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2018.09.29 21:13 sushiandtacos Grey Griffin

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2023.06.01 08:50 The_Fool_Arcana0000 "DESCEND TO DARKNESS!!!" -Jeanne D'Arc Bayonetta 4 Prologue: "Hell on Earth" Plot Outline Part III Finale (2/2)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bayonetta in any shape or form. It belongs to Sega and Platinum and is published by Nintendo. Moving on, if you believe Bayonetta 1-3 are considered adult, insane, and over-the-top, then prepare yourself because this outline will go full throttle and hold nothing back. The plot outlines that I have planned for "Bayonetta 4" will be insane and push boundaries that I don't think any Bayonetta game has done thus far in absurdity and graphic violence. So please, prepare yourself for the insanity that is about to unfold before reading.
Bayonetta 4 Compendium
Prologue Part III Finale (2/2):
Heaven's Feel: The Outbreak of War Begins
The screen pans out to reveal multiple Sin Demons in the distance headed towards the aircraft, some even materializing on the very roof that the duo stood on.
"Are those-?!" Jeanne questioned, mouth agape.
"Sin Demons" Viola interrupts.
"They're all Sin Demons. I don't how or why, but if they get in our way, we cut them down!"
"Alright then, I suppose that this moment calls for special back up," Jeanne declared, turning her hips to summon a Umbran headset.
It was time to talk with the pilot.
"Enzo, I think you've earned a reward for having followed all of my orders-! I'll be granting you full access to all the missiles on this lovely slayer of mine!"
She then raised her left hand all the way up, sassily snapping her fingers.
VOOSH!
The screen shows multiple missile launchers loaded with AGM-114 Hellfire's springing out from the sides of the aircraft as well as the undercarriage opening, revealing a huge, M134 Machine Gun.
Enzo's voice could be heard panicking from the headset.
"What the FUCK?! I don't know how-!"
"There's a small pamphlet underneath your seat with all the necessary instructions. Read that and you'll be learning in no time!" Jeanne elegantly retorted.
Enzo grumbled to himself, scrambling to find the pamphlet. It was either that or death via plane crash.
Heaven's Feel: The Outbreak of War Ends
Heaven's Feel: Come on, Make your Move Begins
The screen cuts to Jeanne and Viola, readying themselves for battle!
The Sin Demons on the roof have fully materialized, taking their first few steps before shrieking at the duo.
The Book of Infernal Demons then appears on screen, revealing new entries: "Devourer of Will: Sin Apathy", "Wailer of Lament: Sin Despair", "Feaster of Petrification: Sin Fury", and "Husk of Boundless Animosity: Sin Spite".
Sin Apathy: It has a male, pitch-black body with draconic features, red eyes, and a black miasma surrounding it. It is able to stretch out it arms and use its venom-covered claws to dig into its enemies, inflicting a special poison capable of draining its victims will to live and organ failure.
Sin Despair: It has a tall, abnormally thin, female figure, with pale skin, dirty white hair, red eyes, and long red claws. It is constantly wailing and crying tears of blood from its torn-off face and becomes unhinged when approached. It is a vicious killing machine that uses ultra-sonic screams, and endlessly swipes at its enemies with its claws.
Sin Fury: It is a wyvern now, capable of releasing poisoned, black thorns that makes its enemy sluggish. Moreover, they're able to traverse through its environment at faster speeds because of their large wings. Lastly, its eye has been enhanced, being able to release magical shots that can permanently petrify opponents.
Sin Spite: It has a tall, bulky, male figure, with small, red wings, a long red tail, and red, scaley-skin. Additionally, it carries a golden trident capable of releasing waves of energy. It has black eyes and is able to gape its mouth at terrifying degrees, revealing the multitude of sharp teeth that it uses to chomp it enemies.
The book then closes before heading straight for the camera, cutting back to Jeanne and Viola.
Their backs are side-to-side as they pass through blood-red, demon-infested skies!
"We've got work to do!!" Jeanne screamed, summoning All 4 One!
"I couldn't have said it better myself!!"Viola yells, taking out Mab Dachi from its scabbard on her back.
Heaven's Feel: Come on, Make your Move Ends
Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness Metal
The screen then shows the duo separate to fight their own enemies.
Jeanne is lunged upon by four Sin Despairs in the air. They intend to gouge her eyes out and dismember her limb-by-limb!
"You bitches think you've got a chance?! Then so be it!!" she yelled, shooting multiple charge shots at them!
Almost all of them were disoriented, but one had dodged all the bullets, going ahead of the rest to kill Jeanne. However, it was met with an unexpected Heel Stomp from Jeanne that smacked it from above and onto the ground!
"You ugly bitch!" Jeanne yelled, running to the Sin Demon before using Combo 15!
During this, Jeanne was continuously pistol whipping the Sin Despair, releasing a Wicked Weave that knocked the demon up into the air before following it up with a devastating Wicked Weave that kicked it off the roof!
Despite this, Jeanne was not out of the clear as other Sin Despairs had regained their balance, now closing the gap with her as they prepared an ultra-sonic scream!
"HAAAA!!!"
"Shut the FUCK UP!" Jeanne retorted, jumping into the air before using Concussion Step to slam their asses to the side!
After that, she used Blink Charge to reach one of four Sin Fury's flying in the air, gracefully Air Kicking it down. However, when she landed on the floor, two of them descended upon her, shooting out balls of purple energy from their eyes!
"Hah! You worthless vermin!" Jeanne taunted, dodging at the last second before transforming into a kettle of red moths.
Ding!
Witch Time was now active as the colors of environment became a transparent purple and Jeanne sped up.
First, she used Full Moon Shoot to launch the Sin Fury that she knocked down into the air before using Tetsuzanko to push it towards the two Sin Fury's headed towards her. Then, she used Blink Charge again to reach that same demon, using Astounding Touch to kill the three with multiple punches!
Afterwards, she quickly used Heel Stomp on the remaining Sin Fury to get it onto the floor before using Gut Wrench Heel to finish it off!
FWOOSH!
Witch Time had ended as the colors of environment returned to normal and Jeanne landed on the floor.
The screen then showed five Sin Spites releasing spouts of red water from their mouths towards Jeanne!
However, she remained calm and poised, leaping into the air to avoid the oncoming explosions before yelling aloud with a powerful pose!
"ZILDAR VPAAH!"
Suddenly, a demonic bird had pierced clouds in the sky before descending onto the roof of the aircraft, opening its massive wings. It released a gust of wind that sent multiple Sin Spites flying backwards!
"So much for 'Sin Demon', how pathetic!" Jeanne laughed, gently touching Malphas as he vanished into particles.
The screen then cut to the front of the aircraft to show missiles being launched at Sin Demons in the sky, resulting in a never-ending number of explosions. Meanwhile, the M134 Machine Gun, was gunning down multiple Sin Demons that approached the aircraft!
Enzo is then shown in the pilot's seat growling as he pressed multiple buttons.
"TASTE THIS MOTHERFUCKERS!!"
BOOSH!
BOOSH!
BRRRRRT!!!
As for Viola, she was dealing with her own set of enemies.
Three Sin Spite's had released turquoise, diagonal slashes of energy towards her from their tridents in the air!
"Not on my watch!" she yelled, jumping into the air to avoid the attack.
She then used Shredder to reach the Sin Spite in the middle, quickly using After Burner Kick to stun it. Afterwards, she jumped on its body, going directly above it to use Star in the Black.
"These fuckers have nothing on me!" she excitedly yelled, releasing a barrage of darts that exploded on impact!
BOOM!
The Sin Spite's went down hard as the explosion damaged their wings!
Viola then aimed Mab Dachi downward, readily preparing her next attack!
"Time to die, baby!" she shouted, using Hungry Hi-Hat as she landed onto the roof of the aircraft, puncturing it with her katana!
Cheshire's ginormous head was seen coming out from a demonic portal and straight into the air! He had a devilish grin on his face, mouth drooling at the sight of the delicious feast that Viola had prepared for him!
The screen then cuts to three Sin Spites comedically trying to avoid his mouth. However, all attempts failed as his mouth grew wider in size. Afterall, Sin Demons were "beyond a delicacy" in Inferno, Cheshire thought. He didn't know when he would be able to devour one again. So, he wouldn't let a single drop of blood go to waste as the Sin Spites landed into his hypnotic mouth.
CRUNCH!!
CRUNCH!!
GULP!
Cheshire is seen wiping blood off his lips with joy before disappearing into particles.
Afterwards, Viola heads towards Mab Dachi, pulling it out from the roof before feeling a sudden stinging sensation on her back.
In response, she quickly does a back walkover, turning her head mid-air to see a Sin Despair.
"Jeez, these guys are aggressive!" she thought.
She then proceeded to sweep kick the Sin Despair, seeing it fall flat on its face before using Tom Tom Balloon to launch it in air!
Then she used Combo 11, following it up with a perfectly timed Bass Boost that thrusted the Sin Demon onto a group of Sin Apathy's as they stretched their hands towards Viola.
"I don't think so, assholes!"
CRASH!
All the Sin Demons were knocked down onto the floor. However, Viola wasn't done, Cheshire still had to have his fun.
"CHESHIRE!" she shouted, throwing Mab Dachi onto the floor.
A huge portal then formed from where the Katana landed. Cheshire emerging from it soon after!
He looked onward at the sight with jubilation before making a tall jump in the air. All he needed was one good pounce to end these Sin Demons!
So, he readied a new attack, Blue Tenka (点火). He would engulf himself with blue flames, turning into a ticking time bomb that would detonate the second he slammed onto something. Now, it would render him temporarily unavailable as he would die. However, his knack for theatrics made him want to take out his enemies with a bang.
”Knock'em them dead, Cheshire!” Viola screamed.
The screen then showed the Sin Despair and group of Sin Apathy looking at Cheshire’s ignited body with horror as he drew closer to them.
All Cheshire could do was look at their faces was a cheeky grin.
“It's over for these chumps!” he thought.
BOOM!!
A multitude of Sin Apathy’s flew off of the aircraft while others suffered a most horrible execution.
“Woo-hoo!” Viola cheered, giving Cheshire a thumbs up before running towards Mab Dachi to regroup with Jeanne.
Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness Ends
Heaven's Feel: He goes, She goes Begins
The screen begins to pan out from the aircraft, revealing that the trio was within proximity to the red creature. However, the atmosphere was becoming more unnervingly tense, the closer they got.
Furthermore, Jeanne and Viola were surprised when they saw various Sin Demons emerging from the red creature. It was almost as if the creature itself was a conductor of sorts, serving as an alternative to the Human World than those of the Gates.
Eerily enough, however, there was another situation at hand as hordes of Sin Demons had ceased to pursue them and were retreating.
The screen shows all the Sin Demons heads towards to the creature before getting into a strange formation and flying in place. They were now facing the trio with stoic expressions and readied battle stances.
"This behavior is... unnatural, especially for that of a demon. Why are they acting as its guards?" Jeanne questioned.
"Do they not want us to reach that thing all the way in the back that badly?" Viola replied.
Despite this, the duo became more preoccupied the entities head, realizing how it was solely focused on them. The Golem mask had no eyes, but the red Core at the center was shifting to indicate that it was looking at the aircraft.
Viola couldn't help but feel shivers down her spine at the unsettling sight.
"Jesus Christ... What the hell is all this?" Viola yelped, gasping at the sight.
As for Jeanne, she didn't know what to make of the situation. She was too busy analyzing the entity as best she could and was stunned by what she was saw at the very top. It was a golem, one that had shaped itself into that of a mask.
"What is this thing? I've never seen anything like it. Let alone the fact that it uses a Golem. However, that shouldn't be possible. Not without-! "
GARGLE!
GARGLE!
Heaven's Feel: He goes, She goes Ends
Heavens Feel: What Else, We Can Do? Begins
The screen shows to the shocked expressions of the duo as the entity began charging up an attack. Its body began to repeat the motion of an ocean wave. Then, a huge, demonic portal appeared from above the creature!
As a result, the two began feeling a strange sensation in their stomach's before starting to gag and fall on the floor. They felt their vision begin to blur, a loud ringing sound in their ears, and magic being sapped from their bodies.
"What is...happening?!" Viola sputtered, trying to cover her ears with her hands.
"Ugghh! This damned...monster!" Jeanne coughed out, hearing disconnected spurts of a distorted, female voice chanting in Enochian.
"DO O IA █ █ █ █ █ █... EGELIRCAS ECIFIRCAS... FAFEN NIIS!!!"
The screen then cut to the entity becoming a vibrant red before thin, slime tentacles emerged from its body, lengthening in size as they soar to multiple Sin Demons, touching their backs and merging with them!
The screen then cut to a Sin Insidious glowing a shiny red before growing even larger in size as red, metallic armor encased it.
The distorted female voice could be heard giggling before fading away, along with the demonic portal.
The screen then shows the terrifying face of a Sacrilege Insidious before cutting to the Book of Infernal Demons opening. It turned all the way to the end, revealing that page entries have been ripped off. The book closes thereafter as it cuts to the duo.
Suddenly, a loud screeching could be heard from all the Sacrilege Demons as they beamed towards the aircraft, making their way to it!
Meanwhile, Enzo remained unaffected by the strange sickness inflicted upon Jeanne and Viola, becoming distraught at the sight. He was screaming at the top of his lungs by what he was witnessing!
So, he began to check up on Jeanne and Viola, hearing them groaning in agony.
"Are you guys, ok?!! Jeanne?! Viola?! Answer me dammit, please!!" he shouted.
"We have to get OUT OF HERE!!"
The two were beginning to stand up as the pain in their stomachs subsided now that the voice was gone.
"Ugh! That was awful..." Viola said, picking herself up before looking at the entity.
"AAAAHHHH!!!" she shrieked, voice cracking as she stared at the Sacrilege Demons headed towards them!
"We have to get out of here*-*!"
Heavens Feel: What Else, We Can Do? Ends
The All-American Rejects: Real World Begins
"No! This is where we make our final stand Viola! The lives that have been lost can't be for naught!! This ends now!!" Jeanne interrupts, declaring her intentions before striking a pose, uniform coming undone!
"BRANSG ZUMVI!!!"
A portal appeared on the roof as a torrent of her hair went into it. Then, another portal formed in front of the aircraft as a huge, vicious turtle began pulling itself out of the portal.
The screen then cuts to the Book of Infernal Demons. It opens up to reveal one of Jeanne's new allies, "Deceiver of the Seas: Aspidochelone". It is a humongous, ungodly looking, dark-green turtle with a spiked shell, razor-sharp teeth, and black eyes.
"Go as fast as you can Enzo! It's time to go FULL THROTTLE!!!" she shrieked into her microphone.
Suddenly, the aircraft began accelerating to absurd speeds as a demonic portal beneath the demon disappeared and was replaced with an Umbran portal. This, in conjunction with the speed at which the aircraft went, kept the demon in place.
However, Jeanne wasn’t done yet. At the snap of her fingers, the Umbran portal began rapidly spinning, turning the demon into a makeshift drill. One that would ram down all the Sacrilege Demons that stood in their way!
She then began instructing Enzo to avoid a place crash.
"Follow my orders Enzo! If I say 'up' you go up, if I say 'left' you go left. Got that?!"
"YES!!" he obediently responded.
"Good!" Jeanne replied, turning to face a surprised Viola.
"As for you Viola, you're going to need to hold on tight!" she said, making a dramatic pose before staring at the red creature in the distance.
"If these mothafuckas won't give us an opening, then I'll make my own!!"
The screen then pans out in a manner similar to Space Harrier, showing the aircraft flying towards the red entity as Aspidochelone mowed down various Sacrilege Demons.
Meanwhile, Jeanne was making dramatic quotes as she ordered Enzo to move all throughout the sky, bobbing and weaving as she delivered Wicked Weaves with Madama Styx in a QTE to knockback Sacrilege Demons that approached the aircraft from its sides. As for Viola and Enzo, they were hanging on for dear life, wondering how Bayonetta and Jeanne did this for years on end.
Eventually, they reach the boss at the end, Sacrilege Insidious. He was more deadly than before, but Jeanne was not one to back down from a fight no matter how strong an enemy was.
It began to shoot ginormous, red lasers from the ends of its six wings towards the aircraft, all of which were dodged at the last second thanks to Jeanne's masterful instructions, leading to Witch Time.
Jeanne then closed the gap between the aircraft and the abhorrent demon to pierce its large, third eye.
This cycle would repeat itself until six eyeballs, each belonging to one wing, would start attacking the aircraft. In this case, when one eye approached, Enzo would use the aircraft's missiles and minigun to briefly stun the eye.
Afterwards, Jeanne would use multiple Wicked Weaves to punch the eye before ripping it from its socket and crushing it a gush of blood.
