#and i have the advantage of natural land and rocks that i can use as natural barriers

[weirdcharacter]

I'm so happy, my house is coming together nicely and I'm also working on the dino-park, hopefully I'll be done with the first step by next week or in two weeks time 🤗

[less-dev]

We're making a Starbound/Terraria inspired space sandbox game!

We're making a 2D sandbox game similar to Starbound! Or uh, terraria in space.

#nodev contains shitposting

#planetarium contains dev progress

Specifics under the cut

Who are you?

Aspen - Project Lead, Programmer, Pixel artist, Sound Designer.

Hey! I'm Aspen, I've been programming and making games for many many years in basically every engine there is... But never felt the drive to finish one, until now! I consider myself very experienced in the engine we're using (Gamemaker Studio 2.5) and have confidence we'll be able to make this game a reality. I also run the Tumblr account, so assume it's me behind the wheel as a default. Thank you for checking the game out!

Alec - Concept artist, Character Designer

H a l l o I'm Alec, I like writing and drawing and painting and designing shiiiiiiiit. I adore world building and have frequent bursts of creative possession in which I conceive and birth the greatest ideas and concepts in a mere moment. Otherwise, I can be a total dumbass and completely useless. I'm good at colours 👌 I have been a 85% a home-brew DM for about 2 years now and that is the greatest proof of my ADHD-given God powers of creativity. Slay.

What a cool guy!

Design pillars

Immersion. Above all else, I would like roleplay (casual or serious) to be natural and well supported. I would like players to find engaging with the world, and it's characters to be very personal.

Innovation. Tropes such as "You spawn in a green forest and can walk left or right" will be actively avoided. Biomes will have generation that presents more unique movement opportunities. Such as geysers in rock pools launching players high up, or giant twisting vines that hold up chunks of land to hop between.

More quality less quantity. Planets will be significantly more content-dense than Starbound, and perhaps controversially travel between them will be more difficult/expensive as well. This would encourage players to take advantage of all the resources presented on each planet, instead of hopping from one to the next. This would also encourage us throughout development to give each planet as much love as possible. Each planet should feel like a 'miniature terraria world'. Though actually achieving that is easier said than done.

Meaningful content. Procedurally generating creatures from 100 different pre-set monster parts could technically produce limitless alien creatures for players to encounter. But in both No Man's Sky and Starbound. I find this novelty to wear off quick, these creatures are not manually, meaningfully crafted and beyond an unusual appearance and some shallow gameplay changes... They do not create much of a memorable experience for the player. In my opinion, anyway. I would rather hand-craft every creature and make them all significantly unique and interesting. That's not to say procedurally generated creatures won't ever have a place in the game, but they certainly wont be as prevalent as others games.

Okay well... What's finished?

Fundamental lighting shaders akin to Starbound.

Some world generation brushes and basic commands.

A text mark-up language (heavily optimised), and game chat.

Extensive custom debugging tools

Hard and soft-loading of chunks to save on as much memory and CPU usage as possible.

Complete unloading, and compression of chunks on top of the previously mentioned system. As well as a live-saving system.

Setting, Story baseline, and conceptualization of the first 3 playable species. Each species will have a different starting planet, and immediately different playthrough.

Designs and cultures of several additional unplayable races.

Character proportion tests, sprites and sketches.

First-pass on collision functions.

Weighted Tile variance and tile connections.

CONCERNS

Multiplayer. While I have made an online multiplayer game before and it's definitely doable for this game, it would require some practice in a one-off test game to be fully confident. It would also take a LOT of time.

Modding. As far as I know gamemaker games are notoriously difficult for players to modify. Something like Unity is far easier even without mod support. Gamemaker on the other hand is difficult even if I want to design systems in favor of modders. This is kind of a problem for later, I have faith there'll be something we can do to make it work... But a cursory look says it won't be easy. I would be extremely disappointed if there was nothing we could do.

[sol-consort]

Wait until the other species find out that the only thing preventing Earth from being pummeled to death by the asteroid belt is the gravitational pull and orbit of Jupiter holding the belt and other space rocks back. (Sometimes Jupiter lets one slip tho and flings it right at us or the other inner planets. The dinosaurs got the last rock that Jupiter threw at Earth.)

that's just Jupi being in a silly goofy mood <3 such a diva sometimes i swear

I know there is this trope of "Earth is actually a deathworld" in the human space orcs prompts, but Earth is genuinely the closest to a heaven you can get naturally from a planet.

The other species would envy the humans for getting such a starting advantage. Turians had to adapt to a radioactive planet after their ozone layer fizzled out, quarians became the disease carriers in their world for the lack of bugs to spread pollen around which completely shattered any resemblance of immune system they could've had.

Compare it to our Earth that's impossibly diverse, the rich evolution history it gave humans. It's not normal for an animal to have such a varied diet as us! So many of the stuff we are able to eat would kill them. Our bodies have biological clocks that sync with the day and night cycle. Our hands have fully articulated 5 fingers, and one of them is a thumb! Having a thumb is so vital to creating/using tools that it's a miracle species without it even managed to get through the stone age. So many of the aliens have fewer fingers, paws, or claws.

Our hands are insanely complex, not even counting the unique per-person fingerprints. Each finger has 4 joints, totalling 20 joints per hand. Allowing us extremely precise movements and the perfect limb to grab any shape whatsoever with. We wouldn't have had any of that wasn't it for the long line of ancestry we hold, we would've probably ended up as another aquatic species wasn't it for Earth developing the ozone layer and allowing us to go on land + plants and actually liveable wide areas of land.

So back to earth—Not only is the ozone layer and the Earth magnetic field constantly protecting us, but so is the moon! So is Jupiter! So are the remaining planets in the outer rings that filter out all the large asteroids. Jupiter flinging one asteroid at us once a couple millennias is so much more preferable to the shower of asteroids we would've been heralded in every single day.

Or how convenient Mars' existence is to us. So close by, mineral rich and ready to be explored, the perfect test planet to attempt to integrate into. A clear set goal for the future. How humans in Mass Effect got handed all the advanced space travel technology from the remains of Prothean bases there, ones previously used to observe us. Did the other species get the same? Asari, sure, yeah, but salarians and turians had to actually work to master space travel.

9 planets and 181 moons. Our solar system is even located at the outer edge of the Milky Way, where it's nice and less crowded. We're literally living in the suburban housing equivalent of planetary systems.

Earth is genuinely a haven, the perfect cradle to nurture sustainable life. All the other species have problems and mutations caused by their less than ideal planet environments, which they had to overcome with science—even the asari, don't forget the glaring problem of how reproducing with each other can results in Ardat Yakshi— Meanwhile, humans can be suited up and ready to go.

Our faulty expiring spines and only two sets of teeth pale in comparison to salarian bodies needing extreme support for each joint, drell breathing diseases, and hanar inability to carry their own bodyweight. Humans' bodies are very adapt, even in space, your brain starts adjusting the blood flow and regulating it's own pressure.

We might not have 4 eyes or other advantages like the protheans, but we definitely can get a passing grade in space survival with little to no modifications, only regular exercise.

That's why the theory of "unique earth" is so popular. Even when we do find an earth-like planet, it's rarely in a suitable star system. It's bare and defenceless with nothing to protect it. It's only a matter of time before it's flattened by asteroids or melted by radiation.

The sharks on earth are older than the forming of the literal north star. If that's not proof enough of Earth being perfect for propagating and maintaining life, then I don't know what is.

[quicktosimp]

Tug on My Heart

Kinkmas Day 08

Warnings: Tail Play, Threesome, Alien Genitalia, Dom!Jake, Dom!Reader, Sub!Neytiri, Scent Kink, Cunnilingus

A/N: Currently writing this while sick, hope it comes out good

@neteyamsyawntu

Three kids within a year. That right there could end anyone's sanity, but we make it work. Mo’at is a blessing from Eywa herself; whenever we need a night out, she offers to watch the three of them. Just like tonight, we dropped them off with the supplies they needed for the night, and Mo’at took them happily into her arms. I think she misses having little ones around, but I don’t want to take advantage of her, so I always bring her gifts of her favorite berries and herbs for her tea, things that can be difficult for her to get while taking care of the clan. We each hugged and kissed the babies good night as we calmly walked out of the kelku, but the moment our feet hit the outside, we ran, giggling like courting teenagers.

We ran around, giggling and dodging each other as we tried to grab one another. In the night sky, our sanhì shines in the dark, giving our mates the perfect view of each other as we chased each other to the ikrans roosting area. After a quick call, we had bonded with our ikrans and had taken flight. The feeling of the wind hitting my face as the ground is far out of sight is a euphoria I can never forget. The dark forest underneath me, with the tops of the trees nothing but a dark cloud. I smiled at the sight, happily enjoying my view, forgetting about my mate's teasing nature. That was until he flew over me upside down; laughing at my shocked expression, Jake winked at me as he continued on, aiming for Neytiri. Unfortunately for Jake, Neytiri is a much more experienced flyer and easily dogged him with a resounding call. I chased after them, souping under Jake and swearing, so I stopped right in front of him. My ikran's wings spread out as he came to a sudden stop. Now, it was Jake’s turn to be surprised as he laughed at my antics. With a flash, Neytiri flew between us, startling the two of us. Jake and I looked at each other and knew what we would do. Eyeing Neytiri, we sped off, chasing her tail, laughing the whole way. As we chased her, we started to spiral down, circling around, simply enjoying the time. After long hours of flying, we landed, our blood pumping through us as Jake and I continued our chase. Our minds were too in sync as we both tried for Neytiri’s tail. I barely felt the fur on my fingertips before I hit Jake’s chest, giving Neytiri the opportunity to run away. I let out a playful growl as I lunged for Neytiri again, getting behind her as Jake went for the front. The two of us pinned her between us. I nubbed my chin along her neck, scenting her thoroughly, as Jake reached around and grabbed her tail, tugging on the base. 

“Ma’Jake, not there,” Her voice was weak as she moaned her words.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. I trailed one hand up along her body, stroking her skin in a feather-light touch before I reached her head, tangling my fingers in her braids. I pulled her head to the side, giving myself more room to scent her. Neytiri’s sense of smell has always been more sensitive than the average Na’vi, which is perfect for Jake and me as our scents are like an aphrodisiac to her. With her neck spread for me, I rub my scent gland over her, dominating her natural scent and leaving my own in place. 

“Come on, Neytiri, be a good girl for us,” I whisper in her ear before licking her scent gland and biting down on it.

“Rutxe,” Neytiri keens as her knees buckle.

There was no space for her to fall, stuck between Jake and me. We both chuckle at her reaction, needing to see more from here.

“Come on baby, you can do better than that,” Jake enunciated this with a pull on her tail.

“Rutxe, Ma’Jake, Rutxe,” The moans continued to spill out of her mouth, the pitch rising from the tug on her tail.

I look at Jake and motion to the mossy rock, which is perfect for what we need. Understanding my hint, Jake picks Neytiri up and carries her over, laying her on the rock with her head hanging off the side. I stand with her head between my legs as I rake my fingers across the soft of her stomach.

“Kehe,” Neytiri whined, wrapping her arms around my thighs, trying to bring me closer.

Walking in between her legs, Jake slapped her inner thigh, “No, baby, you don’t get to tell us no. You just take what we give you,” Jake said as he started to play around her slit. 

“You really should listen, Lovie. Jake’s in a teasing mood tonight. If you’re not careful, you won’t be leaving here satisfied,” I threatened, knowing the last thing she would want is to leave her without cuming.

“Am I really that bad?” Jake asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer.

“You always are; it’s one of the many things I love about you,” I answered honestly in return.

“Come here,” Jake gestures to me.

