#commander kraal

[smanofficial]

Solarman: Rising

Episode 1: Pilot

<<Prev Next >>

read ahead on webtoon!

I forgor i was supposed to be updating here im so sorry lmao

[reachingforthevoid]

Doctor Who: The Android Invasion

I rewatched this serial on 7 March 2023.

We begin with our heroes on what looks like Earth, but it’s all a bit weird. Sarah emphatically tells the Doctor that she does not like ginger ale, a fact that becomes important later on. We see a UNIT corporal walking oddly who goes off a cliff, and then the Doctor and Sarah are shot at by white-suited people in what could be astronaut suits. Or four people cosplaying the Stig at a Top Gear convention…

The first couple of parts are pretty decent at setting up an intriguing mystery. Are they on Earth in a village that Sarah knew from a story she wrote two years earlier? Or are they elsewhere?

It’s Doctor Who. They’re elsewhere, but yet the Earth is under threat from a bunch of bickering aliens called Kraals. The people are android copies. And there’s a lost human astronaut helping the Kraals having been tricked.

Some folx don’t seem to see the humour in an alien invasion planning their invasion before actually invading and it all going horribly wrong anyway. I’m sure that people involved in large tech programmes will recognise that sort of thing… and if they're not flinching, they're probably able to have a giggle at the daftness.

We say farewell to Ian Marter's Harry Sullivan for good now, and also John Levene who played John Benton — UNIT corporal, sergeant, and sergeant major. I did chuckle at the moment when someone says that Commander Crayford has been the human who'd travelled farthest in space when Sullivan and Benton were in the room and might have had a word...

[leahdarkspear]

Paranormal Picnic

As promised, a short story detailing Ja’mez’s appearance from beyond the grave!

It felt odd, putting on her old commander’s armor, her Darkspear tabard. She looked at herself in the mirror - Leah, daughter of Zin’Taj and Ayi’da, huntress of the Darkspear Tribe, Spear of Vol’jin, Commander of the Horde - all of those titles seemed miles away from her and the life she had lived in Zuldazar over the past year. 

Her uniform fit a little less snugly than it had in the past. Even though she had been trying to do better about taking care of herself and having regular meals than she was after Ja’mez’s death, she still found she didn’t have much of an appetite and occasionally still forgot to eat. Leah smoothed out her Darkspear tabard as she inspected herself. She really should get a new one made, this one had faded a bit over the years. Still, it would do for now.

The huntress moved from her bedroom down the long, winding staircase of her treehouse. In Leah’s mind, the living house seemed less vibrant than it had when Ja’mez was there, and she wasn’t sure if it would ever seem quite as alive again.

Down in the kitchen, Leah prepared a picnic basket with a few slices of raptor haunch, some fruit, a loaf of bread, and some cheese. After packing the plates and utensils, she set out toward the eastern outskirts of Dazar’alor, to the burial shrine where Ja’mez’s remains lay.

As she had many times before, she sat before the shrine. “Hey, love,” she said, speaking to a mate who could no longer hear her. “I, uh, was just comin’ by ta tell ya dat I might not be around for a while. De scourge be back… somehow.” 

Leah shook her head. She had thought, like many had, that when Arthas was defeated, the threat had been eliminated, and yet here the Scourge was again, attacking outposts like the Crossroads and Razor Hill. And like many others, she was growing weary of the constant calamities that plagued Azeroth. The huntress sat in quiet contemplation of the situation before slowly beginning to put out two place settings from the picnic basket. “It’s just one thing aftah anothah,” Leah sighed.

“What be in de basket?”

“What de?!” Leah’s ear twitched in the direction of the sound. Immediately, she snapped her head around to look. Though it had only been a whisper, it was a voice she could never mistake. Her brow furrowed as she scanned the nearby area. Finding nothing, she shook her head as if to shake away the confusion, then resumed setting out her picnic. “Anyway, I'm not sure how long I'll be away. I'm leavin' de critters at de Kraal just in case…”

From out of nowhere, something whirled around Leah. She looked up to find Sun, the tiny celestial cloud serpent, her mate’s boon companion, who hadn’t been seen since Ja’mez’s death. Before she could address the little serpent, she noticed the hazy outline of her beloved druid reaching out to pet his friend. The ghostly silhouette looked her way and waved.

Leah squinted hard. The look on her face wasn’t one of fright or shock; instead she looked rather perturbed. This was it. She had finally cracked. She heaved a weary sigh. “Ya know...I kinda always assumed my grief would eventually drive me crazy, but I figured it would take longah…”

“I be ‘ere, Leah.” Great. Now her hallucination was trying to speak to her. She leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. “Oh really?” Her voice dripped with skepticism. “Dis ain’t my imagination?”

Ja’mez broke into a wide grin. “Nope!” he chuckled.

Leah’s face twisted into a scowl. “YOU LEFT ME!!” She screamed as she grabbed the plate in front of her and stood to chuck it at Ja’mez’s head. Then she turned away and folded her arms over her chest to pout.

Ja’mez didn’t try to dodge or even flinch as the plate flew through his body and crashed on the urns behind him. He seemed perfectly accepting of Leah’s anger. The druid tried to smile as he stepped toward her. “I thought ya’d be happy to see meh.”

Leah turned back to face her ghostly mate. The pain on her face was evident. “Well, I'd have preferred seein' ya alive, I gotta be honest. Ya broke my heart, love.” She flopped back down on the ground next to the picnic basket and sighed. “Sorry I threw stuff at ya.”

“It’s okay,” Ja’mez smiled. “I deserve it, I think. Though,” he said as he looked around, “I’m not sure exactly how ta handle dis.” 

Leah cast him a sympathetic glance and gently shook her head. "I'm not mad at ya. Not really. It's just been hard. I miss ya so much. You been okay?"