Later, when the last eyeball was removed, Jeanne figured that it would be a good time to end the monstrosity for good!
"Viola! What I'm about to do is very dangerous, I need you to protect me at all costs!" she shouted at a nauseous Viola.
"Yes Jeanne!" Viola replied, hands on her knees as she tried to keep her body standing.
Thankfully, she recovered in time, taking out Mab Dachi and preparing herself for enemies.
"Hopefully this will end all the shit that's been going on" she thought.
The screen then cuts to Jeanne as she prepares herself for the Demon Sin Ritual, Aspidochelone vanishing soon after.
"DO O IA JEANNE. CNILA D COMSELHA ODO ANANAEL. TURBS C BABLON ZONAC CIAOFI BALZARG. FAFEN NIIS!!" she screams, ripping her heart out as her costume comes undone.
She then begins to dance in a sensual manner, breaking it down and doing a split.
The All-American Rejects: Real World Ends
Bayonetta 3: Queen Magick Begins
Suddenly, a giant portal appears from behind the aircraft!
Queen Styx was then seen flying out of it with her butterfly wings in a horizontal manner, making her way towards the Sacrilege Insidious!
It was in that moment that a QTE appeared. Queen Styx began brutally pummeling the Sacrilege Insidious with her fists, gouging it large, third eye with both of her hands!
Then, she would begin tearing the Sacrilege Demon apart, ripping it in half!
PSSHH!!
The Sacrilege Insidious cried out its last breath by dying. However, Queen Styx was far from done from done!
She would use this opportunity to strike the red creature with the remains of the demon she killed!
Queen Styx slammed the slabs of meat slammed against the red entity!
BAM!
BOOSH!!
The screen shows the creature remain standing, but its body was viciously trembling now. The core was now eyeing Queen Styx with hatred as she began taunting it with a stylish dance, ending off with a dramatic pose.
So, it began sending even more Sacrilege Demons towards her as she got up from the floor and began charging a purple Kamehameha. The Sacrilege Demons began picking away at Queen Styx's skin, but she didn't care. Jeanne gave her an order and she will follow it through to the end.
"KA...ME...HA...ME...HAAA!!!!" Queen Styx screamed, unleashing a humongous ray of energy close to point-blank range!
All that could be seen now was a gigantic, purple explosion eviscerating the red creature in its entirety, leaving behind an immense black mark on the ground as clouds of smoke and fire billowed in the air.
Or, at least, that was what Jeanne had hoped for...
Bayonetta 3: Queen Magick Ends
Heavens Feel: I Beg You (Instrumental) Begins
The red creature remained untouched…
The attack had failed to leave even a single dent on it!
Jeanne was left aghast at the site!
"How could it have failed?" she quietly stated, shock overwhelming her.
She started going pale, almost falling to the floor before Viola caught her in her time.
"It failed. I failed..." Jeanne repeated to herself over and over again.
"Jeanne! You have to snap out of it! Please!!" Viola cried out, voice going unheard.
In the Platinum Witch's mind, all she could think about was how one of her strongest attacks had failed. How Cereza, her best friend, her Umbran sister, would have overcome the fear that entered her body the moment she heard about Sacrilege Demons. How Cereza would have taken out the monstrosity with a blaze of glory. Not making a single mistake in the process. Cereza would not have failed the way she did!
"Cer...e...za..." Jeanne stuttered in a dream-like state.
All Viola could do was hold her as she stared at the escalating situation between Queen Styx and the red creature.
It had gone awry the moment Jeanne stopped dancing. Troops of Sacrilege Demons had begun attacking a vulnerable Queen Styx and feasting on her flesh!
She tried to wave them away with her arms but was overwhelmed. Moreover, two Sacrilege Insidious had emerged from the red entity, ready for revenge after Queen Styx slaughtered one of its brethren.
They released red lasers from the ends of their wings, striking her in the face!
"AAAHHH!!" she cried out, pools of blood pouring from her eyes as the lasers permanently blinded her.
However, it was this scream that snapped Jeanne out of her state. She began raising herself off the floor with Viola's help before looking on with terror, realizing that she had to do something now or risk Queen Styx dying!
"You bastards!! You'll PAY for this!!!" she shouted, gripping her heart even tighter and dancing with vigor.
Queen Styx was rejuvenated with strength and began to blindly claw away at her enemies with her nails with excessive force. She even attempted to use Royal Escort to keep some of the enemies at bay.
However, she was quickly stung by one of the tails of a Sacrilege Insidious, interrupting her attack.
This did not go unnoticed by the red entity as it decided to take advantage of the situation.
First, it released a red force field from its body, spreading throughout the vicinity before fading away.
Viola had noticed this, seeing the Sacrilege Demon become enraged.
"Great! As if shit wasn't bad enough already!" she complained.
Afterwards, the creature began using the slime beneath Queen Styx to shoot out immense slime tentacles to immobilize her.
One had immediately come out from behind, wrapping itself around her neck and pulling back with tremendous force!
She groaned in agony, startled by the sudden attack. However, the red creature wasn't done yet.
Queen Styx was struck again by other tentacles from all angles!
Two had latched themselves around her wrists while another four enveloped her waist, pulling her down and onto her knees.
"AAAHHH!!" she moaned, Sacrilege Demons eating away alive!
Jeanne was infuriated at the sight, gritting her teeth with such force that she could feel some break!
She would do everything possible to free Queen Styx and proceeded to screech the loudest she ever had!
"DESCEND TO DARKNESS!!!"
Her dancing became more rigorous and provocative than ever before as panic seeped into her body, painfully invigorating her muscles to free Queen Styx!
The screen then cut to Queen Styx resisting the restraints, managing to crush the tentacles on her wrists with her hands.
She was beginning to set herself free now. Things were finally turning up for her.
Heavens Feel: I Beg You (Instrumental) Ends
Ferry Corsten: Fire (Mike on Fire Ver.) Begins at 0:55
Meanwhile, Viola was left to deal with various Sacrilege Demons were able to land on the aircraft.
She was exhausted beyond belief but knew that she had to fight. It was that or have her soul mercilessly consumed. So, readied Mab Dachi and goes to strike a Sacrilege Fury.
However, the katana bounced off the demon as if it were invulnerable, leaving no mark on it.
"Holy shit! What are these guys made of?! " She exclaims, switching to her pistols before shooting the Sacrilege Fury.
DING!
TANG!
CLACK!
All of the bullets had ricocheted off the armor of the Sacrilege Fury.
Viola stared at the uninjured Sacrilege Demon with hopelessness, looking around as more began to surround her and Jeanne. However, she remembered would happen if she faltered now.
"Who will protect Jeanne if I'm down for the count?! Everything is riding on me now! I have to act quick or risk everything falling apart!" she thought.
So, Viola deciding that it was now time to use her fairy form, taking Mab Dachi out.
"Daddy, please give me strength!" she pleaded, stabbing herself in the stomach!
The screen then pans out to reveal a blinding light engulf Viola before revealing new fairy design. Her fur body was a mauve purple while her long hair was a seashell pink color. Furthermore, the stained-glass on her body were shades of the colors red, pink, and yellow. Lastly, the stained glass from her face was now gone and refitted as a gorgeous diadem on her forehead.
"It's time to get down to business!" she shouted, teleporting through various Sacrilege Demons to get to the middle of the roof before using Combo 2 to stun lock all of them at once!
Then, she teleported again to reach a Sin Fury in the air, using Combo 1 to stagger it before jumping off of its body to show off a new move, Crystal Drive.
The screen shows Viola create a large crystal in her hands with magic before throwing it down into the ground, impaling a Sacrilege Demon onto the floor. This is a process that she would repeat multiple times, sporadically teleporting from place to place and striking at different angles. However, it would all be aimed at the spot that she first struck.
Lastly, we see her teleport to the position that she first threw a crystal (briefly winking at the camera) before creating another crystal, one larger than the rest, and throwing it down to deal the finishing blow!
BOOM!
CRASH!!
The sounds of glass breaking could be heard as the impact from the last crystal caused a white explosion that sent multiple Sacrilege Demons off the roof!
”How’d you like that?!" Viola taunted, satisfied with herself.
Despite this, some Sacrilege Spites and Apathy’s had remained on the roof, but it wasn’t something that Viola couldn’t handle.
So, she teleported to one of the Sin Spites before having to dodge in the nick of time.
“Perfect!” She thought, preparing to make use of Witch Time.
Except, there was no Witch Time...
“What the-!” she shouted, faltering in attack before a Sacrilege Spite slammed her with its large tail.
Ferry Corsten: Fire (Mike on Fire Ver.) Ends
H. O. T. D: 07 Pursuit Begins
The attack was so strong that it deactivated Viola’s transformation and sent her flying towards Jeanne, knocking her down and onto the side the aircraft!
They were now hanging onto the aircraft’s railings as Sacrilege Demons began inching closer to them, resulting in the aircraft tilting to the side.
Enzo could even be heard yelling through the Jeanne’s microphone.
”What the hell is going on?! Why is this fucking thing TILTING?!” he raged, questions going unanswered.
Jeanne and Viola were now dangling on the plane's railing, arguing with each other.
"VIOLA!" Jeanne angrily yelled, grabbing onto the railing with her left hand and wrapping her right arm over it. She still had her heart in her hand and didn’t want to risk dropping it.
"What the fuck did you do?!"
"I don't know, ok!!" Viola yelled.
"I tried to use Witch Time, but it didn't work! It's like someone deactivated it or some shit!"
Jeanne could only roll her eyes in disappointment before seeing Queen Styx failing again. She had been so close to removing the bounds off her body. Now, that would never come to be.
However, the duo had more immediate matters to attend as Sacrilege Demons were almost upon them. They figured that they had to jump and fly to safety.
Although, it wasn’t until Jeanne tried summoning her butterfly wings that she was unable to.
“What the-?! I can’t… I can’t summon my wings!” Jeanne shouted with grave concern.
Viola tried to do the same with her fairy wings, but also couldn’t summon them.
The two had realized that they were in an even bigger predicament than before. Certain abilities of theirs were being disabled and they didn’t know how!
Jeanne and Viola tired selves could only look down at the red slime, seeing that it had almost engulfed the entire city beyond a fifty-mile radius. There was no time to think as Sacrilege Demons were ready to kill the two. They had to jump now!
So, they looked at each other with nodding heads and let go, bracing for impact as they went straight down!
BOOM!!
The screen pans out to reveal that Angel Slayer V4 had been blown to bits in a blaze of fire!
“ENZO!!!” the two screamed, worrying for his safety!
Just then, they see a mysterious figure briskly emerging from the explosion, flying towards them at the speed of sound.
H. O. T. D: 07 Pursuit Ends
H. O. T. D: 22 Saeko Shows Up Begins
"Rodin!" Viola gleefully yelled, noticing that Enzo was holding onto his legs.
The two take a sigh of relief before Rodin catches each of them under his arms.
“Thank you! You have no idea how much we needed this!“ Viola says.
”It’s my pleasure Viola,” he graciously replied.
However, Jeanne remained suspicious of his actions.
”Rodin, while I do appreciate the rescue, you’ve never been one to get involved. What changed?“ she questioned.
“Look, I don’t normally do this shit, just think of it a one-time exception. I’m doing it because I saw what you guys are up against. It isn’t pretty,” he answers.
”Can we please find somewhere to land?! Unlike you guys, I don’t magical powers to save my ass!” Enzo complained.
“Will you please shut your loud ass mouth up?! Don’t think I forgot about-!” Rodin responds before being cutoff.
Ok, ok, I get it! Jeez, why is everyone ganging up on me today!” Enzo yelled, quieting down afterwards.
H. O. T. D: 22 Saeko Shows Up Ends
Heaven's Feel: Fears and Hopes Begins
The screen fades to black before transitioning to a toppled building on its side, panning out to reveal the ongoing chaos in the background with the Sacrilege Demons.
The were temporarily safe now thanks to Rodin. Enzo was even kissing the ground after being in the sky for so long.
“Viola, I think you’re gonna need these,” Rodin says, summoning a purple box onto his hands.
“It’s been a while since these babies were put to work, so I guess now is as good a time as ever,” he says, offering her the box.
Viola could only stare with visible concern as tears formed in her eyes.
”Rodin, I… I don’t think I can accept these. They’re…!” she stutters.
”Viola, if Cereza gave you Cheshire, then I see no reason as to why she wouldn’t let you use her guns. If you want to complete you’re training as an Umbra Witch, accepting these guns is a necessary step,” Jeanne tells her.
”Besides, those cheap props on you won’t last another second!” she joked.
Suddenly, a comedic scene ensues where all the Viola’s props on her hands and feet fall apart into pieces.
”Tsk…shitty cheap toys…” Viola sheepishly mutters under her breath.
”I… I guess you have a point Jeanne…” she reluctantly says, turning to Rodin.
She was quiet now, thinking about the consequences of her actions. Was she ready to become an Umbra Witch? The question dawned on for some time, but she realized that it was now or never. She had to stop the red entity for good.
”Thank you Rodin. I‘ll make good us of them,” she says with a small smile on her face.
She then opens the lid and begins taking each gun out one by one, equipping them on her hands and feet. It wasn’t anything dramatic, just business as usual.
”I only wish mummy was here to see it,” she thought.
Heaven's Feel: Fears and Hopes Ends
H. O. T. D: 02 Impulse Begins
BOOSH!
The camera panned out to show Queen Styx suffering. She had fallen onto the ground again and was restrained again with double the tentacles, ensuring that there would be no escape this time.
Jeanne could only watch in horror as Queen Styx was being eaten alive by Sacrilege Demons.
Multiple thoughts ran through her head about what she could do. She could dance, place her heart back into its cavity, or-!
”My, my, how sad is it to see princess Jeanne fail again,“ a voice mocked.
Jeanne looked at the red creature with a furious expression.
The screen then cut to the face of the red creature as a distorted, female voice was emitted through the Golem and heard all throughout Manhattan.
“Poor princess Jeanne, she couldn’t save her own kind, let alone her pet. These actions are, dare I say, more worthless than even Viola. Granted, a bottom feeder such as her has no hope for a future. Nonetheless, is it so wrong to expect more from the fabled ‘Last Witch’?” the female voice giggled, sarcastically ridiculing Jeanne and Viola.
”What is this bitch’s deal?! Does she have some vendetta against us?!” Viola shouted, turning towards Jeannes.
“I could say the same! How the hell does she know about my past?! Let alone my-?!” Jeanne replied, abruptly cutoff.
”That, princess, is my secret. One for you to never find out. You’ll be long dead before that. I promise,” the female voice declared with absolute certainty, stunning the two with the threat.
“Anyhow, it's time for your pet to be put out of its misery. Sin Demons were so last fall, wouldn’t you agree?”
Suddenly, a large tentacle began emerging from the creature's body, morphing into that of a sharp blade.
“DON’T YOU DARE!!” Jeanne yelled.
However, she was ignored as the blade plunged into Queen Styx's heart, putting an end to her as she fell onto the ground, absorbed by the slime.
Jeanne exploded with a blaze of acrimony, placing her heart back in its chest!
"YOU BITCH!!" she blared, beyond furious!
Viola was stunned by the barbarity of the action, wanting revenge!
H. O. T. D: 02 Impulse Ends
Bayonetta 3: Al Fine Begins at 0:53
She and Jeanne turned to Rodin, seeing him nod his head. They were going kill this abomination now!
So, he grabbed the two and began spinning at nauseating speeds, building a strong momentum before throwing them right at the red Golem!
A QTE then appeared as Viola and Jeanne launched a constant barrage of Wicked Weaves at the red core! They were punching so hard that they broke the QTE gauge, ending their stream of attacks with a Heel Stomp from above that smashed the Golem's core into bits!
Viola and Jeanne could then hear the woman's distorted voice cursing at them through the bits of the remaining core.
“If you think this is the last of me, think again! I’ll be back!” She curses, voice fading away soon after.
Bayonetta 3: Al Fine Ends
The screen then shows the red entity disintegrate, panning out in the sky to reveal that the slime that spread across Manhattan was evaporating.
The screen then cuts to Jeanne and Viola using their wings to lower themselves from the sky, landing onto the street. They had no doubt in their minds that the female voice was one behind everything.
Yet, with that in mind, all they could do now was look at what remained of the city. There were damaged roads, toppled buildings, and countless people missing.
They could only look at each other with concern, realizing that while the battle was won, more was to come. The sky was still blood-red and something else had remained.
The camera zooms in onto the duos faces before moving to the gaping hole where the convention center once stood. It then went all the way down, dramatically revealing a Gate to Inferno.
Things were not over, not in the slightest.
Prologue Part III Finale (2/2) Ends