We both lean over Neytiri’s body as our lips meet. Soft but passionate as we moved in tandem, our breaths met between each kiss before our lips locked together again. I moved closer to Jake, placing my slit right in front of Neytiri’s face, which she took advantage of. I gasped into Jake’s mouth as a warm, wet muscle licked at my central stripe. With my mouth open, Jake thrust his tongue into my mouth, intertwining with my tongue, as I start to hump into Neytiri’s face. Her tongue became more persistent as she poked and prodded at my slit, begging it to open.

I part from Jake as a groan leaves my mouth, “Look, Jake, she’s fucking needy tonight,” I roll my hips as I notice Neytiri’s slit fully open, her juices flooding over her stomach and dripping down the rock, the brightness of her slick matching the color of her sanhì. 

Jake had three fingers twisting and fucking inside Neytiri, his hand going at a speed I could barely comprehend. Her slick was flying everywhere, from the pace every time Jake pulled out, splattering it over himself as well.

“Tiri’s fucking leaking everywhere; I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much of a mess before,” His words were cruel, but he said in awe.

Just then, Neytiri’s tongue pocked inside me, my slit finally giving way to her advances, “Oh, shit, that’s good,” I moan as her tongue works inside me.

“She better be because she doesn’t get my dick until you cum first,” Jake said, bringing me back to him.

Neytiri took his words to heart as the grip on my thighs tightened, and her tongue became frantic. Moving inside me fast enough that my inner tendrils couldn’t keep up with her tongue. Irritated by this, I grabbed a hold of her tail and tugged harshly.

“Do it properly!” I demanded, keeping a hold of her tail.

I could feel her scream into my slit, but nevertheless, she obeyed. I stayed leaning over Neytiri, rolling my hips into her mouth as each tendril tried to wrap around her tongue, only to lose it when she moved yet again. With her tail in hand, I knew I could have some fun; instead of tugging, I moved my hand up and down, not unlike giving a human a handjob, and the moans that came out of Neytiri were angelic. I messaged my fingers into her tail as I moved it up and down, causing her body to arch into my touch. At this point, she completely forgot about her job. I looked at Jake, smirking, knowing how this night would go. I continued my actions on her tail as Jake added a fourth finger inside her slit.

Muffled by my slit, her moans were still understandable, “Rutxe, Ma’Jake, Rutxe, Rutxe, Rutxe, Ma’Yawne.”

Neytiri’s body was tense, like her bowstring, before she releases. Knowing this, I had to go one step further to push her over the edge. With her tail in hand, I bring the end up to feel the fur along my lips and bite down.

Neytiri arched off the rock as she screamed her release, her slick glowing everywhere and continuing to gush out of her. Her toes curled, and her eyes scrunched shut.

“Irayo, irayo, irayo,” Neytiri repeatedly moaned; she repeated that until she finished cumming.

“You know Jake, Trir keeps saying thank you. Does she think that it is going to get her out of her punishment?” I ask darkly, a smirk covering my face.

“She better not, she disobeyed, and now that pretty little ass is mine,” Jake agreed, flipping her over.

I grabbed her tail again, lifting it out of Jake’s way as Neytiri started to protest.

[lawomi]

From the Start - Trans!Law x GN!Reader

Chapter 1 (Revised Dec. 2024)

LinkTree Request status, Ao3, Bsky, ext

Masterlist

When you were young you became close to Bepo's family after being force fed a devil fruit. In present day the Mink and Heart Pirates face Jack the Drought as we wait for Law to finish his business in Dressrosa.

Minors DNI ; FTS Revised ch 2 is up on Ao3!

CWs: Childhood abuse, Assault, Waterboarding, Devil Fruit force feeding, Parental Death mention, Sibling Death mention, Law does not appear until next chapter :'(

Years ago, you lived on the island of Zou. As a wolf mink in particular, you served under Nekomamushi. You awoke each night - as is custom - and trained to keep your country safe, the core regimen of your basic education. 

Unfortunately, among the mink tribe you weren’t quite up to standard.  

For one, your control over electro did not come easily. It took time to control the charges your wild fur would build; most mink had it down pat once they had fur.  

Secondly, your combat skills were lacking: your kind nature made it difficult to fight real opponents. Your punches and kicks would stop short of landing your target.  

Thirdly, you were the only piebald mink in Zou. 

“If you can’t hit us, how can we trust you to hit an intruder?!” The kits would yell at you. You were failing Zunesha! You weren’t the protector Zou required each citizen to be. 

When isolated the bullying would only worsen. They would assault you, throwing rocks or fists. Without adults around it was easy for them to take advantage of you. You made it home often with your hair in tatters, your fur ragged, your paws and face caked in blood and dirt.  

Your mother – excessively worried – helped you clean up, but your father was always outraged. He often yelled at you, scolding you for not having fought back or suggesting you simply never go out again. He increased your anxiety, causing you to shut down and sob in a ball, insisting he’d go out and make the adults of those children pay despite your protesting. The embarrassment would burn in your cheeks, the thought anyone would get hurt and it was your fault augmented your already fragile adolescent self-esteem. 

Often, you found yourself at the center of Zou’s Whale Forest under the Whale Tree to escape these circumstances. You liked to sit along the tree’s rimmed underbelly and – with your excellent night vision – you read a book.  

Other than the looming threat of your classmates following you, you found this spot to be a sanctuary. The Whale Tree had spurred you to begin researching baleen whales, igniting your fascination with the sea. The books you typically read contained tales about lesser minks that inhabited most of the planet—however vast that was.  

It enthralled you to learn about pirates who traveled the stormy seas surrounding Zunesha. Most importantly, the topic that piqued your curiosity most were the sea kings. You dreamt of diving deep into the sea and making new discoveries about them! 

I want to know how sea kings tick, you told yourself. Do they eat? Do they impact the diversity of the oceans positively or negatively? Why are so many of them in the calm belt? Which one is the biggest?!  

Your mind swirled with these thoughts day after day, until the fateful moment your dreams were shattered.  

On the trek home one night you found yourself confronting a familiar group if mink kits. The leader of the group, a jaguar mink named Pedro, held up an odd-looking item as he spat insults at you. Frozen in fear and taken by the sight of said object, you momentarily lose your sense of time.  

The item was some sort of melon—or was it a brain? It was a pale grey color, the little green stem at the top curled into a crescent. It took your lagging mind a few moments to absorb what you were looking at – what you were hearing, too – before the jaguar kit commanded the other hoodlums to tackle you to the ground.  

Overpowered by the combined strength of several mink kits, you struggle to break free only to have your jaws forced open. Pedro walked over and shoved the fruit into your mouth. Angered, released from their grip temporarily, you bite down and destroy the fruit, scattering pieces everywhere. Most importantly – you ended up swallowing some of it.  

You spat and coughed, not expecting the fruit to taste like mold. Suddenly, the world looked larger to you. Something was wrong.  

While disoriented a primate mink named Keith ran at you with a big bucket of water. The others once again grabbed you, essentially allowing the monkey kit to water board you. Not only did you feel like you were drowning, but you felt the energy drain from your body.  

Your vision began to blur, blood rushing in your ears deafening sound; your body tried to find some way to expel the water in order to breathe. Spots formed in your eyes, unconsciousness threatening to overtake you.  

“Enough!” a gruff voice barely broke through your minds haze. An adult mink’s heavy body rushed towards the clearing from the underbrush. The kits panicked and scattered, leaving the back of your head to hit the floor with a sharp clatter.  

Water pooled on the ground around your head, still gargling in a weak attempt to clear your throat. 

“Are you alright?!” A massive polar bear mink knelt beside you. He had a black tuft of hair at the top of his head and a black beard, but the rest of his visible fur was snow white. 

He placed his two paws just under your diaphragm, administering CPR to encourage your lungs to fully clear out. Once he was confident you had had spat all of the water out, he helped you sit up. The bear’s voice came clear now, “You’ve eaten a devil fruit.” 

A devil what now? Oh, a devil fruit. You had read about them, but had never seen one in person before. You looked down at your legs and hands, your lungs still heaving. 

You had the same pigmentation as your fur, but said fur was gone. Your hair, however, remained. The spotted separations between your skin patches were much more prominent, you saw spots you’d never noticed before. Your wolf claws had become flat like an ape’s. Holding your head in your new hands, you scream. 

The bear mink watched you panic at first, then placed his large paws on your shoulders.  

“Breathe with me. 1… 2… 3…,” He guided you through deep breathing exercises, breathing out when you made it to seven. Once you had calmed enough, he finally introduced himself.  

“My name is Grepo, one of the Guardians. I know your father, but I don’t think I’ve ever met you in person, Y/N. Can you talk to me?” 

Using a cloth, Grepo had gone on to pat you down. The less water on your skin, the more aware you felt, the easier it was to calm your nerves. You managed to stand on your own two feet, luckily those still resembled proper wolf minks’ paws and had fur. You check the paw pads, they were still there, but shaped to fit a human-like sole.  

“What… am I?” You weren’t sure if the question was for Grepo or yourself. You reach up atop your head and find fluffy wolf ears where they belong. Behind you, your tail still twitched from stress. 

Grepo thoughtfully tilted his head, “You look like a lesser mink.” Seeing your big eyes, almost desperate, he became depressed. “Oh, I’m sorry. It felt rude calling you lesser…” - he recovered almost instantly - “But you know it means fine-furred, right? You look like an ape mink to be precise.” 

Tears welled up in your eyes, you hugged yourself, feeling the bare and smooth skin with cold hands. At a mere 7 years of age, you wanted to die. Now you really were a monster. Besides, the other kits would definitely kill you now. Worst of all, the one thing you knew about Devil Fruits was… you couldn’t swim anymore. 

Fleetingly, you wondered if their goal was to poison you. Your heart skipped, your chest felt heavy, your head hurt from the shock. You fell to your knees, resting your forehead against the dirt. Grepo’s paw patted your back, petting you soothingly. As you continued sobbing, Grepo lifts you and gently cradles you against his chest. 

“My son, Zepo, sees you during class,” Grepo said softly. “He’s upset with how the others treat you, I didn’t know it was so extreme. Would you like to visit my family? A warm bath and a meal should help…” Face buried in Grepo’s soft neck fur, back suddenly feeling very cold anywhere his hands weren’t touching, you meekly nod.  

With that response, the Whale Forest Guardian walks in the direction he had come from, using the path of flattened underbrush instead of trampling more plants. Luckily the clearing he had been in hadn’t been too far. The walk to Grepo’s home was calming, the bear mink trying his best not to rock you too much.  

The sun was slowly rising over the horizon. 6 AM was right around the corner, prompting everyone under Nekomamushi’s ruling to grow sleepier as the minutes ticked by. 

The sound of a baby mewling woke you that night. It was nearing 6 PM again, the Guardian Residential District began to buzz with activity.  

You stared at the ceiling, a breeze passing by your face. You trembled and brought the blankets up to your chin- your smooth chin. You experimentally pinch your own cheek. It seemed lesser mink had a very thin outline of hair. It felt pleasant on your fingertips.  

You liked the sensations; you realized your sense of touch was stronger, too. The weirdest aspect was your flat face, much different than your snout- much flatter than any primate mink you’ve ever encountered.  

Glancing around the room you spotted a bed with a polar bear kit sleeping in it. It was Zepo, you recognized him from school. He was all white besides a black spot of fur on his chin and a black stripe on his head. Beyond his bed you spotted a cradle, a much smaller pure-white bear kit gripped the bars, crying for attention.  

Zepo had already started to stir from his sleep; he sat up and yawned. He got out of the bed, smoothed out his light green pajamas, and walked over to the cradle. He wasn’t quite tall enough to get the baby out, but the baby was smiling and reaching for its brother.  

Zepo gently played with his baby brother’s paws. “Good morning, Bepo,” his sing-song voice made you smile, too. 

