#Lotus primary school

[lotuspreschool]

Lotus Primary School: Nurturing Young Minds for Success

Lotus Primary School offers a holistic approach to education, focusing on both academics and character-building. Our dedicated staff work to bring out each child’s potential, fostering resilience, curiosity, and a love for learning that prepares them for future academic and personal success

[pepperingsteaks]

what if i start getting into tintin huh ??? what then ????????

[talonabraxas]

Celestial Buddha Lotus by Talon Abraxas

The Four Noble Truths

One: Suffering exists. Life is suffering. Suffering is real and universal. Suffering has many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, and the impermanence of pleasure.

Two: There is a cause of suffering. Suffering is due to attachment. It is the desire to have and control things. It can take many forms: craving of sensual pleasures; the desire for fame; the desire to avoid unpleasant sensations, like fear, anger, or jealousy.

Three: There is an end to suffering. Attachment can be overcome. Suffering ceases with the final liberation of Nirvana. The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation, and non-attachment. It lets go of any desire or craving.

Four: In order to end suffering, follow the Eightfold Path.

The fundamentals of Buddhism are to be found in the Buddha’s first sermon. In it, he expounded the “Four Noble Truths.” These explain that suffering is inherent to life; that it is caused by attachment, desire, and delusion; that these things can be overcome; and that there is a prescribed way to overcome them.

While this can seem pessimistic — the whole thing is popularly summarized as “life is suffering” — Buddhists tend to see it more as an accurate diagnosis of “life necessarily involves suffering” rather than a nihilistic statement that “life is nothing but misery.” Importantly, the third truth is that there is a way past suffering. That route away from suffering and toward nirvana — a difficult-to-capture idea of the state beyond the cycle of suffering and reincarnation — is the primary focus of millions of Buddhists.

Dependent arising

“All formations are transient; all formations are subject to suffering; all things are without a self. Therefore, whatever there be of form, of feeling, of perception, mental formations, or consciousness, whether past, present, or future, one’s own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: ‘This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self.’”

A key teaching of Buddhism is the idea of “dependent arising” — it is one of the few tenets that every school of Buddhism agrees on. This maintains that everything is devoid of inherent existence. Everything that exists is caused by something else and will cause other things. Nothing is independent; every phenomenon depends on something else. Metaphysically speaking, nothing has an independent essence and can exist in perpetuity. This also means that when you try to find your “self,” there is no single, enduring, isolated thing to point to.

Buddhism teaches that a great deal of the suffering in our lives comes from the idea that things are permanent, unchanging, and unconnected to everything else. The doctrine of “dependent arising” teaches that everything is in flux, that nothing is permanent, and that even we aren’t as enduring as we might like to think.

[scotianostra]

On March 4th 1936 Jim Clark, Formula I World motor racing champion was born at Kilmany, Fife.

I usually have people question the place of birth for Jim Clark as many believe he was born in Duns, the facts are he was born in Fife to a farming family, he attended Kilmany primary school before they moved to a Scottish Borders farm of Edington Mains, near Chirnside, Duns aged about six.

His early contact with motor racing was as a navigator in the 1955 International Scottish Rally. His interest aroused, he was soon driving in local events, having joined the Berwick and District Motor Club.

Locally, he raced at Charterhall, co-founding the Border Motor Racing Club with Ian Scott-Watson. Working his way through the grades, he appeared in Formula 2 events, and was soon into Formula 1, driving his first race for Lotus at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1960. Mechanical failures plagued Clark's Lotus throughout the next two years, but in 1963 he dominated the World Championship with an amazing seven wins in the ten race series to take the title.

The following year was less successful, with Clark losing out to Hill and Surtees in the last race of the series. 1965, however, saw Clark back as World Champion and as winner of the Indianapolis 500 as well, having led for 190 of the 200 laps. Thereafter, he won at Zandvoort in 1967 and in South Africa in 1968. This was to be his last win, for on the fifth lap of a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in Germany, his car flew off the track into the woods and he was killed. No satisfactory cause was ever found for the accident, though many theories were put forward.

He died on April 7th 1968.

Jim is buried in Chirnside Graveyard, near to his home.

[marrowwife]

A WRITEBLR RE-INTRO

Welcome to my cozy little corner of writeblr!

You can call me Marrow or Ollie, I'm 25, I use all pronouns (mostly they/them), and I'm a middle child from a small town upbringing

I'm a queer fantasy writer :)

Currently (and always) obsessed with the Crane Wives

HOUSEKEEPING

This is not my main, if I send any asks I'll tag this blog so that people know who I am

Ask and tag game friendly! May take a while to respond but rest assured I am working on it and I always appreciate it!

Currently working on getting intros out for all of my wips, most of them are reworkings of my old wips :)

wips and taglists under the cut

WORKS IN PROGRESS

- PRIMARY WIPS

WIP: LOTUS EATERS na urban fantasy, dark academia witches, queer

The lives of three complicated women become intertwined when they all join a magical secret society at their university

@houndmouthed @moonscribbler @lockejhaven @aeipathys @cryptid-s-wips @seven-little-constellations @asralieswritingcorner @these-starrynights @dreamwolves @oblolongue @andromedatalksaboutstuff @thelittlestspider @serenanymph @athenswrites

WIP: RAVENOUS na fantasy, exploration of the chosen one trope, queer

What makes someone a saviour? The origin of their power or the way they use it?

@houndmouthed @tragicbackstoryenjoyer @philocalizt @waestlandbaby @andromedatalksaboutstuff @writingmoth @serenanymph @moondust-bard @ashfordlabs @carnocus @real-fragments7

WIP: UNRESTFUL small town fantasy, gothic academia, queer

Gothic boarding school fantasy where the ocean is evil and trying to eat you probably

@dreamwolves @inkingfireplace @kaiusvnoir @saltwaterbells @touchingmadness @andromedatalksaboutstuff @thelittlestspider @writingmoth @serenanymph @silhouettecrow @stesierra @ashfordlabs

- SECONDARY WIPS

WIP: THE GABRIEL RATCHET ya faerie fantasy, folkloric inspiration, queer

Faerie story where everyone has an agenda and there's also a quest

@tieflingtea @philocalizt @cactusmotif @houndmouthed @cream-and-tea @dreamwolves @inkingfireplace @touchingmadness @whimsy-of-the-stars @silhouettecrow @andromedatalksaboutstuff @writingmoth @serenanymph

WIP: SWORD & SERPENT na cozy(ish) fantasy, found family, queer

A knight, a mage, and a wayward heir take way longer to get back home than they should have because of the god damn plot

@tieflingtea

[markiafc]

it still shocks me, even now. that a mainstream drama from the most (?) sanitized and bastardized age of c-dramas would be this real, true exploration of mahayana buddhism. of the pure land buddhist school 净土宗 specifically. my school of buddhism i was raised on, in real life! that in chinese buddhism, different schools are formed around sutras of choice. sanlun & the 3 treatise, tiantai & the lotus sutra, etc. and at the core of pure land buddhism is the heart sutra. which we explicitly see in the show when lxy needs guidance most, lxy renaming himself in reference to it and to the recitation mantra - recitation/chanting 念佛 being the primary practice pure land buddhism revolves around. it goes through all the main concepts with authenticity. it is truly unreal that this show exists and hits so close to home.

[atmosphericradar]

Analyzing the Timeline of the Tenno Schools

-- SPOILERS AHEAD! --

There isn't a lot of concrete information that Digital Extremes has released about the Tenno Schools (or "Ways") in Warframe. Here is what I know so far (as best I can w/ help from the Warframe Wiki):

Tenno Schools are martial arts disciplines. A School instructs a Tenno in a specific style of fighting, focused on harnessing Tenno Void powers in unique ways.

There is no mechanical restriction of Warframes or weapons for any School; a disciple of any Way may use any tools at their disposal.

The five Focus Schools are: Madurai, Vazarin, Naramon, Unairu, and Zenurik. Training in these Ways unlocks new Void abilities for the Tenno, as well as improvements to pre-existing Void powers. This training also unlocks various synergies between the Tenno and their Warframe, allowing each to improve the other.

The Rough Timeline of Events Preceding the Beginning of Warframe (pre-Vor's Prize quest)

Albrecht Entradi creates the Reliquary Drive, enabling spacecraft to make faster-than-light Void Jumps to arbitrary locations in space. The player reveals this history by reaching max rank with the Necraloid Syndicate. The creation of the Reliquary Drive inspires the Orokin Empire to embark on a project to colonize the nearby Tau solar system.

The Orokin Empire send terraforming robots to the Tau System, ahead of their primary human-carrying ark: the Zariman Ten Zero.

The terraforming robots defected while terraforming the Tau System, becoming the Sentients.

The Orokin Empire develop the Warframes using the Infestation. Ballas explains in his Vitruvian records during The Sacrifice quest that he created the Warframes to fight the Sentients, because the Sentients could control the combat robots the Orokin Empire would have otherwise used to fight the Sentient invasion.

The Zariman Ten Zero fails its Void Jump catastrophically. During The War Within quest, the Grineer Queen and the player's Tenno narrate the events of the Zariman Ten Zero incident: the adults were driven violently insane, and the children killed them to survive, ultimately leaving only the children alive on the Zariman. These children, who had been changed by their exposure to the Void, are now known as the Tenno.

Margulis prevents the Orokin Empire from killing the Tenno. In The Apostasy Prologue quest, the Lotus says that Margulis worked with and studied the Tenno (likely healing their trauma from the Zariman Ten Zero incident).

Margulis was killed by Ballas. Her work with the Tenno and their void-based abilities was used to develop the Transference process.

Ballas used the Tenno and Transference to control the Warframes.

The Sentients invade the Origin System. The Tenno, Warframes, and the Lotus fought the Sentient invasion known now as the Old War.

During The Prelude To War quest we see a memory of the Old War, where the Lotus confronts Erra on Lua with six Tenno by her side. At this time, the Tenno can be seen producing Void Beams without Amps. This void attack appears to be the same Void Beam as from Transcendence (the Operator's primary attack pre-The War Within quest).

According to the Shadow Stalker's Codex entry, after the Old War had concluded and the Sentients were defeated, the Orokin Empire held a system-wide victory ceremony in honor of the Tenno. During this ceremony, the Tenno simultaneously assassinated the Orokin leadership across the Origin System, toppling the Empire.

Note that the above timeline intentionally avoids talking about the order of events surrounding the Lotus. I don't believe straightening out her complicated timeline is critically necessary for talking about the Tenno Schools.

Evidence for pre-Old War Tenno Schools

I could not find any clear textual evidence of Tenno Schools existing simultaneously with the Orokin Empire, as of 2023.

It is possible that the five Focus Schools somehow evolved from pre-existing fighting styles which pre-date the existence of the Tenno. The Dax may have a martial tradition involving five methods of combat which was passed down to the Tenno, though there is no evidence to support this. It is also possible that an Orokin-era civilization or society had a spiritual or martial tradition which centered five methods of being, although that is purely speculation.

Evidence for post-Old War Tenno Schools

This is where all of the knowledge of the Tenno Schools in Warframe comes from, as of 2023.

The Tenno Schools become available after The Second Dream quest is completed. This quest reveals that the Tenno are children with Void abilities, Operators of the Warframes and not the Warframes themselves. This revelation opens up the Tenno Schools immediately. It is unclear if the Tenno know the Ways of these Schools innately. There is no direct evidence to suggest the Tenno learn of these Schools through some off-screen method.

A player can switch between the Ways of each School at will. When a Tenno changes Ways, they lose all of the abilities granted to them from their previous Way. The only exception to this is when you "unbind" certain abilities from the School, allowing your Tenno to keep the unbound power regardless of which Way they are currently practicing.

This implies that the Schools are like martial arts schools: only a master of one style of fighting can benefit from trying to mix-and-match with other styles on the fly. That said, there is nothing stopping anyone from practicing many disciplines; just fight with discipline at a time for maximum effectiveness. Note that there is no hard evidence in the game to suggest that Tenno exclusively have Void powers from only one Focus School. It would seem that any Tenno can have powers from any School, so long as they train in the proper Ways.

Tenno Clan Dojos have many tools for combat training, and even a specific room for sparring. It is unknown if the Tenno Dojos act as a major training ground or place of learning for the Tenno Schools in-universe.

I have found no evidence for Tenno-aligned humans without Void powers practicing the Ways of the Focus Schools.

I have found no evidence to suggest that The Man In The Wall has any influence over the existence or Ways of the Tenno Schools, or any influence over the specifics of how Void powers manifest.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence I have gathered, it seems as though the Tenno Schools are a post-Orokin-Empire creation. It is unlikely that the Tenno Schools were adopted from a separate pre-existing culture. Two options for the genesis of the five Focus Schools are supported by the text:

One or several of the earliest Tenno to awaken from cryosleep were the ones responsible for creating the five Focus Schools. The Void powers, abilities, and synergies are split between the Schools because of differences in combat philosophy first and foremost. Secondarily, it may be difficult for an adolescent to manifest or control all of the Void abilities from all of the Schools at once, and separating them into smaller practices keeps things manageable.

Something inherent to the nature of the Void separates the powers and abilities of the Tenno into five groups. The philosophies and combat styles of the schools follow from how the powers cluster, or perhaps the headspace a Tenno needs to be in to access that cluster of abilities.

Nothing about the Tenno Schools prevents their use by Tenno who do not have the ability to perform Transference unassisted. In addition, a Tenno School does not require the use of an Amp. Because of these two factors, Tenno Schools could have been active during the Orokin Empire era. It's possible that the Tenno Schools originate from techniques (therapeutic or supernatural) developed by Margulis during her time working with the children of the Zariman, though there is no evidence to support this theory.

Additional thoughts under the cut!

Non-Focus Tenno Schools

While I posited that such a thing could exist, there isn't a lot of evidence for non-Focus Tenno Schools. Below is a list of things which could be or could have been Tenno Schools separate from a Focus, depending on your interpretation:

"The Old Ways": A mysterious and nondescript collection of Tenno fighting techniques which seem to date back to the time of the Orokin Empire. Teshin is fond of speaking of "the Old Ways" when training Tenno, and is likely trying to impart lost knowledge of those "Ways" onto the Tenno. The flavor text in the Nikana mentions the Old Ways. The flavor text of the Glaive also mentions "dating back to the first Tenno", connecting to the Nightwave mission "The Old Ways".