The question seemed to catch Ja’mez off guard. He looked down and tapped his chin as he gave it thought. “I suppose I'm as good as a dead guy can be.  It's just too good ta see ya, love."

Sun seemed determined not to be left out of this reunion. He whirled around the couple and came to a stop at Ja’mez’s side. The druid reached out to pet him again. Whether Sun could feel it or not, he seemed appreciative of the gesture, giving a few loop-de-loops in the air.

“Haven’t seen him in a while,” Leah gestured to the serpent, “he didn’t stick around aftah. ‘Course, he was always your baby, not mine.” 

Leah wanted badly to reach out for Ja’mez, to have him hold her. However, if the plate was any indication, it would be a futile effort. Also, his spirit was cold, and Leah could feel the chill radiating off him like an early morning fog in autumn. It would hardly be the warm embrace that she had yearned for the many nights since his death. She knew this, and so she refrained. 

Ja’mez also sat silent. Just like in life, it was imperceptible what might be going through his mind. Somehow Leah took comfort in the familiarity. And yet, there was something that gnawed at her.

“I got somethin' dat's botherin me. It's kinda a long story, but I suppose you got time." Leah cracked a smile at her own joke.

Ja’mez was glad to see his mate smile finally. He had never been one to handle sadness well. “Apparently I do. I don't even know what's goin' on fully though yet.”

Leah arched her eyebrow at Ja’mez. She wasn’t sure what exactly he meant by that. “Ah well, maybe ya can answer me dis, even so.”

Ja’mez shrugged. He would certainly give it his best. “Ya.”

“So a while back, before... ya know... I started havin' dese dreams. Like, I knew ya were in trouble, or ya were gonna be. What I didn't know at de time was N'zoth had gotten to me, I just knew I needed ta find you. Den aftah ya died, it got so much worse. He almost got me. My friends, dey stopped my heart ta get de corruption outta me. I was only out for maybe a couple minutes, but when it happened, I saw dis place.”

“What did ya see?” Ja’mez leaned forward with interest.

Leah pursed her lips. She didn’t like recalling her vision, but she had to know what it was, if Ja’mez could answer. “It was dark, and I knew it was somewhere I didn't wanna be. But I couldn't get away, it was pullin' me down. And I could feel so much agony. Like, dere be people down dere and dey all be sufferin'. What is dat? Dat's not where you be, is it?”

“Nah.” Ja’mez shook his head. “I wouldn’t be ‘ere if dat be de case.”

Leah felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Ever since she’d had the vision, she’d been worried for Ja’mez. “Do ya know what it be, though?”

Again, Ja’mez shook his head. “Nah. But I know it’s definitely a place ya don’t wanna be.”

Now it was Leah’s turn to lean forward. “You’ve seen it?”

“For a bit I did,” Ja’mez nodded.

“But it tried ta pull me so strong. How’d ya escape?”

“Bwonsamdi. He be out dere doin’ somethin.”

Leah clutched her chest and exhaled with relief. “Oh, praise dat creepy ol’ loa! I knew he got de offerin’ I made for ya.” A smile spread across the huntress’s face. There would definitely be more offerings to be made in thanks. “So you be on de Othah Side den. Dat’s good, I be glad. Well, actually, I’m not. I prefer ya be here… Wait, so can I ask ya somethin’ else?”

“Of course, love.”

This question had burned at Leah since even before she learned of Ja’mez’s death. “Why didn’t ya take me with you? When ya went ta fight N’zoth? I mean, we made a good team, didn’t we? Maybe… maybe things woulda turned out different.”

“Ny'alotha is like de Nightmare,” Ja’mez explained. “I wouldn’t dare ask anybody I care about ta go dere.”

Leah glowered. “So what, ya think I be some frail human wife, sittin’ around frettin’ while my mon goes off ta fight de big bad?” She sucked her teeth. “Ya know dat ain’t me.” 

“Would ya let me go if we switched?”

The huntress had to stop herself from blurting out a yes. Would she really let Ja’mez go if she had the chance to keep him home, to keep him safe? However, after giving the question consideration, she found her opinion unchanged. “Yes.” Her tone was calm and resolute. “Because ya be de one I want ta have my back when things get rough. I mean, I kinda figured if we didn't grow old togethah, we'd die side by side on top de corpses of our enemies.”

Firm in his resolve, Ja’mez refused to relent. “It wasn’t pretty in dere, Leah. People lost their minds, turned on each other, even. I wasn’t gonna let somethin make me hurt ya.”

Leah cast her mon a reassuring glance. “You be strongah dan dat.” The look on Ja’mez’s face said that he wasn’t so sure. Leah sighed. “Eithah way, I would have rathah died with ya dan have ta live without ya. You were my everything, love. But I keep on goin’ because what de hell else am I s’posed ta do?”

Ja’mez didn’t speak. What he was thinking, Leah couldn’t say. Ultimately, she supposed, none of it mattered. None of the questions, none of the regret could change what happened.

A change of subject was in order. “So how come I just be seein’ ya now? Loas know I been comin’ here for months.”

Ja’mez shrugged. “I really got no idea. But it was much easier to show, now dat the veil be broken.”

“De veil be broken?” Leah parroted. “Like, between here an’ de Othah Side?

Ja’mez nodded. “Somethin be terribly wrong.  Bwonsamdi be doin all he can to save souls from da darkness.”

“Ah, shit…” The realization hit Leah. “I wondah if dis got anything ta do with de Scourge comin’ back…” 

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Ja’mez replied. “But somethin’ gotta be done. De question is, what?”

Leah nodded in agreement. “Okay, well, I be goin’ ta Icecrown ta help handle dat situation, so maybe we can figure somethin’ out.”

“We gonna have to, ‘cause none a dis be right.”

The huntress held up a finger as a sudden thought occurred to her. She then motioned to Ja’mez’s remains. “So, dis is gonna sound dumb. Should I take you with me?”

