#location: upstream

[maydaymadier]

The Docks and The Return (session 8)

Welcome back to the Merano campaign!  All character names are in bold, spells are in italics.  Party members are tagged “merano: [character name]”.  Locations visited (cities, specific establishments) are tagged “location: [NAME]”.  Important npcs are tagged "npc: name." All posts for this campaign are tagged “campaign: merano”.

INTRODUCTION:

The party splits up, Marasmius leaving to go relax for a bit. Calypso, Delphie, and Hugo start looking around for jobs and find a job board with several gigs listed. They end up following up on two. First helping a woman in the Doors with some griffons in her garden. Then heading North to the Upstream district to get a gig as musicians for the opening ceremony of the Radiant Festival. And have a run-in with someone from Hugo's past. Before the day is over, they find a place to stay while they're in town and drown out the unpleasant encounter by having Calypso teach them how to tie knots so they'll be prepared to try and get the gig at the docks tomorrow.

IT IS MORNING AT THE RUSTY BLADE

The next day, the three of them make their way back to Upstream, the Skytouch Port specifically.  They still have some time before the bard gig and the festival, so they’re gonna try and make some money.

Calypso makes sure to pick up their axe before leaving the Clouds.

It’s pretty easy to find the guy they’re supposed to talk to, there’s a long line of people waiting to talk to Constantine Ocea.  Long enough that it takes twenty minutes for the three of them to get to the front of the line.

This Constantine person is dressed in a similar uniform to the captain of the Ceretal’s Fang but dressed down for the heat, more importantly, he bears a shocking resemblance to Calypso.  Same build, same hair, same coloration (though not as muscular or tall).

He’s obviously nervous and ends up sending the three of them to the Singing Port on the other side of the district and to just tell them that he sent them.

Hugo guesses that the two of them must be related, not that any of them have any way of knowing.

As they double back to go to the Singing Port, the three keep an open ear for any rumors flying about.  The word on the street seems to be that there’s a wedding coming up, one of the noble families, not sure who.  But if it’s true, this’ll be a large, sprawling event that becomes a public festival.

The two names they keep hearing are Yildirim and Cortese.

The manager at the Singing Port briefs everyone that they need the docks cleared in the next two hours, it needs to be EMPTY, that includes the workers.

Calypso is directed to a larger ship on the far end of the dock for more heavy lifting.  Delphie and Hugo are paired off for helping unload a nearby ship with more delicate cargo.

Calypso blends right in and starts unloading cargo no problem.  Delphie and Hugo are keeping an eye out for anything arcane as they work.  Delphie finds a box of gold rods that shine with conjuration magic.

Hugo catches a falling box, small, about the size of a shoebox, and he catches it gently with a soft clink as it lands in his hand.  He opens it to get a peak at what it is, it’s a box of star rubies.  When he shows Delphie she recognizes them as being used for spell storing.

Calypso tries to keep an eye out for anything suspicious but only sees decorations for the festival.

Back on the other ship, Hugo tries to pocket one of the gems but gets caught, another sailor shouting him down, snatching the box from him, and marching away.

The two hours pass, and everything is cleared out, the ships leaving as well as the people.  Hugo and Delphie go to catch up with Calypso.

Calypso asks around, trying to find out why the dock needs to be empty.  An annoyed sailor explains that one of the noble families paid out the ass to clear out the port so that they could bring someone in to Keystone Island by water.

They’re suspicious that the Virastis are behind this.

The three of them meet back up and decide this is too suspicious, they should try and snoop.

So Delphie casts Invisibility on herself and Calypso.  Hugo decides to go hide in a box.  However, the only box he can find is next to the Gatekeeper Box, where the controls for the gates to the lake are, and the only person still in the port.

Hugo utterly fails at any attempt to be stealthy but the goddesses must be smiling at him because the people in the Box are too enraptured in an argument about a show they saw at the local community theater.

A small, ornate ship, decorated in green and gold, rows itself down the river.  A sheer-canopied tent obscures a slumped over figure behind it.  Whoever it is seems to be alive, but unconscious.

The gates swing open, with a heavy slosh as they push through the water, and clank shut behind the ship as it enter the lake.

They all wait for another minute or two to regroup.  But immediately come to the conclusion that whoever was on that boat is going to be an ‘unwilling participant’ in that wedding.

When they go back to the Skytouch Port to get paid, Constantine starts to ask Calypso a question that sounds like it should be ‘how old are you?’ but he can’t get himself to ask it, gives them their money, and sends them off.  Everyone is very confused though.

Deciding what to do next, well, they decide fuck the bard gig, they’ll go follow up on that posting for the guard job.

Hugo Sendings Renon, to quit and mentions that he told Agatha where he is.  The reply: “You could have just killed me yourself.”

The Ozdemir Watchtower is also in Upstream so they’re headed that way.  When they get there and ask around about the job, they’re redirected to the workshop of a halfling man named Argo, who’s working on tuning up a clockwork robot when they come in.

He’s willing to hire on all three of them but needs some convincing that they can all hold their own in a fight.

Hugo sticks his foot in his mouth, mentioning fighting the Storm Warden but correcting himself and insisting no, that he’s strong enough that he could fight a Storm Warden.

Delphie does a little demonstration with Magic Missile, Calypso finds a plank of wood to hold up as a target for her.  She pulls it off with enough precision that it does push them back five feet, but they don’t take any damage.

Argo makes sure they’re okay with the travel and let them know to be at the Stonehome Fortress at 7pm, they’ll be there until the guards change off at midnight.

They ask if he thinks they’ll have time to help with the hippocampi they heard about and are told, “they’re large and stupid” instead of an outright no.

So all three head back to the Clouds and decide to do something fun and touristy.  This district is very eclectic and a major cultural center so they stumble their way into an art gallery, with plans to go axe throwing tomorrow.

This one, in particular, is a show of mosaics made out of salvaged materials, cool in theory, sloppy in execution, and the three of them clown on the artist mercilessly.

Before they have to arrive at Stonehome, they stop back at The Rusty Blade to check on their stuff.

When they get there, they notice the goblin and dwarf from earlier with a water genasi and they are having a hushed argument in the common area on the first floor.  While eavesdropping, Hugo notices the name Tobias and Delphie hears a little more, that they’re arguing about this Tobias.

Hugo approaches them and the genasi is not interested in talking but the goblin is fed up with his companion and squeals, explaining that he’s Boggle, the dwarf is Urist, and the genasi is Hippor but there’s one more of them, Tobias, he went to go follow up on a job with the Families, that was two days ago and he still hasn’t come back yet.  That he most likely went to Keystone Island.

The party’s concerned and promise to keep an eye out for him once they get a description.  That Tobias is a halfling, in plate mail, he’s a paladin, with curly brown hair and mismatched eyes.

They grab a bite to eat before they leave the district and as they’re traveling, they notice the Merchant’s Guild Hall from across the lake, a grand, domed building, flying pennants in the black and gold of the guild.