New Infernal Demon Entry Unlocked:
submitted by The_Fool_Arcana0000 to Bayonetta [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 07:41 shakamone After 4 years, SideQuest is still making your Quest better! Streaming now supports audio!! 👏👏Custom homes can be installed inside VR again!! Tonnes of other fixes. Plus 100 FREE exclusive giveaways running now with Quest Pro Controllers, Quest2s, Pico4s, Hoodies, 50+ FREE Game Keys + more!

After 4 years, SideQuest is still making your Quest better! Streaming now supports audio!! 👏👏Custom homes can be installed inside VR again!! Tonnes of other fixes. Plus 100 FREE exclusive giveaways running now with Quest Pro Controllers, Quest2s, Pico4s, Hoodies, 50+ FREE Game Keys + more!
Howdy Folks!
Hi, I'm Shane the CEO of SideQuest. Nice to see you! I've got a few things to tell you guys about today so ill just jump right in!
We recently turned 4! We are super humbled to have already spent nearly half a decade helping developers grow and helping users get access to loads more games for their VR headsets! Some of the most popular games in VR got started on SideQuest. We think that is because we are still dedicated to giving all our energy to help developers at no cost, so they can get you some of the best and most cutting edge games in VR. We ❤️ developers, they are the troops.

Giveaways: Shed loads of FREE stuff!

https://preview.redd.it/ixfuqfuxec3b1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=298e0bca5f6d769221f31b3a2961703f5f5786ec
That's right, 100+ giveaways running right now! All totally FREE to enter!
5 X Quest Pro Controllers 4 X Quest 2s, 2 X Pico 4, A Bobo M2 Pro Battery Pack, 50+ FREE Game Keys Tonnes of hoodies, caps and beanies. We have great games to give away too, here is a complete list of the games each of which we have 1-2 keys to give away for FREE!
https://preview.redd.it/294qnpj0fc3b1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=528ef4a7b7a84356d65dd6db895acea2fa096ed5
Zombies Noir GrooVR - Air drumming Finger Gun Unplugged: Air Guitar Blockworks Farming Tractor Airport Ground Handling Simulator VR Cubism Trippy Tavern Gravity Lab Eye of the Temple Vader Immortal: Episode I,II and III Marvel's Iron Man VR The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners The Walking Dead: - Chapter 2: Retribution BONELAB Swordsman Among Us Blade & Sorcery: Nomad Contractors Beat Saber Drunkn Bar Fight Job Simulator Vacation Simulator Walkabout Mini Golf Pistol Whip Red Matter Red Matter 2 Resident Evil 4 Titans of Space PLUS SUPERHOT VR Breachers Into the Radius Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted Shave & Stuff The Room VR: A Dark Matter Hand Physics Lab World Of Mechs Fruit Ninja 2 Medal of Honor™: Above and Beyond ARK and ADE Windlands Tetris® Effect: Connected The Climb The Climb 2 Green Hell VR Thief Simulator VR: Greenview Street The Thrill of the Fight

How do i Enter?

These giveaways will be a little different to giveaways we have run in the past, more challenging and we hope more fun too! To mix things up we have hidden these giveaways inside a game for you to find - just like an easter egg! This means there is some challenge but for those that are up to it, they get much higher chances of winning these prizes!!
To start with we have hidden 100+ giveaways inside different worlds in our game Banter! All you have to do is download the game and look for these buttons and click them! Once you click them it will reveal a link to the hidden giveaway!
Tip: Take a screenshot in-vr to collect them along the way by pressing Oculus button + Right Trigger.
https://preview.redd.it/l6y0pef2fc3b1.png?width=1818&format=png&auto=webp&s=162e17bd467af71c01b6e1bdb09e86ad2e29e6ed
We are excited to experiment with this new form of giveaways, and we hope to expand this to other games too in the future!
We just launched a new space in Banter called SlipStream Island! You can find it in the menu, it's a lot of fun sliding and slipping around! A massive space to explore with friends too! It has 25 hidden giveaways in it too!
https://preview.redd.it/59cth283fc3b1.png?width=2413&format=png&auto=webp&s=ddf4249427863938a21f2f4f602309074173715e
Ok if you have read down this far, Congrats! You will be rewarded with more info to make it easier to find the hidden giveaways. Yay!
Here is where all the prizes are and how much is in each world:
SlipStream Island (25 prizes) Backrooms (15 prizes) Winter Sport Resort (10 Prizes) Dive To Atlantis (7 Prizes) Outset Island - Night (5 Prizes) RPM Tag (5 prizes) ISS (4 prizes) GoldenEye Dam (3 Prizes) Quest Homes (3 Prizes) Mars One (3 prizes) New Users World (3 prizes) Croft Mansion (3 prizes) Cinema (3 prizes) Poolhouse (3 prizes) Time Warp Cabaret (2 prizes) Rocket Party (1 prize) Star Trek Bridge (1 prize) SQ Community Hub (1 prize) Meditation Clearance (1 prize) Ben’s Toy House (1 prize) Custom Home: Steam Void (1 prize) All Star Wars Custom Homes (3 total prize, 1 in each)

SideQuest Desktop: SideQuest Stream now with audio!

https://preview.redd.it/uhe7soa4fc3b1.png?width=615&format=png&auto=webp&s=fd4964cd18dfb26ca4fa7bb8ded530e077142b2d
Until now you weren't able to get audio in the SideQuest Stream feature, but as of three weeks ago the Quest 2 could finally do this due to the android 12 upgrade in v51 firmware, and that 3 weeks ago scrcpy released version 2 of their software which now supports audio out of the box on Android 11+! For anyone who streams or records long gameplay sessions this is an awesome update to get. No more need for audio cables, or bluetooth transmitters/receivers. Yay!
Grab the latest version here!

SideQuest In-VR: Custom Homes from inside VR is back!

https://preview.redd.it/w9l1o015fc3b1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=b07d44f8829db7ac13b37c995f5c701476112b05
As users started to get v51 on their devices we realized that some features broke on the SideQuest in-VR app. After we got over cursing Meta for breaking some stuff, we worked hard to get the app working at its best again. One of the biggest problems was that custom homes no longer worked when installed this way and could only be installed using the good old SideQuest desktop app. I'm happy to say that we have now fixed that issue and custom homes are now working again so feel free to dive into your favorite custom homes from inside the headset again. We also fixed a number of issues with the search an d filtering system that we also broken in the v51 update.
Grab the latest version here!
That's all for now! Thanks from the whole SideQuest team! ❤️
submitted by shakamone to oculus [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 07:41 shakamone After 4 years, SideQuest is still making your Quest better! Streaming now supports audio!! 👏👏Custom homes can be installed inside VR again!! Tonnes of other fixes. Plus 100 FREE exclusive giveaways running now with Quest Pro Controllers, Quest2s, Pico4s, Hoodies, 50+ FREE Game Keys + more!

After 4 years, SideQuest is still making your Quest better! Streaming now supports audio!! 👏👏Custom homes can be installed inside VR again!! Tonnes of other fixes. Plus 100 FREE exclusive giveaways running now with Quest Pro Controllers, Quest2s, Pico4s, Hoodies, 50+ FREE Game Keys + more!
Howdy Folks!
Hi, I'm Shane the CEO of SideQuest. Nice to see you! I've got a few things to tell you guys about today so ill just jump right in!
We recently turned 4! We are super humbled to have already spent nearly half a decade helping developers grow and helping users get access to loads more games for their VR headsets! Some of the most popular games in VR got started on SideQuest. We think that is because we are still dedicated to giving all our energy to help developers at no cost, so they can get you some of the best and most cutting edge games in VR. We ❤️ developers, they are the troops.

Giveaways: Shed loads of FREE stuff!

https://preview.redd.it/jvdrwa9ffc3b1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=2b785d45c16c76e766fe5edccd429b17878b48ff
That's right, 100+ giveaways running right now! All totally FREE to enter!
5 X Quest Pro Controllers 4 X Quest 2s, 2 X Pico 4, A Bobo M2 Pro Battery Pack, 50+ FREE Game Keys Tonnes of hoodies, caps and beanies. We have great games to give away too, here is a complete list of the games each of which we have 1-2 keys to give away for FREE!
https://preview.redd.it/os1b760gfc3b1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=392bf42122925d24c5a0831eedb8dc199820b574
Zombies Noir GrooVR - Air drumming Finger Gun Unplugged: Air Guitar Blockworks Farming Tractor Airport Ground Handling Simulator VR Cubism Trippy Tavern Gravity Lab Eye of the Temple Vader Immortal: Episode I,II and III Marvel's Iron Man VR The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners The Walking Dead: - Chapter 2: Retribution BONELAB Swordsman Among Us Blade & Sorcery: Nomad Contractors Beat Saber Drunkn Bar Fight Job Simulator Vacation Simulator Walkabout Mini Golf Pistol Whip Red Matter Red Matter 2 Resident Evil 4 Titans of Space PLUS SUPERHOT VR Breachers Into the Radius Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted Shave & Stuff The Room VR: A Dark Matter Hand Physics Lab World Of Mechs Fruit Ninja 2 Medal of Honor™: Above and Beyond ARK and ADE Windlands Tetris® Effect: Connected The Climb The Climb 2 Green Hell VR Thief Simulator VR: Greenview Street The Thrill of the Fight

How do i Enter?

These giveaways will be a little different to giveaways we have run in the past, more challenging and we hope more fun too! To mix things up we have hidden these giveaways inside a game for you to find - just like an easter egg! This means there is some challenge but for those that are up to it, they get much higher chances of winning these prizes!!
To start with we have hidden 100+ giveaways inside different worlds in our game Banter! All you have to do is download the game and look for these buttons and click them! Once you click them it will reveal a link to the hidden giveaway!
Tip: Take a screenshot in-vr to collect them along the way by pressing Oculus button + Right Trigger.
https://preview.redd.it/mcgv3azgfc3b1.png?width=1818&format=png&auto=webp&s=ef3e911c51ab05c4a6831d63280349f36bb06e41
We are excited to experiment with this new form of giveaways, and we hope to expand this to other games too in the future!
We just launched a new space in Banter called SlipStream Island! You can find it in the menu, it's a lot of fun sliding and slipping around! A massive space to explore with friends too! It has 25 hidden giveaways in it too!
https://preview.redd.it/0qdhd82ifc3b1.png?width=2413&format=png&auto=webp&s=9b4e1ed6c76cc6a00933371d612c246b6b8735b8
Ok if you have read down this far, Congrats! You will be rewarded with more info to make it easier to find the hidden giveaways. Yay!
Here is where all the prizes are and how much is in each world:
SlipStream Island (25 prizes) Backrooms (15 prizes) Winter Sport Resort (10 Prizes) Dive To Atlantis (7 Prizes) Outset Island - Night (5 Prizes) RPM Tag (5 prizes) ISS (4 prizes) GoldenEye Dam (3 Prizes) Quest Homes (3 Prizes) Mars One (3 prizes) New Users World (3 prizes) Croft Mansion (3 prizes) Cinema (3 prizes) Poolhouse (3 prizes) Time Warp Cabaret (2 prizes) Rocket Party (1 prize) Star Trek Bridge (1 prize) SQ Community Hub (1 prize) Meditation Clearance (1 prize) Ben’s Toy House (1 prize) Custom Home: Steam Void (1 prize) All Star Wars Custom Homes (3 total prize, 1 in each)

SideQuest Desktop: SideQuest Stream now with audio!

https://preview.redd.it/bc40zytifc3b1.png?width=615&format=png&auto=webp&s=fed0d20a7e841b01736b93198261cd8aea84bcfe
Until now you weren't able to get audio in the SideQuest Stream feature, but as of three weeks ago the Quest 2 could finally do this due to the android 12 upgrade in v51 firmware, and that 3 weeks ago scrcpy released version 2 of their software which now supports audio out of the box on Android 11+! For anyone who streams or records long gameplay sessions this is an awesome update to get. No more need for audio cables, or bluetooth transmitters/receivers. Yay!
Grab the latest version here!

SideQuest In-VR: Custom Homes from inside VR is back!

https://preview.redd.it/linw2etjfc3b1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=0616f7c59cfdef70efeae25df27c2e87e0dc3c78
As users started to get v51 on their devices we realized that some features broke on the SideQuest in-VR app. After we got over cursing Meta for breaking some stuff, we worked hard to get the app working at its best again. One of the biggest problems was that custom homes no longer worked when installed this way and could only be installed using the good old SideQuest desktop app. I'm happy to say that we have now fixed that issue and custom homes are now working again so feel free to dive into your favorite custom homes from inside the headset again. We also fixed a number of issues with the search an d filtering system that we also broken in the v51 update.
Grab the latest version here!
That's all for now! Thanks from the whole SideQuest team! ❤️
submitted by shakamone to virtualreality [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 07:18 starrynight179 Half Moon Bay, California 🌊☀️🌷🏖️ Perfect sunny weather, flowers in bloom

Half Moon Bay, California 🌊☀️🌷🏖️ Perfect sunny weather, flowers in bloom submitted by starrynight179 to CaliforniaPics [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 06:19 xiaolii [H] Lots of Games [W] Trade for Games or Paypal (EU)

Last Updated List: 01/06/2023
 
I'm primarily looking to trade for games from my wishlist, otherwise I am also open to selling them. I am not interested in games I already have and all games I'm getting are for me and activated on my own account. Other than that feel free to offer your list of Steam games and something I may not have and fulfills my criteria I could/would be willing to trade for it/them.
If you're either trading or buying please state the game(s) you are interested in and your offer (game(s)/list/price).
 
Info:
 
I kindly ask of you is to be reasonable when making offers to make it a fair trade for both of us.
Let's have a good exchange/trade!
 
NEWLY ADDED:
 
List of games:
submitted by xiaolii to indiegameswap [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 06:19 xiaolii [H] Lots of Games [W] Trade for Games or Paypal (EU)

Last Updated List: 01/06/2023
 
I'm primarily looking to trade for games from my wishlist, otherwise I am also open to selling them. I am not interested in games I already have and all games I'm getting are for me and activated on my own account. Other than that feel free to offer your list of Steam games and something I may not have and fulfills my criteria I could/would be willing to trade for it/them.
If you're either trading or buying please state the game(s) you are interested in and your offer (game(s)/list/price).
 
Info:
 
I kindly ask of you is to be reasonable when making offers to make it a fair trade for both of us.
Let's have a good exchange/trade!
 
NEWLY ADDED:
 
List of games:
submitted by xiaolii to GameTrade [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 06:12 The_Ape_Enthusiast I found a strange novel at a used book store. I don’t like how it ends.

