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sweet-luv-club · 9 months ago

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✎ breastfeeding m! Kylar like he deserves ♡

. . . ˚✧.⊹ tags ⊹⁺. ೀ

2.5k words (wow im a horny bastard), informal writing, m! Kylar with cock, unprotected p in v sex, unrealistic sex, Kylar is a very submissive and pathetic (/affectionate) top, lactating pc from cow transformation, BIG GIANT TATAS and AFAB anatomy terms. u got coochie n it'll b called cunt and pussy but Kylar doesn't call u by either feminine terms or masculine terms so it's,,, gender-neutral reader-ish??

. . . ⋆ ꮺ˚⊹ notes ⊹ ༘˚

WHY BOTHER HAVING A BREAST MILK MECHANIC IF U CANT GIVE IT TO ANY OF THE LOVE INTERESTS... SMH VREL GET ON IT /LH also dis is a shoutout to da fellow transmascs like me that don't mind hvin big tatas 2 feed kylar <33 my first full fic i tink!! enjoy!!!

♡ ┆ u 2 are on a date at the park as usual. when u casually suggest it, his brain just stops working. his mouth hangs open and u have to shake him to snap him out of it.

"uhh, haha, sorry, darling... c-could you repeat that?"

with a smirk, you do. you lean in and suggest going somewhere private so he could enjoy your milk directly from the source. all the blood in his cheeks rush to his cock almost immediately. he is so down bad for u, he's fucking floored u even suggested it.

♡ ┆ he gets more cocky, confident, and possessive during sex, but at this point, he's only squeezed your chest so far, not sure how he could even begin to explain himself. he’s seen u lactate when u cum, he just didnt know if it was overstepping a boundary to just dive in. its early into the relationship so he doesnt know if youre comfortable with that part of your bovine biology. hes a perv but hes also a polite boy!! well... most of the time ♡ he couldnt just walk up to u and say i want ur milk babe, you deserve better than that, he just didnt know how to ask... so ofc he's over the moon you're the one who brought it up

♡ ┆ absolutely solidifies in his mind that you're an angel sent from heaven to protect him and love him

♡ ┆ he's a stinky little anime nerd /pos. pre-relationship, after you saved him from bullies, he draws u and ur cute fluffy cow ears and massive anime-like tits in all sorts of erotic ways. does all the hentai tropes. fists his needy, leaky cock at night to the drawings he's made of u. when you start dating, it was like he was walking on cloud 9 when you wanted to recreate some of his erotic drawings (bc ofc u pushed to see his sketchbook when he mentioned it was full of only u lol)

♡ ┆ cant go to the manor, kylar isnt comfy w that yet. cant be in pc’s bedroom, kylar doesnt even want a single chance of someone who knows you and lives with you to see u giving him milk, it's his and only his in sight, sound,,, and ofc taste. hed get jealous if other orphans u live with saw yall doing it, bc if they see he thinks theyre never gonna forget the sight..... which could lead 2 all sorts of trouble since they live with u and he doesnt. he wants it to only be his even in memory. PATHETIC /POS so yalls only option is a cheap-ass love hotel. maybe someday youll fuck somewhere nicer but this’ll have to do… not to mention kylar is thrumming w/ excitement. he’s fucking trembling at the mere thought of getting to taste your sweet milk, directly from your heavy chest which was always tempting him… PATHETIC /POS (1)

♡ ┆ at first, kylar cant get his bearings. he sits next to u on the bed, hands politely on his lap while his cock strains against his pants. hes strangely silent until u snap him out of it with a kiss on the cheek. “ah… d-darling, you don’t know how much this means to me.” he says in a shaky voice. you chuckle and slowly begin to lift your shirt, making sure to give him a show. the way your heavy tits laden with the milk he craves always looked like they were spilling out, your bra barely being able to hold them back never failed to do a number on kylar’s psyche.

♡ ┆ ”c’mon, you’ve already seen me lactate. get me wet first, babe, then it’ll come out.” you tease as you unclasp your bra effortlessly and toss it to the side, your tits swaying with every movement you make. kylar is hypnotized. just a lot of spacing out in general until you two really get into it.

♡ ┆ your back is laid on the bed, and Kylar moves to get your pants and panties off. the sight never fails to make him breathless. he figures the quickest way to taste your sweet milk is to eat you out, so he does, very diligently. he dives in and devours your pussy like a man starved, he does this every time. he just can’t believe someone as perfect as you would willingly give yourself to him, and he wants to show his gratitude properly, always…

♡ ┆ this mf latches onto your cunt with an intense need and desperation. not only is he making his beloved feel good, he’s working to get your milk flowing as well… it makes him especially ravenous. licking up and sucking on your sensitive folds, using his hands to part your lips and plunge his tongue into you deeper… when you pat his fluffy, unkempt hair and moan… “fuuuuck yes, that’s it, good boy…” he goes absolutely ballistic in his brain. it goes w/o saying that he has a praise kink, loves giving and receiving it. he’s especially emboldened when he feels his head sandwiched between the softness of your thighs, he’s going delirious with need at this point, eyes all half-lidded and bleary, focused on nothing but lapping up the fluids your cunt makes. he's fucking groaning against your folds, can't get enough of your sweet taste. his cock is straining to be free right now, but your pleasure takes precedence.

♡ ┆ eventually, he takes your clit into his mouth and sucks hard, tongue swirling around it as he’s making you scream. “K-Kylar!!” it fills him with a sick thrill, like he’s letting all the strangers in this damn sleazy love hotel know that he’s the one making his darling cry out with pleasure. he pulls back for a moment, a string of saliva connecting between your cunt and his lips to smirk confidently at you. “that’s it, darling, let it all out.” he says, as he’s licking a broad stripe up your pussy, “let them all hear how much you love what i’m doing to you.”

♡ ┆ the moment he sees your tits drip with milk, he unlatches his mouth from your cunt with a soft pop, halting the intense suctions for now. his eyes sparkle with curiosity and hunger, seeing you laid out on the bed with your cheeks flushed, mouth hung agape from moaning so much just does something to his fucked up brain. he wastes no time capturing a nipple into his mouth and giving a hard suck, groaning when your milk hits his tastebuds. it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted…

♡ ┆ he kneads at your tit, trying to coax more and more milk out of you as your cow ears flicker atop your head. needless to say, he’s getting off on your moans, the taste of your creaminess, and the softness of your chest… he loves it. all of this, it’s only for him and him alone. he laminates your nipple with spit using his tongue, moaning as he drinks up every last drop. keeping a hand on your pussy, he gently bites down, making you yelp, yet he also felt your cunt twitch at the action… that gives him an idea for later. he shows love to your other breast, licking up all of the milk that had been dripping off to the side as his fingers rub at your pussy, the slick sounds making his head spin. his breaths are heavy and erratic as it fans over your exposed skin, adding a layer of eroticism from his desperation being conveyed this way.

♡ ┆ finally… the moment he’d been waiting for. he releases his mouth and cups both of your heavy breasts, pressing them close together and sucking on both your nipples at the same time. wow… just like in his hentai mangas. the sensation makes you feel embarrassed, but you can’t deny how good it feels, either… as his fingers dig into your plush, large chest, he suckles, licks, and bites, doing anything to get more milk into his mouth again. some of it drips in between your chest, and it gives him a devious idea…

♡ ┆ he retreats for now, taking a finger to swipe up a drop of milk on his chin and lick it, a crazed hunger in his green eyes. he pulls down his pants and boxers… out comes his cock, blushed at the tip and leaky with pre-cum. “darling… would you be willing to hold up your chest for me, please?” he asks in a sweet voice, and you comply without question. you already knew what he was planning without him having to outright say it.

♡ ┆ he holds the sides of your breasts securely and moves up on the bed, positioning himself under your chest. you feel something hard underneath your boobs… and without further ado, Kylar thrusts his cock in. he moans so loud, breathing sooo heavily as he pistons his hips… he’s just in pure disbelief. the milk that had dripped between your chest earlier aids him in creating a slick passage between your pillowy tits. it takes him all his willpower to not immediately cum… which he inevitably fails. his cock splatters all over your chest, and a little bit gets on your face. “ah…!! i-oh no, i’m so sorry… i couldn’t help it, it just felt too good…” he pouts with a voice whinier than usual. you reassure him that it’s more than okay with a sultry smile, and you collect his cum with your fingers, licking it all up.

♡ ┆ the sight of you doing that of your own volition without him even asking to… grrr he’s going feral! and he realized you hadn’t cum once! that just won’t do. so while waiting for his cock to stiffen up again, he pulls out and lowers himself back down and thrusts a finger into your dripping entrance. he gets off on the sound of your moans, and he reaches down to take a nipple into his mouth again, the dual sensation of kylar’s suction and his finger curling inside you driving you mad. he establishes a rhythm with both actions, and it’s not long before he adds another finger into you, the squelching noises from your naughty pussy tempting him making his cock twitch back to life very quickly. as your inner walls tighten around his fingers, he searches desperately for your sweet spot while feverishly lapping up any milk from your breasts. and finally… he finds that one gummy mass inside you and just absolutely goes to town on it, making you cry out loudly. he reluctantly detached himself from your tit, and as his fingers were pressing down on your sweet spot, he held his hand firmly over your pubic mound, pressing down and quickening the pace of his fingers going in and out of you. it’s not long before you scream his name and cum on his fingers, soaking his hand in your precious nectar… not to mention your chest flowing with milk as well.

♡ ┆ he’s now hard again… and you take a moment to catch your breath. he’s too impatient this time, however, he wants to thrust into you now. you feel his cock press against your overly sensitive entrance but you manage to gently push him down onto the bed to take control of the situation. “ah ah ah. not so fast. just came, ya horndog.” you tease lightly, while kylar groans and pouts. you reach down and press a kiss to his lips, your tongues meeting each other once again as they get entangled. you taste a hint of your own milk. kylar can feel your breasts pressing up against him, the weight making him get more needy and feverish with his kissing. his breath hitches when you start grinding your cunt onto him, tip of his cock leaking with cum onto his tummy as your pussy presses down on it. your hips buck back and forth on top of him as you take control, allowing yourself to rest while keeping kylar sated.

♡ ┆ when you’re finally ready to have sex, you teasingly bounce your cunt on the tip of his cock, and you see tears in his eyes. “pc- my love, come, on, let me in, pleasepleaseplease- ah!!”

his babbling is interrupted by you finally giving him what he wants. as your velvety walls sink down onto him, threatening to overwhelm his senses, you press your breasts onto his face. “you know what to do.” you say with a flirtatious smirk. kylar immediately gets the memo, he’s been dying to do this since you first saved him. he latches onto your nipples and tugs down at your breasts while you start bouncing your pussy on his cock, the dual sensations driving you both mad.

♡ ┆ you’re expertly riding him as he whimpers helplessly beneath you, humping into him so hard the headboard slams into the wall from your passion. his mouth is overflowing with your milk like he wanted… his brain is just melting, much to your delight. your cow tail swishes behind you playfully as he grabs your plush hips and thrusts up into your movements, the sounds of your moans and wet slapping reverberating in the room.

♡ ┆ the warmth and softness of your cunt makes him wanna cum again. poor boy… he was never good at lasting long. “kylar, hold yourself back right now or else i’m pulling myself off.” you tease, but he takes that to heart and whines in disappointment. “i’ll be good… i’ll be good, pc, i promise, just please dont, ah… leave me!” you smile at him. “i’m not leaving you dummy, ever.”

neuron activation time……. his eyes widen in disbelief as affection floods his heart. he grips your hips more firmly, thrusting up into you at such an animalistic pace that the poorly constructed bed almost sounds like it'll break. the plush of your ass bounces back on his lap, and it makes him grit his teeth trying to hold back. he has a fire in his eyes, as if his life’s whole purpose now was to make you cum on his cock. he bites down on a nipple like earlier and feels your cunt clench around him. he alternates between bites and hard sucks as his hips thrust desperately upward while you struggle to keep riding him. “that’s a promise, okay? dont! ever! leave! me!” he punctuates each word with a thrust deep into your womb, hell-bent on breeding you.

♡ ┆ it’s not long before stars crowd around your eyes as you two climax together with your own loud moans, his semen flooding the depths of your warmth while your own cum coats his cock and drips down to his balls. your milk drips down your breasts again, and even though kylar is weak, he still manages to find it in himself to lick it up. as you catch your breaths, you two giggle conspiratorially, pressing your foreheads together and exchanging words of pure love and affection for one another… right before going back in for another round. you two rented out this room for an extended period of time, after all.

♡ ┆ now kylar takes whatever opportunity he can to bite and suck on your precious chest, pulling you in school closets or dark alleyways just so he can have a taste of your milk.

♡ ┆ ofc it’s not long until you both rent out a room at the hotel again, you going along with one of his crazy hentai recreations. it ends up with him on your lap and you, jerking off his sensitive cock, rubbing his pre-cum all over his shaft as he has his fill of your milk.

#saccha.txt #degrees of lewdity #dol #dol kylar #kylar the loner #kylar the loner x reader #dol kylar x reader #cow tf! reader

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sei-rq · 1 year ago

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Shameless, big brother (NSFW)

synopsis: step bro childe has a teeny tiny crush on his step sister

warnings: stepcest, size kink (if you squint), power kink, non-con/dub con, dark content, fem!bimbo!reader, ajax is mean but sweet

He is breathing heavy.. you can even feel his heart beating rapidly at this point.. Ajax your step-brother is currently buried deep inside you, how did you end up like this exactly? to be honest, you don’t really remember and you don’t really seem to care, neither does he..

He came to visit his family and siblings in Snezhnaya, only having to realize that his father and mother were no longer together, what a pleasant surprise.. turns out his father had moved on and married your mother literally after a month , at the time Ajax didn’t even know you were in the picture, he just assumed that a wretched woman had seduced his father and was living off his money.

At first he was very cold towards you and your mother, soon realizing it wasn’t really either of you guys’ fault, it was that his mother and father failed at love even after so many years of vowed marriage, he had expected your mother to be rude and annoying but it was far from it, she had treated his siblings and him as her own children and loved them all dearly..

That was until he had met you that he felt his first tick, you were annoying, you were so fucking annoying.. he hated you, he hated how nice you were to him, how you always had a sweet smile on your face, how your face always lit up when he came home, he hated all of it, and most importantly he hated how you so innocently called him “ni-ni” almost as though you were poking fun at him, the nickname annoyed him the most.. mainly because it’d make his blood run to his cock instantly after having heard it.

Hahah.. fuck, The Childe Tartaglia, eleventh of the fatui.. had a massive crush on his step sister, fucking disgusting.. but that’s why he loved it.. it felt so fucking taboo and that’s why it felt so fucking good.. oh how poor Ajax has fucked his fist countless times thinking of you, fucking you so so good, “ah- angh ahh.. fuck” curses after curses would fall from his mouth as he imagined the most erotic scenes he’d like to recreate with you

so when one night he visited Snezhnaya as a surprise, he had snuck into your room, seeing you in nothing but a lousy white tank-top and a pair of cute pink panties, okay.. now you were just asking for this

Your lovely “ni-ni” had wasted no time in locking the bedroom door and tying your hands with a little handkerchief he keeps in his left pocket, you were so dumb and clueless, sleeping so soundly unaware of what was going to happen to you

The red head had ripped off the panties and had stuck a finger inside of you effortlessly, don’t mind him, he has lots and lots of experience when it comes to things like this.. for some reason though you had felt too tight to stretch out, was this seemingly your first time...?