Upon taking the bridge to Keystone Island, there are seven sprawling mansions arranged in a circle, the circular green space in the middle is well-maintained and neat.  This area is being set up as event space.

Once they find Stonehome Fortress, it turns out to be the Virasti family home.

The three of them are split up and posted in different wings of the fortress.

Calypso is assigned to the front entrance.

Delphie is posted in the east wing.

Hugo is sent to the south wing.

Calypso starts up a conversation with one of the staff guards.  They find out that the permanent staff are getting underpaid and overworked, especially in comparison to the urgent temp hires.  In fact, there’s even some talk about striking.  Especially with the festival coming up they’ll have leverage.  Calypso is hands-down in full support of the idea.

Delphie immediately notices that this hall is filled with enough magical items and cast spells that she can more or less see, though she is alone in the hallway.  Until she hears something activate in the room across from her and the Storm Warden comes out, looking frazzled and in a rush, clearly looking for someone/something, holding the book she left behind in Dire.

The south wing is some kind of large greenhouse with a dining area.  There’s another guard there too, but isn’t interested in talking when Hugo tries.  Kitchen staff are setting up the table.

Hugo inserts himself into the conversation the kitchen staff are having.  They’re complaining about being asked to make another place setting at the last minute.  They’re not even being paid overtime.

Hugo casually suggests that she should quit if they’re treating her so badly.  He’s so casual and sensible about it that she does, she quits right on the spot and leaves.

Calypso sees the Storm Warden marching out, heading across the green to meet with a man whose hair is half cloud, the two of them immediately start arguing.  They ask the guard they’d been talking to who the cloud man is.

The guard is also confused, because that’s Lord Tuono, the Storm Warden, Crescenzo, works for him and the Tuonos and the Virastis are good friends, visiting each other pretty often.  Before the shift wraps up, Calypso notices a blip in the sky for a second.

Delphie sees nothing else of notice in the hall before the shift ends.

Hugo sees a woman enter, she walks with an air of authority, finely dressed, with solid amber eyes, hair that turns into wheat, and she has a marble staff, the top carved into a motif of clouds.

The three of them exchange all of the information they’ve learned once they meet back up with each other.

Skipping ahead to the following afternoon, the party returns to Keystone Island for their next shift, as crowd control for the opening ceremonies of the Radiant Festival.

The musicians are warming up and a certain someone is conspicuously absent.

There’s a dias in the center of the green space, the three of them need to be in front, maintaining the distance between the crowd and the stage.

About an hour before the ceremony is set to start, a group of Storm Wardens and druids arrive on the island.  They step up onto the dias, the wardens forming a circle along the outer edge and the druids begin what looks like a color guard routine.

Ending with all of them pounding their staffs into the dias simultaneously, conjuring a massive updraft of wind that clears all of the clouds out of the sky.

Calypso is keeping an eye out for the guard they were talking to last night but can’t find them in the crowd.

Hoever Calypso does notice someone who fits Tobias’ description.  They go to talk to him and tell him that his friends are looking for him.  But he’s never heard of his friends, his name is Tobias but he doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

Delphie checks out the situation and can see that something was cast on him but can’t tell what or how recently.

Visitors start coming in, so they have to go back to their posts.

At the start of the ceremony, seven chairs are brought out for each of the heads of the seven families.

One of them, a middle-aged man with hair that turns into ginkgo leaves, in crisp green robes stands and approaches the gathered crowd, this is Lord Virasti.

He begins a speech, which starts as follows:

Welcome, welcome, people of Feolinn!  It is that time once again!  The goddesses have reached out to each other across the universe and are finally within reach!  This will be one for the histories!  It has been a bountiful year for our amazing city and we will only become a brighter beacon of excellence as time wears on.  I would like to thank the guilds for their help in arranging the festivities, our seven families for their commitment to this tradition, the Temple of Storms for their tireless efforts throughout the city, the Circle of The Stars who ensure that all of us can always see this stunning gift, and most importantly, the citizens of Feolinn!  Tonight is the first of three amazing nights and I expect you all to enjoy them to the fullest.  I will not keep you here long.  But I do have one announcement to make, in conjunction with the Radiant Festival.  Cybele, Cesare, will you both please join me?

Two people join him on the stage, coming down from the nobility seating behind on the dias.  The same woman Hugo saw the night before, though now they know her name is Cybele, carrying the same staff with her.  The second person has long, light brown hair that turns into vines, solid jade green eyes,in a crisp black and gold ensemble, gazing out into the crowd with a thousand-yard stare.

And continues: I would like to announce a day that I will hold close to my heart.  My eldest daughter, Cybele is to be wed to this dashing young man.  We are eager for you to join our family, Cesare.  The wedding will coincide with the final night of the festival, and our celebration will keep yours going for a few days more!  The city of Feolinn is invited to celebrate this momentous occasion with us.  With that…let the festivities begin!

Once the last scrap of sunset has succumbed to the night sky.  It erupts into a dancing, dazzling light show, the Radiant Storm has begun.  Fireworks zip into the sky, the crowd on the island and watching from the shores of the lake erupt into celebration.

[proteusolm]

Looking like I need to scrap and re-do an entire day of field work data. The 600+ benthic invertebrates my team collected was for naught. But at least I got to meet this guy.

[georgewalker02160215]

[rileyslibrary]

Ghost shares his New Year’s resolution with you.

A/N: This is an automated message. I’m still on a break. Also, a warning for you: this story does not follow canon. It’s fluff, though.

———————————————————————

You look around as you move through the groups of people, making your way toward the buffet. These New Year’s Eve parties at the military base are something else. It’s not the celebration that fascinates you; it’s the way people, just for the night, ditch their ranks and show another part of them that duty tends to conceal.

Seniors and subordinates talk like equals, and the rigid structure fades into the background, much like the slow jazz music playing from the speakers. Annoying ads occasionally interrupt the rhythm, and you make a mental note to locate the source and plug in your Spotify.

And yes, you’ve seen different aspects of their personality while on missions or in more casual settings. However, when you add alcohol into the mix, pair it with the excitement of the upcoming new year, and factor in the human need for closeness when away from family, everything feels different.

For example, you’d never have thought that Gaz gets an itch that lasts for days whenever he has to wear a Gillie suit or that Price can distinguish between different brands of cigars just by smelling them. ‘They need to have the right humidity level,’ you hear him say as you walk past the group and stand in front of the buffet. You scan the pastry platter, trying to find one that’s intact so you can pop it directly in your mouth since no plates are left. That or you haven’t spotted them yet. You look around, searching for a pile of clean ones, but pause as your eyes land on the training ground perimeter outside.

Approximately six feet-something, broad, a glass in his right hand, balaclava slightly raised, leaning against the fence, gazing up at the sky.

Your appetite for pastries is gone.