“Oh,” Zepo turned to see you staring. “Good evening, Y/N,” he yawned again into his hand. “I had to get ready for bed so I didn’t ask my father what happened. He told me you ate a devil fruit, though. Are you okay? How does it feel?”  

You glanced under your covers, noticing you were given one of Zepo’s pajama sets to wear after a much-needed bath. It was baggy, but it hadn’t hindered your sleep. The straps to make sure your pants didn’t slip off had already been adjusted for you.  

You stood and immediately missed the plush mattress, but resisted the urge to climb back in, turning your attention back to Zepo. 

“Wow,” Zepo crept over. He was staring at your arms, your legs. “I’ve never seen a lesser mink in person before.” He reached out to indicate a hug. You smiled and accepted the hug. 

“Garchu!” You both greeted, rubbing into each other's faces affectionately as all minks did.  

He was warm, you were instantly much happier. He was about double your size, considering he was a bear kit. His dressed chest and belly felt so plush even with fabric over it.  

This brought you memories; the kits at the school typically refused to minkship with you, assuming your piebaldism was somehow spreadable. Zepo clearly knew better; it was rare you made such a good friend your age. 

“You feel nice!” Zepo mused. “Still soft.”  

You giggled as he explored your skin, grazing your ticklish spots unintentionally. He leaned down and rubbed his face into yours again. You push him away when you’d had enough, blushing brightly, but still beaming. 

He grinned his toothy grin in return, then gently took your hand to guide you over to his brother, Bepo. “Hey, baby brother,” Zepo touched the paws the restless kit had wrapped firmly around the bars. “This is my classmate, Y/N.” Bepo smiled brightly at you.  

Your heart practically melted. Fluffy… incredibly so. Bear kits were some of the cutest kits, even if they were huge. The bars of the crib were extra tall and woven tight and strong, sure not to break with the bite force of a bear kit.  

Zepo tore his eyes away from his adorable baby brother and looked your way, “Are you ready to wash up and eat breakfast? I need to tell my mother Bepo’s awake.” 

“Yes, of course,” you replied. 

Zepo lead you to the laboratory to wash up. He affectionately nuzzled you, then headed to another room to find his mother. You felt nervous being alone, but you bore it, completing your routine quickly to meet Zepo back in his bedroom.  

As you passed the kitchen on the way back, you noticed a newspaper on the table. Chills ran down your spine as you realized it was news about the outside world! The largest article on the front cover was about the destruction of an island called Ohara.  

The report declared that the people of Ohara were researching forbidden knowledge that could have destroyed the world; it painted the marines as the heroes. An image of a young girl’s bounty crossed your vision as you skimmed.  

Nico Robin, a girl slightly older than yourself had earned a bounty of 79 million berries. If a lesser mink of only nine years old could sink five marine ships… civilization outside of Zou was far more grandiose than you could have ever imagined. 

“Good evening, Omi!” Your head snapped to attention at the nickname your father gave you over omurice. You nodded meekly, setting the newspaper down as though you’d done something wrong.  

“I see you’ve been reading the news,” Grepo mused, “That’s good that you’ve shown interest. The world is vast and many events happen every day… But don’t worry about that at your age. Would you like some breakfast?”  

You nodded again, eyeing Grepo when he reached up to pull some fruit from a net that hung over the kitchen’s counter. He pulled out a few bananas, grapes and apples. He placed them on the center of the table. 

Grepo then walked into the cold storage pantry to fetch what looked to be a coconut. He removed the cut-out portion after a good shake, then poured some for you in a cup.  

You noticed the liquid was more viscus than coconut water. “What is this?” you asked. 

“It’s coconut milk,” Grepo informed you, smiling when you picked out a banana and a apple.  

He sat across from you at dining table and sighed. “Omi, in a short while I will return you to your parents. They must be terribly worried you aren’t home.” 

You swallow a piece of the banana thickly, looking very nervous now. You stared at your apple, focused on its colors before whispering: “Papa will be so angry…” 

Grepo laughed breathily; brows stitched in concern. “I hear your father is rough on his edges, but I’m sure he loves you. I’ll speak to him and your teacher. I do have a proposal for you, meanwhile.” 

Your wolf ears perked towards him, but you didn’t look up, too anxious to make eye contact.  

He continued, “What if I helped you learn to use gauntlets to fight? Zepo told me you had problems landing hits, so I thought extensions would help. They make focusing on the flow of electro easier, too.” 

You looked up in surprise, “You want to train me?” He nodded. You looked down at your hands, observing the flat nails you weren’t used to. “I… I can try.” 

Grepo grunted in agreement, “Wonderful to hear. I’m sure you’ll be able to change back soon.”  

He stood and headed over to the next room, the living room, to pick out a book from the shelf. He placed it on the dining room table in front of you and sat down beside you.  

“This is the Encyclopedia of Devil Fruits. What did your fruit look like?” 

You both spent several minutes talking back and forth. You vaguely explain what you remember: a white melon with swirls- as most devil fruit had. Grepo searched the Zoan fruit section, assuming this had to be some sort of Human-Human fruit, but which one?  

After much deliberating, Grepo flipped to the section exclusively about mythical devil fruits; most Human-Human fruits were here. Some were likely out of date by now, fake, renamed or lacked new information… but he eventually found the one you recognized. 

“The Human-Human fruit: Mythical model Werewolf,” Grepo said, excitement shone in his eyes. “A mythical Zoan… Incredible. Those kits would regret having given away such a power.” 

At first you didn’t look convinced. Looking down at yourself you only noted a cosmetic change. What was the use of this humiliation?  

Maybe you were faster. Maybe you could camouflage among humans- hardly, with your ears and tail. It didn’t matter; what mattered to you is you couldn’t swim. 

“It’s almost like sulong,” Grepo recaptured your attention. “It makes you stronger under moonlight, Y/N. While in sulong, I bet it makes you even stronger than other sulong. Isn’t that exciting?” 

“But why am I like this, then?” 

“Look at it this way,” Grepo gripped his chin between his thumb and pointer finger. “If it powers you up, this could be a dormant state for you. I wonder what kind of form lesser mink would get…” 

Zepo and his mother, a snow-white polar bear like Bepo, introduced herself to you. Ada was her name. She went to fetch Bepo, brought the baby to meet you, before feeding him her milk. You smiled at the little bear, looking forward to seeing him during your training. 

“It’s great you’ve decided to train with Grepo,” Ada adjusted Bepo, “It will be wonderful for my boys to have a sparring partner. I know you’ll make all of Zou proud of you. The mink are a diverse people, you must know the adults accept you and the kits are simply learning…” 

You nodded along to Ada’s encouragement. You had never expected to meet a family that treated you so kindly… To top it off, your father would likely be pleased. Maybe someday, somehow, you’d be able to follow your dreams again, too. 

It is present day, 20 days before life changed for everyone on Zou.  

In your mink form, you eye the swarm of newcomers. You couldn’t believe your eyes; it was the Heart Pirates.  

Since the day you began training as a child, you read the newspaper each month at Grepo’s home. You came to find out there were new crews making headlines. The Heart Pirates: A man known as the Surgeon of Death is captain of this crew. They sailed in a yellow submarine! It fascinated you.  

Years later, you even found out your long-lost childhood friend, Bepo, was on the sub… although he was offensively listed as a pet. How on earth he’d managed to survive jumping off Zunesha at age 8 was beyond you. At some point, you had had to accept the kit had died at sea… Yet here he was, still alive, well fed and healthy. 

Your heart races watching the crew, led by Nekomamushi himself, enter the Guardian’s Residential District. You approach the mass of greeting minks, spotting the familiar large figure of Ada who greets someone - who you instantly recognize as Bepo - with a big hug and flowing tears. He is much taller than she is, now. 

Bepo hadn’t seen your mink form since you were both small. He may not recognize you, but you certainly remember him. He made you laugh; he trained with you. He reminds you of your mentor- his father, Grepo. 

For now, you stand back until the mink disperse. They begin preparing a feast for the newcomers, incredibly happy to see one of their own return. 

At the table you sit beside Ada, who gently pat your paw in acknowledgement. “Have you said hello to Bepo?” she asks, her words ending in a jolly hum. 

You shake your head, taking a bite of the reptile meat on your plate.  

“I see,” Ada continued, “Well, we can ease you into it, yes? He may not remember you… and we do need to have a talk with him about our men.” 

Pain shoots through your chest, realizing what she meant almost immediately. Bepo had left because Zepo had set out to sea. You wonder if Bepo knew what had happened to him. If he didn’t, it was even less likely he knew about Grepo, either. 

“Didn’t you tell him anything?” You ask Ada anxiously. 

“No, he’s quite happy right now, darling, I don’t want to ruin his night. We minks hadn’t expected them to arrive,” she says, changing the subject. “It’s wonderful that Bepo protected Zunesha’s vivre card all this time, otherwise I doubt he would have made it back.” 

You reach into your pocket, pulling out a small piece of Zunesha’s vivre card. It was kept inside a small bottle with a chain attached to secure it to your person. All minks were given one early in life. 

“Yes, it’s amazing he kept it safe,” you conclude. 

After the meal, the Heart Pirates are escorted to their temporary living accommodation. They were told that early the next night, they would meet with Nekomamushi and Pedro to discuss their plans. 

Disappointment had settled in your chest. You were not going to be a part of that conversation. The curiosity making your skin itch, you focused on the next best thing: Bepo and two of his crew mates were following Ada back home.  

You walked behind them quietly, not wanting to introduce yourself in such a somber state. You knew that when Bepo realized not only Zepo was dead, but Grepo was as well, he would need space. 

Bepo laughs with his two rowdy crewmates. They both bore hats resembling their namesakes, Shachi – Orca – and Penguin. As they walk, they happily recall a life they had on an island called Swallow, relating the nostalgia to this event. 

Despite all the alcohol the three had consumed, they all seemed perfectly sound of mind. Something draws you to the Penguin fellow’s voice smooth voice. His flushed profile is quite appealing. He glances towards you curiously, making you force your eyes forward. 

You scold yourself for getting caught up in attraction. Bepo skips with excitement as the old bamboo hut nestled between two great fruit trees comes into view. His childhood home hadn’t changed much. 

“Amazing!” Bepo cheered. “This is crazy, guys! It’s just how I remember it,” Bepo leads his friends over, eagerly beginning a story from his childhood. They both grin widely, attentive to their mink friends’ excitement. 

Ada steps back to stand with you, a worried expression on her face.  

“One night, Dad caught a huge alligator for dinner to celebrate. He brought a huge slice of it right to this table,” Bepo places his paws on the thick wooden dining room table you had sat at the first time you had breakfast here.  

Bepo whirls around towards his room. The two large beds were neatly made inside, one of which you used when visiting Ada, the room generally void of anything but some of your own belongings; you left groom supplies, books, and a change of clothing. “Man,” Bepo sighs, “This place feels so… empty.” 

Ada clears her throat, “Bepo, darling, can we sit at the table a few minutes?”  

Bepo turns towards her and gives her a bright smile, “Y-yes, ma’am—I mean, mom!” he saluted her, accustomed to doing so for his captain, then sat down along with Shachi and Penguin.  

You reluctantly sat at the end of the table, not wanting to be focused on too much. Bepo finally notices you exist, tilting his head a bit, “Who’re you, wolf?” 

You wince; he didn’t remember. You raise both arms, revealing them fully to him. He seems to perk up, recognizing your patterning. “It’s me, Y/N, you remember, right?” 

Bepo nods enthusiastically, “Omi! It’s amazing to see you again. You look different. I did remember you, but I was trying to find an adult human, not a mink.” 

“Human?” the two boys say in unison. “You can transform?!” They stand up, their hands on the table and mouths agape in surprise, leaning towards you. You giggle at them; Bepo made them sit. 