Developer's commentary: This post got removed from nosleep after about two days for some bullshit reason. I think you can still see the original post directly below this but not the body of the post, so I'm reposting it here for completion's sake. One day when I'm dead and gone (probably killed by one of my fans), people might want to go back and read these stories without having to click the link in my profile. Yeah, that's something they'll definitely want to do because I'll be really rich and famous by that point. Okay, the actual story starts after this sentence.
On the weekends, I like to go to used book stores. I know that the internet has kind of made books obsolete, but there’s just something I enjoy about walking around and looking at all the books people have read even if I never plan on reading them myself. Sometimes you see something that just looks absolutely terrible and you wonder to yourself who the author actually thought their intended audience was going to be. Case in point, look at the horror genre. The used book stores are lined shelf to shelf with shitty horror novels that are all essentially just variations on the same few ideas. The instant something actually original comes out a hundred hack writers fart out their own version of it, and then any charm the original idea had is completely gone.
To be honest, it’s ridiculous to me that something like the horror genre even exists in fiction. I don’t know how anybody could possibly read a story and then get scared by it. Movies, at least there are audio and visual components. I think I only got scared by a movie one time, anyway. It was this Japanese movie called Noroi. The first half has these fake news reels that have this vibe where it’s like something you’d see on some obscure website in the early 2000s. There were all sorts of strange videos and images that you would find back then and they would always have some kind of backstory attached to them and you were never really sure how much of it all was real. I suppose that’s what made it scary, was that uncertainty.
Anyway, that’s why I like going to used book stores. Sometimes I even buy stuff while I’m at them. Usually what I’ll do is I’ll just pick out books at random, skim a few pages or read the back cover or something like that, and then see how I feel about the whole thing. I’ll take my chances every once in a while. The books only cost a few bucks, anyway, so if they end up sucking it’s not a huge deal. I read this one book that was like an encyclopedia of racial slurs and for each one it gave like the origin and its historical context and some examples of its usage. At first I thought it had been written as a joke but there was way too much effort put into it for it to be a joke. Also, it was written in the 1980s, back when people were really serious about being racist towards each other. Even if I don’t condone the contents, it was an interesting read.
Now, on the particular occasion that I’m describing I was going through the general fiction section and had pulled out a book titled “A Simple Man” by a guy named Lance Jack. The back cover didn’t really tell me much about the book, so I flipped to a random page and started reading. It seemed to be describing the morning routine of the protagonist, a man named Claude. He woke up, took a shower, ate breakfast, and then went off to work. I skipped ahead a bit. Claude was getting fired from his job. I skipped ahead a little more. Claude was looking for a new job but couldn’t find anything that appealed to him. I suppose that sounds boring, but it had been a while since I’d purchased anything at a used book store and this particular book was giving off some pretty good vibes. So, I guess I should say that I bought it on a whim. It was only two dollars, anyway, so I wasn’t too worried about my investment not paying off.
I started reading the book when I got home. It opened with Claude’s childhood in southeastern Oregon. At school, he was too shy to make friends and spent most of his free time reading and watching movies. He eventually managed to fall in with a group of guys that were kind of like him, but not really. I’m sure you know how those things go. After high school he went to college and studied computer science. He didn’t love computer science or anything, but he also didn’t dislike it enough to change majors. He just kind of put up with it. After he graduated he moved on to different IT jobs, and that’s about as far as I managed to read. Obviously a lot more happened than that, but I’m just giving a sort of broad outline of things.
As I read the book, I began to notice a lot of strange – I guess you would call them “coincidences”. Well, I was born in southeastern Oregon, too, and in the same year as Claude – 1992. The general pattern of his life matched mine thus far, but more concerning were the specifics. When Claude was 7, he was run over by a golf cart and broke a leg. When he was 9, he played Ocarina of Time and developed a sexual attraction to Princess Ruto. When he was 14, he tried asking his crush out on a date and then threw up on her, and then for the rest of the year everyone called him “Barf Boy”. When he was 17, he was tricked into going to prom with one of his bullies who had dressed as a woman, who revealed the truth just as Claude was going in for a kiss. When he was 20, a bear attacked him while he was hiking and he was forced to kill it using a makeshift spear. And so on. All of these things happened to me, too, exactly as they happened to Claude. I was stunned, to say the least. This was my life that I was reading. The only difference was the names of the characters.
I didn’t pick the book up again until about a week later. Something like that takes a while to really come to terms with. After a few days, though, I started to get curious. I mean, everything I’d read so far matched my life perfectly, but if I kept reading I would eventually reach today, and everything after that would be the future. Would those things happen, too? I mean, the book had just been lying on that shelf for who knows how long. When had it even been written? There was no publication date, and I couldn’t find any information about the author online. I had to keep going, just to make sure. Just to see for myself.
And so I read, and before long I found the point where the past and the future split away (colloquially, this place is known as the “present”). Claude was trapped in a state of melancholy because he didn’t find his job fulfilling. He didn’t have much going on outside of work, either. Anybody he’d once considered a friend had moved away long ago, and he found it hard to muster the energy to go out and meet new people. Then, one day, he was suddenly fired from his job for “performance issues”. I vaguely remembered that part from when I’d first skimmed the book, and while I was definitely in a state of melancholy I had not yet been fired from my job. So, I told myself that I would put the book away and try not to think about it, and if I got fired in the same way Claude did then I’d really freak out.
It happened a couple of months later. I was called into the boss’ office and given the same speech that Claude was given in the book. I was a valuable employee but lately my performance just hadn’t been up to par and, unfortunately, they were replacing me with someone else. Something like that. Well, I knew from the start how this whole thing was going to go, so I just sat there and took it. There were other things on my mind.
Once I was back at my apartment, I pulled the book out of its hiding spot and spent a long while just staring at it. I guess this is something that everybody thinks about at some point or another – if you could know the exact day you would die, would you want to? Maybe some things aren’t worth knowing. Maybe they are. Staring at the book, it was hard to really say which side I was on. I supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to read ahead a little. To be honest, my life sucked, so if I knew I had something to look forward to in the future, maybe that would cheer me up. Maybe I’d run into the woman of my dreams while looking for eggs at the grocery store. Maybe the NFTs I’d sunk so much money into would suddenly become profitable and I’d never have to work again. Maybe anything would happen to get me out of this mental rut I’d been in for who knows how long.
Once again I read, onward and onward, chapter after chapter, waiting for something exciting to happen. And then, the book was over. Claude died alone in his apartment, the same apartment he’d lived in his entire adult life, at the age of 63. Nobody mourned for him, nobody cared, and nobody was even aware that he’d ever existed. I couldn’t believe it. I’d read a lot of books in my time, but this one was by far the most boring. It was depressingly boring. In that moment, a deep sense of dread overwhelmed me and I wanted to scream out to someone, but I didn’t because there was nobody to scream out to. This was my life, and all that lies ahead is a void filled with mindless work and people I can’t stand to be around and a stinging desire to try to make things better. The truth is that things will never get any better. That’s what it says in the book, after all.
I spend a lot of time these days lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling. I tell myself that if I can just do something spontaneous, something that goes against what’s in the book, I’ll prove to myself that my life isn’t bound to its pages. But when I think of going out and meeting people or trying something new, I can’t convince myself to follow through. Why is that? It feels like I have writer’s block, only in my brain. Maybe I could try joining something like a book club, I say to myself. Where? How? Which? Would I even enjoy it? Would I even have the energy to go there? Would I even like any of the other people there? Would they like me? Answer one question and two more pop up, like some kind of fucked up verbal hydra. I suppose that some people can ignore all that shit and just go for it, but I can’t.
Sometimes I watch movies to try to hype myself up. You know the one by the guy that made Heat, where Tom Cruise is the bad guy? He gives this little speech to the protagonist, tells him that sitting around and waiting for his dream to come will just end up with him wasting his life away. When the movie’s over I think to myself yeah, it’s time to go out there and do something! My dream is waiting out there and I need to go grab it! But then I wonder to myself what my dream even is. I suppose there’s nothing like a dream inside me, just a cold, dark longing to exist among others like me. Does that count as a dream? I read through the book again, looking for a hint, but Claude is just the same as me. He lays in bed and wonders why his brain’s the way it is. Claude in ten years is no different from the Claude of today, who is no different from the Claude in twenty.
With each day comes a little more dread. Everything that’s happened since I found that book has matched it perfectly, continues to match it perfectly. I’m marching towards an inevitable conclusion, one that’s already been written out for me. Maybe the only thing I can really do is learn to accept my fate. Maybe instead of living in fear I can live in quiet complacency like a barn animal inside its pen. Be honest, what else could a guy like me possibly do?
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2023.06.01 06:00 Analypiss Respect Juggernaut! (Marvel, 616)

Respect Juggernaut

This won’t hurt me! Nothing can!
♫Theme
Cain Marko was the son of nuclear scientist Kurt Marko, who worked in Alamogordo, New Mexico with Brian Xavier. After Brian died in a lab accident, Kurt married Brian’s widow Sharon for her family’s money, resulting in Cain becoming the stepbrother of the Xavier’s son Charles, the eventual founder of the X-Men. Kurt proved to be an abusive father to both Cain and Charles, which combined with Cain’s jealousy over his brother’s telepathy, fostered a lasting resentment between the two of them. After Kurt died saving them from another lab accident, Charles and Cain would end up serving with the army together in Korea. During their service, Cain would stumble across a cave that had a temple dedicated to the powerful mystic being known as Cyttorak. Touching a crimson gem at the heart of the temple, Cain was transformed into Cyttorak’s avatar on Earth, an unstoppable human Juggernaut. Shortly after, the cave collapsed, with Xavier barely managing to escape. Years later Cain would dig his way out and seek revenge on Charles for the perceived slights he had inflicted upon him. In doing so, Cain would come into conflict with the X-Men, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Doctor Strange, and many other superheroes before eventually burying the hatchet with his brother. However, despite joining the X-Men and later Thunderbolts, Cain would return to being a villain each time. Throughout his life and various goals and motivations, only one constant has remained for Cain Marko. No matter the obstacle, he will never stop.
This respect thread is abridged due to Juggernaut’s large number of appearances. A full version is available on the Juggernaut Mega Respect Thread, with links to the unabridged sections posted where appropriate.

Key and explanation of periods where Juggernaut was stronger or weaker than normal

Strength

Unabridged Force Field and Advancing Sections

Force Field

Advancing

Unabridged Striking and Lifting Sections

Striking

Lifting, pushing, pulling, throwing, grip, etc.

Unabridged Durability Section

Durability w/ Force Field/Armor

Blunt

Piercing/Cutting

Sound

Heat

Cold

Electricity

Light

Energy

Chemical

Adhesive

Biological

Matter Manipulation

Phasing

Magic

Soul/Life Force

Power Absorption/Nullification

Mental

Durability w/o Force Field/Armor

Blunt

Piercing/Cutting

Sound

Cold

Heat

Gravity

Light

Energy

Chemical

Biological

Mental

Unabridged Endurance, Speed, Skill, and Temporary Powers Sections

Endurance and Regeneration

Speed

Skill

Temporary Powers

Telepathy

Mystic Abilities

Trion

Captain Universe

Kuurth

Once upon a time, there was a man. A man who got everything he wanted. In the end it wasn’t enough. In truth, it could never be enough. No amount of power could change who he was. It could never quench his thirst for power. He was now and forever the Juggernaut. And he would never stop.
submitted by Analypiss to respectthreads [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 05:11 AdamLuyan 13.1.5 Human Interest 人趣

13.1.5 Human Interest 人趣
人,此说为意,因凡人所作,意图和计划在先。又人于违顺之境,皆能安忍,故亦作忍者(Countenancer,如图13.1.5-18)。英语单词Countenancer有外貌和容忍双重含义。插图13.1.5-18是《墨西哥法典》中雨神特拉洛克的自画像,佛教中作忍渡、八忍地、八大金刚等,参见10.13 节《人样儿》。从生活乐趣方面来说,人道苦乐相间。作中品十善者,感此道生。下文略辨中品十善:
Human, here says Intent, because mortals do, intentions and plans come first. And Humans can endure both suitable and adverse environments, therefore humans are also called Countenancers. Word Countenance means both appearance and tolerance, see illustration 13.1.5-18, which is self-portrait of Mexican rain god Tlaloc (an Adam). In Buddhism, that is Countenance Ark, alias Eight Great Philosopher-Stones, Eight Countenance Lands, etc. (detailed significances refer to section 10.13 Human Appearance). In terms of happiness of life, human path is interlaced with bitter and laugh. With deeds of Ten Benevolences of the middle grade, are inductively born in this path. The following is a brief identification of Ten Benevolences of the middle grade:
13.1.5 人趣 Human Interest
一、约境说,唯于顺境和不顺不逆的环境中能守护身口意三业。
二、约心说,善念淳熟,但未猛利。
三、约事说,或数为小善,或偶为胜善。
以要言之,有施有戒,是人道因。
  1. Aggregating heart’s environments to say, human can protect bodily karma (i.e., habits), oral karma, and intentional karma in enjoyable environment and in neither enjoyable nor adverse circumstances.
  2. Aggregating heart to say, human being is with pure and matured good wills, but not bravely to do.
  3. Aggregating affair to say, humans do small goods again and again, occasionally do great good.
Generally, with donation and hold ten good precepts in a certain degree, are reasons of human path.
人有四大洲、八中洲等特征。什么是这里说的洲?即大量的身土,即大量的尘刹土,即大量的色尘、声尘、香尘、味尘、触尘、和法尘, 即许多感知或觉, 如插图13.1.5所说的三千大千世界是由十亿尘刹土构成的。八中洲(如插图13.1.5-18)亦作八忍地,八大金刚,八大人,忍渡,参见10.13节《人样儿》。下面略说四大洲。
Human beings have four great continents, eight middle continents, etc. features. What is the Continents here said? Continent means a huge quantity of bodily soils, means a huge quantity of Dust-Instant-Soils, means a huge quantity of color-dusts sound-dusts smell-dusts taste-dusts touch-dusts and juristic dusts, means a huge number of perceptions, such as in illustration 13.1.5, the “Three-Grand Great-Grand Worlds” are composed by a billion Dust-Instant-Soils. Eight middle continents (as shown in illustration 13.1.5-18) are also known as Eight Countenance Lands, Eight Great Philosopher-Stones, Eight Great Humanities, Countenance Ark, refer to section 10.13 Human Appearances. Next, briefly describe the four great continents.
一、东胜身洲,胜身是说此法于一切法中最为胜者。胜身洲在须弥颅山东,其土东狭西广,形如半月,纵广六千由旬。由旬是梵语Yojana,是脖子上挂着金刚铃的牛的一天的行程。其土中央有一大树名梭罗,高及覆盖二十七由旬。人面亦如半月之形,身长十二肘,衣(注1)广中二十四肘,上下十二肘。寿三百岁,多有夭亡。
  1. East Victorious Body Continent, Victorious Body is saying that their bodily form is the most victorious among all laws. Victorious Body Continent is located on the eastern side of Mount Sumerian Head. Its landform east narrow west wide, like a crescent, length and breadth are 6,000 yojanas. Yojana is a Sanskrit distance unit, is one day walking distance by a cow with a Philosopher-Stone bell under neck. There is a great tree, name Sal Fasullo, in its center; its height and covers up 27 yojanas. The human face is also in the shape of a half moon, body height is 12 cubits, clothes’ (annotation 1) length and breadth are 24 cubits to their center, 12 cubits above and 12 cubits below. People live three hundred years, and many die young.
https://preview.redd.it/ysi3ds2mpb3b1.jpg?width=763&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5bfce358f2a3891be9422bb175aa47aa2a918d69
注13.1.5-1,衣,,如领带,围巾等,但是意义很特别,具体解释参见14.2节。
Annotation 1, clothes, such as tie, veil, etc.; but with special significance, refer to section 14.2.
二、北俱颅洲,亦作胜处、高上。胜处是说,此洲人果报甚胜,胜其它三洲。高上是说此洲人寿定满千岁,死后必然升于三十三天(见插图13.1.5-14),化乐天等处。俱颅洲在须弥颅山北,其土正方,犹如池沼,纵广八千由旬。洲中有一大树,名阿摩罗,其树根入地下九由旬,树冠高达十八由旬,枝叶覆盖二十五由旬。有一树林名男人;有一树林名女人。北洲人面像其地形,身长三十二肘,衣广中六十四肘,上下三十二肘。
  1. North Skull Occupant Continent, alias Victorious Place, Going Up, Victorious Place means that people in the continent receive victorious recompense fruits; their recompense fruits are more victorious than other three continents. Going Up is saying that people in this continent can live 1,000 years, and they rise to Thirty-Three skies (see fig 13.1.5-14), Conversion-Laugh skies, etc. after death. Skull Occupant Continent is in the north of Mount Sumerian Head, and form is a square, like a swamp, 8,000 yojanas in length and breadth. Middle of the continent, there is a big tree named Immaculateness. Its roots penetrate the ground for nine yojanas, its crown reaches 9 yojanas, and its branches and leaves cover 25 yojanas. There is a forest named man, and a forest named woman. The human face of north continent resembles its topography, their body height is 32 cubits, clothes’ length and breadth are 64 cubits to their center, 32 cubits above and 32 cubits below.
三、西牛惑洲,因洲中央有一一由旬高的大石牛而得名。牛惑洲在须弥颅山西,其土形如满月,纵广七千由旬。此洲多牛羊,亦多珠玉。人面亦如满月,身长二十一肘,衣广中四十二肘,上下二十一肘。寿五百岁,多有夭亡。
  1. West Cow-Muddle Continent, named after a yojana-high stone cow in the center of the continent. Cow-Muddles Continent is in the west of Mount Sumerian Head. Its soil shapes like a full moon, and its length and breadth are 7,000 yojanas. There are many cattle and sheep on this continent, as well as pearls and jade. The human face is also like the full moon, and body height is twenty-one cubits, clothes’ length and breadth are 42 cubits to its center, 21 cubits above and 21 cubits below. Life span is 500 years, and many people die young also.
四、南瞻部洲,此洲多树,从洲中央的一棵严父树而得名。其树根入地下九由旬,树冠高十八由旬,枝叶覆盖二十五由旬。树下多金,人称严父金。瞻部洲在须弥山南,其土梯形,北广南狭,纵广六千由旬。人面亦像其地形;身长三肘半,衣广中七肘,上下三肘半。寿量不定,增劫时寿可达二百五十岁,减劫时寿不满十岁,寿最长可至无量。南洲人根性猛力,易升易堕。
  1. South Admiring-Subordinates Continent, the continent has many trees, named after a Strict-Father tree in center of the continent. Its roots penetrate the ground for nine yojanas, its crown is 18 yojanas high, and its branches and leaves cover 25 yojanas. There is a lot of gold under the tree, known as Strict-Father gold. Admiring-Subordinates Continent is in the south of Mount Sumerian Head. Its soil is trapezoidal, wide in the north and narrow in the south, and 6,000 yojanas in length and breadth. The human face also resembles its topography; body height is 3.5 cubits. Clothes’ length and breadth are 7 cubits to its center, 3.5 cubits above and 3.5 cubits below. The amount of lifespan is uncertain. In increasing catastrophe, their life span can reach 250 years; but in decreasing catastrophe, their life span is less than 10 years. The longest life span can be infinite. People’s root nature in Admiring-Subordinates Continent are brave and sharp, easy to rise and fall.
https://preview.redd.it/yrcxx1nopb3b1.jpg?width=985&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49023ae811736dda945aa07e73f97d2ec85274e6
至于婚姻嫁娶和性爱之事,地狱众生都很忙,少有做爱的兴致,婚嫁亦少。恶鬼,畜生,阿修罗,东胜身洲,西牛惑洲和南瞻部洲的众生,婚姻和性爱都如人世。
As for marriages and sex matters, hell beings are very busy and have little interest in sex and marriages. Hungry Ghosts, Livestock, Asuras, people in east Victorious Body Continent, in west Cow-Muddle Continent, and in south Admiring-Subordinates Continent, all the sentient beings’ marriage and sex are just like the human world.
北俱颅洲人无我及我所,没有守护者(注,即自我防卫心);男女若此情彼愿,便相随至合欢树下。若彼男女非父女,母子,兄妹等,合欢树便生出床铺,垂下枝叶。彼之男女欢娱受乐,随意所作,事后分离,各奔前程。其女若孕,七日即便产生;安置婴儿于四衢道中,捨之而去。彼处四方路人,为欲养育彼婴儿故,各将手指置于彼婴儿口中。彼等指头既出甘乳。如是七日,彼婴儿长成彼一种身量。若是男子,即随男伴;若女便与女伴相逐而去。由是因缘,俱颅洲人没有婚嫁。
People in North Skull Occupant Continent have no ego and belongings, no guardian (annotation, that is, self-defence); if men and women love each other, they will follow each other under the Combine-Happiness tree. If the man and woman are not father and daughter, mother and son, brother, and sister, etc., the Combine-Happiness tree will produce beds and hang down its branches and leaves. The men and women have fun, do whatever they want, and then separate and go their separate ways. If the woman is pregnant, she gives birth within seven days, place the baby in the road crossing, and leave it. Passers-by in all directions put their fingers in the mouth of the baby to raise the baby. Their fingers have produced honeydew. After seven days, that baby grows into that stature. If it is a man, it will follow the male companion; if it is a woman, it will chase away with the female companion. Because of the reason and aggregative factors, people in Skull-Occupant Continent have no marriage.
六欲天中,婚丧嫁娶亦如人世,但彼处众生注重意乐,多有拥抱,执手,瞬目等性行为,性器官的接触较人世少。色界(如插图5至8所示)和无色界的众生,没有味触,香触和身触的情感,所以他们没有男女性方面的差别,当然就没有性行为和婚嫁之事。
In the Six Desire-Skies, weddings and funerals are just like the human world, but those sentients stress intentional laughs, there are more sexual behaviors such as hugging, holding hands, admiringly looking at each other, etc., and the contact with sexual organs is less than that in the human world. Sentient beings in Color Boundary (see fig 13.1.5-5 to 8), and non-Color Boundary have no feelings of smell taste and bodily touch, so they don’t differ male and female, certainly they don’t have sextual conducts and marriage.
submitted by AdamLuyan to LifeTree [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 04:45 IsiahE4112 My Star Wars Story