Leaving the buffet, you walk towards the door leading outside, but as you slide it open, a teammate grabs your shoulder. She urges you to share with the rest of her group about your time in Norway when you mistook a group of migrating salmon travelling upstream for a raid. You smile in response and promise her you’ll join them shortly, motioning towards the training grounds. She follows your gaze, and once she understands what you’re on about, she releases your shoulder and nods understandingly.

You slide open the door; Ghost looks over his shoulder but not directly at you. He’s not alarmed.

“The salmon story is not that funny,” he remarks in a low voice, wiggling his glass. “You should tell them about that time in Mexico.”

“You mean when I complained to the bartender that there was a worm in the tequila bottle?”

He nods, taking a sip. “Like finding a fly in your soup,” he murmurs, lowering his glass.

“I’m surprised you heard the conversation,” you state. “It’s chaos inside.”

Ghost shrugs and lowers his head. He’s not much of a talker lately—not like he’s a social butterfly on other days—but he’s not very keen on the chaos inside. Not only that, but the recent events have shaken him quite a lot, even though he conceals it well.

You rest your arms on the fence beside him, dangling your wine glass on the edge and look at the stars. He follows your lead and does the same. You lean in closer, and your shoulder touches his. He doesn’t move away—instead, he steadies himself further to support you. When you feel ready and secure, you shift your weight onto him and rest your head on his shoulder.

“I won’t ask you if you’re ok.” You whisper.

“That counts like asking.”

“Yeah,” you reply, “but I didn’t.”

“Good.” He says and takes a sip from his glass.

“Should I change the subject?”

“Should you keep on talking?” He asks back.

“Yes,” you murmur. “Yes, I absolutely should.”

He sighs and shakes his head. “Go on then.”

“So,” you begin, “any New Year resolution for you, Lt.?”

You feel him nod, and you stand upright in shock.

“Why look at you, Lt!” You shout wide-eyed, “I didn’t peg you as the resolution type.”

“What can I say,” he mumbles. “I’m a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a fucking enigma.”

“Churchill said something like that.” You state proudly.

“Indeed.” He replies. “Minus the ‘fucking’ part.”

“So?” You ask, “What is it?”

He looks at his glass, searching for the right words. “No more casualties.” He finally states.

“Don’t you think that’s a little far-fetched?” You ask, tilting your head to the side. “Considering the nature of our job and such?”

“So was your ‘no more chocolate’ resolution last year.” He replies.

“Hey!” You shout, “At least I tried!”

“That’s what I’m saying,” he rolls his eyes. “I’ll try to keep everyone safe.”

“That’s more like it,” You nod, lifting your glass. “Here’s to trying our best to keep everyone safe.”

He turns to face you. There’s a solemn expression behind those eyes of his. As if he’s determined to make this his life’s goal. He brings his glass closer to yours, and they clink together.

And as you’re about to drink from your shared toast, the door slides open, and a face pops in between.

“Here’s Johnny!” Soap shouts. Although he sports that annoying smug look, the top of his head is wrapped in a fresh white bandage, courtesy of the bullet that grazed him last month.

“I see you’re feeling better, Soap.” You say with a smile. “Would you like to join us?”

“Nah,” he replies. “Captain told me to tell you to come inside; cake’s about to be served.”

You thank him, and he shuts the door behind him. You turn to look at the lieutenant, who is slowly shaking his head.

“Scratch my New Year’s resolution,” Ghost murmurs, looking at the remains of his drink. “For this year, I plan on moving bases so I’d be away from him once and for all.” He states and downs the rest of it.

“You don’t mean that.” You chuckle and slap his arm.

“I don’t,” he admits, “but he made us all lose ten fucking years of our lives.”

“Everything turned alright, Lieutenant.” You say and wrap an arm around his waist. “Now, pull down your balaclava and come inside before you catch a cold.”

He wraps an arm around your shoulder and plants three little kisses at the top of your head before covering the rest of his face with his mask, leading you inside to celebrate the new year.

———————————————————————

[covid-safer-hotties]

Cloaked similarity between HIV-1 and SARS-CoV suggests an anti-SARS strategy - Published Sept 21, 2003

Yes, you are reading that date right

Never let them tell you "we didn't know the risk." They knew. They just ignored all epidemiological best practices. For corporate profit.

Abstract Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a febrile respiratory illness. The disease has been etiologically linked to a novel coronavirus that has been named the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), whose genome was recently sequenced. Since it is a member of the Coronaviridae, its spike protein (S2) is believed to play a central role in viral entry by facilitating fusion between the viral and host cell membranes. The protein responsible for viral-induced membrane fusion of HIV-1 (gp41) differs in length, and has no sequence homology with S2. Results Sequence analysis reveals that the two viral proteins share the sequence motifs that construct their active conformation. These include (1) an N-terminal leucine/isoleucine zipper-like sequence, and (2) a C-terminal heptad repeat located upstream of (3) an aromatic residue-rich region juxtaposed to the (4) transmembrane segment. Conclusions This study points to a similar mode of action for the two viral proteins, suggesting that anti-viral strategy that targets the viral-induced membrane fusion step can be adopted from HIV-1 to SARS-CoV. Recently the FDA approved Enfuvirtide, a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal heptad repeat of HIV-1 gp41, as an anti-AIDS agent. Enfuvirtide and C34, another anti HIV-1 peptide, exert their inhibitory activity by binding to a leucine/isoleucine zipper-like sequence in gp41, thus inhibiting a conformational change of gp41 required for its activation. We suggest that peptides corresponding to the C-terminal heptad repeat of the S2 protein may serve as inhibitors for SARS-CoV entry.

[sturgeonposting]

Siberian Sturgeon

Acipenser baerii, commonly known as the Siberian sturgeon, is native to the Siberian River and its surrounding basins, as well as the East Siberian Seas. Though today this sturgeon is widely considered monotypic, it was once divided into three subspecies: A. b. baerii, which accounts for 80% of the population and is native to the Ob river in Russia, migrating its 400+ kilometer length with the changing seasons; A. b. baicalensis, which resides primarily in Lake Baikal and migrates up the Selenga River during spawning season; and A. b. stenorrhynchus, a species native to the eastern Siberian rivers. Some members of A. b. stenorrhynchus are migratory, swimming upstream to spawn, while other members of the population are non-migratory. DNA testing has revealed that these three subspecies are actually genetically connected, and are merely separated by location and have thus adapted. Siberian sturgeon dine on crustaceans and larvae, the classic sturgeon diet. They are currently critically endangered in the wild, but an extensive population exists in captive-breeding programs and sturgeon farms for meat and caviar.

