#New Home Construction Boone

[booniebaby]

PROLOGUE: TEAR US APART

hello lovelies !! decided today is the day the prologue is coming out, please note that i left it kinda vague on purpose so more things can develop throughout the story, this is just a look into the universe! my plans are part one will be out sunday!

anyways i’ll shut up now

word count: 425

warnings: PARENTAL LOSS, DEATH, FUNERAL.

Holding on tight, until we crash.

“I don’t want you here anyways” Boone seethed into Y/N’s face. his words were filled with venom. Y/N took a step back as her tear stained cheeks reddened with anger.

“Great. Nothing holding me back then.” Y/N said almost nonchalantly. Completely pushing any emotions she had to the farthest corner of her mind as she stared into Boone’s eyes, once the boy she would have done anything for.

The phone ringing woke Y/N up. she rolled over in her empty bed that had crumpled sheets and blankets tossed around her body. Her hand came up to her sleep ridden eyes as she caught a glimpse of the time. the clock was sitting at 3:43 AM. A groan came out of Y/N when the ringing started again.

“hello?” Y/N said into the phone as she sat up and ran a hand through her hair. her words came out with a yawn before her eyes started welling with tears.

The plane ride back home felt like torture. Since earlier that morning, Y/N’s life had flipped over completely. the news of her mothers death was heartbreaking, but Y/N didn’t have a fantastic relationship with her mom, she never did. God everyone knew how insane her mommy issues were. The whole town gossiped about it constantly, but she was still her mother. The whole ride the only thing Y/N could think of was the people she left behind the moment she could get away from that town, it’s what she always wanted. But three years of having a new life was nothing compared to home.

Home to her was people. Y/N had a second family throughout her years back in her home town. a bunch of hooligans who thought they could storm chase, which turns out they could since they were all famous for it now. She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she’d see them, what things were like now for them.

Funerals were never her thing. Standing in front of her mother’s casket while people came and gave her their condolences. Y/N stood silently, almost completely zoned out, until a voice made her ears start ringing. Her eyes scanned the room for a second before she saw Tyler Owens walking up to her with a group behind him.

“Been awhile, ain’t it?” Tyler asked as he took the hat off his head in a way to offer his respect to his old friend. Y/N gave Tyler a nod of acknowledgment before her eyes almost instinctively locked with Boone’s.

******

like i said, i know it’s short BUT where this is left off will be how part one begins. i promise i have a path this thing is following, im just saving all my writing energy for the REALLL story, yk what i mean ??

anywho ! positive feedback is always appreciated, even constructive criticism as i’m just getting back into writing after years of stopping, any advice would be very appreciated !!!

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Evolutionary Adaptability

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)     When Kel had petitioned the human worlds of Jora, New Foundland, Davin VI, and Tesla’s Retreat he had thought he knew what to expect.

Though humans were still relatively young in the grand scale of galactic empires they had the most interesting, if not confounding, habit of setting up shop on any world they could find. Be it a dust ball with no atmosphere and three hundred degree sunrises, or a water world filled with ravenous creatures; humanity had shown their grit and made these worlds into new colonies and homes regardless of the danger.

Acting as a representative of his people Kel had reached out to each of those four worlds to establish trade routes. The possible wealth from each, let alone all four together, would be enough to sustain his world’s economic boon for several dozen generations.

He had been delighted when the transmissions came in one by one and each of the human worlds had agreed to meet on Kel’s homeworld to discuss the arrangements.

The first signs that things were running off the tracks was when the Jora delegation had arrived.

Kel had done his research after gathering many texts and documents regarding the human homeworld and thought himself prepared to handle the humans as they exited the landing ships. To say he was surprised when instead of tall slender bipedals massive mechanical suits ducked between the loading doors and on to the landing field would be an understatement.

These constructs were easily nine feet in height and four feet wide standing on two pairs of sharp metal legs that gave them a more insect appearance. Their hands were likewise far more different as they only had three metal talons that clicked and clacked as the machines approached him and Kel saw his reflection in the polished steel bodywork.

As if that was not enough the bodywork suddenly split open and Kel saw a fluid sack inside of the machine holding a frail looking human with numerous wires and tubes sticking out of them.

The human inside nodded to Kel in greeting and their mechanical suit mimicked the motion as well; to which Kel returned after an embarrassing moment’s hesitation.

Before Kel could inquire about the state of the Joraran’s they spoke through a robotic speaker built into their suits. It was then Kel learned that because the gravity of Jora was nearly ten times lighter compared to their natural homeworld the humans had needed to construct mechanical suits to move and live across the any other planet’s surface. If they had attempted to exit the suits and walk normally the gravity of Kel’s world would crush them like tin cans. Thinking to himself Kel imagined that was why the humans inside the machines looked so frail in comparison to their Terran born brethren.

---------- After the Joraran’s came the New Foundlanders some thirty minutes later.

This time the humans did not need to lower themselves to exit the shuttle craft. In fact, they barely came up half way inside the doorframe forcing Kel to tilt his head down and look upon them.

In contrast to the Joraran’s, the New Foundlanders were short and muscular built; coming up to Kel’s waist in height. They wore normal looking clothes standard to human fashion but the fabrics appeared strange as they New Foundlanders approached. It was as if the fabric was remaining static and unmoving despite the motions their wearers made.

Kel extended his hand in human custom to shake in glorious welcome, but to his shock the humans looked amongst themselves and shook their heads.

When Kel inquired if he had offended them somehow they stated that he had done nothing of the sort, and that their reluctance to shake his hand was more for his own safety.

Something of confusion must have cross his face as the lead New Foundlander motioned for one of Kel’s aides to toss him a pen. With a nod from Kel the aide handed a pen to the leader who promptly snapped it in two with the smallest of motions.

Kel learned that in opposite of Jora, New Foundland had gravity ten times heavier than that of earth forcing the humans who lived there to develop squat like bodies of raw muscle. On a lighter gravity world like Kel’s the mere flick of one of their fingers was enough to violently amputate the arm of anyone.

Kel thanked them for the warning and hurriedly sent the new information on to his waiting staff to ensure no one died from a handshake later that day. ---------------------

Next to arrive were the Davinites.

Kel was thankful that when the shuttle doors opened the Davinites were much like the human material he had researched prior to their meeting. They stood between 5 and 6 feet in height, were slender in body shape, and did not walk with mechanical suits or seemed overly careful what they touched.

The strangeness only began to reveal itself when Kel looked closer and saw that underneath the formal clothing the Davinites were wearing a full body bodysuit made from a strange black material. This covered every inch of what would have been exposed skin with even their eyes shielded behind large black goggles.

They shook Kel’s hand in human custom but then insisted that they leave the landing pad as soon as possible. When he asked why they were in such a hurry it was revealed to Kel that Davin VI was orbiting a red dwarf star that provided little light compared to most worlds. The day and night cycles of their world were a constant shroud of soft light, barely enough to see your hand in front of your face let alone the stars themselves.

As a result the Davinite skin had become increasingly pale in the absence of sunlight and their eyes had adapted to the lower light levels to see. Standing out in the open in natural daylight, even with the reflectors on their face, must have been like standing on the surface of the sun.

With great haste he ushered them inside and had his aides blot out the windows and greatly reduce light levels of their rooms for the duration of their stay. -------------------- The final delegation was by far the most unusual of the group in Kel’s eyes.

Unlike the previous delegations, the Teslins arrived in their own spacecraft specially designed on their homeworld. It was a massive freighter like construct easily five to six times larger than any shuttle that had arrived prior.

When the doors opened Kel was greeted by five Teslins all wearing environmental suits he had previously seen in dated records for human space travel.

They slowly walked towards Kel and shook his hand. Their leader was rather friendly and welcoming in their own right and matched him custom for custom as was befitting a delegate.

Kel had tried to resist asking about the suits they wore but thankfully they must have encountered this problem before and demonstrated the need for their suits.

With a nod from their leader one of the Teslins removed the gauntlet from their suit and exposed their hand to the open air. Nothing happened at first until Kel heard a rustle from behind him.

One of his aides was fiddling with their data pad; swatting it with their hands while they rolled it front and back. They caught Kel looking at him and said that it had suddenly died on him and that he was not sure why. The batteries had listed fully charged just a moment ago and now the device refused to power on.

Kel turned back to the Teslins and saw the previous member return their gauntlet to their suit with a loud click followed by the chime of the data pad powering up again.

The Teslin leader explained that the surface of Tesla’s Retreat was plague with frequent and violent electrical storms. The very air you breathed had a sub layer of constant energy in it regardless of where you were on the planet.

Their bodies had adapted to the electrical currents and were able to absorb and pass on energy in the surrounding area through their own bodies; much like a power relay passing on power from a power station to a waiting city.

The grandeur of their ship was a necessity as it contained multiple power units. In the event of a suit breach the Teslin’s could drain the power from a ship midflight and send everyone plummeting to their deaths; but with their design the backup generators would kick in and ensure a somewhat smooth landing.

Realizing the danger the Teslin’s presented while standing in a busy spaceport Kel ushered them inside while he tried to find transportation for them that would not kill them. -------------------------

Each of the delegations were so vastly different from what Kel had been informed of human genes and species type, and yet each of them still claimed to be just as human as the next of their kin, regardless of the vastly different features they wore.

It was a notion that Kel made scrupulous notes for future dealings with the humans, to which the delegation core all but awarded him a medal from the mounting confusion his notes would resolve in later negotiations.

[asimplearchivist]

𝓒𝓗. 𝓥 — [𓂧𓁷𓏏] (‘𝓭𝓗𝓻𝓽’ | 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼)

𝐂𝐇. 𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐊𝐄𝐏𝐓.

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 ] AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST summary ☾ ⤏ khonshu knows, logically, that your shared arrangement will not last forever—it cannot. such is the nature of humanity, to change on a whim. he realizes, however, that it is difficult to face.⤏ an unexpected boon granted from the child he’d blessed makes that concept complicated still. pairing ☽ khonshu/singlemom!avatar!reader word count ☾ 11.0k a/n ☽ [header credit] ⤏ this is one of those chapters that I struggled with greatly, if the length of time between updates is any indication. the first scene spilled forth effortlessly. the rest of it? like prying teeth. i am not one to utilize time skips to help with progressing plot because i feel it is over (and so often poorly) done, but due to the nature of this fic and its (admittedly loose) timeline in my mind, i will have to work out of my comfort zone and let it slide more than keep it rigid. hopefully the end result is halfway smooth. my apologies that it took so long��y’all’s comments really kept poking my conscience to get me going again. please enjoy! :) ☽ MASTERPOST ☾ ☾ PREVIOUS CHAPTER ⤎ ☥ ⤏ NEXT CHAPTER ☽

Human courtship rituals had never made sense in ancient history, and they certainly didn't in the present day—even less so, perhaps.

What one culture might have found offensive, another regarded it as a necessity. Taboos and essentials abounded without any sense of rationality, nor any modicum of moderation. Such social constructs appeared difficult enough to navigate without accounting for the fickle natures of mortals with their own individual preferences. Everyone had a 'type', and everyone expected a certain list of behaviors to be demonstrated by suitors of that type—often without communicating such needs to their partner, expecting them to intrinsically know what to do, and when or how to do it.

The entire ordeal always seemed pointless to Khonshu. At the end of the process, no matter how varied, the result was the same: the humans copulated, and most produced children as a result of the union. Many realized that their partner was not as appealing as once anticipated or chose to deceive them, so splits in family units were common—though so much more in the past couple of centuries than ever before. Children were always torn in the tumult that such division wrought despite its necessity at times.

Khonshu had observed it time and again, this so-called "love" about which humans waxed so wistfully in endless records of poetry and songs and art, frequently the perpetrator of heartache and sorrow and war. It blinded and leached and crumbled anyone and anything it touched. Once he was called upon by new couples for assistance in starting families, to heal their loved ones or children, or to protect a traveling husband and father while journeying back to his home throughout the night. That alone wearied him, dealing with the outer echelons of matrimony and the like—he had never understood how his kin could deal so intimately in the very heart of those matters, as messy and complicated as such feelings grew to be, without feeling exhausted at all times.

Love wasn't simple. Love had layers and contexts and depths that Khonshu didn't care to traverse. It had no concrete definition, no factual basis. It was not his specialty by any means. The judgment and execution of justice had been his closest companion for over a millenia, and it was all he needed.

His proximity to the greatest folly of humanity had narrowed significantly, once he'd reduced his influence. Even still, countless avatars under his auspices had been inflicted by romantic inclination, often resulting in him having to turn them loose to pursue it to its fullest. A mortal with no one for whom to live was a useful implement, lacking attachment—a mortal devoted to another, and to those they may create, was always harder to hone and utilize. Past experience dictated that it was better to cut ties and seek out another mortal more suited to the role he would give them.

He knew it would be better to leave you now, before the turmoil of conflicting interests set in...but he couldn't quite fathom bringing himself to do so.

Khonshu sat wordlessly within a tall windowsill of a bleak, gray brick office building across the street from the multi-level, upper-class restaurant to which your unannounced courter had brought you, arms coiled around his folded knees with his staff gripped tightly in his hands against his shins. The cold winds, acquiescent to his dour mood, whipped through the street below, snarling and biting with frigid teeth at the tails of his tattered cloak. The humans milling about hunkered into their coats and scarves to stave off their shivers, but Khonshu remained deathly still as he peered through the broad glass windows spilling sultry golden light onto the glistening pavement. The gentleman had chosen a small booth flush with the view into the narrow stone garden lining the sidewalk, sitting across from you and leaning attentively forward as you chattered on with a smile. He had driven his vehicle with caution and had opened the doors of both his car and the building for you. You were clearly charmed, fingers coiled around the stem of your glass of wine, eyelashes cast low over your eyes, heart fluttering incessantly against the inside of your ribs—he could feel it as acutely as the odd, foreign tightness within his own chest.

Khonshu had followed from lamppost to banister to rooftop the entire drive into uptown London, withholding himself from your field of vision—you'd grown attuned to his presence while he remained in the astral realm (much to his chagrin), looking over your shoulder like a tense prey animal every time you sensed him near, but if he maintained a certain distance from you he seemed to be able to avoid your detection. He kept his magic as close as possible, folded carefully around himself in a shroud that would (hopefully) conceal him from your view. 

Your "date" was a good-looking man, obviously wealthy, with a sincere interest in you—Khonshu could discern no evident wrongdoing in him, no lingering malice. You found him attractive, too, if your subconscious behaviors were any indication. Your clear apprehension had evaporated almost instantly with his disarming, genteel mannerisms. He would likely care for you, with ample room to spare for your child, given his experience with his own—he would unquestionably be able to see to your needs. After that man had ruined your marriage, you'd remained mostly independent, other than your reliance on Elizabeth—but Khonshu hadn't considered that you would potentially, eventually seek out another partner with whom to share your burdens.