The Stalker and his Acolytes: Neither the players nor the Stalker himself is sure if the Stalker and/or his Acolytes are Tenno. The Stalker is described in his Codex entry as holding the rank of "Guardian" during the Orokin Empire, and is never identified as a Tenno or even as a Warframe. Although neither the Stalker nor his Acolytes use any void powers, if they are Tenno their general immunity to Warframe abilities and unusual powers could be indicative of a Tenno School unique to them.

Non-School Tenno Organizations

Tenno Schools are fighting disciplines. They characterize what techniques a Tenno uses to fight, but not why they fight or what causes they fight for. A Tenno Clan, for example, is not a Tenno School. The Clan is made up of many Tenno, whom may all individually practice combat styles from one or several Schools. Below is a list of things which very likely aren't Tenno Schools:

The Six Faction Syndicates: Steel Meridian, Arbiters of Hexis, Cephalon Suda, The Perrin Sequence, Red Veil, and New Loka. They may be major political or philosophical groups within modern Tenno society, and they even have their own weapons, but they do not teach combat methodology.

The "exclusive order of Tenno assassins" mentioned in the flavor text of the Karyst.

[l1brarian1999]

Glossary

Warframe has a LOT going on so, hey, here's a big list of terms and what they mean - please don't use this as comprehensive guide. Gonna add to it as I go along.

There'll be some mild spoilers without Context

Currencies

Affinity - The fancy name for Experience Points.

Aya - Regal and Normal varieties, for trading for Prime stuff and Relics from Varzia in the Mars Relay, Maroo's Bazaar.

Credits - The Basic Currency for paying for pretty much everything.

Ducats - Currency mostly exclusively used for trading with Baro Ki'teer. Acquired by selling Prime parts at the kiosks in the Relays

Endo - Currency for ranking up Mods. Each rank up requires an escalating amount of Endo.

Focus - A secondary kind of Experience Points that is accessed after completing The Second Dream, allowing the player to gain a kind specialisation; the 'Roles' from FFXIV actually make a handy explanation.

Unairu - the 'tanky' specialisation

Vazarin - the 'healer' specialisation

Naramon - the 'melee' / 'stealth' specialisation

Madurai - the 'offensive' / 'ranged' specialisation

Zenurik - the 'Caster' specialisation.

Hollars - The Currency of Hollvania in 1999. They're actually just Credits again, but they switch automatically depending which 'era' you are in.

Kuva - Red goo that you use to Reroll Riven Mods as well build a few Warframes. Acquired from a variety of sources.

Platinum or "Plat" - Premium Currency acquired with real money, but can be traded between players, making it possible to collect without spending any money.

Standing - Currency for various Syndicates (Factions) that is used to rank up the Syndicate, and trade for various items and services.

Character Names

The Lotus - Space Mum, mission coordinator

Baro Ki'Teer - The Void Trader, pompous dude who somehow finds cool stuff in the Void and then sells it to us every other Friday

Teshin - Uncle Teshin, High Ranking Dax, trained the Tenno. Runs conclave

Varzia - Thirstiest Woman in all of Warframe, former Dax. Sells Prime Resurgence stuff for Aya.

Maroo - A thief who runs the Mars relay where players can trade, also melts Ayatan into Endo.

Ordis - The Best Boy, if you mute him, you are a weenie. Runs the Ship.

Cephalon Simaris - The biggest nerd in all of Warframe. Runs a syndicate where you scan and capture stuff.

Loadout Terms

Warframe - Your 'Class' / 'Character'

Weapons - Your Primary, Secondary, and Melee Weapons.

Primaries: Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, Bows, and Spear Guns

Secondaries: Single Pistols, Dual Pistols, Throwables, and The Grimoire

Melees: (oh boy, deep breath) Single Swords, Dual Swords, Big Swords (plus Axes), Samurai Swords, Big Samurai Swords, Dual Samurai Swords, Swords with a Whip attached, Swords and Shields, Machetes, Hammers, Rapiers, Scythes, Big Scythes, Whips, Fans, Fists, Fists & Boots, Claws, Polearms, Staves, Daggers, Dual Daggers, 'Glaives' (The throwing death frisbee kind), a Giant Buzzsaw, Nunchaku, and Gunblades.

Focus - your chosen Focus School, which has various benefits and abilities.

Heavy Weapons - A large gun, often very powerful, with limited ammo that can be summoned once unlocked by progressing through the Fortuna syndicates and story.

Companions - Essentially pets and robots that can accompany the player, attacking automatically. Pets are larger and run around independently. Sentinels float bythe Player's head, and follow after them.

Parazon - Essentially a techno-hidden blade a la Assassin's Creed / Robo Cop which the player uses to hack computers, and also perform special 'Mercy Kills'. Can be modded to offer certain benefits upon a hack, or Mercy Kill.

Movement Terms

Bullet Jump - A large jump towards where you are aiming, by pressing Jump while Crouched. You can bullet jump of any surface, or off an enemy.

Slide - Sliding along with momentum, by pressing Crouch while moving.

Aim Glide - Slowing down your descent, allowing you to stay in the air for longer, by aiming while in the air.

Wall Latch - clinging to a wall, allowing you to stay 'up'. Hold aim while touching a wall.

Dodge - By tapping the Sprint or Dodge button while moving, you perform a move in that direction. A Dodge will reduce the damage you take during the animation, but can also dislodge anything that 'latches' to you. Often adds a burst of speed. Some Warframes have custom Dodge animations.

Sprint - Essentially just normal moving in Warframe, running speed.

Parkour Velocity - A stat that affects how far a Dodge or Bullet Jump will go.

Void Sling - Essentially an upgraded Bullet Jump, an almost instant teleport where you're aiming, that can bypass enemies but not walls. Unlocked after The War Within.

Enemy Terms

Kuva Liches - Bunch of guys and gals hopped up on Kuva. Based on the Nemesis system from Shadow Of Mordor. You fight them, they get stronger, but eventually you figure out how to kill them.

Sisters of Parvos - Like Kuva Liches, I call them Biches, all ladies, super capitalists.

Eidolons - Big fucking Sentients that roam around the Plains of Eidolon, gotta fight them to get Arcanes.

Orb Mothers - Big robot spiders, there's three of them but we can only fight two so far. Tied to the Fortuna story.

Nullifiers - The most hated enemy in all of Warframe, they're Corpus / Orokin enemies that project a field that cancels out Warframe abilities. Avoid them and kill them. Weak to rapid fire weapons.

Eximus - Glowy 'elite' enemies with special powers and Overguard. Pain in the arse to deal with, kill these ones quickly.

Weapon Terms

The Various Upgraded Versions - Various weapons in Warframe will eventually get a 're-release', usually with a direct increase in stats. The type of upgrade usually is dictated by which faction the weapon comes from stylistically. There are a numberPR called, just needed to confirm that Good In most cases, the re-released weapons can use augment mods, Riven mods, or other 'weapon specific' upgrades but will need new generic upgrades like Catalysts, Exilus, and Arcane Adaptors.

Prime - the most common, we get new Prime items about every 3 months (approximate) and they're almost always a 'Tenno' or 'Orokin' weapon with some exceptions like the Helios Prime sentinel (the original Helios being Corpus in Origin). Gets a shiny gold aesthetic.

Wraith - Usually Grineer weapons (with exceptions like the Latron Wraith), with a black and red colour scheme. These originally get released as Event Rewards, but overtime have been fed back into the game, usually as Invasion Rewards or Baro Ki'teer.

Vandal - Usually Corpus (Except the Braton Vandal and Lato Vandal) in Origin and given a cool metallic blue aesthetic, usually with a big Lotus symbol somewhere. Much like Wraith weapons, they were originally released during events, then have been trickling back into the game via Invasions or Baro Ki'teer

Syndicate Weapons - Rakta, Vaykor, Sancti, Secura, Synoid, and Telos weapons. These come from the six main syndicates (Red Veil, Steel Meridian, New Loka, Perrin Sequence, Cephalon Suda, and the Arbiters of Hexis) and are upgraded versions of existing weapons from pretty much any faction in the game. (Note, the Vaykor Hek is one of the only examples in the game of a re-released weapon not being able to use the Hek augment 'Scattering Justice')

Kuva - Weapons wielded by Kuva Liches, these not only have improved stats but usually have key distinct upgrades over the originals in how they function. They also have the quality where each Forma (up to 5) will add an extra two levels, allowing them to reach rank 40 instead of rank 30.

Tenet Weapons - Weapons wielded by Sisters of Parvos, basically just the Corpus equivalent, same deal where they can go up to rank 40 if you put in 5 Forma. Tenet Weapons often have an extra mechanic where many of them will reload their magazine while holstered, or the melee weapons will pause the combo timer. Notably, the melee weapons (and Speargun Primary) are acquired from Perrin Sequence instead of from Sisters of Parvos.

Coda Weapons - These are actually not in the game yet, but they've been announced. They'll be purchased from a very special lady in 1999, as a reward for dealing with the Technocyte Coda (Infested Liches)

Dex - A small number of weapons that have been 're-released' and given out for free to players to celebrate the anniversary of the game in March. They often have Lotus aesthetics with a blue/silver/purple aesthetic. Always Tenno weapons

Prisma - a variety of Tenno, Corpus, and Grineer weapons that have been exposed to the Void in some capacity, and are sold by Baro Ki'Teer.

Carmine, Ceti, and Mara - these aren't really true sets since there's only one of each category. But they are upgrades with new paint jobs. The Mara Detron is basically a Prisma Secondary, acquired the same way, has the same glowy effect just in orange not blue.

MK1 Weapons - a semi-retired set of weapons that are actually WEAKER than the true versions. They look the same, but have worse stats, intended for early game players but they've since just been phased out. Can still buy them though if you'd like, they're easy Mastery Fodder.

Alt Fire - Some weapons have a secondary effect, mine is bound to E but I think its clicking the mouse wheel, not sure about controller (sorry console players, I'll look it up later). Sometimes it fires the alternative effect first, sometimes it switches the weapon's mode. E.g. the Stalhta fires a big explosive round when you press the alt fire, the Ambassador switches its firing mode to "big explosive round" when you press alt fire, then you actually fire it with the normal trigger. All melee weapon "alt fires" fire the Heavy Attack, usually a big heavy swing, but some weapons are thrown (glaives) or shot (gunblades)

Incarnon - Added with the Zariman update, these started out as weapons that usually build up charge by landing headshots. Additionally you would complete challenges with the weapon, and unlock upgrades to the weapon's base stats. This was then expanded with the Incarnon Genesis System which were essentially 'add ons' to older weapons that you earned via Steel Path Duviri (The Circuit). They are very, very, very powerful and are currently the 'Hot Shit' Meta choices.

Knockback / Self Stagger - Explosive AoE weapons are a very popular choice in Warframe for dealing with large crowds of enemies, so to balance them they almost always inflict a self-stagger upon the player if you're in the blast radius. (It used to be self damage but people kept killing themselves). If you can make yourself Immune to Status effects with things like Unairu, Atlas's passive, or Knockdowns, through abilities or mods like Sure Footed, you can make yourself immune to this stagger however.

Vehicles

Arch-Wing - a kind of Jet Pack for specific outer space missions, certain nodes on Uranus, Open World Maps, and Railjack missions. Mods like a Warframe, on top of your Warframe. Has their own separate set of mods and weapons "Arch-Guns" and "Arch-Melees"

Necramechs - a large, bulky, Mech suit that can piloted instead of a Warframe in certain missions. They have their own mods, abilities, and stats. They can wield Arch Guns.

K-Drives - Hoverboards that can be deployed in Open World Enviroments like the Plains of Eidolon, or the Orb Vallis. Can perform Tricks.

Kaith - Essentially a weird Skeletal Horse, capable of flight, that can be used in Duviri missions, but later also summoned to Open World Areas.

Railjack - Essentially a pilotable space ship, operated with a small Crew of NPCs or players, for Spaceship Combat missions.

Atomicycles - A vehicle that can be summoned in 1999 missions, but due to a Bug that the Developers have allowed to remain, can also be deployed in almost all missions. Can't be modded, but does have its own abilities. Very fast.

Build Terms / Mechanic Terms

Health - HP, the Red one, nothing fancy here. In most cases, it doesn't naturally heal over time.

Armour - Stat that adds a percentage of damage reduction, to Health. E.g. having 300 Armour gives you 50% damage reduction, halving the amount of damage you take. Armour scales such that it has diminishing returns, as 600 armour only gives you 66.67% Damage Reduction.

Shields - the Blue One, regenerates if you don't take damage for a while.

Energy - the fuel for various Warframe abilities.

Sprint Speed - a Warframe's base movement speed, also affects their Parkour Speed.

Abilities & Ability Stats - the Unique Super Powers of each Warframe, that are governed by a series of Stats:

Strength - Usually governs the 'magnitude' - stuff like more damage, more armour, more stuff.

Range - Usually governs the 'reach' - a bigger Area of Affect, a longer reach.

Duration - How long an ability last, like Buffs, Debuffs, as well as how long some abilities spend 'spreading out', and the efficiency of some abilties

Efficiency - How much Energy abilities costs. Caps at 175%, which reduces the cost of an ability to 1/4.

Casting Speed - Not really a true Stat, but makes certain abilities have a faster cast animation.

Damage Mitigation - a somewhat nebulous function, essentially a form of percentile damage mitigation, separate from Armour. Often applies to Health AND Shields.

Invisibility - Some Warframes, Arcanes, abilities, and other means allow a player to turn Invisible, making it difficult for enemies to target you.

Finishers - Special Animation Melee attacks that deal bonus damage and ignore armour / shields. Comes in three kinds - Back, Front, and Ground (when the enemy is knocked down)

Mercy Kills - Certain enemies, when at a low enough health, can be finished off with an animation kill, sometimes skipping large parts of their health or activating certain effects.