Ja’mez looked at his body. “Dat… is a good question.”

“Well, I mean, can ya come back anywhere, or did ya only come back here because dis where ya body be?” Leah clarified.

“I ain't been dead long, so I don' know all da rules yet,” the druid chuckled.

Leah was already putting way too much thought into this. “I s’pose I can fold ya up real tight, stuff ya in my bag somewhere…dis gonna be so weird,” she muttered to herself.

“I would leave dem here,” Ja’mez stated. “Dey safe, yeah?”

“Of course.” Leah pointed to the large voodoo constructs patrolling just yards away.

The druid looked at his huntress. The problem was probably much bigger than either of them knew, he realized. “Ya know, whatever work needs done, it probably be on de Othah Side.”

He was right, of course, but that wouldn’t deter Leah. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Leah let her eyes linger over Ja’mez for a moment. “I’m guessin’ ya can’t stay?”

“I don’...” Ja’mez wasn’t given the chance to finish. His spectre flickered out briefly. He looked down at himself.

Sensing this was her last chance, Leah called out to him. “Hey.” Ja’mez looked at her. “I love you.”

His spirit was already fainter, but Leah could see him smile. “Love you too, Lee.”

[shinyflareon]

Azati Wolfblood, Renegade.

Favored of Bear, Slayer of Issormir, Guardian of the Spirits, & Savior of Minotaur.

Ally of Agrak Kraal, Warmaster of the Vigil, Commander of the Pact, Krait’s Bane, Slayer of Zhaitan.

Slayer of the First of the Firstborn, Slayer of Mordremoth, Wielder of the Pale Tree’s Thorn.

Destroyer of the White Mantle, Champion of Aurene, The Undying, Godslayer, Savior of Elona.

The Lich’s Death, Slayer of Kralkatorrik.

Hunter of Blood and Ice.

[canid-slashclaw]

The Outliers - A Guild Wars Love Story

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9,  Chapters 10 and 11,Chapter 12, Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Dear Miss Mouthy,

Hard to believe that it's been over a month since we saw each other. It seems like only yesterday since I looked into those honey-colored eyes of yours. Since then, I've never been able to look at a bed of hay the same way again. And where'd you learn to kiss like that?? I didn't know charr kissed like humans.

Anyway, the army has blessed me with cold showers so at least it helps maintain my sanity. And speaking of the army... our Seraph platoon has been transferred to Sparkfly Fen. I can't say much due to security reasons, but the foe we are now facing are, shall we say, not among the living.

I've named my revolvers Sweetpea (my dad's) and Lulu. (your dad's). Truth is, I can slaughter an army with those things. Oh, and Bob has claimed his share of rotten heads as well... so no saying anything bad about Bob.

Cynthia is in line for promotion to Second Lieutenant and Brad has just made sergeant. Both of them are fine soldiers and good friends.

So how are things going with you in kitty land?

Love,

Your barn fire-setting beau - Kaleb.

"Hey! Steelblade - get that mangy flea-bitten tail of yours over here, now!"

Krenesh Howlingblade yelled as he and his other closest warband comrade, Navina Bladeflurry, were huddled on the barracks floors laughing while sharing some peculiar works of human literature.

Amalthia Steelblade, now a soldier, slid through the opening in the tent as she stood at attention.

"Reporting for duty, sir!"

"At ease, soldier. Come sit down."

"Yes sir."

Amalthia sat in a circle cross-legged along with her warband companions as their leader, Krenesh, handed her one of the peculiar human books. As she opened the pages, her eyes were greeted with an array of some of the most provocative illustrations she had ever seen.

"One of our scouts found those under the beds in some houses located in an abandoned human village in the Ruined front. And now our people have to work with these perverts? Disgusting!"

"You're telling me. I would get a mouth full of spurs if I did anything like that to you Kren," Navina Bladeflurry said with a laugh.

"And here I thought I was brought here for an intelligence briefing. So much for that, I suppose," Amalthia said sarcastically.

"Oh... but you were, squirt. If we are to be all nicey-nice with these sacks of meat then we gotta learn how they think. My impression of them thus far remains far from positive," Krenesh said laconically as he tossed one of the obscene pieces of literature towards the edge of the bed.

Amalthia perused the objectionable material, studying the various mating positions that humans engaged in. Very carefully, she committed them to memory but always being careful not to let the rest of her warband catch onto this fact.

"I hope you don't mind, sir, if I do a little Ash Legion work on these oh-so disgusting pieces of filth."

"Oh by Burnfur's bottom... I didn't need to see that. Can I go somewhere and vomit now?" Navina said, as she held up an illustration of a female human receiving anal penetration from a norn-sized male.

"I swear, if you - or any other male for that matter - even thinks of doing something like that with me, I'll rip more than just the two round things located between your ears," Navina growled then flung the illustrated material to the ground.

"You know, when I was accepted into this warband, I thought I would be fighting amongst a group of charr who had wills of steel and stomachs of iron. Isn't it amazing how a few dirty pictures can turn my bandmates into squeamish sissies," Amalthia chuckled while gathering up the various pieces of cringe-worthy literature.

Moments later, Legionnaire Agnor Gristleback threw open the tent flap as the rush of displaced air caused loose leaves of the obscene material to go flying throughout the tent. The trio tried desperately to seize the fluttering pieces of paper before their commanding officer had a chance to see what a was actually transpiring.

"You three were supposed to check in at camp HQ five minutes ago. Get those shit-stained tails of yours moving now!"

Navina and Krenesh immediately stood up and gave their superior a full-standing salute. Amalthia, meanwhile, was preoccupied with attempting to retrieve the incriminating pieces as best she could. Agnor glared as she danced about apparently ignoring his presence. Her two bandmates made a desperate series of strange noises hoping to snap her out of her single-minded mission.