“Focus, guys,” Bepo said. “Mom wants to talk.” 

“Right!” said Penguin. 

“Mom!” said Shachi. 

“Not your mom, my mom!” Bepo protests. You and the boys laughed. Ada laughs as well. 

Silence fell over the room, the two bears and the lesser mink staring at one another. You observe Ada’s nervous state, touching both her paws to stroke her snout.  

“Bepo,” she began, “I have difficult news. I’m sorry, I won’t hide it from you.”  

Bepo sat silently, brows stitched together in concern. His friends remained leaning back in their chairs, arms crossing and deep frowns etching their features. Ada sighs, seemingly sorting her thoughts, then began speaking again.  

“Your father, Grepo… He died of heart failure.” 

“What?!” Bepo jolt to a standing position, “Papa is dead? When did this happen?” 

Ada clears her throat, notably uncomfortable. She knew the question was coming, but wasn’t sure whether she should tell the truth. Knowing someone else within the family – cousins – or the other guardians like Pedro would eventually comment on it she realizes she has to.  

“About a year and half after you left,” Ada says. She seems reluctant to go any further, worried Bepo would blame himself. The younger bear mink stared down at the table, tears dripping down his snout. His two friends had gotten up and are gently patting his back and shoulders, doing their best to comfort him. 

You look to Ada again, rubbing water out of your eyes with your hands paw pad. She is crying quietly, too. She likely wouldn’t inform him about Zepo. Pedro would likely drop the news the next morning and only he could accurately recount the events. 

There had been no prolonging telling Bepo about his father when he stood in the very house he grew up in, void of one of the closest people of his early childhood. Ada stands to comfort her son after a few minutes, nuzzling his soaked face gently, in which he obliges to the affection. 

“I’m going to bed,” Bepo announced. It wasn’t late at night for the minks of Whale Forest, but it was late to the newcomers. The clock’s hand was pointing to 3 AM; from what you could see the pirates look exhausted.  

Bepo walks into the room he once shared with Zepo, allowing Shachi and Penguin to enter with him. Penguin gives you and Ada a meek wave goodbye and closes the door behind them. Ada finally breathes again, wiping her tears away, and begins preparing tea for the both of you. You would accompany Ada for a while, only leaving if she wanted space. 

Two weeks passed. Bepo had regained some semblance of normalcy and worked on rekindling his relationship with you passively during meals with Ada. On occasion, a new Heart Pirate would accompany Bepo. He introduced them personally to you.  

“Say, I have an idea,” said the sole female crew member – Ikkaku – of the Hearts one day. “We’ve been busy prepping for our captain’s return, but how about we have a camp out together in the meantime?” 

“Sounds great!” Your black lips spread into a wide, toothy wolf grin. “Maybe I’ll show you my human form.” Ikkaku clapped enthusiastically. Bepo shared her sentiment, beaming ear to ear. 

“How exciting,” Ada laughed softly. “I’m surprised you hadn’t shown them yet.” 

You shrugged, “I try not to turn into it often. I want to be able to maintain both forms for extended periods, not just the one.” 

Ikkaka chuckled, “I’m sure your human form is much easier to maintain than all that fur, though.”  

You giggled in agreement; it certainly had that type of benefit. Zou was humid, you could do without the fur most days. Not to mention it was easier to sleep in human form, too. 

Ikkaku clapped her hands together, “Alright! That settles that, then. Prepare yourself, you might get a stitch in your side after you’ve been faced with 18 idiot men…” 

Despite the safety Zunesha provided, this event with the Heart Pirates never occurred. A sound rang in your ears one fateful morning, stirring you from your deep slumber.  

You open your human eyes and look around the room, the sound becoming clearer as your awareness honed in.  

The Raiding Bell?  

You sat up, breathing heavily as panic began to set in. What was happening to Zunesha?  

On cue, Zunesha trumpets, the ground – it’s back – shook. The sound reverberated through your house, hurting your sensitive ears even as you covered them. 

“Darling!” your mother appears at the entrance of your room once the sound died away. “Zunesha is being raided. Ready yourself, Nekomamushi is bound to call us out!”  

Your thoughts flash to your father as you got up. It had been several years since he’d moved out from your home, but you wondered how he was reacting to this alarm.  

Next was, of course, Ada, her son and his crew. Surely, they were already heading to Nekomamushi and prepared for a fight.  

Whatever is attacking must be huge, considering even Zunesha was responding. 

In your wolf form once again, you dress quickly and rush out the door. As expected, the Ruler of the Night was waiting for everyone to rise, standing at the center of the Guardian’s District.  

Bepo stood before him with his crew already assembled. As you suspected, the pirates were trained for sudden emergencies.  

Nekomamushi clears his throat as the last of his people appear. “Go~ro nya, nya!” He growls, his toothy mouth was strained into a grimace.  

“Prepare yourselves, all warriors under my ruling will fight...”  

“For now, we must trust in the Idiot of the Day’s people to hold them off…” 

“Once prepared, rest! It isn’t my country until night fall. Full force, we will take them down!”  

Turning away, he calls out, “Go!”  

At that, the mink disperse. You look to Bepo, witnessing him turn to his crewmates and give out some orders. Pride warms your chest.  

Seeing Bepo fully grown, second in command to a pirate crew, he certainly wasn’t the cowardly eight-year-old you remember. 

Returning to your home you quickly prep your uniform and gauntlets for the fight. It was an understatement to say you were restless throughout the day; sleep was practically impossible. 

“It’s my country when the moon is up!” Nekomamushi howls as he replaces Inuarashi on the battlefield, flanked by all of you from the Whale Forest, the Guardians running at his front.  

“I won’t let any invaders get away!” He jumps and lunges immediately at the enemy, Jack the Drought, with his claws poised and glowing. “Don’t think you can get out of here alive!”  

Jack lifts his mammoth trunk to retaliate, only for Nekomamushi to leap, spin, and grab said trunk. With an indescribable ease, Nekomamushi flips the entire mammoth onto it’s back. 

“Master, the city!” Calls one of the Guardians, standing beside Nekomamushi as the dust settles. They look over the scene passed Jack’s stunned form. 

“Never mind, I heard what’s going on,” Nekomamushi took out his pipe and lit it, “You came looking for a warrior from the Land of Wano, haven’t you?”  

Nekomamushi looks down at Jack, a sneer spreading across his face, “I wouldn’t let any samurai step onto this island. If they came in, I’d be the first to bite them to death!”  

He opened his toothy mouth wide to make his voice most clear: 

“For I am Nekomamushi, the man who awaits the dawn of this world!”  

Suddenly, Nekomamushi calmly mocks Jack, cleaning his face with his wrists, and Jack – clearly agitated – rumbled as he got to his feet. 

Morphing back into his equally massive human form, his long blonde hair is in braids and a pony tail. His outfit’s spikes and his mammoth horns are sharp. His muscles are rippling. 

“Captain Jack!” cheers his minions, encircling around him in all of his 27 feet of height; double the height of Nekomamushi. 

“That must be the ancient version of the Elephant-Elephant fruit. You’ve eaten such a rare fruit,” Nekomamushi muses calmly, taking a puff from his pipe. 

Ignoring his words, Jack’s piercing glare stares down at your people. “They have still got this many soldiers…”  

Jack removes the two extra ‘horns’ dangling around his neck, revealing them to be dramatically curved Shotel blades. 

“You fools are about to experience a terror like you’ve never known before!” One of his minions closest to him barks out. 

Nekomamushi scoffs, “You should’ve withdrawn while that dog was treating you nicely.” 

“Master!” one of the Guardians – Roddy – hands Nekomaushi his staff. 

Taking the staff graciously, Nekomamushi faces Jack with the weapon poised in both hands. “We have just as many soldiers as some major countries!”  

A moment of silence passes, the two groups glaring each other down. 

“And then there’s us, too!” You perk up from the center of your group, glancing back to see Bepo run passed you with his crew. Bepo spins and lands effortlessly some few feet behind Nekomamushi. 

“Bepo,” Nekomamushi greets him, “You guys are still under my care. You don’t have to fight!” 

“It’s not going to work that way, Master!” Bepo eyes narrow at Jack, then he makes his classic pose with both arms in the air and one leg up, 

“Though I became a pirate, this is still my home!”  

Penguin and Shachi adjusted their weapons behind him,  

“And to us—" says Penguin,  

“—This is our friend’s home!” Shachi finishes. 

The crew cheers in agreement. 

“Hah!” Nekomamushi smirks, turning his eyes back to Jack. “Don’t act like you’re fully fledged,” he says to the Heart Pirates. 

Anger flashed in Jack’s soulless eyes, “I’ll destroy everything!” 

“And we will fight back,” Nekomamushi retorts. 

Leaping, his spear clashes with Jack’s blades, igniting the beginning of the fight. Bepo and co rush into battle alongside the Guardians, while you nimbly catch up alongside the other fighters. 

Sparks fly from the impact of the two leaders’ weapons, causing an explosion. 

You strain to see through the dirt and debris kicked up by the explosion, shielding your eyes. A figure appears before you, a gifter with wings strikes you across the face with a swift kick.  

Staggering only a second, you swiftly twist your body, throwing out an arm to slash the gifter with your spiked gauntlet. Blood splatters from the cuts on the enemy’s face, you back away to give yourself some distance as they writhe from the shock of your electro. 

The dust begins to clear, allowing your keen vision to catch the gifter in your sights before they can take off. Fast on your feet, you sping at them and tear one of their wings to assure they could not fly. 

With a thud you hit the ground with the bat-man’s body softening the fall. Your fur bristles and electricity washes through the enemy, smoke bursting from their mouth and their struggling stops. 

This encounter quickly leads to yet another gifter wielding a sword. 

You leap high, then dive down, flip, and kick your heel into the back of their head. This propels them to the ground, ultimately knocking them out on impact.  

You spy Bepo not too far off, fighting a particularly nasty enemy with what appears to be a fox for a leg. It manages to catch Bepo’s arm in its teeth, though his boiler suit is plenty sturdy and does not rip.  

Using the gifter’s body weight for leverage he swings his own body to kick them straight in the face, sending them spinning away. Yet another enemy appears to tackle you: a pleasure with an axe.

You roar, the sound having force to it, causing the enemy to reel back and lose balance. Biting into a part of their clothing, you lift them and throw them to the side, tossing them into the fray away from you.  

Your fur sparkles with electricty, the moon visible enough to cast light over the battle field. 

“Hyah!” Bepo effortlessly kicks an enemy away from you, sending them flying. “You look very pretty,” he compliments. “Super strong, too. It reminds me of sulong…” 

“Any moonlight boosts me in a similar way,” you remark, maiming another enemy as they swoop in. “Of course, it isn’t quite to the level of sulong – it fluctuates, too – but its better than my base form.” 

Bepo nods, acknowledging you. “My fathers been gone a long time,” he began, his voice unwavering. He stands behind you, guarding your back so you can fight together. 

“I’m impressed with how much stronger you’ve become with only the beginnings of his training,” he kicks up, flipping back after making impact with a chin, “We should spar sometime- if we live!” You both duck, a sword swiping over you both.  

“Alright!” You respond,  determination washing over you. 

With lightning speed you intercept Bepo and stab a pleasure with your electro charged gauntlet, splattering you with blood. 

Bepo grins. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about Ikkaku’s proposal. We can do it when my captain returns.” 

“I’d like that,” your heart races faster than ever, your mind venturing to Trafalgar Law. You admire him; the thought of meeting him still felt impossible. 

You fought together throughout the first night, eventually growing apart on the field. As long as the moon was up you felt energy flowing. 

While others were beginning to waver from exhaustion, you continued pushing. At least this all assured you that you would sleep during Inuarashi’s turn. 