Standard Items

Blueprints - A single use, or something reusable, set of Instuctions for the Foundry to construct something else, if you have the raw materials and credits.

Gear - Items which can be used in missions, like healing items, exta ammo, or even 'Summonings' like summoning Vehicles or NPC allies.

Materials - Raw materials found in missions for Crafting, or sometimes trading. Each Planet has its own set of Common and Rare Materials.

Mods - Essentially a Collectable Card Game, that upgrades pretty much everything in the game. Much of the game is spent adding to your 'Deck' as these are the main means of becoming more powerful, and making 'Builds'. Augment Mods - Specialty mods that fit into a Specific Warframe or Weapon, and change its Functionality. Aura Mods - Special Mods that apply a bonus to everyone in the squad, but also increase your Capacity rather than Decrease. Stance Mods - Similar to Aura Mods, but for Melee Weapons, changing the 'moves' a Weapon performs. Some Stance Mods have Moves that have special effects or bonuses.

Prime Parts - Components that can be used to craft Superior versions of 'Tenno' weapons, and Warframes.

Relics - Essentially a 'loot box' you can earn as a reward from various missions and other sources in the game. Once you have it, you can enter 'Void Fissure Missions' to open them, usually containing Prime Parts.

Special Items

Archon Shards - Items unlocked after completing The New War quest, that will allow you alter Warframes with a Variety of small buffs.

Azure / "Blues" - Base Stats

Amber / "Yellows" - Utilities

Crimson / "Reds" - Weapons & Ability Stats

Emerald / "Greens" - Combined from Yellows and Blues, offers specialised abilities focused on Toxin and Corrosive elements.

Topaz / "Oranges" - Combined from Yellows and Reds, a series of specialised effects focused around Radiation, Blast, and Heat.

Violet / "Purples" - Combined from Reds and Blues, focused on Electricity and Energy

Arcanes - Special 'add on' units that add unique effects to Warframes and Weapons. The colour of the Arcane indicates its Rarity, the colour of the Symbol indicates the type of item it can be added to, and the dots indicate the Rank.

Ayatans - Rare-ish loot, that can be melted into Endo, or Traded. There are Ayatan Sculptures, which can be rarely found around a mission's map, and Ayatan Stars, which drop from Lockers and Containers around a map when they are opened. Ayatan Stars can be inserted into Sculptures, at the Mod Station to make the items worth more Endo.

Exilus, or Exilus Adaptors - Items which open up a 'utility' slot in Warframes and Weapons. Some mods are marked with the Exilus Symbol, and can be placed into these slots. Usually these mods don't affect 'damage' (with some exceptions) but are nice to have.

Forma - Item you spend to reset a Warframe, Weapon, Companion, or Vehicle to rank 0, but in exchange you get an extra polarity so you can fit more mods in, creating the "Build" Aura Forma - Variation of a Forma that can only be added to a Warframe, changing the Polarity of their Aura Slot to 'universal' Stance Forma - Variation of a Forma, like the above Aura Forma but for the Stance slot on Melee weapons Umbra Forma - Very rare Variation of a Forma that applies an Umbral Polarity to Warframes or Melee weapons. Unlocked upon completing The Sacrifice.

Gravimag - Item you add to Archgun weapons, to then use them outside of Archwing as Heavy Weapons. Requires you first install an Orokin Catalyst.

Medallions - Tokens which can be found scattered in various missions attached to a specific Syndicate. These can then be traded for Standing.

Potato / Orokin Catalyst or Orokin Reactor - A pair of items colloquially referred to as Potatoes. Orokin Catalysts have a blue colour to them, they are added Weapons. Orokin Reactors have a yellow colour to them, they're added to Warframes, Companions, and Vehicles. You can only add one to each item.

My Terms, and Other General Community Terms

Essentially common phrases I might use to describe common elements in my builds

Energy Solution - A means for a loadout to gain all the Energy they need for casting their abilities.

Armour Solution - A means for a Loadout to deal with Enemy armour.

"Procs" - General term for any kind of status effect. I think its short for something but I forget what, probably something boring.

Survival Strategy - Essentially how each Warframeplans to stay alive.

CC / Crowd Control - A means of making large groups of enemies easier to manage. A variety of flavours:

Gather / Clump - a means to gather a bunch of enemies into one spot so they can be hit easier with an AoE

Slow - Not stopping enemies entirely, but slowing them down to make them easier to hit.

Confusion - Making Enemies target each other or something other than you the player.

Blinded - Making enemies unable to see, similar to Invisibility on the Player's side, often opening them up to Finishers.

Silenced - Unique to Banshee's Silence ability, prevents Eximus and other units from using Abilities, but also Deafens them, making Stealth much easier.

Knockdown - Enemies knocked down, opening them up Ground Finishers.

Lifted - Enemies lifted up into the air, floating.

"Animation" - enemies trapped in an animation, such as panicking, thrashing, or their weapons jammed, caused by various status effects or abilities.

[diangelofan]

Prompts: Video Games + First Job + Study Groups

For @drewtanakaweek's Riordan Flash Fic Fridays (707 words, got a little long and messy omg...)

This was Nico’s first job. He knew that, technically, he didn’t need to work a single day for the rest of his life, having Pluto as his father. He could literally go ask his dad for a infinite credit card. Is not like he hadn’t taken many from him before. Di Immortales, he still used Jules-Albert, the French zombie chauffeur Hades had gifted him for his birthday after the Second Titan War. Sue him, it was just much more convenient went he and his friends wanted to go out of Camp Jupiter and into the Mortal World for some really quick (to avoid encountering monsters) fun. Which wasn’t exactly achievable if he always fainted immediately after shadow travelling to where they wanted to go.

Thus, the French zombie chauffeur. However, pocket money was something else entirely. After the Second Giant War, in which Nico had found friendship (a concept before so foreign to him) in Praetors Jason and Reyna… oh, if someone had told him when he first enter Camp Jupiter that he would become close with the Praetors, Nico wouldn’t have believed it. Dam, if someone had told him that after he run away from Camp, he would had laughed and look at the person as if they were insane…

Regardless, he now had very persistent friends who cared for him and had been able to convince him that maybe staying at New Rome with them wouldn’t be that bad. However, Nico couldn’t spend all of his time with his busy praetor friends so, the year after the War, he started attending several study groups to get the education he severely lacked. He probably should had attended normal classes but, having not touched a school since he was 8 and that being more than 50 years ago, he would had been forced to start from Primary and he would rather fade into nothingness (which had almost happen before!) than learn next to little children (practically toddlers!). So study groups it was!

However, three years had come and go and, with the help of the other people at the study groups (specially one Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva, who was in charge of leading), he was finally up-to-date with his 21st Century peers (oh, what a headache delight). However, that left him with a huge hole in his days to fill or else die from boredom, which would greatly disappoint his father… he could already hear him saying “Son, of all the ways you can die, you chose this?” in his head over and over again… maybe he actually was saying it….

Agh, getting back to the topic at hand: so, when a Video Games store open at New Rome’s tiny mall, he went and applied for a job there. He had spent 80 years in the Lotus Casino playing every video game imaginable, so who better qualify for the job that him? Well, in all honesty there were probably tons of people (who this wouldn’t be their first job and who had at least actually gone to school), but for some chance of luck (or maybe the fact that nobody was interested) he was hired!

And it was great fun! Getting paid to geek talk about videogames with other people was the dream (even though, he was a bit useless regarding videogames released in the last 5 years, but no one is perfect, right?). Shelving could be a bit boring and helping customers could get difficult due to his social anxiety, but overall it was okay. His job was specially alright when a certain freckled blond son of Apollo visited, always browsing (spending a lot of time in the Mythomagic section!) but more often than not leaving empty handed. He was really cute. And he had once entered wearing a ‘Gaymer’ t-shirt! And he would sometimes smile, and on occasion wink, at Nico! And spend much more time than necessary at the register, asking him about his day (which wasn’t really that interesting to be honest)…

So, who knows, maybe this job would get him a boyfriend on top of pocket money (which had become such a excuse at this point, if it hadn’t always been one)… A boy could dream…

And, Gods, did Nico dream.

[cafe-smut]

Fics I Could Write But Haven't Yet

Dragon Shifter Hua Cheng being captured and used to create more of her kind. Escapes and reunited with her Queen, but later ends up tracking down the child she was forced to have with a rogue cultivator that was captured. The child is an orphan and severely traumatized, but his prospects of survival to adulthood due to the dragon parts of him are slim.

Wei Wuxian dies one day on the Burial Mounds and wakes up like, a day later as an uber powerful ghost, completely confused. Hua Cheng and He Xuan find him, planning to get to the bottom of the sudden appearance of this wrathish/calamity level ghost, only to be surprised someone newly dead and just trying to keep the people he cares about safe. By unspoken mutual agreement (and seeing themselves in the young man) they help him learn to wield his powers and set up the Mounds to better support human life.

The 5 Calamities, 2 being Wrath ghosts on the level of the Calamities. Those two outliers in the group being Green Touring Night Lantern and the other the Silver Ghost Controlling Flute, who is Crimson Rain's right hand and the Young Mistress of Ghost City. One day, unknown and unexpectedly, she disappears, only to begin to remerge nearly a decade later, Chenching's eery tone reverberating through the realm of the undead once more.

Wei Ying is saved from certain death by both winter and dog alike by the wolves in the forest surrounding Yiling. They follow her as a whole pack even when she goes to Lotus Pier. Dogs are not Wolves, dogs are vicious and cruel, but wolves don't know such things. She's terrified of dogs, but a wolf is her most welcome companion and savior. To harm a Yiling Wolf is to ask for death from the Yiling Laozu. So what happens to them when their Lady is dead?

Xie Lian gets the cat she adopted with her ex Jun Wu stolen by him, but can't prove it. Ranting online about it while depressed, someone she doesn't know tags her and says she used to hook up with him and she can go see if her cat is there. A fee days later she opens her door to the woman standing there with her Ruoye. They take a selfie and post it with the caption 'my cat loves my new girlfriend!' That very day when they start dating.

Lou Binghe is extremely confused that her old middle school teacher is not only now her college professor, but as much as she hated her in her youth, doesn't even seem to remember her? And is super nice, just in general? But, did she just never notice how beautiful her shizun was before, or-?

Xie Lian returns to college after trying to get her life together, and is warned immediately by her old friends of the Three Demons of the school. Her new friend Shi Qingxuan laughs and tells her they're not so bad. Are they in the mafia? No! She's engaged to one of their friends and hangs out with them regularly. She should just get to know them herself! Xie Lian does, and finds Luo Binghe, Wei Ying, and Hua Cheng are- quite nice, actually!

After some guidance and exploring, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan come across a cave and a giant coffin in it. It turns out to be a 3 layered coffin with the oddest dead person inside it Wei Ying's ever seen. Taking the person back to the Cloud Recesses, he starts to wake up and they slowly, slowly, nurse him back to heath. As time goes on, Wei Ying thinks to reach out to someone he knew while dead, the ruler of the ghost city he'd called home for 13 years, about who their visitor with little to no memory might be.

Modern Hualian where painter Hua Cheng, a college student, is looking to have a more live model than the sculptures she sometimes does. Enter Xie Lian, childhood crush that never.faded, doing some shibari photography with her coworker and primary photographer Wei Ying. Some extra pay and Hua Cheng and Xie Lian quickly become known as a famous duo for the works of art displayed on Xie Lian's body with paint, ever changing but ever beautiful and inspired.

Xie Lian wakes from the 3 layered coffin, only to find himself in the care of 2 old friends. After being healed, with nothing left for him in China, he goes with them and chages his form to a woman. Several centuries later, she returns with a mask, the name Liene, and at the side of her goddess as the Liutenant of Artemis. And it seems her silence and changed looks have kept anyone from recognizing her during the meetings between the gods, with the singular exception of a ghost she never knew, a Ghost King of incredible power and looks who seems to be called Hua Cheng, but keeps telling Xie Lian to call her San Niang.

Basically it's just SVSSS but with the magic mechanics and the like of Fairy Tail. Also I'll probably make it lesbians because Women. So the guild Cang Qiong Mountain is so large and because of where its based, its got several Secondary Guild Masters with Heavenly Body User Yue Qingyuan being the main one. Theres the God/dess of War, Requip mage Liu Qingge, Water Body mage Shang Qinghua, Sky Dragon Shen Qingqiu, and so on and so forth.

Danmei mega crossover, but it's also ancient Chinese Hunters of Artemis. Xie Lian, ages after accidentally consuming a flower that turns you into a woman of the Land Of The Tender, accidentally ascends as a goddess of archery and the hunt after having to recultivate with an entirely different base. Cue her gathering her hunters, saving them from other doom with the exception that they are either a woman or eat the same flower and turn into one.

Modern 21st century witch Wei Wuxian gets summons back by the sect leaders of ancient China, attempting to bring someone to help them stop Wen Rohan from starting a war they're quite sure they can't win. She confuses the fuck out of them but to their shock, she looks just like someone of their generation who went missing years ago during a night hunt.

Modern Bingqiu where they're dating and Shen Qingqiu puts on Binghe's fur coat cause they're going out and he's cold and holy shit it's so nice. Binghe's all flustered by him wearing his coat. SQQ is entirely unaware that Binghe is a selkie and that's his Pelt and that- that looks- yeah, um. Uh. Yeah. He needs to wear that more. Undecided if Binghe would be a proper seal selkie or something different like a wolf.

Princess Leona Kingscholar who's known for being mega lazy and a great partier with a huge alcohol tolerance. Who's never been taken seriously by her older brother of the court. Who is Hella smart but rarely shows her hand, one of those times being when she saved some random person she's too drunk to remember. Who gets a notice to return from school because she's relieved a marriage proposal. From the dragonic princess of Briar Valley (whos been stalking her since the beginning.)

If you could vote for your favorite one or ask questions in the comments or revlogs, that would be great. I can only work on so much at once and it would be helpful.

[buzzblend]

Widow loses life savings after ‘firetrap’ developer fails to repay €150k loan

A controversial developer who asked to borrow the life savings of an 81-year-old widow has failed to repay the money after half a decade of broken promises.