You jolted awake, looking around aimlessly but surely afraid of what was going on.. “n-ni- mMhp-” before you could let another sound out, Ajax clasped his free hand over your mouth.. “Shh.. it’s fine, big brother will take good care of you” he was already so fucking hard and turned on by this.. he knows this is wrong and he shouldn’t be doing this, and definitely not to his step-sister, yet seeing how easily he is overpowering someone so weak and small turned something on within him, he is really shameless isn’t he?

“MMm!! Ugnh!!” helpless and desperate.. god you were so pathetic right now,but don’t you worry!! big brother Ajax will surely take very good care of you, maybe even spoil you after this session with him, with all the luxury one could possibly want.. all you have to do is be a good girl and let him do whatever he wants with you..

#childe x reader #ajax smut #childe smut #genshin smut #genshin x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin x y/n #n0nc0n #cw stepcest #cw r@pe

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iamlostsomewhereinthegarden · 1 month ago

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Obey me brothers order in which they got introduced to the internet and how good they are at using it

I did say I was working on some Obey Me stuff lololol

Lucifer

Order

* The first to use the internet

* He has to make sure it’s safe for his brothers to be on

* Or at least have an idea of what’s going on

* He canonically was the one who introduces it to Levi and Levi had been tech insane forever so he has to be amongst the first

How good are they at using it?

* Just below average

* Much better than a Boomer parent using tech

* But still not as good as the younger generations

* I mean he can he just isn’t aware of the trends and major internet stuff

* Pretty sure he only knows a bunch of internet slang mostly because of Levi tho

* Does not understand them at all though

* “What is this Skibidi…. Toilet?”

* But he uses all tech stuff just prefers to use older things

Mammon

(Tumblr is a bitch and took away yellow saying that it doesn’t look good on white, like bitch? There are other color bg not only white? Do ya’ll even know your own hellsite?)

Order

* Fourth person to get into it

* Didn’t care much for it as an Angel

* Outside of the basics didn’t use it much tbh

* Once he was in the Devildom and incorporated into his sin he was too busy trying to hustle people for money and gambling

* For the most part outside of my top 3 of those who accessed tech I believe most of the brothers didn’t care much for modern tech as they were either busy or it just wasn’t important for them to incorporate into their lives

* Continuing on, it’s not until he heard about online auctions, gambling, betting, etc. that has to do with his sin that he got into tech

How good are they at using it

* This is what he’s in the top 3 with

* He’s number 2 in how good he is with tech

* Can use it

* Can build it

* Can take apart any piece of tech and put it back together

* Can probably make your tech even better if he tries and wants to

* Also knows how to get a top model device for cheap and how much parts are worth

* If Levi is unavailable to help with tech stuff it’s Mammon there to the rescue

* Very good with all online stuff also

* Navigates and finds stuff pretty well and easily

* Knows internet slang and picks up on new trends and phrases easily

* “Ya know I got the rizz baby gurlll”

Leviathan

Order

* Originally you’d think he’d be first

* But he’s third just like his birth order

* Only because it took Lucifer forever to understand wtf was the internet and introduce Levi to anime so another brother skipped pass him for second

* Hooked onto anime really really fast

* Also was into anime in heaven so that’s why he’s in the top 3

How good are they at using it

* Best person

* This one’s a given

* Mods, creation, destruction, recreation

* Could probably make a bomb from a device just chooses not to and doubts his ability to do that

* When they first came down to the devildom everyone was clueless and Levi was onto his Ruri-chan shit from the get go like a true stan and internet user

* Internet slang? Trends? Words? Levi straight up knows it by the heart

* Despite not participating in trends and dancing, he can do them flawlessly just had no self confidence

* Speaking of, pretty sure he accidentally created a bunch of internet slang

* Also it’s canon he speaks in Internet slang irl

* “ROFL not Mammon thinking he can rizz his way out of that situation! He can’t even mew properly!”

* You want a good deal or anything that involves tech stuff game or just anything go to Levi

* Probably taught or helped Mammon know all he knows

* Also massive streamer type energy come to him once you have the basics for streaming set up and he’ll make you amazing

Satan

Order

* He has to be the last person to know and use tech

* He’s the last born so he has to interact and know about tech last

* And even then didn’t really care for tech

* Probably only cares about tech to read online books and movie adaptations (scandalous) and to contact others especially the Anti-Lucifer League

How good are they at using it

* Is not bad tbh

* Better than Lucifer out of spite

* As mentioned before only cares about tech to read online books, watch movies and contact

* Knows trends doesn’t participate unless it’s about books, cats or a prank on Lucifer

* Doesn’t understand or care much about them though

* Better than Belphie worse than Beel

* Only knows the basics of internet slang

* “Rizz? What is that?”

Asmodeous

Order

* This is the brother who stole second place from Levi

* Because of his Asmo parties he eventually found social media and by extension the internet

* If it wasn’t for the Asmo parties and publicity he would’ve had no interest in tech and the internet

How good are they at using it

* Good enough

* Can use almost any app

* But doesn’t know much about the phone in general

* If you need help with a social media app he’s the person to go to

* A lot of social stuff online in the human realm is by his influence

* Does a lot of livestreams on the devildom’s version of instagram

* Does he know trends, slang and challenges?

* Do you even know who the heck you’re talking about?

* He created a lot of the bougie slang and phrases

* “Period Ah Period Uh-“

* “AND THAT’S ON PERIOD!”

Beelzebub

Order

* He’s the 5th to get into it and originally got into it only because his job as an angel when they went a bit tech and it was easier to get notifications on stuff

* Still didn’t use it as an Angel and still doesn’t use it much as a devil outside of ordering food and watching food videos or texting

How good are they at using it

* Average at it tbh

* As I said he uses the phone at the bare minimum outside of food stuff

* Knows all the best food apps

* And the best apps the help with workout routines

* Text him if you need food, just make sure that you get to it first and that he’s been saved some

* Also knows how to stream and does a lot of workout streams

* Come to him to help you work out how to start streaming tbh he’s good at that

* Back to him streaming tho a lot of people show up to his stream because he’s hot at tbh

* Sometimes ends up on Asmo’s streams for skin and makeup stuff or trends

* Is only into food eating and workout trends tbh and not much else

* Not that good at slang gets help from his brothers to understand (and by extension ig also helps Lucifer learn slang)

* “What is rizz? Is that some new food?”

Belphegor

Order

* Literally not the last just because Satan was created last

* Got into it in heaven because of Beelzebub and Lilith

* Actually into it because of the sleep asmrs and stuff to help you sleep and goofy shit he can learn like pranks

How good are they at using it

* Better than Satan due to spite for Lucifer and being involved in Beel’s streaming and stuff

* Also uses it often to search up stuff about where the stars are to adjust the planetarium and be a bit invested in what happens in the human world in Lilith’s honor

* Is great at slang for the sake of Beel who is a sweet oblivious oaf and being asleep or half asleep while being around Mammon, Levi or Asmo at any given time

* Knows trends, rarely participates unless he barley has to do anything in them

* Smug bastard tho

* “You know I got that sleep rizz”

#headcannons #obey me!#obey me headcannons #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #Obey me #obey me shall we date #Obey me !#obey me otome #obey me brothers #obey me boys

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bluepotion85 · 1 year ago

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Expanding Bootcamp - Chapter 5 (Male Wg Story)

Summary: Will and Connor are the last men standing unchanged on base and as they try to stay separated from the rest of the team, they start to feel the repercussions of sticking to their guns. The loneliness that comes with their predicaments makes them bite more than they can chew. will they crumble to their desires in the wish of fitting in? and will they see more than they are ready for in their desire for answers?

(The following is a male weight gain fic. This is for the most part a slow burn deal)

A few days passed and I saw Carlos walking around base. I approached to try and invite him to train with us and was a bit spooked when I realized he was having a massive burger out on the way to one of his assignments.

“Hey Will, how is the day treating you? you saw the chow hall extended its serving hours and menu to cover for the demand?” - he asks before taking a massive bite of his burger.

I just watch pretending I don't see his uniform painted to him like a second skin. Some of the meat grease and ketchup lands on his shirt but he doesn't seem to notice or care.

After swallowing he continues “It was time, people are hungry at other hours, and living off of snacks is not optimal you know.”

“Oh of course” - I say trying to keep the conversation going and not to bring up the fact that one of the skinniest men I have met now is looking like Salazar a few days after landing here.

“So you wanted to tell me something?”

“Ah yeah, I wanted to check if you wanted to tag along with me and Connor for some training later today or tomorrow?”

“Thanks Will but I’m in a bulking cycle. I want to try and build some muscle and Bradley is guiding me on this new regimen. I think it's giving results already” -he says with a big smile and an air of smugness I haven't seen in a while.

“But thanks anyways, hey maybe you and Connor could tag along with us on the routine. You could do good with some mass.”

he grabs another bite of his burger and adds

“Or we could go to the recreation room, Hill has been getting better at the fighting games”

“Thanks, I will tell Connor and see what he thinks of the idea. See you soon”

During Dinner that night I told Connor about the conversation with Carlos. While I explain the situation, Carlos and Hill show up to the chow hall with some cadets and go straight to their table with the rest of the members of the Large and up team. They have completely stopped hanging out in meals with us and twins have integrated to their table as well.

Connor looks at me like he has just seen a ghost, after finishing my story he asks.

“Do you want to finish food somewhere else?”

We go out with our plates and have food in the benches by the field.

“I don't know Will, I feel like we are drifting away from the rest of the team”

A part of me feels partially responsible for this, Daniel just started hanging out with their group because I intervened, Carlos and Hill bailed out because we enabled Daniel’s conversations about the situation. I have to make sure we don't dwell into it though, at the end of the day we made our beds and we had to lay on them.

“They are happy Connor, I miss the company but I don't think either of us is looking forward to join their games”

“I know but that's also the thing, I'm not particularly comfortable with how they have changed”

“Do you mean for the eating competitions or because you are scared of ending up like them if you let go for a while?”

“You know it's not like that, I would never. . . We wouldn't get like that. It's just after all the effort we have put through to get along and to be top of our class”

he looks at me with a sad expression “Besides you, no one else seems to care enough to try and stick to the program. They all look so happy but they are also burning their work away. And it's all been so fast, I don't understand it. Is it bad of me to think this way”

“Connor, your world revolves around this. Not everyone is going to feel the same way. Carlos' parents are loaded, Bradley has a farm waiting for him at home. You know I need this for me and my family. They can enjoy their choices freely without much of a worry compared to us” - I take a pause and look directly into his blue eyes.

For Connor, who has placed his trust in the military and its people for his whole life, the idea of them plotting against us in this experiment represents destroying his world view. I know verbalizing his concerns right now is taking a lot from him. And even though I believe there is something going on now, I can't allow myself to push him deeper than he already is in his worries or fears. There will be time for that later, for now we have to stay together.

So, I add -“Regardless of what happens, we are getting to the end of this together ok?.”

“Ok Will, thanks” -he says with a smile.

We get both plates back to the chow hall where the group is now seeing who can make the loudest belch or something like that. We squirm out and go to the barracks, in the way there Connors middle grumbles. He signs and tells me his appetite has been on overdrive lately but every time he sees everyone else going to town during meals he tries to contain himself even more.

I try to console him and let him know that maybe it's because of everyone eating around us all the time, that a hearty meal tomorrow will fix him up.

A couple of days pass and Connor mentions how the food in the chow hall seems to be improving in taste, like the machine is adding more seasoning. I don't feel that much of a difference but agree with him just to keep the conversation lighthearted.

At this point Connor and I are the only ones not taking part in the team activities that have extended out of the meals for the day. Now you can see cadets eating full meals around the base while pulling their shirts down to cover their bellies. Others have food stains as the new badges of honor.

And for the biggest guys like Salazar and Bradely putting their size on display is more a power move than anything. They will belly clash as a greeting, compete on who can belch the loudest and even after getting bigger uniforms they start to go around base with open shirts to show their torsos. They go in groups shoulder to shoulder or resting their weight on others. They used to be teasy and playful but everyone seems to be more touchy nowadays.

One day while I get out of the waste disposal unit I catch Bradley and Salazar rough housing surrounded by some of their friends, after some laughs and pushes they start resting against one another. They bask in each other's size and stay like that for a while. I think I saw Salazar getting excited at the moment so I decided to move on, whatever happens I don't have to be a witness. They seem to be growing closer by the day and while Im happy to see them get along Im a bit worried they enable one another in their less stellar tendencies.

The field and gym feel like ghost towns while Connor and I train, and dust has started to gather in some places people have stopped showing up. We kept some hopes that Carlos, Hill or the twins would come back to train but as time passed the idea abandoned our heads.

To add insult to injury, a few days later I got assigned another shift in the watchtower. When I got to the top I found Carlos sleeping on the floor, his uniform was upgraded not too long ago to match his ever growing body. And yet it looked like it needed another upgrade now, his belly was resting all the way out, his shirt rolling all the way to his moobs. There were bar wrappers and other pieces of food all over the place.

Some cadets have started to ignore their tasks or do them half ass. Carlos sleeping on the floor covered in wrappers is a new mark. I helped him wake up. As soon as he is up he yawns and finishes blasting a belch on my face and asks me what time it is.

I immediately recoil, he starts to laugh like he just told the best joke in the last year. I told him the hour and that I came to continue with the patrol.

Before he can reply, Hill comes from the elevator with his arms filled to the brim with food, and half a hot dog hanging from his mouth with a chilled face.

“Hey Will, want some grub?” -Hill barely asks between munches

They explained the shift was for Hill and Carlos just tagged along, once they ran out of food Hill went for more and Carlos fell asleep waiting.

He started to stand up and his new pants ripped in the effort, he started to laugh and slapped his gut “I guess this big boy is ready for a new upgrade haha, If you excuse me Will I need some pants and to fill the tank”

Before I can argue they are getting in the elevator down.

Not too long after that Connor showed up to accompany me. Apparently he tried to play a movie in the recreation room to ignore his stomach begging for sustenance. But he got surprised by Salazar and Bradley while setting the player.

“They told me they wanted to watch the movie along with me and sit on the couch, I didn't want to look mean so I agreed. Before I could get a stool they grabbed me by the arm and pulled me in with them on the couch.”

I wince just thinking about it .

“I couldn't tell where my body started and where their bodies ended, Will those couches are supposed to be for 4 people and I was struggling for air between the two of them. I needed a shower after that movie. They were both sweating bullets just sitting there besides me, and of course I smelled like hell afterwards”

“That sucks dude, sorry to hear that”

“Even during the movie they started to eat the food from a snack box while I was fighting not to break the diet. Their bellies gurgle and vibrate with every piece of food and then belch like I wasn't even there. By the end of it all I had bits of food everywhere”

I was shocked by the description of the situation but I was trying to be nice so I tried to focus on something good from the situation -“Well at least you all hang out! Did you end up having anything to eat?”

“Apparently someone is filling the snack boxes with more than protein bars, they had pizza, fries and such. I tried Wil really but I was so hungry, so I caved in and had some.”

“Its ok Connor you also need to eat, this is no zombie movie you wont turn by having a pizza”

“Well I hope so, the gym at least looks like a zombie town haha”

He told me they watched some Scifi movie, when the movie was over he excused himself to have some food but instead went for a shower and then here.

We spent the rest of the night talking, around midnight one of the monitors in the watchtower started to blink. Apparently someone was walking around base.

When I looked through the visors I saw a figure entering the chow hall. I told Connor and we both went there as quietly as we could in the dead of night.

Once inside the hall we saw the light of the kitchen on, what we saw was a massive figure bent down on one of the fridges eating everything on sight.