"Did you fail to notice the presence of a superior officer, soldier? Or are you just trying to find a way of really pissing me off?"

"Neither, sir. Our warband was just doing a little cross-cultural research on our newfound human allies. I would not be a good soldier if we didn’t gain a proper understanding of how our human friends tick," Amalthia said as she began snatching up more pieces of the offensive literature that had fallen around Agnor's feet.

Suddenly, the stalwart Legionnaire let out a laugh that could be heard clear across the base camp.

"That had to be the most creative piece of bovine scatology that I've heard since commanding this outfit. You just made my day, soldier!"

The big charr gave a hearty salute as he backed away from the tent. Navina, Krenesh and Amalthia too returned his gesture.

"Now get your asses to the patrol station, pronto!" Agnor bellowed as he was leaving before seconds later turning back around then pointing under the bed. "You missed a piece over there, soldier. It's the one with the naked human kneeling behind a sheep."

***

The Blade warband marched westward from their camp at Deathblade's Watch. They were assigned to patrol the parameter of Foulbear Kraal keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of ogre activity. Leading the party, Krenesh took point while Amalthia and Navina covered the flanks. Mia Windreaver and Bogo Flutterblade were tasked with covering the rear.

High overhead, the midday sun scorched the landscape while gusty winds whipped up a flurry of dust devils. The powdery sand burned both eyes and lungs as the warband hunkered down to seek respite from the stifling heat.

"Someone toss me a canteen, I'm blowing enough snot out of my snout to build a sandcastle," shouted Navina who was hunched over trying expectorate the excess silt from her mouth.

Amalthia handed her bandmate an extra container of water along with a bandana. "This piece of cloth might save you from a not of unnecessary discomfort. Use one next time, silly."

Krenesh stopped for a moment then pointed towards a rocky impression located several yards in the distance. "That looks like a cave. We'll set up camp over there."

To their fortune, the Blades found a small nook that provided just enough of a buffer from the hostile elements. As they began to unfurl their supplies, the five bandmates built a campfire then huddled around sitting cross-legged in a semi-circular fashion.

"Yer lookin' mighty disappointed, squirt. Spit it out," Krenesh growled as he looked in Amalthia's general direction.

"I think Navina needs to do the spitting, sir."

"Little Miss Mouthy at it again, eh? I've heard all about that potent little puss of yours."

Amalthia looked at her warband leader and said laconically. "Just bored, that's all. I was honestly expecting more action."

"Oh. You'll see plenty of action, sweetie. Trust me on that one," Navina said between hacking coughs.

"Mouthy is right... one month and no action... this IS boring," Mia interjected while tracing some random circle in the dirt.

"Speaking of monthly action... I'm coming into season in the next few days. When that happens, you'll be getting plenty of  action from me - isn't that right, Kren?" Navina smiled devilishly at her mate.

"Is that all you two ever talk about whenever we go on these missions?" Amalthia looked at her banmate 'sister' with a raised eyebrow.

"War is ten percent action followed by ninety percent sheer and utter boredom. What else is there to talk about other than sex?" Krenesh said with a hearty chuckle.

"Whenever you're done with him, Vina, he's mine next," Mia said with a smile and a wink.

Amalthia looked around feeling unexpectedly awkward around the conversation. "Does anyone know what happened to Bogo?"

"Hrmph! That weirdo never likes to sit amongst his mates whenever we have these conversations. He's never shown interest in any of you three gals. Why is that?" Krenesh chuffed as he threw some pebbles into the campfire.

"I'll go check on him." Amalthia stood up then walked over towards the edge of the nook. She saw Bogo’s lone form sitting down, looking towards the far horizon.

She approached from behind then sat down right beside him. "Hey big fella. Not wanting to be social, I take it."

He shook his head then looked at her with his pale blue eyes and said in a downtrodden tone. "There's nothing they are talking about that interests me."

Looking into those somber eyes, Amalthia suddenly realized something. She reached into her jerkin then pulled out a stack of the obscene pieces of literature she had collected earlier. After thumbing through several of the illustrations, she found one that depicted two naked men engaging acts of carnal pleasure with each other.

"Here. Take it," Amalthia said as she shoved the illustration into the palm of his clawed hand.

Bogo looked at the piece then suddenly his eyes began to light up. "Uhhh. Why are you showing me this? It's disgusting!"

Crossing her legs and giving him a wide-fanged smile, Amalthia chuckled. "Use your imagination! Picture two male charr instead."

"Wha!?" Bogo choked as his eyes went wide with surprise.

"It's okay, Bogo. I don't care. In fact, I think it's rather cute how you react whenever you see other males bathing in the river without their clothes on."

"Uhhh. I... ohh, is it that obvious?"

Amalthia laughed. "It's all over your face. Now who's the cute brute?"

He held his breath for a moment before exhaling the name.

"Tovu."

"Do you mean Tovu Whistlewind? Ha! I should have known!" Amalthia gave him an affectionate tap on the shoulder.

"Please don't tell Kren or anyone else. I'll have my teeth pulled and then I'll be placed in front of a firing squad if anyone ever found out," Bogo said nervously.

"Don't worry, Bogo. Your secret's safe with me. And trust me when I say that we all have our little secrets," Amalthia said with a wink as they sat together for the next half hour talking about various mundane things.

When she arrived back at the camp, Amalthia noticed that all of her bandmates had stripped themselves of their gear and were sleeping on the ground wearing only the pelts they had been born with. Krenesh and Mia were cuddled together while Navina lay off to the side purring in contentment.

As Amalthia approached, one of Navina's eyes sprang open and she quickly shot up to greet her diminutive bandmate.

"What a pity you missed all the action. Did you and Bogo have some fun too?" She asked with a sly wink.

Amalthia shook her head. "Our relationship isn't like that. But I'm happy that the three of you got your grooves on. By the way... I thought you were not in season?"