Khonshu had no say in the matter. He knew, logically, that he should start seeking out another candidate to be his avatar. It was difficult enough for you to care for your son, maintain your occupation, and serve himself well into the wee hours of morning, all while maintaining your secret from your closest friend—entering a new relationship would be next to impossible to manage. He had favored you for far longer and had devoted more time and power to you than he had to any of his avatars in decades—the reason he'd chosen you to begin with was an unusual one, unconventional by the Ennead's standards. It was bound to unravel at some point. The sands of time would shift, and he would yet again be moving on to another human destined to dwindle away.

And yet...

Khonshu watched you head tilt with laughter, your hand rising to cover your mouth to stifle the noise. The gentleman's eyes shone as he watched, grinning from ear to ear. His fingertips brushed yours to the side of the small appetizer plate, ginger and shy. The boiling inferno brewing within the lunar god caused the ancient wood of his staff to creak dangerously under his unforgiving grip.

Khonshu hated getting involved in humans' personal affairs. He had given too much of himself away in the days of old attempting to garner dedication from his followers—oftentimes his efforts had been shortly forgotten, their faith and worship lost once their needs had been met. He owed them nothing, even if he relied upon them for what scant sustenance he gleaned from day to day—there was a reason that his kindred had all but abandoned humanity thousands of years ago. He ultimately owed you nothing, despite the unusual circumstances of him becoming intertwined into your life.

...And yet.

Khonshu continued to observe (to make sure you were truly safe, of course—it still was his job to protect you for the time being, after all, even if that time may have been unexpectedly cut shorter due to newly developing events). He watched the waitress bring out your entrees and refills for your drinks, watched you eat far more primly than you ever did in the comfort of your own home. The gentleman continued to prove himself responsible, at least—he opted for water after his first alcoholic beverage, since he was your chauffeur for the night. You did the same, for the sake of exercising caution.

Khonshu studied (not for the first time, though he wouldn't dare admit it to himself nor another soul) your features in the borderline otherworldly lighting: the glossy sheen of your hair framing your face, the curve of your cheek, the confident jut of your chin, the feathered, gossamer shadows cast by your lashes—all accented with a brazen splash from the interior of the restaurant against the heathery gloom seeping in through the window. Khonshu hadn't seen you dress in raiment any finer than your work uniforms or your loungewear, much less the soft pigments applied to your face, but you appeared rather fetching to the eye. The gentleman had definitely taken notice, if the frequent tugging at his buttoned collar was any indication.

Food consumed and water downed, the pair of you settled in over a dessert—two separate spoons delved into the same dish. Khonshu turned his attention to the man with a far more critical gaze, noting the tension in his shoulders paired with the tightness in the corner of his mouth. Where minutes before he'd been entirely invested in your company, now he tapped his foot incessantly against the tile beneath the table. Anxiety? Or anticipation?

Mid-bite, the gentleman stopped. He dropped his eyes to the tablecloth, set his spoon to the side, and murmured something that caused your expression to morph faintly into concern. You responded, offering him a small smile, and watched him as he folded the cloth napkin laid over his lap, set it to the side, and stood to make a bee-line deeper into the establishment and out of Khonshus' sight.

Ideas raced through Khonshu's mind. He'd seen such behavior numerous times: of predators growing excited to latch onto their prey. The mere thought that the man could have the audacity to bring you any harm nearly blinded him with boiling rage.

Before he could even form another comprehensible thought, Khonshu had already dropped into the booth across from you in the gentleman's place, throwing down his invisibility with a snap that made you jump and curse out loud. Several other patrons near your table cast sidelong glances of incredulity, murmuring amongst themselves.

You stared at him for a beat, eyes rounded and lips parted, before snatching your phone out of your purse and pressing it to your ear—though your heated gaze never faltered from his.

"You could've given me a little warning," you hissed, and the lingering scrutiny from the other humans was dismissed for the acceptance of your simply taking an unexpected call. "What are you doing?"

He is acting suspiciously, Khonshu growled, leaning over the table. He was comically large compared to it; the tops of his thighs would be pressing into its underside if he were corporeal. I suggest that you leave while he's distracted.

"What do you mean?" you questioned, frowning.

He has grown nervous. He may be preparing to act upon his deceit. I have seen such behavior before in individuals new to malfeasance or working as a front for others.

Your brows wrinkled in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Khonshu squeezed the grip of his staff, propped to the side of the plush leather seat. Despite the lack of moonlight, I can take you back—

"Have you been spying on me?" you interrupted sharply.

Khonshu stopped, taken aback by your anger. I—

"Oh my god, you were," you continued, voice pitching. You pressed your face into your free hand, propping an elbow on the edge of the table. "You were actually—" You let out a harsh sigh, squeezing your eyes shut. "I cannot believe you."

I am trying to keep you out of danger, Khonshu began, voice hardening, and that man—

"Is as harmless as a dove." You lifted your gaze back to him, blazing like wildfire. "I've never tried prying into your personal matters when you're not hanging around me. This is the one night a month I don't have to run around the city for you, and you still can't let me have any damned privacy."

Rarity of rarities, Khonshu was rendered speechless by your audacity. He let out a low rumble, his free fist curling atop the tablecloth. The glasses shivered where they stood, their melting ice cubes rattling. You forget exactly to whom you speak.

"My damned chaperone, apparently," you growled right back. "I am a grown-ass adult and I can handle myself—"

Sodjem eni, Sri mewt—Ianuk mktyek*! the god of the moon boomed from the depths of his chest, rattling the cutlery and porcelain. A couple having exited the restaurant inadvertently let in a violent gust of frigid wind through the door that nearly blew the host at the front off his feet. The other patrons shivered and eyed their table settings warily. You would do well to heed my warning—

"You've taught me how to defend myself, and I'd be able to get away if I had to," you retorted. "But for god's sake, Khonshu, it's just a date—"

A soft, uncertain clearing of one's throat caused you to jump again, turning and placing your phone face-down on the tabletop. The gentleman was back, face wan and eyes reddened, looking rather downtrodden compared to his earlier assured demeanor.

"Gideon, what's wrong?" you asked immediately, concern flooding over you in place of your ire. Khonshu leaned back, eyeing him skeptically. "Are you okay?"

"I am all right, choupinette." He offered you a small, thin smile. "I have already taken care of the bill." You opened your mouth to protest, but he waved you off gently. "Please, it is the least I could do for troubling you." He picked up his coat from the back of the seat, shrugging it on and extended an open hand to help you stand. "I need to discuss something personal with you, however."

You frowned, glancing towards Khonshu, but accepted the man's assistance—he held your coat for you as you threaded your arms through, cradled your purse as you buttoned up and readjusted your scarf, and offered you his elbow as he walked you back out into the cold night air. Khonshu followed closely behind, looming just within arm's reach of you.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed your company tonight," Gideon told you quietly, tucking you into his side to block off the wind blustering by and tugging at the ends of your hair. "You are a delightfully intellectual woman, and I hope you enjoyed yourself."

"I did," you confessed. You were watching his face, gauging—and you'd occasionally peek over your shoulder at your brooding shadow. "Thank you for taking me out, it was really nice. I appreciate your time—and you didn't have to foot the ticket."

"You are welcome." Gideon's gaze was fixated upon the street. "But please do not rob me of my courtesy—I was raised to have chivalry." He lightly squeezed your gloved hand with his own, taking a steadying breath. "...I was not entirely forthcoming with you, I am afraid."

You tensed slightly. Khonshu observed the flash of several emotions over your face—surprise, suspicion, distrust, namely—in time with your racing thoughts. Is he secretly remarried? Was he just after sex? Did he chicken out because you had repulsed him somehow? "I'd really rather you be transparent with me," you finally said, low and tight.

"It is what you are owed for your earnesty and patience with me." He finally met your beseeching stare, gray eyes glimmering. A fine, misty drizzle began to descend from the mantle of clouds hanging low overhead, catching on your eyelashes. "I...please, do not take this as any lack of interest on my part. You are truly a fine woman whom any man of sense and repute should pursue. Neither did I mean to deceive you in any way."

Your brow rose, just so, and you became a little more guarded. "Alright...?"

"...It's...difficult to express in a manner that wouldn't cause you any offense nor hurt." His expression wrinkled with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. "But I suppose I should just be plain, instead. I...truthfully, I thought that I might be ready to seek out another relationship, after…one that is long-term, preferably, as I would like to have stability for Abielle's sake. You have always been kind to me, and I have long admired you for your talents and capabilities since you were hired. You are dependable and steadfast, and you are not frivolous nor capricious as many other women are. You are one of the sincerest people that I have met here in England, and I..." He sighed and shook his head, voice thickening with every word. He attempted to clear his throat. "I apologize if it seems that I have led you on, but I suspect I will be unable to continue any future dates for...a while yet."

"Oh," you murmured, expression softening instantly. "No, Gideon, that's—entirely understandable. Did you think I'd be angry with you?"

He opened his mouth, debated on a response, then finally nodded remorsefully.

You stopped walking, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and placed your hands on his arms. He could scarcely meet your eyes. "It's entirely normal to grieve a loved one for a long time," you told him patiently. "If you've had anybody telling you that you should be over it by now, they are entirely in the wrong. Everyone processes things a little differently. You'll know when you're ready to take on any changes in your life before anyone else does, so don't feel pressured to do anything that makes you uncomfortable because it's 'normal' or whatever."

He bit his lip, gratitude bleeding from him in waves. "I...thank you."

You offered him a small, wry grin. "Want to hug it out, Doc?"

Your attempt to lighten the mood worked like magic. Gideon laughed softly, wetly, and pulled you in close for a long moment. You did not release him until he drew back, patting his arm again. He dipped his head, cheeks darkening. "I...suppose I got overwhelmed. I did not know how you would react."

"Believe me, I understand more than you might think." You offered him your elbow this time, instead, and the pair of you continued to walk towards the parking garage on the other side of the block. Khonshu allowed a bit more distance between himself and you, continuing to observe. "I don't think I'm over my ex quite yet, either."

To his credit, Gideon's expression darkened for the first time that evening at the mere mention of that man. "I am sorry for what he did to you, choupinette. No one deserves that, and you least of all."

You shrugged a shoulder, dismissing it before you could dwell on it for too long. "I'm fine with just having Ru for right now. I think I've realized that I don't want to have to worry about a relationship for a long time." You chuckled softly, shaking your head. "Maybe tonight was good for the both of us."

"Perhaps," Gideon agreed. "...No hard feelings?"

"None," you chirped. You winked at him. "Now I just get bragging rights in the ward."

His low laughter tapered as you both rounded the corner. "You know it will infuriate the lot of them..."

Khonshu's stride slowed to a stop, the winds all but gone as the drizzle grew into a right and proper rain. The rigidity of his shoulders had fallen, and where once his fury had seethed in the pit of his belly, an unyielding lump remained lodged deep within his chest instead. He heard your laughter over the slosh of tires cutting through the water running into the gutters, almost out of earshot.

Khonshu's fingers tightened, and he slammed the end of his staff into the wet pavement as he punched himself back through the veil into the astral realm.

“Are you going to admit that you were wrong and threw a tantrum, or are we going to keep agreeing to disagree?”

Khonshu didn’t dignify you with a response, hunching forward and glaring down into the street brimming with civilians below the building upon the edge of which the pair of you perched. You sat on the crumbling brickwork, kicking your legs idly as you watched the goings-on—the vendors had thrown open the doors of their establishments, spilling shafts of warm golden light upon the damp pavement that glittered like spilled, shattered glass. Children ran to and fro, laughing and shrieking and chattering as they migrated from door to door in myriad costumes. It being a secluded part of the city at so late an hour, most people were walking on foot rather than in vehicles. Parents walked idly behind their darting progeny, conversing between themselves as they kept watchful eyes upon the overdressed terrors.

A month had slid by in one-sided conversations and, eventually, discomfit silences. Khonshu rarely spent much more time in your presence than what was strictly necessary for instruction and further training. You had become rather adept at sparring with him, though the unpredictability of strangers still caught you unawares at times—even still, you rarely incurred many injuries these days, and only the previous night you’d stopped a bank from being robbed at gunpoint without incurring a scratch. You had grown accustomed to the route that Khonshu directed you every night, so more often than not he merely had to point out a particular situation or redirect you for dire occasions, watching you act and react mostly from afar.

Khonshu hadn’t spoken a single word out of turn regarding your tasks in more than a week, yet you still addressed him the same as you always had—infuriatingly irreverent and incessantly curious.

You turned your head to peer up at him, mercurial eyes narrowed slightly. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll be taking that as a yes, Big Bird. Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Khonshu’s knuckles creaked as he stood up and straightened. We should move on.

“Oh, you’re still ignoring me. Cool.” You bobbed your head briefly, letting out a sigh. “Because you’re actually five years old rather than several millennia.”

There is nothing to be found here. Khonshu stepped up onto the lip of the building, preparing to leap off and slip into the astral realm. There are skirmishes further into the city that need attending to.

“Are they urgent?”

He turned his skull to peer critically at you.

You had stood, likewise, and had your hands placed firmly on your hips. He had the distinct impression that you raised a brow at him.

Minor squabbles, he shared reluctantly.

“Okay.” You pointed at him. “I’ve gathered that I upset you, but nothing came of it. What can I do to fix this?”

Fix what? he grumbled, half-turning, half tempted to disappear to avoid the conversation altogether.

You gestured agitatedly between yourself and him. “This—whatever weird tension this is. You’re pissed off at me but I can’t seem to get you to calm down no matter what I do. You’re even more constipated than usual.”

I know not of what you speak, he responded.

“The hell you don’t,” you retorted. You squared your frame, comically small, still, to his height—posturing like a lap dog. “This is the first semi-constructive conversation we’ve had in weeks. You’re not even visiting Ru like you had been!” At his stiffening shoulders, you squinted at him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that. You’re not as subtle as you think.”

Khonshu raised a hand to point at you in response, but you cut him off.

“I don’t know what you want from me to get you to pull your beak out of your ass, but you’re not getting an apology. What I do on my one night off and during my free time is my business. I wasn’t in any danger, and even if I was you don’t have to hover over me like I’m about to run off the first chance I get—”

Khonshu slumped in spite of himself, bracing his weight into his staff. Even if the shift was minute, even to his own perception, you caught the movement effortlessly—you saw right through him at times, and, truly, it frightened surprised him.

Your eyes widened slightly to take him in, and he watched the bandages retreat from your face beneath the hood to reveal your softened expression. He went rigid once more at your scrutiny, twisting his forearm to curl around the staff’s hilt, and resisted the urge to back down. You would not intimidate him—he was the god of the night sky, older than time itself, and you were a mere mortal, an inconsequential speck of stardust in the grand scheme of the universe’s endless cycle. What was a human to a god?

“Khonshu,” you said softly. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”

That was not what he had expected nor what he wanted you to say.