“Who do you think it is? For that size it has to be one of the biggest cadets around even Salazar himself” -whisper Connor in my ear while we watched.

the man would grunt and moan while licking his finger and taking huge bites of everything. a can of cheese falled from the fridge and rolled and when the man moved to pick it up we saw it was Commander Parish.

Connor gasped and the commander looked in our direction like a praying beast. I covered Connors mouth and duck behind the wall that divides the kitchen and the hall.

We could hear the thuds of his steps as he moved toward us, he was just in the door frame, in the dark of the hall he didn't notice us a few meters to his right. I could see the same amber colored eyes that screamed at us on the first days of the experiment now wild looking for the source of the sound. But before he could notice us his belly roared and he mumbled “Ugh It must be my imagination”

We raised out of the chow hall and back to the tower.

“Well that explains why he doesn't go out of his office”-I say trying to make sense of what just happened.

“Oh sure it will be hard to teach by example when you are the size of fort knox!” -Connor shouts and tries to compose himself.

“Jokes aside, at least we know why he hasn't intervened lately, he would be a laughing stock if he tries to put us to training in his current state” -I add while I pace around the room.

“Yes but that doesn't explain how he left himself go so badly”

“He is human Connor, stuff like that happens.” -I reply not knowing if I'm saying that to convince him or myself.

“It's still weird that everyone has gone the same way in such a short time” -he looks to the ground and he holds his stomach.

I notice his middle is starting to look fuller but I don't think it is the kind of information he needs right now.

“Still hungry?” -I ask

“Is it too obvious?”- he said, looking at me with sadness in his eyes.

“Noo” -I get cut by his stomach that roars so loud there is no way to ignore. “ok maybe just a little”

He sits down on the floor and covers his face, I know he must be stressed by this so the empty stomach won't help. I'm not sure if what I'm doing is adding fire to the flames but I open the snack box and try to give him a protein bar.

He looks at it with anger but eventually subsides and he starts to eat it with a defeated look on his face, it doesn't last long though, once food has passed his lips he looks more calm. I sit beside him and we stay quietly for a while just making each other company.

At some point we both fall asleep.

I have a nightmare where everyone in the team is a zombie and I go up to the watchtower to take refuge. when I hear Connor screaming running toward the tower followed by a horde of zombies and asking for help.

Then I woke up. Connor is sleeping beside me with his head resting on my shoulder, and I feel something wet. This idiot is drooling all over me, before I could knock him out of his sleep I notice he is talking in his sleep.

“Yes mom I can have more stuffed potatoes, It's only been a few of them.”

This man was hungry for real, he was dreaming of food for gods sake.

For a second I'm taken back by him. His black hair has grown a bit since we got here,it's a little messy brushing on my side. His muscular body now covered with a thin layer of fat, the relaxed face on top of me. Resting like this together, makes me feel like the world has stopped moving and there is nothing to worry about.

I let him sleep for a few minutes, and then I got tired of his drooling ass and shake him into the land of the living. He wakes up a bit shocked that the stuffed potatoes are gone and I can only laugh.

We decided to cut the training for the day after the long night we had, once we got down the tower we went to have breakfast. I'm feeling rather hungry as well so we both get plentiful plates and sit down.

The food today tastes divine and Connor looks so pleased to have a full plate of food after days of abstinence. Once we are out of the chow hall we get started on our assignments. Since most of the base has gone laze mode we run over all the facilities and divide cleaning for the week.

Even while we try to ignore the situation for the time being, we agree to continue our runs and weight training. I can't deny that during the runs Connor takes a few more pauses than before. He shrugs it off like nothing happens and I choose not to make too much of it. But I can't deny the shine of sweat saturating his shirt makes it stick to his body, showing how it has grown.

During our weight training he opened the snack boxes and takes protein bars here and there. I was happy to see him less stressed but I also felt like telling him about his increased intake in those wasn't a good move. But I decided to stay quiet.

During Lunch we saw the casual shenanigans of the now rest of the cadets, a full display of gluttony. People ripping through their clothes, belching like there is no tomorrow and eating everything on sight.

We got our food and sat. Connor had a rather big plate but an even bigger smile while taking forkfuls of pasta and chicken. I was a bit spooked by the idea of him also gaining weight and getting punished like everyone else when this experiment was over.

But I couldn't bear to see him scared and stressed like the last few days. So I sipped it.

Besides, the food had a great quality improvement. I don't know what they have been doing with the ingredients but it tastes way better.

The days pass and for the first time in a while I wake up first than anyone in our barracks. At this point waking up earlier than most is expected. Most of them are a happy snoring mess during the mornings. But I woke up earlier than Connor who is soundly sleeping in his bed besides mine.

It's weird to see him not being the first to run out of the barracks for training, but besides a more relaxed outlook I tried to convince myself he is still himself and nothing is going on. Then I get interrupted by my own gut gurgling for sustenance.

After waking up Connor and I go to have breakfast, we start to eat and slowly but surely the cadets start to fill the chow hall and the rowdiness of the day starts. The size difference of some of our team members is more than obvious. Open shirts, oversized pants and missing buttons are the standard of the group. Some of the cadets are having a waddle while they find their seats and others are starting to get used to their thighs rubbing together while they walk.

“Well its official we are the only two cadets not eating with Salazar and the rest of the team” -Connor point out while he drinks some orange juice.

I look towards the table again and I see everyone laughing and shouting while they eat and a part of me craves the company, my stomach grumbles and I continue to eat ignoring the inherent loneliness of the situation. Then Connor punches me in the arm and smiles

“Hey mate, cheer up. we don't need them. We have each other” -he said.

I can feel my face warm up a bit in part because he read right through, and I must have those sad puppy eyes I get at times. And secondly because he is right, I'm ok as long as I'm with him but I didn't realize how much I needed to hear it from him.

“Yes, we do. I'm still thinking about what's going on though. I've been thinking about something but I don't know if its a good idea”

“Sure tell me what's on your mind?”

“You remember when I went to see the doctor a while back? I saw he has our records, If anything weird is going on he would be writing it down there don't you think?"

“Yes it's possible, Most people here have gone to the infirmary at least once or twice. But we can't ask Dr. Donovan for everyone's records, that's kind of illegal”

“I know, but if what I'm thinking is right then I have a way to distract the doctor. One of us could get into his office with the files and see if there is anything wrong going on”

“I dont think thats the best idea Will, if we get caught it could be career ending” -he says while licking his fingers from the garlic bread he was eating.

I see the rest of the cadets rowdy eating at Salazar’s table and Connor in front of me licking his fingers like nobody's business. All I can think of is I need to find out what's going on and If there is a way to stop it before it's too long. Of course I have to downplay it as much as I can to convince Connor to help me, I can trust anybody else to join me on this.

“It's ok, the doctor is pretty chill. Even if he find us I don't think he would report us”

Connor thinks for a second about it and signs “Ok What's the plan, but if this gets out of hand you won't hear the end of it from me Will” -he says looking worried

“Come on Connor we are the best team in this base, we will do just great!”

His expression softens and the memory of our drills makes him smile again.

“You know what, you are right. Let's show whoever is behind this what we can do”

The next day we get our plan in action.

I wait outside the infirmary, the cubicles that surround the main space of the building have windows looking toward the main field. I crouch under an open window in the cubicle closest to his office.

Connor enters the building and knocks on the doctors office, he is supposed to pretend to be feeling bad and start to faint. Connor has grown a bit and the doctor would move him to the nearest cubicle. Once I'm sure the coast is clear I will move to his office and pick at the archive lock. Read the reports of Salazar or one of his group and get out.

They take longer than I expect but since Connor is bigger I Imagine the doctor is struggling to carry him to the cubicle. I can hear through the window when they manage to get there.

“Come on connor just a few steps there, Jesus you are heavier than I remember”

I know Connor won't be happy about the remark but it's not a lie.

Connor hits the bed and the doctor starts looking for equipment to evaluate what's going on. I get started and enter the building as quietly as I can. Once I'm in the corner of their cubicle I take out a mirror to see what's going on inside the room without entering.

What I see is a massive doctor, No wonder he was having issues carrying Connor. His hips have grown to great tree trunks rubbing against one another. His robe is open and his scrub underneath is busting on the sides as he checks Connors airways.

I realize he has his back facing me and I run for it. I enter the office and get to the archive.

The storage at the base has a lot of things useful for training sessions and individual skill development but the one thing I wanted was a key picking kit. I swiftly open the lock in the archive and open it slowly not to make noise.

The files of all bases are here and I start looking for Salazar. With his file at my hands I start to get ideas running in my head, what if we have a weird disease, or if they are trying to test chemicals in the protein bars or a super additive in the food. Any discovery could be recorded here.

Once I open it, It's mostly blank after our check up. Salazar came for an antacid at the first days of bootcamp and gained some weight but aside from that nothing.

I put his file back in place and looked for Bradley, he came looking for a pain killer after overexerting at the gym early on but nothing afterwards.

Connor, Carlos, Hill, Neil, the twins, and nothing. I look through my file and there's nothing I didn't know about by this point.

I'm getting angry and the weight of my stupid idea weighs on me. I'm putting my best friends and my livelihood in danger for the sake of a random sense of fear, in god knows what conspiracy theory.

I put everything back in order. I get out of the doctor's office and rest in the corner of the door to the cubicle where he is attending Connor. With the mirror in place to see inside, the first thing I see is the doctor reading his record walking directly towards the door and Connor looks at me with shock in his eyes.

I start to think where to run and Connor shouts “Wait!”

We both look at him and he starts to look for his bag “I brought some treats from the chow hall, take one as a thanks you gift”

While the doctor looks at Connor with delight I run for the chance and get out the building. As I get behind the window outside their cubicle I can hear the doctor ravenously eating the food Connor brough, not even waiting for him to leave.

“Thanks for the snack Connor, that really hit the spot” he said accentuated with a belch

“You seem to be in perfect condition, maybe you were just weak. Did you have a good lunch today? Not that you seem to be on a diet haha”

I could already imagine the barrating Connor will give me once he realizes this was for nothing. Putting him through this for empty papers is such a shame.

Once we reunite outside I Tell him what I found and instead of ripping my head off like I deserve he looks at me with a tender smile and says

“I'm happy in a sense that we found nothing Will. It means we are ok”

My chest heart sinks and goes all the way back to my neck in an instant, first I think how could I deserve so much understanding and then I realize I'm lucky to have him as a friend.

“Thanks for understanding Connor, I won't get us in a situation like that again”

We continue our day as usual and try to forget what happened.

Another week passes and most of the cadets have stopped doing their assignments, we first noticed when dust gathered in places we didn't clean ourselves during the day. After some consideration we both agreed to try and cover the most tasks per day, to make sure everything runned smoothly. But we start to get stretched thin so we decide to split up to cover the full camp each day.

At times I see Connor cleaning around in his side of camp and see him sneakily having protein bars and other snacks and throwing the evidence so nobody notices but the tightness in his pants is the biggest red flag so far. His belly has grown in the past few days and his uniform is not fitting as well. Everytime his shirt climbs up his belly he gets red as a tomato and he pulls it back down.

While I do my part of the work I have also noticed that people are being more than affective, I catch some cadets kissing or groping one another in the storage, people uniting beds during the day and cuddling, and during one of my cleaning sessions I saw a stain that made me realize I was cleaning a previous sex scene.

Bradley and Salazar are definitely doing something more romantic, while cleaning one of the hallways I see them entering the barracks while everyone is in the recreation room. I try to pick inside and see what they are doing and what I found is them eating each other's faces for dear life, discarding items of clothing as they continue. I get back into the hall and go as far away from them as I can.

When I tell Connor about it he is appalled by the notion of someone doing that in the barracks and wondering if they cleaned after they finished, but I was surprised that he didn't complain about sex in the middle of a military camp.

The days pass and Connor is eating more and more during meals with the excuse of training extra hard in our sessions. But we are slowly struggling with them; Connor keeps asking for a minute to catch his breath. He is obviously embarrassed, and I try to reassure him I'm also tired, at the start I was just trying to keep him comfortable but now I'm also struggling to keep my breath while running.

I start to notice that Connor is also becoming more physical, he puts his arm around me when we walk around base, puts his leg on top of mine when we sit around and over all gets closer to me wherever the opportunity arises. It's a bit uncharacteristic of him and whenever I ask he rubs it off as just being friendly. To be honest I won't complain of the extra attention, and if it helps him feel comfortable I won't make a big deal out of it.

Being so close to him has made obvious just how often he gets hungry. If I don't hear his belly rumbling, I will feel it when I'm under his arm walking around. He gets embarrassed by it but he continues to do it every other time.

I'm not faring much better myself in the food department. At the start I was trying to fight my increasing hunger like Connor, by cutting on meals but it's not showing much progress either. I'm noticing my belly also expanding and it's getting in my head. The one consolation I have is that Connor and I are still the same as always, the weight is only expected with so much food around. Or I tell myself as much to keep the anxiety to a minimum.

At the end of the week I'm finishing doing some maintenance in the energy generator, when I get out of the building I catch a glimpse of some cadets walking towards the gym. They are talking and originally I didn't pay too much attention till one of them said.

“I'm sure this week will be great. Everyone’s been working for this”

I think for a moment that they are planning something that could explain what's going on and for a moment special agent William Kent is back in the case. I follow them at a safe distance till they get in the gym. I look inside and everyone is in a massive group forming a semi circle around the gym’s scale. Leaving an opening in the center where I can see what's going on.

I wait for them to take action, and suddenly the lights turn off. Some of them light candles around the circle and Salazar and Bradley show up. They get to the center of the circle and say

“Welcome everyone, we thank you for coming for our little celebration today” -Says Salazar with so much bravado in his voice

“Today we see who is the greatest of us all. I know some of you have things to do, games to play and food to eat so, let's get this party started! ”- adds Bradley

People cheer and shout as they get ready to start what I can only assume is a ritual of some sorts. My ideas of satanic rituals go out the fucking window as soon as Salazar steps in the scale and everyone gets quiet.

After a few seconds the scale beeps and it says “Error”

Everyone goes crazy shouting error error like they found el dorado. The scales in the base have a weight limit of 400 pounds, so that means Salazar managed to gain over that mark. I'm speechless with the oddness of this situation, but before I can process what's going on Bradley gets in front of the scale.

Salazar looks at him with hungry eyes and kisses him in front of everyone, the crowd howlers while they go and with a little bite on the lips Salazar tells Bradley “Try to pass that fat boy”

He slaps his gut and moves away so Bradley can enjoy the stage. He stands on the scale and waits for a few seconds and the scale beeps. What it says is “Error”

The cadets go even louder screaming Error. They all laugh and applaud Salazar and Bradley as heroes.

“Ok everyone, let's celebrate we crashed that stupid scale, and get everyone to the same weight and beyond” -Says Bradley while I run out of there.

When I find Connor and tell him what happened his face loses all color but quickly, he looks puzzle and asks.

“Ok that means they are actively encouraging one another?” -he asks.

“I guess, it doesn't explain the speed in which everyone has tag along. I can imagine some of them been into the idea but all camp?”-I reply looking lost for words.

“It begins to explain how those who have . . .grown, or at least ignore the issue. Salazar and his team just encourage them to keep going but it doesn't explain how the twins or Carlos and Hill got into it”

“I guess we could say we have a part into that right?"

"Yeah, but even so. None of them were into this mindset before Camp Celsus, so what's making them act like this?”

We ponder ideas for hours, from hypnosis to subliminal messages to chemicals in the food but nothing sounded . . . reasonable. So, we cut our losses and went back to the original plan, trying to remain strong till this was over. Just hoping we can fit through the door before that happens.