The five days of battle were generally the same. Fight, rest, fight then rest. The waves of enemies were waning, but the strongest were slowly appearing.  

You knew you had to be more careful, you kept close to Bepo and his friends, using teamwork to take down stronger foes. At some point, Bepo managed to help out Nekomamushi. 

Unfortunately, before things took the worst turn, Bepo barely dodged Jack’s blade, a nasty gash formed along his forehead.  

Seeing him hurt, you and the others made your way to him. Fastest, you rest his head in your lap. 

“Hold on!” You cried, nervously looking over the blood soaked gash. Penguin fought off an enemy coming toward you; Shachi joined close beside him.  

Ikkaku reached you and quickly applied a cloth to help stop the bleeding. As you sat helplessly pressing the cloth down on the wound, Jack suddenly transforms and trumpets out:  

“Get the gas!” 

 You realized the sun was now rising, meaning Inuarashi’s group should be out soon… but you were certainly not returning home to the forest.  

A bomb exploded the very moment Inuarashi arrived at the edge of the field. Nekomamushi still stood, glaring at Jack with narrowed slits. 

Then the town filled with noxious fumes. You cover your nose, trying not to inhale it, but you quickly find your vision spotting and you faint. 

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Giant Instinct (Pathfinder Second Edition Barbarian Instinct)

(art by Mateusz Lenart on Artstation)

It’s interesting to me that as a species, one of the most common types of mythological figures we have is “it’s like a man, but really big and usually carnivorous”. All of which might have developed out of ancient stories of encountering unfamiliar tribes and having a bad time about it. Cryptid enthusiasts might even claim that these stories are evidence of at least one species of more bestial “ape men” evolving alongside us and disappearing into the wild, but that’s a dubious topic for a different day.

Regardless of the origin of these stories, giants, ogres, trolls, oni, Humbaba, and more evolved into larger and larger forms, varying in exact height by the storyteller and the region, but they all tend to represent the same things, including various combinations of the danger of the unfamiliar and the danger of the wilds. Indeed, that latter part, as well as a heavy dose of Norse mythological lore, is what gives D&D and Pathfinder their element and region-themed giant types and naming convention, alongside the legends of other lands.

It only makes sense that a mighty warrior might seek to emulate giants both in physical might and fearsomeness, which brings us to the giant instinct, our subject for the day.

While some of these barbarians might revere giants, others might see them as something to be surpassed, rather than emulated. Many a giantslaying barbarian taps into this instinct, for example. Some may even be particularly large for their species, making this a natural choice, while others may, intentionally or not, emulate giant behavior, having bombastic expressions of emotion ranging from booming laughter and terrible rages.

While weapons of greater size do not deal extra damage in 2E, in the hands of a giant instinct barbarian, they can, increasing the amount of bonus damage they gain from raging. However, the added weight of the weapon means it still makes you somewhat awkward when using such weapons.

As they gain power, the additional damage only increases, more so if they are very familiar with weapons of it’s type.

Emulating giants also means they gain some of the giant’s resilience, resisting bludgeoning blows and one elemental damage type based on what sort of giant they favor most.

The giant instinct also comes with it’s own barbarian feats, particularly Giant’s Stature and later Titan’s Stature, both of which let you grow to massive size to improve your reach at the cost of being more clumsy. Sadly no buff in strength though. Meanwhile, Giant’s Lunge lets you prepare for lunging strikes that go even further beyond your normal reach.

Beyond those feats, others might prove useful to a giant instinct barbarian, such as Oversized Throw to emulate the rock throwing of many giants; Bashing Charge to shatter terrain like a mighty juggernaut; Second Wind and Shake it Off to recover from threats that would fell a lesser man; Swipe, Cleave, and Great Cleave to take advantage of your superior reach when enlarged; and so on and so forth. Other feats might also prove useful, so keep that in mind.

This instinct offers impressively powerful extra rage damage in exchange for a minor penalty from wielding oversized weapons to activate it, which I think is perfectly fair, especially when paired with the feats that complement it. If you want to pound foes repeatedly each turn while rarely having to actually spend an action to move, you might do well with this instinct.

As mentioned before, plenty of barbarians favor a bombastic personality with this instinct, but also consider the other common trope of the “gentle giant”, a large and kind soul whose physical might it matched by their gentleness and kind heart… until that which they care about becomes endangered, unleashing a fury that few foes could ever be prepared for.

With a song constantly on her lips and a mighty stature, Anok the orc aasimar may trace her lineage to azata, but the musetouched seems to have more in kind with the elysian titans, certainly her foes think so when she grows in size and brings down her massive maul.

The River Walker people still revere giants, though they have only existed in their stories for nearly a millenia. Instead, those that tap into the totem use it to fight other massive beasts like the river elasmosaurs that lurk in the waterways of their home. All of this will change, however, when the clan of cloud giants cross over the mountain pass into their territory.

They say the Gigeo clan of the mountainous island nation of Casta has some giant blood in them. While this has occasionally elicited the “ogrekin” pejorative, they wear that heritage as a badge of honor, and some among them can grow to massive size at will, proving incredibly powerful in combat.

[theultim]

I love Knuckles. Not Boom Knuckles. No. I lock Boom Knuckles into the abyss of my mind since it kinda deletes what makes Knuckles... Knuckles. (AKA Awesome) His story; They MENTION IT, but it's like completely removed from who he is and it's like. :( He just became a very stereotypical guy, much like the other characters for that show. But I think it hurt Knuckles the most.

Sonic Prime spoilers if you haven't watched it below. (Specifically the end of Season 1)

I do LOVE the Sonic Prime versions of him. Especially Knuckles the Dread. He doesn't have anything to protect, so he becomes self-indulgent as a treasure hunter and it GETS TO HIM. The thing he's been seeking changes from a fun pastime/passion to an obsession.

His priorities shift from caring about his crew to ENSURING that he gets the shard the closer he gets to finally having it. He actively looks out for opportunities to get the shard, no matter what it takes.

I need to backtrack a LOT real quick.

In S1 EP7 we get introduced to No Place, the reality of a sunken Green Hill and little to no land left to see.

Although Black Rose, Batten Rouge, and Sails weren't the kindest to Sonic upon initial encounter (Possibly due to living too peaceful of a life on the sea), he seemed to prove himself to them by being a valuable asset for his speed.

Dread by this point seems extremely passive, only showing signs of aggression whenever his crew speaks about his past.

Something seems to happen to Dread whenever he holds the shard in high priority. He got the name for a reason, BECAUSE he was so obsessed with getting the shard. "Dread" comes from what he's trying to isolate himself from, which makes this nickname of his corny.

Possibly as a warning to whoever he's against about the "Dread" that will come. But it was also foreshadowing for the "Dread" he will bring unto himself.

He lost his crew, he lost his ship. He lost everything he worked for all in one moment, because of his desire to get the shard.

So he physically distanced himself and his crew from ever getting to it. I get the feeling they only really joined Dread because he's Dread, the most feared pirate on the seas. Why wouldn't you side with someone as menacing as that?

Just for their expectations to be let down to rock bottom. All he does now is sail, cower, party, avoid combat. His crew is left actively seeking out more when they're not under his watch.

His crew his violent by nature. And he doesn't indulge in it whatsoever. Until Sonic comes around.

Sonics an outlier in every single dimension he visits. There's nowhere he belongs in. He continues to believe that these are just his friends and they're not all too different from each other.

Dread gives a warm welcome in comparison. In fact, he doesn't put up a fight when his own crew decides that Sonic is a better leader when he fights back against a raid. He tells Sonic his story, and they resolve to go after the shard. This is when it starts.

Sonic is better in combat than actually finding solutions in this world, leaving Dread to take his position back after Sonic tells him he'll be Legendary if they get the shard.

When they get their gusto back after the raid from Rusty Rose, now Dread is more violent. He's taking advantage of every given opportunity. His crew loves this. This, is the Dread they've been eager to work for. Knuckles the Dread.

But there's something he says when he returns from Rusty Rose's raid. (When his ship is sinking) He literally says he didn't come back for his crew; another sign.

Once Sonic teaches Dread a new trick while fighting off Rusty Rose once more, he uses it to get a boost to get closer to the shard.

Abandoning crew mid battle. Although Sonic does a trick himself that makes it seem like he did the same thing, he actually came back almost immediately. The crew only reacted to Sonics disappearance. This can mean a few things, like either they've become dependent on Sonics presence in order to perform well (Given how they don't risk fighting once he disappears), or it shows their weak trust in him. Could be both, or either.

Next few bits focus on Dreads sanity visibly deteriorating the closer he gets to the shard. He's becoming desperate. Insanity is visibly shown in his eyes, the way he shakes. He's finally got what he's been looking for. He'll do anything to keep it from anyone and anything else. He does fall off the mountain though.

Sonics glad he got the shard. In fact, he's not even worried about the shard itself. He's worried about Dread. Or, in his mind; Knuckles. (Due to Sonic equating every parallel he meets to his friends, although they are all different beings all together.)

Sonic saves Dread, even though in the process, he got teleported out of No Place. Dread doesn't even care that he could've died, and is just ecstatic to have the shard back in his hands.

This is where his priorities really lie. This is what separates Dread, from Knuckles.

This is why I love Dread.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“The Land before Time:“ The Gorge of the Río Grande del Norte near Taos, NM. Photo: Elijah S Rael (2023) ::  [Scott Horton]

* * * *

The point where grace and synergy are reconciled is worth seeking out. In the meantime, here's a synergy-based perspective.

Being Acted Through :: by Joanna Macy

Here's a discovery we can make along our ecological Pilgrim's Progress: the discovery of what can happen through us. If we are the rocks dancing, then that which evolved us from those rocks carries us forward now and sustains us in our work for the continuance of life.

When I admired a nurse for her strength and devotion in keeping long hours in the children's ward, she shrugged off my compliment as if it were entirely misplaced. "It's not my strength, you know. I get it from them," she said, nodding at the rows of cots and cribs. "They give me what I need to keep going." 

Whether tending a garden or cooking in a soup kitchen, there is the sense sometimes of being sustained by something beyond one's own individual power, a sense of being acted "through."

It is close to the religious concept of grace, but distinct from the traditional Western understanding of grace, as it does not require belief in God or a supernatural agency. One simply finds oneself empowered to act on behalf of other beings—or on behalf of the larger whole—and the empowerment itself seems to come "through" that or those for whose sake one acts. This phenomenon, when approached from the perspective of ecology, can be understood as synergy. This is an important point because it leads us to reconceptualize our very notion of what power is.

From the ecological perspective, all open systems—be they cells or organisms, cedars or swamps—are seen to be self-organizing. They don't require any external or superior agency to regulate them, any more than your liver or your apple tree needs to be told how to function. In other words, order is implicit in life; it is integral to life processes. This contrasts with the hierarchical worldview our culture held for centuries, where mind is set above nature and where order is assumed to be something imposed from above on otherwise random, material stuff. We have tended to define power in the same way, seeing it as imposed from above. So we have equated power with domination, with one thing exerting its will over another. It becomes a zero-sum, or win-lose, game, where to be powerful means to resist the demands or influences of another, and strong defenses are necessary to maintain one's advantage.

In falling into this way of thinking, we lost sight of the fact that this is not the way nature works. Living systems evolve in complexity, flexibility, and intelligence through interaction with each other. These interactions require openness and vulnerability in order to process the flow-through of energy and information. They bring into play new responses and new possibilities not previously present, increasing the capacity to effect change. 

This interdependent release of fresh potential is called synergy. It is like grace, because it brings an increase of power beyond one's own capacity as a separate entity.