"Hey! That doesn't mean I have to wait. Anywhoo... I'm still feeling the urge. Wanna do some kit on kit?"

"Um. Hell no!" Amalthia bristled.

"Oh. So touchy! You're not one of those... lifers are you?"

"Lifer?"

"You know, the kind that refuses to share themselves with anyone other than that one 'special' partner."

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"No. Not at all, sister. I think it's pretty neat that you have someone so special that you are willing to make such a sacrifice," Navina walked over as she affectionately stroked Amalthia's golden mane with her cinnamon-colored hand.

Amalthia looked up at her much larger bandmate and smiled.

Navina held Amalthia closer then asked. "Who is this special someone? I would very much like to know more about them."

Looking briefly into Navina's eyes, Amalthia reached behind her bandmate's head then pulled her in as their furry muzzles locked in a brief but passionate embrace of the tongues. Stunned by what had just happened, Navina backed away.

"Ugh! Isn't that something humans do with each other?"

Amalthia smiled at her. "Admit it, you liked it!"

Navina pursed her lips for a moment then nodded. "I kinda did, in fact. You are welcome to do it again to me anytime. Round two?"

"No. That was only a sampler. Now that I showed ya how to do it, you can do it to both Mia and Kren. This muzzle is reserved for only one," Amalthia smiled as her ears twitched in excitement.

"That must one lucky kitty ya have there. Is he as faithful toward you?"

"He has no reason to be otherwise."

"What's the name of his warband?"

Amalthia rolled her eyes, then placed her clawed finger to the bottom of her lip as she thought about it for a moment. "Grim. Yes, the Grim warband."

"What's his name?"

"Kaleb Grimwald." Amalthia replied.

"Kaleb Grimwald, eh? That's a pretty weird name for a charr. No matter... what’s he look like?"

"He's tall for his type, broad and very horny," came Amalthia's carefully worded but vague description.

"You really aren't giving me specifics. C'mon! Now really... tell me what he looks like!"

Amalthia looked at her non-clothed 'sister' and smiled. "You have an imagination, so use it."

"Fine. Keep your closest warband sister in the dark. Just see if I..."

Bogo suddenly ran into the camp shouting at the top of his lungs. "Ogres approaching!" (Chapter 14 is also up on Google Docs)

[bantarleton]

When the Zulus Killed Napoleon

No, it's not counterfactual history, and no, it's not that Napoleon.

He was, however, descended from that Napoleon. Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the only child of Emperor Napoleon III and his Empress consort, Eugénie de Montijo. After his father was dethroned in 1870, he relocated with his family to England. On his father's death in January 1873, he was proclaimed by the Bonapartist faction as Napoleon IV, Emperor of the French.

The Prince Imperial attended elementary lectures in physics at King's College London. In 1872, he applied and was accepted to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He finished seventh in his class of thirty four, and came top in riding and fencing. He then served for a time with the Royal Artillery at Aldershot.

During the 1870s, there was some talk of a marriage between him and Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice.[8] Victoria also reportedly believed that it would be best for "the peace of Europe" if the prince became Emperor of France. 

With the outbreak of the Zulu War in 1879, the Prince Imperial, with the rank of lieutenant, forced the hand of the British military to allow him to take part in the conflict, despite the objections of Rouher and other Bonapartists. He was only allowed to go to Africa by special pleading of his mother, the Empress Eugénie, and by intervention of Queen Victoria herself. He went as an observer, attached to the staff of Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, the commander in South Africa, who was admonished to take care of him. Louis accompanied Chelmsford on his march into Zululand. Keen to see action, and full of enthusiasm, he was warned by Lieutenant Arthur Brigge, a close friend, "not to do anything rash and to avoid running unnecessary risks. I reminded him of the Empress at home and his party in France."

Chelmsford, mindful of his duty, attached the Prince to the staff of Colonel Richard Harrison of the Royal Engineers, where it was felt he could be active but safe. Harrison was responsible for the column's transport and for reconnaissance of the forward route on the way to Ulundi, the Zulu capital. While he welcomed the presence of Louis, he was told by Chelmsford that the Prince must be accompanied at all times by a strong escort. Lieutenant Jahleel Brenton Carey, a French speaker and British subject from Guernsey, was given particular charge of Louis. The Prince took part in several reconnaissance missions, though his eagerness for action almost led him into an early ambush, when he exceeded orders in a party led by Colonel Redvers Buller. Despite this, on the evening of 31 May 1879, Harrison agreed to allow Louis to scout in a forward party scheduled to leave in the morning, in the mistaken belief that the path ahead was free of Zulu skirmishers.

On the morning of 1 June, the troop set out, earlier than intended, and without the full escort, largely owing to Louis's impatience. Led by Carey, the scouts rode deeper into Zululand. Without Harrison or Buller present to restrain him, the Prince took command from Carey, even though the latter had seniority. At noon, the troop was halted at a temporarily deserted kraal while Louis and Carey made some sketches of the terrain, and used part of the thatch to make a fire. No lookout was posted. As they were preparing to leave, about 40 Zulus fired upon them and rushed toward them screaming. The Prince's horse dashed off before he could mount, the Prince clinging to a holster on the saddle—after about a hundred yards a strap broke, and the Prince fell beneath his horse and his right arm was trampled. He leapt up, drawing his revolver with his left hand, and started to run—but the Zulus could run faster.

The Prince was speared in the thigh but pulled the assegai from his wound. As he turned and fired on his pursuers, another assegai, thrown by a Zulu named Zabanga, struck his left shoulder. The Prince tried to fight on, using the assegai he had pulled from his leg, but, weakened by his wounds, he sank to the ground and was overwhelmed. When recovered, his body had eighteen assegai wounds; one stabbing had burst his right eye and penetrated his brain. Two of his escort were killed and another was missing. Lt. Carey and the four men remaining came together about fifty yards from where the Prince made his final stand – but did not fire at the Zulus. Carey led his men back to camp. After a court of inquiry, a court martial, intervention by the Empress Eugénie and Queen Victoria, he was to return to his regiment. Carey died in Bombay, India, on 22 February 1883.