The growth at base continues and our guys are still trying to figure out what's going on? Some of the scenes in this chapter are my favorites in the story so let me know what you think of them!

Thanks again for all the support and nice comments!

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#fat #weight gain #maleweightgain #gainerstories #male gainer #male #gay #lgbtq #military #Expanding Bootcamp

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supernatant · 1 year ago

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I see your ‘Castiel gets to level 800 on Candy Crush’ and I raise you ‘Castiel discovers Minecraft and builds a massive town on his phone’.

It has districts accurate to various cities he’s seen around the world. It is ridiculously well-defended: there are about 100 iron golems and they are all named. There is a functioning rail system that the villagers use to get to and from the town centre. In the forest outside town are of course many beehives, with block recreations of various bee species built nearby.

After discovering redstone he figured out how to make functioning cars drive around, but doesn’t include them in the overworld city because they’re not historically accurate. He made a small modern city on the top layer of the Nether with piglins living in it and that’s where he put the cars.

In the Nether there is a monster zoo/jail. When he discovered command blocks, he made ‘glyphs’ that teleport any monster that stands on them to their respective jail cells.

This was all on Creative, and it took him trying Survival to even be aware of crafting.

#supernatural #spn #castiel #castiel headcanon #step 1 of playing minecraft: build metropolis and discover reality manipulation #step 2: punch tree #fic ideas

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alexissara · 2 years ago

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Favorite TTRPG Characters That Never Really Got To See Play

After my previous post about TTRPG characters I made I felt like talking about more, this time about the one's that got away. For many TTRPG fans I am sure you can relate to getting all hyped up for a campaign that lasted one session or never ended up happening or you dropped out of because it just wasn't your vibe but wishing that character had a home. Here are the characters that were like that for me.

[Art by Littleinksheep]

Azure Arondite

System: Masks: A New Generation

Playbook: The Innocent

Princess Azure Coral Arondite was a brave hero, in her late teens an Evil Dragon was reborn and it was up to the blue haired princess and a selection of 30 to 50 of her friends to save the world from the dragons wrath. After a massive war was won with no losses on the young princess's side there was a big feast to celebrate. Little did the hero know herself and everyplace, everyone she loved would be abducted by a man who wished to keep the rarest and most powerful places and people across all reality. He killed everyone but Azure over time capturing the princess and keeping her as a treasure.

In Truth the reality bending happened exactly at the place Azure was in, causing her to be duplicated, one version of her flew into a votex of time popping out over 1000 years in the future finding no one even remembered her civilization, her country, her family or friends even the magic of her people were only in some myths. She found her old love who used to live in Denmark was now a vampire, they rekindled their love and passion but Azure would only learn the details of what happened to her people when she met Queen Azure, who had lived over 1000 years, dominating reality after reality having killed the man and used his technology to free the worlds of men with his powers. The internality Arondite Empire had finally found her home reality and she had found the love of her life.

After a dramatic clash that ended in the princes barely escarping with her life she had learned so much and yet there was so much mystery left. Azure was determined to defeated her other self and save the multiverse after what for her way only days of rest from her war campaign. She joined a big team of teen super heroes hoping that with their resources she could defeat the queen and save this world at the vest least.

[Made with https://picrew.me/image_maker/98952 ]

Ari

System: Thirsty Sword Lesbians

Playbook: The Bladesoul

Ari is a special mech, one of a kind thanks to her creators untimely demise. Ari is able to replicate biological life forms to blend in among them but in truth can expand into a massive mech meant for one to pilot for space combat. She was created with the Adaptive Replication Innovation that allows her to recreate the abilities of foes she has engaged for long enough recreating features of weapons or special abilities. Ari was on the run when she ran into Quinn a lesbian mom and form mech pilot who found her injured after a battle and repaired her.

Her and Quinn and Quinn's family quickly became hers too and they joined a crew to fight against the empire that created her and help make the world more free.

[Made With https://picrew.me/image_maker/1414503 ]

Nina Nightly aka Amaze Queera aka Vampy Blood Soul

System: Thirsty Sword Lesbians

Playbook: The Infamous

NIna Nightly was a corporate Vtuber for Holoinc under the persona Vampy Blood Soul, she did every ad read with perfection, she was a top seller and she did amazing at promoting other creators, she was quite famous but Vampy saw the damage her sponsors had been doing and the toxic people she was sometimes being made to work with and praise and decided to get out as soon as she could.

Tragically she could not keep her own persona Vampy Blood Soul that she had worked on for years and was forced to work her way back from scratch. Now using the alas Amaze Queera, Nina is a Indie Vtuber focused on a brand new MMO, she hopes to foster a powerful queer community and one that will always look out for each other, with a determination to never sell out no matter how hard things get.

[Made With https://picrew.me/image_maker/230257]

Kamila

System: Thirsty Sword Lesbians

Playbook: The Tempered

Kamila is a girl with a dream, she wants to own a restaurant one day. All she has ever wanted to do is cook for people and make wonderful food. Then one day she finds herself thrown into fairy tale world and trust into an adventure in an attempt to find a way home all while having the evil queen hunting her down. Kamila lived hard life being poor, trans, gay and Puerto Rican in New York city and brings a seemingly cynical perspective to her fairy tale crew.

[Made With https://picrew.me/image_maker/582810]

Carmen Shift

System: Fate

Carmen is a shapeshifter, able to turn into any other person perfectly, so perfectly that it begins to affect her, her mind starting to alter to their personality and memories over time. This means Carmen's powers are ridiculously risky to use for any long term plan. The lesbian was an aspiring actress with a lot of hopes but changed gears to help take care of a little girl who had been kicked out of her home by her deadbeat transphobic parents. Carmen will do whatever to help her new adoptive daughter so she takes whatever work will pay the best and let her still have time to actually be a mom for her.

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libartz · 1 year ago

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I see your ‘Castiel gets to level 800 on Candy Crush’ and I raise you ‘Castiel discovers Minecraft and builds a massive town on his phone’.

In the Nether there is a monster zoo/jail. When he discovered command blocks, he made ‘glyphs’ that teleport any monster that stands on them to their respective jail cells.

This was all on Creative, and it took him trying survival to even be aware of crafting.

#lil talks #supernatural #spn #castiel #castiel spn #castiel headcanon #Cas plays minecraft. Step 1: build metropolis and figure out the secrets of physics and reality manipulation #Step 2: chop tree

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reluctantvnnerd · 5 months ago

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Hi everyone. I know there have been a lot of opinions about the RSS Patreon, and I'm not going to go into that because I think people's opinions are valid on both sides, except for the butt walruses who harassed people.

That being said, I think I have some information that other people might get some value from. Back in the before times I spent 6 years working in recruiting and UX research for a AAA gaming company. My partner has also worked in the game industry as both a programmer and a product manager. I am very familiar with the salaries people get paid around the country for making video games. I also own a small business where I manufacture my own fandom merch. I think these make me qualified to talk about the subject of cost when it comes to this project, at least in a very small sense.

The one criticism I really thought was unfair, was the accusation that RSS was being fiscally irrisponsible because they were starting a Patreon. That isn't a sign of money mismanagement, that is the sign of a company looking for a way to sustainably continue to do their work.

Work is the piece of the equation that I think a lot of people aren't remembering. By which I mean that a lot of people aren't keeping in mind the is cost of labor. NO ONE on the TS team is making a living wage from that Kickstarter money, I promise you.

Now I'm not even talking living wage in a place like San Francisco or Seattle ($41 an hour is a living wage in Seattle, for reference.) I did a little digging in the part of Florida where I used to work for said large company. They severely underpay in that area, and yet the living wage for people in entertainment, not even tech, is about $65k a year, and that's usually just based on fair market value for a studio apartment and no recreation at all.

There are 12 people on the RSS team. If they all made a living wage of $65k a year, that would be $780,000 to have them work full time for one year.

Now keep in mind that is a super low ball estimate of cost. Let's talk about how much you have to pay to hire a programmer in Seattle, which has many large game companies. On the low end salaries probably start around 100k and go up to $250k for a really senior programmer. If you had 4 Sr. programmers on your team you could easily spend a million dollars in salary alone, and that's not even considering things like insurance.

RSS has already been working on the game for over a year, and a significant portion of the cost of the Kickstarter is likely going to merch, not labor. There is no way anyone working on this game is being paid what they deserve, and they're likely working on top of fairly intensive 9 to 5 jobs, or freelance work. They're doing a massive lift on an amazing game and probably making pennies from it. If you backed the Kickstarter you may have read the update about the team creating a tool from scratch to help improve the game. That's a BIG DEAL and I think speaks to the talent and dedication of the team.

Which brings me to my next important note that I share as a business owner, specifically about merch. Imagine how much time and money you think it will take to put out a product. Now multiply it by 3, bare minimum. That's what it's like manufacturing a product. What I make isn't even on the scale of this game's merch, and it's still a battle every time.

So many costs and delays are completely out of your hands. We do our manufacturing in house (literally in my house) and even then we had one of our 3d printers die three days before our first show. Suddenly I'm out $350 for a damn printer that I never expected to buy. And if manufacturing for merch is anything like manufacturing for makeup (another special interest) factories will even bump your order for bigger customers. It's brutal.

Sure, you budget for some wiggle room, but there are simply things you can't predict, like ships getting stuck in the Suez canal, or the a global pandemic. You can't predict them and you can't always easily absorb the cost, even though you did nothing wrong. You find yourself making frustrating decisions where you have to do things like balance quality with speed, and being slowed down like that is bloody soul crushing if I'm being honest.

All that is to say I don't think most people are being malicious when they question the way RSS is using the KS funds (some people definitely are and they can walk on flaming Legos) but I also think they may simply be operating without all the information.

And I want to cut some folks off at the pass - before you start talking about transparency, please remember that backing a Kickstarter isn't an investment, it's a gamble. There is no guarantee you'll get what you pay for, and once they've taken your money the devs could buy $900k of silly string and we'd all be out of luck because that's how gambling works.

I think we're going to get a great game from RSS, but they aren't a publicly traded company, we aren't shareholders (I include myself as a day 1 backer) and we don't have any right to ask them for things like financial information. Also why do we want them trying to justify spending instead of perfecting Leander's massive tiddies and Vere's 200 belts?

Anyway sorry, I know that was incredibly long, but I hope it soothes some fears for people who haven't really been sure what's going on, or are simply curious about video game salaries and manufacturing. Please keep in mind the cost of labor, and how many things can be outside of a company's hands. Please don't assume people are greedy or doing a bad job when we haven't even come close to the launch date of the product. How about we all chill and go play the demo again?

Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback regarding our upcoming Patreon! We sincerely apologize for any confusion the announcement caused. The Patreon will be put on pause for now while we reevaluate some things! In the meantime, we ask that you please refrain from posting hostile or threatening messages or sending them to our team members. We greatly appreciate your kindness.

#touchstarved #touchstarved game #hi RSS folks I hope this post finds you well #I could be wrong about many things but a bitch knows her salary calculations

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the-firebird69 · 6 months ago

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Criminal took his anger out on the potato chips #movie #series

youtube

He says this is the beginning of the character sandman and this is the first one working with Hellboy and I agree it's because he's doing this Nazi routine. There's a big problem and trying to leave a large has sprayed it out it's John remillard unfortunately the morlock with her and saying that they don't need the overlords. And we don't like the warlock that much either because they're trying to hunt our people down all the time and they hunted Dave's people and they wouldn't let him have kids and they did it to the max and we don't really like the max and we didn't really stop to warlock that was the more locker who did that has pseudo empire because we know that the max would have their hands full with forgieners and the warlock but might be able to defeat them. But the warlock turned on the pseudo empire and were attacking them for stuff and did not relent and Trump was hitting that up and he ruined them and granted the max probably had him do it and there are Max in the ranks of the pseudo empire as in there running it mack Daddy and Stan Ben and you don't hear about their wives it's because we think that the retards killed them their own people or these and they say it's both and they do it to everyone who's normal so they don't like these people and if these people attacked in the foreigners there be a war and the max would come top side but these guys fighting each other to Extinction would also give the max the advantage and my husband doesn't really know what stan and Mac and Ben are up to but he realizes that the idiots probably messed them up back there and that people know about it that's a long time though to be the enemy of the max and be accepted and people like mac know that it might not work at all. But he says it's better than this and that these people can't handle the program at all anyways and from his point of view and it's true and we also believe a portion of it that these people can't handle the program at all mentally and physically they can't do the work it's lots of don't want to and it's dangerous so I actually know what happened to use these three guys and their hatred to turn you against each other but it prevented a massive war if there was a massive war they would have come up and out with all that hardware and then tells me it would have taken trumps over in a few minutes and they would have been as one and would have taken over society they would have too much pressure as it is there's huge actions on them but they're handling it and we needed the time we weren't ready for that so it works both ways no because these guys start fighting each other it didn't pressure them to do anything and really is

Hera

We know what it means you're pretty Sharp but retrospect is 20/20 and we noticed it is a real pain in the ass to live here with this idiots and not to be able to breathe and we're trying to do it too but it looks like you're correct sounds like it and these guys got in the way of themselves again and it actually save the day and we don't know where it's coming from it's a warlock attacks along with the foreigners and they have distracted us from the foreigners and they could have made more equipment if they did it in a certain way and that's true it also probably would have just pushed us to take over a lot of stuff and that looks like it's squarely the faults of these warlock but really they're fighting each other to the death the way it worked out is not helpful it was not enough heat to do the job and it was smoldering and was trying to go backwards and the boy is just gotten involved in all this math over the past 4 years really or 5 years and you were dragging in there kicking and screaming and dragging him there to do what and the answer is is part of the program he makes a lot of sense and it does make sense from the viewpoint of the recreation stuff too that we came up with it looks fairly harmful to us now and we can say it doesn't really look that good from this perspective cuz it really doesn't and we're in trouble that's for sure he wanted to kill each other in order for us not to be motivated and you went a little bit past it and it's what we found believe it or not you more like actually know the history of it and this kid didn't really what do you know that we would come flying out there if we were going to get frustrated away and so what dude you're sitting there and crazy and telling him s*** you know your army is not his you're not doing a damn thing he wants and that is the kids you completely you and your bosses and people your friends with and you should leave him alone

Macs

It's really a waste of time and energy what you do John reavillard you're sitting there trying to blame you still and they just said it and you're going to get in writing they said it's a waste of space and time because you're taking me on and we're going to destroy you I said that was years ago territory to me and you're losing tons of stuff to me because you insist on just opening your mouth and your little assholes are opening their mouths all over the place it doesn't do s*** but you keep doing it and you and I found out from me shouting at your useless ass I can be in WWF

Zues it certainly sounds like it you've been going to get up there and do something Hera

Yeah this is ridiculous these people are ridiculous the situation is ridiculous and they've done this in the past and we see what they're up to there's a whole bunch of questions but Jesus Christ why wouldn't there be the idiots are at the helm

Mac propper

That's funny is me Ed McMahon I won't even be there he says it's just like fake wrestling and I said it's not really but it's close and it probably won't be there it says you would now take a bow I got to get out of here this is crazy really this is what we're doing but we've done it before but no I'm kind of sucks for them and the part that really sucks is that we proud of stuff and it kind of ruins it for them and they know it was us apparently so I guess we're moving on to something else pretty soon no cuz they were moving on to you and I get that

Trump

We're going to start a war with these idiots no we're going after them though it's going on pretty good

Mac proper

Wow this blows but it's true

Mac daddy

Olympus

#Youtube

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worksinprogress1 · 8 months ago

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The Survey Corps members moved aside for Laventon as he approached the pastures, each understanding that the quest of the lake guardians would take precedence. Laventon didn't have many Pokémon that were trained as anything but research subjects, but he gathered his typhlosion and beautifly nonetheless, along with some particularly mysterious specimens he hoped would come in handy. He then stuffed his backpack with healing items, food, and crafting materials and met the others at the gate. It wasn't long before the six were gathered.