I made a character and this sotry for star wars (i made this story for my English finals, i had a month to make it and got an A on it), the characters name is Saya Eban and is a character I have been thinking of for over a decade now (im not in my 2nd decade so since i was super young). Saya at this time is 13-14 years old and was given inspiration by almost all the other jedi and also star killer. He is human and with reliance on the force he can live up to 1000 years with hi peak being between 35, 40 ish to around 800 years of age. In terms of prime power level and potential, in my canon he is 3rd most powerful character just underneath luke and anikan Skywalkers, but could contend with them at some points. Little background: he was a prodigy in school before he became a padawan, he always had an intrest in a character named Ahsoka Tano but never became more than friends because of the Jedi teachings. He was a fast learning youngling and became a padawan earlier than most other younglings, becaming a padawan at the age of 11 - 12. He was in the first battle of Genesis but his troop transport ship was blasted out of the air, landing behind enemy lines leaving him the sole surviver, and scarring him, making him want to never see uneeded bloodshed ever again. He met Count Dooku before he had met Obi-Wan and Anikan on geonosis, he locked blades with him once... once, before he was thrown aside like a house fly, not worth his time, he was out until the retreat of the battle was initiated. This gave him night terrors and nightmares, after this day he could never sleep more than an hour, if that, before he woke up feeling the dark side creeping in. So he had learned to use sleep meditation. Sleep meditation allowed him to accelerate his trainings and connect greater to the force, he had unlocked 1/3 of his life now, the force helping his cells heal his body while he sat and meditated.
This story is of how he lived through one of the bloodiest battles and worst losses of the Republic, the battle of Sarrish, and of how he had obtained his later main star ship, a Kom'rk Mark 1 class star fightetransport, aka the Puro (i made this story before I have watched the 3rd season of the Mandalorian, as of right now i still haven't so Idk if thats in season 3 or not).
There is about 11,340 words in the story, and I don't 100% know of what I should make him look like so have your imaginations run wild.
Ok here we go:
Tales of Saya Eban's Puro
Chapter 1
 The battle of Sarrish was one of the worst battles of the Clone Wars, it was a great devastating loss to the Republic and the Jedi, and I was in the middle of it all. Before the battle I was doing some touch-ups on my A-wing Fighter. I had managed to get my hands on a hyperdrive that would fit in my small fighter, although being able to enter hyperspace without an external hyperdrive wing is very convenient, fast, and easy, it does slow my fighter and hinder some mobility, but not an uncontrollable amount of loss. Little did I know it'd save my life later that week. After I had finished my work, gotten it restocked for my next battle, I was called to the Jedi command center for a briefing by Master Yoda, saying it was an urgent mission and I was needed now, with his backwards way of speaking annoying me slightly. In a flash, I had gathered my battle ready loadout and headed off to the command center. When I entered the command center with the center planning table showing starships from both Confederate and Republic sides, One chasing another. I look and see Masters Yoda and Windu and a holoprojected Obi-Wan Kenobi surrounding the Table, with deeply serious thoughts in their eyes, fingers on their concentrating chins. When I swiftly strolled in, I was greeted with Master Windu's cheerful, but serious voice: "Ah, Padawan Eban, good you're here, come quick, we must act with persistence if we want to gain an upper hand in this war." "Master Windu, good to see you, you too Master Yoda, Master Kenobi, what's the situation?" Master Obi-Wan states, "We are currently chasing Separatist forces to the planet Sarrish and we will need some back up, could you bring your part of the 104th battalion right away, we have heavy casualties and they're going to have reinforcements when they reach the planet." "Is there not anyone closer than me, it may take a few days for me to get there, yall mabe finished by the time I get there!" I said with hope in my eyes. "I'm afraid that you're the only one that is available with the most minimal time of arrival, you'll have to be quick though, it will be anytime now they will reach the planet and have reinforcements. we need this win, it will be a great victory for the Republic if we are able to capture the planet." Stated Obi-Wan with certainty. "All other generals are on missions right as we speak, you are the only one that can provide back up at this current time." Master Windu added "Closer to Knight after this mission you will be, great padawan you are, your great swift improvements, Master Plo is pleased with, believe in you I do." Master Yoda said with a jolly old-man voice. "Now go, there's not much time to waste, gather your men and go help Obi-Wan!" Rushedly said by Master Windu. "With determination in my voice, I yell "Yes Masters, right away!" And like a flash, I was gone. As I'm running off, I catch a glimpse of a green swoosh and the sound of a bolt deflection. I stumble to a stop and put my legs in reverse to give curiosity the wheel. When I peer in, I see Master Skywalker and Ahsoka, along with roughly 8 clone troopers all in a circle around Ahsoka and her one blade ignited. Master Skywalker had her eyes welded to her as he walked around the trooper. I could see Captain Rex standing and watching as well, although he seems to be the only one who spotted me poking in my head. He motioned his finger to his lips as to tell me to shush and not interfere, so I watched with anticipation. And after a lifetime stillness ending in a second after Master Skywalker yelled "START!" And stun doughnuts fire from the blasters of the troopers, sending a volley of blue twords Ahsoka from all directions. With great flexibility I pair with, she jumps into the air, spinning like skates on a skate rink in mid air deflecting all incoming plasmic projectiles landing with swift grace ready for more, And more came, she stands in the center blade moving almost faster than what my eyes could keep up with, until that one bolt punches her right in the back, knocking her to the ground, diminishing the blade back into the hilt. I spring into the room, speaking with worry in my voice when I squeak out "Ahsoka! Master Skywalker, what was that!?" 
"She was just training deflecting blaster fire, she's going to be outmatched a lot in this war, and clones are better than droids to practice with." Anakin said with pride that she was able to last little over a minute, thats improvement.
"Well I guess you're not completely wrong, but your going to give her a brain injury at this rate! Could you not go a bit easier on her?"
"She'll never learn if I go easy on her." Master Skywalker said with little arrogance in his voice.
"W- well, here, l-let me wake her then." I stuttered as I walked up to Rex holding Ahsoka like he's a pillow.
"Rex, do you mind if I-"
"Not at all General, here." Rex said as I sat next to him holding Ahsoka's top half of her body.
 As he caringly sets Ahsoka's rhythmically beating top half in my lap, head facing the heavens, I softly lay my hand over her forehead, close my eyes, and concentrate. A few suspenseful seconds later, I take my hand off and observe Ahsoka's hand softly glide to her now curling forehead, eyes fluttering open. 
With a smile I voiced"Wakey Wakey warrior princess, have a good nap?" Smirking the whole time.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes Nicksters." She groaned with fading pain.
"What are you doing here?" She leisurely grumbled as she started to lie propped up by her desirable, fluorescent orange arms made of flexible muscle.
"I was walking by, and saw a 'damsel in distress', I HAD to come and 'save the day'." I joked, smirking the whole time, annoying her little bit more.
"You know I have been dying to use my force heal on you since I had learned it. I bet you don't even feel bad at all right now hm?" I said leaning in
Ahsoka starts to stand as to get a feel for her own body.
"You're right, I feel better than I did before, not bad for someone named Nicks." Ahsoka said smirking right back at me.
"Oh come on, that was one time, that was even before we became patiwans!" I said with little dramatics in my vocal verberations.
"Ok Master, I'm ready to try again." Ahsoka said to Master Skywalker
"Not now Ahsoka, we have a mission from the Jedi council we have to attend to while Obi-Wan is on his own mission." Anikan said to Ahsoka, elongating his 'not' like he usually does
"I'm actually about to go give help to Obi-Wan right now… WHICH I NEED TO GET PREPARED FOR NOW!! Karabast, got to go! See yah Ahsoka, Master, Rex." And like a ship entering hyperspace, I was gone.
Chapter 2
 After 2 boring days traveling in hyperspace, me and my 5 Veneter class Cruisers are nearing our destination, this would make 12 Cruisers for the Republic side. A new commander CT'-4112 or Zerek, debriefs on the battle situation. As I had sensed, Obi-Wan was outmatched seeing as backup was on planet Sarrish for the fleeing Separatist ships, now it's 11 Munificent class Cruisers and 2 command stations blockading the planet. Kenobi was starting to be pushed back, relying on our Cruisers longer ranged cannons to hope the Sepies didn't get too close. Our Cruisers have longer ranged main canons and toms of fighter room, while the Sepies Cruisers have more fire power at closer ranges with more fighters than our Vendor class Cruisers, at closer ranges, the Sepies would completely destroy a Venetor class Cruiser, but we have strategies and will power. 
"Glad to see a friendly face Saya." Kenobi said exhaustingly.
"Well, it looked like you needed help. You know I need to be the one to save everyone. I'll move into position to fortify our defenses to push the Sepies back and for us to make a plan. What is your fleet's condition?"
"We have 2 Venetors heavily damaged and the rest either have mild to no damage. And we have lost half our fighters as of now." Urgently said by Kenobi.
"Ok, I'm sending men and supplies to you right now, let me take the front so I can take the damage if they send another attack." I calmly said to Kenobi.
"Men battle positions and set all power to front cannons and shields. Venators get into pincer position and get ready for an attack. Fighters get ready to launch." I commanded to all my Cruisers
"Master, if you could, could you add in your undamaged Venetors? " I wandered and directed with much mastery, I even made Obi-Wan himself visually impressed considering my inexperienced mind in life, and especially war. I even managed to make him smile.
"Getting in position now." Obi-Wan stated, still smiling.
"Understood, While you get everything fixed, I'll see if I can weaken their defenses, it seems as if they're in attack positions so we gotta be ready for anything." I said in deep thought.
"Ok, 10 to 13, I like those odds, makes it even, more so for the Sepies." I grinned.
"Now Saya, remember this is still a battle, don't be too cocky, you're starting to remind me of Anakin." Obi-Wan said with conviction.
"Yes Master, sorry about that." I answered to Obi-Wan, pulling back a little.
 Just then, many starfighters come from the enemy Cruisers, hundreds of them lightning fast, closing distance fast. 
"All right men, time for some fun. Obi-Wan, if you want to take command of my control center, I'll lead this fight." I said before Obi-Wan could respond.
"Ok- but Saya! Blast, maybe he's too much like Anikan." Obi-Wan said defeatedly.
As I get into the hangar I yell "Alright Wolfpack, let's get goin!" Then I hop into my modified Jedi A-wing.
We rush out from the center roof door along the Cruiser with my squadron aka The Wolfpack, with me leading my 23 fighters into battle and many more friendly's following from the hangars.
"Ok Wolfpack, let's make a break for them Cruisers, get as many of them gone as possible. 411 you ready?" I asked R2-411. R2-411 bleeps with readiness.
"Ok, time to blow them out of the sky, remember, stay in formation" I commanded.
"Yes sir!" The Clones bellowed.
 Then we hit the swarm with a mighty thundering sound of lasers flying through the emptiness of space seeing one after one of enemy fighter droids dropping all over the place. Me and my Wolfpack fly through all the 2 winged Vulture droids that look like each wing was sideways and has 2 prongs each side for wings. They were way more quick and maneuverable than us, but we had a duty to win, and we won't lose today. It's like a firework show, but you're dodging all the fireworks, and they're aiming right at you. While we are defending the Venator Cruisers, they're mostly firing at the Sepies Cruisers, slowly dwindling their energy shields down. 
"Boys, I have a plan, but I'll need yall to get back to the Cruisers." I urged
"Obi-Wan, how's the 2 heavily damaged Cruisers? We've been out for a long while. They should be good by now right?" I questioned Master Kenobi.
"They're about to come back into the fight, but one of our Cruisers is at a quarter shield, few good hits or bombing runs and it's gone, what's your plan Saya?" Obi-Wan said, perplexed.
"Just give me an opening to the left Separatist control center, that's all I need to get on that ship." I stated with confidence.
"I'll try my best, but don't be stupid Saya, we can't afford to lose you."
"Yeah yeah I know, just get me an opening please Master!" I begged.
 After the words fleeted from my mouth, all the Cruisers fired a hole through the droid fleet with friendly fighters also making way for me to get through. I blast the afterburners straight through the enemy swarm that's been lesson by the commotion, just barely being hidden by smoke from a just destroyed fighter straight into the leftmost control ship hanger landing with an explosive entry. And immediately I jump out, igniting both, my straight emerald green saber in my left, and my yellow saber with a curved hilt similar to the Count's hilt himself in my right. I'll face him again one day, it's inevitable, like me. I land and immediately cut a group of B1 battle droids heads off with my yellow saber facing out, giving me more reach, but as I start to take fire from the army that quickly form from my landing, I swiftly doge left to right almost able to doge the sight of a human eye. Left, pop goes the heads of 3, right, pop goes 5, jump through the air on an almost straight path through the thick of the army, spinning with a light show if one were to be an onlooker at this chaotic organization of flying red plasmic bolts going to a mix of yellow and green, then proceeding to fly straight back at the shooter with twice the velocity. I land on my feet with a thunderous "BOOM" with what seems like an explosion that incinerates half of the whole hanger with an electric yellow glow seeming like yellow lighting exploded from the epicenter of the explosion. When the smoke cleared, it seemed that everything within a 5 meter radius was completely incinerated, and everything within 40 meter radius was heavily damaged, and any technology within eye shot was either scrape or short-circuiting, but all B1 battle droids and super battle droids were out. 
I sighed with relief with little heavy breathing when I looked around me, but with no time to rest, 6 Vulture droid fighters came through the hanger's magnetic shield door, transforming to walk on its pronged wings like they were legs. They scanned me and started raining a flurry of red down onto me, but with my lightning fast reflexes, I raised my sabers to block the incoming hellfire from all six fighter's. Then came the flurry being deflected in any direction possible, and I could just barely see the 6 droids started to surround me by going behind my back, but I ain't done yet. As I'm blocking, jumping, spinning, twisting on a micrometer, I stomp with a mighty force, launching through the air, slowly spinning straight for a Vulture that has became the prey. Bolts whizzing by me, inches, centimeters near my skin, singeing my arm hairs to their roots. I land on top of the droid with a thunderous boom crunching where my foot had landed, driving my sabers straight through the brain of the story high droid, with a counterclockwise rotation around my back, dragging my sabers across the metal of the droid, I leap off the droid landing with the feathers and fly forward with a flashing dash slicing through 2 other droids legs, leaving gravity do its magical job. 3 down, 3 to go, but with little time left. I launch forward running on hairs dipping and dodging blots, I leap up slicing through one leg of a droid and pushing off of its gravity taken hull, coming down on another droid's leg, cutting with ease. I land like a leaf in the autumn skies, and launch with a swift leap, flying my yellow saber straight down the middle of the 6th and final droid with no time to spare.