[Thanks to Ian Sanders]

[cherry-froggie]

the masked warrior — chapter 4

pairing — childe x f!reader

summary — Having to live by draining other people’s blood to pay your debt was already a burden to your heart, but you let your mask fall in front of the ones that were hungry to know your identity and take advantage of it. Even worse, it was one of the most distinguished Fatui Harbingers, the Snezhnayan organization you owed and killed to pay the debt. With him appearing on your balcony to offer a big deal, your world shifted radically.

tags — slow burn

notes — there are already 12 chapters released on ao3 in case you want to read more!!

LAST CHAPTER || MASTERLIST || REQUESTS

Chapter 4 — Come Back To Shore

Your battlefield was illuminated by nature's spotlight when your surroundings faded to black. A doubtful mind told you this period wouldn't last long. Moreover, sleep was not affecting you. Tiring yourself before returning to a land of nightmares and disturbances didn't feel inadequate. You took your weapon and rested it on the ground without worries.

"I got lost while reflecting on several things." To Childe, your response was tolerable. He had also lost track of time after accepting another task at the bank. He took hold of the steady weapon and threw it somewhere else. Where it had landed was not clear. It should have been near a big rock from the metal sound that resonated after the crash. That sudden action confused you. You didn't come so far to play fetch with such a childish enemy.

"Old toys grow tiring after a certain point. As good as it is to have your enemies fear a blade bathed in the victorious blood that represents your power, you should learn to use something better." Having nothing else to fight with wasn't a good sign. The test hadn't even started, but frustration was crawling onto you. Even if it was old, the weapon was a gift from your father when he discovered your passion for the protection of others. It meant much more than fear from those who could never surpass the fright and step forward to defend their ideals. Ready for confronting, you opened your mouth to have it shut again by his words. He took out a bow and rested it on the ground. He left it far from the likely area of the battleground, by what appeared to be your father's weapon. "You and I can have our life saviors back after this. I'm convinced it won't take long." This beginning was everything but what you expected. For the sake of your mood, you let it slip and accepted the terms. It's not like you didn't learn some things when you lost your defense. Most of it was about how to retrieve it, but you could manage it. If you could get to his spot, you could take it into your own hands. Tartaglia wasn't going to be the determining factor between your safety and more bruises.

The distance was shortened after he took a few steps in your direction. He was about to make a move, yet the gap left was enough to assure your security to make a move after his. "Keep in mind this is for testing purposes only. I won't kill you, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on your either." You expected those words, assuming them from the beginning without him ever saying anything. Your heart skipped a beat when he dashed in your direction. Memories of the first time you encountered him flashed in front of you. The last time you jumped back, chaos descended to your world and fought for its control. You dodged to the right. Your head turned to where you were last standing to examine the scene in search of possible progress. Something blue swung in your direction. Could Childe be using his vision? Ah, how unfair. That changed a lot of your strategy. Your body lowered to the ground as your legs extended, ready to go around his ankles and make him fall. Your intentions didn't go unnoticed by him, and the proof was his jump to the back. You could tell he didn't plan his landing as well as he intended. One of his feet made a strong sound against the ground. He reached balance as soon as his body rose again. The laugh he let out revealed his amusement with the fight.

"Not bad, not bad. Most of the Fatui newcomers I know would have fallen already." Was it a compliment? In that case, it sounded like most of the soldiers the Cryo Archon possessed were not trained appropriately. Either that or they just let them pass with the minimum requirements. He jumped in your direction, sure to land on top of you. Taking a few steps back didn't guarantee your escape from his attack, but granted the hold of your weapon once more. Your body rolled on the grass to the opposite side where he was about to land. His attempts to cut you with his pure water blades failed on account of your blockage. You needed distance to plan your attacks, but the man didn't let that happen, continuously striving to get you down or cut you open. Your muscles became sore from the constant blocking. You jumped back to gain some distance. The strength he was using to take you down with his blades almost led to his fall when you moved away. His expression didn't look so pleased anymore. Both of you were getting tired of this fight.

"All you do is run. I've seen you do better."

That's what he wanted, that's what you would give him. You'd do anything to get out of that dull mess. Hardly sensing your feet, you approached him with a quick run and landed a perfect short that could have sliced his head open if not for his blade forcing his intensity against yours. The sudden collision of those forces influenced your collapse and forced your back against the mountain. The fall was inevitable, but it was nothing dangerous. You established your sword into the ground to help you rise. However, Childe had already reached your spot and made you stay down. "I'm impressed with what you can do without owning a Vision." He leaned down to have a better look at you. That's just what you had been waiting for, the grand opening. You recovered your breath during his monologue. One final blow to end the day and go back home to your glaze lilies. Your clenched fist reached his stomach and forced him to retreat a step. Finally, your leg touched the high up skies and kicked Childe to the ground. By getting a good grip on your weapon again, you let it fall and pierce the grass by the side of his head. He lied down with his spine facing the terrain, looking up to your kneeled figure on top of his. Both of you were panting from the amount of energy it took to reach that point. Having him down at your mercy was a new feeling for you. You could end this torture if you wanted to and start a revolution by killing the eleventh harbinger. How long would it take for someone to find him in that place? Days, maybe weeks. This feeling of power and choice released adrenaline into your veins and excitement to your spirit. Someone's life was in your hands, your enemy's life. You grinned helplessly as your eyes widened with satisfaction. Right as you were about to crush him with your father's divine weapon, he switched your positions and made sure to pin your hands to the ground with his. A gasp escaped from you right away. You left dreamland to come back to being in a lower position than the one you remembered. The gap between you was short - too short to your liking - but you didn't have the energy to kick him up, so you decided to turn your head somewhere else. He showed you a surprised look that turned into a smile. He was nervous. It was visible from the corner of your eye that his smile wasn't hiding anything from you.

"It appears you've never had that much fun with someone of a higher league. All this enthusiasm made it look like you were about to kill me. I have to say I'm quite impressed. Rest assured, you will be in a high position during your stay with us. You'll be free in the battlegrounds around Liyue."

Destiny was not your friend, after all. Its relationship with time and desire teased the idea of a better future and shredded it apart in seconds. That would have been the perfect opportunity to give an end to a chapter of suffering and commence a historical moment of ecstasy and reconstruction of your homeland.

You were looking up, and your eyes landed on him, yet passed through. You got so immersive in your dreams you were half awake, seeking something that wasn't meant for you - a happy ending. For how long would you keep denying it? It would be careless to accept what life offered you, as careless as your actions after letting the mask slip away from your face. Was Childe still talking? You didn't know, you couldn't hear, nor you did want to hear.

"Is it over?"

You felt like you had just cut his speech. No matter, you wanted to clean your head. It took him a minute before resuming to speak to you.

"What's the rush? We were having so much fun together." He got up, allowing a feeling of freedom to reach your lungs. He wasn't that heavy. Was it the distance that cut your airflow so significantly? You sat up. Tartaglia offered you his hand to help you get on your feet. You exited and decided to refuse it, getting up on your own. The weapon left on the ground caught your eyes and demonstrated its flaws - it was ready to exit the scene of hostilities and rest by your side. Childe was right about the needed upgrade. Getting a new weapon would be another headache to take care of.

"Don't look so down, this won't be the last time we rise blades against one another. The outcome is irrelevant as long as you learn something with the experience, and you still have a lot to learn from me." How exciting for him. He seemed to enjoy a duel with someone playing heroes and thieves. You should've just held back your horses and get a job at the Northland Bank's desk. It's always about what you could have done instead of what you can do to repair things.

You turned your back to leave, barely noticing the hand that tapped your back. The moment you were about to complain, Childe shoved your mask into your face, letting it fall to your hands. You were shocked but glad the wooden cover had reunited with its warrior again. He giggled at the sight of your look. Losing the masquerade was not something you wished to repeat.

"Here, you can have this back."

With a few pats on your shoulder, he left to follow his path. You felt so optimistic about holding your dear mask once again. The heartbeats were racing along with your tears, something about it felt so special, so personal.

When the night comes and the sun goes black to let the bright moon glow, Liyue Harbor is scarier. Regardless, the little lovely things you can find in this soulless harbor at night make the horrors go away. The sound of the calm waves and the unique smell of the shore brought back memories.

Months before, during the last moments of your mother's life at night, you had fallen unconscious with your head on her lap. Noises of people walking around your house had woken and startled you. There was nothing in the room - the problem being the absence of your mother. You searched every room to look for her, she didn't get up from her bed for weeks, she couldn't just miraculously find a cure for her problems. After reaching the corridor, you noticed the front door was open. Your first instinct was to get down from your apartment to the paths of the harbor and find your mother. On top of the stairs, you could notice her on the docks near the merchants' boats. By her side was a woman in black. The thought of losing the last person that you could call family caused yelling and tears, your feet moved on their own to stop the woman from whatever she planned to do with your dear familiar. You could still try to find a remedy for this never-ending pain. You would walk to any nation and climb to the peak of Dragonspine if it meant the preservation of what you held dear. But it was over before you realized it. Pale lights rose to the sky and formed a new star by the side of the midnight sun. You never saw the lady in black ever again and never woke up from the nightmare you witnessed. After many days of waiting near the docks to retrieve what was yours, you accepted the fact that your mother wasn't coming back. No matter how much you begged the Archons or broke down in front of yourself in the mirror, never did she ever come back to shore. If she ever did, you made sure her favorite glaze lilies were visible from the balcony. That way, she knew where to find you and fix your shattered heart back together again.

LAST CHAPTER || MASTERLIST || REQUESTS

ANOTHER ONE.

proofread? not in my house, no sir

i'm just too tired to do it, and i really need to study, yknow

i hope whoever reads this still enjoys it, because this is probably only fitting for a very specific audience

[rainydawgradioblog]

Meet the Band: Juniper Honey!

Hey blawgers! I’m DJ Penny Lane and this is my first interview in a series I have named “Meet the Band,” where I interview musicians so you can get to know their musical style and background. 

My first band here on this series is Juniper Honey, a Southern California indie-rock band. The band is composed of four members, Josh West (bass), Donovan Hess (drums), Jake Hesse (vocals and guitar), and Cason LeSueur (guitar). The band started with two members, Hesse and Hess, departing from their high school band to embark on a new musical journey, eventually teaming up with West and LeSueur to form Juniper Honey. Through creating their own image, I asked if they draw inspiration from other bands, collectively the band landed on more classic bands like the Beatles. However they aren’t exactly striving for one style, as West talks about how, “A lot of us have a very broad variety of tastes, getting influenced by each other[band members] and by other bands pretty much every week.” To add on, Hesse also explains how the band brings “different musical backgrounds, but at the end of the day all of it melts together.” It’s an advantage that each of the members can contribute a different musical influence to the band, opening up a gateway of ideas when creating and sharing their music.

I am always invested in a band's creative process while inventing their music and sounds, so I asked how Juniper Honey works on theirs. “I think we all do a really great job at bringing in our individual elements to the table and hashing things out. We’re also good at giving each other feedback to help build off all of our ideas,” LeSueur answers. I asked if they ever sit down together and have creative writing sessions, and to that Hesse answers, “That’s what everyone hopes happens, but in most cases the more natural thing starts with someone in their bedroom with a guitar and they come up with something. It usually comes to the rest of the band in a very early, raw stage, so it still feels like it’s written from scratch.” West builds off of this with, “That early form could be something like the lyrics, the melody, or a simple chord structure, but then it completely takes its shape after we can all have a stab at it and start adding elements that are us along with the input we share on it.”