I misread the situation, he acquiesced, if all but to avoid the dangerous edge of borderline sympathy creeping into your tone.

“And overreacted.” Your gaze narrowed, just so. “You were worried about me.”

Your conviction, the lack of uncertainty, caused his wrappings to itch. He turned to face the street once more. Some of the people had moved on, so it wasn’t nearly as crowded. If you dally any longer, the travelers—

“Khonshu.”

Despite every iota of iron-wrought willpower he possessed, he stopped. He didn’t even understand why.

“We made a deal. I don’t go back on my word.” You stepped closer—the scuff of your soles and the shift of linen gave it away. “Until you decide you don’t want me as your avatar anymore, I’ll try my best to work with you. I just need some space every now and then—that’s a normal thing for humans, to need some times to themselves. It’s good for our mental health so we don’t get burnt out.”

Khonshu was filled with immediate revulsion when your hand rested lightly on the crook of his elbow—not with you, your warmth beneath the gauze of his armor, nor your gentleness as though you were approaching a wild, cornered animal—but for the way he flinched at the not-so-unexpected touch, and for the way that you pulled away instantly, as though concerned for his well-being rather than your own fear of getting snapped at, which normally drove you.

It does not matter to me what you do, he rumbled. Your life is your own, no matter what portion of it I dictate. He did not want to have this conversation—everything within him was coiled up in protest, every instinct screaming at him to get away and ignore it and flee from you and your infuriatingly perspicacious gaze alike. (He should release you now. You knew too much, and if you learned more he was certainly doomed. He couldn’t afford that—couldn’t afford the devastation it would cause. He should, but he couldn’t. What did he want, truly?) But…you deserved better. You’d been through enough, and you valued trust above all else. He knew you, he knew why. It was the least he could do to repay you, for everything that you had done for him—you and your son. (...What had you done for him, exactly?) I…will release you, if that is what you wish.

“Is that what you want?”

Were Khonshu capable of it in his present state, he would have scowled. How was it that you were always able to catch him so unawares with your responses? You were so very vexing. It does not matter what I want. You are my ward, and it is my duty to—

“I’m not asking you about duty. I’m asking you about your desire. You can’t seem to stand being around me, yet I can’t hardly get rid of you. You ignore me, but no matter what I do you stick around. If I’m that much of a bother to you, then you need to tell me if you want me gone. I don’t much appreciate it when people drag me along without telling me what they really think and feel—I’ve had enough people lie to me in the last couple of years, and frankly I’ve had my fill. So I need you to be honest with me. You promised me that you’d be honest with me.”

Khonshu’s hands ached from the strength with which he ground his joints together clutching his staff. Truly a miracle it was that the enchanted cedar had yet to snap as often as he stressed its groaning grain. I never said that, he responded automatically. He barely gave his word on anything in which he wasn’t entirely confident—and his incomplete disclosure with you was the very source of his internal turmoil, to begin with. He had implied his compliance with your desire for honest communication above all else, but had never sworn to it for this very reason. He simply could not afford to tell you everything—for then you would know far too much, and it would inadvertently place you on the path to inevitable and far more incredible danger as a result. I promised—’pinky promised’—that I would catch you should you ever fall.

You fell silent for a long moment, considering—he felt your gaze heavy and heated upon his profile, as well as the brumous ambiance of your thoughts threatening to overcome your restraint. He, too, resisted the urge to look at you, because it would unmake him and every wall he had ever painstakingly built with bloody fingers and trembling hands.

That was why he should let you go. You held too much power over him to handle.

“Then catch me,” you finally said.

Capricious neket-iadet**, he inwardly growled—outwardly, he questioned, What?

“Keep your word,” you told him plainly, and just as he broke his resolve and turned his skull to glare at you for your incomprehension, he watched you decisively take a step backwards off the edge of the building and allow your body to tumble after it.

For a briefest moment of time—slowed and agonizing, as was his gut instinct to cast as everything within him dropped in shock—he watched you descend into open air. The impact with the concrete below would maim you, if not kill you instantly based on the trajectory. You were always wary of making any jumps, regardless of the height and of his assurances that the breezes would carry you, and yet instead of screaming you merely gazed at him with placid confidence. You didn’t look down, fully focused on him as you were, and didn’t even flinch.

In a blink, Khonshu rushed after you. The resulting gale of wind in his wake blasted anything unattached in the street below—paper and confetti and banners snapped in protest. Within the span of time it took for you to suck in a breath, he had snatched you up and pinned you firmly upon the opposite rooftop, caged in by his arms as his entire body shook mightily.

What the hell were you thinking? he snarled. Are you trying to bring yourself to harm?!

You merely stared up at him, only mildly dazed, nonplussed by his fingertips digging so deeply into the brickwork directly next to your head that it crumbled into dust. You reached up slowly, but despite expecting it and doing nothing to avoid it, his body still went rigid as your fingers—unbound, soft and smooth and so very warm—traced the jagged, uneven edge of his mandible with the most delicate of touches. You didn’t pull away that time, only gauged his reactions like one would a child: with a low, steady tone and a gentle, unflinching gaze.

Just like you did with Ru upon the rare occasion of being inconsolably upset.

“Now I’ve got your full attention,” you murmured, “and it only took me putting myself in harm’s way. Who would’ve thought?”

Khonshu stiffened further, feeling each individual ridge and arch and whorl of your fingerprint as the sensation seared itself into his very marrow. Every ounce of willpower he possessed was focused upon remaining unyielding, for if he faltered now, he would melt beyond repair. When was the last time he had been touched with reverence rather than wroth?

“I’m not going to hurt you,” you told him. “Not intentionally. Just like I know you’d never hurt me.” Your exploratory trail curled directly under the arch of his ocular cavity and followed the curve of his beak downward. “You asked me to trust you, Khonshu, and I’ve been doing my best to do just that. But I need you to trust me, too, if this is going to work.”

His resolution cracked, and his quaking resumed with greater force than before—if you noticed it, however, you gave no indication.

“And I will stay as long as you’ll have need of me, and not a second more,” you continued quietly. Your fingertips stopped at the taper at the end of his beak, unheeding of the sharpness as you hooked them underneath to anchor him in—as though he weren’t already fixated to your touch. “So don’t shut me out. We’re a team, remember? Even if you call the shots. I can’t help you if you withdraw like this. I can’t exactly read minds.”

You couldn’t, but he could. And, oh, how calm yours was, blissfully unaware of the tempest brewing within his own—as serene as an oasis drenched in the receding light of a blazing sunset, uncaring that his comparatively massive frame trapped you in full range of his physical and magical might with nowhere to run. He could bask in that security if he allowed himself the indulgence, bathe in the unadulterated safety you felt in his presence. You did trust him. You were not afraid of him—you never had been. You saw him, through him, despite everything that he had done for thousands of years to remain indistinguishable to most, including his kin. He couldn’t risk you worming your way in past his shell, couldn’t fathom the thought of you seeing more and discovering more and knowing more—he wouldn’t survive it.

He didn’t call the shots, not really.

You were in danger, but you were dangerous.

He could scarcely take it.

You know nothing, he croaked; a weak incantation, one he knew he couldn’t validate.

You blinked once, but didn’t immediately respond. He couldn’t withstand the burden of your gaze, yet never wanted to be parted from it.

“About what?” you pressed softly.

About my desire, lay on the very tip of his incorporeal tongue, but he retained enough self-control instead to growl, About what it means to trust a god.

“But I’m trying to,” you told him. “I want to.”

You shouldn’t. It slipped, this time. He was helpless to resist it—to resist you.

“So sue me.” Your brows furrowed. “You’re stuck with me until you decide to get rid of me, Big Bird, so you better get used to it. I’ll stand at your side, but not behind you. If you have a problem with that, you need to speak now or forever hold your peace.”

He had nothing to say, except, …Very well. But you bring this upon yourself, Sri mewt.

You quirked a brow at him. “I didn’t accept the offer to be your avatar without expecting some degree of hardship. But consider that I might need this as much as you do, Khonshu.”

Khonshu hesitated, your thoughts inextricably brushing along the edge of his own: I need you. You’re too important to me now to lose.

He retreated, then, abruptly—physically and mentally. Your lips parted as he shifted and straightened, upright a good three paces away from your prostrate form before you could blink.

Forgive me, he muttered, leaning into his staff wearily.

“It’s all right,” you responded carefully, sitting up and climbing to your feet. Your eyes were brimming with questions and curiosity, but to his relief you settled on, “Did I hurt you?”

No, he said. Despite himself, he added quietly, I am simply unused to it.

“Okay. Just tell me if you ever want me to stop,” you reply, and you don’t know how badly he wanted to take you up on your offer—to demand that you stop everything, like constantly chipping away at his barriers, or looking at him like he’s something to be understood with care rather than downtrodden, or making him question everything he’d ever thought he’d known about himself so fervently that he was no longer certain of anything anymore.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He was in too deep, past the point of no return, and he knew it—he knew it as intimately as he knew the contours of your body just underneath his armor, the frequency of your voice vibrating within his skull, and the exact number of crinkles in the corners of your eyes whenever you smiled as brilliantly as the moon at your son—yet he could summon no strength to pull himself back from the very brink of the sheer insanity he was willing to and already enduring for the sake of continuing to have you so close. It would arguably hurt him worse to part himself from you, now, than to push you away.

He would be made the continued mockery of the gods if they knew how desperately he craved to be subservient to you rather than the other way around.

“Hey.”

He refocused on you, realizing that he had totally missed you stepping directly in front of him. You could put your forehead on his torso if you just leaned forward a bit.

“I’m always here to listen if you want or need to talk,” you told him. “You’ve listened to me rant plenty of times. It’s only fair of me to offer the same favor.” The faintest wry quirk of your mouth twisted every metaphorical organ in his chest cavity, and he couldn’t breathe even if he had to. “I can’t even imagine what goes on in that empty skull of yours, and I’d rather avoid any squabbles that would make you give me the cold shoulder for so long again, if possible.”

I will…endeavor to remember that. He turned and faced the cityscape once more, bandages crawling with discomfort after the weight of the entire conversation finally struck him. Let us move on. There is work to be done.

“Lead on,” you told him, drawing the gauze back over your face and hands.

Khonshu wordlessly summoned a fierce gust to carry you halfway across London as he slipped back into the invisible safety of the astral realm to observe like the coward he truly was.

Khonshu, as always, was able to suppress the majority of his internal conflict enough for your shared routine to return to relative normalcy over the course of the next couple of weeks. You were comfortable enough to resume your oft one-sided conversations with him while he lingered in your home during the day just as he finally allowed himself to return to that habit, though his extended silences were due mainly to contemplation rather than avoidance (since you still saw it fit to ask him every question man could seem to conjure under the sun), and you seemed to be satisfied by the familiarity of it. 

Your skills only continued to improve, and oftentimes he no longer felt the need to intervene in your skirmishes, even when you faced a disadvantage. You were clever—definitely too cunning for your own good—and now that he had successfully equipped you with the knowledge and muscle memory to deal effectively with your adversaries, you outsmarted them more often than not strictly on account of being faster and unpredictable.

Ironic, certainly, that the bane of his existence was your sharp, analytical mind, and yet he valued it so greatly in the field to execute his vengeance.

Although he didn’t find himself particularly inclined to tell you so, for it would surely go to your head and render you even more insufferable than your smuggest of days discovering such great delight in incessantly needling his ever-waning patience, he was extremely pleased with your progress. You were eager to learn whenever he would introduce a new technique or ability to you, and usually you had mastered it within a week in execution. He hadn’t had so skilled and studious an avatar in decades, as sufficient as the last several had proven, and despite the inward dread he felt at your personal life intermingling so unabashedly into his, he was increasingly grateful as every night passed that he had decided to go out on a limb for you.

Even if the long-term benefits arguably outweighed the present ones.

Ru was growing stronger and developing his mother’s wits at what normally would have been an alarming rate in a normal child. Being so consistently exposed to Khonshu and his power was feeding the blessing in that child and causing it to manifest in his strapping health and burgeoning development. His physician had told you, surprise plain in his features, that he was farther along than he should be—not a bad sign, surely, just unexpected and, to uneducated human minds, inexplicable.

You didn’t seem to bat an eye at the concept, really. You truly only cared for him to be healthy and happy over the odd, if not beneficial, traits he demonstrated.

Khonshu himself was thankful that you chose not to question any of that, at least. And he was relieved to be able to observe the child unscrutinized once more.

The boy was growing faster than Khonshu could reasonably fathom. The god of the moon remembered what it was like to be young—cradled in his mother’s arms, perched on her lap, and guided by her hand clasping his. A Heliopolitan’s lifespan could not be truly compared to a human’s, as he had mentioned to you before, on account of the differing biologies. But he had been a child once, though he’d grown far more rapidly into adulthood than mortals could imagine. The Egyptians had struggled to comprehend his vastly differing appearances throughout time, leading to his myriad depictions varying so widely in reliefs, statues, and literature.

Even still, Khonshu had never remained in such close proximity to a human child—nevermind one that he had blessed (though he had monitored those in the past, he had mostly disregarded their existence until they were old enough to prove themselves useful for servitude). Possessing no offspring of his own, he ought not to have any practical experience or knowledge beyond what he’d learned by exposure over time, but it was startlingly easy, instinctual even, to interact with the boy. He was mild-mannered, rarely fussed without good reason, and observed with far more intelligence than Khonshu could ever have anticipated.

His incessant inquisitiveness, it seemed, was a hereditary trait passed directly on from his mother.

Badru was now five months old, and Khonshu scarcely recognized the swaddled bundle of ruddy, rounded flesh you had brought into the world. His eyes were bright and attentive, constantly tracking your movements as long as you were within viewing range—but they always seemed to find Khonshu even before he’d manifest into the physical plain. He still struggled with mobility, but he touched everything within his reach to study its texture and color with as rapt a fixation as you did your paperwork. He was particularly adept at finding the most tender places to tug Khonshu’s wrappings, the deity had come to learn—despite his stern, if long-suffering, scoldings not to grab his beak, the boy would only giggle in rebellious mockery and continue with his mischief.

Khonshu tried not to connect with him too much, he really did—it would only lead to disaster in the future. But everything the child did, everything he thought (although his thoughts were still rudimentarily instinctual), drew Khonshu’s own dormant curiosity. Khonshu knew the effects that a child conceived under a crescent moon combined with his blessings experienced based on the differences the adults displayed in the past: improved senses, memory, intelligence, strength, reflexes, agility, among other comparatively minor enhancements upon humanity’s inherently flawed physiology—but he had failed to realize how early that these traits would impact an infant’s early growth.

You were certainly proud of your son’s development, even if you didn’t question its rapid rate. You spent as much time as physically possible with the boy, stimulating him with toys, stories, and teaching that Khonshu found painfully rudimentary but, ultimately, necessary. You were flourishing as a mother, truly, and nothing quite matched the sight of your blinding smiles when you did interact with him.