Louis Napoleon's death caused an international sensation. Rumours spread in France that the prince had been intentionally "disposed of" by the British. Alternatively, the French republicans or the Freemasons were blamed. In one account, Queen Victoria was accused of arranging the whole thing, a theory that was later dramatised by Maurice Rostand in his play Napoleon IV. The Zulus later claimed that they would not have killed him if they had known who he was. Langalabalele, his chief assailant, met his death in July at the Battle of Ulundi. Eugénie was later to make a pilgrimage to Sobuza's kraal, where her son had died. The Prince, who had begged to be allowed to go to war (taking the sword carried by Napoleon I at Austerlitz with him) and who had worried his commanders by his dash and daring, was described by Garnet Wolseley as "a plucky young man, and he died a soldier's death. What on earth could he have done better?"

His badly decomposed body was brought back to Woolwich Arsenal, on board the British troopship HMS Orontes; overnight, he lay in state in the western octagonal guardhouse by the riverfront. The funeral procession, including Queen Victoria, went from there to Chislehurst, where he was buried. On 9 January 1888, his body was transferred to a special mausoleum constructed by his mother as the Imperial Crypt at Saint Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, Hampshire, England, next to his father. The Prince Imperial had appointed Prince Napoléon Victor Bonaparte as his heir, thus skipping the genealogically senior heir, Victor's father, Prince Napoléon. 

Upon hearing news of Napoleon’s death, British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli asked “who are these Zulus... who on this day have put an end to a great dynasty?” 

[ebenvt]

The Stories of Salt By Eben van Tonder 17 July 2019

Chapter 10 of my series, The Salt Bridge

My journey of discovery of the use of salt in southern Africa brought me to Johannesburg. Minette and I wanted to be in New Zealand but dubious former business partners had other ideas.  Well, that was what I thought.  My ex-business partners have no business in my quest for salt and it is the Universe who predestined me to be in Johannesburg.  I went hiking around the country and suddenly, quite unexpectedly, out of the bush appeared three tribes.  Two of these tribes, in particular, took my education in salt further.

I scarcely landed in Johannesburg when I did the 14km hike at the Suirkerbosrand reserve just outside Heidelberg.  I completely missed the many old stone ruins.  Back home I read up on the site and discovered that a huge Twana settlement was located there.  I was back the next weekend and then I found the ancient village!

Massive South Tswana Village at Suikerbosrand (Heidelberg, Gauteng)

I saw the ruins of an impressive Tswana mega-city close to the modern-day town of Heidelberg.   At Suikerbosrand there is an ancient Tswana city. It turns out that roughly built stone structures can be seen in several locations throughout the reserve.  Over the next weeks, as I kept returning to the site, I came across many more structures.  Archeologists discovered pottery designs and other objects such as copper ornaments, iron spears, iron rods, and hoes, which identifies the inhabitants as Sotho-Tswana. The such South-Tswana settlements were present throughout Gauteng.

Judging by the dated architectural styles that were common at Suikerbosrand, it’s estimated that the builders of the stone-walled structures occupied this area from the fifteenth century AD until the second half of the 1800s.  The biggest cluster of circles on the reserve form part of a much larger settlement, with what appears to be a royal kraal with commanding views of the surrounding area.

Using recent laser technology (LiDAR), researchers were able to recreate the remains of the city. The evidence gathered by researchers from WITS university suggests that the area was certainly large enough to be called a city measuring nearly 10km (6.2 miles) long and about 2km wide.”

Here is a reconstruction of what it may have looked like, built from the results from the LiDAR research.

Parys on the Vaal and the farm of Berakah Eco Trails

Since I am close to Parys, I thought there may be great hiking trails.  Johannesburg itself is notoriously scarce in its offering to outdoor enthusiasts!  I drove to the Northen Free State town of Parys to try a new area.  I googled “hiking trails” in the area while sitting at a coffee shop in Parys and I could find only one, on the farm where Berakah Eco trails is located.  No sooner did I start the hike when I came upon another massive settlement.  By this time, I have come across a huge Twana site in Suikerbosrand and now, completely unexpected, the ruins on the Berakah farm on the Vaal River.

The Tswaing Salt Lake in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria

I was looking for a transition to enter the Gauteng region in the book I am writing on the history of meat curing.   I wanted to link my time in the story riding transport between Johannesburg and Cape Town to my quest for the origins and use of salt in southern Africa.  I was looking for possible locations where bicarbonate of soda naturally occurs which I thought would do the trick very nicely as a transition salt into my much detailed look at sodium nitrate and nitrite, ammonium chloride and sodium chloride in “Bacon and the Art of Living”.  To my great surprise, I found that high levels of bicarbonate of soda occur abundantly in Tswaing salt lake, 40km north of Pretoria.  The site is, at the same time, one of a handful of impact craters in southern Africa.

Here I discovered more ancient ruins at the impact crater which was in all likelihood connected through trade to the communities in the Suikerbosrand, the communities along the Vaal River and definitely connected to the people who lived in the Magaliesburg region.

Twana Ruins on Eastwick

As I was discovering the Tsana cities at Suikerbosrand and the sites close to Parys on the banks of the Vaal River, their important salt source of Tswaing; while salt was leading to the local tribes, I discovered the Magaliesberg sites.  This region was introduced to me by Etienne Lotter who has his farm, Eastwick Stud Farm, here where they have one of the best Nguni herds on earth.  Soon after my hikes in Heidelberg, along the Vaal River and north of Pretoria, I visited Thys and his wife on the farm and hiked to the top of the cliffs of the Magaliesberg mountains up a gorge on Eastwick. At the top, we discovered the old ruins of a large indigenous village.