While Juniper Honey's performances have been somewhat spread out due to all the band members still attending school, Hesse explains how their current group of shows “has definitely felt like more of a tour.” As they transition from occasional gigs to securing more committed performances, I had to ask them whether they aspire to further pursue music. “I’d love to play some festivals,” remarks Hess regarding some long term goals for the band. “We’re definitely trying to give it all we got,” West adds. “The goal and what we’re shooting for is to continue what we're doing and see where the music takes us. We’ve seen a lot of growth over the last year, and I’m excited to see what these next years will hold.” I caught up with the band midway through their tour, and their standout memory thus far is a show they played at the Brick and Mortar in San Francisco a few weeks back. "We made a lot of cool friends along the way,” West comments, “and I feel like we all delivered a really great performance." Overall, the band receives lots of encouragement from their shows having such great turnouts in cities they didn’t expect. Hesse explains how, “Our expectations are naturally low, so we're pretty surprised when we find ourselves in a place where there are people we’ve never met, yet they know to come see us.” This positive reception fuels their passion and motivates them to continue pursuing their musical endeavors with greater determination.

The last question I asked the band was inspired by the movie Almost Famous, as the last question of the movie ends with the main character being asked,“What do you love about music?” Here are there answers:

Josh West: “I am always captivated by the emotions that music can evoke. Different types of music, different songs, different lyrics can all bring certain memories and emotions into my head. It blows my mind.”

Donovan Hess: “From the listeners perspective I would have to agree with Josh. But from a performance perspective, I’d say I love seeing the transition from playing shows in highschool where all of our friends are having a good time to seeing all of these new people having a good experience with our music. It’s cool to see how happy you can make some people even though you wouldn’t think our music can make this big of an impact on a person.”

Jake Hesse: “What I love about music is the bond that is created from such a simple thing. It can be on so many different levels and look so many different ways. Whether it’s my dad and I bonding over a song, or being at a concert and bonding with complete strangers and feeling so together. I think there’s a beautiful power to music because it’s one of those few things that can make you feel like you can escape and be anywhere except for that one moment.”

Cason LeSueur: “My favorite thing is probably how expressive music is and can make you feel. Whether it’s lyrically or musically you can feel the intimacy from a listener perspective or creator perspective, providing a super connected experience.”

It's been a pleasure delving into the world of Juniper Honey, and I'm excited to see where their musical journey takes them next. To all the readers, keep an eye out for Juniper Honey's upcoming performances and go listen to their music!

DJ Penny Lane

Meet The Band

[sniiboo]

An Unexpected Kindness

Summary: After A crazy few days, Arendith sits back, reflecting. But things get dramatic once she falls into a trance and her companion is looking for a snack.

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Partial Nudity, Mentions of Blood

Arendith sat with arms wrapped around her knees, back hunched to allow her chin to rest on their tops. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and inched her toes into the muddy silt, wiggling them free from the cold muck cautiously. She sighed, elven ears twitching picking up the sounds of nature all around her. For the first time since she found herself mid-air falling from a nautiloid ship, she felt centered and even slightly dare she say it? At ease? It had just been such a crazy few days... finding people strewn about the beach... Pulling a wizard from a rock.. and.. Oh Yes.. her favourite.. being conned. Of course, she was used to his particular flavour of action. Pull knives and ask questions later. Little did he know she pegged him right away. She smelt him miles away. You can’t fool a bloodhound and she was used to hunting. She slipped into memories of Alistair sending her out frequently to hunt his ilk when they had disappeared. Following alongside leather long lead in hand attached to a metal collar and muzzle. She wondered if she had snarled out loud when she had scented Astarion.

She had kept her mouth shut as Astarion had pointed to his quarry, ears flickering to his movement as he drew the blade to her throat. In those situations, one must always see what they can glean from their surroundings, and her ears heard silence where there should be sound. She went about with his play tucking the information away she could use this man to her advantage. She tried to weasel it out of him.. and yet even after finding his boar, he was tight-lipped. 

She reached across her body to grab her glass and threw the liquid back before chucking the chalice in frustration. She heard a few companions heading to clean up by the river. She rolled her eyes, likely the whole Universe heard Karlach rushing her way down, whooping and hollering. Arendith pocketed a few things before getting up and dusting off her dress as Karlach ran into view.

“We’re gonna have a swim. Care to join us, Soldier?” 

“Ahh, rather not tonight.. I’ve got some stuff to sort out for potions and the like..” she shuffled nervously; she was thrown off her game. She waved her hand in adieu and stalked back to camp, noticing the vampire as soon as it came into view. She wasn’t sure she could trust him; she didn’t know his motives. He flirted carelessly, attempting to win her over to his side surely, but what his ultimate goal was, she couldn’t glean. When he looked up from his book at her settling into her bedroll, she saw the look in his eyes. She felt his pain; he was hungry. Arendith just rolled onto her side, trying not to look like she was in the fetal position. He’d eventually slip or ask for help if he was that hungry. Tonight, she would enjoy the night wind and trance under the stars. 

Before she knew it, her ears twitched her into awareness; something stalked above her, and she didn’t take it kindly. Arendith lunged forward, missing Astarion’s throat by millimeters. She hissed, teeth bared before her deep green eyes landed on his face. 

“Shit…” he uttered.

“Astarion, what in the hells do you think you are doing?” she muttered angrily.

“No, no! It’s not what it looks like, I swear!”

“Mhmm.. Right, you weren’t about to crawl on top of me -” 

He cut her off. “I wasn’t going to hurt you! I just needed, well… Blood.” 

Arendith did her damnest not to laugh at the idiot standing before her. She sighed, exhausted but thankful this part of the game was over. 

“It’s not what you think - I’m not some kind of monster. I feed on animals! Boars, deer, kobolds - whatever I can get. I’m just too slow right now. Too weak. If I had a bit of blood, I could think clearly. Fight better. Please.”

Arendith relaxed as he opened his mind through their tadpole link to show her. Her skin crawled with emotions that hit a bit too close to home. She shuddered before she could stop herself.

“Why didn’t you just tell me before Astarion?” She tossed her blankets aside before looking around to ensure nobody had heard the scuffle and awoken. 

He sighed, opening his mouth and hesitating before saying, “At best, I was sure you’d say no. More likely, you’d ram a stake through my ribs.”

She grabbed his hand, pulling him up as she walked through the camp. 

“No, I needed you to trust me. And you can trust me.” Astarion said, panicked, unsure if she was about to stake or chew him out. 

“I do trust you, Astarion. This all cou-”

He cut her off. “Thank you. Do you think you could trust me just a little further? I only need a taste, I swear.

She pulled him into her tent and tied the flaps before motioning to a second bedroll encased in a pathetic-looking pillow and blanket nest. She sat cross-legged before motioning for him to join her.

“Let’s make ourselves comfortable, shall we?” Astarion said almost flirtatiously.

Arendith closed her eyes without a thought, reaching to remove her collar. She set it beside her reverently before removing her camp shirt and crooked her neck to the side.

“Darling, as much as I’d love to indulge your offer, I am starving.” 

Arendith lifted a finger to silence him before she scoffed, “I’d much rather not get my favourite shirt bloodstained. You seem like you’d be a messy eater.” 

She patted the ground behind her as she shyly motioned to take his hand. He took it and slotted himself behind her as she toyed with her dark silver hair nervously. Astarion swept her hair to the side as he lowered his head to bite her. He started to groan at her scent, prompting her hand to come to her neck, but she was too slow. His groan turned to a gasp as he caught sight of the twin scars on her neck. How had he not seen them before? Her collar or armour must typically cover them; otherwise, he’d have indeed recognized something he also owned.

“Arendith…” 

The female elf rolled her eyes and reached behind her to grab his hair, pulling him down to her neck, effectively shutting him up. He recovered, mind reeling with what this discovery meant, but his hunger got the best of him. He licked a stripe up Arendiths’ pale neck, nose flaring at the rush of blood he scented. Astarion had expected a flinch or some sort of reaction; his prey usually fought their oncoming death, but she remained still as he sank his teeth into the place someone had previously visited. His hand wanders to support her head as the first taste of her blood coats his tongue. He latches deeper onto her and suckles intensely, doing his best to keep his moans at bay as he pulls her body closer with his other arm. She tastes like the finest of wines, with bursts of chocolate and a musky undertone. A feeling of calm and comfort reaches the core of his being. He immediately forgets about everything else for the moment; her warm scent of earth and spiced teas mingles with the smell of her blood, overwhelming him. He struggles not to rut against her as every sense gets filled with tendrils of her. Before he knows it, Arendith pats the side of his head, gently signaling for him to unlatch, which he does with a large gasp, like he’s just coming up for air after being submerged in water. 

“Ah! That... That was amazing..” he utters in disbelief as he stands. “My mind is finally clear. I feel strong. I feel… happy.”

Arendith grabs her shirt and slips it back on; the laces are loose, so it falls back bearing one shoulder as she smiles lightly. She wipes the remaining blood with a cloth before clipping her collar back on. “I’m glad I could help.” She whispers, looking down at her hands in her lap, fiddling with a teddy bear bunny. She heard him move to the front of the tent, reaching to untie the flaps.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, you’re invigorating, but I need something more filling.” Astarion turned his head to her before adding, “This is a gift, you know. I won’t forget it.” 

Arendith finds herself trusting him slightly, more than she knows she should, and lets her guard slip. Her glowing pinkish-red eyes catch his gaze, and he finds his breath catching. She quirks her mouth slightly into a gentle smirk as she snuggles down into her nest. He turns with a swagger, leaving the tent flap to fall quietly closed as he heads towards the forest to stalk some sort of side dish.

[stromuprisahat]

I wish we could have gotten an examination of people in Shu-taken Ravkan territory who actually prefer being considered Shu. Like:

'Come again?' Nikolai asked.

The old man in front of him snorted, ignoring his fellow villagers' outcry. 'You heard me, Prince Puppy. I want to be part of Shu territory.'

'Anatoly you can't possibly want to be one country with those -insert slur-!'

'yes I do. What has Ravka given me but empty graves and the corpses of my children? I don't care how they think of us as barbarians, mind, but for the first time in my life I have a full belly and savings because the Shu actually bothers to invest in this Saints-forsaken place.'

'you do realize,' Nikolai said, 'that they're taking advantage of your destitution?'

'and you arent?' Anatoly spat at the ground. 'At least the Shu are fucking honest about it instead of hiding it behind patriotism.'

I'm not saying colonialism good! It's bad, very bad! But I want an acknowledgement of how shit Ravka management is

Dear anon, feel free to drop by with whole-ass short fic again. You also made it hilarious to me, since we have a guy named Anatoly at work, and after witnessing several of his football arguments, I can totally see him talking to Nikolai like this.

There's also the question, whether we should call it "colonialism", when said area is naturally inhabited by Shu AND Ravkans both, especially if they truly chose to become regular part of Shu Han.

colonialism

noun

the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

If we're talking borders, it's not a whole country, but merely some regions. Shu could send more settlers, but there already are their citizens and mountains can feed only so many. If they were interested in "stealing" people, not just land, they wouldn't try to replace them. As for economical exploitation... there's abandoned copper mine mentioned in R&R and that's about it... Rocks and more useless rocks further south you go.

From Shu perspective it would be more of an investment with uncertain gain. Land you can't use well at the moment, decimated population you cannot fully trust yet... but it would be at Ravka's expense and if nothing else, it would piss them off.