In 2017, the widow gave €160,000 in cash to developer Paddy Byrne, who built the Millfield Manor estate in Co. Kildare where six houses burnt to the ground in under 30 minutes in 2015.

The cash was for a penthouse apartment in Dublin she planned to move into.

The development was built by Victoria Homes, a company that was established by Mr Byrne’s sister Joan just before Mr Byrne was precluded from acting as a company director in Ireland for five years.

After viewing plans for the €630,000 property, in a development called Greygates in Mount Merrion, the pensioner withdrew the cash from her bank and gave it to Mr Byrne.

Some €10,000 of this was a deposit, with the remaining €150,000 provided on the advice of a third party who was known to Mr Byrne and the widow, who said the cash would secure a good price.

According to a handwritten receipt, signed by Mr Byrne, the money was provided on May 29, 2017.

But in November 2017 the widow, a retired primary school teacher, found a more suitable home and asked for her money back.

Mr Byrne agreed to this, saying he would have no problem selling the penthouse and promptly refunded the €10,000 deposit.

However, he asked that the remaining €150,000 be treated as a 14-month loan and promised to pay a 10% annual interest rate.

This effectively turned the widow into an unwitting creditor of Victoria Homes.

According to a handwritten agreement, signed by Mr Byrne, the loan was to be ‘paid back from the sales proceeds’ of the penthouse at his Greygates development.

More than half a decade later, the loan remains unpaid – even after the widow made a criminal complaint to gardaí and took legal action to secure a judgement.

As it is a civil matter, the Garda investigation faltered. And because various other unpaid creditors had previously secured judgements against Victoria Homes, the widow is now unlikely to get her savings back. During the Celtic Tiger years, Paddy Byrne was renowned for his €2.4m Sikorsky helicopter and sponsorship of the Irish National Hunt festival.

But in 2011 his then-firm, Barrack Homes, went bust and Mr Byrne declared bankruptcy in Britain with debts of €100m.

He was banned from acting as a UK director for 10 years in 2012.

This ban was scheduled to end in 2022 – and ran the full course – but it only applied in the UK and Wales.

According to the UK insolvency register today, Mr Byrne’s discharge from UK bankruptcy is ‘suspended indefinitely’ until the fulfilment of conditions made in a 2012 court order.

Separately, in Ireland, he was also restricted from acting as a director for a period of five years – which ended in January 2018.

Mr Byrne is also known for building the Millfield Manor estate in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, where half a dozen houses were razed to the ground within 30 minutes in 2015.

A report into the blaze found ‘major and life-threatening serious shortfalls and discrepancies and deviations from the minimum requirements of the national mandatory building regulations’ at Mr Byrne’s development.

Today, having exited bankruptcy, Mr Byrne is best known as the figurehead behind Victoria Homes and associated businesses, which was set up by his sister and her husband in December 2012, while he was bankrupt.

Mr Byrne was not a director or owner of Victoria Homes during the period of his bankruptcy. But, in 2017, Mr Byrne’s sister and her husband stepped back from Victoria Homes, transferring their shares to an offshore entity in Belize city called Victoria Holdings.

In November 2022, the main lenders to Victoria Homes – the Lotus Development Group – forced the firm into receivership for the second time.

In 2020, Lotus had forced a previous short-lived receivership before agreeing a deal that saw Victoria Homes begin trading normally once more.

Today, Mr Byrne appears to have left Victoria Homes behind and seems to be focusing on a new firm instead.

Set up in the summer of 2020, Branach Developments is entirely owned by Mr Byrne and is not encumbered by any bank debt or mortgages as Victoria Homes was.

According to the latest filed accounts, for the year ended 2021, Branach Developments held ‘tangible assets’ of €210,000 and ‘stocks’ of €600,000.

The accounts also show that, in 2021, Mr Byrne provided the company with an interest-free loan of €1,024,438.

Just last week Mr Byrne’s new firm was one of the winners at the National Property Awards sponsored by the Business Post and Deloitte, among others.

At the award ceremony, Branach Developments took home the prize for best sustainability initiative of the year.

However, Mr Byrne, who shuns publicity and is rarely photographed, does not appear to have attended the ceremony and the award was accepted by a colleague.

This week the Irish Mail on Sunday sent queries to Mr Byrne via his mobile phone, his email at Victoria Homes and his email at Branach Developments, without response.

Queries to his solicitor and the separate accountancy firms representing Victoria Homes and Branach Developments also went unanswered as did calls to the numbers on the websites of these firms.

Mr Byrne also previously declined to respond to questions from the MoS relating to the establishment of Victoria Homes during the period of his bankruptcy.

At the time, Mr Byrne appeared to be living at Ballinrahin House, close to Rathangan on the border of Offaly and Kildare.

The home is a luxury build on 26 acres of stud-railed paddocks with six stables and a 1.3km tree-lined avenue behind electric gates.

The property was on sale for €2.8m in 2009, but land registry records confirm that, in November 2014, it was sold to Victoria Homes for a knockdown price of €484,000.

Ownership of Ballinrahin House was transferred offshore to Victoria Holdings in Belize on April 10, 2018, just weeks before Mr Byrne was due to repay the €150,000 back to the widow.

[mahayanapilgrim]

An Exploration of Major Buddhist Traditions: Understanding the Diverse Paths to Enlightenment

Buddhism, founded over 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama, has evolved into various traditions, each with unique perspectives on the path to enlightenment. Here, we delve into the distinct characteristics of some major Buddhist schools:

1. Theravada Buddhism: The Way of the Elders

Theravada, often regarded as the oldest form of Buddhism, traces its roots to the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. This tradition emphasizes individual enlightenment through the Noble Eightfold Path, moral conduct, and meditation. The Pali Canon serves as its primary religious text, outlining the guidelines for monastic life and the pursuit of Nirvana.

2. Mahayana Buddhism: The Great Vehicle

Mahayana, emerging in the early centuries CE, expands the scope of Buddhist teachings. It emphasizes compassion and the Bodhisattva ideal—the aspiration to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Followers engage in altruistic practices, striving to alleviate suffering on a universal scale. The Mahayana canon includes texts like the Lotus Sutra and the Heart Sutra.

3. Vajrayana Buddhism: The Diamond Vehicle

Originating in Tibet, Vajrayana is an esoteric extension of Mahayana. It incorporates tantric practices, employing rituals, mantras, and visualization techniques for swift enlightenment. Vajrayana practitioners believe in the transformative power of these practices to achieve a direct realization of the nature of reality. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a notable text within this tradition.

4. Zen Buddhism: The Art of Meditation

Zen, derived from the Chinese Chan tradition, places a strong emphasis on direct experience and meditation. It seeks to transcend intellectual understanding and attain enlightenment through experiential realization. Koans, enigmatic statements or questions, are used to provoke deep contemplation. The simplicity and directness of Zen teachings have made it influential in various cultures.

5. Pure Land Buddhism: Seeking Enlightenment through Devotion

Pure Land Buddhism, rooted in Mahayana, centers around devotion to Amitabha Buddha. Practitioners aim to be reborn in Amitabha's Pure Land, a celestial realm, through sincere devotion and chanting Amitabha's name. This tradition offers a straightforward and accessible path to enlightenment, emphasizing faith and devotion.

6. Nichiren Buddhism: Chanting for Enlightenment

Founded by Nichiren in 13th-century Japan, this tradition revolves around the Lotus Sutra. Followers engage in the repeated chanting of the mantra "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" as a means to attain enlightenment. Nichiren Buddhism also encourages social engagement and activism as a means of contributing to a harmonious society.

7. Secular Buddhism: A Practical Approach to Mindfulness

In contemporary times, Secular Buddhism has emerged as a response to the need for a non-religious, practical approach. Stripping away supernatural elements, it focuses on mindfulness, ethics, and psychological well-being. This adaptive form of Buddhism caters to individuals seeking a practical application of Buddhist principles in their daily lives.

In conclusion, the diversity of Buddhist traditions reflects the rich tapestry of human interpretations of the path to enlightenment. Whether one resonates with the rigorous individual pursuit in Theravada, the compassionate Bodhisattva ideal in Mahayana, or the transformative practices of Vajrayana, Buddhism offers a spectrum of paths for seekers on their journey toward understanding and liberation from suffering.

[acalavidyaraja]

Guhyajnana Dakini: Wisdom Embodied in Wrathful Grace

Guhyajnana Dakini, a revered figure in the Nyingmapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, holds a central place as the principal Dakini teacher of the great Padmasambhava in the mystical land of Uddiyana. The profound influence of Guhyajnana Dakini extends across all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly through the lion-faced Dakini practices. It is widely believed that she represents the wrathful manifestation of the "Guhyajnana Dakini," the secret Wisdom Dakini who served as the primary female teacher to Padmasambhava during his time in Oddiyana.

Names and Cultural Significance:

In the Tibetan tradition, Guhyajnana Dakini is known as "gsang ba ye shes" or "mkha' 'gro gsang ba ye shes," while in Sanskrit, she is referred to as "Guhyajnana Dakini." Her significance isn't confined to the teachings of Padmasambhava alone. Figures like Atisha, during his youth while studying in the same region, and the Dalai Lama incarnations in their pre-Dalai Lama lives, such as Ratnadas, also acknowledge her influence.

Symbolism of the Lion Face:

The lion-faced Dakini practice symbolizes fearlessness and the transformative power of channeling fierce emotions towards the path of enlightenment. Guhyajnana Dakini's lion face serves as a powerful emblem, illustrating the capacity to convert adversities into constructive activities in the pursuit of spiritual awakening.

Simhamukha: A Wrathful Manifestation:

Simhamukha, recognized as a wrathful manifestation of Guhyajnana Dakini, assumes the role of a yidam or meditation deity. Her unique function includes averting and repulsing psychic attacks that may confront practitioners on their spiritual journey.

Revealed Wisdom:

The teachings related to Guhyajnana Dakini were revealed by Kunzang Dechen Gyalpo. Also known as Kungamo, Leykyi Wangmo, and Nyida Ngodrub, she is acknowledged as the chief of wisdom dakinis, bestowing empowerment upon Guru Rinpoche.

Iconography and Rituals:

Guhyajnana Dakini is often depicted in a red form, adorned with one face and four arms, dancing upon a lotus. Her hands hold symbolic items—a knife, a sword, a blood-filled skull, and a trident marked khatvanga. Her naked form, with loose hair and garlands of heads, conveys a powerful image.

Dakinis from the four families hold up her seat in the four directions, symbolizing her authority in subjugating gods, evil spirits ('dre), and human beings. The iconographic form found in the rin 'byung rgya mtsho aligns with an identical form from the revelations in the terma of gter bdag gling pa 'gyur med rdo rje, further amplified in the cycle of sle lung bzhad pa'i rdo rje.

Conclusion:

Guhyajnana Dakini stands as a profound embodiment of wisdom, seamlessly blending the wrathful and amorous sentiments. Her teachings and practices continue to be a source of empowerment and enlightenment for practitioners in the rich tapestry of Tibetan Buddhism. The lion-faced Dakini remains an enduring symbol of fearlessness and transformation on the journey towards spiritual awakening.

The ritual practices associated with Simhamukha, a wrathful manifestation of Guhyajnana Dakini, unfold with profound symbolism and spiritual significance. At the heart of these rituals lie the utilization of a kapala (skull cup) and a metal mirror, both integral tools in the practitioner's journey toward enlightenment.

The Ritual Implements:

1. Kapala:

The kapala, a vessel made from a skull, symbolizes the transformation of the mundane into the sacred. In Simhamukha's ritual, the kapala serves as a container for offerings and a reminder of impermanence. It is a potent symbol of the practitioner's commitment to transcend worldly attachments on the path to enlightenment.

2. Metal Mirror with Dharmodaya:

A metal mirror, an essential component of the ritual, plays a dual role in reflecting inner truths and repelling negative forces. Dharmodaya, meaning "the source of reality," is depicted on the mirror in the shape of a tetrahedron—a symbol of fundamental reality. This sacred geometry serves as a visual representation of the interconnectedness of all things. The mirror, when adorned with red powder, becomes a focal point for concentration and spiritual insight.

The Sacred Symbol: Dharmodaya:

Dharmodaya, symbolically shaped as a tetrahedron, holds profound significance. It represents the fundamental source of reality, emphasizing the interconnected and transcendent nature of existence. This geometric symbol becomes a focal point during the ritual, inviting practitioners to contemplate the deeper layers of reality beyond the material world.

The Central Mantra: HUNG:

At the heart of the metal mirror, the bija mantra "HUNG" is inscribed. This sacred syllable encapsulates the primordial sound, resonating with the essence of the divine. In the context of Simhamukha's ritual, HUNG serves as a powerful seed syllable, invoking the presence of the wrathful goddess and aligning the practitioner with the transformative energies of the ritual.

The Fierce Mantra of Simhamukha:

The mantra of Simhamukha, AH KA SA MA RA TSA SHA DA RA SA MA RA YA PHAT, unfolds as "the fierce mantra of fourteen letters that averts all magical attacks." Each syllable, meticulously crafted, carries the vibrational energy believed to dispel negative forces and shield the practitioner from spiritual harm. Chanting this mantra becomes a ritualized act of invoking Simhamukha's protective presence.

Conclusion:

Simhamukha's ritual, with its intricate components of kapala, metal mirror, and sacred mantra, offers practitioners a transformative journey. The symbolism embedded in these ritual implements and the potent mantra underscores the practitioner's commitment to spiritual evolution, protection from magical attacks, and the realization of ultimate reality—Dharmodaya. As the adept engages in these practices, they navigate the realms of symbolism, sound, and visualization, unlocking the transformative power of Simhamukha's fierce presence on the path to enlightenment.

[scotianostra]

Happy birthday to former formula one racing champion Jackie Stewart.

Born John Young Stewart in Milton Dunbartonshire in 1939, Jackie, as he became known, attended Hartfield primary school in the nearby town of Dumbarton going on to the local academy in the town.