.

The Magaliesburg mountain

The Magic of Salt

I was intrigued!  The complexity of the societies, their close interconnectedness – their size and sophistication, it all blew me away!  I realized that my quest for understanding the use of salt in southern Africa is nothing less than hearing their stories, told to me by the elders of the different villages, while we sit at the evening village fire, and eat their sumptuous dishes.

Salt is the medium that can not be understood without understanding the people who enjoyed it!  I had to learn about the people so that I can understand what salt is telling me.  THAT is my first lesson.

What will follow are the stories of salt, and we begin with the story of three tribes!

  The Stories of Salt The Stories of Salt By Eben van Tonder 17 July 2019 Chapter 10 of my series, …

[mostly-history]

On 9th February [1906] a party of around thirty armed Africans attacked and killed two policemen near the town of Richmond [South Africa].  The response from the [Natal] provincial capital of Martizburg was immediate and brutal.  Martial law was declared, and the Natal Militia was deployed in central and southern districts of the province.  This is how Shula Marks describes the militia's behaviour: 'For the next six weeks the troops marched through the lands of Africans reported to be defiant or restless, burning crops and kraals, confiscating cattle, and deposing chiefs.  On March 31st, twelve of the participants in the Richmond affray with the police were shot by drumhead court martial.'   It was, it seems fair to say, a questionably appropriate or wise response; and the Colonial Office in London communicated its unease at the severity of the crackdown.  They were probably right to do so, for during the spring and early summer of 1906, the conflict in Natal spread and escalated.  In the western hills, a force raised by the prominent Zulu leader Chief Bambatha continually exposed the white militiamen's lack of expertise in that difficult terrain – so much so that in June their commanding officer, Colonel Duncan MacKenzie, mounted a full-fronted assault on Bambatha's stronghold.  The chief was killed and beheaded.  The rebellion, it seemed, had been crushed – at an estimated cost of 24 white lives and more than 3,500 African ones.

Running for Their Lives: The Extraordinary Story of Britain's Greatest Ever Distance Runners

[talesfromthemanholecover]

In chambers vaulted with graceful arches carved from the living rock, beneath a hill studded with broken towers and dead gardens, under a sky shot through with strands of black smoke from burning cities, they gathered. Tarkan, who loved life's pleasures, brooded silently at the ruin that had come to their ancestral home. Kong, loyal retainer, waited patiently to for Captain Valharik to speak.

"Any word from our scout?"

"Here, Captain," said Candonyl the outrider in clipped tones, sweeping into the room and bringing with her the cold of the autumn wind outside and the bitter scent of smoke. Moving to the table she laid hands on the map spread out before the Captain.

"Ulthuan's advance continues. We have perhaps two days before the fighting is upon us."

"Why do we wait for the battle to come to us?" protested Kraal, the soldier. "Why do we watch as our lands are invaded?"

His brother Melgin placed a calming hand on his shoulder, while Candonyl fixed him with a glare, "you would have us stand shoulder to shoulder with the cults? They've done more to wound our land than any invader!"

Valharik waved her into silence. "You are a patriot, Dyvim Kraal. This is a cruel time to be a patriot. Our nation is caught between invasion from without and decay from within. I fear the chaos wars dealt her a mortal blow, and the victory over chaos a false one," he said, wearily.

Kraal looked down, glowering at the intricately patterned stone floor. The silence that followed was broken by the arrival of two archers, the twins Sharilla and Feneric. Between them they carried the slumping form of a brown-haired elven woman of unassuming beauty. Helped to a seat opposite the captain, with shaking hands and chattering teeth she reached into a pouch and drank from a phial of dark liquid, until the trembling began to subside.

"Are you alright, Alli?" asked the Captain.

"I am," she said, her voice unsteady. "It was a long journey, and the effects come on faster when I grow tired."

"You come alone."

Alli looked away, "there were no allies for us among my former comrades. I found only animals. Drinking blood and slitting throats. Cannibals and slaves to the poisons they consume. I fear the same fate awaits me. Yishana-"

"Yishana always had a fierce temper," said Valharik. "You will hold onto yourself. I command it, and you have never let me down."

"But I could not find us reinforcements. All have either joined the cults or become their prey. Every town I passed through had succumbed."

"Then our land is cursed. There is no salvation for us here."

Feneric spoke up, "let us join with the forces of Ulthuan, and drive out the corruption."

Valharik shook his head, "no, they only bring doom in another guise. Do you believe they would ever trust us, if we remain true to ourselves, our ways? They would demand proof that we were free of the corruption the plagues our kin - proof through abandoning our heritage and our traditions, and adopting theirs. To assimilate and forget who we are. We are not of Ulthuan, and never will be."

He looked around at his band. "Though it pains me to say it, we must depart. Become exiles. The land cannot be saved but we carry the nation with us, in our hearts. Our ways will live on in us, if we can find a place to keep to them."

"It will not be easy," says Candonyl, "the elves of the sea have taken the side of Ulthuan; they will not permit any to depart from our shores."

Sharilla spoke up, "my father's apprentice, Theleb K'aarna, has studied the ways of the heavens. He knows paths we might walk between the stars."

◆ ◆ ◆

K'aarna's tower still stood fast, alone on a hilltop against the stars. The staff had been ready for days now, ticking softly as the spheres turned in its crowning orrery, but it stood unused in its stand at the center of the observatory. For years had he worked on it, seeking escape among the stars long before escape became a necessity. But now, with the horizon in flames and the lands around falling into darkness, he felt loathe to depart. The solitary tower and the brooding ruins of the countryside echoed the loneliness of his heart, and in truth it was that from which he had sought to flee. There was a perverse comfort in seeing his inner desolation reflected in the land around, as though the country itself now empathised with his sorrow and isolation, as if it understood him at last.