[manessha545]

Local Women, Chivay, Peru: Chivay is a town in the Colca valley, capital of the Caylloma province in the Arequipa region, Peru. Located at about 3,600 m above sea level (12,000 ft), it lies upstream of the renowned Colca Canyon. It has a central town square and an active market. Ten km to the east, and 1,500 metres above the town of Chivay lies the Chivay obsidian source. Wikipedia

[coolvietnamlove]

Black River, Dien Bien Phu, Dien Bien Province, Vietnam: The Black River also known upstream as the Lixian River in China, is a river located in China and northwestern Vietnam. Its source is in Yunnan province of China. From China, the river's course passes through the Vietnamese provinces of Lai Châu (where it forms part of the border with Điện Biên province), Sơn La and Hòa Bình. Wikipedia

[princessdimondheart]

Sea of Cortéz | Price x Daughter! Reader | Ch.1

Pairing: Price + Daughter! Reader, Reader x OC, TF-141 x Platonic! Reader

Warnings: 🔪- death, bodies

Edited: No

A/N: I had this idea pop up while watching NCIS!!! So there might be some references or even a little crossover if I make more parts…Should I make more parts?? If so I have notes on what should happen next.

Masterlist 

Ch. 1 [Here] | Ch. 2

Character banner ©️ Me

1.

Gaz huffed as he grappled over a rocky outcrop. He was glad he remembered to put on his gloves for this mission. He had previously forgotten to pack his gloves for other missions and ended up with scuffs and scratches. A hand appeared in his line of sight. He reached up to grab hold of his Captain’s open hand. The older man grunted as he helped pull the younger man over. The rest of the Task Force had just made it up as well. 

They were on a reconnaissance mission to find different routes to an AQ compound. They also had to make note of their patrols, numbers, and any movement to and from. The known compound was hidden in a steep valley within a mountain range in the United Republic of Adal. If Gaz recalled correctly, Al Mazrah was just over 50 kilometers away from their current location. 

The Captain was making conversation about his grown daughter that Gaz had learned about at the beginning of the Task Force. The team was in the Captain’s office when Johnny was the first to notice a framed photo of a rather pretty lady, thinking it was his girlfriend or something. A scowling Price said that she was his daughter and that she looked more like her mother than him. That he had her at a very young age and her mother was never in the picture almost immediately after her birth. Now his Captain was trying to set him up with her. His face burned at the thought of dating his Captain’s own blood. He was feeling kinda proud that he would be considered worthy enough for Price’s daughter. Johnny was snickering at him with a grin so wide Gaz wanted to smack it right off his face. He scowled at the Scot. 

Ghost was on point with Soap just behind him. He and the Captain were in the back watching their six. They had made it down the other side of the rocky hill they climbed up to and we’re now making their way through a dry creek bed. The bed was dry with cracks splitting the top layers of dirt. The dry flecks crunched under their boots. 

Ghost rounded a bend and paused. “Fuckin’ hell. Hold.” He raised his clenched fist. 

Captain Price moved closer to Ghost. “What is it?”

“A bloody massacre…” His words and the lilt in his voice made Gaz’s blood run cold. 

~~~~~

There was carnage left behind from this most obvious ambush. The two vehicles were blasted to bits, likely from an IED or smaller explosives. The Marines here put up a good fight. Dozens of empty round casings littered the sandy ground. Although some died in the blast before they could make a defense. 

Four bodies were laid about around the vehicles. Based on their position they were fighting on two sides. Soap and Ghost began checking the bodies for any inkling as to why these Marines were here. They never received intel about another team being out in this region of Adal. 

Gaz and Price covered them, searching along the bluffs nearby and further upstream. He stood by Soap who’d crouched to grab something from the Marine’s pocket. 

“Oh, fuck!” Soap exclaimed. Gaz looked at him confused. Johnny help up the… photo… of a person I’m rather revealing clothing. Or lack of clothing. Why did her face look so familiar?

Then it clicked! That was Price’s daughter. She was much older in her semi-nude photograph but it was the same girl from the photo on Price’s desk. 

“I don’t think I’ll be getting that date with your daughter.” Gaz let out an awkward chuckle. He was definitely not going on a date when they went back. 

Price was confused by his words. He walked closer to the pair. “What do you mean, Kyle?” 

Soap makes sure her privacy was covered and shows it to Price. His frown was almost instant. 

“Is that… that.. a um,” he swallowed hard and shook his head. “A nude photo of my baby girl?” 

Ghost came closer. “Hmm… seems so…”

The Captain’s body was stiff and then he turned his head down to the man that was in possession of such a photo of his not so little girl. His brow in a heavy glare. “Who the bloody hell is this bloke to have a fuckin’ nude photo of my-!” He gave the Marine a rather disrespectful kick to his side. 

“Woah! Captain!” In the heat of the moment, trying to pull Price back before he did anything else he would regret, Gaz almost missed the soft groan that came from the body. 

“Oh meh god, he’s fuckin’ alive!” Johnny heard it too and yelled, falling to his knees to check the Marine’s pulse. “…It’s faint but there. He must of passed out from blood loss or pain.” 

Gaz looked at his shocked yet still confused Captain. “We need to call for a medevac.”

“Soap and I will stay and complete the mission as fast as possible.” Ghost slapped his large gloved hand on Price’s shoulder. “We’ll wrap the rest up before the helo comes and when you get back, you can handle whatever the ’ell is goin’ on ’ere.”

Price shook off his hand but agreed with what Ghost said. He called over the radio and a helicopter was inbound in 30 minutes. Gaz and Soap did what they could to help the Marine out. Wrapping him in bandages where he was shot. A bullet hit him in the right shoulder and another two in the left leg. From what Gaz could discern, the two bullets just missed his bone but he wasn’t sure if any major arteries were nicked. He wasn’t certain but the convoy must have been ambushed within the last 24 to 48 hours since this guy was still alive. The rest of the Marines were placed in body bags that they all carried in their packs just in case a mission went south. 

Just in time, the helicopter arrived just down stream from the ambush site. Sand blew around them in large puffs of clouds. All the bodies, dead and alive, were loaded up. The medics on board were immediately on the Marine still alive, treating his wounds and placing and IV drip before the doctors back on base could look him over and perform surgery. 

Price yelled into the headset he wore the moment they got on the helo. “Who is this man?”

The medic pulled out a metal chain from the Marine’s shirt. His dog tag. “He appears to be a Gunnery Sergeant… Miguel Juan Cortéz. A-positive blood type-.“ Price waved him off. 

~~~~~

When they arrived on base, the medics took the lead and had the Gunny offloaded and halfway to the med-tents before Gaz and Price could even stand up. They both made it to the tents when the Gunny was rushed into emergency surgery. They sat outside the operating room on the old wooden benches. They creaked when they sat down. 

Several hours passed before they heard steps rushing towards them. They looked up to see Kate Laswell speedily making her way towards them. She stopped just a foot or so in front of them. 

“I heard down the grapevine that you brought back Miguel Juan Cortéz?” She rushed taking in only a short breath. 

“Yes, why?” The Captain was still upset but had time to cool off somewhat. 

“Good! Good, actually that’s perfect!” Laswell sighed in relief. Their raised brows in confusion alerted her to their lack of info. “He’s important, well, very very important to the people on The Hill right now.”