"According to Cogita, the materials we need to forge the red chain can be obtained from beings in the three lakes," Cyllene reiterated once everyone was present. "Splitting up seems inadvisable until we know what exactly the trials will entail. We'll start at Lake Acuity, as it's the furthest from any route Kamado is likely to be taking. I've gathered enough flying Pokémon from the pastures to transport those of you who do not have your own. My staraptor is fit to carry two. Laventon?"

"Alright, you'll ride with me. Let us be off." Cyllene took out the staraptor and mounted it. Laventon got on behind her as the other four got onto various flying creatures themselves.

With that, the staraptor took off into the air, the other four following. Afraid of falling, Laventon grabbed onto Cyllene's waist. If she minded, there was no sign of it. Everything looked so small from the sky, and the air rushed past them as though they were going a thousand miles an hour.

In less dire circumstances, this might be very pleasant, Laventon thought. Then he took a closer look at the world below.

From the up high, the disarray caused by the bleeding sky was already apparent. Grasses were beginning to wilt and turn brown, and normally docile Pokémon were running about, agitated and confused. Worse was that in the distance, Kamado's army could be seen marching up the trails of the Coronet Highlands. Laventon looked up at the hole in the sky, two massive shining creatures seeming to peer through it, and it dawned on him that he might not live to take a recreational flight.

The group landed on the island in Lake Acuity, returned their birds, and entered the small cavern without much thought, only to be faced with a ghostly maned fox that was larger than an ursaluna.

"Is that- the vengeful fox?" Irida exclaimed, terrified. It was so much bigger than the legends had said.

Whatever it was, it charged towards the group, teeth bared.

Volo ran to the front of the group and threw out a Pokémon- a strange, ghostly thing Laventon didn't recognize. "Dark pulse," Volo ordered. The second the dark beam caught up to the charging zoroark, it went down. That was another disturbing thing about Volo- he always seemed to have just enough power to handle any given task, and no one quite knew how he'd acquired it.

In a flash of light, a small, blue figure appeared in the center of the cave. Though the creature was small, power could be felt emanating off of it in waves. Cogita had described the being with a yellow hood as being the representation of knowledge. Was this it?

R e i came a voice. It was like a horrible vibration in Laventon's skull, but somehow he could tell that it had come from the lake guardian. S t e p f o r w a r d. M y t r i a l i s y o u r s.

Rei stepped forward.

S h o w m e h o w y o u h a v e u s e d y o u r c a p a c i t y t o l e a r n. I w i l l j u d g e i t s w o r t h i n e s s.

Rei hesitated, trying to work out what exactly he'd learned that might impress the being. It wasn't though he was terribly intellectual- wouldn't Laventon be a better choice for this? But he had to try.

"Well... I learned how to make a pokéball," Rei said. "I guess I could show you."

Rei knelt down and took out his crafting kit. "Basically, you just have to make something hollow. The nuts are already hollow, and I take the ores to a smith to make the top half. You just put the two parts into the seal belt, and that’s all they need to be functional,” Rei explained as he cobbled together a basic ball. “There's other stuff you can add, though. One thing that’s a really good idea is the spark release on top, so you know when a catch has been successful. Without that, you might think you’ve caught something only to have it burst out in your face when you go to pick up the ball. Aside from that, there’s different types of ore for different weights, and iron for better quality. And that's pretty much all I know."

The strange pixie twirled in the air and then lowered itself down to Rei's level, presenting him with something in its tiny hands: what looked like a fragment of claw.

T a k e t h i s p i e c e o f t h e s p i r i t a n d b i n d t h e s k y o n c e m o r e.

"Is this... for the chain?" Rei asked. But before he even finished speaking, the Pokémon was lifting into the air and was already fading away- perhaps teleporting, or simply destroying what had always been a mere representation of itself controlled from elsewhere.

"Wait! I have so much to ask you! We need your knowledge to fix the sky!" Rei called out, chasing after the form. A few steps into the chase, the creature had faded entirely, and Rei stopped.

"You did well, Rei," Cyllene assured him.

"Indeed you did," Laventon added. "I'm sure it has its reasons for not granting us its knowledge."

The trip to Lake Valor was uneventful, and this time the group had a better idea of what to expect. Cyllene led the group in, on alert for a Pokémon standing guard. No sooner did she poke her head into Valor Cavern then were a barrage of poisoned quills shot at her. She scrambled out and took out her alakazam, which put up a forcefield.

"Laventon, can you identify what Pokémon these barbs are from? I didn't get a good look at the Pokémon that shot them."

Careful not to exit the safety of alakazam's forcefield, Laventon picked up a barb from the ground. He squinted as he looked at the quill, trying to place where he'd seen anything similar.

"Those are definitely from an overqwil," Adaman cut in. "Looks like a big one, too. Their only weakness is ground."

"Then I know something that might help," Irida said, taking out her Celestica flute. With a few notes, an ursaluna came running over the hill. It swam through the lake and shook itself off once it washed up on the island, soaking the six humans.

"Hey, big guy," Irida said, giving the bear a stroke on the cheek and ignoring the grime she was now coated with. "I know you're usually a finder, but would you mind fighting something for us today?"

The ursaluna grunted in acknowledgment and shuffled into the cave. After taking out a few additional psychic-types to bolster Alakazam's forcefield, the others followed in and watched as the bear charged the enormous pufferfish. The overqwil expelled its quills, but most of them bounced off the bear's thick hide as easily as they bounced off the forcefield, and those that did prick it didn't seem to bother the ursaluna in the slightest. The ursaluna roared, reared up, and took the giant fish in its mouth, shaking it around as it deflated. It threw the fish against a wall and then ran to it and slashed with its claws until it was satisfied that the job was done.

No sooner had the bear returned to Irida's side did a light begin to shine in the middle of the cave. From the light, another sprite appeared- the one Cogita had called "Azelf."

L a v e n t o n, came the spirit's voice, s t e p f o r w a r d. M y t r i a l i s y o u r s.

Laventon glanced nervously at the others and then stepped forward.

Y o u m u s t c a t c h m e, Azelf stated. A large bag of ultra balls appeared in Laventon's arms. Then, Azelf turned into a shiny zubat and flew out of the cavern.

Laventon continued to cast nervous looks at his companions. He probably seemed on the brink of panic. "This is much more suited to any of you, I mean-"

"Laventon," Cyllene said, "We will help you however we can, but Azelf wanted you. It must have its reasons. You can do this."

Rei gave a nod of agreement. "I had the same thought with my trial. If I could do mine, you can do yours." Behind Rei, the clan members were nodding as well.

“Jolly good,” Laventon said, straightening up. “Irida, I’ll need use of Ursaluna’s nose.”

"You have my blessing," Irida said.

Laventon mounted the bear. Ursaluna didn't wait for orders. As soon as Laventon was securely upon it, it took off back into the lake and began swimming across. Laventon had to pray it knew what it was doing. As the bear neared the opposite shore, Laventon looked back at his companions, following him on various flying Pokémon. Ursaluna ascended over the hills, and that's when Laventon caught sight of a glimmer of hope: to their left was a colony of zubat flying about in the shade of a forested area.

The bear took an aggressive right.

"No!" Laventon told it. "Ursaluna, you have to turn around!"

Then, Laventon saw it. A shiny stantler in the fields was looking at him with a competitive gleam in its eye.

"Oh my, Azelf has taken a new form! Ursaluna, you're a genius!"

The stantler took off at a run. It was faster than Ursaluna.

"Stop," Laventon ordered. The bear skidded to a stop. Moments later, the other five landed. "I need something swift enough to catch up to Azelf. Cyllene, may I borrow your alakazam?"

Cyllene handed him the pokéball. Wasting no time, Laventon released it and used the creature's teleportation to catch up with the stantler just as it transformed into a buizel and scurried into a thick, wooded area. The woods were too dense for a riding Pokémon, so Laventon took chase on foot. He was hardly the fastest runner, but the weasel stayed within his sights, looking back at him periodically as though to mock him. Laventon fumbled for an ultra ball, took aim at the creature as it watched him from atop a log, and then promptly tripped over a tree root.

Laventon laid in the dirt, trying to catch his breath as Azelf scampered away and his companions caught up to him, none of them half as tired as he was. He really was terrible at this, wasn't he?

G i v e u p. Y o u r s t r u g g l e i s i n v a i n. R u n f r o m t h e g r o u p y o u a r e o n l y a b u r d e n t o s o t h a t a n o t h e r m a y s u c c e e d i n y o u r p l a c e.

If it was the only way for them to pass the trial and save Hisui then perhaps that was for the best...

Cyllene offered Laventon a hand up. He took it.

"You know, individual strengths are often less important than the ability to use the strengths of others," Cyllene said. "Kamado has issued commands while injured that led the Galaxy Team to success. You are a field researcher. How have you caught slippery Pokémon in other regions?"

Laventon thought on that. "Well, there have been other species that I've had to flush out of their hidey-holes, and this isn't a big bush," Laventon mused. "If the five of you surround it with your Pokémon and move inwards, we can force Azelf out no matter what form it takes. I'll stand outside the bush, you get it to come towards me. Does that sound like a plan?"

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Cyllene said.

Laventon stood at the edge of the bush and waited as the other five and their Pokémon marched inwards. Bugs, birds, bats, rodents, and the occasional stantler were flushed out, and Laventon watched for any that showed signs of being Azelf, ultra ball at the ready. Azelf wanted to test him on willpower- on not giving up- so surely this was the correct course of action. Yes, he was sure of it.

Finally, a shiny buizel emerged from the bush, grinning at Laventon with pleased determination. Laventon hucked a ball at it. It bounced out of the way. He hucked another. It wasn't even close. Then, a number of other buizel emerged from the woods, scampering about as though Azelf had ordered them to make this trial even harder. Laventon trained his eyes on the white collar of the shiny and kept throwing.

Ten balls later, one hit. The ball shook once and then sparked.

Laventon let out a sigh of relief. Blood was coursing through him, and he felt more alive and keyed up than he could ever remember being.

The buizels dispersed, leaving behind only one- a second shiny. To Laventon's horror, the creature turned into Azelf. But then it picked up Laventon's ultra ball and handed it to him, along with a small horn.

T a k e t h i s p i e c e o f t h e s p i r i t a n d b i n d t h e s k y o n c e m o r e, said the spirit before it vanished.

"That was some leadership, professor!" Rei explained.

Laventon was stunned silent. "I caught a swift and slippery little buizel all by myself," he mused. "A shiny one! My God, that was... I don't even know what that was!"

"It was a fine performance," Cyllene said.

Before long, the group was on the move again, and not long after that, they were on the island of Verity Cavern. Before heading in, the group took a moment to heal their Pokémon.

"So, if Uxie's trial was showing knowledge, and Azelf's trial was showing willpower, Mesprit's will be showing emotion? That sounds like a really lame trial," Adaman stated.

"Maybe it'll go to someone who struggles to control their emotions, and they'll have to do something frustrating," Irida suggested.

"In that case, it's definitely your trial."

"Oh, please. You're the drama queen. And anyhow, I fought overqwil, so I had my turn."

"Ursaluna isn't your Pokémon, and you didn't give it orders," Adaman countered.

"Hmph! well-"

"Now is not the time," Cyllene said, leading the group in.

Within the cave was an alpha goodra. Rei took out his decidueye, but Cyllene stepped in front of him. "Allow me," she said, taking out her staraptor. "Close-combat."

The bird struck at the armoured dragon, denting its shell, but the goodra struck back, hitting Cyllene's staraptor with its massive tail and knocking it into a nearby wall.

Cyllene gave her bird a stiff nod to let it know to continue, and took out her samourott. "Ice beam," she commanded.

Between the two attackers, the Goodra was giving out far less damage than it was receiving, but Laventon found Cyllene's choice to step in baffling nonetheless. With the amount of office work they had to do while the other members were in the fields, he and Cyllene were among the weakest of the Survey Corps when it came to their Pokémon's levels, and Rei had long surpassed them. It wasn't like Cyllene to fail to delegate when it was for the better.

Is she trying to make sure she won't have to face the trial? Laventon wondered as the Goodra finally hit the ground and Cyllene's Pokémon returned to her for healing.

Just as had happened in the previous two caves, Mesprit appeared to the six in a flash of light.

C y l l e n e, Mesprit said telepathically. M y t r i a l i s y o u r s.

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wowieweirdwarlock · 1 year ago

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Best Bosses: Abbhadanayla, Fiend Lord of Rakshasas

Source: Tome of Beasts 3

Image source: Tome of beasts 3, pg. 183.

“This imperious Archfiend has five heads- that of a mustachioed, blue-skinned fiend, a tiger, a crocodile, a vulture, and ape. With six arms ending in backward-facing paws, he is dressed in finest silk and seated on an ornate throne.”

In a magnificent and ornate palace perched at the top of a mountain range lives the Rakshasa Maharajah, Abbhadanayla. He has been reincarnated countless times, growing his dark power in every lifetime. He is both worshipped and reviled by other Rakshasas as the mightiest of their kind.

Gathering of Evils. Once a year, Abbhadanayla gathers all his Rakshasa servants to his lair for a massive banquet. Here, he dictates the roles his subjects will play in his plans across the multiverse, where they will steer events in his favor. After this plotting, this meeting culminates in a bloody feast for the Lord and his entourage, where dozens of mortal sacrifices are consumed.

Scheming Magician. Abbhadanayla is a master of all sorts of illusions and enchantments, and has discovered many secrets of dark Rakshasa magic through his lifetimes of poring over ancient times and dark rituals. He rarely ever leaves his sanctuary, opting instead to have his agents act as his claws out in the Great Beyond. He has eyes and ears everywhere, steering the hands of rulers and eliminating any who stand in the Rakshasa Maharajah’s way.

Hatred of Monkeys. Over many centuries, Abbhadanayla has clashed many times with the Monkey King, whom he considers his nemesis for meddling in the Lord’s plans. The first conflict between the two occurred when the Monkey King stopped an attacking army under the control of Abbhadanayla, and later the Monkey King set fire to the Lord’s palace after being captured. The Rakshasa Lord’s hatred for the a Monkey King is so great that it extends to all monkeys, and he often uses magic and trickery to depict simians suffering in any way.

Abbhadanayla’s Lair:

The Rakshasa Maharajah resides within the Sky Peak Palace, a massive citadel built directly into a mountainside, and constructed of marble, gold, and jade. He rarely leaves, and is often attended by numerous Rakshasa servants. The trail leading up to his palace is cloaked in thick snow that hides its danger, with monsters and traps plaguing the area surrounding His lair.

Occasionally, a strangely sweet vapor fills the halls of his realm, clouding the mind and making victims more vulnerable to enchantments and illusions. He can also cause psychedelic, twisting patterns to appear in the air, confusing and hypnotizing those who look upon them.

Abbhadanayla can also summon clouds of thick fog to blind those in his domain, and blizzards are often whipped up in the area around his castle. There are also clever traps hidden around the Palace, cloaked by illusions so they are harder to detect.

Some of the Maharajah’s most dramatic abilities reflect his hatred of monkeys— when he is faced with an attack, he can conjure a withered, tormented monkey that absorbs any damage dealt to him. In addition, he can conjure a massive storm of burning monkey spirits to distract and blind his enemies.