Jackie experienced learning difficulties owing to undiagnosed dyslexia , and due to the condition not being understood or even widely known about at the time, he was regularly berated and humiliated by teachers and peers alike for being “dumb” and “thick". Stewart was unable to continue his secondary education past the age of 16, and began working in his father’s garage as an apprentice mechanic. He was not actually diagnosed with dyslexia until 1980, when his oldest son Mark was diagnosed with the condition. On learning that dyslexia can be genetically passed on, and seeing very similar symptoms with his son that he had experienced himself as a child, Stewart asked if he could be tested, and was diagnosed with the disorder, by which time he was 41 years old. He has said: “When you’ve got dyslexia and you find something you’re good at, you put more into it than anyone else; you can’t think the way of the clever folk, so you’re always thinking out of the box.“

Jackie began testing race cars in 1961. Showing his skill and raw pace, Stewart quickly worked his way up the ranks before grabbing s drive in the 1964 Formula Three Championship for Tyrell. In his debut race at Snetterton, Jackie pulled out a 25 second lead within two laps and went on to win the race comfortably, 44 seconds in front of his closest rival. Becoming a Formula Three Champion on his debut season, the offers from Formula One came thick and fast. Discussing how he maximised success at every opportunity in the early stages of his career, Jackie delivers thought provoking ideas as an after dinner speaker that are relatable to sporting and business environments alike.

Jackie’s first race in an F1 car was for Lotus in December 1964 in South Africa, by the end of his first season, Stewart had finished his rookie season third in the World Drivers’ Championship, proving his potential as a future World Champion.

1966 triggered Jackie’s lifelong fight for better safety in his sport. Following a crash at the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix, Jackie was left trapped in his overturned BRM soaking in fuel. With no tools to help him, stewards had to wait for other drivers Hill and Bondurant to help after borrowing a spanner from a spectator. From now on, Jackie would tape a spanner to his steering wheel, travel to races with his own doctors whilst his team supplied a medical truck for the benefit of all. A hugely passionate subject for Jackie, driver safety can feature heavily in his talks as a motorsport speaker. The harsh reality of danger in his day makes for a compelling insight into the sport and how far things have come since then.

Stewart became Formula One World Champion in 1969 in a Matra MS80 before going on to win the 1971 and 1973 World Championships for Tyrell. A hugely talented racing driver, Jackie left a legacy of increased in-car safety as well as drastic improvements to the layout and design of tracks, all in the name of limiting risk to drivers.

Stewart’s crash helmet was white, with the red, green, blue, white and yellow Stewart Royal Tartan surrounding the top.

In 2021 Jackie set up the charity Race Against Dementia. In 2016 his wife Helen was diagnosed Frontotemporal dementia, he believes that the application of Formula1’s technology and out of the box thinking could bring about earlier solutions to society coping with dementia. The couple are childhood sweethearts and have been married since 1962. Jackie spoke about his friend, Sean Connery, revealing that he had been ravaged with dementia during his final two years of his life. Jackie admitted last year that every time he forgets something like a name, he worries it is the onset of dementia.

If you are around Dumbarton tomorrow get yourself down to Levengrove Park as they host walk for Sir Jackie's birthday. Participants will gather for a Dementia Friendly Walk, with the route around Levengrove Park measuring 1973 metres.

This distance symbolises 1973, the year Sir Jackie, won his third and final F1 World Championship. The walk will not only be a tribute to the icon, but it will also serve to raise awareness for his charity, Race Against Dementia. Interested participants should gather outside Levengrove Pavilion from 10.45am.

The walk will begin at 11am and participants can enjoy refreshments served afterwards.

The park's trails, which are suitable for wheelchair users, will be used for the walk.

There is no need for advance registration and participants can show up on the day if they wish to participate.

The route can be viewed at https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/5619297865.

As a tribute to Sir Jackie, famed for wearing a Stewart tartan band on his racing helmet, participants are urged to wear a bit of tartan.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March Day 13- Succubus/Incubus/Concubus

The Lotus House

Well, after a spectacularly awful week and what is sure to be just...how things are going to be and how to go from now on. So. I know I'm four days late. But, my hand slipped and then this came out and I actually really like how it turned out. It was really fun to explore it and if you've read any of my other moura works, you've noticed The Lotus House referenced before. Well, thanks to this prompt, I got to really dig into it and really explore this as a whole and really add to my own alternate universe and expound on it, which I had a lot of fun doing.

Now, on with the shameless self indulgence.

Monster March 2023 Day 13- Succubus/Incubus/Concubus

The Lotus House

“Ok, class, welcome to your first class session here at The Lotus House, as always, congratulations for graduating primary school and thank you for continuing your education here, because here at The Lotus House, is where all of you are now at the age and point of maturity where your education can progress to include one more crucial, but pleasurable subject. Sex.” The professor, Dr. Zellora, who was a succubus, so therefore, a natural master at the art of sex, from a female’s perspective- said as she had all the female students in their special Lotus House Student Uniform get into their seats at their desks with their instruction manuals as well as their worksheets for the day already placed on the desks that she had already assigned to her newest class of students. She could only smile at the collective squeals and clapping of her students as all of them practically bounced in excitement in their seats as they eagerly looked over their new instruction manuals and especially at the pictures and diagrams inside.

The Lotus House was an entire school dedicated to Sex Education to educate the general populace of Dorrierra as a whole.  

“Now, here at The Lotus House you will not only learn the basic mechanics of sex in general, but how each species likes to give and receive sexual advances as well. Including the mechanics of each species’ procreation and mating habits and rituals. And as you can tell, each class has at least one, if not several students of each species here in Dorierra so that everyone has a working knowledge of themselves as well as everyone else, no matter their species or hybrids from the various species intermingling. And that means that all the other classes that this class will interact with will also have that variety. The classes are of course very carefully organized to make sure no one student will have to interact with another student who is in the same family. So no kissing cousins or any kind of incenst.” She reassured her students as she could still hear the other teachers instruct their classes in the same manor down the halls and across the halls for that matter. 

The male students got the incubus teachers and the students who didn’t wish to be either classified or distinguished by their sex or gender, got to have the concubus’ as their teachers, and technically got both curriculums. 

However, attendance at The Lotus House was far from mandatory, and some could choose to refuse attendance and learning the curriculum and simply take ‘an entrance and exit exam’. This option was made specifically for the potential student was repulsed by sex, or even romance and intimacy of that nature and was therefore asexual and or aromantic. 

Because the cardinal rule of The Lotus House was that every student accepted into the sexual educational program provided here at The Lotus House- had to be at a state of maturity in both mind and body, willing and happily consenting individual first and foremost.

And for those students who were not naturally inclined to be willing and who did not wish to give their informed consent- even if they had reached maturity in mind in body- could take a very abbreviated course to take the simple textbook test like any other test from primary school. They basically got to learn the bare minimum as far as basic mechanics so that they would not be ignorant or ill informed- so that they could stay at a state of informed refusal of consent to the rest of the classes and courses at The Lotus House but still have “a well rounded” education by Dorierran standards and of course those classes were conducted by other individuals who were of the same disposition so that the students felt comfortable with learning the basic material but would trust that nothing would be asked of them that would put themselves in any state of discomfort, or repulsion. And so if a student was choosing to give informed refusal of consent, they of course would never be asked to engage in any of the activities that were parts of the tests for the curriculum here at The Lotus House. And honestly, it was a very easy course to simply test out of, if the student was not willing or was repulsed by the act or even the very idea themselves being in that kind of physical, or romantic intimacy with anyone else. 

But for the rest of the student population, they of course, had a very rigorous testing to make sure they were physically, mentally, emotionally and especially psychologically mature enough to enter the courses here at The Lotus House and go through the curriculum and testing themselves. 

Dorierra as a whole, prided itself on having The Bride Program that was a system second to none in the whole of the Supersphere. Each bride was capable of being a Queen, Czarina, Empress, Sultana, etc. And the system of educating them- involved more than just how to run a country, as well as how to run a palace or even down to a general household. But how to seduce and keep their ruling husband happy in all respects. Especially in the bedroom because the point was that these future brides would be fertile and produce heirs for their prospective mates, no matter what kind of kingdom he ruled over. From Lord all the way up to King or its equivalent. But that was The Bride Program in a nutshell. But in order to enter the Bride Program these young ladies first needed to finish and round out this portion of their education here at The Lotus House. 

And this aspect of that education was so much more than the art of seduction, the art of sex, the art of either conception or contraception or even the use of sex as a political tool. It allowed a safe environment for education, exploration, information and practice with oversight from the best of the best as far as instructors went. 

But before they could ever get to any of that, these young women especially needed to know how to please themselves first. And the first lesson was always masturbation. Because even if they didn’t have a partner who knew how to please them, they could at the very least please themselves in addition to everything else they could offer in their repertoire. 

The male members of Dorierran society got this education at The Lotus House as well because the Dorierran women who did not either apply or get selected in the Bride Program or simply aged out of it- could then be courted and married by the native Dorierran males and have families of themselves and the point of the male Dorierrans to participate in the classes were first- to offer themselves as test subjects for the young women and two- become very loving, and accommodating and pleasurable partners. And while the women would “miss out” on co-ruling a nation, would still be a loyal life partner and would be coparent to the children and an equal member of the family and care for the household in general. 

So the males, in addition to their own basic education and their courses at The Lotus House, could then continue their own education in any other field or skill for employment in making goods and providing services for the nation of Dorierra as a whole. Even when everything, even things mundane like plumbing and infrastructure were always elevated into artforms since Dorierrans were, if anything, extremely creative. So that everything was a beautiful blend of functionality and gorgeous aesthetic. 

Now there was the traditional primary schooling of course where they learned the basics of language, arithmetic, geography, economics, infrastructure, music, the arts, geology, carpentry, home economics, engineering, and of course, all and every form of government and politics possible. 

Granted the girls’ school was much more intense and equal to that of any other king or professors and were prized for their individual talents and intelligence. However, if a male had a desire to enter into the Bride Program, he got admitted into a subcategory of it-but in order to get there-he needed to graduate from primary school and go into a school, simply known as 3C’s. 

It stood for The School of Courtesans, Concubines and Companions and was seen as just as precious and just as valuable as any "Traditional Bride". 3'C's specifically worked with the LGBTQA+ students who royals who were not attracted to the opposite sex in the “traditional” sense could still have their own pool of every species and gender on any and every spectrum they desired and still have a life partner who would be just as precious as any other. These students usually specifically got the concubus teachers. Where they learned both curriculums and even extra things to use when they were deployed in the 3’C’s category of the Bride Program, if they so wished to- since the Bride Program wasn’t mandatory for citizens of Dorierra, but was a major part of it’s culture and the country’s top export. 

However it was highly encouraged because the Bride Price each bride could ask for-from a potential groom to be his bride was always a premium. There was of course, the entrance income for even applying for the Program. And of course once accepted, a bride could therefore, accept fees just for meeting potential grooms, which there was always a base price per appointment. But the more wealthy the groom, the more he could add on to the meeting fee so that the potential bride would consider him more carefully. And the more desirable the bride, the higher those prices could be. It was all considered income and a large part of any family’s income in addition to the bride herself as an individual. The Bride Program not just financed the country, but specifically the family as well. And it was instrumental in adding to a family’s honor, prestige and social standing. So that while sons were a joy and of course necessary for the country to be practically self sustaining. Every girl was a point of pride, joy and elation. And the more daughters a mother could bear, the greater the family’s chance at succession, wealth and prominence in it’s quarter and district. And this was one of the ways that some students could excel if they lacked in any other area of their education. 

“Now, first, we are going to go over the anatomy of the female sex of every species here in Dorierra…” Dr. Zellora began before she showed the class diagrams of every female sex of every species within Dorierra and out of it, from species who were eager to be accepted within the Dorierran Alliance- so that all the girls could be aware of themselves and each other, and in addition to a traditional test, to pass this first lesson, they needed to go into their private “booths” to actually masturbate using any media they wanted in assistance and had a variety of buttons to press if they needed more one on one help learning themselves, if they hadn’t already begun to experiment with it themselves at home. 

Dr. Zellora simply grinned when she could already see the lights in the boys’ side of the classroom that shared a wall to one side- light up to show they had completed and “passed” this first test which was to successfully masturbate to the point of orgasm- within mere minutes to show they were done. It was a silent light that flashed for only a mere moment before the student left, gathered their other supplies, put them into the special backpack along with their other special Lotus House supplies. 

But while this first lesson, the boys usually got through quicker than the girls did. It was going to be the later lessons where they would practice on each other, where the boys would then have much greater difficulty and the girls would once again, gain quite a considerable lead and then easily excel and be much quicker to master the art of all avenues of sex in general. 

But she knew that while girls usually took a bit longer, that their orgasms tended to be bigger and lasted much longer than the boys’ did. She simply looked over her next lesson and “homework” she would be assigning for the day which was to see if the girls could masturbate both quietly and loudly and something in between at home and in private. 

Then she smiled happily when she sensed then heard the tell tale signs of her students succeeding in giving themselves orgasms before they lit the light that they had finished and then collected themselves, got redressed and regained their composure and left their individual booths that had their names on them and began to gather up their own materials. 

But they couldn’t leave just yet, they still had to wait to go up to her desk, give her a brief description of what they had done and how that orgasm was achieved and then got constructive criticisms on how to make it better for themselves as well as their homework for the night before they were excused from class for the day. 

But that wasn’t to say that the girls still would slowly slip through the school, curiously look in on the other classes and giggle and gossip about which classes they were going to be ‘pairing up’ with. Because each student in each class was assigned a companion class from both the concubus’ and the incubus’ teachers as the students from 3’C’s were also here among them as well. So that everyone got to experience everything on the spectrum in a safe, consensual, educational and if anything, a very fun way. Of course, the larger bodied students would be disqualified from pairing with the smallest and most petite of the other students because they didn’t want any harm to come from any attempts that would put the physical nature of the student at risk. 

However, there was just one more- cardinal rule- no committed, monogamous romantic entanglements and relationships with the other students in the class you were paired in were tolerated and such things were nearly impossible to hide. Because in essence, of the classes that were paired up, and even between classes in the whole of the school- all the students could and, in most cases, would, fuck each other, they just couldn’t do so exclusively with one favorite partner and run the risk of falling love and either have to break off the relationship or risk being disqualified from The Bride Program, if not expulsion from The Lotus House in general. 