“Politicians?” Gaz cringed. Laswell looked back and forth between them.

“Kyle, John… Gunnery Sergeant Cortéz is two Senatorial votes and a Presidential signature away from being a Medal of Honor recipient.” The intensity of  Laswell’s eyes showed that she wasn’t messing around nor was it a lie. Both men straightened in their seats.

The Medal of Honor… an award so prestigious that it was rarely given to anyone. A soldier had to go above and beyond the call of duty at risk of their own life. An act of Valor. 

Just who was this Gunny Cortéz?

🔖 Taglist:

[katmaibearfan]

Katmai Bear Cam Terminology

This is a reference document for the terminology that you may see me use on this blog (or that you may see in the comments on the Katmai Bear Cams). I am not an expert, I am just an enthusiastic hobbyist. The purpose of this post is to help people understand the terms I will be using -- nothing more, nothing less. Please let me know if I'm wrong about any of these, or if there's others i should add!

Some of these terms are Katmai Bear Cam specific, but the vast majority of them are general Brown Bear terminology. I've broken it into sections by theme to make it easier to read. If something could go in two different categories, I picked the one that felt the most relevant.

The categories, in order, are: Life Stages, Dominance, Feeding, Salmon, and Misc.

Life Stages

Dependent: a term to describe bears that are relying on another bear for food, protection, and other basic needs.

Independent: a term for bears that do not rely on another bear for their basic needs.

Cub: a bear who is currently dependent on another bear (generally their mother) for basic needs, regardless of age.

COY / Cub(s) Of the Year: a cub that was born this year.

Spring Cub: see COY above.

Yearling: a cub who was born last year.

Emancipation: the process by which a mother and her cub(s) separate from each other, often when the cub is between 2.5 and 4.5 years old. Generally, this process is driven by the mother's estrus cycle.

Estrus: the period of about 2-3 weeks where a sow is able to mate. It also causes the sow to emancipate her current cubs, if she has any.

Subadult: a bear who is independent, but has not yet reached sexual maturity. the term "independent subadult" is also sometimes used.

Sow: a sexually mature female bear.

Boar: a sexually mature male bear.

Dominance

Top Boar: the boar who is currently 'in charge' of the local hierarchy.

Charge: a general term for when a bear runs at something they perceive as a threat; can be an aggressive charge or a bluff charge.

Aggressive Charge: when a bear charges and intends to fight. They will have their head down and their ears back, and they will sprint directly towards their target.

Bluff Charge/Hop Charge: when a bear charges and intends to scare or intimidate rather than attack. They will run toward their target in large leaps and either veer off to the side at the last second or stop short.

Feeding

High Grading: when a bear eats only the most calorie-rich portions of salmon -- the head, the skin, and the eggs if the salmon has them -- and then discards the rest of the fish.

Scraps: pieces of food that the bears leave on the ground or in the river. The term applies to both the parts that are discarded when high grading and the pieces that come off naturally while feeding in general.

Pirating: when one bear takes food, generally scraps, from another bear who is currently present. Note -- does not apply to cubs taking food from their mothers or siblings.

Salmon

Run: the annual event where salmon return to the rivers they spawned in to breed. All salmon species present in Brooks River die after spawning.

Staging: when the salmon wait in larger bodies of water such as lakes or large rivers for more favorable conditions before heading upstream to their spawning location.

Jumpers: a term used on the bear cam chat for salmon that are attempting to jump over Brook's Falls.

Popcorning: a term used on the bear cam chat for when the frequency of salmon jumping at Brooks Falls is approximately equal to the frequency of popcorn popping while it cooks.

Misc.

Bitey Face: a term used on the bear cam chat for play fighting.

Treeing/treed: when a bear, generally a cub, climbs a tree for their own safety, often at the instruction of their mother.

Alice: a name used on the bear cam chat for any given seagull, which becomes pluralized when referring to a group, for example, "a flock of Alices".

Grazered: a verb used on the bear cam chat when a sow (most often 128 Grazer) attacks another bear, especially while protecting cubs.

[maydaymadier]

The Clouds and The Keys (session 7)

Welcome back to the Merano campaign!  All character names are in bold, spells are in italics.  Party members are tagged “merano: [character name]”.  Locations visited (cities, specific establishments) are tagged “location: [NAME]”.  Important npcs are tagged "npc: name." All posts for this campaign are tagged “campaign: merano”.

INTRODUCTION:

Failing to blend in with the crew of The Dapper, the party enters combat with the Storm Warden. He's a heavy hitter, dealing serious damage but the party puts together a plan to deal crowd-control damage and Control Water to punch a hole in the hull of his ship to force him to retreat and help his crew. Realizing that their enemies are using the token to track them, they toss it into the river. Though Captain Monpress is furious about this and has them locked in the hold, kicking them out the moment they dock in Feolinn. The party immediately notices that the city is preparing for a festival. So they decide to look around, try and find new clothes to blend in, keep an ear to the ground for the current rumor mill, and trade in their weapons for some new equipment.

IT'S TWO DAYS UNTIL THE START OF THE RADIANT FESTIVAL

After trading in their weapons, the party heads on to keep looking for festival outfits.  But more importantly, Marasmius is tired, so he’s gonna treat himself, have a little spa day, take some time to just chill.

The party heads further into the Clouds to go find festival outfits.

While in a shop, the party notices two people come in, a goblin and a dwarf, there to ask the shop clerk to collect their payment for a job and leave.  Though the clerk makes sure to mention that they don’t have any more work for them.  They should go check the board.

The party asks what board they’re talking about once the other two have left, and are pointed in the direction of the Leaf-in-the-Breeze Tea Shop.  While there, they also pick up a sachet of loose-leaf tea for Marasmius.

The board has a handful of job listings on it, some more formal than others, including:

INCREASED SECURITY NEEDED AT THE STONEHOME FORTRESS: Inquiries can be made at the Ozdemir watchtower, Upstream District. 50gp/day

WANTED: Session musicians for special performance at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Radiant Festival.  More shifts can be negotiated upon request.  Ask for the Crowsen Bardic Guild, Clouds District.  25gp each

NEEDED: Experienced deckhands for seasonal work, in preparation for the festival.  Contact Constantine Ocea at the Skytouch Port.  30gp/day

GRIFFINS ARE GETTING TOO CLOSE TO MY GARDEN PLEASE HELP, Anthea, Doors District.  Can barter for magical items

HIPPOCAMPI ARE GETTING TANGLED IN THE WATER LILIES, NEED HELP SETTING UP A FENCE, Tango, Stars District.  

Lamia and manticores spotted prowling outside the Clouds, see The Unbroken Chain adventurer’s guild for more information, Clouds District.  100gp/proof of slain creature

H.N.

The party decides over their little tea break to do one of the smaller jobs first, heading east towards the Doors to go see Anthea about some griffons.

