping me stay alive, even in death. Mr. Churchill was less and less aggressive towards me if I tried to make him do something that he didn't want to, and he even stopped growling at me whenever I pulled on his reins. The brahmin were nowhere near as nervous as they had been after Tyson's big rescue, but I guess the lack of excitement that was boring me so much gave them plenty of reason to relax. I found that if I kept the thought of owning a home in Kingman in my mind I could relax and stave off boredom while I planned the life I'd have. I would probably be a farmer, ask Mike to show me how to properly butcher a few animals that way I would get the most out of my kills out here in the wastes. I doubt a love life would be all that available to me unless there were other ghou-...there are other ghouls in Kingman! This little revelation put me into a daydream for hours, thinking how I'd meet this girl, if we'd adopt or see if we could still somehow have sex. I had checked down there a few times every year, and it looked somewhat operational, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I had gotten a hundred or so miles away from Gallup, and had passed some refurbished street signs that were pointing me towards Albuquerque. I had passed a few signs for what I thought was a shooting range, but after a lengthy, and ultimately disappointing detour, I found out it was just a damn park. It was a big park, but I was still pretty pissed that it was just a park. Albuquerque was less of a disappointment. Like most major cities, Albuquerque had a pretty high concentration of people, and it definitely showed. Derelict buildings downtown had been torn down and remade into smaller houses, shops, inns, bars, and even casinos, while the suburbs had been rooted through and torn apart by scavengers hundreds of times. I dismounted Mr. Churchill to search a house that looked somewhat upper class and as soon as I got inside I knew I was a few years or even decades too late. The inside had been ripped apart for anything and everything that was valuable, leaving the house a hollow shell with a bare chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. I decided to take my chances and searched the house anyway, it looked like someone had tried to remove the stairs at one point, but got bored so they just tore up all the wood from each step. The house, as I expected, was picked clean, but the kitchen was a different story. Like most of the house, it had been searched and torn apart, but the one thing that no one had been able to get open was a small black safe that probably came from one of the cupboards. The safe was a solid block of steel with a dial right in the center of the door, the handle was missing, but I could still pull it open using the dial. I looked around the kitchen for an intact cup, I found a few in the top shelf of the cupboards and after finding one that wasn't too broken, I set to work. I pressed the cup against the safe door, and after a few hours of frustrated swearing and pounding on the safe, I finally heard a dull click come from the door. I pulled the safe open, and was horribly disappointed. The safe held a few hundred dollar pre-war bills, a box that was full of old legal documents, and to my great surprise, a box that was full of jewelry of all shapes and sizes. I tossed the box and the money into my bag and walked outside. Some guy was trying to take Mr. Churchill, poor bastard didn't know what he was getting himself into. The guy was pulling on the reins, and every time he pulled the horner just knocked him over. I watched this for a few minutes then decided to confront the bum. "Hey! Get the hell away from him!" The guy jumped and then turned and ran after he saw me. "You alright Mr. Churchill?" He snorted and lifted his head up like he was something huge. "Alright, alright, let's get going, Albuquerque is just ahead and you probably want to get some rest." I got onto his saddle and gave him a kick and yelled out at the brahmin. They all started moving and we got to the Albuquerque's main gate within the hour. Guards did their routine check on me and as always took my rifle, but they let me keep the pistol. "There's a corral for your brahmin down the first street on your left. Hotels are down the street you came in on, most of them have bars, but if you want a real drink take a left after you pass The Musket hotel and you'll find the bars on that street." I nodded, then led Mr. Churchill towards the brahmin corrals, and was greeted by a cheery girl in dirty coveralls. "They told us you'd be coming. Oh, wow! I've never seen a drive this big before! How many are in the herd?" "Just over 450. Do you have room for all of them?" "Oh, don't you worry about that! We'll make sure they're all cozy for the entire time you'll be staying, and can I just ask how long that'll be?" "If I don't get kicked out before tomorrow morning, I'll probably be here until tomorrow night." "Oh, that's just super! Except for the kicking out thing, though a lot of people are pretty tolerable of ghouls, and even super mutants. The only person you'll really need to worry about is the Cordin's, they had some horrible parents that told them that anyone that isn't 100% human looking is something to be hated." "Fuckin' great, well thanks for the tip, how much do I owe you for the stay?" "Well, you're staying for a day and night, so that'll be 100 caps." I open my bag and hand her the pre-war bills, and an emerald pendant from the jewelry box. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw the pendant and she gladly took the payment. "This is just perfect!" She gave me a really quick, painful hug and I headed off to the bars on foot after she led the brahmin and Mr. Churchill away. I passed a few fancy looking hotels, probably the few that hadn't been blown apart in the war, but they all looked a little too rich for my blood. I finally got to The Musket and rented a room using a necklace from the jewelry box, I dumped my bag on the bed, then tucked my pistol into it's makeshift holster and headed out to get a drink. I went into the first bar I got to and ordered two bottles of whiskey. I was just about to leave with the whiskey, but I got stopped by a few drunks. "Now just what the fuck do you think you're doing in our bar freak?" "I'm just getting a drink, and leaving you don't have to give me any shit." I tried to get the door again, and they pushed me back. I was getting really fucking annoyed with these guys. "Nah, you aren't even welcome in our city freak." I could barely understand him, but I got the gist of it. "You ugly fucks are just as bad as those ugly ass super mutants that are prowling all over the wastes." He pushed me again and I was getting steadily angrier. "Don't touch me again." I tried to move to the door again, and yet again the drunk asshole pushed me back, so I pushed him out of the way and as my hand grabbed the door handle I felt a boot hit me in the back and I fell out of the door onto the street, shattering the bottles. "Don't command us like you fuckin' own us you ugly freak or you'll get taught just where your place in this world is." I got up and walked away, then turned and said "Shut your fucking mouth." I saw him come at me, he was slow and incoherent, not much of a threat in a fight. Before the rest of his friends could come out to back him up I punched him in the face, then kicked his leg out from under him. The other two charged at me, and just as the first one swung at me I ducked under his arm and shoved the shard into his stomach, then drove it further in with my knee. He grabbed at his wound, and he fell forward, the last one took advantage of the my distraction and connected a few punches into my face. I spit out my few remaining teeth and turned to see another punch come at my face. I got myself oriented and just barely managed to move out of the next punch that came at me. As the fucker stumbled because of the missed punch, I swung my boot up into his face and felt his nose break. "Don't get up if you don't want another ass beating kid." I played up the tough talk, but in reality I could feel my jaw hanging a little loosely and it felt like I swallowed a few of my teeth. I went back into the bar and bought new bottles of whiskey, and bought a bottle of vodka too. After buying the whiskey and vodka I headed back to my room and started drinking immediately. The radio managed to pick up something out from Ohio, and it mentioned something about deathclaws. "Jesus christ, more than a hundred deathclaws in a single area. Feel sorry for anyone that heads out north." I finished off the first bottle of whiskey relatively quickly and started on the next one immediately. After a few minutes I was completely drunk and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. I stripped off my armor and duster and set it under my bed to keep it out of sight. My knuckles had a few scrapes and bruises from the fight, and my foot was already sore and a little swollen, so after doing a horrible job of bandaging I fell asleep. Sleep was far from restful, as the images of a burning city still haunted my dreams.
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