The Court of Shadows... A gathering of relics and monsters who belong to the night.
"We play games older than languages. Politics dipped in poison, alliances sealed with teeth."
This high stakes game follows a business up to its neck in three generations' worth of trouble, including recently accepting millions worth of stolen merchandise, selling it under the table at locations across multiple states, and ultimately treating Sophia as if she were theirs to use as they saw fit.
The business has been offered a deal involving favors which might keep most of their 45,000 employees employed.
Calling all players...
I keep encountering people whose exact words later appear verbatim in films. Why?
Often filmmakers base scenes on real events..., or because the quoted material is in the public record.
COMMENTS
I have a story. It will sound like bullshit.
Some years ago, I got in some trouble with some fellas. Violent trouble.
I tried to entice them closer to me by offering them some paper money.
They wouldn't come.
They told me to leave the money on the floor and back away from it.
I said, "Right!" And pulled something out I was legally entitled to carry at the time and the place I was in. They ran off.
Several years later, I watched the exact scene, almost word for word, and action for action, minus the sub machine gun lol, in a film called The Gentleman.
Make of my reply what you will. It sounds like bullshit even to me.
My friends think it's funny to this day.
On a website where you can keep to yourself - mostly - and just come to write a few blogs and still get shit off people? I'm stopped caring what anyone thinks of my tales.
Anyway, art imitating life.
👍
There is a little-known context for why this happens.
A number of years ago, I wrote about an incident that seemingly happened to me. I will share it again to the best of my memory.
I was in a car driving west when I passed them. I looked at the front-seat passenger, and our eyes locked for the briefest moment. I checked the rearview, and their vehicle pulled a quick U-turn; they were approaching fast.
By the time they got behind me, I was headed south. I could hear the gunfire, saw the holes exiting the windshield, and was eventually hit multiple times, feeling the bullets exit my chest on the right side.
I finally got to my destination; the car that was chasing me had gotten caught in traffic, so I jumped out and went inside. I was moving fast but still heard patrons of the place saying things about the blood trail I was leaving. That will happen if you get shot a couple of times, depending on your state at the time.
I had a view of the entrance and eventually saw three guys come in. They were armed, and people were scattering. I pulled a weapon out from under each arm and waited. I took one guy out before heading back toward the entrance again. The remaining two had set up a crossfire, and I got clipped in the left shoulder before taking them both out and leaving.
I never did get what I went to the place for, but I will say this: the location is active to this day. Some employed at the place where this happened must have told stories that got passed on, even though it happened as if in a dream.
Yesterday, an older woman in a wheelchair called me by a name — the name she used was from three generations ago and was the very person from what I just described above. She used a name that is in a Book of Dead Names because, to this day, it is claimed that the person she called out to died while in West Virginia.
I wonder who she was...
FYI, 3 generations ago was during President Trump's 1st term. 1 presidential term prior, I recall traveling down a road known for sniper activity. I was eventually stopped by a train. While waiting for the train to pass a white minivan pulled up next to me. I glanced to my left just in time to see 2 guys with AK 47s appear as the sliding door of the van opened.
There is still a lot of activity on the road this happened on, but it has been tamed down a bit.
I have a decent collection of vintage vinyl records. I would not call it epic or legendary, but it's definitely uncommon.
One part of the collection came in an old milk crate—roughly 25 records in near‑perfect condition for 10 bucks. That "chance" acquisition had a few rare gems. Gems I know the lyrics for & sing if the mood strikes a cord.
The last record I acquired was a really nice find. I picked it up primarily due to the artwork inside the jacket—artwork that can only be viewed if you open it up...
VVR
COMMENTS
Enjoy your collection. It sounds like it brings you pleasure. I used to collect albums, then CDs, now I buy music off iTunes. I wonder where it will end. A microchip planted in the head with server access to Spotify, probably.
I collect dvd horror movies. So I know important those finds are
COMMENTS
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Adain
15:47 Apr 22 2026
Checking in with you.
Interesting post.