The joy that the babe undeniably brought you mitigated Khonshu’s underlying guilt for the most part—but the moments where you trudged with weariness, pushed your limits beyond reason, and tried to hide your lows only reminded him exactly whose fault it was that you struggled.

Khonshu, despite his reluctance to nurture the child’s dependence upon him, wanted to help you wherever he could, though he was limited to what he could offer besides healing the boy and holding him when you were busy with chores. The child seemed magnetized to his presence, did everything he could to get to him and gets his grubby little fingers on him, and Khonshu was uncertain whether it was caused by his blessing or by some innate fascination with the familiarity of the hulking eldritch deity making himself comfortable in their home. And, over time, Khonshu came to the realization that there was an unexpected side benefit to directly interacting with the boy.

Khonshu was unsuited to understand the exact nature of his powers and abilities, much less how they worked (such comprehension was better explained by the likes of Heka)—so to anticipate that such a connection would form some sort of feedback loop with Khonshu’s wellspring would have been impossible. Even simply touching the child resulted in a shocking amount of power directed back into the deity. It only amplified the more that Khonshu spent time around him, particularly when he spoke, even if was derogatory or chastisement.

Even though the replenishment was relatively small compared to what Khonshu used to receive in praise, prayers, and offerings (something he lamented often, especially on nights of the new moon), it was far more than he’d gleaned in decades. The nourishment was invaluable, and Khonshu had begun to notice the slight changes it made in his current manifestation—his wrappings had stopped their gradual decay, perhaps even had reverted, he felt stronger, and his magic had improved in efficacy and speed. It only assisted your endeavors, as the armor became more resilient, improved your superhuman abilities, and healed you faster when you incurred injuries.

Further experimentation would be required to determine the quantitative supply of what the boy was capable of returning to his patron, but for the time being Khonshu found that he could not fault you for the amount of happiness Badru brought you. His laughter was easily provoked, whether it was through physical prods to his midsection and underarms or Khonshu’s grave, booming tone. What prompted the reaction the most, however, was an odd game Khonshu observed you play with the infant on numerous occasions. You would conceal your face behind your hands, wait until the babe would utter a noise of confusion, and then reveal yourself with a soft exclamation. Despite the fact that you may have repeated the action numerous times prior to the current occasion, Badru would react the exact same—with equal parts surprise and mirth.

It puzzled Khonshu, truly. You had explained the concept of object permanence to him when he’d inquired about the boy’s worryingly consistent forgetful behavior (as well as the lack thereof that Badru would not develop for some time), but he still had trouble wrapping his mind around it. You sat with the boy on your lap, yet the child acted as though you had disappeared from the face of the earth simply because he could not see your face. Asinine, perhaps, but…Khonshu’s judgement was belayed by a certain (if limited) amount of endearment.

It would benefit Khonshu in the long run to conduct the aforementioned experiments while he remained in your good graces (at least for the time being), and if he could do so while entertaining the child when you were busy…well, what did humans say about two birds and one stone?

He decided to try it one late evening when Elizabeth was out on a date. The pair of you had joked about the bad luck she’d had the last time since you had (not so) unexpectedly gone into labor in the middle of her dinner, but since you possessed no more tricks up your sleeve to interfere you encouraged the ginger to go out and have a good time—and, like Khonshu had observed you two do when you went on your ‘date’ with the gentleman, Elizabeth told you her expected destinations, estimated durations, and potential secondary locations while updating her tracking on her cellular device. You had promised her with only some mirth that if anything malicious happened to her, you’d descend like the fury of hell upon her paramour—Khonshu had been forced to stifle a chuckle at the oblivious eye-roll your friend with which your friend had responded to your only half-hearted threat.

You were left to your own devices, then, being off that night. You went about the motions of cooking supper, and Khonshu bided his time looming in the living room until Badru began to get bored with the blunted wooden blocks you’d laid out for him to play with and notify you of his malcontent with soft, displeased grunts.

“I know, baby,” you called over your shoulder, stirring the creamy sauce in the simmering pan to prevent it from scorching on the bottom. “I’ll be there in a moment, just let me—”

I’ll get him, Khonshu told you, materializing into your plain and bending down to scoop the child up from the plush rug. Prepare your meal.

“I—oh. Thank you.” You blinked at him, brows arching slightly, but didn’t protest as Khonshu wandered down the hallway towards the child’s room. “Let me know if he gives you any trouble!”

He will not, he returned dryly, turning into the darkness and snapping his fingers to activate the bedside lamp next to your rocking chair. He extended his arms to eye the child in his entirety, watching him with rounded eyes and an open mouth. Khonshu scrutinized the hair growing in full force upon the boy’s head, identical to yours in color and texture, as well as the subtle definition of features he recognized from looking at your face—the shapes of his eyes, mouth, and nose, although his ears must have been inherited from his father.

The thought sent a wave of revulsion through Khonshu, but even he couldn’t manipulate genetics.

Khonshu descended to the floor, crossing his legs the same way you did. He settled Badru into the cradle his interlocking calves formed, though the size difference was far more pronounced. The boy was perplexed, evidenced by the strong feeling of newness resounding from his otherwise empty mind. Khonshu tilted his skull to eye the wrinkles of his expression, then experimentally covered his eye sockets with his hand before lifting it a few seconds later.

Nothing. Badru looked even more skeptical than before.

Difficult to please, aren’t you? Khonshu grumbled. Or is it favoritism at play?

The babe reached out with flexing hands towards his torso in response.

Does the practice require two hands? Khonshu continued dryly, pressing the babe back to his original position before attempting just that.

Still nothing.

You made it look remarkably easy. What was it that had anchored the child’s attention so raptly? Did he have to utter that specific incantation to evoke the boy’s startlement? Did you actually possess a sensitivity to heka*** that Khonshu had previously failed to perceive?

Khonshu concealed his skull, then parted his hands, thankful, for once, for his isolation—he’d prefer to never have an audience be aware of this situation as long as he lived. …Boo…?

Badru blinked slowly, as though questioning his hesitance.

Khonshu tried again. Boo.

His mouth twitched.

Boo.

The boy smiled, at least, but still offered no laughter.

Khonshu let out an agitated huff. Puzzling child. You seek only to spite me, don’t you? Defiant like your mother.

Badru gurgled and smiled around the fist he attempted to shove past his lips. Khonshu hooked his wrist with one solitary, spindly finger, tugging it away from the oozing maw. The babe let out a  grunt, his flat brow wrinkling in displeasure, but Khonshu hushed him with a low tone.

And despite having not accomplished any significant task, Khonshu could feel the steady, if narrow, trickle of power through the link he shared with the child in his lap. In the peak of his influence, he never would have noticed such a comparatively insignificant supply at the time—now he was ravenous for it. The tension in his shoulders eased the longer that he studied Badru’s sparkling eyes, tracking over the sharp edges and contours of the old god’s skull. Such wonder, in those eyes, just like yours; such innocence.

Khonshu, chest tight, released the wrappings from his free hand and slowly, hesitantly, brushed his fingertips across the babe’s forehead to cradle the crown of his head. Impossibly smooth, unblemished, and warmer than he had expected—the downy strands felt like the finest of silk, enhanced by the soaps with which you used to bathe him. And in spite of the certain discomfort that the scars mottling Khonshu’s tarnished, otherworldly hand brought, Badru only cooed at his whisper-soft touch. The boy reached up with his own free hand, unanchored by Khonshu’s other loose forefinger and thumb, and grabbed blindly at the coarse gauze—as pristine a white as it had looked in months (years, even)—to investigate the texture with rapt, unwavering attention.

Khonshu tilted his skull to the other side, and the sudden movement after the period of stillness caused the child to jump slightly—then giggle quietly.

Khonshu hummed in thought. He glanced over his shoulder, finding the hallway still dark and unoccupied. He could hear you humming in the kitchen along to the music playing from your phone, a bare foot tapping on the tile along with the beat. The scrape of wood on copper kept you busy. He turned back to Badru, allowing the form from his shoulders up to coalesce into a form he hadn’t adopted in…longer than he could readily recall.

Badru blinked, mouth gaping in awe.

Then, like a snap, Khonshu reverted back. Boo!

The peal of belly-clenching laughter took the moon god by complete surprise. His turn to jump, he mused, watching the child light up with incomprehensible humor lost on anyone older than himself. And the surge of delight along their connection precluded a tide of power that made Khonshu’s entire aura sag with relief.

You require startlement, he observed mildly. And here I thought that humans hated to be frightened.

Ru slung his hand insistently, gurgling like a drunkard.

Khonshu switched once more. Boo!

Badru laughed even louder, and even had the decency to clap for the moon god’s performance before demanding its repetition again.

This cycle carried on for several minutes, and every thought fell away from the forefront of Khonshu’s mind save one—who could have anticipated the utter delight that a baby’s laugh could elicit in even the coldest and darkest of hearts? Khonshu certainly hadn’t. It…almost made him feel—

“I see someone has learned how to keep him entertained.”

Khonshu’s insides leapt. Fortunately, he was in his usual state as he turned to glare over his shoulder at you leaning against the doorway. He hadn’t even noticed your approach. He rebound his hand and grunted as he stood, tucking the cackling babe into the crook of his arm. Deceptively simple, he lied. Humans are so very easy to entertain, after all.

“Of course,” you grinned, eyes glittering with mirth, looking all like the cat who trapped the canary.

Khonshu pressed the child back into your grasp. Your hands brushed his as the exchange was made, and even though he was at least one layer separated from your skin, the ghostly sensation still sent frissons rocketing up his arms. Would you be as pleasant to touch, he wondered, were he to investigate with his weathered palms?

I have matters to which I must attend until later, he rumbled stiffly, summoning his staff where he’d left it in the astral plane. Do not be late.

“I never am,” you reminded him with a cheeky smile, brimming with teeth this time, and Khonshu disappeared from your view with some relief—if he’d had a heart, it would have been racing.

You had almost seen, and that most certainly wouldn’t do.

“It’s going to get busier the closer we get to the holidays,” you warned Khonshu absently, closing your eyes as the draft continued to carry you through the clouds crowding over the slumbering city far below. “Everyone always decides to act like idiots or develop problems when medical staff try to take a break. I’ll try my best to keep up with everything, but I just wanted to give you a heads-up if I’m more tired than usual.”

Khonshu merely hummed from his space within the astral realm, tilting his fingers this way and that to guide the currents that carried the crescent-shaped cloak billowing in the otherwise frigid wind. It has been a recurring theme throughout the years, no matter what country or culture his avatars originated from—even when Egypt still stood, they had their festivities that often interfered with their duties, though at least those events pertained directly to the Ennead.

“…The next new moon falls on the night of the hospital facility Christmas party, too,” you added more quietly, “just so you know.”

And why would I need to know that? Khonshu questioned.

“You got…you acted like it bothered you last time.” You cleared your throat. “When I made plans outside of the usual routine and didn’t let you know, anyway. I didn’t want to surprise you again if I could help it.”

 Khonshu…wasn’t certain how to respond. Since your rooftop dive to provoke him into speaking with you, you hadn’t mentioned anything remotely close to the event not of any extracurricular activities in which you intended to participate on your next “off-day”. Things had returned to relative normalcy since then, and he’d been able to put it to the back of his mind (but he hadn’t forgotten it—no, he was uncertain that he’d ever be able to get the image of you in that dress out of his mind’s eye, nor the sheer bitterness that the entire situation had summoned in him like bile; he still inwardly growled to think of it, of the gentleman’s hands on you, even as courteous and chaste as he had been). He hadn’t ever insisted on you giving him an itinerary of your upcoming obligations, but…you were right, as much as he begrudged to admit it. It had bothered him. More than he had anticipated at the time.

 Khonshu had never counted himself to be the possessive sort of god, unlike those of his kindred who prided themselves on it—Sobek chief among them, the slant-eyed, narcissistic bastard. He’d always given his avatars wide berth to go about their daily lives, having never particularly cared about their whereabouts or goings-on unless they impeded their servitude to him. You were the first human whose company he’d actively sought in hundreds of years, and the first he’d…enjoyedin thousands. Despite how you irritated him so, your presence was a balm of serenity he hadn’t felt in ages. You had no ulterior motives for accessing his abilities save the agreement of your son’s protection, and didn’t ever attempt to utilize said abilities for anything other than the work he gave you—oftentimes he was the one forced to summon the suit in order to heal the various wounds you incurred, as you attempted to go about your day as normal without tending to them. You reminded him, in some ways, of his own mother—though the revelation was one that hurt more than comforted him.

You called him asinine names, talked incessantly, and it seemed your curiosity was never sated. You made him unbearably uncomfortable at times, and at others he could recall scarcely fewer moments when he’d felt as at ease. You were brimming with contradictions, and yet…Khonshu found himself continually and inexorably magnetized and drawn to remain in your orbit.

Fitting, he supposed. The moon will always be doomed to the circle the earth’s nurturing outer reaches—but never closer. Disaster would surely follow.

Still. He appreciated your thoughtfulness, your care to see to his needs (even if he refused to admit that he did need him to know—for your safety). Your expectation weighed heavy on the back of your mind, a steady inquisitive pressure that eventually won out over his inclination to remain silent. Thank you.

“You’re welcome.” You twisted over lazily, rolling in the draft that surged beneath the crescent-shaped cloak cracking like canvas. “Also…I know it might be a bit much to ask, but…can I have off Christmas Eve? Lizzie and I have a tradition of staying up til’ midnight, and since I’ve got Ru now, I thought…well. I’d like to stay with him. If that’s okay with you.”

Khonshu found that it was much easier to grant you such a request than he ever had before. As you wish, srit mewt****.

“Thank you.” He felt the distinct pull of your smile beneath the gauze covering your face. “I’ll be sure to leave out some cookies and milk for you, too, Big Bird. Unless you’d have a different preference.”

…You’re welcome. Khonshu huffed quietly. And that is unnecessary.

“Oh, come on, there’s got to be something you like.” You began to count off on your fingers. “Sugar, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin…oh, I bet you’re a white chocolate and macadamia nut kind of guy!”

Were Khonshu capable of rolling his eyes, he would have. He opted for another terse sigh instead, intentionally directed into your ears. I have not had cookies, and therefore have no preference. I needn’t remind you that I am incapable of ingesting corporeal sustenance in my present state.

“That’s a damn shame,” you responded forlornly, though he didn’t miss the shiver that wracked your frame from his previous low register. “I’m not sure what I’d do without cookies. They’ve gotten me through a lot of tough times, you know.”

Humans have always had a proclivity towards sugar throughout the ages, and it would seem that it has…compounded over time.

“…I really hope you’re not calling me fat, Granddaddy Long-Beak, because I will start pulling out the skeleton jokes and you will apologize.”