Contraceptives of course were given to all students to keep pregnancy at bay and for the young women who graduated The Lotus House, got to go through a “purification” ritual where they would be turned back into physical virgins for the most pious of grooms. But just because they were technically virgins, meant no penile/vaginal intercourse. Oral sex, anal sex and handjobs were of course always allowed and encouraged as more of a “work around” after the purification ritual, which, in times of heated passion could always be re-performed. 

And once a student graduated from the course, they could always come back to The Lotus House to get those needs met until such a time as they either aged out, or were selected as a bride if they chose to go into the Bride Program. And graduates were always encouraged to come back to “practice” with students to help them along in the course and of course give more detailed advice and constructive criticism that they wouldn’t necessarily receive from their partners who were still new and still learning all of this themselves. 

And from where Dr. Zellora sat, she could already tell who her top students were going to be. And which ones would really come into their own and really blossom and bloom beautifully with the program. And which ones, with just a bit more guidance and one on one training could be just as successful and just as prized as the “naturally gifted” already were. 

Because if Dr. Zellora knew anything, it was that even the most “plain” looking student, no matter their gender or identity, could be the most prolific and most gifted student and be at the top of their class because sometimes the most keen intellect hid behind a veil of “plainness”. Because here, students learned how to use and enhance their natural beauty and other gifts and talents, but most of all- how to use and enhance the most precious asset any student had- their mind. 

She looked up and saw the first call light, letting know that a student needed her assistance and was up on her feet and quickly making her way to the student’s “cubical”. 

“This just feels…weird.” Her student Senora murmured as she had her blanket covering over her otherwise naked body while her uniform hung up neatly on the hanger in the small closet and her books and other materials were on the desk next to the bed. And one of the bottles of sex oil next to her while her cheeks were flushed but confusion and irritation and frustration clearly on her otherwise gorgeous features. 

“I know, it usually does feel weird- the first few times here especially.” Dr. Zellora offered as she sat on the small stool in the private booth for her that was tucked underneath a small desk. 

“So have you ever done this before?” Dr. Zellora asked calmly and professionally. 

“Yes, I did it last night! Twice! Plus I know I’ve cum in my dreams before, I’ve had dreams about sex and being intimate with partners in my dreams but…just…doing it now, in a class of all places, it just…I can’t relax and focus.” Senora confessed. 

“And that’s half the battle and one that every student fights to gain ground on, for some it’s a bunny hill, others it feels like a mountain and it differs from individual to individual and all of it is ok and perfectly normal.” Dr. Zellora reassured her. 

“Ok. So we are going to do a grounding and a focusing exercise ok?” Dr. Zellora urged her before Senora nodded in agreement and understanding. 

“Now, relax. Take a breath, we are going to do the 4 count breath first. So in four counts take one full, deep breath in, then we are going to hold it for four counts, then exhale that breath in four counts and keep it out for 4 counts and repeat as many times it takes to relax and calm down ok? You can even close your eyes if you want to.” Dr. Zellora explained. 

“Ok, deep breath in- 1, 2, 3, 4. Keep it in- 1, 2, 3, 4. Good, Now, exhale- 1, 2, 3, 4.” Dr. Zellora counted with her as she did her best to sync her breath with Senora’s and then they did the breath together several times as Dr. Zellora kept her keen eye on Senora’s features as her pinched brows lessoned and the muscles of her brow relaxed, then it was her jaw relaxing, then the shoulder drop and soon Senora had succeeded in fully relaxing her body as she kept her eyes serenely closed as she mentally did the count while trying to relax. 

“Good job. Ok, now keep your eyes closed, in your dreams where you were having sex, was it with anyone in particular or simply someone you saw on the street and don’t know?” Dr. Zellora asked. 

“It’s someone that I don’t know in real life, but I keep seeing him in my dreams. And I’ve dreamed of him over and over again for..at least a year now.” Senora admitted. 

“Describe him.” Dr. Zellora invited. 

“He’s..tall…he’s a tiefling. He’s this beautiful slate gray color, practically silver.” Senora began before a fond smile bloomed on her features and Dr. Zellora could see Senora’s own tail wagging and wriggling under the blanket past her own feet. 

“What else?” Dr. Zellora gently prodded. 

“He has this…gold tattoo on his neck and his chest. It’s from the oriental in style. His long, inky black hair hangs in his face and covers up his otherwise, gorgeous angular face. His handsome horns start out a dark, stormy gray, almost black and gradually get lighter towards the tips and are ribbed and ringed, and start at the back of his head and like a halo come up and around his head.” She continued as she pulled her hands up to illustrate with her own hands. 

“They’re perfect to hold onto when he goes down on me. And he is just..his tongue, you wouldn’t think it was as thick yet deliciously long as it is, but it is. Oh gods, is it magnificent.” Senora praised as Dr. Zellora saw Senora’s legs start to part under the blankets while her tail wiggled even faster and practically buzzed against the soft blanket.  

“So do you ever see his eyes?” Dr. Zellora asked. 

“Yes. They’re this gorgeous slate, steel blue. It compliments the gold of his tattoo and they almost glow when he looks up at me from between my legs and just as he gets me to my first peak, he climbs up and mounts me like the stud he is. Gods, he just, he is naturally lithe but he works so hard to build good and strong muscle on his frame and while it’s not terribly bulky, it’s more than enough to give him the heft and like a ship with an anchor in a storm, it’s like he anchors me and holds me and keeps me safe and warm and my horns fit so perfectly between his. And it’s like we’re two puzzle pieces fitting together.” Senora continued as Dr. Zellora could prod mentally enough that she too could see him, plain as day, almost as if he was right there in the room with them. 

“Good, now keep that in mind, and let your body follow the fantasy.” Dr. Zellora instructed before she slipped out of the cubical to let Senora pick up where she left off and wasn’t even all the way to her desk before she heard Senora whimper a keen of pleasured release. 

But the moment she had left the cubicle and slipped the door close with her exit- she suddenly realized something was very, very wrong. Another cubi was interfering with her brand new student. She could still sense the telepathic connection. It was another cubi feeding her newest student this fantasy and engaging in it with her right in the moment! Which she was certain she herself had put into the rulebook was not allowed because the boy was not from the paired class next door. Or even the 3’C’s class across the hall. It was from another classroom beyond and she could follow the connection all the way to…she got him! Oh and in Dr. Sozzo’s class of all things. She telepathically alerted Dr. Sozzo of the situation and he mentally let her lead her to the link so that he too could trace it from the source to the target. And Dr. Sozzo telepathically assured her that he would handle it. And that he would keep this student after class so that they could deal with him together. Which she was grateful for, and encouraged Dr. Sozzo to look through the rulebook and look for this kind of situation in particular. To see if this was covered and if it wasn’t. It needed to be added and amended because this was the greatest threat to The Bride Program, much less The Lotus House. Because of all the species in Dorierra, cubi, whetter they be succubi, incubi or concubi- becuase of their telpathic ability and even their other naturally self shifting ability to could easily become their target’s fantasy to get them to orgasm easiest. Which such a gift and talent was allowed for the species. Especially when they were partnered with the more introverted and shy students. But this was not that. Not even close.  

Dr. Zellora then shifted her focus to the other students who had already taken seats in such a way so that they could each have their turn to give feedback and get their homework before they got dismissed as Senora was one of the last of her students to do so. But Dr. Zellora was the most proud of Senora’s ability to push through and overcome her obstacles with a proud smile on her face and once the last of her students had finished, and dismissed, her professional and proud smile for her students vanished in an instant as she didn’t hesitate to take care of this matter personally. 

She didn’t even bother to pack up before she left the classroom and walked determinedly down the hall to where another incubi teacher, Dr. Sozzo was holding the particular student behind in his class so that she could speak with the student in question. 

The moment she came into the classroom, the student in question simply ducked his head in embarrassment as his cheeks flushed while his tail wrapped itself around his own leg and the leg of the chair. 

“Dr. Zellora, may I introduce my student, Mr. Volron Korronos.” Dr. Sozzo said as he gestured to the student in question as he was still flipping through the rulebook to aid Dr. Zellora before she pulled out another chair and put it in front of the student so that only his desk separated them as Dr. Sozzo got up and leaned against a desk, perpendicular to them with the rulebook still in hand. 

“So? Do you know why I’m here?” Dr. Zellora asked the student. 

“I didn’t break any rules.” Volron insisted. 

“Really? That’s the story you’re going to claim and stick to?” She questioned as she raised her eyebrow and fixed him with a look that practically bored through him. 

“I didn’t!” Volron insisted. 

“Dr. Sozzo?” Dr. Zellora asked as she noticed Dr. Sozzo still was thumbing through The Lotus House rulebook to make sure that there wasn’t any technicality either way. 

“So far, no he has not. But I’m only half way through it.” Dr. Sozzo placated.  

“Volron, look at me, look into my eyes and really look at me, not at the desk, not at the ceiling, nothing else, look at me.” Dr. Zellora insisted before Volron did so. 

“First off, I felt your connection that you had established with Miss Senora. Don’t deny that you made one, because it’s been there for at least a year. Right at the same time you and Miss Senora’s older brother got into this school and in this class together. And because I have telepathic abilities myself I saw how you managed to give yourself certain features that would keep Miss Senora from recognizing you in the waking world. But having a crush on your best friend’s little sister is one thing. What you have done, is sabotage Miss Senora just as she is starting in the program and now cannot get a sexual release without you or her fantasy that you’ve turned yourself into in her head. Now while she is still none the wiser and probably won’t know what you’ve done, you are incubi. And being incubi, yourself, you should know better and be better.” She insisted, her tone, sharp and biting as her features showed just how upset and downright angry she was about this incident because of her own motherly instinct to both educate and protect each of her students, especially the ones who were brand new to The Lotus House before Dr. Sozzo’s tail simply wrapped around hers out of Volron’s view as a way to keep her from going outside of her own professional lines and boundaries, but also let her know that he agreed with her points, but that she needed to handle this situation with care all the same, both physically and telepathically.  

“But it’s not fair that all of us cubi’s are held to this super high perfect standard.” Volron practically pouted. 

“Dr. Sozzo? Has Mr. Volron had any difficulties in class or his assignments?” She asked as she turned to Dr. Sozzo. 

“Nope, so far, he’s gotten practically perfect scores except for the last few weeks, his feedback has been that he’s nervous, anxious and disingenuous.” Dr. Sozzo answered as he continued to look through the rulebook. 

“And how was his performance today?” She asked Dr. Sozzo. 

“He’s been quite distracted and inattentive.” He answered honestly.  

“So your crush is already starting to bite you in the ass.” She surmised to Volron who only flushed harder and looked away guiltily. 

“It’s a crush, she’ll learn to get over it.” He murmured quietly. 

“But I can sense that you feel that you won’t.” Dr. Sozzo noted calmly and surprisingly gently all the same. 

“As can I.” Dr. Zellora readily agreed. 

“I just…I need time. Ok? It’s a stupid little crush and it’ll be over soon, practically any time now.” Volron insisted. 

“Except when she gets released into the clinical studies. Where she can practice on other students from all the other classes and even other graduates! When she gets to practice on more people than just the students in the classes paired with hers. If this is still going on by then and you two happen to meet in clinics. She will know and she will be mortified, if not gutted, and feel her privacy is and was being invaded. And she will be hurt and betrayed and she may even drop out of the program here at The Lotus House, if not the Bride Program beyond that- altogether. So you need to sever this connection and stop this immediately. The fact that you’ve had this under the radar so to speak for the last year, is frankly, astonishing and a bit of an oversight.” Dr. Zellora said with a meaningful look at Dr. Sozzo who simply nodded in agreement but kept his gaze on the rulebook he was continuing to go through. 

“Yes, that was an oversight on my part. I will make sure I’m much more careful and aware of my students so that I may hold them accountable, especially in this very sensitive area.” Dr. Sozzo reassured Dr. Zellora. 

“You don’t think I’ve tried?! I’ve tried to cut it off! I’ve tried to quit it, but by the time I knew I had started I was already in the middle and when she reaches out to me and for me, it’s stronger than any other siren’s call ok? I have tried, so hard to resist answering and keeping the connection cut off, and then today…” Volron began to justify before he trailed off as his brain couldn’t decide which words to use to describe his feelings before he took a calming breath. 

“I didn’t think having her so close would cause problems. I didn’t think that she’d be here and look as gorgeous as she is in the uniform, something I’ve fantasized for the last year and then when I felt her struggling, I just couldn’t let her fail or make her feel broken because it was her first day and she felt like she was already starting behind everyone else.” Volron confessed as he ran his fingers through his shaggy hair to scratch around where his own horns grew out of his head. 

“But you’ve made yourself an unattainable illusion for you both. And you’ve set both of yourselves up for failure.” Dr. Sozzo reminded his student with a soft but still firm look and tone all the same. 

“I know. I know. Believe me, now I know that, all too well.” Volron readily admitted before he dragged his hands down his face. 

“So what is going to happen, when she meets any number of other students who actually do fit the description you have given yourself in the fantasy that you two share? Don’t you think she is going to have a greater than average transference to them? And won’t their own rejection of her over-enthusiasm hurt her worse than simply failing a simple task in school?” Dr. Zellora asked Volron. 

“It will.” Volron readily agreed as she and Dr. Sozzo could see his guilt begin to eat away at him. 

“Volron, you are not alone. All of us cubi have both a gift so great it can be a curse. We find a person who we find is our object of desire and affection and immediately want to be that person’s vision of perfection. No matter how we have to twist and contort and distort ourselves to do it. If Miss Senora was another cubi herself. I’m sure she would have figured it out by now. But she’s teifling, which I know are very close in species to us, in fact, besides other cubi, teifling cubi and moura crosses is literally who founded and built The Lotus House to begin with. And I know it’s a daunting task to come to the very place our own ancestors built. And easily excel to the point that we are our own gold standards. And it sucks dead air when we find we’re still imperfect, and we still make mistakes and we still screw up just like everyone else. And sometimes the harder we try, the worse we make it for ourselves.” Dr. Sozzo comforted his student as he closed the book once he reached the end and gave Dr. Zellora a subtle shake of his head that he couldn’t find any technicality in the rulebook that applied to this specific situation, and simply set it down on the desk behind. 