Upon getting there, a frazzled tiefling woman, Anthea, meets them at the door and is relieved that someone’s here to try and help her.  For whatever reason, these griffons have been climbing over her fence and absolutely devouring her cabbages.

They don’t have to wait long for the griffons to make an appearance, three of them come up to the fence and the most adventurous of the three climbs over it.

Hugo approaches and tries talking to it but it just ignores him.

Delphie on the other hand, notices that the griffin is behaving exactly like a chicken and paying closer attention to her magical sight, these are chickens!  Someone transmuted chickens into griffons.

Delphie goes back to tell Anthea what’s happening and she is incensed immediately having someone in mind for who could have done this.  A neighborhood shitty teen sorcerer named Hocus.

The party go and lead the three griffons, renaming them Houdini, Colette, and Gerbers while they walk, Anthea leading the way.

Anthea knocks on the door and immediately starts to demand to see Hocus, that he needs to drop the Polymorph and APOLOGIZE for ruining her cabbages.

Hocus is being a little shit about the whole situation, hand-waving any concerns with ‘oh come on, they’re just chickens, it’s fine.’  Anthea reiterates that it is NOT fine, they DEVOURED her cabbages.  Delphie also chimes in to chew him out because chickens CAN be dangerous and turning them into griffons doesn’t change that.

Thoroughly cowed, Hocus drops the spell and awaits whatever punishment he’s going to get for his little escapade.

They stop back at Anthea’s house so she can pay them in magical items, though she does also promise to vouch for them if anyone asks if they’re good for a job.  She gives them three items, a jar of fey honey (they decide to hold onto it for Marasmius), a witch’s ring, and a bottle of Liar’s Breath potion.

With that under their belt, the party decides which of the bigger jobs they should look into next, briefly considering the position at the docks but Calypso is really the only one who knows the ropes and is good at heavy lifting.  So instead of splitting up, they head towards the Crowsen Bardic Arts Guild in Upstream.

Hugo gives Delphie and Calypso a marraca each so they can be backup musicians for him.

On their way through the Doors, they notice a large stone temple, the Temple of Storms and come to the conclusion that this must be where the Storm Warden is from.  Hugo flips off the building.

This is their first time in Upstream, and it immediately strikes them as a swanky uptown district, much wealthier than the rest of the city.  There are even rudimentary clockwork robots carrying out simpler tasks, couriers and the like.

The inside of Crowsen is a nice lounge on the first floor, though it’s too early to be properly open.  When asked about the job, the hostess at the front directs them upstairs.

When they get to the office, it’s with the stomach-churning realization that Hugo knows this man.  Renon Hetroux, a middle-aged purple tiefling man, hair graying at the temples, a broken horn replaced with an amethyst dupe.  He seems surprised to see Hugo, Hugo seems ready to burn down the building upon seeing him.

Renon explains that they just need more musicians for the opening ceremony of the festival though there will be more opportunities throughout.  If he’s interested all he has to do is audition, he’s listening.

Calypso and Delphie can obviously tell something is going on but for the sake of getting in and out of this interaction as quickly as possible, tell Hugo that if he wants out all he has to do is say “falseberry” and they’ll leave.

Hugo whips out his kazoo and proceeds to play notes that should not be possible on such an instrument, a jaw-dropping display of skill.

Renon is stunned, and tells the three of them to be at Keystone Island 3 hours before sunset in 2 days.

Once they leave, the party is able to get some information out of Hugo.  

The two of them ‘dated’ at one point, the problem being that Hugo was 19 and Renon was 40.  Agatha ripped his horn off when she found out.  He had no clue that he’s run off to Feolinn when he skipped town.

Calypso and Delphie don’t recognize the name, so he also tells them that Agatha is essentially his mom.  He shows them a little magical picture that switches back and forth between the two of them when he was a kid and him as an adult.

They quickly decide that they ARE NOT going to take up that job and if Hugo wants to they’ll gladly rip the guy’s head off.  At the very least they’re going to scare him.

In the meantime, they head back to the Clouds to find a place to stay while they’re in town.

They find an adventurer’s flophouse called The Rusty Blade, the rooms are two beds each and first come, first served, the top floor is the least busy right now and they do manage to find an unclaimed room.

They put together a plan for sleeping arrangements and agree to barricade the door since there aren’t any locks.

Hugo stays behind while Calypso and Delphie go find something to eat.

Hugo casts Sending to Agatha, telling her that he’s alright but Renon is in Feolinn.  In response: Love you, glad to hear from you, I’m gonna kill him. 

Calypso is determined to get Hugo A Little Treat (lassi and candied almonds).  They attempt smalltalk with Delphie but they both come to the sudden realization of how awkward it is, they haven’t really interacted one on one much so far.

The barricade backfires a little bit because it’s harder getting back into the room than expected.

Hugo thanks them for the Little Treat and everyone settles in to come up with a plan.

Calypso decides to teach them both knots so they’ll be prepared going down to the docks tomorrow to try and get a gig there.

The three of them spend the rest of the day diligently learning knots.

[rabbitcruiser]

Schwatka Lake, Whitehorse

Schwatka Lake is a reservoir created by the damming of the Yukon River in Whitehorse, Yukon, completed in 1958. The dam provides electrical power generation and is operated by the Yukon Energy Corporation. The White Horse Rapids, which gave the city its name, are now under the lake. The lake was named after Frederick Schwatka, a US Army Lieutenant who was first to explore the total length of the Yukon River.

A fish ladder has been constructed around the hydroelectric dam to allow the passage of Chinook salmon to their spawning grounds upstream of Whitehorse. The Chinook salmon that pass the dam have the longest freshwater migration route of any salmon, over 3,000 kilometres to the mouth of the Yukon River in the Bering Sea.

Whitehorse Water Aerodrome, a float plane base, is located on the lake. The lake has been the city's water supply for some years, but the city is now converting to relying entirely on aquifers, partly due to the threat of pollution from fuel spills and other activities by people in the watershed of the lake. Previously, there had been talk of moving the float plane base or the water supply to Fish Lake, which is impractically located to the west over a winding, steep road.

Source: Wikipedia

[vital-deloin]

Alien tripods from movies. The inhabitants of the seabed meet tripods in real life! In the pitch darkness of the deep sea, the amazing tripod fish Bathypterois grallator thrives. This species lives in tropical and subtropical waters at depths from 878 to 4720 meters. The tripod fish got its name due to its characteristic pose. It is located on the ocean floor, facing upstream, with its mouth open and pectoral fins extended forward. This unique position allows the fish to detect approaching prey and guide it directly into its mouth using its sensitive fins. (The sounds are made by whales.)

[blade-ranger-301]

Piston Peak

So, as mentioned previously in the character sheet, any of my works, art, fanfics, etc will all be based in the UK 🇬🇧

This is just a headcanon that I have. There's not much logic or evidence to back this up or support it as canon. It's just a fun little headcanon of mine. Blade, to me, would make such a good Brit. He's got that morning grumpiness, the intense stoicism, the bad habit of saying "alright" even though he might not be, and he would definitely swear like a brit too. But also, he's hardworking and down to earth.