 I land with caution, ready to fend off another foe, but none came at that second, so I took the opportunity and ran with it straight to where the main reactors should lie. I swiftly sprint with force leaps through the air to get to the reactor, the ship is 270th of a circle with a ball where the command center is, the middle is the only connected between the back of the ball and the inner back of the circle, that's where the reactor is, im at the left most side, may take me a minute to reach it, but I can get there without being seen. My plan was to quickly fix and rewrite a Vulture droid's code to go with my command, not going to be the best work but it will work, hopefully. I had to act fast because I knew there were going to be hundreds more droids to come to see the commotion, I'd say within the minute. The codes used on the droids are not the best, because of mass production, so It was an easy fix, I just needed it to fly a small bit. It comes back to life with a putt to its movement, I directed it to start flying while I'm on its back, putting the whole time with smoke, just what I needed. I start to move forward as fast as possible. As we get around the hundreds of battle droids below, I'm starting to speed up, and as I see the reactor room, I could hear B1's yell " HEY! STOP! YOUR GOING TO FAST" in their robotic voice. Before I hit the Shield covering the reactor room, I jump off to the left where the blast door is for the room. With the distraction of the droid smashing into the shield, I use this time to slowly cut through the blast doors with both sabers starting at the bottom of the door, going up and around to form a circle I can fit through. I was through within a Minute, unnoticed, or so I was led to believe. When I get into the reactor room, I throw explosives all over the reactors, with a detonation in T minus 1 minute. I fly out of the room, calling for 411 to bring my ship as fast as possible, 55. Running across the hanger, I'm spotted by the hundreds of battle droids, which immediately start firing right as they see me 50. The explosion of the fighter droid caused a chain to nearby explosive barrels, exploding more Vulture droids causing tons of smoke and fires to spread around the hangar area, 45. As I'm running, my yellow saber is blocking multiple bolts flying at me while I'm jumping, spinning, performing acrobatic movements while being shot by hundreds of droids, from B1's, to super's, to droideka's, all firing at me, adding to the smoke, 35. Running with young blood in my veins, I perform 1, 2, 3 long jumps and leap onto the side of a slanted destroyed Vulture droid, 30. I jump up, reaching for the cloudy sky just as 411 swoops in predictively shoving my hand into the side of the sharp A-wing hull, 25. I grab the side of the hull and pull myself up into the cockpit, grabbing the controls, 20. I spin to the exit with roughly 67° of the hanger I need to shoot out of, I fire the afterburners using the circumference of the circle and my fighters movment to my advantage, 15. Pushing forward, I am drifting an A-wing around the hangar of a Separatist capital ship skimming the walls centimeters away from an explosive fiery death, 10. I barely screamed out of the hanger, to be able to see a view of the capital ship flying stright for the other Sepie capital ship, 5. Im still firing the afterburners to try and attempt to get a safe distance away from the soon to be collision sight, 4. I let 411 take the control's, 3. I turn my head to look back, 2. I see the collision of the 2 270° hangers, 1. I watch as i get the view of a star being formed right infront of my eyes, and seeing many Sepie Cruisers being absolutely engulfed by the flames, and a blast wave decimating the Vulture droids… blast wave…. BLAST WAVE! Just then I'm thrown far, along with the debri. I manged to gain control of the craft and start performing advanced monuvers to avoid being hit by debrie that will demolishe me and my tiny fighter. 
"Saya, can you hear me? Saya?" Master Obi-Wan Kenobi pleaded.
"Yeah, yeah master, I'm good, I'm fine. Woo…!" I said with a sigh of relief.
Chapter 3
 The explosion had decimated the Separatist forces leaving 4 Cruisers sustaining heavy or mild damages, but with an opening, Obi-Wan and I travel to the ground along with Captain Cody to go for a large ground assault. Master Obi-Wan's plan was to drop in and gather our troops and split them between Obi-Wan and commander Cody. We were west, they were east. The Separatists had the high ground seeing as they had a cliff to their advantage. Flying in on gunships, we were taking heavy fire from their anti aircraft cannons. Commander Cody and I are debriefing the squad on the way to the rally point, seeing gunships after gunship falling to the rocky ground in a fiery explosive ball of red hot metal, and screams, with no plants in sight, just rocks, gunships, and red streaks flying by. Explosions booming right next to us with our doors right open. We have been ordered and ordering troops to stay far away from the mountain top gun fortifying the mountain top of the cliff, leaving that gun for the gunships and the best of the clone troopers, or ARC (Advanced Recon Commandos) troopers to deal with that later, seeing as a ground assault is too dangerous for us. As some of the clones have said, it's not an easy mission, but hops are high. 
"30 seconds until landing." A clone trooper yelled to me and Cody.
Cody starts with "All right, listen up! Maintain squad formations, 'A' squad, You're on me-" ZZZZZEEEROW- BOOOM!
"Where hit!" I yell "Everyone! Hold on!"
Before we hit the ground I leap out of the gunship with a backwards somersault, force pulling all the troops out of the burning fireball heading for the ground, grabbing all of the men, including the 2 pilots at the front, breaking through the windows. I land like rain from the sky, catching the troops I just pulled out with my powers and have them roughly land on the fluffy rocks next to our now downed gunship, no casualties yet. I rush over to take cover under our gunship on its left side behind enemy lines. I sit and meditate as they come up with a plan.
"What's the status lieutenant?" Cody asked
"5 injured thanks to General Saya, but that's not that bad news… Does that Rock look familiar?" The lieutenant asked.
"Yea, the mountain, right where we're not supposed to be." Said Cody
"General Kenobi ordered us not to try taking this section from the ground." The lieutenant regenerated back again with what was already established.
"That's what he said…but what would the general do if he were here?" Cody rhetorically asked.
"Saya sir, what do you think?" A trooper asked me somewhat desperately.
"I think Cody should take this one, I've got your back Cody." I answered with my legs crossed, eyes closed, slightly levitating over the rocks.
"Eight-Eight-Six-Seven through Eight-Eight-Six-Nine and Saya, fix your grapples and come with me. Everybody, prepare for covering fire." Cody ordered.
I get up, eyes still shut, ready to block anything coming our way.
"NOW!" Cody yells, sprinting across what is our no-man's-land
I open my eyes, ignite my Sabers, Green in left, yellow in right, and dash towards the now incoming blaster fire. I sense it, left side, block, right side, deflect, one for Cody, deflected. We get to some stalagmites at the bottom of the mountain, sustaining heavy fire, I pose as a distraction for all the fire, deflecting as many blots as I can back at the metal men. One troop trips and falls, pow, bolt straight through the head. Cody and the men shoot the grappling hooks up towards the top of the mountain and start climbing. I jump from my spot reigniting my sabers, driving them through the mountain side, helping me grab hold with my feet. And when I look up, I see a grapple fall behind me. I tried to grab the rope but I was too late. When I managed to obtain it, he had already hit the ground. Another tragedy, one that never had to happen, life being wasted away. I look up, a droid stairs emotionlessly down into my emotion filled eyes. A blue bolt shoots past me, impacting the droid's head, sending the body backwards.
Cody and the other clone rises from the cliff side as I leap up from the side, landing in front of the clones and immediately start deflecting with my 2 sabers having nothing pass. Cody takes this opportunity to run around my defense and attacks the droids head on, bashing one droid with the butt of his rifle and swinging his rifle at another, destroying both of them. The droid manning the anti aircraft gun turns and aims at Cody. Instinctively I jump in front of the cannon as it fires, I deflect the large bolt away with my right yellow saber, knocking my body to the right, making me stumble. But with the motion throwing me to the right, I use the momentum to throw my green saber with my left hand, impaling the droid in the metal chest. Cody then hops onto the turret, points the gun at the droids firing at our men, and lets loose, destroying all in its reticle.
"Thanks General, I owe you one, ill getcha next time." Cody said slowly getting off the turret.
"You're alright my friend, just pay it forward, let's go see how Obi-Wan did." I slightly worried, staring off to the north.
 We group up at the randevu, where we have set base camp on the planet in a small raven a bit away from where we captured the cliff with some makeshift scouting towers dotted around our position. Obi-Wan had more resistance than what he had anticipated, he was a little banged up, but he was fine in the end. This was a huge victory seeing as we have been able to set base on a planet that allows us to get resources through this hyperspace route and onto parts of the army past this point. Before, General Grievous snipped our route to where we couldn't get resources to our army on the other side from Coruscant. 
Chapter 4
 12 hours later, we have rested and have managed to build up a good base incase of a surprise attack. We are still fighting a few fronts of Separatist holdouts with a fortress a few klicks west, or about 4 miles west. 
I sit in my tent meditating, reflecting back on the weeks events, and what Ahsoka was doing back at the temple, training hard. I recite what I did with an almost overwhelming amount of blaster fire attempting to fly into me, how I was just mostly averting the blots away from me and not in a direction that would benefit me most.
'RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE'
 The ground started to shake out of nowhere, breaking my peace. I rush out of my tent, only to be met with a face full of B2 battle droid. I jump back over my tent flipping onto my feet as I see my tent being lit into flames from heavy bolt fire flying at me. Igniting both my sabers, I deflect the incoming fire away from me up into the sky as much as I physically could. I took a glance around, it was becoming more sunlit as we fought. It was a slaughter, clones dying left and right, Kenobi was on the Command ship getting patched, so it was just me, and the clones down here, being manicured. With a swift right step, I change lightsaber form, combining my form 3, (defensive form blocking anything coming way, and either making, or waiting for an opening to strike) with a combination of form 2 (saber to saber form, putting least amount or saber movement and preferring precise efficient movements) and form 4 (saber from using the force to enhance physical abilities, and heavily utilizing fast acrobatic movements to move around and disorient the opponents, using wide sweeping saber movements to block and hit targets) I use the power if the many bolts to propel my body onto my right leg, crouching down and taking a huge lead in to the air. Looking around like it is moving in stop motion, I see thousands of droids around, completely outnumbering my men. Glancing down where I had jumped from, there seems to be a super battle droid rising from the ground, looking as if it has been there for at least a few days. Time seems to start like normal again, immediately I have to block bolts coming for my body, twisting, turning, deflecting every. single. bolt. right to another droid. I can't have any more unneeded deaths in my hands. I land with an impactful explosion of yellow lighting, rendering half of the electronics on the field obsolete. Shots fire over the wall, exploding near me. 
"Everyone, Retreat!" I yelled into the comms.
I ran towards the lieutenant that I had survived the crash with, he was running for a troop transport.
"Get to the ships, return to the Venators! Get Kenobi and relay what has happened!" Urgency blowing through my voice.
 I push him into the ship as it takes off. As it's doing so, I force push it away from the field as to be in less danger of being shot down. But rockets fly through the air, I reach through the force and grab onto the hurdling death traps, I grab 1, 2, crash them into one another, 3, grab, 4, grab, 5, miss. ERRROW… BOOOM! With a hopeless explosion, the ship bursts into an explosive ball of fire, right in front of my eyes, out of my grasp. Shots fly past my head from behind me, I ignite my sunlit yellow saber to block incoming bolts. No men, only metal remains, and it wants me dead. I dash for my ship on the other side of the airstrip, luckily barely touched from this horrible surprise party that invited everyone I very much dislike. Hopping into my A-wing, I lift-off dogging left, right, up, down, roll left, roll right, barely being passed by on all sides by cannon fire. When I reach the point past the clouds, there's a whole war above. Separatist forces have surprised Kenobi with an overwhelming number of ships, putting our war torn 12 Venators against 16 Munificent class Cruisers. We were greatly out matched. But the time I was in space we had lost 3 Vectors compared to there 1 lost. Droids noticed me coming from the planet and started to verge onto my position. 
"Obi-Wan! You there? Can you hear me?" I yelled, pulling evasive maneuvers.
"Saya, is that you?" Kenobi asked.
"Yes, we got surprised on the ground, seems the same happened here." I rushingly said.
"Yes, they came out of nowh-" Kenobi is cut off by a blaring siren from my cockpit.
"Wait, my ship is damaged, it's starting up my hyperdrive, 411 can you fix it?" I said dipping left and right while trying to stop the hyperdrive activation.
With a few bleeps of fear, I understand what's happening.
"When I was thrown from the capital ship explosive wave, I must have been hit near the hyperdrive, and explosions from my escape, along with the maneuvers I have been pulling, it may have caused damage that is registering a hyperdrive activation. Master Obi-Wan, I don't know, I-I don't know what to do!" I claimed with fear in my eyes.
"Can you deactivate the hyperdrive at all 411?" Kenobi asked
411 bleeps with a sad toon.
"Blast, Saya, does it say where you're going?"
"N- No, my council just says ERROR." I stated, now with much fear in my voice.
 I managed to steer my craft into the position of the hyperspace lane. 
"Tell Ahsoka good bye if I don't-" I get cut off when the the hyperdrive powered up woth a vvvvvvvvvvvVVVVERRRRRRR PEEOW, and just like that, me, my A-wing, and R2-411, are gone.
Chapter 5
 It's been days since the battle, mabe 2 or 3 days. Luckily I always keep many ration bars in my fighter to last me a good few days, along with my extra water and my ability to go into a deep meditative state, conserving food and water. Keeping me company is my meditation and 411. We have almost hit some unknown objects, could have been planets, asteroids, other ships, but we seem to be staying in hyperspace lanes luckily, or I would have been dead a long time ago. My class 2 hyperdrive could have taken me all over the galaxy by now, I could be heading towards Coruscant right now for all I know. 
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
My hyperdrive warning kicked on, showing that there is a massive gravity force in my path. The console flashed with big red dangerous letters "Exiting Hyperdrive" on the screen.
"YES! FINALLY!" I yelled with excitement.
 I watch through the glass to see a barren looking planet, and a similar looking moon, a moon I was heading to. I was moving fast, as I entered the moon's atmosphere, Im grabbing the controls, barely anything. My craft is red hot from the rate at which I'm coming in on. I'm grabbing the stick, pulling back as much as I can, as to try and save myself and 411 from a fiery death. I scraped by a big rocky mountain dealing more damage to my A-wing. 
"HOLD ON 411!"
"Come ooooon. Pull pull pullllll…. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!-" VERRROW BOOOOSH!!! The crash landing sounded like a bomb flying through the air, then landing on its target. I try to get from my seat just to find my strap and window will not open. Using my saber I cut off my seat strap and broke the window from the hinges and leaped out, taking 411 from the craft, swiftly landing on a tall mountainous rock. The craft seemed to have pushed through the land 50 meters from the initial impact spot. The area I was in seemed to be very rocky terrain with many rocky canyons and huge rocks that are almost mountainous. The sun was close to setting down for the night but was still a good hour away from sleeping.
 With the force by my side, I felt a very uneasy sensation telling me to stay out of sight. I duck down on the tall skinny rock taking 411 down with me. 411 confusingly bleeps when I do so. "Hey, I have a feeling right now, just keep quiet real quick, there's somebody coming. Trust me." Me and 411 peer over the edge looming over my crashed ship just as a group of 6 men in full armor covering their whole body fly in with jetpacks strapped to their backs, blasters in hand. As they land, they search around my wreckage, presumably looking for survivors. One seems to be ordering the others around, pointing at one to look in one direction, another a different direction, and scanning around for the unexpected visitor. I look down at my Wrist link, my distress signal wasn't sent, I guess that was damaged from entering the planet at such high speed with no deflector shields surrounding the ship like a protective blanket. 
"Blast, 411, what's your S.O.S signal situation, did it go through?" 411 beeps with a little drama like I should know it didn't go through.
"Well sorry for busting your rusty bolts you rowdy rancor, better to try than to just give up mister sassy pants. Maybe I should wipe your memory for a change, see how you like it."
"Now shush, don't want them to find us spying on them, won't look too good." I demand. "Now here, in case we get caught, I don't want them to know I'm a Jedi, so here, take my sabers, I'm not gonna need them anyways." I said shoving my lightsabers into 411's storage compartment and looking towards the crash again.
 Just then the suit of armor that had been commanding his squad bursts up into my view right on my face out of hyperspace blue. 
"Ah, found ya trespassers, you 2 are coming with me." Demanded the Mandalorian with a snickering sound in his voice as the others rise from the portal of the abyss from down below.
 It was a good thing my ropes where in the tent back on Sarrish, or this may have been an even worse situation, Mangalorians like them hate Jedi with a passion, and it's a good thing I always have a broken blaster in 411 for any cases where I need to blend in with a crowd or pose as a normal civilian; although, the ability to become a civilian at any point is great, I've had little need to do so much. I'm quite popular with the people for being one who tries to connect with the population as a fellow citizen. So I rarely stay in the temple for too long. I love being with the people and learning skills without the force, like being a mechanic, electrician, public speaker, security guard, an all around great person to talk with about anything. I'm quite known on all levels of Coruscant for being one of the most friendly Jedi to be around. Right now though, I need to focus on not being caught, at least That's what my gut is telling me. After they searched my character for any weapons and found the broken blaster that 411 had put in my holster where my lightsaber usually is, they were satisfied and pushed us into one of their big Kom'rk Mark 1 class Mandalorian starfightetransport ship. 
(Look in comments for 6th)
submitted by IsiahE4112 to StarWarsCantina [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 04:00 Analypiss Durability