“While it is true that there isn’t technically a rule that has been broken, because your class isn’t paired and won’t be paired with Miss Senora’s class, you have still broken the spirit of many of them anyway. Because as you know, in the clinic, that is where all the students of the school will interact with all the other students in the school and because there is no blood relation between you and Miss Senora, there wouldn’t be any rule keeping you two from having sessions together when Miss Senora’s class would be released into the clinic. But what I can do, is still flag you for this incident so that when she does get released into the clinic, she will have the option of taking anyone else but you and those in her own family in the clinic sessions.” Dr. Sozzo leveled before Volron’s eyes got extra large in fear as the panic that gripped his chest was palpable even for Dr. Sozzo and Dr. Zellora. 

“Wow. That was quite the reaction.” Dr. Zellora noted as she seemed to swallow down the feeling of instant nausea from anxiety and shake her head to distance herself from the feelings of the student she had been probing only moments before. 

“Dr. Zellora, Miss Senora is your student. And she, of course, should get difference in this situation and other situations like this in the future, And considering what has already transpired and what could potentially transpire in the future, I will leave it to you to decide because Miss Senora’s safety, her autonomy, privacy and her own modesty should be the priority in this situation.” Dr. Sozzo put to Dr. Zellora.  

“I agree. But I still wish to give Miss Senora the best possible start, while not hindering Mr. Volron’s progress either. So, the way I see it, there are three options. The first, is that today will be the last interference between Mr. Volron and Miss Senora and we simply put a note that should it happen again, it can be flagged in the future. That’s option one. Option two, if you feel you are past the point of keeping yourself from repeating this behavior, we will need to flag you and you will meet with Miss Senora and you will come clean. Because she will need to know what she is also being flagged for something she is innocent of.” Dr. Zellora held up a first and then second finger. 

“And option three?” Volron winced. 

“The Exit Exam from the Lotus House and expulsion from using it while her class is in the clinic on the off chance that you two would continue to seek each other out. Because she has the potential to be a great and fantastic candidate for the Bride Program if she so wishes to be. But I will not have you ruining her chances and success both here at The Lotus House and the greater Bride Program as a whole over- as you put it “a silly little crush”.” Dr. Zellora stated. 

“Option 1 please.” Volron requested. 

“It could be worse.” Dr. Sozzo offered. 

“Ok. Dr. Sozzo, please put a note in Mr. Volron’s file to keep an eye on this particular situation to be sure that this no longer escalates. And I of course keep my eye and senses on Miss Senora as well. And should we need to revisit this topic, more serious measures will be used and implemented. Up to and including expulsion.” Dr. Zellora dictated before she sat up smoothed out her outfit and gave Dr. Sozzo a nod and a gentle squeeze of his arm as she passed him before she left which Dr. Sozzo simply let out a small breath of relief once she did exit. 

“Shit.” Volron slumped in his seat once Dr. Zellora left and held his head in his hands while Dr. Sozza put the book itself back on the shelf it usually sat on as Dr. Sozza smiled bittersweetly to himself. 

“How? She could already know and figured it out and her family would hate me and mine over this?” Volron asked. 

“Well, that, and you could have done what I did when I was in your shoes when I was your age.” Dr. Sozza muttered before he walked back towards his desk to begin to pack up which perked up Volron’s ears and head to hear it. 

“What happened?” Volron asked as he picked up his head and leaned towards his instructor to consider his instructor curiously, because Dr. Sozzo was just as respected and renowned of a professional as Dr. Zellora was. 

“I did everything I could to get paired up with my wife in the clinic. Because I was like you, she was the little sister of my best friend. And I went as far as changing myself into the illusion I made myself into- in her dreams because I wanted that ‘I’ve waited for you my whole life, you’re my soul mate and one true love, man of my dreams’ thing. And I got caught red handed. The Principal was my teacher. And he only gave me the second or third option. So, in front of her, I had to show her the real me. And she was mortified, gutted, she felt betrayed but most of all, she was pissed. And I did get expelled.” Dr. Sozzo recounted.  

“So..how did you get to be a teacher here then?” Volron asked and that’s when Dr. Sozzo’s smile grew wider, and prouder. 

“Once my wife got a chance to take a step back, cool off, and rethink the situation as well as the consequences and the impact of the actions that were made, she came to me and we talked it out and she gave me the chance to come really come clean about everything. And we came to an understanding. And then she made a case for me and fought it - both for and with me to get me back into the school and back into class. And so I could come back and actually get a chance to graduate. Instead of being dropped out and dishonorably discharged and never welcome back on school grounds again. Because by then, she understood how and why I did it. And she was fighting the illusion because she was falling for the real me anyway and when she saw the illusion, her heart and stomach sank and she felt torn and conflicted and she was relieved to see the real me. And relieved that the illusion she was afraid to believe was real, and the real person she had fallen in love with were the same person. She didn’t want the Bride Program and had already made that sentiment known from the start. Because she knew even in primary school that she wanted and was going to be a teacher here, like most cubi in Dorierra are and usually end up being. She used the rulebook and practically rewrote it and then revised it to what we currently have right now. She fought and she won but she literally wrote the rules and chapter about relationships between students and it interfering in the program here at The Lotus House and The Bride Program as a whole because had she been anything other than a cubi herself with her career goals already set that had nothing to do with the Bride Program, it could have been a disaster. Now though, I think she’ll add one because you’re not the first nor will you be the last to go through this. But she saved me and she made it possible for me to redeem myself and re-earn her trust and respect and re-earn everyone else’s trust and respect too. And honestly, in the long run, she also saved my chance to pursue my career. All by loving me and all my flaws and accepting me as I was. And she could still see potential in me and she could see the great potential I had and didn’t feel that all that potential should be lost and wasted because of a mistake. And she didn’t want me throwing away my future just to follow my own desire and love for her. So she made it so that we both won.” Dr. Sozzo praised proudly. 

“She must have been one hell of a woman.” Volron mused. 

“She always has been and still is and always will be, at least in my book. So, don’t lose hope, kid. If it ends up being more than a crush, the best thing you can do for yourself and for her is to just be honest and upfront about it and not just some of it, but all of it and be as transparent about it. And don’t lose yourself in your own illusion either. Let dreams be dreams, both literal and figurative. But don’t let those get in the way of your reality. And your own future.” Dr. Sozzo sagely advised as he finished packing up. 

“Gonna head out?” Dr. Sozzo said as he nodded towards the door. 

“Oh! Yeah, sorry. Thanks, for everything. And I’m really happy it worked out for you. I hope you’re both really happy together.” Volron offered. 

“Thanks, we are, at least, that’s what she keeps telling me.” Dr. Sozzo grinned as he and Volron left the class before Dr. Sozzo locked up the classroom. 

“Who is she by the way? Is she still teaching here? Could I meet her and ask her about it?” Volron asked. 

“Yeah, she’s still teaching and she’s still here. But you’ve already met her and kind of talked about it with her. At least officially anyway. Who do you think was just in here with us?” Dr. Sozzo asked as he started to walk towards his wife’s, Dr. Zallora’s classroom as she was just finishing up packing up for the day too. 

“Dr. Zallora?!” Volron balked. 

“Yeah. So when she was telling you how Miss Senora might feel? She was telling you that from experience. From her experience with me and other experiences we’ve both had as students and teachers ever since. So she’s been in Miss Senora’s shoes too. We’ve been married 54 years this summer. Don’t worry, she never stops fighting for what’s right and still fights for the safety of her students. And trust me, all of us cubi’s no matter the kind, all of us go through this. Some of us just sooner than others.” Dr. Sozzo consoled. 

“But if you really, honestly care for Miss Senora, then be honest and come clean anyway, whether you’re told to or not. You might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome because rejection is not the end of the world or the worst thing that can happen. It’s still early and there’s still time to make this right and move on and move forward from here. You’re nowhere near the point of no return.There have been times where this has played out in much worse ways. It’s just that we have to be extra cautious, especially here.” Dr. Sozzo added. 

“But just because I sympathize and empathize with you kid, doesn’t mean I’m gonna turn a blind eye. If anything, I get to keeper a closer eye on you than usual. But it’ll be ok, you’ll get through this. It’s a growing pain everyone, especially us cubi’s get to go through. This too can and will pass. Don’t lose heart or courage now. If anything. Fight to stay and actually play by the rules, both by the letter and in the spirit of them too. And don’t try to look for any more loopholes to try to slide and sneak through or corners to cut. Because as you can see, it will all come back to bite you in the ass, both literally and most of all figuratively. The rules are here for a reason. And they’re to protect us. If not from others, especially from ourselves sometimes because ‘young and stupid’ usually does the most damage. You’ll be ok. Go home, think it over, get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow is a new and hopefully better day than today was.” Dr. Sozzo encouraged before he continued on to meet his wife who was just now gathering her stuff and leaving and locking her own classroom before they left hand in hand, each carrying their bags in their other hands, their tails wrapped around the other as their steps soon synced up as Volron simply looked on, sorrowfully wishing he could have the same happiness someday. 

He went to leave the building only to see Senora there with her brother, Sullamore, who was chatting up the other girls from the other classes while Senora was still sitting there, going over her new textbook, specifically about cubi’s which made Volron’s gut drop and clench. 

“Hey Ron, hey I have a question, do you know of any other gray teiflings in your class that have gold tattoos?” She asked curiously. 

“Nope.” Volron shook his head as he ducked his head lower and hoped his shaggy hair hid his burning cheeks. 

“Do you know of any student in the school who does? Cause you’re in the clinic right? Is there anyone on the 3’C’s side like that? Or maybe royalty? I wonder if it’s a thing royal tieflings do. I should go to the library.” She insisted as she got up and dusted off her uniform and told her brother she needed to go to the library. 

“I’ll walk you there.” Volron volunteered. 

“Cool, thanks Bruh.” Amore thanked him. 

“No problem.” Volron nodded as he walked back into the school and towards the library with Senora. 

“So can I talk to you about school or would that be too weird?” She asked. 

“Talk away.” Volron invited. 

“You know how you get the same dream over and over again and you can swear it’s real or maybe a premonition or something? Like there are the usual dreams and even nightmares and then there are those other dreams where it’s like ‘this week on this chapter of the saga’ kind of thing?” She asked. 

“Yup.” Volon nodded and bit his lips to keep himself from saying much more about it. 

“Well I’ve been having one of those dreams that it’s like I’m sharing them with someone else, like they’re so real and everything is so intense and it’s somehow surreal yet, real? Does that make sense? No that doesn’t make any sense. Um…” She chattered as she tried to find the right words. 

“No, I get what you mean.” He reassured her. 

“Thanks, it seems like you’re the only one who really does. Probably cause you’re incubi huh?” She asked with a fond smile. 

“I don’t have to use my cubi stuff to get or understand or know what you’re talking about Nora. Anyone with half a wit or half a brain could keep up. Not that you’re stupid, but it’s…you’re fine. It’s ok, you’re good.” He insisted and before he knew it, his steps had unconsciously synched with hers and his tail was fighting not to twist around hers. 

“I know what you mean Ronnie.” She reassured him as she slipped her arm around his as he led the way to the library and suddenly Volron couldn’t take it. He needed to come clean, he thought he could keep up the charade, he really did, but after this afternoon, and after the talk he just had, he knew he was in over his head and like a bandaid, he just needed to rip it off and come clean. Because Nora deserved to know. She was owed that much, from him at least. But by the time he had made up his mind, they were in the library and she left him holding her bag so she could peruse the aisles looking for the royal teifling section and was already pulling books out left and right before she had a whole stack of them in her arms and was carrying them to a table and the last thing Volron wanted was for her to waste hours of her time looking for something that wasn’t there. 

“Nora, Nora, Senora!” He finally called to her as she had gone back to the shelves to look for more and pull even more out. 

“What?” She asked as she looked at him in a bit of confusion and bewilderment as to why he was suddenly using her full name to get her full attention. He never did that unless he was about to tell her something very serious. 

“Don’t…don’t waste your time. I can already tell you that you could read this whole section and you won’t find what you’re looking for.” He told her as he stopped her from getting any more books off the shelves. 

“Why? Because you’ve already read all of these?” She asked. 

“No, because I already know what you’re looking for, you’re looking for this right?” He asked her as he mentally put the illusion into her head before her face scrunched up in weary confusion. 

“That’s not fair. How’d you get in my head to see that like that? Like I didn’t even feel…” She began before she watched as he slowly started to change his physical appearance to mimic the illusion and she dropped her stack of books and her hands went to her face as she gasped as tears came to her eyes. 

“Oh gods…you? It’s been you? This whole time? It’s been you putting that in my head?” Senora asked. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I fucked up. I’m sorry. I’ve really, really, really liked you and had the biggest crush on you and then at the end of primary school when Amore and I moved on from Primary to here and I missed you so much and I learned how to do it and then turned my own fantasy into your fantasy and then before I knew it, we were already in the middle and I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry, I thought it was just going to be a quick crush and we’d both get over it and move on and then once that link was made and the more you used it to reach out to me and hte more I answered your call, the stronger it was and then today, today…” His voice cut off from getting thick with emotion. 

“You got caught. I…in class, I called to you and you answered me and helped me and got caught.” She realized as her eyes soon began to suck up the tears before they could really fall. 

“Yeah, so…that’s why I had to stay behind in class. Because I had to have a talk and get the third degree from my teacher and especially yours.” He admitted. 

“So…so what do we do? What can we do?” She asked. 

“I got off with a warning but only with the understanding that I sever it for good. And I don’t use it and find a way to keep you from using it too. And that way we can still stay in the classes and get to clinic but now I’m under the microscope. Because I’m cubi so, of course we’re always under the microscope while also being put on a pedestal and expect to be perfect and…” He started to say before she stepped over the books and just hugged him and he couldn’t help but hug her back. 

“So why did you choose that illusion?” She asked, her words muffled by his own uniform. 