So, with that, Piston Peak is going to be set in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 I've not yet decided if the park will have it's own geographical location or if it's going to replace an already existing one.

Here is the official map for Pistion Peak:

Piston Peak will still have all the features from the movie; V6 Valley, Whitewall Falls, the small basin where the PPAA team is located, etc, but outside of V6 Valley and around the outskirts will be the rest of the park. It will contain features such as lakes, rivers, reservoirs, mountains, hills, forests, and moorlands.

There will also be some camping grounds/camping resorts. And small, cute villages.

Think of this aesthetic:

These geographical features, and the appearance of these features, have taken inspiration from three irl National Parks: The Lake District, Peak District, and Snowdonia National Park.

These three parks hold a special place in my heart. They're my favourite parks and are also the three parks that I've visited most.

The Lake District

The Lake District is located in the north-west of England. It's famously known for its 16 lakes, given it's name. It's also known for the highest mountain in England - Scarfell Pike. It's also the location where Graphite was first discovered before they mass produced Graphite pencils in Europe.

The terrain here is much greener than the Peak District, and is a wide mixture of farmers fields, mountains, hills, moorland, forests, rivers and lakes.

The Peak District

The Peak District is located in the northern-central part of England, sitting directly beside the city of Manchester on it's Eastern side.

This park is mostly full of hills and sloped mountains, covered in moorland grass. There's also more reservoirs here, the most famous being Derwent Dam, known for being a popular training ground for Lancaster bombers when they were testing out the bouncing bomb.

It also has one of the most beautiful drives through the park too. Snake Pass, on the west side of the park coming from Manchester is a well-known road, known for its winding and "snake-like" appearance as you wrap around mountains. You actually follow a river upstream in a valley and arrive at 2 dams. It's also known for its high number of road accidents too.

Snowdonia

Snowdonia National Park, better known as "Eryri" (Er-ru-ree), is located on the north-western side of Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. It's also the biggest National Park in Wales, and the 3rd biggest in the UK. It's also home to Wales' biggest mountain, Mount Snowdon. Around half of the park homes about 9 mountain ranges.

I tend to visit this park the most often, and I also just spent a week-long holiday here within the National park, but towards the far West where the borders of the park meets the sea.

So for this headcanon to work, we're gonna need some fires 🔥🔥🔥 otherwise there'd be absolutely no point in this.

Now don't get me wrong, we're nothing like the US. US temperatures can be between at least 30 to 40°c in the summer, we often have summers around the low to mid 20's. We may even get as much as the late 20's to 30°C during a heatwave.

We don't get quite as hot as other countries but we have insanely high humidity which prevents things from cooling down, even in the shade or at night, due to the amount of warm moisture in the air - so it actually feels hotter than it is.

The UK has a wet, windy and cooler climate BUT we do have our fair share of wildfires.

The UK Forestry Commision released a report that covers a period between 2009/10 to 2021/22 of wildfires recorded in the UK.

Between this 12 year period, around 360,000 individual wildfires were recorded, and 79,000 acres of land had been impacted.

The majority of individual fires were classed as being "small", but there was 12,000 classed as "primary" big fires.

4,700 fires affected National Parks, and 11,000 impacted "Sites of Special Scientific Interest".

The most affected areas of land were agricultural land, woodland, and residential areas.

Throughout the report, there seemed to be a steady increase in fire incidents throughout the 12 years.

I even had my own first hand experience with a wildfire. In August 2023, there was a wildfire on a field which backs onto my back garden fence at the rear of the house. The grass fire initially started down by the brook right beside my house, very likely started by teenagers, either by a lit cigarette or a vape. Had the wind blown in a different direction, it would've reached us in a few minutes.

Luckily for me, the fire was blown East and it travelled away from my house and along the side of the field. The farmer at the time was growing straw that had since been harvested, so all the tiny straw spikes in the ground were dry and helped to fuel this fire and it spread quickly.

There were flames that did reach at least 8ft in places, but it was the heat and speed of the fire that was the most concerning. It took multiple fire engines and two tractors with flattening equipment behind them to eventually smother the fire, just as it reached the back garden fence of someone's house.

Just witnessing this made me realise how quick these grass fires can spread and just how scary it was if the wind had simply blown the other way.

And with that, comes my conclusion. With the facts and figures I've discussed in this post, I do have a little bit of logic to go with this headcanon of mine. It won't quite sit right with the film but it's not complete nonsense at least XD

Hope you enjoyed reading it :)

[nahisummerhold]

The Night the Light Went Out in Hallowfall

(Adding this so people are aware of the prompt)

Whatever someone might imagine as a fear, the company’s current location probably had something that would have at least a tangential link to it. Fear of the dark? Check. Fear of spiders or other bugs? Check. Fear of being buried alive? Check, they were underground afterall. Rodents? Nahi didn’t even want to check that off the list because then she would have to think about what else the dark might attract. Sharks? As Fio said there was always the kobyss.

The eternal night of Netherstorm had not prepared her for this kind of dark, where the weight of it closed from every side. The halo of the light from the camp extended out, shadows dancing in and out whenever the light would flicker, her imagination happy to fill in the motion with incursions of any number of threats that they were facing. Whoever wrote the song, ‘keeping the home fires burning’ had absolutely no clue what light meant to the overactive mind when Beledar was engulfed by its Void cycle.

It was late at night, Nahilvi’s schedule finally a boon for something, it wasn’t just the assignment, or fear, that was keeping her alert, this was the time when energy filled her, those late night and after bar hours that the service industry was known to haunt. Commander Dal’shula and the camp manager made sure it was known that helping to keep their fire lit was the priority but everyone had to be observant and ready to help when the unexpected would come because it would. 

And when it did, it didn’t come from their camp. The edges of their area were still protected by their brazier but Nahi saw fingers of the dark reach deeper in as a small tremble made the flame dip. There was no time to check on their own fire because the ground opened and devoured the golden flame of the next camp, leaving a memory of its outline in her eyes because chance had her looking in that direction when it happened.

Nahi searched for any sign that this was not what every camp had been trying to prevent, while everything began to move around her. She heard the Commander’s clarion call, "RUN INTO OUR LIGHT! FIGHTERS WITH ME, GET THEM INTO OUR CAMP! EVERYONE ELSE KEEP THAT LIGHT GOING, HELP THE WOUNDED, AND CALL BACK OUR NIGHT SHIFT TO HELP!” and the fighters’ that served him for so long’s response, not in words but armor being donned and weapons gathered before they joined him at the edge of their camp. With so many people flowing around her, they became a blur as she froze in place. The sound was clear and she heard Kai call to her but any movement around her held no definition, she was a boulder in a river of action stuck in place. Something caught at the edge of her vision, it was moving, but it came from the opposite direction, swimming upstream making it seem slower. A mercenary from the other camp maybe? A stranger for sure, a panicked stranger running straight for their brazier. “Keep the light protected, keep their camp protected,” the orders that had been repeated so many times, were lodged in her mind. The fear that held her anchored, crumbled into dust and caught on the current that the others had moved within, sweeping her into action. 