He smoothed back his dark hair and walked out onto the balcony to brood over the desolate landscape, only to find the courtyard below occupied by a small band of elves, his former master’s daughter among them.

A gracious host, he fed their mounts with raw meat and conjured small refreshments for his guests as Sharilla explained the situation. Theleb sat back and looked from face to face, lingering with curiousity on the silver-haired woman who stood silently in chains toward the back of the group. Alli stayed close to her, and when they took their repast, helped her to eat. 

They explained to him that he was needed - by his country, and by the small group of would-be exiles that might soon be all that remained of it. Here was somewhere he could belong, and perhaps, what he had been waiting for.

The following evening, two armies marched upon the tower, one with shining spears and white pennants raised to the smoke-streaked sky, the other with wickedly curved blades thirsting for blood. Before they could reach it a blazing pillar of light rent the clouds, and when the light faded, the entire edifice had vanished into thin air. 

K’aarna had to rest for days afterwards. The tower leaned at an angle on its new foundation, an outcropping of rock overlooking a ramshackle city in a land of eternal, starless night. Valharik oversaw the shoring up of the tower’s base, while Alli and Candonyl explored the city below. They brought back word of a lawless place, made up of ruined buildings from different times and places, inhabited by creatures as mismatched and lost as the structures they called home. A city of exiles from different times and places.

A city called Amheer.

[mechagalaxy]

Battle of Rorkes Drift

The Guardians of Bunny landed on the Division 6 beacon in the rolling hills bordering the vast Veldt grasslands and the jungle, The warships of the Diamond Tiamat Dragons and the Black Star Phoenix rained down heavy flack, justifying the expenditure of the false drop capsules, over a dozen decoys for every mecha carrier as the Light Cruiser Bifrost skimmed the lower atmosphere to permit a hot drop with minimal exposed time.

Who would they face? The beacons were masked and the enemy was operating under severe EMCON, no telltale emmissions from active sensors and their shields were operating in low power mode, only enough to obscure the engine and weapon signatures. Who was it?

Moving like ghosts, they fed through the rolling hills always appearing for less time than it took to achieve lock, and just long enough to distract you so you were out of alignment for the next group to crest the ridge, or clear the ravine mouth. Deceptive countermeasures obscured the presence they could not hide; whoever they were, they were giving nothing away.

There was only one defensive feature of any worth in the available terrain, the medical complex at Rorkes Drift. Anosh was sent to the rear pass where his 950 tons could seal the rear of the pass and provide a warning of retreat being blocked. Jan’s massive 90 tonners took to the Buffalo river pontoon bridge, whose crossing was designed before the 100 tonners became common and would not support the largest machines. Samuel Wormood took his 65 tonners to the light bridge at the cattle Kraal to hold off light flankers who might try the vehicle bridge, itself not strong enough even for an Inferno, let alone Notas to pass. Jessica took her main force and pulled them back to the medical station at Rorkes drift.

Three columns moving in eerie silence struck and faded around the perimeter, six swift kills as they hit, withdrew, and hit elsewhere showed the enemy were higher level, and greater in number, but refused any close quarters decisive battle where their true strength could be assessed. These pilots, whoever they were, were winning the battle for information, and Jessica Rabbit could not allow that if she was to preserve the Guardians.

Jessica was trying to get a picture of enemy activity when her alarms began to go off. Two Jadoons, a Jottun, Megazone and Orrester charged out of the night. Sitting in Torch Singer, her custom Inferno she knew she was outgunned both in number of hulls and number of guns, but aggression evens a lot of odds, and information had to be won when the enemy was this cagy.

Charging forward her Inferno lit up a Jadoon as Nasty Boy, her Nakshi died under heavy fire. “Move forward, get inside, stop letting them concentrate fire MIX IT UP BUNNIES!” Jessica screamed as she charged, moving to finish the Jadoon and charge home. The gun camera photos told the story, the enemy were the Alpha Legion, but data on them were scarce, usually corrupt, and sometimes clearly forged. Alpha Legion was about deception, but bunnies were about mayhem, it was time to change the tune, and lead the dance.

Five on four was a bad way to fight, especially when each of the enemy boasted more guns, but while the Alpha Legion fought with matcheless precision, the Guardians of Bunny got inside and messed the carefully orchestrated ballet of death into a drunken bar brawl where savagery and reflexes counted more than carefully coordinated battle drills, and where superior numbers resulted in greater chance of friendly fire, or precious seconds of hesitation preventing the same.

The chaos ruled long enough for the tide to turn, and a mixed line of Bunny Harrel, with a Magnus and Rudy for flavour stepped forward and showed that Bunnies too could do disciplined volley fire. Two brutal salvo guided by Betrus Processors allowed critical kills to shatter the cohesion of the Alpha Legion line, and the immediate charge of the Bunnies caught the Alpha Legionaries flat footed as they sought cover against the ranged attacks only to lose the chance to stop the Bunnies before their charge slammed home.

A battered but intact last line of Jessica Rabbit’s command company took advantage of the shut down Alpha Harrel that Bishop had frozen before killing. Without the chance to run the purge protocols, Jessica was able to extract the Harrels IFF files, full download of the specifications of the Alpha Legion’s mecha loadout and emission signatures.

The battle for information was over, and the Bunnies won it. Now the war was on. Alpha Legion closed on Rorkes drift with superior numbers and levels, but the information advantage and defensive terrain belonged to the Bunnies. Now Jessica Rabbit called the tune, and as she sang her song from Torch Singer’s seventy ton hull, she sang a song of victory.

John T Mainer 28840

[ryssbelle]

Updated my comic here on tumblr cuz i remembered i was supposed to XD

Solarman: Rising

Episode 1: Pilot

<<Prev Next >>

read ahead on webtoon!

I forgor i was supposed to be updating here im so sorry lmao