Key and explanation of periods where Juggernaut was stronger or weaker than normal

Durability w/ Force Field/Armor

Blunt

Piercing/Cutting

Sound

Heat

Cold

Electricity

Light

Energy

Chemical

Adhesive

Biological

Matter Manipulation

Phasing

Magic

Soul/Life Force

Power Absorption/Nullification

Mental

Durability w/o Force Field/Armor

Blunt

Piercing/Cutting

Sound

Cold

Heat

Gravity

Light

Energy

Chemical

Biological

Mental

submitted by Analypiss to JuggernautMegaRT [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 02:41 demfrecklestho [2] May 31: Japan Toyama 富山県 NIIKAWA 新川広域圏 (5 min timer)

Today's map: Japan Toyama 富山県 NIIKAWA 新川広域圏 by Kyo0619_2 (★★ / 159)

Link to the challenge here Deadline: June 2, 12.45 am UTC (9.45 am in Niikawa)
Hello! Our last map for May brings us back to Japan. I drew a map featuring the Niikawa area: it's a coastal region occupying the eastern half of Toyama bay, in Toyama prefecture. It loosely spans from the eastern boundaries of Toyama city to the border with Niigata prefecture. It's largely urban and suburban; the main towns are Uozu and Kurobe. No photospheres, good luck!
There are a few minutes left in yesterday's Costa Coffee themed game, where we've recorded seven perfect scores so far. GGs to Davey 1473, fbrasseur, GeoFogg, giorgeauws_, gobluetwo, MDspaceman and solarsensei!
always remember to post your score in this thread if you want it to count towards the leaderboards!
Weekly leaderboard (May 29 - June 4)
solarsensei 2 0 0
giorgeauws_ 1 1 0
gobluetwo 1 0 1
Davey1473 1 0 0
fbrasseur 1 0 0
GeoFogg 1 0 0
MDspaceman 1 0 0
exohugh 0 1 0
rtlewis123 0 0 1
Monthly leaderboard (May)
solarsensei 16 4 7
fbrasseur 11 2 4
giorgeauws_ 10 9 0
Milyly 7 2 1
rereannanna 6 0 0
gobluetwo 5 2 3
ParticularAirport217 3 3 5
MDspaceman 3 0 0
A__European 2 1 2
exohugh 1 5 0
daniblonds 1 1 0
Davey1473 1 0 0
dirty_cuban 1 0 0
GeoFogg 1 0 0
timswagwalker 1 0 0
saladpants77 0 1 0
charliebobo82 0 0 1
MTheBassman 0 0 1
rtlewis123 0 0 1
wx_bombadil 0 0 1
Zompre 0 0 1
Recent winners
May 24 A More Urban Canada fbrasseur, giorgeauws_, gobluetwo, MDspaceman, Milyly, rereannanna, solarsensei 24999
May 25 An urban Scandinavia fbrasseur, giorgeauws_, solarsensei 25000
May 26 ✈️ Tour the World #065 fbrasseur, solarsensei 25000
May 27 Yield signs of the World fbrasseur, solarsensei 25000
May 28 UK Railway Level Crossings giorgeauws_ 25000
May 29 South Carolina solarsensei 24312
May 30 Costa Coffee's Davey1473, fbrasseur, GeoFogg, giorgeauws_, gobluetwo, MDspaceman, solarsensei 25000
submitted by demfrecklestho to geochallenges [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 02:39 AslandusTheLaster Wolfgang's pups

Original prompt: [WP]You were a powerful villain, wielding great power and caused great destruction. Then, you became a reformed anti-hero who saved the world 5 years ago from a greater evil. Now, you live quiet life of solitude away from society, with a part of you knowing that not everyone is so easy to forgive. (link)
I sprinted hard up the stony stairway, my two companions following closely behind. We had gotten enough headway that our pursuers were out of earshot, and it was dark enough that they might not spot us instantly if we hid, but we couldn't dally or they'd be on us before we could even catch our breath. Still, I could tell Annie was out of breath and Otto was still bleeding from his wounded leg.
We couldn't keep this up, but I spotted a potential salvation: a wooden shack on the side of the mountain, illuminated from within. I pulled slightly ahead and banged on the door, hoping for a fast response. My companions quickly caught up, but Otto stumbled and collapsed behind me and the moment Annie stopped she started gasping for air.
It took a moment longer than I would've liked, but finally a middle-aged man opened the door. His voice was low and gruff, like the crackle of a campfire, and the backlighting from his hut combined with his size and sneering gaze caused him to cut a dark and imposing figure.
"Yes? Ah, heroes, prosecuted vagabonds, miscreants... whatever, come in before the hail of stone gets you," he said.
I quickly ushered my companions inside, and the man closed the door behind me.
"Do you have healing magic? Those wounds will require treatment," he asked, gesturing at Otto.
"Yes," I said. "We didn't have time to heal because we're being pursued."
"Ah, unfortunate. I have a boat below the house, under that hatch," he said, gesturing at a wooden hatch in the floor. He glanced over my companions. "It's stocked for an escape, but it's down a flight of stairs. Do you think you can make it?"
"I need a minute..." Annie said, stopping to cough as she hunched over.
"Well, gravity will guarantee I get down there, but making it in one piece..." Otto said, stumbling into a chair as the adrenaline started to wear off.
"Right. Get down there as fast as you can, I'll hold them off," our host said, grabbing a quarterstaff that was leaning against the wall and walking to the front door. "Oh, and take Tabby with you, would you?"
I looked over and saw a cat sitting on the windowsill. As the man stepped outside, I picked up the cat and handed it to Annie, before casting a minor healing spell on Otto. He'd need better treatment, but it would probably be enough to get us out of here.
My companions pulled the hatch in the floor open, and began slowly climbing down. I watched them go for a moment, then stepped back to the front. Outside the front door, the man was standing, holding a small jug.
"Sir, there's no need to sacrifice yourself for us, I can still fight," I said, stepping outside and placing a hand on the hilt of my sword.
"Hm?" he asked, looking back at me. "Who said anything about sacrifice?"
It was at that point that the soldiers reached us, shouting for us to stop in the name of the king.
Our host merely whirled around and hucked the jug over their heads, blasting it with fire. The jug exploded, raining burning oil down on the soldiers, who immediately panicked and began attempting to pat out the flames. Some even dove from the cliffside, presumably attempting to douse themselves in the sea below. The rocky cliffside had other ideas, and many ended up bouncing once or twice before hitting the water. Those who weren't being baked in their armor simply pushed past their allies and continued charging at us.
"We can't win here! We need to run!" I said, grabbing our host's arm.
He simply raised his other arm, and shot a blast of magic that covered the top few steps in a layer of ice, before jerking his arm away. As the soldiers reached him, they began to slip on the ice. Some of them immediately fell off the side of the mountain, but those that reached him were "encouraged" off with a blow to the head. The soldiers at the back of the group quickly backed off and retreated back down the mountain.
"Come to my mountains with this half-assed assault force? They just don't make tyrants like they used to," he said, tapping his staff against his boots to knock off the teeth and blood that had gotten on them.
"Sir? Who are you?" I asked.
"Ah, right, the name's Wolfgang," he said.
"Sir Wolfgang? As in the knight who slew the mad king half a decade ago?" I asked.
"The one and only," he said, stepping back inside his hut. I followed him, watching as he collected a few bottles from his pantry and grabbed a framed picture off one of his shelves.
"Is there a reason you're grabbing everything? The soldiers are gone now..." I asked.
"Not for long, they'll be back in a matter of days. You picked up the cat, right?" he asked.
"Yes, my sister has it," I said.
"Good, she was Claus', so she can be a bit stubborn with me," Wolfgang said. He grabbed an open wine bottle and drank from it until it was empty.
"Uh, is this going to take long?" I asked.
"Just go ahead, I'll catch up," he said, opening the door and hurling the empty bottle onto the stairs. I could see a small group of the soldiers creeping back up the stairs toward the hut, but when the bottle shattered, the broken glass made them stop their advance again.
The soldier at the front of the group gave some quiet command to the others, and they began using their hands to carefully brush away the glass.
"What are you waiting for, boy? Get moving!" Sir Wolfgang shouted at me. I quickly ducked into the trapdoor, and began hurriedly climbing down the stairs.
Annie and Otto were just now getting into the small boat, which appeared to be an old fishing vessel large enough for four to five people. I quickly hopped into the boat, and helped the two of them in before I started untying it from the mooring.
"What about the old guy? Is he not coming?" Annie asked.
"He should be here soon, but the soldiers are still behind us," I said.
As I spoke, a rope lowered down from above holding the bag Wolfgang had been loading things into, which came down onto the deck. Wolfgang quickly slid down the rope after it, before hurling a fireball up at the shack above him. We quickly took the hint, and began pushing away from the dock, with the bag and Wolfgang landing on the deck as we began to part.
"Whoof, that almost got messy. Boy, when I tell you to get going, you need to get going!" he said.
"I couldn't just let you throw yourself away! That's not what heroes do!" I said.
"Not what heroes do? You're telling me that you were planning to fight them alongside a man you barely knew, out of some idiotic sense of honor?" he asked.
"Well... It would be preferable to just letting an innocent person die," I said.
"Honor is a lie made by the powerful to make the multitudes feel safer. You don't just jump into a fight you don't have to, and if you have to fight then you fight to win!" Wolfgang said.
"That doesn't sound very heroic, sir," I said.
"Bah, you remind me of Claus. All about truth, justice, and honor up until you get your fool head lopped off and leave it to the rest of us to finish the quest," he said.
"You don't sound like most of the knights I've met," I said.
"Knight? You mean this is-" Otto began to ask.
"Yes, but before I became a knight I was just known as the Night Wolf, terror of the western forest. But that's a long story," Wolfgang said.
I looked out over the open water, and up at the collapsing hut on the side of the coastal mountain ridge.
"I think we've got time," I said.
"Perhaps not as much as you think," Wolfgang said, pulling on a rope and snapping his fingers. The sail on the fishing boat unfurled, and a gust of wind kicked up, carrying the boat up the coast, away from the direction from which we'd come.
"So is this him?" Annie asked, holding up a framed photo. Her other hand was stuck in the bag Wolfgang had brought down with him, but I hadn't even noticed her digging through it. The photo depicted Wolfgang and another man, who even with just the one image could be identified as being leaner and far more cheerful than the man we'd been speaking with.
While I had assumed he would be angry with my sister, Wolfgang let out a raucous laugh and said, "Indeed, that's him. You seem like a sharper sort, girl."
"Thank you, sir," she said.
"So you said you wanted to know about my past?" he asked.
"I mean, we didn't say we wanted to know, just that your excuse for not telling us seemed flimsy," I said.
"So you don't want to know?" he asked.
"I'd like to know," Annie said.
"That's what I thought. It started back in that little mountain village, a lad living with his family herding sheep. Then one day raiders came, killed both his parents, before stealing all their valuables and the lad himself," he said.
"Aw, that's so sad..." Annie said.
"Yes, it is, but as the boy grew he learned to fight and to command respect. As leader after leader among the bandits died, he ended up in charge, and just like those before him looted and pillaged the countryside," Wolfgang said.
I could see a lighthouse in the distance, directly ahead of the bow of the boat.
"Then one day, his group assaulted a caravan, lead by a brave and dashing hero, who easily bested all but the most elite fighters among the bandits. As the others withdrew, the former village boy fell behind. There's no honor among thieves, so none of his comrades came to save him, nor did he expect them to. Instead, he made his prayers and turned to face the young man," Wolfgang said. "The hero got the upper hand, but after having sand thrown in his eyes, he got knocked over and run through..."
"Wait, but didn't you and Claus end up being friends?" Annie asked.
"Turns out he was a hero of legend, one of the gods' chosen, so he came back," Wolfgang said. "Caught me off guard when he came directly to our camp and assaulted it to liberate the people we'd kidnapped from the caravan. He was expecting the dirty tricks this time, so he managed to beat me. But instead of just killing me, he offered me an ultimatum: Give up my life as a bandit, or give up my life as a living person. Naturally, I chose the former, and joined him in his quest, and together we slew the Duke of the Shade."
"The Duke of Shade? But you're famous for slaying the mad king," I said.
"Indeed, Claus was a hero of legend, and his legend was done, but tyrants are forever," Wolfgang said. "When a new king ascended the throne, and turned out to be a monster, he took on another journey to stop him, and I came along. Long story short, he did the same he did with me, asked the king to change his ways, and the king betrayed his trust to put him in the ground... Turns out, the gods don't care what happens to a hero once their destined quest is done, so Claus was gone for good."
"So you moved to the mountains to... Wait for more adventurers?" I asked, looking at the small dock coming into view through the mist.
"No, I just didn't want to deal with people any more. Bastards, the lot of them, and the good ones tend to die young," he said. "Looks like we're here."
The boat pulled toward the dock, and Wolfgang threw a rope over the mooring before hopping out of the boat. A middle-aged woman was standing on the nearby shore, and approached us as we exited.
"Thought I'd heard a strange wind, turns out it's just an old wolf caught in the surf," she said. "Though this is the first I've seen of his cubs."
"They're just a loan, for the time being. Heroes, this is Sonia the Cyclops," he said. As Sonia got closer, it became clearer that she was blind in her left eye, though she lacked the eyepatch to make it fashionable.
"And this is the greeting I get after all we've been through together! Honestly, this guy," she said, with all the offense of someone responding to a joke from a long-time friend. "So what brings you lot here?"
"Well, we fought off some bandits, then a group of soldiers came by the orphanage to arrest us for no reason," I said, recalling the last few days events in as succinct a manner as I could.
"Ah, must be a prophecy," Sonia said. "Come on, I'll take you kids to the oracle so you can get a proper start on your journey. Care to come with, Wolf?"
"No thanks, Cy, I've got to get to a bathhouse. Might swing by later to give them some pointers on fighting, but I've seen enough oracles for one lifetime," Wolfgang said.
"I'm sure the goddess of destiny has... forgotten about all those things you called her after she said the gods wouldn't bring Claus back," Sonia said.
"All the same, I'm not going," Wolfgang said.
"Suit yourself. Come on, kids, we're burning moonlight," she said.
With that, Sonia led us off into the mist, toward a large building which claimed to hold the secrets of the future. Wolfgang took off in a different direction, heading for some other place I couldn't see due to the ever-thickening morning mist. We wouldn't end up seeing him again for the rest of our journey.
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2023.06.01 02:33 AslandusTheLaster Magical girl rescue dads

Original Prompt: [WP] After being kidnapped by their archenemy, it's up to you and your fellow dads to cover for your magical girl daughters until you can rescue them. (link)
Thomas Edmund sat quietly in his evening chair, reading from one of the books off the shelf. He'd read through it once or twice before, but Huckleberry Finn never stopped being an enjoyable piece of fiction. His wife Kathy was asleep, and their daughter was still off on her little adventures, but he was absolutely not going to bed before she got home.
Still, it was getting quite late. Tom closed the book and glanced over at the clock... Two in the morning? No, that wouldn't do.
He leaned over and picked up the phone. The gruff voice on the other end greeted him.
"Tom?" it said.
"Yeah George, looks like it's happened again," Tom said. "Time to get the boys together."
Abby pulled at the ropes wrapped tightly around her torso. Cindy, Rachel, and Poppy were also bound, while the woman in the sparkly, skintight costume cackled over her commentary of her devious plan.
"And then, when the moon covers the north star, the device shall activate and the world shall be doomed!" she shouted.
Abby had to assume she was doing so for her own enjoyment, as the other magical girls were unimpressed and the woman's monstrous minions didn't seem intelligent enough to understand what her words.
"Okay lady, but if you don't let us go then you're going to regret it!" Abby shouted.
"Ha! And just what exactly do you think you can do to make me suffer from those ropes?" the sparkly woman asked.
As if to answer her question, the sound of an explosion rang out, followed almost instantaneously by the screech of one of the larger monsters dying and turning to dust.
"Abigail Lorraine Edmund! Midnight means midnight!" Tom shouted from across the room, his hands glowing with the same iridescent energy as the woman.
"Oh no, the middle name? Guys, we're getting grounded for sure!" Abby shouted to the other magical girls.
"What?" The sparkly woman asked, before being toppled over by a large burly man wearing a police uniform.
"Ma'am, you have a right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." the man said.
"Bill, cuff her already! She might have some weird magical bullshit!" Tom shouted.
"Right," Bill said, yanking the woman's arms behind her back and slapping a pair of handcuffs on her.
The monsters quickly reacted by going into a rage and charging at Bill. Then a skinnier man in a camoflage army uniform stepped out onto the balcony holding a shotgun, blasting one, then another of the monsters. Another man, slightly balding, ran up toward Bill, smashing one of the smaller monsters' heads in with a baseball bat.
"George! Rick! Good timing," Bill said.
The rest of the monsters took the hint and quickly began retreating through the glowing portal that was open at the end of the room.
"What? No! You cowards! Get back here and kill these fools!" the sparkly woman shouted, still pinned under Bill's boot.
"Abigail, you are in so much trouble," Tom said to his daughter, using a small flame on the end of his finger to burn through the ropes that were keeping her bound.
"I know..." Abby said, avoiding eye contact.
"Three weeks, no magical girl-ing, no afterschool club, and you'd better be back home before sundown," Tom said.
"But dad! The world could be destroyed!" Abby said, standing up and dusting herself off as she spoke.
"Then someone else is going to have to step up," Tom said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Then he pulled her into a hug. "You're just a teenager, Abby, the safety of the entire world doesn't rest on you and you alone. I'm just glad you're safe."
"I know, dad..." Abby said, wrapping her arms around her father's neck.
George cut the ropes binding his daughter with his combat knife.
"Cindy, what did we learn?" he asked his daughter.
"Don't rush in unprepared, and always cover your flanks..." Cindy responded, sounding somewhat disappointed that she'd made such a rookie mistake.
"Good. Now, let's get some dinner and put you to bed, you've got school tomorrow," he said, offering her a hand.
"Okay," she said, taking her father's hand and heading toward the entrance of the building with him.
Bill approached his daughter, then let out a small snort. He pulled out his cell phone and pretended to get a call.
"Hon? Sorry, Rachel can't talk right now, she's a little tied up at the moment," he said.
All the girls groaned, and the other dads gave a mixture of sighs and chuckles.
"Dad! I'm tied up, please get me out of here!" Rachel said.
"Hi, tieduppleasegetmeoutofhere, I'm dad," he said, while pulling at the knot keeping the ropes bound.
Another round of groans came from the girls, and Rachel stood up.
"But seriously, Ra, you need to be more careful. Two weeks, no TV," Bill said.
"Aw..." Rachel said, pouting as she looked at her father. "Two weeks?"
"Fine, one week, you've had a rough night," Bill said, picking up the sparkly woman before walking toward the exit.
Rick had already freed his daughter, and stepped toward Bill.
"So... just in case you make bail, any chance you're free next Friday night?" Rick asked the woman Bill had slung over his shoulder.
"Dad! Stop trying to flirt with our mortal enemies!" Poppy said.
"Begone wretch! I am the High Priestess of the God of Eternal Twilight! My destiny is one of glory and power! I will not be be caught up in petty romance!" the woman shouted.
"Eh, worth a shot," Rick said. "Let's go Penelope, you still haven't done your homework."
"Ughhhh...." Poppy groaned, following her father out of the building.
The rest of the night went uneventfully, though the late night did mean the girls went to school half-asleep the next day... All in a day's work when it came to defending the world from monster incursions.
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2023.06.01 02:08 Locke7768 The beginning of a YA novel incorporating Astral/Star Jelly

Hi Leon and Sasha,
I miss you guys so much. I hope that you are safe in Moscow. I think of you often. I hope that you and your mom (grandparents and Irina/Phil) are okay.
I hope you mom reads this to you. I hope that it helps you go to sleep. I will write more and post it for you to read.
Astral or Star Jelly is a real event/substance that has been found in all areas of the earth (please Wikipedia it). My friend performed a DNA analysis on a sample of Star Jelly, and the results were amazing. His group concluded that the sample mostly had mitochondrial-like DNA, but it was very different from anything reported (much longer and having possible different base pairs).
Astral/Star Jelly is often found after meteorite showers or other astral events. I found some when I was young (heavy Northern Lights and Meteor Shower event). I crafted the first chapter of a potential novel. Please give feedback. I am switching to google docs, so soon I will have links to my works.
Yes, Charlotte edited the chapter. She kept saying to keep it simple and direct. We hope to see you in Turkey this summer.