Ideas to use Abbhadanayla in your campaign:

The Party has been invited to Abbhadanayla’s annual banquet, with dozens of Rakshasas flocking to gain the Archfiend’s favor. When they get there, they discover that The Lord has a sinister request to make of them. If they refuse, they are now faces against an army of Rakshasas intent on making them dinner.

A Rakshasa keeps popping up on the Party’s radar, constantly causing to rumble for the characters. Each time it is killed, it just comes back quickly to continue its work. The party discovers that the Rakshasa is actually an agent of Abbhadanayla, who is constantly recreating it to meddle with the party and hamper their success.

A member of the party has become the owner of Abbhadanayla’s Serpent Bow, a powerful artifact that poisons anyone struck by it. Abbhadanayla is hellbent on retrieving it, sending out his agents to kill the character wielding it.

I’m not the biggest fan of Rakshasas, to be honest. They start their existences as mortals, and undergo rituals to bind their souls to the material plane, giving them the name Earthbound Evils.

Rakshasas are selfish, debauched, and hedonistic. They care only for their own desires and whims, and Abbhadanayla is the worst of them.

The Rakshasa Maharajah has lived through so many lifetimes of vile deeds, he has reached a height of power unheard of except for in the Rakshasa Immortals, the absolute height of Rakshasa-kind.

The Immortals are a story for another day, though. The Archfiend Abbhadanayla is bad enough, but if he actually obtained the immortality he desired? He’d be the one of the biggest nuisances in the Great Beyond.

Thankfully, he mostly concerns himself with decadent feasts and tormenting monkeys.

- A Weird Warlock.

#wowieweirdwarlock #pathfinder #ttrpg #d&d #dnd #d&d monster #www: best bosses #rakshasa #rakshasas #Abbhadanayla

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gtbuilders · 1 year ago

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Good Time Villas — The Reason for Your Joy | Good Time Builders

Each one of us wish to relish joy but where do we get it? Basically it is a feeling of happiness; it is a feeling of enjoying life in the best way. Joy is a secret sauce that tempers the gravy of life. It doesn’t happen simply. We have to search for joy and grab it whenever we find it. Good Time Builders have brought for you, joy in the form of their villas where life will become the reason of your joy.

1. Classy Villas of Good Time Builders

Life demands happiness and we get that when we live a comfortable and luxurious life. It is said that we should find out where ‘JOY’ lives and grab it so that you live a life of joy. Good Time Builders, a reputed name in the ocean of real estate, has to their credit a number of successful ventures. With a motive to create a qualitative value par excellence, they have come up with premium villas that could provide the joy of the lifetime. These villas will become the reason of your joy. With their commitment to produce the finest homes with abundant aesthetics, touchstone and environmental standards, they have come up with two villas ventures at Patancherru and Isnapur. The luxurious 3 BHK villas of Waterfront are located at Patancheru and the Lakeside Enclave villas are located at Isnapur.

1.1. Waterfront Villas — An Epitome of Joy

If you wish to live a cozy and comfortable life maintaining privacy and luxury, then Waterfont Villas is the perfect choice. Location plays a major role in offering joy to the residents of a venture. Located at Patancheru, this comfy and elite venture offers 3BHK duplex villas. Nowadays Patancheru is the much sought-after residential locality. This locality is often appearing on the radar of the homebuyers for numerous reasons. Patancheru is now an eco-friendly and affordable residential hub with a well developed infrastructure. Situated on the Outer Ring Road and Hyderabad-Solapur Highway, Patancheru is easily connected to the other parts of the city. It also has a well developed social infrastructure where you can find reputed educational institutions and health care centres or hospitals. This place is witnessing a massive demand in recent years and is one of the popularly growing real estate destinations in Hyderabad. Having all the basic necessities in proximity you can live a tension free life which leads to joy and merriment.

The classy and elegant Waterfront Villas are designed to give priority to the comforts and requirements of the homebuyers. These villas are spacious and airy and have been adorned with top class interiors. Though in gated community, these villas offer utmost privacy to its residents. The security is at its best and no outsider, be it a guest or a stranger, cannot knock at your door unless you approve his entry into the premises. Surveillance cameras are installed all over the open places to keep an eye on every movement that takes place in the common areas.

A number of amenities become the reason of joy for you and your family. A huge Clubhouse encloses a Multipurpose Hall where you can celebrate festivities. A fully loaded gym will help you to maintain your health. A swimming pool, which is considered to give a healthy life to all ages, is also available here. Recreational corners help to maintain a healthy mind. Mental well-being is as important as physical fitness. Open spaces and parks at Waterfront Villas keep you close to nature. Avenue Plantation and greenery creates an aesthetic atmosphere and provides quality air. When you and your family are healthy, then it becomes the reason for your joy.

Nowadays, kids hardly find space to play outdoors. Even most of the schools lack a proper playground. This forces the kids to look up to the electronic gadgets for their leisure. The scenario is different at Waterfront Villas. Your kids get ample spaces to play and enjoy life. Playing outdoors, help in the physical as well as the personality development of the child. Your kids will grow in a holistic environment and this becomes a reason for your joy.

Learn more - https://www.gtgroupindia.com/blog/

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arjaandsimoni · 1 year ago

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The Promised Christmas

Covington Kentucky, six months after the destruction of Claiomh Dorcadas, Christmas Eve

The wind howled over the Ohio River, the landscape turned white as a blizzard had passed over the previous evening, taking the brown and grey land and turning it into a holiday painting, the massive hills and valleys hidden under a blanket of purest white. A lovely image for anyone who lived there as the traditional ‘White Christmas’ was actually fairly rare. But while many were posting images of the landscape on social media and sharing it with family and friends with their holiday wishes… a young pair of girls was less than happy with this wintery wonderland they were entering.

“GUUUUGH!” gasped Arja as she stumbled out, the Vanara girl wearing jeans, a large red puffy winter coat, and snow boots. “ITS. SO. COLD!” she gasped, stuffing her hands into her pockets and trembling all over as she walked out into the alleyway near the Covington Library. “Why is it so cold?! It shouldn’t be this cold! Did Sammi do this?! Has he gone evil on us?! If I stab him with an iron knife will it stop being so damn cold?!” she shrieked.

“Oh Arja stop being so melodramatic.” giggled Simoni, heading towards the Wulfshead door in her own long blue denim skirt, boots, and long green winter coat. “I grew up here remember? It doesn’t get that…” she started as her foot passed over the threshold and the magic keeping the temperature constant in the bar ended, “…. AAAAAIAIGHG!” she bent almost double, trembling as her eyes went huge, then immediately rushed over to Arja and leaned into her, “G-gghgghg… too cold… fire monkey warm! Fire monkey waaaaarm…” she gasped out, stomping her feet as her teeth chattered.

Nelen stepped out with Dawn in tow, the feline grinning at them. She wore a loose back jacket over her top, but otherwise was dressed as she always was, and Nelen of course had his usual work outfit of bluejeans, teeshirt, jacket for cold weather, and his ballcap. “Huh, doesn’t feel different to me… funny, you’d almost think one of us had themselves genetically made over to a specific ethnic group that hails from a country that’s almost entirely tropical jungle…” he mused aloud. “I wonder why that could be?” he murmured, tapping his chin thoughtfully as Dawn cackled.

“Hmm, dunno Nelen… how about you Dusk?” she asked with a smirk.

From out of Simoni’s jacket collar popped a small kitten’s head, a voice like a very young boy piping up, “TOO COLD!” he hissed, then ducked back down as Dawn laughed. After her mother and siblings had been returned to her, they had taken up residence at the Barjar mansion with the rest of their little found family of supernatural beings and, after finding out that Nelen had christened their sister for the sight of the rising sun the day they met, they all wanted names.

Dusk was the name of her baby brother who had been foolish enough to attempt to solicit treats from Franklin Fullmoon that fateful day in Michigan. He had also grown rather attached to Simoni and refused to leave her side. As he was a kitten, and thus adorable, Simoni did not make him do so.

Besides him was Midnight, who was known for her jet-black fur and talent for turning invisible. Twilight, who had half and half fur and seemed to like Natasha (Dawn had suggested this name and neither Twilight nor Natasha knew why she found it so hiliarious.) Morning, who was the earliest riser and liked to let everyone know it, loudly. Evening, who slept in the latest despite Morning’s best attempts. And Lunch, who if he got any fatter would lose the ability to walk entirely and have to move by teleportation alone.

Their mother elected not to take a name, stating her kittens all knew who she was and she was mostly just indulging them.

However, Nelen had put his foot down at their requests to recreate the potion that had allowed Dawn to gain her human-like shapeshifting abilities. He pointed out that while Dawn had learned to use her abilities responsibly, she was also close to the same age as Simoni and Arja while her siblings were the feline equivalent to six-year-old humans. The last thing anyone at the Barjar residence wanted was a pack of small children with supernatural teleportation, wall walking, and invisibility powers running amok, nevermind the fact that they were all Cheshires and therefor all had the same illusion magic as Dawn as well. They could wait until they were older to have thumbs and deal with it.

“Heh, you call this cold? This is nothing, I’ve dealt with winters with only wool blankets and campfires for warmth. Machine heaters have made you guys soft!” came another voice as Drusilla crunched her way out into the snow. She wore the bracelet Nelen made to give her the illusion of two eyes, as well as the ear clip that acted as a universal translator for her, but also wore just a pullover jacket over her old purple toga… as none of her other clothes fit over her stomach anymore.

Nelen’s future son or daughter was growing steadily, and Nelen was no small amount of concerned about it… but then everyone just shrugged and figured impending parenthood would make anyone nervous.

Nevermind the fact that he had yet to actually mention to his own parents that they would soon be grandparents.

As the five of them got situated Nelen looked up, then pointed. Coming towards them was a pair of vehicles, a four-door sedan car and a large minivan.

Dawn grinned a bit anxiously, then whispered to him “Your mom is gonna lose her shiiiiiiit…”

Nelen chuckled a bit anxiously, “Yep… she is.” he replied as the cars pulled into the parking lot of the library, then the doors opened and out stepped their parents. Catherine and Gregory Fullmoon. While Catherine was indeed part of Clan Fullmoon by birth, Gregory was actually an ordinary mundane man she’d met in college… but as per Clan law when one of the women married the man HAD to take the Fullmoon name. Gregory hadn’t minded so much, though he’d apparently gotten some good-natured ribbing and whiplash noises from his co-workers for a while after the ceremony was over.

Catherine grinned as she walked up, the somewhat plump redheaded woman wearing bluejeans and snowboots with a thick winter coat over her top half. “Well! Good to see you can keep a promise Arja.” she chuckled, “C’mon, heater is going full blast.” she said, jerking her head towards her car as both Arja and Simoni rushed past her and immediately climbed inside. “Nelen, you and your friends can ride with your dad in the van.” she nodded.

Nelen nodded back, then looked at his father.

Gregory wasn’t a big man, but he honestly looked rather like what Nelen might look like given another twenty years and several pounds. A grey receding hairline, thick glasses, and a bushy mustache on his face, dressed in a warm red sweater, jeans, and boots of his own.

He looked Nelen over, then said, “You look like you’ve had the shit kicked out of you at least a dozen times over son.” with a smirk.

Nelen chuckled, “Hey, I’ve fought my way through all sorts of crap you’ve never seen old man.”

Greg snorted, “Don’t you ‘old man’ me boy! I was in Desert Storm, we saw some stuff in that desert I KNOW wasn’t human, especially after your mom told me what it probably was!” he retorted.

The two men just looked at each other, then grinned widely as Nelen gave his father a tight one-armed hug, the other man returning it. “HAH! Good to see you again finally dad.” laughed Nelen.

“Damn good to see you too son… after that mess back then I thought you’d be running forever…” his father replied with a grin, “C’mon, your mom has a crock pot big enough to feed ten people going. Chicken and potatoes for everyone.” he nodded. “Would’ve been chili, but we got your email about Arja and Steph- er... well..." he coughed awkwardly, “Sorry, still getting used to thinking of my baby girl as someone else.” he shrugged.

Nelen nodded, “Yeah, it was a big adjustment for me too, and I’m used to a lot weirder.” he sighed, “But she couldn’t come home with gramps still in charge of the family and she couldn’t blend in back in Jaipur without it. It was a really far out choice, but it was the right one… she really has just… I mean…” he shrugged, “Hard to believe half the crazy stuff she’s pulled off over the past few months.” he nodded.

“I know… I mean, just last year she was just… Stephanie. It all happened so fast.” replied Greg, then he shook his head, “Whatever. Stephanie, Simoni, she’s my daughter. Whatever she calls herself now.” he nodded.

Drusilla chuckled, “So this is your dad huh Many-Scars?” she asked, walking forward as the snow crunched under her boots. “Can he take a punch as well as you can?” she smirked.

Nelen winced, quickly stepping between Greg and Drusilla. “WOAH! No Drus! No love taps! He’s a normal human, my mom is the Fullmoon. He just took the name when they got married!” he warned.

Drusilla blinked, then frowned a bit, “Oh, gotta be careful with this one, pity… Ah well. Dawn, come show me how to get in this chariot they came in!” she said, walking towards the van as Dawn followed her.

Greg blinked, then looked at his son, “Nelen… you warned us that you had someone else coming… but… um… she seems a bit...” he started.

“Drusilla, she’s a cyclops and… um…” he sighed, “Look, I have some news for you and mom when we get home… but… its complicated, like, really complicated.” he nodded, “But… you… well… remember how mom was going on about wanting to have grandkids someday?” he grinned anxiously.

Greg looked at him, then at Drusilla, then back at him, then at Drusilla as his eyes went down to her belly as Dawn demonstrated how to work a car door handle without tearing it off. “… her? And she’s really one of those Clash of the Titans things?” he asked.

“Special bracelet. Gives the illusion she has two eyes.” he explained, tapping his wrist and pointing to Drusilla as she climbed into the van, having to sit in the back where there were no chairs because they were just too small for her.

Gregory stared at her as she got in the car, and it sank down on the wheels with a loud creak. “… this… is why you told your mom to use the really big pot huh?” he asked.

“Honestly dad, you might need to make a couple grocery runs if we stay a few days.” he admitted.

Greg nodded slowly, “And you really…”

Nelen nodded, “Yes. I did. Please don’t ask any more questions about that because I REALLY do not want to discuss the details of my sex life with my father.” he replied in a strained voice.

Greg looked back, then blew out his lips, “You’re a braver man than I son.” he replied, then took his keys out, “We should get going before it starts snowing again.”

The trip home was uneventful, though Catherine made a point of taking the scenic route, if only to point out that Kentucky had just as much culture as India. Simoni was beginning to wonder if she might be a little bit sore about her running off to Jaipur still… but Arja seemed interested enough. If nothing else because it turned out Catherine knew a lot more about the supernatural history of the area than Simoni had suspected.

“Now there’s the Basillica, nice place. Had a city councilman from Cincinnati wanting to hold his wedding there. Some of the gargoyles are alive, but they mostly keep to themselves… just be careful walking nearby if it’s been raining, they like to spit.” she nodded, “Over there is a dance hall that President Grant danced in way back during the Civil War. Its owned by a nice something named Thompson.” she said, pointing to a building that looked much older than the surrounding ones.

“Wait… A nice something?” asked Arja, looking at the older woman in confusion.

Catherine shrugged, “… we never found out what, but he’s perfectly nice. Doesn’t hurt anyone and can pass as human in the daylight just fine. Mundanes are clueless so we just pretend he’s human and file him under ‘something.’”

Simoni listened carefully, “Huh, I didn’t know about Thompson…” she mentioned, glancing suspiciously at her mother.