[crystalis]

this is the first team i am making in pkmn shield, it's bad but i think it's kinda charming though and fun theorycrafting

my thoughts behind this:

i caught a hidden ability spritzee in a raid den thing so i wanted to build a team around offensive aromatisse with nasty plot + trick room (i'm sorta unsure about the item though, i'm going back and forth between babiri berry, pixie plate, life orb, and leftovers)

copperajah seems reallt good paired with aromatisse bc they cover weaknesses and have good trick room synergy .. i thought of making it spdef with stealth rock + leftovers at first but i think fully offensive with assault vest is better and use something else for hazards (?)

which is runerigus, bc it is an electric immunity and ghost type, & toxic spikes is really appealing to me bc toxic isn't a TM in sword/shield. so i want like a way to spread status i guess

dual-screens inteleon is so that aromatisse can set up easier and i can switch around more freely bc this team doesnt really have any recovery aside from rest + natural cure roserade. And i want something that is fast outside of trick room bc this isn't really a trick room team

& roserade is just another powerful attacker to help weaken stuff .. its coverage is walled by steel types, but it can bait them into sleep powder though. and life orb leaf storm is really strong regardless of resists.. i considered extrasensory to help against poison types for aromatisse, but it doesnt really seem necesary? amoongus/venusaur/salazzle/vileplume would take a lot from sludge bomb anyway, and toxtricity/nidoqueen/nihilego take a lot from leaf storm .. extrasensory only really hits crobat but aromatisse already has thunderbolt. spikes is good too but i feel like sleep powder would be more rewarding if it lands vs the initial switch-in and to take advantage of

and then random scarf ditto befause i caught an imposter ditto in a den and i want to use it

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for December 16, 2024 

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 30:24-28 (KJV): 24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. Proverbs 30:24-28 (AMP): 24 There are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise. 25 the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 the conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks; 27 the locusts have no king, yet they go forth, all of them in ranks; 28 the spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

Thought for the Day

Verses 24-28 - Agur continued teaching through observations of nature. The following creatures are described as small, and yet possessing a unique wisdom that gives them a great advantage:

The Ant: This tiny creature is applauded for its industry. During summer, it stores food for the long winter months. We all face difficult times when we need a reserve of money to fall back on. Today we call it "saving for a rainy day." Saving prudently is not the same as hoarding. Hoarding has a fear and greed element, while preparing for the future is wise. By God's direction, Joseph stored up grain in Egypt during seven years of bounty in order to feed Egypt and other nations during seven years of famine (Genesis 41).

The Coney: Although scholars are uncertain which animal is meant by the Hebrew for coney, we may assume that it was a small rabbit-like and vulnerable animal. However, it achieved safety because it made its home in rocky fortresses. Larger animals could not navigate in the rocks as well as open ground; nor could they uncover its rocky home. We can learn from this animal by making our homes secure before we purchase other things. Many people take secondary loans against their houses instead of paying off the mortgage. This is unwise, as a mortgage-free house provides security in difficult times.

The Locust: Locusts are considered to be wise also. Although they have no king or ruler, they join together in organized ranks when they attack an area. They can fly for miles, often all day, landing in the evening to form "camps." As they advance, they strip the land of every growing thing. Christians could well learn from this. If we banded together on major issues that are coming against our Christian principles and rights, we could ravage the enemy, even as the locusts ravage a field when they attack. Each one devours the foliage directly around them, and as they all go forward, soon there is nothing left in the field. If every Christian attacked the field of evil in their area, we could win the entire battle that the devil has assailed against us.

The Spider: Not even a king can keep spiders out of his palace. It is able to climb quickly to high places or find hidden low places, wisely avoiding open areas. Like the spider, we would be wise to be discreet in our affairs. Careless boasting and parading ourselves, invites a fall. King Hezekiah was rebuked by the prophet Isaiah for displaying his treasures to the envoys of Babylon. Those same treasures were carried off 250 years later by the very nation to whom he displayed them (2 Kings 20:12-17).

Wisdom compensates for the smallest creatures, giving them protection and great power. I believe this list of creatures is included in Proverbs so that we can learn to be as resourceful as they are in many practical areas of life.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful teachings we find in the Bible. Help us to apply these analogies to our personal lives. We can learn a lot just by observing Your magnificent creation. Lord, thank You for pointing out the examples of wisdom found in Your tiny creatures. Teach us Your wisdom in our daily affairs, so that we learn how to prevent problems in our lives. Lord, may we walk in love in all of our affairs, as that is one of the wisest things we can do. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org , TM, ‎Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups. #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #SPARKERMILLER Sunday, December 15, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida USA 10:00:55 AM www.facebook.com/gatekeeperwatchnan www.facebook.com/ Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956

[grandpagamming]

BGMI 1VS 4 Clutch || BGMI Solo VS Squad Strategy For Beginner

BGMI Oshan Event: Insane 1v4 Clutch - Epic Comeback! Watch as I take on an entire squad solo in this intense 1v4 clutch during the BGMI Oshan Event! Witness the strategy, skill, and pinpoint accuracy that helped me pull off one of the most epic comebacks. Don't miss the final moments that will have you on the edge of your seat! Like, share, and subscribe for more BGMI action! Improving your clutch performance in BGMI (or any battle royale game) involves a mix of strategy, mechanics, and mental fortitude. Here are some tips to help you get better at pulling off clutches, especially in high-pressure 1v4 situations:

1. Map Awareness & Positioning Use cover: Always position yourself where you have natural cover (trees, rocks, buildings) or man-made cover (smoke grenades). Use the environment to your advantage to isolate fights and reduce the number of enemies shooting at you simultaneously. Know the terrain: Familiarize yourself with common hotspots and building layouts so you can predict enemy movements and find good hiding spots or escape routes. High ground advantage: Gain the upper hand by holding elevated positions. It allows for better visibility and makes it harder for enemies to land shots on you.

2. Isolate Enemies 1v1 situations: In a 1v4, your goal is to turn it into a series of 1v1s. Use cover and positioning to fight enemies one at a time. Don't expose yourself to multiple enemies at once. Pre-fire or bait shots: Peek and fire quickly to bait enemies into revealing their positions, making it easier to deal with them individually.

3. Effective Peeking Peek smartly: Use quick peeks from cover (especially third-person perspective) to gather information without exposing your entire body. Alternate your peeks to keep enemies guessing where you'll pop out from. Crouch peek: Crouch peeking makes you a smaller target while still allowing you to get shots off. Use this especially in close quarters like buildings.

4. Grenade Utility Use grenades: Frag grenades, molotovs, and stun grenades can break up enemy formations, knock enemies, or force them out of cover. A well-timed grenade can turn the tide in your favor. Smoke grenades: Use smoke to heal, reposition, or revive teammates. Smoke can also be used to block an enemy’s line of sight, making it harder for them to push you.

5. Sound Cues & Information Gathering Footsteps and gunfire: Pay close attention to audio cues for footsteps, gun reloads, and enemy movement. Use this information to predict enemy behavior and make smarter plays. Visual cues: Use third-person mode (TPP) to peek around corners and windows without fully exposing yourself.

6. Movement & Mobility Constantly move: Don’t stay static, as that makes you an easy target. Use unpredictable strafing and jumping during fights to make it harder for enemies to land shots. Jiggle peeking: Rapid side-to-side movement while peeking can confuse enemies and make you a harder target while still allowing you to gather info and line up shots. Reposition after a knock: After knocking an enemy, reposition quickly. This throws off the remaining enemies, making it harder for them to predict where you’ll be next.

7. Stay Calm & Focused Don’t panic: In clutch situations, the pressure is high. Stay calm, focus on your decision-making, and don’t rush. Take deep breaths and approach the situation methodically. Confidence is key: Believe in your ability to win the fight. A confident mindset will keep you sharp and focused on making the right moves at the right time.

8. Healing Strategy Prioritize healing: Know when to heal and when to engage. Sometimes backing off to heal is better than pushing aggressively with low health. Use boosts: Keep your boost bar full in clutch situations. Boosts provide extra healing over time, allowing you to recover while staying in the fight.

9. Weapon Loadout Choose the right weapons: For clutch situations, weapons that deal high burst damage or are versatile at different ranges are ideal (e.g., M416, UMP45, AKM). Practice with your preferred loadout regularly. For more tips Subscribe to our channel ....https://www.youtube.com/@grandpagamming BGMI Oshan Event 1v4 Clutch BGMI Insane Clutch BGMI Epic Comeback BGMI BGMI Solo vs Squad Oshan Event Gameplay BGMI Clutch Moments BGMI

[kinglandclearing]

Professional Land Clearing Near Wilson: Preparing Your Land for Development

When clearing land for construction, farming, or other purposes, it’s essential to work with the right land clearing service provider. Whether you need to remove unwanted plant growth, stumps, or prepare the land for new construction, professional land clearing services ensure that the groundwork is done properly and efficiently. Welcome to King Land Clearing, your number one source for professional land clearing near Wilson, with affordable land clearing services for the preparation of your land to fit your planned use.

The Importance of Professional Land Clearing

It is not just chopping of trees and stumps, removal of rocks and other materials from the land. It is all about the proper soil preparation to address your requirements and at the same time address the concerns of the natural environment. The right land clearing service provider can turn your piece of land into a functional and accessible area.

1. Ensuring A Clean, Safe Environment

The first advantage of land clearing is safety, which is the most important factor that needs to be considered in any project. The growth of plants, bushes, hollow trees, and other similar items may become dangerous because they may catch fire, or their branches may fall on people or animals. If you have been wondering where to find land clearing services near me then you might want to know that your piece of land may require some work. 

2. Improving Drainage and Soil Quality

The issues that arise from poor drainage on your land include water logging and soil erosion. Other services that may be provided in the land clearing includes grading of the land and soil preparation for water to flow in the right manner so as to avoid soil erosion which makes construction a nightmare. King Land Clearing has expertise in improving the drainage systems on your land to improve the future development of the land.

3. Optimizing Land for Future Use

Whether it’s a new residential area, business complex, or agricultural land, proper land clearing in Wilson ensures the site is fully prepared for construction. This process removes not only trees but also roots, rocks, and all forms of debris, leaving a level foundation ready for any future development.

Why You Need a Professional Land Clearing Company

Land clearing services are not always simple and when you require them it is wise to hire a team that comprehends the extent of the job. In King Land Clearing, we offer quality services that are most suitable for your project. Here are a few reasons why hiring professionals is your best option:

1. Safety and Efficiency

Clearing land is a technical process that involves some machinery as well as some technique. Trying to level the land on your own can be risky, let alone a very time-consuming exercise. 

2. Expertise in Zoning and Regulations

Another important benefit of contracting with a professional land clearing service is that they understand the legal requirements of the area. If the land is cleared for example by farmers without going through the legal procedures then they are likely to be charged or have to pay huge amounts of money. 

3. Cost-Effectiveness

While it may be tempting to try to clear the land on your own or with the help of friends and family, it’s actually cheaper to hire a professional service for land clearing. Proper land clearing is important because the improper clearing of land may lead to extra charges or services needed like fixing of drainage issues or eradicating erosion.

Our Process: What to Expect from King Land Clearing

You can be sure of a team with experience and expertise when you hire King Land Clearing for your land clearing in Wilson. Here’s what you can expect when working with us:

1. Consultation and Planning

Our engagement begins with a comprehensive client interview process that seeks to clearly identify each client’s requirements and the requirements of the given project. It does not matter if it is a residential area to build a house, or a commercial area to develop a business, we adapt to the needs.

2. Site Inspection

Subsequently, we carry out an assessment of the site with the purpose of assessing the general characteristics of the plot in terms of terrain features, vegetation cover, and obstacles. It assists us in developing a clear strategy for the development of the land by clearing it.

3. Clearing and Grading

Till and contouring is an important part of site preparation no matter if it is for construction or farming. One works by compacting, grading, and sloping the ground to reduce problems of flooding or soil erosion in future. After clearing the land, cutting down trees, and eliminating stumps and debris and land grading, our team prepares your property for construction or planting. 

Trust King Land Clearing for All Your Land Clearing Needs

This is because at King Land Clearing, we boast of providing excellent services that are unique to your needs. Are you in Maysville, NC and looking for a Land Clearing service provider? You’ve come to the right place. No matter if you are planning for construction, agriculture or general land development, our team will be ready for the task.