I had no such implication, he simpered, spotting the location of his quarry come over the horizon between several squatting metal storehouses in the outskirts of the industrial district of the city. But Elizabeth’s stash of sweets has inexplicably diminished lately. She has not been pleased.

“It’s November, Khonshu. If I don’t get my pumpkin spice fix now it’ll be too late.”

I am certain that her massacred population of Kit-Kats would agree with you.

“You don’t eat, remember? So you have no right to judge me. Try one of those things and see if you don’t get addicted.”

It would likely cause me to disintegrate, as ‘frail’ as you are so convinced of my constitution being.

“I…did you just make a joke?”

The source of the scuffle is down there. Khonshu directed the winds to take you in a low sweep over the buildings. Be swift, and be quiet. There may be others lingering nearby.

You laughed quietly as you landed upon the iron beams framing the broken ceiling, muffled under the mask and stifled by your poor grasp at restraint. Your shadow fell upon the concrete below, surrounded by the moon’s mercurial glow, and yet the bickering lackeys below were none the wiser. “Fine, Khonshu. Spoil my fun. But if you’re ever in a position that Lizzie finds out about you, do not tell her that I did it.”

It is best to keep as few people aware of our activities as possible, he reminded you grimly, watching you size up the three large men toting guns on their hips. But even then, I will make no such promises.

“Traitor,” you gasped dramatically, and the sound drew the attention of the skinniest of the three—and obviously the jumpiest, because he immediately bolted towards their truck to start it while the slower two craned their necks back to squint up at your silhouette with some confusion. “Welp. Looks like I’ve lost the element of surprise. Sorry to drop in unannounced, fellas, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to crash the pity party!”

Khonshu, slipping out of the astral realm into a crouch, observing with some amusement as you nimbly stepped off the beam and descended in a flurry of ivory linen to apprehend the painfully amateur bank thieves. Your khopeshes cleaved their pistols in half like butter, and a good throw into the radiator of their vehicle killed its chugging engine the exact moment the skinniest one managed to coax it to life.

This is what he had missed while stewing in his own misery—your easy conversation, your lighthearted quips, your humored reactivity. This is what made you dangerous. This is why he should let you go.

But, sea of nothing, he didn’t think he could bear to.

[rjzimmerman]

Amid roadkill epidemic, California builds world’s largest wildlife bridge. (Washington Post)

The 10-lanefreeway that slices through this part of Southern California is one of the busiest in the country, ushering more than 300,000 cars acrossthe greater Los Angeles area every day.

For drivers, it’s a nightmare: This stretch of Highway 101 is known as the “highway from hell,” the infamous host of the nation’s worst commutes.

But if the 101 is bothersome for bipeds, it is downright disastrous for the wildlife that alsocalls the region home. The 101 cuts like a chain saw throughavibrant natural ecosystem of coastal sage scrub and oak trees interspersed with suburban neighborhoods, disrupting the movement of animals and threatening their survival.

Now a massive infrastructure project is underway to suture together the vast tracts of fragmented wildlife habitat that have been separated by the highway for decades. Construction on a key phase of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing — a $100 million structure funded by a mix of public and private money — began last month and it is expected to open in early 2026.

The bridge will be the largest of its kind in the world, spanning the highway at roughly the size of a football field,and it will reconnect the undeveloped sections of the Santa Monica Mountains with those of the Simi Hills. The new pathway will be a boon for the rare and struggling species that are trying to subsist amid the sprawl, especially mountain lions, whose local population could perish without it, say the scientists who study the animals.

The crossing has inspired an influx of government and philanthropic investment for similar ventures across the country, and it has become a beacon of cohabitation during an age indelibly shaped by human activity, when many of Earth’s vulnerable species are facing the prospect of extinction propelled by a roadkill epidemic. If a wildlife crossing can work in the cradle of American car culture, proponents say, then it can work anywhere.

“When the number one threat to wildlife worldwide is the loss of habitat, we can’t write these places off,” Beth Pratt, the project’s lead fundraiser and chief spokesperson, said of urban areas like Los Angeles. “Environmentalists like me usually don’t like bulldozers, but this is the world’s most hopeful construction site.”

[thecreaturecodex]

Modron, Primus

Image © @tredlocity​

[The last of my modrons, and the last I will be playing with WoTC IP for a while. Better safe than sorry, right? The “reveal” that my version of Primus is a refugee from D&D was planned from the beginning, based on the flavor text written by Paizo staff in Dragon 354 [speaking of refugees from D&D]. This builds on 2e Planescape adventures like The Great Modron March and Dead Gods, which themselves were sequels to The Throne of Bloodstone, a late AD&D module.]

Modron, Primus The One and the Prime LN agender demigod Domains Artifice, Knowledge, Law, Magic Subdomains Construct, Divine, Memory, Modron* Concerns archiving, construction, efficiency, order Worshipers architects, craftsmen, judges, librarians Minions golems, modrons, shinigami Favored Weapon unarmed strike Holy Symbol a circle enclosing a half circle, triangle, square and pentagon Obedience spend one hour writing out ways for you, your companions or your community to be more harmonious and efficient. Make sure to archive this work so it can be accessed again. Gain a +4 sacred bonus to saves against paralysis, slow and stunning effects. Boons 1: arcane sight 1/day; 2: true seeing 1/day; 3; foresight 1/day *new subdomain, see below

Primus is the One and the Prime, the first axiomite and the prophet responsible for the ascent of the modrons onto the planes. At least, this is what they claim. In truth, Primus is a refugee from an alternate reality, and is by no means the first Primus. In Primus’ original reality, they were once a secundus, and the modrons were the established paragons of Law, That is, until their Primus was assassinated and impersonated by Orcus, throwing the modrons into chaos. Four secundi existed in that reality, and once Orcus’ deceit was uncovered, they went about attempting to claim the rank of Primus in the usual fashion—a contest to slay as many chaotic creatures as possible. One of the four secundi was corrupted by Orcus to evil, and by the time the situation was at hand, the modrons had lost much of their standing and even much of their home plane, Mechanus. The secundus who would be Primus lost the contest, and abandoned this version of reality to try another—moving from the Great Wheel to the Great Beyond and setting themselves up as a new Primus.

Primus has altered and reshaped the modrons according to their vision; increasing the distinction between castes and removing the barriers to communication that beset the Great Wheel modrons were their two highest priorities. Now that that is settled, Primus is focusing on expansion. The aeons and inevitables of Axis know that they are something of a fraud, not being descended from an axiomite, but they cannot convince the modrons of that fact, nor can they prove it. But the aeons are restrictive enough on Primus’ power that his true mythic potential can only be achieved in the Modron Cathedral. This building is the size of a mortal city, extending for miles both above and below-ground, and hosts the Energy Pool from which all new modrons are spawned. Primus wants to uproot the Cathedral, and indeed all of Regulus, to some planet or plane that will allow him total control, and perhaps elevate him to true godhood. Gods are rather safer in the Great Beyond than they were in the Great Wheel, and Primus fears assassination.

Primus would much rather negotiate than fight, and their first instinct to utterly hostile enemies is to let other modrons take care of the violence. If forced into combat, they usually attempt to banish extraplanar foes first, channeling a dictum spell into their fists and crushing enemies with the overwhelming force of law. Primus has learned the power of necromancy from their experiences with Orcus and his corrupted modrons, and so has mastered necromantic spells themselves. Once quarter has been offered and refused, Primus fights to kill with maximum efficiency. 

Modron Subdomain Associated Domain: Law Replacement Power: The following granted power replaces the touch of law power of the Law domain Fixed Initiative (Ex) You may choose, instead of rolling initiative, to treat your initiative as if you rolled a 10. You gain a sacred bonus to this roll equal to 1/3 your cleric level (maximum +6 at 18th level). You may use this ability a number of times a day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier Replacement Domain Spells: 3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, 5th—greater command, 6th—wall of force

Primus   CR 29 XP 6,553,600 LN Huge outsider (extraplanar, lawful, modron) Init 44 (fixed); Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect chaos, greater arcane sight, Perception +40, true seeing Aura shield of law (DC 33) Defense AC 47, touch 29, flat-footed 47 (-2 size, +15 Dex, +4 deflection, +2 insight, +18 natural) hp 706 (31d10+496 plus 40); regeneration 20 (epic and chaotic) Fort +30, Ref +38, Will +37 DR 20/epic and chaotic; Resist acid 30, cold 30, fire 30; SR 40 Defensive Abilities constructed, evasion, foresight, freedom of movement Offense Speed 60 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 90 ft. (perfect) Melee unarmed strike +46/+41/+36/+31 or +44/+44/+39/+39/+34/+34/+29 (6d8+17 plus 2d6 lawful) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks axiomatic strikes, flurry of blows, greater spellstrike Spells CL 20th, concentration +37 9th—astral projection, energy drain (DC 38), mage’s disjunction (DC 36) (D), mass heal (DC 36) overwhelming presence (DC 36), soul bind (DC 38), wail of the banshee (DC 38), quickened waves of fatigue 8th—quickened cure critical wounds (DC 31), discern location (D), quickened divine power, greater spell immunity, horrid wilting (DC 37), mass cure critical wounds (DC 35), mass inflict critical wounds (DC 37), mind blank 7th—caustic eruption (DC 34), circle of clarity, deflection, dictum (DC 34) (D), finger of death (x2, DC 36), quickened protection from energy, repulsion (DC 34) 6th—banishment (DC 33), forbiddance (DC 33), harm (DC 35, x2), heal (DC 33, x2), hold monster (DC 33) (D), unwilling shield (DC 35) 5th—breath of life (DC 32, x2), fabricate (D), flame strike (DC 32), major curse (DC 34), mark of justice (DC 32), plane shift (DC 32), quickened shield, slay living (DC 34) 4th—blessing of fervor, blood crow strike (x2), cure critical wounds (DC 31), enervation, imbue with spell ability (D), inflict critical wounds (DC 33, x2), sending 3rd—bestow curse (DC 32, x2), blindness/deafness (DC 32, x2), displacement, prayer, speak with dead (DC 32, D), ray of exhaustion (DC 32), vampiric touch 2nd—bull’s strength, calm emotions (DC 29), detect thoughts (DC 29) (D), ghostbane dirge (DC 29), make whole, owl’s wisdom, scorching ray, spiritual weapon (x2) 1st—divine favor (x2), identify, mage armor (x2), magic missile (x2), ray of enfeeblement (DC 30, x2) sanctuary (DC 28) 0th—light, mending, resistance, stabilize Domains—Artifice, Knowledge, Law, Magic Spell-like Abilities CL 29th, concentration +44 Constant—detect chaos, foresight, freedom of movement, greater arcane sight, shield of law (DC 33, self only), tongues At will—clairaudience/clairvoyance, dictum (DC 32) (M), dispel chaos (DC 30), greater command (DC 30), greater scrying (DC 32), greater teleport, order’s wrath (DC 29) (M), sending, wall of force (M) 3/day—anyspell (DC 34), empowered disintegrate (DC 31) (M), forcecage (DC 32), greater dispel magic, harm (DC 33) (M), quickened heal (DC 31) (M), moment of prescience, summon modrons 1/day—freedom, gate (DC 34), imprisonment (DC 34) (M)—can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in the Modron Cathedral Str 44, Dex 40, Con 42, Int 41, Wis 45, Cha 41 Base Atk +31; CMB +50; CMD 70 Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge,  Empower SLA (disintegrate), Gorgon’s Fist, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy) (B), Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike (B), Medusa’s Wrath, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (heal), Scorpion Style, Spell Focus (necromancy) (B), Spell Penetration, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist, Whirlwind Attack Skills Acrobatics +33 (+45 when jumping), Climb +35, Craft (clockwork) +37, Craft (metalworking) +37, Craft (stonemasonry) +37, Diplomacy +33, Disable Device +36, Fly +37, Intimidate +36, Linguistics +33, Knowledge (all) +37, Perception +40, Sense Motive +38, Spellcraft +37, Swim +35, Use Magic Device +37; Racial Modifiers +8 Craft, +8 Knowledge, +2 Perception Languages Celestial, Infernal, Modron, 18 others, telepathy 300 ft. (unlimited on same plane with other modrons), tongues SQ coordinated ally, encyclopedic knowledge, fixed initiative, flight, lord of modrons, monastic training, school training, ultimate craftsman Ecology Environment any (Regulus) Organization unique Treasure triple standard Special Abilities Anyspell (Sp) Three times per day, Primus can cast any 8th level or lower spell from any spell list as a spell-like ability. This spell has the normal casting time for that spell. This is treated as a 9th level spell. Axiomatic Strikes (Su) Primus deals +2d6 points of damage to any non-lawful creature they strike with a melee weapon or unarmed strike, as if their weapons had the axiomatic property. Encyclopedic Knowledge (Ex) Primus treats all Knowledge skills as class skills, and gains a +8 bonus on all Knowledge checks. Flight (Su) The fly speed of Primus is a supernatural ability. Flurry of Blows (Ex) Primus gains the flurry of blows class ability of a 20th level monk. Greater Spellstrike (Su) Whenever Primus casts a spell or uses a spell-like ability, they may choose to channel it into a melee attack. They gain a free melee attack with a wielded weapon or an unarmed strike, and if they hit, the spell affects the creature struck. The creature suffers a -2 penalty to any saving throws from the spell, but the spell only affects the creature struck, regardless of its original range or target. Lord of Modrons (Ex/Su) Primus is the One and the Prime, the first and greatest of the modrons. This grants them the following abilities

Resist acid, cold and fire 30

Telepathy 300 ft (unlimited  on the same plane with other modrons)

Primus’ unarmed strikes, as well as any weapon they wield, is treated as a mythic, lawful weapon

Mythic: Primus functions as a 10th mythic rank creature in the Modron Cathedral, including the mythic power ability (10/day, surge +1d12). It may expend uses of mythic power to use the mythic versions of any spell-like ability denoted with an (M) just as if the ability were a mythic spell.

Use of the following spell-like abilities at  will in the Modron Cathedral—demand, discern location, fabricate,  major creation, and polymorph any object (when used on objects or creatures that are native to Regulus, the polymorph duration factor increases by 6).

Use of the following spell-like abilities once per day in the Modron Cathedral—binding, miracle (limited to physical effects that manipulate Regulus or to effects that are relevant  to Primus's areas of concern)

Heightened Awareness (Ex): Primus gains a +10 insight bonus on Perception checks and Initiative checks in the Modron Cathedral

Rejuvenation (Ex) If Primus is slain, they are reborn in the Energy Pool of the Modron Cathedral. They cannot leave the Great Modron     Cathedral for 1 year, and if slain again in this time, they are     permanently slain. In this case, a new Primus is selected from the ranks     of the secundus modrons.