Catherine sighed, “Yeah yeah, just because I wasn’t using magic doesn’t mean I didn’t have eyes girl.” she replied with a frustrated look back in the rear-view mirror, “If you’re ever in the dance hall again, keep an eye out when he walks past mirrors. The reflection is always a half second slower.”

Simoni blinked, “… vampire?” she asked.

“Goes out in the daytime all the time.” she nodded.

“Changeling?” she tried.

“Seen him handle a horseshoe before when they were organizing a line dancing party.” she replied.

Simoni thought for a long moment, then finally had to shrug.

“Like I said, Thompson is something… but he’s perfectly nice. So we just quietly ignore it.” nodded Catherine. “Even when your grandfather was still alive and running the show most of the Clan knew better than to report non-hostile supernaturals. The unspoken rule was, ‘if you thought you saw something that wasn’t human; no, you didn’t.’”

Arja grinned, “Well I’d like to meet him. How do you know him Catherine?” she asked.

She smirked, “Oh, my daughter didn’t tell you?” she asked, “She took ballet there when she was younger.”

Arja looked at Simoni and giggled at that, “You?! Oh jeez no wonder you got the hang of that dance from that Bollywood movie so quickly!” she laughed.

Simoni blushed, “It was a long time ago!” she huffed, but gave a small smile, “Though it was a good way to build up agility and reflexes for stuffs…”

Catherine smirked, “Yeah, stuffs like sneaking out of your room to go chase gremlins out of the local Auto-Zone.” she replied.

“Hey! I saved them from having to rebuild half the store! They rewired one of the lifts so that the second they tried to lift up a car the whole thing would have collapsed!” she snapped.

“Yep, and you’re still lucky that my lunatic dad didn’t find out you did that.” she shook her head, “Ugh, gods this past year… I mean he was my father, but I won’t pretend I’m not glad he’s gone.”

Both the girls coughed a bit awkwardly at that, then Arja decided to change the subject fast. “Still, you and ballet… I mean just picturing you in one of those fancy costumes with the floppy skirts and such… I’d expect that more of Stephy than you.” she grinned.

“Funny you should mention that… Apparently during his last visit to Arcadia his… well… fae mother? Other mother?” replied Simoni, tapping her chin as she looked up thoughtfully.

“Fae mother works better. I heard about the situation and that Sera faerie isn’t a beldam.” Catherine interjected from the front seat.

“Right, Stephy’s fae mom apparently said he’d have to learn how to ballroom dance a while back. They have this big celebration for the Winter Solstice and as her ‘daughter’ he has to attend it.” she grinned. “Tex had to stay behind because he’s mortal, but apparently Stephy was really kind of excited about the idea.”

Arja snorted, “Your cousin the faerie ‘princess’ got to go to a ball. Gee I wonder why that’d excite him.” she grinned.

Catherine sighed, “Yeah, gotta admit hearing one of the Others got him kinda freaked me out… but, well, there are good fae out there, you just really only ever hear about the nasty ones.” she replied.

Simoni nodded at that, “Anyways, he said the celebrations ended on Christmas morning so he might be able to visit us before we have to go back to Jaipur.” she smiled.

“It’ll be good to see him again.” nodded Catherine, “I miss Diane terribly some days, but I like to think she’d be happy seeing that her son is…” she paused, thinking on how best to describe the situation with Stephy, “… well, he’s happy. That’s the important thing.” she nodded.

As they rode along Simoni’s coat began to squirm, then finally a feline head popped out of her jacket, “HOT NOW!” squeaked the kitten, scrambling out and flopping into her lap.

Catherine started a bit, then looked back in the mirror, “Uh, who’s this?” she asked in confusion.

“Oh right! Mom, remember how Nelen told you that Dawn’s family came back after we destroyed Claiomh Dorcadas?” she asked, holding the kitten up. “This is her baby brother! Say hi Dusk!”

Dusk grinned and wiggled a paw at his reflection in the mirror, “Hi Dusk!” he mewled, then looked at Simoni, “Okay, I said hi to myself. Can I have fish now?” he asked.

Catherine snorted as Arja laughed, Simoni giggling as she sat the kitten down on her lap. “Okay yeah, that’s definitely Dawn’s brother. I know Nelen’s cat well enough to know her sense of humor.” she chuckled as she drove along.

Dusk tilted his head, earflicking, “Why’s everyone laughing? I’m hungry!” he yowled.

Eventually they reached the suburb of Edgewood, and after a few streets pulled into the driveway of a large brick house, the group climbing out of their respective cars and getting what luggage they brought with them out of the trunk of Catherine’s.

Nelen paused for a moment as they did though, looking up at the building.

It wasn’t a fancy house, or a particularly big one. It was big enough really. Downstairs kitchen and living area, upstairs had three bedrooms and two baths… but for Nelen… it represented everything he had to leave behind the day he bound himself to Merihim.

“Son?” asked Greg, noticing him pause as he got out.

“I’ll be along in a minute dad. Why don’t you show Drusilla where she can bed down.” he replied.

Gregory hesitated, then noticed the look in his son’s eye and nodded, waving for the giant woman to follow him in.

Dawn appeared on the roof of Catherine’s car next to him, looking up. “Crazy huh?” she asked.

Nelen nodded slowly, taking in the front of the house. A wide expanse of brick with five windows surrounding the front door, two on the first floor and three on the second. “Yeah… guess its just really sinking in now. Even after watching Castle Fullmoon get blown apart…” he said in a soft voice. Around them the wind howled, threatening more snow, but still he looked up, enraptured by the sight of the rather plain building.

After years of fleeing from Clan Fullmoon’s assassins, of living in various hotel rooms, of making his living hunting the shit that goes bump in the night, of spending his days in the Wulfshead and his nights running for his life from the thing in the shadows…

“… I can finally go home…” he whispered softly.

Dawn nodded, thinking back to where her mom and other siblings were, living in Jaipur, having the time of their lives running around the Barjar mansion.

“Yeah… I feel that.” she grinned a bit, “C’mon Wizzo, lets go tell your mom about that bun in the oven. Yanno, before we remember how badly we screwed up and start wanting to scream again.”

Nelen chuckled a bit, then the two went inside… and all was silent, all sound muffled by the soft gentle snow on the ground…

… a few minutes later Catherine Fullmoon’s voice carried out of the building as some snow fell off the roof, the wind suddenly gusting. “YOU DID WHAT?!”

Christmas Morning

The living room was a mound of colorful torn paper shining in all rainbow of colors, and Arja was grinning at Simoni, flipping through a collection of Irish folktales and legends. “Gotta admit, I didn’t expect this.” she said, idly looking through a summary on the lore surrounding the Banshee.

Simoni giggled, stretching her legs out, both her ankles adorned with gold bands set with emeralds. A set of anklets that she could wear in both her human and garuda forms. “Well you told me all those stories about King Hanuman, I figured now you can learn some of the stuff from my homeland.” she replied.

Nelen grinned at Drusilla, showing her a picture on his smartphone, “I couldn’t bring yours Drus, its still getting finished back in the Nightside, but we can go pick it up in another couple weeks.” he nodded, showing her a massive club with metal spikes and a large steel ring at the base of the handle. “Solid petrified oak, cold iron spikes, getting the wood blessed too, and a steel ring melded to the wood so you can swing it by that if needed.”

Drusilla stared at his phone, then grinned, “HAH! Oh I picked the right human to make a child with! I’m going to crush so many skulls with this!” she cackled. Then paused as everyone turned to look at her, “… what?” she asked, looking around.

Nelen sighed, then explained, “I got her a custom-made club. Its still being finished, but it’ll be a great tool for defending Arja and Simoni as is her job as one of their bodyguards…” he said in a very firm tone.

“What? Crushing skulls is a good way to defend someone! Just means I know which skulls to crush!” she said in annoyance.

Nelen sighed, “Drus, you’re scaring my parents…”

“She’s a cyclops, I get it.” interjected Catherine, holding up a hand. She was wearing a silken shawl wrap that Simoni had brought her back from India.

“Drus, you’re scaring my father.” he corrected.

Greg nodded slowly, his lips a thin line. “I will admit, that was rather off-putting.” he replied.

Dusk however, was ignoring everything. The small kitten bounding through the wrapping paper mounds with his tail swishing excitedly.

Dawn was sitting nearby, rolling her large yellow eyes, “Jeez, look at him. Some hunks of shiny paper and my brother goes nuts… Its just wrapping paper. Way to be a freakin’ stereotype kid…” she grumbled, shifting a bit in her seat wearing a new red and green sock hat and twirling the gold rimmed sunglasses she got around her finger.

Nelen smirked a bit, “Dawn, just go already.” he replied.

Dawn gritted her teeth, looking away.

Simoni giggled, “We can all tell you want to Dawn.” she teased.

Dawn’s tail thrashed, then there was a loud ‘DAMMIT!’ and her clothes collapsed on the chair empty as she appeared over the pile in her cat form and pounced, disappearing under it. A minute later Dusk squeaked and jumped up as Dawn dove out at him, then the two tumbled in the pile for a bit before chasing each other out through the house, tails swishing with excitement.

Nelen snorted, “She can make herself human-shaped… but she’s still a cat.” he grinned, watching them go, then paused as his phone buzzed. He blinked, seeing who was calling, then held up a finger, “Guys, could you keep it down just a second. Its my employer.” he warned.

“He’s callin’ you on Christmas?” huffed Catherine, folding her arms over her chest.

“He means my Dad, Cathy.” said Arja. “He knows where we are and why.” she nodded.

Nelen answered the phone, “Rajesh, whats up?” he asked, listening, “Oh… ah, huh. That soon? Yeah, we should be back before then. Thanks for the heads up. Oh she’s fine, we’re having a great time.” he grinned as there was a scrabbling of claws and Dawn and Dusk ran up the stairs to the second floor of the house, their tails fluffed with excitement. “Alright, I’ll let everyone know, see you tomorrow.” he said, hanging up.

They all looked at him expectantly.

“Its nothing supernatural. Rajesh is trying to secure funding to open a school specializing in Information Technology in Jaipur and he may have found a lead. One of my contacts in the Wulfshead is a member of House Roche and they’ve got ties to the current mayor of Paris and the French government. So after the New Year starts we’ll be flying out to France, Brittany to be specific. Their main house is on the coast there.” he explained.

Arja let out a loud groan, flopping back into the pile of wrapping paper the cats had been running through, “AAAAUGH… that means I gotta wear the heavy jewelry and play nice-nice with the rich assholes again..." she whined loudly.

Simoni however looked rather more excited, “Oh c’mon Arja! I bet it won’t be that bad! House Roche isn’t just a bunch of stuck-up rich guys, they’re one of the main hunter families of France!” she smiled.

Arja grunted, “You’re just saying that because you like the fancy outfits…” she huffed.

Simoni stuck her tongue out, “At least you won’t have to do it alone anymore, right?” she teased.

Nelen snorted, “Yeah, Arja isn’t wrong, but neither is Simoni. They’re definitely going to have some more formal events, but they also know that most of us won’t be human.” he nodded at his sister, “Still, does me we’ll have to head back to Jaipur tomorrow. I’ll need to research the current situation out there and get an idea of anything that might try to cause trouble for us.” he shrugged, “I’m definitely doing better now that I got steady work, but I do miss being able to set my own hours…”

Drusilla grinned, “France… that’s just across the sea from my homeland… used to get some fancy-pants humans wandering around Sicily every few years. When I was younger I saw one of them, just a kid, but she fought a minotaur on the island and won! She wasn’t very strong like you Many-scars, but she was fast! It couldn’t touch her!” she nodded, “I liked her, but I was tending the sheep and couldn’t come closer to watch.”

Nelen raised his eyebrow, “Huh, yeah that sounds like Alice. It’s a sort of rite of passage for House Roche to take on a minotaur. Long standing pact with their patron. The people of the house are kind of similar to Clan Fullmoon, except their pact has a bigger price tag and focuses more on their speed and agility than just outright muscle. Drusilla, do you remember if she was wearing something on her face?” he asked.

Drusilla thought on that for a long moment, “… hmmmm… I think so… something dark over the eyes?” she asked.

Nelen nodded, “Yeah, it was her then. She’s always wearing them every time I’ve seen her at the Wulfshead.” he said, “They’re…” he hesitated, “Eh… yanno, its really not my place to tell you guys. I’m sure Alice will let you know about their thing after the new year.” he smirked a bit, “Honestly it’s a point of pride for her, she’d be ticked if I told it before she could.”

The group all looked at each other in confusion, then back at him, though Catherine smirked and nodded to her son. “Yeah, I’ve met a couple Roches. They can be pretty prideful, but they are good fighters. I won’t deny that. Philanthropists too… they’re rich, but they actually put the money to proper use. Half the public works stuff in Paris is them apparently.”

Arja nodded, “Huh… sounds like they could be decent then. Most of the rich guys I had to deal with when I’d meet them with Dad are all just bragging about how much they made last year and how many tax breaks they got and how good a deal their accountant got them and uuuuuuuuugh just whip it out and measure it already!” she growled.

Simoni burst into embarrassed giggles as both Greg and Nelen snorted at that, Catherine letting out a ‘hmph!’ “Arjaaaaa! My mom is right there!” she squealed, shoving her on the shoulder.

Arja looked around, “What? Their wallet. Measure how thick it is.” she said, her eyes wide with confusion, “What’s everyone looking all weird at me for?” she asked.

Simoni whispered in her ear, “We both know that’s not what you meant…” she smirked.

Arja whispered back, “Maybe, but its also not the first time I had to cover for that.” she grinned.

Nelen smirked, then stood up, “Well I dunno about you guys, but I’m starving. Whats the plan for lunch?” he asked.

Catherine chuckled, “Guess we’d better get started yeah. Greg? Girls? Could you clear this stuff up please. I’ll get to work in the kitchen.” she nodded, heading out of the room.

The Day After Christmas

They had said their farewells, shared their hugs, and Simoni had promised to come visit when time allowed now that Nelen had gotten her on the approved list for the Wulfshead along with Arja, and the team all went home to Jaipur.

Catherine stood by the car, watching the silver door fade back into non-existence, wiping her eye a bit, “I know she’s doing good now, and that Nelen is keeping an eye on her… but…”

Greg nodded to his wife, “Yeah… didn’t expect the little bird to leave the nest so soon eh?” he murmured.

Catherine nodded, smiling at the wall even in spite of her tears, “Mmhmm… but I know she’ll be okay after last summer. That girl pulled off something I’d never even imagined. Trouble always comes looking for hunters, but she has good friends.” she smiled.

Meanwhile, Devou Park

In a grove of trees near a wide field, two of the trees seemed to lean towards each other to form a natural arch, then two figures walked out into the snow.

The Princess of Everfalling Snow was in his element, wearing a long dress of such pure white that it made the snow around it almost seem dull and grey by comparison, a cloak of soft silvery fur over his shoulders as his brother strode out next to him.

By contrast the Prince of the Icebound Heart was in a deep black suit jacket and trousers, a dark blue silk shirt underneath with a matching cravat at his throat, his boots knee high and heeled.

Both of them had hair the glistened like spun gold, their eyes so blue that they put the winter sky to shame, and pointed ears.

To mortal eyes they’d just be wearing a lovely dress and suit respectively, looking like they may have come from a fancy After Christmas party. Mortals would see a pair of blonde haired children with blue eyes, but rounded ears and human features otherwise.

“So, this was the spot brother?” asked Sammi, looking to his sibling and raising an eyebrow.