Catching the man’s arm at the elbow she tried to slow and guide him away from the center of camp, but he fought her and did not seem to recognize anything but his goal, even her touch made him scream like she became part of the nightmare which had just tried to devour him. Jerking to the side, he swung a fist coated in greenish yellow ichor at her, but she stepped into his body keeping the punch from landing while speaking with a calm she was surprised she still possessed, “Stop, you are in the camp. Nothing is coming after you.”

His body had reacted to the horror he came through and made him strong enough to tear nahi away from him as he continued toward the light as single mindedly as a moth. “Help me! They’ve got me! Help!” Nahi did the only thing she could think of and went limp, sliding down, she wrapped her arms and legs around his own, like a child wanting to keep a parent in place. Keeping her head down to try and just absorb blows he rained upon her, she held fast keeping him from getting to the brazier. A healer that Nahi recognized but couldn’t name, and one of the fighters came running towards her, they didn’t chastise her or try and free him, the robed woman stared straight into his eyes, him while the fighter took hold of one of his arms so Nahilvi could let go, rolling to the side in case a kick was aimed at her. The roll was mostly graceful and she found her feet quickly, the healer nodded at the man’s other arm and the three of them got him to safety where he could be watched. 

It was there that Kai found her, she was helping an injured person make their way to the healers which Nahi stepped up to help her friend. Then, without needing to be told, both ran back to where injured were coming into the camp from the dark and worked side by side to get people to the healers, guiding those they could, carrying those they couldn’t. It was a good thing they didn’t have to talk much considering the screeching, clacking chittering of the insectoids, screams of those being torn apart or devoured and the crashing sounds of the fight engulfed the camp in a cacophony that belied the chaos found in the blackness around it.

It was one of the rare moments where she found herself without Kai that a woman caught Nahi’s eye. She was trying to crawl out of the shadow, fingers digging into the dirt to pull herself forward but making no progress, the black clinging to her lower body as if it was an anchor. Rushing forward, Nahi grabbed the woman’s arms, pulling to draw further into the light. 

A clacking of mandibles and a string of mucus came from right above the prone woman and Nahilvi could see one sharp leg covered in coarse hair was spiked into the woman’s lower back, the curve keeping her pinned despite Nahi’s insistent tugging. It felt like this had become a two for one dinner offer as multifaceted eyes met her violet ones when she looked up, kicking backwards and releasing the woman she tried to get away from the nerubian who had a short arm extending towards her ankle. 

Metal crunched into the exoskeleton with such force that whatever goo that was held in the spider creature was sent splattering across the pinned woman, a shield sheared through the leg dug in next to her spine. Another gush of viscera dumped into Nahi’s lap when a heavy mace crushed into the insectoid’s head, enough to make her look more like a victim than a woman just doing her best to rescue others. 

The body crumpled and she looked to see who saved them and saw Dice moving on to the next threat to try to seep into the camp’s safety before she turned her attention back to the woman. What passed for blood of the nerubian pooled on her lower back and seeped into the torn edges of flesh and Nahi yanked the leg free, cutting her hands on the serrated edge and ridges. The leg lifted the woman’s body with it until gravity pulled it free she was longer trying to get to safety her fighting spirit had drained along with blood that pooled in the dirt.That didn’t matter to Nahi, there was a chance that the woman could be healed so she struggled but picked her up, stumbling back to the healers. 

Light in the tent was almost a second beacon in itself, she only had to stand at the edge before people rushed out to take the woman from her arms. A healer looked at Nahi, pulling her to the side to clean her hands and bandage them, then he ordered her to remain there and help with people coming in. Her credentials of life with a healer, and nurses in her home, were not enough to let him trust her to even bandage anyone, or he was worried some of the gunk drying on her might fall into an open wound, both were valid reasons. He only let her fetch water, take notes of people’s names and take information back to the healers working with more severely hurt.

Nahi remained helping until the injured stopped trickling in and at that point she was sitting and listening to people talk, it was not always about what happened to them, but so many details they needed to share, even some joking between friends trying to lighten the mood. Time passed and it was impossible for Nahi to tell how long, but it really didn’t matter as some of those who had been in the dark with those creatures needed someone to just be there. Plus, she really didn’t want to sleep anyway.  ( @talonoa @kaisinasunblade @dicenne @themercenaries @fio-renze )

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

BY: DAVID LITMAN

Earlier this week, several United Nations “experts” issued a statement claiming there were “credible allegations” of Israeli forces committing sexual violence against Palestinian women. As CAMERA has already noted, among the authors of the statement were individuals with histories of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. Moreover, the statement was noticeably devoid of any evidence. Similarly absent was any information to assess the credibility of the allegations, such as dates, times, locations, or identities. All readers had to go on was the word of the hardly impartial authors.

CAMERA was not alone in noticing the curious lack of details. At least one journalist, who asked not to be named, corresponded with the UN “experts,” asking if they could provide any details and sources for their allegations. The response from one of them, Reem Alsalem, was to say that she could not provide any details or sources. In fact, she even appeared to suggest that they’re not even sure where the alleged victims are.

The only source for the allegations they were willing to point to, after repeated requests by the journalist, was a public report by an organization called Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC). Given that this is all the public has to go on to scrutinize the allegations, it is worth examining WCLAC’s report. After all, if the UN “experts” consider the report credible, that gives some insight into the quality and nature of the undetailed allegations they have made themselves.

Knowingly Attempting to Create a False Equivalence

The WCLAC report begins with a curious argument. To provide some context, the report was sent to the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, who had visited Israel in January to probe the use of sexual violence by Hamas during the October 7 massacre.

In the letter to which the WCLAC report is attached, the organization expresses concern that the allegations they are raising against Israeli forces do not rise to the level of gravity that Ms. Patten’s mandate requires. The letter “raises a significant concern regarding the mandate” Ms. Patten apparently presented to WCLAC, which “limits sexual violence to acts of a grave nature, such as rape and trafficking” for purposes of her mandate. Apparently concerned that none of their allegations rise to that level of gravity, the organization calls for her to “reinforce” her mandate to “amplify” vague concepts such as “humanitarian work, upstream prevention, justice and accountability…” The letter than raises a “demand to consider Israeli’s (sic) violations of different forms of violence including sexual and reproductive rights and in your upcoming report on OPT” (an acronym for “occupied Palestinian territories”).

Put more simply, WCLAC wants the UN representative to change her mandate so as to create an equivalence between Hamas’s systematic use of horrific sexual violence on October 7 with the allegations WCLAC makes in its attached report against Israeli forces.