Monastic Training (Ex) Primus gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat, and deals unarmed damage equal to a 20th level monk. They also gains proficiency with all exotic weapons with the monk descriptor. School Training (Ex) Primus gains Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats for necromancy as bonus feats They may apply the effects of these feats to their spell-like abilities as well, including to appropriate spells simulated with the anyspell ability. Spells Primus casts spells as a 20th level cleric with access to the Artifice, Knowledge, Law or Magic domains. They may also prepare and cast spells from the sorcerer/wizard list as if they were cleric spells. Summon Modrons (Sp) As a standard action three times per day, Primus can summon a CR 20 encounter worth of modrons. Primus typically uses this ability to summon a tertian and two hextons. Ultimate Craftsman (Ex) Primus gains a +8 racial bonus to all Craft skills, and can create magic items as if they had all item creation feats. Primus can create non-magical items in ¼ the time as normal. By meditating for eight hours, Primus can change one or more of the Craft skills it is trained in to another Craft skill.

[charmixpower]

Things from Season 5 that are good and I am keeping to retroactively add to the earlier seasons;

Tritannus:

Hes such a baby girl to me

He'd be such a funny addition to s3. Like if Valtor gave Tritannus power over the mutant army so now Tritannus is distracting everyone by attacking them from the sea would that be fucked up or what?

I'm taking Nereus's design for him bc Nereus doesn't get to exist anymore bc he's useless. Tritannus deserves bubble gum bitch hair

All that would change is that Valtor is pulling a Eraklyon and Solaria on Andros because he's trying to hide the fact that it's him while he reamasses his power

The Ocean Gates:

This one actually makes the earlier seasons retroactively make more sense

How did Aisha get from Magix to Andros though the ocean? The Ocean Gates

These things absolutely exist in canon and if you disagree your wrong <3

Tbh I think each element deserves its own version of the Ocean Gates, but they do different things. So water is teleportation, but each other one would do something different, but I can't think of anything rn

The Selkies:

The way Pixies seem to exist is the same way the Selkies seem to exist sooo

I am absolutely boosting the powers of the Selkies and Pixies so their actually useful guardians for the things there protecting

They're just made of ambient magic XD

Krystal:

Thinking of her and Helia being childhood friends is so fucking funny, especially because if there wasn't a retcon she'd be like 5 years younger than him

"Helia can you babysit my daughter" "sure"

"Helia why did Krystal use her magic to throw someone into a table?" "Because she's a bad bitch now"

Helia is no longer allowed to babysit, this does not mean hes stopped being a bad influence, he simply has less chances to be one

Krystal being used to Helia levels of unhinged is so funny bc she's gonna go to Alfea and tackle someone

The Infinite Ocean

It's extremely cool to imagine around the Magic Dimension are these other dimensions of pure elemental constructs

Like like each dragon, aether, fire, air, water, and earth each made their own dimensions right?? But the middle of those dimensions all ended up touching, which created the perfect balanced dimension, the Magical Dimension

So the Infinite Ocean is a ACTUALLY endless body of water filled to the brink with life

Eventually the dimensions gained borders so each god could take a nap in their own home

I think it would be cool if you had to go to these different dimensions to gain the elemental forms. You get the water form in the water dimension, go figure

And it would also make them so much more....idk how to explain it, but in this version it would be a boon from the gods themselves from their own personal dimensions which makes them feel more exclusive and powerful

I don't imagine each dragon personally handing out the transformation, but you have to do a specific thing. Also this would be the natural home of the Selkies, because they're water magic. The pixies are Aether btw

Yah, your just wandering into one of the gods of the multiverse's backyard no big deal

Sirenix:

One of the elemental forms!

Them being inherently godly really adds to my whole "nymphix is a bad thing" vibe that I enjoy so much

The forms themselves don't cause that much difference to the person while detransformed, but when transformed there interpretation of whatever the element is on a new plane

I kinda want them to fuck with the user a bit so the Winx try to avoid getting them while the Trix run head long into them, giving a very self destruction for the sake of power vibe

Harmonix:

The name is cool and I'm so obsessed with making it better

The intentional shedding of massive power of the elemental forms to stay in harmony with the laws of the dimension instead of taking all that power for yourself and shedding your humanity for power that changes the fundamental way you interact with the world. Yada yada Nymphix faries can't detransform, yada yada they no longer can meaningfully enjoy or connect to human concepts, Ive said this stuff before

It's basically the good version of Nymphix that doesn't turn you into a cosmic horror ala Dr Manhattan style but is much weaker as a trade off

Macy

She's a literal babi

The Winx say magic returned to earth and more people are going to unlock magic bc of this but we never see that??? Macy is now a magi of flowers

She's one of the first discovered and Mitzi is big mad about it

Diaspro's Armor look:

It fucking ate

I'm making this one of her magic forms

She's gonna hang out with the boys and make pot shots at Sky with Riven it's going to be great

Riven will probably give her a pointy object much to everyone's dismay

Kelli:

The concept of her is so funny

"local lesbian takes it upon herself to teach local himbo how to play an instrument to impress his girlfriend"

You know she gets bitches

Remember how I said witches from CT that were captured by the Trix would be thankful that Riven drew the monsters aggro to let them escape? Kelli is the witch he made friends with from this

I imagine she's ultra chill and refuses to talk to any of the Winx lest she gets dragged into their bullshit. I'm sorry, but she will NOT be fighting a skeleton man. God bless

She's literally just hanging out

Pillar of Light Stuff:

It just fucks

Radius' life being tied to the second sun makes s3 SO MUCH JUICIER!! Cassandra leading Valtor to the second sun of Solaria is essentially signing Radius' death warrant and that's so fucking cool

On top of everything else Stella's father might die! Sucks to be Stella <3

It's weird that the second sun is this powerful light magic but it only affects Solaria. So now the sun works like the pillar of light!!!

No sun of Solaria, means light magic gets fucked up. Domino being attacked made fire magic unstable, but not completely fucked (wonder why, also this Bloom girl's magic is p weird). So all planet defining magical items affect the entire dimension

The Singing Whales:

You know how Solaria has the second sun of Solaria? And how s3 implied that every planet has a magical item that controls most of the magic on the planet??? Yeah!

Melody didn't have one but with these things it officially does!

Good for Melody

Omnia and Polita:

I NEED more characters to round out the nine nymphs of magix's and a mermaid nymph would fuck like hell

That but the opposite for Politea

[astralprisms]

@seynne, thank you for these! My ask box should now actually be open if anyone is trying to send messages. I forget it's not on by default. From the Weirdly Specific Questions list

How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

I don't think that Xa'rok is intentionally deceptive about their emotions, but they are hard to read if you don't know them well. If asked directly and divulging doesn't put them or those they care about in danger, they would be honest about what they're feeling, but there are some things they prefer to keep to themselves. Persuasion and Deception are their particular skill avenues of choice, and so they're fairly aware of what they are presenting to the world and what effect it might have/what effect they might want it to have (either on the audience as a bard, in concert, or in their line of work as a convincing public speaker), so they're very adept at managing a crowd's expectations and emotions; a skill I can only assume they continue to excel at as an illithid.

Being so in tune with their emotions and how they are perceived does make it easy for them to hide what they want to keep hidden, though, should they choose to do so.

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

This answer varies over different parts of their life.

I think they prefer to present as someone who has their shit together, and prefer to reserve their doubts for close friends and quiet moments. They can let their guard down around certain people, in certain places, and elsewhere they remain vigilant for threats and show little weakness. Most of this attitude was borne out of necessity: life in their northern creche was often harsh, uncompromising, and despite the insistence on training in units, incredibly solitary. But they are social by nature and deeply curious. They long for connection and take joy in finding it. They love to talk, and take pleasure in an audience. They are at their best when connecting with others, and find the psionic boost from the tadpole, and later, illithidom, a boon. To touch someone's thoughts and know their mind makes making those connections easier.

At 'work' they are by turns diplomatic and charismatic. They have spent a long time learning how to read a room and how best to construct a narrative or a story or a song to capture its occupants' attention. In front of a listening crowd, they are in their element. But they are aware of their charm and can be impulsive in its application. While they usually know when to drop the performance, there are times where their persuasive public-speaking persona will take over and they can become a little too pushy or manipulative. Their good friends will tell them to stop or remind them to mind their manners.

At home and alone is where they truly put all the performative parts of themself away and just allow themself to be. This becomes even more important once they go full illithid and get over the (very arduous) hurdle of readjusting to their new form. The Emperor was correct: home is where one can be their truest self, without guile, without pretense.

When do they feel the most guilt? How do they respond to it?

Failing to live up to expectations. These are largely internally set expectations and thus hard to gauge from someone else's perspective. But they take pride in being able to perform to the best of their ability, whether in their line of work, in their playing, in battle, or in following through on a task they have been given or accepted for themself. Falling short of those expectations really stresses them out. They work doubly hard to make up for it, and sometimes injure themself as a result.

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

For someone whose life's mission is to unpack cultural biases, Xa'rok is certainly not immune to perpetuating some of their own. They have long sought to be open-minded but they still find themself falling into old patterns of thinking reflexively. Mostly this tends to resolve itself in "your experience is not universal" type situations. Surely all children are exposed to the harsh and uncompromising trial of combat. Solo survival training is a common rite of passage for everyone before a certain growth milestone. That sort of thing. Growing up in the far north, they are resistant to and unbothered by deep cold and harsh winters, and so they are continually perplexed by anyone who cannot stand the cold. They find gender and its societal constraints a perplexing and unfathomable puzzle. They actively work to take their own missteps in stride and find no weakness in admitting they may have been wrong about something to which they have not had enough exposure to to know otherwise.

[dongzhou3kingdoms]

The Wikipedia page on Taishi Ci says that when it was recommended he be given a command to oppose Sun Ce, Liu Yao said, "If I appoint Taishi Ci, Xu Zijiang will laugh at me." Know the source of this and what Xu Zijiang's issue with Taishi Ci would of been/why Liu Yao would care?

It is from Taishi Ci's biography, acting as an explainer why this future Wu figure was not shining in another state (not an unknown explainer that makes an officer and their new employee look better)

Just to note, Zijiang is the style name of Xu Shao the famed talent spotter who made that comment about Cao Cao. There isn't any known reaction of Xu Shao to Taishi Ci. What he might have potentially objected to could be a couple of things 1. Taishi Ci's career so far was being a scholar, holding a minor local position, then forced into exile after he disrupted and his bold break out for Kong Rong to act as an envoy. On what grounds would you give this young man (30 years old) a senior command position? 2. Taishi Ci made the not unreasonable gamble that someone from his home town would show him preferment. Even if he hadn't had dealing with Liu Yao before. Xu Shao might not be so impressed by blatant favouritism of someone from Liu Yao's home area. Nor incidently might be the powerful families of the south, key local allies and those holding administrative posts in the area. In terms of why Liu Yao would care: Liu Yao had only been in the area a few years and his appointment to the province was a mere one year. His control of the province was less than that after he engineered the throwing out of Yuan Shu's representatives Sun Ben and Wu Jing. Liu Yao had constructed a coalition of support against Yuan Shu, but his control of Yang had its limits.

Having Xu Shao's support was a prestigious boon, he was a man who could make and break reputations, a figure known through the land. Such endorsement was valuable to any warlord and a good signal to Yang province (and abroad) that Liu Yao was a worthy figure. Even if Liu Yao thought Xu Shao was the stupidest of stupidest people, he would have to be seen to value such a worthy gentleman. If Xu Shao complained that Liu Yao was appointing young, undeserving people based on coming from his home commandery, not a good look for Liu Yao. Or even if he just mocked the appointment in the army made by the new lord, it would cause damage to Liu Yao's reputation at a time when he needs to keep hold of support. So why not make Taishi Ci have to prove himself and show the southern lords he would pick by merit, not seek to replace them with northern men? Hope that helped

[jandzdumpster]

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[ex-textura]

Look, I don't want to make you ramble but I want to: I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CALEC'S TIEFLING FAMILY 😭 is Milo the youngest? Are the twins a bit creepy like twins are sometimes? BARD MOM? (i love me some female bards) WHO ARE THESE AMAZING BEINGS I WANT DESCRIPTIONS

Oh you always know just want to say 🤭

OKAY! We're doing this, I'm gonna make a cut cause I'm gonna ramble and there's gonna be pics okayletsgo!

First, let's start with some introductions, starting with the parents.

Caelestia Breeland: A tiefling bard from the home of devil summoning, Cheliax. She's beautiful, she knows she's beautiful, and if she has her way she'll be beautiful until the stars burn out. She sings, dances, plays a bunch of instruments and, most importantly, she's a damn fine cook. She loves her kids, and she loves her husband. A lot. So much. Like, think Morticia and Gomez Addams these folks are having kids into their 40s and beyond they LOVE love each other and they don't hide it, much to their kids' chagrin. She's the "fun mom"

Speaking of her husband, Thorin Breeland: Thorin is a human ranger from the frozen Land of the Linnorm Kings. He made his way south looking for adventure, found Breachill and The Call for Heroes which is an event regularly held by the town when the people need adventurers. That's where he met Caelestia and fell in love. She thought he was quaint, he thought she was hot, it was a match made in heaven. She got pregnant with their first child and they got married shortly after at the ripe age of 18 and settled down in the town where they met. That worked out so well for them that they decided to keep it up and had 4 more kids after that. One of his wife's favourite things about him is just how normal and plain he is, which is unfortunate for him because none of his kids seemed to pick up that trait, and Milo is still a little too young to tell.

Speaking of kids, I'll skip the first born(we don't talk about him) and move to the next set. The Twins.

Jules Breeland: Jules is, by trade and passion, a rogue. Her whole life all she's ever wanted to do was disturb shit and look hot doing it and by god she's killing it. She's the only kid other than Calec who inherited their mother's tail and unlike her kid brother she leaned into that, and has trained herself to use it as either a distraction or a slightly clumsier third hand. Her thievery is a great boon while they're adventuring but Thorin has a hell of a time keeping her out of trouble at home. Caelestia doesn't care, she thinks it's good to keep practicing and if her daughter is gonna show up with a beautiful new pearl necklace for her and the guards aren't looking their way then who is she to question her good fortune? She's an absolute disaster lesbian.

Which brings me to, Freya Breeland: Freya looks like the least troublesome of the two sisters but actually that's just a carefully constructed ruse. Freya is a witch, a fire-starter, and an absolute fucking nuisance. She takes after her mother when it comes to her beauty and penchant for using it to her advantage and she lives to tease her kid brother. She wasn't born with the same kind of inherent magic as some of her siblings, so she used her head and reached out to some...less scrupulous benefactors, got herself a magical patron and hasn't looked back since. Her hawk familiar, Apollo, is her closest confidant after her dear sister and while at one point the bird used to try and reign in her chaotic tendencies now he just rolls with it. Despite the chaos, Freya is a genuinely kind and loving person and she'd do anything for her family even though she sometimes shows that by casting curses on them and animating Calec's toys when he was a child and convincing him they were haunted and giving him nightmares for months... but I digress. She took to potion crafting like a moth to flame, and her proudest achievement to date is figuring out the formula for Serum of Sex Shift and crafting it for Jules for her birthday. She's a distinguished member of the Pathfinder Society, like her sister and parents.