“Because you said Muran Grayson was cute.” He admitted before she snickered a laugh. 

“He is, he knows it too, he’s full of himself and has an ego the size of the whole damn Lotus House.” She murmured. 

“Why’d you choose that tattoo?” She asked. 

“Cause you said you liked the oriental Cisoras cause the food is always awesome and it’s a sea of red and gold.” He answered. 

“So you literally just took all my favorite things and tried to make what you thought my picture perfect illusion of the perfect tiefling would be?” She guessed as she lifted her head from his chest and peered up at him curiously, noticing he still had the same gorgeous blue eyes that she had always loved and before she could stop herself, she pushed up to tip toe and met his lips with hers and while her horns still scraped against hers and didn’t as perfectly as they could when in the illusion, it didn’t matter. 

She liked him back! She liked him back enough that she initiated it and the link was back and instead of going through the illusion, it was like it was a fog and it got lifted and only got clearer and stronger and now with their close proximity, it was damn near magnetic. 

And before they either knew it, he had lifted her up, as she had moved the wrap to her dress like uniform to reveal her sex while he had done the same to join his flesh with hers as he pinned her up to the bookshelf as he seated himself fully into her as she bit his lip hard enough to break skin as his cock has broken her maidenhood for the blood for blood exchange to be equal and while both had hurt, the pleasure such actions caused eclipsed the pain. It was only when she pulled back to suddenly pull in a gasp of air that his mouth finally left hers to trail scorching kisses, licks and nips down the column of her neck only to move her uniform over to reveal her collarbone to leave another bite, equal to the one she had left on his lip that his saliva was already stinging but healing all the same. But the moaning keen he had already becoming addicted to in his dreams was better than it ever was in the dream world because it was real. It was a real sound that she made with her own throat and in response to his minstrations and the pleasure they were giving each other was better than any drug, any candy, any spice, any liquor. Nothing compared to this. 

And as much as Volron wanted and needed to hold her up and bulk up and gain strength, he found, his will was finding a way to push his body through this. Because as much as he gave and took from her, the least he felt he could give her, was this. Even if this had to be the one and only and even if this had to be a first and last, it would be worth it. 

“Stop thinking like that Ronnie. Just stay with me. Just stay.” Nora murmured into his ear before she playfully nipped at the tip which only caused his hips to jerk and stutter. Because while he had just been released into the clinic and had already paired with everyone else in his own paired classes, it was like this was his first time all over again. 

“Get down, before your legs give out.” She cooed and he tried, gods he tried to set them down gently. But his legs practically folded under them and they practically fell in a heap onto each other right there in the hall of the library. Senora snorted a laugh but moved them so he could sit back on the floor against the books himself before she climbed into his lap and picked up right where they had left off as they both appreciated the fact that even while in full uniform, it was made in such a way so that when worn, it would preserve modesty, but with a few key adjustments it could be rearranged to allow easy access to their own and each other’s bodies. 

Volron was doing everything in his power to hold on and not cum immediately. He was doing everything he could to give as much pleasure, and love and affection felt like he was practically pouring all of himself into her. Which for cubi, was part of the process, you give to heighten the other’s arousal and intensity- only to pull it back after. But he would not be pulling back any of it. He would simply give, and never take, not from her. 

Because of their shared connection, when Senora orgasmed, it was as if this intensely colorful bliss, combined with an explosion of pleasure, like watching a firework explode in the sky before you heard and felt the boom of it in your chest and even then the rest of your body. It was the greatest orgasm yet. Better and greater than any and all they had shared in the dream world, practically combined. And for a small eternity, they simply got to bask in the afterglow as their bodies tensed before they both relaxed against the other’s. As Senora was careful that she laid her head on the part of his upper chest that her horns wouldn’t poke at him but wrapped her arms around his bare chest so that their hearts could beat together while she held onto the mental connection like a lifeline and just as strongly as she was continuing to hold onto him and frankly, just as hard as he was holding onto her. 

“Nora, I was told that we can’t do..what we just did, anymore. That if we do. We both would get flagged in the clinic, or if push came to shove, I could get kicked out entirely.” Volron softly murmured. 

“Are we breaking any of the rules now?” She asked before she lifted her head to consider him curiously. 

“No. while technically we’re not breaking any, we’re breaking the spirit of a lot of them.” 

“Because you’re cubi and I’m a moura teifling and moura cubi hybrid and there’s rules about cubi and cubi hybrids.” She finished. 

“Yeah, and the fact that this has been going on for as long as it has and it’s affecting us here.” He stated. 

“Ah. And let me guess, Dr. Zellora didn’t want my future in The Bride Program compromised.” Senora concluded. 

“Yeah.” 

“Well it won’t.” Senora insisted with a reassuring smile. 

“Please don’t tell me you’re gonna drop out of it just because of me, most families bank on it.” Volron pleaded. 

“Nope. Don’t worry about it. And don’t worry about me or my future in the Bride Program or breaking any rules or anything like that ok? If we have to keep it quiet at school then we will. Don’t let me hold you back or get you expelled ok? There’s no rules about who we get to do our homework out of school with, right?” She asked with a scheming smile. 

“But I want to play by the rules, both by the letter and the spirit and I don’t want this to bite us in the ass like it did to me today.” Volron urged her. 

“It won’t. We can be careful. Do I need to bite it myself to help it feel better? Which cheek did they get you in?” She licentiously teased. 

“Gods you’re too perfect. You’re going to be the death of me.” Volron said. 

“Maybe, the year is just starting for me. And while you only have two more. And I have three, this is just the beginning. We’ll see where and how it takes us. Wherever that may be. But we’ll have fun along the way. I know we will.” She reassured him before she gave him one last sweet kiss before they got untangled and regrouped before he helped her put the books back into their proper places before they left the library and he walked her home. 

“Hey, did you guys find what you were looking for?” Amore asked. 

“Yup. I had some homework in future classes I wanted to get a head start on. So Ronnie offered to help me with my homework, since he’s the pro right?” Senora smiled happily. 

“Cool, cool.” Amore nodded before he put a hand on his friends shoulder. 

“Homework is one thing and school work is another. And I know you’ve always liked her, but you break her heart, I break your tail off.” Amore threatened in his ear but because of the connection, Senora’s body stood straight before her ears laid back angrily before she turned on her heel and got in your brother’s face. 

“You break his tail, I cut your dick off. He may be your friend- but he’s my friend too. He agreed to be my study partner when I asked. The rules state that older students are allowed to assist younger students when the younger students reach out to them. Which I did. I’m allowed to have those and choose the person I’m most comfortable with and for me and for right now and the near future- that’s Volron. I know you’re my big brother but if you can have sex and fuck into oblivion all of my friends at The Lotus House. So can I, right? Because it’s The Lotus House, the rules are different there and we are still going to follow and respect the rules. I graduated out of primary school and got cleared and accepted into The Lotus House School of Sexual Education- the same as you. I may be a year behind because of our natural age gap. But this is perfectly fine, acceptable and reasonable. And I would think you of all people would be happy and relieved I asked Volron and not just anyone else right? I could have asked Xorrax.” She put to her elder brother defiantly as Volron was pleasantly surprised to see and feel how protective she was over him and of their relationship and connection. 

“Woah, woah, woah.” Both Volran and Amore began to argue because Xorrax practically lived at The Lotus House’s clinic and had graduated two years ago but was basically the resident incubus in the clinic and always loved to fuck his way through every new girl who got released in the clinic. 

The next morning, Senora got into class early and discussed with Dr. Zellora about the situation and her feelings as well as her goals and aspirations of not being in the Bride Program. But actually wanting to be a teacher here, just like Dr. Zellora was. Specifically a counselor just for the growing tiefling and cubi hybrids. And that she knew about the connection she had with Volron and didn’t realize that it was breaking the spirit of any of the rules nor any other rule in the rulebook. And understood why Dr. Zellora was of course- weary and protective of her since Senora was still her student. But that such a thing should not cause any problems or concerns for either her or Volron in the future and if they needed to abstain from using their special relationship and special connection while at school, they could and would, for the sake of the others both in the school and the program and curriculum, and especially the staff. And that while Senora had been excited and eager to join The Lotus House, she was also anxious and it was Volran who assured her and reassured her that she would be ok and that that was when they set up the link, more for her anxiety than anything else and it had helped and then of course grew naturally and encompassed more from there. But that it was her reaching out and using it, and he had simply sympathized. But she did not mean to get him in trouble and did not mean to break either any specific rule or any spirit of the rules and agreed that they were there for protection, and to keep the students safe. And that she felt perfectly safe and protected and trusted Volron not to use or abuse such a relationship or trust. And that she had followed the rule of seeking him out, since he was a senior class member, and that he was definitely not preying on her or any other younger class member for that matter. And that since she was a tiefling and cubi hybrid herself, even though she physically leaned more to the tiefling side than the cubi side, her mind was closer to cubi and that’s why that link was there and so strong. 

Dr. Zellora could sense her sincerity and her earnestness to both be clear, yet keep herself and Volron out of trouble and on the good side of the rulebook. 

“We’ll I just didn’t want you to feel that your privacy was invaded or that you were being taken advantage of.” Dr. Zellora offered. 

“No, never.” Senora offered. 

“Then I’ll have the note removed and not have either of you flagged once you gain entrance into the clinic.” Dr. Zellora smiled with a nod. 

“Thank you. And while I won’t be pursuing the Bride Program. I still wouldn’t want to jeapordize any career either of us could have outside of it.” Senora offered. 

“No, of course not. And I completely understand and empathize and sympathize.” Dr. Zellora offered. 

“I know you do. And it helps. It really does. I think the next three years are going to be the best years of my education yet.” Senora beamed happily. 

“I’m sure they will be. I can’t wait to see how you continue to grow, blossom and grow.” Dr. Zellora encouraged. 

“Me either.” Senora smiled happily before the other students started to file in for the class that day.

[i-love-you-all]

54321 HCs - Sage

I did see the sage ask, but it is not in my inbox anymore bc I did try to write a little on my phone but I think I accidentally deleted it instead of saving bc it wasnt there when I went back to it.

But it's under the keep reading! Also, btw, I'm just finishing up whatever's left in my inbox (so I can go back to AC :)) )

5 things they usually see:

Burns, scrapes, and bruises. We know that she's the main mentor for Radiants (until we got to Neon), so in trying to train these younger radiants, it'd be pretty common for accidents. Like Jett twisting an ankle, Phoenix burning himself and sometimes others, and Neon with her whole issue over self control.

Darkness. I see her as someone who meditates a lot. Her peaceful state of mind is on a nice yoga mat in next to complete silence, and with her eyes closed, both aware and ignorant of the world around her. It's a moment of peace in an otherwise hectic life.

Food. Meals back home are often taken with a family where everyone has their own bowl of rice and shared veggie or meat dishes, and it's a time to be a family. Though she may not be near her family or previous found family, she has new friends that she will probably grow to see as family.

Brimstone's office or a war room. As the primary mentor to many of the radiants and probably within the trust of one of the heads of the protocol, she spends a lot of time staring down plans, schematics, and maps with Brimstone and Viper.

Flowers. I think she's a flower kind of girl who likes tending to plants in her spare time. For the other world agents, this could be how she and Omen bonded: over bonsai tree grooming.

4 things they usually feel:

The cool feeling of her powers as they manifest as ice. She is very in tune with her powers, and I think her hands aren't as warm as regular people's hands. Sure, she could choose another form perhaps, but when she throws her slow orbs or barrier and she feels that rush of cool air, there's nothing like it sometimes.

Her hair in the morning as she brushes it over and over again to achieve that high ponytail. This feels unnecessary, but I wanna point it out because, well, it takes a lot of effort to keep your hair like that, and it's to keep up her reputation/image. But just imagine, she needs to brush her long hair every morning (and when I had long hair, this sucked), make sure that she's washing it and using the right products, and tie it up without bumps or anything. This would be a daily thing too, imo, not just for practicality but also to maintain the image that she's fine, unmovable, if you will.

Injuries/blood. She may insist that she is not just a healer and most would definitely agree with her, but that is one of her roles still, so on the field, with bullets whizzing overhead and pressure on everyone's shoulders, she's the first to get to that injured teammate and get them standing again.

Chopsticks! I totally think she is the kind of person who eats everything with them. I knew a girl who lived in China all her life and left for school, and she would eat pizza, pasta, even attempt to eat hamburgers with chopsticks. I think the other agents give her strange looks sometimes but she has never cared.

3 things they usually hear:

Other agents calling for her. As mentioned, she is the healer, even if she can be more. But Jett calling her about a sprained ankle on the field, or Brimstone trying to summon her for a meeting. She is wanted by many agents for different reasons, and it's well known.

The firing of guns. As we saw in the Lotus cinematic, she keeps her skills sharp and she constantly strives to improve. She puts her self through near impossible training challenges, and relishes the stress and pressure she feels during them.

A few inner voices that echo her doubts, no matter how much she tries to avoid it. Thoughts on how Viper got snappy with her regarding her offer to "heal" Viper. Or how she cannot assist Omen in his search to be whole, or at least learn his identity. There are annoying comments her mind makes up and it sometimes gives her pause. Those are the reasons why she

2 things they usually smell:

Tea. I think green tea and... chrysanthemum tea? (question mark because I'm not sure if that's the English name) It's something she commonly had when she lived in China, and it's the best drink to settle her down after a hard or stressful day. Plus when it gets chilly or too hot, she can change the temperature at which she drink it, and it can help her adjust.

Blood/Death. As a follow up to the injures/blood thing, I think she becomes familiar enough with both to smell it in the air. I don't think it affects her anymore but there were years where she would feel her stomach twist and lurch at the smell. It's almost frightening to her that she doesn't even notice it anymore.

1 thing they usually taste:

Scorn. It's not a literal taste, but I think the first thing that jumped out at me was how different her views were from so many people. Viper chastised her for not understanding her pain and for wanting to hand wave it away, Omen constantly reminds her that her healing means that she takes away from another life, and Reyna sees her as some peaceful hippie - too weak to take what needs to get squeezed out of life for a chance at happiness.