Stephy looked across the snowy field. It looked a little different, but even now he could still taste the faint hot burn of wrath that had scorched the area last summer. “Indeed, this was where my tormentor, my father, fell. Drusilla tore him apart before my own eyes.” he replied, his own voice carrying the strange melodic cadence of one touched by Arcadia. He’d just spent an entire week in Lady Sera’s lands for one of the biggest events of the year, and his body practically glowed with the glamour of it.

Sammi nodded to him, “Then you know what to do, the season demands it. Just like the librarian back home said.” he said, taking a step back and standing, hands clasped behind his back and eyes on his faerie sibling.

Stephy nodded back, walking forward, and reaching into the folds of his cloak, taking out the photograph of his parents he’d found at the house his father had tormented him in for so long. The house was gone now, pulled down by order of the city once they realized that the owner had vanished and nobody had come to claim it. He looked over it one last time… his father’s awkward forced smile, his mother’s gaze down into the bundle in her arms that he knew was himself as an infant and felt the chill of sorrow in his heart at what had been lost, what could have been had disease not taken it’s toll and claimed her life.

Would his father possibly have chosen them over Franklin’s mad crusade? Would he have chosen the love Diane claimed they once shared over his own father’s twisted ideals for Clan Fullmoon? Could they have been a family in truth and not just name? He focused on these thoughts, drawing power and glamour from them, and the wind began to pick up, snow falling from the sky in small white flakes.

Stephy took a breath, then spoke, as snow swirled around him, “I speak now of my sorrow, my pain, all that I had and is now gone… a mother’s love, taken early, a father’s scorn burning hot… now gone beyond to where none return.” he said, and as he did his eyes began to sparkle, a single tear running down each cheek. “My mortal past is gone, and it shall haunt me no more. Mother, I release your memory to rest, in peace. Father, I cast you down to be forgotten, in darkness. Brother, do you witness?” he spoke, and his voice echoed as he spoke, carrying a cadence to cause the hearts of any who heard him to catch in their chest… but it was cold and empty in the park that day.

Samuel drew a sword from his belt, holding it upwards, the blade before his face, hilt before his chest in a salute. His other arm behind his back and his legs snapped together at attention. “By the thorn and shadow of the Hedge that separates us from the mortal world, by the snow and frost of our shared homeland, and by the Wyrd that binds us to Arcadia. This act, I witness.” he nodded firmly, standing by.

Stephy whistled sharply, and a wind rose, and he released the photograph, gazing at his late mother’s face one last time and feeling a sudden sharp pain in his heart, as two more tears rolled down each cheek. Then the wind caught, and the photograph was carried away, spinning off towards the horizon.

“My former childhood is gone, broken, and buried under Everfalling Snow…” he whispered, the wind swirling around him, and for a moment his eyes, the entire eye each, flashed blue and his hair seemed to turn purest white.

“… and you stand empowered, your sorrows forming an armor of ice to guard your heart and soul from the world. I name you now Princess of Everfalling Snow and Broken Childhoods.” finished his brother, sheathing his sword once more, and suddenly it was not there… and yet it was. Mortals could look but would not see. “It is done. It is so. By the Wyrd and by Winter’s chill kiss. It is so.”

Stephy stood for a long while, then nodded, “It… feels both sad… and good… like a weight is gone. One I carried for so long I forgot it was even there…” he whispered, making no move to wipe away the tears on his face even as they began to sparkle with frost from the cold.

Sammi nodded in response, striding to him over the snow with a faint smile. “As it should. You took your sorrows and made them your strength, as one of ours was meant to do. Now, come brother, your mortal family awaits.” he said, taking his sibling’s hand as together, they set off across the snow.

As they left the park their outfits seemed to change, Sammi now wearing a long black winter coat over dark trousers and leather boots. Stephy’s dress became a knee-length white dress under a fur coat with dark gray tights and high boots as well, a furry white hat on his head, but if any mortals were nearby, they saw nothing at all.

The photograph spiraled away on the breeze, and perhaps if one could see it they would see the image of Diane Fullmoon showing a rather relieved smile. As if somehow, even in death, she was glad that her child had found a path and would let the memory of her loss trouble him no more.

The photograph sailed away over the park to the north, and slowly, it drifted down into the Ohio River, landing on the semi-frozen surface as the ice carried it along westward. It would flow until it joined the Mississippi river, going south from there, past Paducah, then Memphis, and eventually passing through Baton Rouge and New Orleans until, finally, it reached the Gulf of Mexico where… at last, sun bleached to the point where the faces could no longer be seen, it sank to the bottom of the ocean. But by the time it reached there, troubles would have come anew, and his power and glamour he received from the ritual put to the test.

The scryer in Sera’s kingdom had spoken of the need of such a ritual and such empowerment. They could tell upon the many threads of fate… the tarot had spoken quite clearly to them. Stephy still remembered the terrified old faerie man, ears like a bat and eyes so wide they didn’t seem to have lids. He sat in a room surrounded by frozen spheres on the walls… suspended in each was… disturbingly, a pair of human eyes. The better to See with the scryer had said, as he told the prince and princess what he had foreseen in the cards.

The Wheel of Fortune reversed, signaling bad luck on the rise, crossed with the Moon reversed, foretelling a Release of Fear.

The Devil, though it’s meaning was unclear it spoke a worrying portent, and the Magician reversed representing Manipulation and Poor Planning.

The Emperor reversed, crossed with Judgement. Dominance and Rebirth.

And most troubling of all, the Tower, Upheaval and Chaos, and Death, Change and Transformation.

Franklin Fullmoon and his dark blade Claiomh Dorcadas may be no more… but the world was wide, and full of hidden dangers. The future could yet be many things for Arja, Simoni, and their found family of supernatural allies… but one thing it would most certainly would not be, is boring.

#supernatural adventures #fiction #lgbtq #modern fantasy

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Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Seas have drastically risen along southern U.S. coast in past decade (Washington Post) Scientists have documented an abnormal and dramatic surge in sea levels along the U.S. gulf and southeastern coastlines since about 2010, raising new questions about whether New Orleans, Miami, Houston and other coastal communities might be even more at risk from rising seas than once predicted. The acceleration, while relatively short-lived so far, could have far-reaching consequences in an area of the United States that has seen massive development as the wetlands, mangroves and shorelines that once protected it are shrinking. An already vulnerable landscape that is home to millions of people is growing more vulnerable, more quickly, potentially putting a large swath of America at greater risk from severe storms and flooding. The increase has already had major effects, researchers found. One study suggests that recent devastating hurricanes, including Michael in 2018 and Ian last year, were made considerably worse by a faster-rising ocean. Federal tide gauge data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggest that the sea level, as measured by tide gauge at Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, is eight inches higher than it was in 2006, just after Hurricane Katrina.

Congress Today Is Older Than It’s Ever Been (fivethirtyeight) Older members of Congress are notorious for their lack of familiarity with modern technology. Late last month, at least three different representatives in a hearing on TikTok called the popular app “Tic Tac,” a breath mint available in many store checkout lines. This is only the latest in a long line of amusing tech-related congressional miscues: Back in 2006, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens described the internet as “a series of tubes,” and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer copped to his struggles when in 2022 he held up his flip phone and said he was “not very tech-oriented” during a speech on the Senate floor. Don’t expect such unfamiliarity to change anytime soon: As it turns out, Congress today is older than it’s ever been. Across all senators and representatives, the median age of the 118th Congress is 59 years old. The median senator is 65 years old, a record high; the median representative is about 58, for the fourth Congress in a row.

25 years after Good Friday Agreement, cold peace prevails in Northern Ireland (Washington Post) “Peace walls,” they call them. Separation barriers topped with spikes. They were supposed to come down by now, 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement ended the horrors of three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. But still they stand. As a symbol, embarrassment and necessity. On Lanark Way, the barrier separates the mostly Catholic Falls Road from the mostly Protestant Shankill Road. A faded mural reads: “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.” It is both a popular tourist site and a scene of what locals call “recreational rioting.” The rusted gates open every morning and close with a clang at 10:30 p.m. every night, effectively limiting free movement in a modern European capital. In the communities on each side, people say that Belfast is a far, far better place than it was during the Troubles—when Northern Ireland was the scene of petrol bombings, targeted killings and mass rioting that left 3,600 people dead, 47,000 wounded and many more living with the heavy load of their memories. But they are also skeptical of the celebratory mood as President Biden, former president Bill Clinton and other luminaries descend on Belfast this week to mark the “tremendous progress” brought by the U.S.-brokered Good Friday Agreement. There is peace now. But it is a cold peace.

Fancy a dip? An Olympic reboot for Paris’ toxic River Seine (AP) Even before he has dipped his toes into the murky waters of Paris ′ famous but forbidden River Seine, French triathlete Thibaut Rigaudeau is already fielding questions from disbelieving friends. “Are you scared of swimming in the Seine?” he says they ask him. “It looks disgusting.’” For decades, it was. Though immortalized in art, literature and song, and cherished by lovers who whisper sweet nothings or tearfully part on the privacy of its banks, the river was too toxic for most fish and for swimmers, largely useful only as a waterway for goods and people or as a watery grave for discarded bicycles and other trash. Swimming in the Seine has, with some exceptions, been off-limits since 1923. Now, however, a costly and complex cleanup is resuscitating the Seine just in time for it to play a starring role in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Russia plans electronic call-up papers to help mobilisation (Reuters) Russia will soon draft men into the army by sending them electronic call-up papers via an online portal in addition to traditional letters, according to draft legislation due to be debated on Tuesday that aims to facilitate mobilisation. More than 300,000 former soldiers and ex-conscripts are believed to have been called up since President Vladimir Putin announced an emergency draft last year to support Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. Currently, conscription papers in Russia have to be delivered in person by the local military enlistment office or via an employer, but the proposed changes to legislation would see conscription papers being sent via recorded mail and online. Once an electronic summons is received, citizens who fail to show up at the military enlistment office will be automatically banned from travelling abroad. The initial announcement to introduce mobilisation prompted thousands of draft age men to flee abroad last year.

Lethal Surprises Hidden in the Grass: Russia’s Trip Wires and Land Mines (NYT) With a practiced calm, a Ukrainian de-mining expert gingerly pushed aside stalks of dry grass, revealing a lethal surprise—a hand grenade rigged to a trip wire, waiting for someone to heedlessly step on it. The discovery, near the Ukrainian town of Lyman, was just one small development in a wider cat-and-mouse struggle between mining and de-mining teams that is becoming a pivotal element in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Mines, trip wires and booby traps are go-to defensive tools for Russia’s military, inflicting grievous wounds on infantry or stalling armored vehicles. Easy to rig, bury in dirt or cover with debris by the side of a village road, they are devilishly hard to find. Ukrainian land is covered in thousands of Russian mines, trip wires and booby traps. An area four times as large as Switzerland is unsafe because of land mines, the United Nations has estimated. They kill or maim hundreds of civilians each month. In March, land mines killed 226 civilians and wounded 724 others. Throughout Ukraine, about 350 de-mining teams work continually.

When exactly will India surpass China as most populous? (AP) India will surpass China’s population this month. Or maybe in July. Or, perhaps it’s happened already? Demographers are unsure exactly when India will take the title as the most populous nation in the world because they’re relying on estimates to make their best guess. But they know it’s going to happen soon, if it hasn’t occurred by now. China has had the most people in the world since at least 1950, the year United Nations population data began. Both China and India have more than 1.4 billion people, and combined they make up more than a third of the world’s 8 billion people. “Actually, there is no way we can know exactly when India will surpass China,” said Bruno Schoumaker, a demographer at Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium. “There is some uncertainty, not only about India’s population, but also China’s population.”

Myanmar’s Forgotten Crisis (Foreign Policy) Myanmar’s ruling military junta on Tuesday carried out a devastating airstrike on the village of Pazigyi, located in the country’s rebel-held northwest Sagaing region, killing at least 100 people, including around 30 children. Images from social media showed decimated buildings and roadways. The Tatmadaw, as Myanmar’s military is known, acknowledged responsibility for the strike but said it had targeted “terrorists,” not civilians. More than 13,000 children have been killed since the military took power, and over 17,500 people have been arbitrarily detained. At least 17.6 million people need humanitarian assistance, and tens of thousands more have fled to neighboring nations. Although the coup initially drew international media attention and condemnation from Western governments, attention has since waned, eclipsed by crises elsewhere, including in Ukraine. And Myanmar’s military leaders have taken advantage of this. Tom Andrews, the U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, said, “The junta are like mushrooms; they thrive in the dark. I think because of the lack of attention, there is a lack of political will.” In this way, he fears the lack of an effective international community response will only worsen the crisis.

US, Philippines hold largest war drills near disputed waters (AP) American and Filipino forces on Tuesday launched their largest combat exercises in decades to be highlighted by a ship-sinking rocket barrage in waters across the disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, where Washington has repeatedly warned China over its increasingly aggressive actions. The annual drills by the longtime treaty allies called Balikatan—Tagalog for “shoulder-to-shoulder”—will run up to April 28 and involve more than 17,600 military personnel. It will be the latest display of American firepower in Asia, as the Biden administration strengthens an arc of alliances to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan, an island democracy that Beijing claims as its own. That dovetails with efforts by the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, by boosting joint military exercises with the U.S. and allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in additional Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact.

Egypt secretly planned to supply rockets to Russia, leaked U.S. document says (Washington Post) President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi of Egypt, one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East and a major recipient of U.S. aid, recently ordered subordinates to produce up to 40,000 rockets to be covertly shipped to Russia, according to a leaked U.S. intelligence document. A portion of a top secret document, dated Feb. 17, summarizes purported conversations between Sisi and senior Egyptian military officials and also references plans to supply Russia with artillery rounds and gunpowder. In the document, Sisi instructs the officials to keep the production and shipment of the rockets secret “to avoid problems with the West.” Dozens of highly classified U.S. military and intelligence documents have been leaked online, revealing a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine, as well as analysis and sensitive information on Russia and other countries—from classified sources. The leak has far-reaching implications for the United States and its allies.

Yemen’s peace prospects (Foreign Policy) The world’s worst humanitarian crisis may have glimpsed hope for the first time in almost a decade. Saudi and Houthi officials met in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, this weekend to discuss peace talks for the nine-year war. Oman mediated the discussion. The talks centered on reopening Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa’s airport, rebuilding infrastructure, and establishing a timeline for foreign forces to exit the region, among other issues. This break in tensions comes after China successfully negotiated a reopening of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the latter of which supports the Houthis.

Research with exotic viruses risks a deadly outbreak, scientists warn (Washington Post) When the U.S. government was looking for help to scour Southeast Asia’s rainforests for exotic viruses, scientists from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University accepted the assignment and the funding that came with it, giving little thought to the risks. Beginning in 2011, Thai researchers made repeated treks every year to remote caves and forests inhabited by millions of bats, including species known to carry diseases deadly to humans. The scientists collected saliva, blood and excrement from the wriggling, razor-fanged animals, and the specimens were placed in foam coolers and driven to one of the university’s labs in Bangkok, a metropolis of more than 8 million people. The goal was to identify unknown viruses that might someday threaten humans. But doubts about the safety of the research began to simmer after the virus hunters were repeatedly bitten by bats and, in 2016, when another worker stuck herself with a needle while trying to extract blood from an animal. What if they encountered an unknown virus that killed humans? What if it infected their families and neighbors? In spring 2021, the Thai team’s leader pulled the plug, deciding that the millions of dollars of U.S. research money for virus hunting did not justify the risk. “To go on with this mission is very dangerous,” Thiravat Hemachudha, a university neurologist who supervised the expeditions, told The Washington Post. “Everyone should realize that this is hard to control, and the consequences are so big, globally.”

#headlines #news

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