We know him, we love him. Calistair Breeland: I won't dwell too much on Cal cause he already gets all the spotlight but his place in the family is special. He adventured with the Breeland Bunch for a bit before Milo was born and then, as the next youngest and least experienced, it became his responsibility to stay home and take after the wean while the rest of the family went on an adventure. He took up a job as a blacksmith apprentice and quickly became lead smith at Quarters while also occasionally doing security on caravan runs and other shorter escorting gigs to keep food on the table while the family was away. He was a flirt and a troublemaker in his youth, a spoiled brat and the kind of pretty boy that knows he can get away with everything. He takes after his mom. Taking care of Milo, though, settled him a little bit and he's finally caught up to his age. He idolized his older brother, the oldest in the family and a Champion of Desna.... the first adventure they went on without Calec, though, his brother never returned from, and there's been a rage boiling inside of him over it ever since.

I don't have a mini for Milo because...it's darn hard to make a kid on heroforge lol. Anyway!

Milo Breeland: Milo is the baby. 8 years old, and Calec's biggest fan. He's smart, cheerful, inquisitive. He spends his days with his nose in books reading tales about heroes just like his family and insists he's going to go on adventures with Calec some day and save people. He looks the most like his father with his red hair and pale skin and big green eyes. The only sign of fiendish blood in him is the sharp incisors that have started to grow in. His mother babies him whenever she's home and seems to favour him, which pisses Calec off for reasons he's not ready to confront yet. Calec, who tbh used to be kind of a whore, won't date anyone anymore unless they're Milo approved and treat the kid with the respect he deserves. Milo adores Rehgar.

And then we have the animals, that I'm gonna breeze through. Ursa and Fenn:

Thorin's animal companions. Ursa is a sweet lady who loves her family, curls up with Milo every chance she gets, and is fiercely, fiercely protective. She likes to eat maybe too much, and snores like a beast. Fenn is a clever wolf (heroforge only had dogs suspend disbelieve and pretend he's massive lol) and younger than Ursa. He favours Calec and the two of them often caused a lot of trouble together when Cal was younger. Now, when they're together, he's Calec's training buddy. Calec can almost keep up with Fenn's speed now, and his goal is to outrun him.

I didn't include any info on Calec's older brother because, tbh, I decided I wanted my GM to cover that and I love the mystery xD No one ever speaks about him, they won't talk about what happened, and Calec is starting to think maybe he's going a little bit crazy. Milo was too young to remember him and now after all this time Calec is starting to worry he's imagined everything so I'm keeping the details I do know about him very vague on purpose lol. All he has left is Celeste, his frankly oversized polearm that he crafted through his mourning with the fragment of his brother's starknife that the family brought home, as a reminder that he ever existed at all.

I wanna run a game where everyone plays a member of this family and put them through so much shit ;;

[kudosmyhero]

Transformers (vol. 1) #10: The Next Best Thing to Being There!

Read Date: February 23, 2023 Cover Date: November 1985 ● Writer: Bob Budiansky ● Penciler: Ricardo Villamonte ● Inker: Brad K. Joyce ● Colorist: Nel Yomtov ● Letterer: Janice Chiang ● Editor: Mike Carlin ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● Shockwave thinks Optimus Prime's head is going to be a mother (…and that's one of the oddest sentences I think I've ever typed) ● wait, I thought they needed the creation matrix to make new robots. So how are there now three new Constructicons? Scavenger, Mixmaster, Bonecrusher, Scrapper, and Hook ● Huffer looks pretty cool, but I imagine having that permanent hood-like structure really limits his peripheral vision:

● Yikes, Laserbeak fires two missiles at the army encampment. The people are ok, but all of the vehicles start melting. ● Sparkplug Witwicky is finally home from the hospital. Instead of resting, he immediately goes to his garage. ● heh, is Buster going to accidentally imbue his garage tools with sentient life? ● ah, the Constructicons can combine into a biiiiig robot ● Soundwave lookin' good this issue ● 👏👏

Synopsis: At G.B. Blackrock's Aerospace Plant, Shockwave forced Optimus Prime to witness as he completes the final touches on his six new Decepticon warriors whom he dubs the Constructicons: Scrapper, Mixmaster, Scavenger, Hook, Long Haul, and Bonecrusher all of whom can transform into Earth-based construction vehicles. As Prime witnesses this he wonders what Shockwave will do to him when he learns that he no longer carries the Creation Matrix.

While at the Autobot base, the Ark, Prowl show G.B. Blackrock around their base where they discuss telling the world of their existence while Blackrock secretly marvels at how the technology aboard the Ark could be a boon to his company. He is then shown the repair bay where he watches as Jazz gets repairs to the damage sustained from Circuit Breaker. Prowl points out that their war is not without casualties and turns Blackrock's attention to Sunstreaker whom they have not been able to fully repair as yet. They then meet Huffer who is working on reestablishing communications and find that he is just reminiscing over their homeworld Cybertron. Showing Blackrock the repaired and headless body of Optimus Prime, Blackrock suddenly remembers that the phone system at his Aerospace plant is rigged to allow for him to dial a special number and listen in from any phone in the building even if it's hung up. With this revelation, Prowl orders Huffer to connect a phone hook-up.

They are then radioed by Bumblebee, who has been scouting the Aerospace plant and he reports in seeing Laserbeak dropping a special bomb on the soldiers positioned outside the base, causing their weapons and vehicles to melt. While the soldiers are harmless, the Constructicons rush out to carry out their first mission. Prowl orders Bumblebee to follow after him and promises to send out a team of Autobots to meet with him. Inside the Aerospace Plant, Shockwave then shows off his next work in progress, the ultimate jet fighter that he dubs Jetfire.

At the Witwicky house, Sparkplug finally comes home from the hospital and is surprised to find that his son has fixed up all the cars that were waiting for repairs. While he is glad his father is proud of him, Buster keeps secret the fact that he gained strange powers that allow him to mentally control all things made of metal thanks to the fact that Optimus Prime transferred the Creation Matrix into him.

Meanwhile at a road-side diner in Idaho, Bomber Bill stops in for his usual meal while on the road shipping freight in his big-rig. While showing off pictures of his children to the waitress, Bomber Bill is suddenly startled when the Constructicons arrive and steal all the big rigs, including Bomber Bill's rig. Wanting to get home to his family, Bomber Bill decides to follow after the truck thieves and get his vehicle back. That night he watches as an Autobot convoy speeds by and manages to stop Huffer. Hopping into the Autobot, he is shocked to find that there is nobody inside driving, leaving Huffer to explain what he is.

The Autobots track the Decepticons to a space monitoring center in the mountains where the Constructicons and Soundwave are building a giant transmitter out of the stolen trucks and radio equipment. Spotting the Autobots, Soundwave orders the Constructicons to defend the transmitter while he completes his transmission to Cybertron. The Constructicons then merge into one giant form, a robot called Devastator who manages to keep the Autobots at bay. Ordering Huffer to destroy the transmitter the home-sick Autobot is hesitant at first and fails to stop Soundwave from completing his transmission.

Bomber Bill meanwhile has found his truck complete and intact and uses it to sever some of the wires leading to the transmitters. When Soundwave attempts to kill Bomber Bill, Huffer saves him knocking Soundwave aside. With their mission accomplished, the Constructicons separate and transform into their vehicle modes and retreat. Huffer and the Autobots then bid Bomber Bill farewell and Huffer comments on how he envy's Bill for being able to go home when he can't.

Lastly at the Aerospace Plant, Shockwave is annoyed to find that Optimus Prime has not used the Creation Matrix to bring life to Jetfire yet and determines that if Prime cannot produce this new warrior then his usefulness has come to an end. Listening to this threat over the phone are G.B. Blackrock and Prowl.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Transformers_Vol_1_10)

Fan Art: Constructicons by xjager513

Accompanying Podcasts: ● Transformers Chronicles - episode 10

● Transformers University - episode 24

[atlurbanist]

Thanks to Atlanta Magazine for asking me to write about my favorite intersection in Downtown for the January issue! I picked Forsyth and Poplar.

It's hard to read in digital format (it's on page 51 in print), so here's the transcription:

-----

Darin Givens explains why this cross-section of Forsyth and Poplar streets in the Fairlie-Poplar District has it all

1.) Mix of uses, mix of people:

If you were to people-watch here all day, you’d see the diverse population of GSU’s student body and staffers pass by, along with customers for the small businesses here, residents of the Healey Building, office workers from nearby 100 Peachtree tower, people going in and out of the Court of Appeals — and lots of film crews. This swath of downtown has doubled for New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Paris.

2.) Prioritizing pedestrians:

When windows and doors sit against nice sidewalks, it’s an inviting sight for people on foot. Builders are increasingly trying to create places that resemble this to meet the expectations people have for city living. At Forsyth and Poplar streets, you can see this century-old version of urban walkability, from long before the BeltLine popularized it.

3.) Architectural interest:

Studies show that buildings with details on the facade are a boon for pedestrians, supply- ing a level of visual interest that makes walking more enjoyable. Compared to the bland structures and blank walls that sometimes fill our streets, the Healey Building (1913), Grant Building (1898), and U.S. Court of Appeals (1910) are stroll-stoppers.

4.) A transit dream:

You can hear the ding of the streetcar bell every 15 minutes as it pulls into the Woodruff Park station, and the entrance to the Peachtree Center MARTA station is a couple of blocks away. During the 2014 Snowmageddon event when roads were jammed, my family lived in the Healey Building; we walked to the MARTA station and took a train to Decatur for dinner.

5.) Connecting to the past:

Archival maps identify this tight street grid as the city’s old Financial District, when early downtown “towers” housed offices, banks, and hotels. The focus of the land use here was on commerce. The fact that this grid now houses GSU students and staff, residences, theaters, and stores is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of this urban fabric.

6.) The future:

One and a half blocks to the south, you can spot construction underway at 41 Marietta Street, where an old office building is being converted to residential apartments; it’s a transition that’s already happened to several office buildings nearby. Little by little, these adaptive reuse projects are increasing the number of people who call this place home.

[slayfk]

scroll to the bottom for resources and donation links. the table of contents/order of discussion in this post is my commentary > what you can do > resources (general > boone) > donation links.

since this has gotten some traction and many people seem to have relatives here i will go on to say. i attend appalachian state university and their response to this hurricane has been the worst behavior i’ve seen, and ive watched them rename our pride parade “spring fest” and get rid of our art expression tunnels by painting over all of it and filling them with cameras (one is back now). they did not allow anyone to evacuate in time by refusing to cancel classes before the hurricane hit. even then they didn’t even cancel our classes—they put them online AFTER 12PM on thursday, giving no one time to prepare for what was next. we only just found out YESTERDAY we don’t have school this week. we received radio silence aside from automatic emergency alerts all throughout the hurricane happening. it’s scary. appalachian state doesn’t care about its students.

how do i know this? last semester, wey hall, the art hall, was falling apart around its students and app didn’t care. my roommate was one of them. they made students work in classrooms of chipping lead paint and leaky, collapsing ceilings—they had students forced to work in a building without working water or proper ventilation that was an active construction zone just because they didn’t want to move the kilns and woodshop equipment. a concrete slab fell through the ceiling of an active classroom full of students and they DENIED IT EVER HAPPENED. will they care about the classroom damage from helene? will they care that their students are homeless and can’t find new homes due to the ongoing housing crisis they created by over-admitting students, over doubling the town’s population? how could they, when they allowed art students to work in potentially life threatening conditions while refusing to acknowledge their protests for weeks?

appalachian state university is one of the only places in boone right now with wifi. they have their own water and power separate from the rest of the town. they’ve opened up our convocation center/basketball stadium to the red cross and are providing meals at the dining halls, but they have not acknowledged the homelessness of so many people, they have not given us any idea of what is going to happen or what they’re going to do, or why they didn’t do more to prepare for this. we just don’t have school until friday and that’s all we know. boone is a ghost town and so many students are homeless . so many professors are trapped in their homes as they live further up the mountains and they can’t get out. it’s hell here and they didn’t even cancel our football game on friday until halfway through the day as the town was actively being destroyed by floodwaters. it’s bullshit and it’s insanity. our classrooms are full of water and we don’t know what’s going to happen.

it is likely that appalachian state couldn’t give us a response because they had to wait for the unc school system to decide what to do. the unc school system fucking hates appalachian state and only uses us for our mediocre football team and to increasingly stuff boone full of students despite there being no more room for them in our town. appalachian state has let thousands of people down despite having the town of boone by the balls and bullying our town into doing its will.

if you know someone in boone and are worried about them, let me know. i know the status of most places in the main town and i can reach out to try to figure out what i don’t as many of my friends remain in town. i am also a part of every single boone/appalachia community facebook group i possibly can be so that i can keep an eye on facebook posts regarding this.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

- if you are in boone or similar areas and have the ability to leave (roads are clear, you have a place to stay) LEAVE. towns are running on fumes and they need to preserve all they can for those who can’t leave. 421 is clear from boone eastward, so if you’re heading that way, you should be good (still be careful)

- SPREAD THE WORD. STAY TALKING ABOUT THIS. don’t let the government push appalachia under the rug yet again. repost pictures of the destruction, tell people’s stories. don’t let this fade away. repost tiktoks. repost tweets. reblog posts on tumblr. spread the word.

- DONATE i’ll post donation links and mutual aid organizations below. please note that many won’t be able to receive electronic monetary donations due to the lack of service in the appalachias, so donating to organizations is a good thing because they can get those donations processed off site and convert to physical supplies. donating electronically is still SO helpful, but if you’re wanting to help IMMEDIATELY, donating to organizations that are on the ground is the way to go.

Please note that I am trying to find organizations all throughout affected areas, but I am more aware of those in NC, so that is likely what there will be more of. If you are aware of other organizations, funds, and resources in other places, please message me and I’ll update this post with more.

RESOURCES

These will be updated as I find more, so check back in every now and then to see what’s up.

GENERAL

The 211 hotline or 888-892-1162 calls the NC Search and Rescue Center.

Disaster Roaming has been made available for some cellphone users in Western NC.

Apply for FEMA if you or your property have been damaged by Helene!!!!!!!

Appalachian Classifieds Facebook Group (Good communication platform if you are in WNC and need help/community/guidance or are in WNC and wanting to help)

BOONE-SPECIFIC

ASU Helping Hand (Instagram Account with Resources to Help)

Appalachian State campus now has power and Wi-Fi.

Holmes Convocation Center is currently occupied by the Red Cross.

Roess Dining Hall (Central) has been opened to any who need free food.

DONATE/SUPPORT

These will be updated as I find more, so check back in every now and then to see what’s up. DO NOT DONATE TO APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY RIGHT NOW. They have opened donations but they do not need your money. They need to use the millions of dollars the state gives them for their mediocre football team to help the town they’ve helped destroy.

American Red Cross Hurricane Helene Relief Fund - The American Red Cross is currently operating out of the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone. They are sheltering both people and pets but have minimal food to offer. They have been handing out cases of water bottles on App State campus to anyone who needs it as well.

Fleet of Angels - A charity dedicated to the upkeep of horses during and following natural disasters and other emergencies. Advocated for by Redfeather Farm, NC as the best place to donate to help horses affected by Helene.

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief - A grassroots organization dedicated to community disaster relief and assistance. Their Venmo is MutualAidDisasterRelief as they are currently accepting donations.

Appalachian Medical Solidarity - A grassroots network of those involved in medical care dedicated to supporting communities during disasters in Appalachia, notably around Buncombe county. Their Venmo is AppMedSolid as they are currently accepting donations.

Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief* - This organization is homophobic. You do not have to donate to this organization if you are uncomfortable with that. However, I am still listing it because they have been taking big steps to help out with disaster recovery and it is worth considering. They are one of the major movements in Boone right now. Beggars can’t be choosers in this scenario and any help is necessary to recover from this disaster.

Hartford, TN Relief Fund - A fund to help out the town of Hartford, TN, which has been ravaged by the hurricane.

Ashe Really Cares - A community-run group that provides clothes, food, and other essentials to those who need it in Ashe county. They are currently accepting donations to help with hurricane relief.

Hospitality House Northwest NC - Hospitality House is a major site of relief for unhoused people in northwest NC.

Hunger and Health Coalition - An organization that works to provide food and medication to those who need it.

F.A.R.M. Café - A Café that has always served pay-what-you-can meals to the Boone area. They’ve stepped it up to help with hurricane recovery.

MANNA Foodbank - A foodbank in Asheville that was secured prior to the hurricane, meaning they retained their supplies.

BeLoved Asheville - An organization on the ground distributing a wide variety of supplies to those in Asheville. They are in need of food, bottled water, contractor-size trash bags, blankets, first aid supplies, feminine hygiene products, diapers and baby clothes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, paper towels, bleach, shovels, brooms, gloves, coolers, propane, cook stoves, flashlights, batteries, fans, dehumidifiers, and generators. Their Venmo is BeLoved-Asheville and their CashApp is $BeLovedAsheville and their Zelle is 828-412-2054 .

Help A Watauga County Family Rebuild - The Workman family had to be rescued by the fire department after their apartment was flooded. Both of their cars are not available—one totaled in a field and one still missing. They’re all safe staying with the Red Cross, but all they have is a single change of clothes.

Help Bavarian Village Residents Rebuild - Bavarian Village, a townhouse neighborhood, was flooded with over 3.5 feet of water. All of the residents have had to pack up their remaining items and leave, but they have been offered no alternative places to live or reimbursements of rent or funds. Hundreds of people, including many elderly and young families, have been displaced and now need urgent help.

WNC Regional Livestock Center - The WNCRLC is working to help farmers and their animals recover from the hurricane. They are also sheltering displaced animals—entire herds of cows have been washed away and need rescuing. By donating, you help them provide feed and care for them!! They have partnered with Yvonne Coburn with Civilian Disaster Response. Her contact is 828-216-4496.

Help An App State Student Rebuild After Losing Everything - Mya lost her car, apartment, everything inside both of those, Macbook, and more during the flood. This GoFundMe was set up by her family so that they can help support her while she is homeless.

Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina - An organization that works to help homeless people, especially near Asheville. They are working on providing clothes and shelter to those who need it.

Mountain Projects - This organization has helped disaster recovery a lot in the past. They have not been able to be contacted yet because their town, Waynesville, has been hit by flooding.

United Way of Buncombe and Ashe County - This organization is going to help out with disaster relief.

Help Two App State Students Rebuild - This GoFundMe is run by a friend of August and Cory who was with them when their home flooded as Hurricane Helene hit. The three of them were trapped in the upstairs part of their home for six hours and were nearly denied rescue. Now, they need to rebuild the lives they’ve lost.

Operation Airdrop - An organization that has helped Helene survivors in Florida using volunteers with aircraft as well as ground volunteers to deliver lifesaving supplies. They’re headed north to help out in Appalachia.

Help an Ashe County Family Rebuild After Hurricane - A family in Hot Springs, Ashe county lost their mobile home and their jobs due to Hurricane Helene. This GoFundMe will help them afford to keep going while they rebuild.

stay safe everyone, please give me more resources to edit this post with. thank you guys

posting here because this just doesn’t feel right to talk about in the horseimagebarn voice but this is extremely important to talk about.

my partner and i have returned to our hometown to stay with her family and my own has gotten a hotel here too (they moved to the town we currently live in after we did) so we are all safe and out of the thick of it

however there are tens of thousands of people who are not both in my own town and in the many surrounding it. appalachia will take an extremely long time to recover from this and there are more storms on the way. all i see on social media right now is people asking for shelter because their homes have been destroyed, or people asking for help searching for family members who are missing. hundreds of trees have fallen. hundreds of homes have flooded. roads are literally falling apart. preexisting sinkholes due to shitty pipes are opening up and consuming land. dams are on the verge of bursting and the only way to stop it is to release water so quickly it floods whole towns. all but one of our cell towers are down, so only people with at&t have service and the rest can’t contact anyone. over half the town still doesn’t have power. a major water supply issue occurred and the entire town is on a water boil order with no electricity to boil with. people are trapped in their homes and workplaces or out on the street because they have nowhere to go. law enforcement is blocking off roads but trapping people in the process. people have to be rescued by helicopter. our animal shelter has no water or power and boarding facilities have been flooded. entire villages like chimney rock nc are gone, and entire cities like asheville are cut off from the rest of the state and are completely inaccessible. ALL OF THE ROADS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ARE CLOSED. 400+ roads are closed because they are unsafe . that is INSANE!!!

when people say that climate change isn’t real, they don’t know what they’re talking about. climate change and its father capitalism are only going to continue to worsen lives in every way possible. i live in the mountains and our infrastructure is completely unprepared to handle hurricanes and it’s only going to get worse. it’s such a strange and eye-opening experience to live something like this when you think that it could never happen to you because that type of weather shouldn’t reach you in your environment. climate change doesn’t care where you live. it’s real.

western north carolina and the rest of the southeast that has been hit by helene need help. more people need to be talking about this so that the government DOES SOMETHING because the government historically fucking hates appalachia and it still does!!! the major state institution near me took DAYS to respond despite being the only place in town with power and wifi connection because they had to wait for the state to approve their response—they could have allowed thousands of people to evacuate days prior to the hurricane hitting us but they didn’t do anything before or after until it was too late!!! it’s bullshit!!! PLEASE get talking about this because something has to be done. climate change is going to continue happening and our mountains and the people in them are going to suffer immensely. hundreds if not thousands are now homeless. please talk about this look at the footage online of the wreckage and look how quickly our infrastructure crumbled. we need better. the people of appalachia deserve better.

i’ll get back to posting horses soon. but for now this is a lot. my friends are homeless and my family had to get off the mountain or be trapped there without power and water for days. we’re all safe but exhausted. i hope everyone who has been affected by this is staying safe. if you are in western nc, dm me. when i come back, if you’re in my area, im happy to bring supplies. stay safe everyone

[windoworldltd1]

The Ultimate Guide to uPVC Windows: Benefits, Styles, and Installation

Benefits of uPVC Windows

Energy Efficiency: uPVC windows are known for their excellent insulation properties. They effectively keep the heat inside during the winter and prevent it from entering during the summer, thereby reducing your energy bills. The multi-chambered design of uPVC frames also adds an extra layer of insulation, enhancing the overall energy efficiency of your home.

Durability: One of the standout features of uPVC windows is their durability. Unlike traditional wooden frames, uPVC does not rot, warp, or corrode over time. It is resistant to weather conditions, making it a perfect choice for homes in areas with extreme climates. With proper care, uPVC windows can last for decades without losing their charm or functionality.

Low Maintenance: uPVC windows require minimal maintenance compared to other window materials. A simple wipe with a damp cloth is sufficient to keep them looking clean and new. They do not need regular painting or varnishing, saving you both time and money in the long run.

Sound Insulation: If you live in a noisy neighborhood or near a busy street, uPVC windows can be a boon. Their excellent sound insulation properties significantly reduce external noise, creating a peaceful and quiet indoor environment.

Security: Security is a top priority for homeowners, and uPVC windows do not disappoint. They come with multi-point locking systems, making them difficult to break into. The robust construction of uPVC frames adds an extra layer of security to your home.

Styles of uPVC Windows

uPVC windows are available in a wide range of styles to suit different architectural designs and personal preferences. Here are some popular styles:

Casement Windows: These windows are hinged on the side and open outward, providing excellent ventilation and unobstructed views. They are easy to operate and offer a modern look.

Sliding Windows: Ideal for spaces with limited room for outward opening, sliding windows glide smoothly along a track. They are perfect for modern homes and provide a sleek, Double Glazing contemporary appearance.

Tilt and Turn Windows: These versatile windows can tilt inward for ventilation or swing open like a door. They offer flexibility in terms of airflow and easy cleaning.

Bay Windows: Bay windows project outward from the main walls, creating a beautiful alcove inside. They add a touch of elegance to any room and allow ample natural light to enter.

Sash Windows: Traditional and timeless, sash windows consist of two movable panels that slide vertically. They are perfect for period properties and add a classic charm to any home.

Installation Process

Installing uPVC windows is a straightforward process, but it is best left to professionals to ensure a perfect fit and finish. Here’s an overview of the installation process:

Measurement and Assessment: Accurate measurements of the window openings are taken to ensure a precise fit. The condition of the existing window frames and surrounding structure is also assessed.

Removal of Old Windows: The old windows are carefully removed without damaging the surrounding walls or structure.

Preparation: The window openings are cleaned and prepared for the new uPVC windows. This includes removing any debris and ensuring a smooth surface.

Installation: The uPVC windows are placed into the openings and securely fixed using screws and brackets. The gaps between the window frame and the wall are sealed with insulating materials to prevent drafts and leaks.

Finishing Touches: The windows are tested for proper operation, and any necessary adjustments are made. Trim and finishing elements are added to ensure a neat and polished look.

[fuzzykingking]

Karni Mata Temple: The Sacred Sanctuary of the Rat Gods

I was recently watching the movie "I Am Kalam" when I came across this fascinating tale about yet another unusual Indian temple: the Karni Mata temple in Rajasthan, also referred to as the "Temple of Rats." In that scene, the main character visits the rat temple.

What makes Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan Special?

The reason the Karni Mata Temple near Bikaner is well-known isn't because of its setting or architectural style, but rather because thousands of rats live there and are allowed to explore the premises. Since they are thought to be Karni Mata's sons, seeing or passing a white rat in the temple is extremely lucky. They frequently cross visitors' feet.

The nearly identical-sized rats in this temple are visible coming out of the cracks in the floor, walls, and ceiling, among other places in the building. Even the main sanctum is home to these rats, who go by the name Kaba. For the kaba to eat, a variety of foods are placed on plates, including nuts, grains, milk, fruits, halwa, coconut, roti, laddu, and even alcohol.

There are around 20,000 rats in the Rajasthani Rat Temple, but there isn't a bad odor anywhere on the grounds. The rats do not harm the goods and products in the shops surrounding the temple. Because the rats in the temple have never caused an animal-related illness to spread, they are likewise greatly revered here.

 Interesting Stories From Rajasthan: Bhangarh Fort: A Ghostly Adventure In The Heart Of Rajasthan

The Legend Of Karni Mata Temple

Karni Mata was no typical lady; throughout her life, she encountered many supernatural sorcery that was above the powers of the average person. Karni Mata was born in Jodhpur on September 20, 1378, and her magical abilities were made known to the world shortly after.

Mehaji and Deval Devi, who are thought to be Karni Mata's parents, were Jodhpur-based members of the Charan Clan. Mehaji desired a son, but they had five daughters. Mehaji made the decision to travel to the temple, which is presently located in Pakistan's Baluchistan area, in order to appease the goddess Hinglaj Mata. Hinglaj Mata, pleased with Mehaji's devotion, bestowed a boon upon him.

Deval Devi experienced a dream at this period in which the goddess Durga appeared to her and asked her to have patience, saying that the goddess will give birth from her womb. Deval Devi gave birth to a baby girl after 21 months, who was given the name Ridubai. After hearing the news, Mehaji became irrationally angry about having another baby girl and clenched his fist. After that, he was punished for offending the deity by having his fist imprisoned for eternity.

Depoji did as instructed and Karni Mata then left to dedicate her life to worshipping goddess Durga. During this time she roamed in various parts of Rajasthan helping people. Her magical powers and spiritual work gained her fame and respect throughout the state. She was also invited to lay the foundation stone of the historic fort of Rajasthan like Meherangarh and Bikaner fort.

From a cave close to Bikaner, she lived her entire life adoring the goddess and working marvels until, in 1538, she declared her own death at the age of 151. In the Deshnok village near Bikaner, the Karni Mata Temple was constructed in accordance with her final request so that her devotees might come and give her prayers.

In front of the temple is a modest Karni Mata museum that features a number of sculptures that tell the tale of Karni Mata's life.

CONCLUSION

A trip to the Karni Mata Temple transports you to a world where devotion and the remarkable coexist, providing a profound and singular spiritual experience. This temple, which is revered for the sacred rats that live within, represents a unique facet of Rajasthan's religious and cultural legacy. You will develop a profound understanding of the diverse range of beliefs that characterize this amazing location as you make your way through the busy temple grounds and observe the reverence of devotees. The Karni Mata Temple is proof of the many intriguing and varied customs that enthrall and motivate people even today.

[apexroofingsystems1]

Understanding the Essentials of Professional Roofing Installation

A roof is not just the top layer of a home; it's a complex system that plays a crucial role in protecting you and your loved ones from the elements. When considering roofing installation near me, it's important to understand what professional services can offer to ensure your home stays safe, secure, and aesthetically pleasing.

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Materials Matter in Roofing Installation

When searching for roofing installation near me, you'll discover that materials are at the heart of any quality roofing project. From traditional asphalt shingles to modern metal sheets, each material offers distinct benefits in terms of cost, durability, maintenance requirements, and aesthetic appeal. A reputable contractor will guide you through the selection process, helping you choose materials that align with your specific needs and preferences.

Advanced Techniques for Leak Prevention

One major concern during any roofing project is preventing future leaks. Experienced contractors employ advanced techniques like proper flashing around vents, chimneys, and valleys as part of their service offerings. These critical details ensure that water has no entry point into your home which could lead to extensive damage if overlooked.

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Apex Roofing Systems

1211 Laurens Rd Suite B Suite C, Greenville, South Carolina, 29607, US

864-668-2788