Chapter 1
The Byproduct of Gods
with revisions by your favorite daughter
📷
Her owners had held her for so many lifetimes that the stream, which flowed, near her family’s hut was gone. The trees that provided fuel, housing, and food were missing, replaced by a prairie. After all the years of the concept of returning home keeping her going, she did not feel safe. There were no people near her village, and it took her days to unearth signs of her youth. She discovered the land that she had first walked on only because the mountain and stones did not move. As she cleaned the Blue Volga granite idol of her parents’ deity, she felt nothing. The blue-green face of the god looked sad to her. He also was no longer safe. His followers were dead and his power forgotten.
Her first owner was a traveler. They moved with each new moon. Her master felt safe but she failed to understand that her entourage plodded along a predictable path. After many decades, a tale of a demon woman who did not age traveled the same circuit. Finally, a village attacked the demon. Her second owner was the daughter of the woman who bought her. The daughter decided to build a fortress and to rule her fief. Her third owner was the daughter’s son who had grown tired of never gaining his birthright. His guilt and myopic greed caused him to sell her to an alchemist. From that point on, she was an item for trade or barter.
Her final master failed to return home. She remained in his caravan for a week, performing her duties. When she had eaten all the food, she felt justified using her knowledge to destroy her metal shackles. It took her five days to dissolve her bindings with her jellies.
She thought of the places that she had felt safe. Those havens were all underground. A magician made her live in the passages beneath Kyiv when he was being hunted. The tunnels funneled the 15 rivers of the city and protected inhabitants from invaders or punishing ruling forces. For twenty years, she had lived in the coquina catacombs of Odessa. A man who thought he was a seer was convinced that his power had attracted the attention of dragons and demons. No one could approach the lair unseen.
After a week of searching the now unfamiliar area, the woman began to carve her home from the soil of her childhood. She spent fifty years making her home safe. Only she would know the paths and twists of her underground world. Only she would know where the escape exits emerged into the surrounding world.
Eventually, her home attracted others. The woman could have chased them away, but she felt a need to observe people. When the fourth generations of villagers were aging to the grave, there was no hiding the fact that she had not died. The villagers erected a semi-circular wall around the entrance to the woman’s cave. The wall grew and the woman did not protest the separation.
Generations later, people whispered that the villagers maintained the defenses of their community to keep the woman away from the town’s children at night. In the tavern, each generation of gallant males would boast that they would be the one to remove the blight of the woman from the town. When she inevitably outlasted them, she would attend the funeral of the most vocal warrior from each age group.
Daily the woman would remove more soil from her dugout. The community would search her discarded diggings for possible minerals or stones. They did not share any discoveries with the woman. During times of blight or famine, the locals would collect her soil and remove it from the community.
People would peer around the wall to scan the woman’s home. As the village grew, a leader placed two chairs at endpoints of the semi-circle barrier. During full moons, periods of strife, festivals, and other social events, menacing men sat in the chairs. Infrequently, people tried to enter the woman’s home. Aside from the guards, it was the more distraught people of the village who visited her.. The most recent person to enter the woman’s home was a grieving widow. Her grief made her seek the woman to find answers about her loss. Three mornings later, the villagers found the widow in the public square with drapes of herbs, flowers, and crafts around her limbs. The people thought the widow was dead or mindless from torture. When the widow awoke, she went to her house and began the chores for the day. When pressed about the woman’s abode, the widow would state that the home was loved, clean, and well maintained.
On the spring day when the widow was about to remarry, she was again discovered in the square coated with ropes of herbs, flowers, and idols. The woman disappeared for a decade after the wedding, but the widow brought her newborns to the opening of the earthwork to declare their names into the sunken space.
The aging hamlet relaxed when the woman was away. There was a sense of freedom in the people. They did not fear the retribution of the woman for their actions, and parents could not correct their children with threats of giving them to the woman. At times, the leaders of the people would consider filling in the woman’s hovel, but shovels and spades would split if used to cover the opening of the woman’s home. One regretful man tried using a mule and cart to dump rocks into the fastness. The stones crushed the man after his own tram flipped over on him.
Although the townsfolk feared and despised the woman, she had free reign in the village. As an indicator that she was amongst the people, the woman would adorn her head with a dark purple scarf. No other members of the village would wear that color. They looked for it whenever the woman shopped at the market. The woman paid with old and foreign coins, but the merchants welcomed the precious metals they were composed of. During the dark days of winter, the people collected the woman’s tender and deposited it into a lead box. The villagers had a belief that the more people touched the woman’s currency, the longer the winter would be.
After the community fortified against the woman, religious leaders organized efforts to erect carved idols and large wagon-wheel hexes aimed at her home. Each generation attempted to counter the woman with the current symbols of spiritual protection. The largest structure in the village was now a church, and the threshold of the church was oriented to face the woman’s home.
The woman was home when Alyona began her schooling in the church. She had learned the fundamentals of math, reading, and writing. She knew that her coursework would end soon. The village expected girls to be useful to a limit. Her mother walked her only surviving child to school along a path that would prevent their shadow from falling close to the woman’s realm. The villagers performed this ritual after someone claimed that the woman had controlled their behavior by stealing their shadow.
Alyona was daydreaming during school of a life away from the village when the woman touched her. Alyona had spent the morning in the woods collecting mushrooms and other edibles. Her findings made for great, free additions to their usually simple meals. . On days that Alyona returned with a bounty, they shared the extras with neighbors. It was a wager that these people would remember the gift and provide Alyona’s home with food during lean days.
The person gripping Alyona twirled her body so that she faced the opposite direction. Alyona assumed the culprit was another student or a young assistant at the church. It could have been a boy attempting to bully her to get her attention. She lowered her right hand, preparing to use the back to slap the violator. Alyona’s willingness to confront her accoster left when she saw the face of the woman under her purple scarf. Alyona knew she should look away from the woman, but her eyes locked with the woman’s gaze. All the stories the Alyona heard about the town ghoul stated that the woman was so old that her skeleton was all that was left of her body. The woman’s youthful face surprised Alyona. There were no lines or furrows on the woman’s forehead. If anything, Alyona would have stated that the woman’s face glowed.
I can smell it on your hands. The woman placed Alyona’s fingers under her nose. The force of the drawn air startled Alyona. She thought that the woman had pulled the top layer of skin off her index finger. Alyona’s toes curled when the woman sampled her hand. Across a church aisle, one of the priests was herding schoolchildren. He spotted the two of them. His face darkened at the sight of their contact.
WHAT IS ON YOUR HANDS, ALYONA? The priest shouted over the children.
Nothing, Sir. The woman’s tongue darted over the tip of Alyona’s index finger. I was harvesting in the woods before class.
You touched more than growths and nuts this morning, Singleton Child of the Crying Matron. The woman chewed on her thumbnail.
Alyona did not like her mother being referred to in that way, but the eyes of the woman immobilized her. How could she react forcefully to a person who was savoring her hand?
She is mine today, priest. The woman held out her other hand to the shepherd of the church. I will pay her mother for occupying her child for the day, and she will be returned unsoiled and whole.
The priest brought a gurgle of protest up but was shut down quickly.
My tunnels are beneath your place of worship and the bedchambers of Mistress Blake, The women stomped on the ground, and I know all of what has occurred within your walls.
Alyona realized that she was screaming when her throat began to sear. She expected that the woman’s hole would be dark, but the home glowed. There were mirrors and reflective glasses positioned throughout the house to harness sun rays from many holes and entrances in the surface of the residence. Therefore, Alyona was able to see herself yelling on fifty surfaces.
Hush child. The woman touched her mouth. Do not be afraid of the manner in which I inspected you. It is a show for the people. I only want to talk about your morning, and then I will let you go with a full belly and money to buy many toys.
Alyona felt her utterances dwindle down to a wheeze that slipped out her lips.
You have the scent on your fingers, girl. The woman was now examining Alyona’s left hand. It is on both hands, so you must have found a huge source.
A source? Alyona wanted to look at her hands but she maintained her attention on the woman.
Sit. The woman pointed to a well-padded chair. Sit and I will return with small pies and honey.
Alyona hovered over the seat. She wanted to be strong and to stand, but then she smelt the pies. The chair was very soft. There were no pins, claws, or spines in the cushion like she feared.
Alyona. The voice of the woman wove through the tunnels of the underground network. Alyona felt her name circle around her. She had never been afraid of her name before. Alyona Pistan…daughter of Fiva and the missing soldier.
Alyona closed her fist and felt the pain of her nails digging into her palms.
Fiva lives off the salary that the Duke must pay for your father’s military service. Your mother knows that the Duke no longer wants to pay this burden.
Alyona wanted to speak but her throat stung from screaming.
Your father’s name is Bay. He earned this title because he would not stop speaking when he was a baby. Like a horse that always had an opinion, your father would squawk at everyone before he knew words. The voice was now coming directly towards Alyona. My first gift to you and Fiva is the information that your father lives. There was a pause in the woman’s words. An enemy does not enslave him; he is lost with the simpleton that led him away. One day a map will lead him home, child.
The woman emerged from a cutout with a basket laden with pies, a pot of honey, wooden utensils, and slices of ham. In her other hand, she held a bucket of colored water.
We will eat together. The woman placed the basket on Alyona’s lap and retrieved two cups. After you accept the first pie, I will tell you an important secret of mine.
I do not think I want to know any of your secrets Starly-Gradda.
The woman laughed and placed the small wooden spoon into the pie directly in front of Alyona.
Elder-grandmother, you call me. The woman dunked a cup into the water and held it in her left hand. I think that term is the nicest thing a child has called me in a lifetime.
Alyona brought the food to her lips. She smelt the mint, berries, and kasha. Gently she laid the pie onto her tongue. She did not chew; she only let it rest in her mouth. She expected that the food would burn or numb her. The taste was full and made her wish to spit the substance out because it was too good to be real.
Ah, she eats. The woman clapped her hands. I was your age when I saw my first god being born.
Alyona choked on the pie.
I was sitting by a riverbank when the god entered our place. The woman drank from her cup. It was a bright yellow fish with shiny scales. I saw it come from nothing to being here.
The woman snapped her fingers and Alyona swallowed her food.
No one prayed for its existence. No one was singing for it to bring salvation. The woman made circles with her hands in front of Alyona. As far as I know, simple fish do not worship gods, but a god came for the fish of that river.
The woman tapped Alyona’s hand to take another bite of pie.
It floated there. The woman held up her hands. Here I am…a young maiden…thinking a god or demon turned itself into this creature to seduce or corrupt me. Again, a chuckle came from the woman. No other god cared about this special fish. I think it was floating only because it did not realize that a fish should swim in water.
Alyona grabbed a slice of ham. It had been two months since she had meat that was not paste.
Eventually, the golden fish fell into the water and swam away. The woman pulled back her hood and revealed her full face to Alyona. I tried to follow it, but it swam away from shore, and I lost sight of it.
Alyona cleared her throat and licked her lips.
Girl, if you want a drink, just take it. The woman filled Alyona’s cup and handed it to her. The ham is not that salty, but I think your sore throat would improve if you drank.
Alyona sipped the water. It did not taste bitter. It did not smell foul. In fact, the water’s taste was a mixture of apples, roses, and plums.
I told my mother, and she whispered to my father that they needed to trade me into marriage now, before I became soft in the head. I did not want to marry at my age, so I told her that I would go find proof of my shiny golden fish. The woman used a toothpick to dollop out a portion of honey. There was nothing in the water when I returned. I waded in the cool stream. I put my head under the surface and looked at the rocks for the golden shimmer. I found nothing.
Alyona ate the ham.
I was weeping on the spot that I saw the god be born. My heart was full of dread. I started to believe that the shiny golden god was not real. I was so sad that I was quickly accepting that I would be married to an old man so that he would tolerate my problems. The woman tapped her top lip. I felt that my mother had no love for me. I thought that if the golden fish were my mother, it would love me just because that is what should be.
Alyona selected another pie. This pie contained spices and mashed nuts.
Your mother loves you. I listen to all the words spoken in this village. If a parent lacks love for their child, I correct them or have them leave. The woman did not form a fist. She turned her hand into a claw, the conviction in her words hanging in the air until she relaxed it. As all hope was gone, I put my hand down in the grass, and felt the substance.
The woman held her hand flat towards Alyona.
It was clear. It was squishy like the rendered bones of stock animals. It had a pleasant smell, but I was scared to taste it. The woman cupped her hands. I gathered this glob. I used the front of my dress to carry the material. When I believed that the last speck was contained in my clothing, I ran to my parents.
Alyona had felt something similar in the forest that morning.
My mother accused me of only finding the discarded waste of an animal. She threatened to smear it over my face. The woman moved the honey pot closer to Alyona. My father took me to the village shaman, and he looked at the material. They scraped the material off my clothes, but not around my breasts. The shaman thought it was bone waste from an owl, the eggs of a species of frog, a shell-less egg from a dying bird, a mushroom that was usually underground, or the spit of an evil spirit.
Alyona’s eyes widened.
Of course, something as amazing as what we found would be considered evil. The woman waved her hand. I have discovered many bundles and I have never seen the substance created by an evil thing.
No? Alonya asked, breaking her food-induced silence.
No, child. The woman touched the tip of Alyona’s nose. It is not to say that evil people and things are not interested in the substance, but the creation of it does not come from evil.
Alyona resumed consuming the luxurious treats.
The morning after I saw the god being born, people started to fall sick. The woman sighed. My mother blamed the god substance. It was hard for the village not to turn on me after my mother told them it was my fault. The woman’s shoulders lowered. I had not slept that night, and I did not clean after my discovery. They put me in a crate that only had three holes. My father fed me and still cared for me.
Alyona did not know how to react but to nod at the woman.
When my elder brother was close to death from the illness, my mother brought him to my crate. She told me that I would have to watch my brother die because I was an evil liar who unleashed a demon on the community. I could see him wither in pain from the openings in my prison. The woman moved a third pie in front of Alyona. The night my mother told me that my brother would die, my father talked to me. It was an act of rebellion against my mother, but he asked me if I knew what had happened. I cried to him about how this was not something I did. I pleaded with my dad that I would never make my brother suffer, and that the day watching him had crushed my will to live.
The woman tore a slice of ham into pieces and placed pieces of the meat on the floor of her keep.
My father and I wept. He told me that I was likely to die because of the sickness. The woman tapped the tray. Not that I was sick… or was likely to get sick, but because it would seem as justice to the people. I knew his words were true, but I could not think of anything else to say.
The third pie was berry and egg meringue. Alyona did not know that pies like this one existed.
I entered the crate in the dress I wore when I saw the god be born. The truth is that I only had that dress and a wedding dress. My mother kept the dress I would’ve worn to my wedding in a box near her bed. A cat approached the pieces of ham. My grandfather had given me the wedding dress when he died, but she took it from me. My father used what he received from his father to buy me the only special clothes I would have in my life. My father loved me, Alyona, just like yours.
The cat touched Alyona’s leg. It startled her, and she confirmed that the cat was not black.
We talked about the jelly I had found. My father told me that he had tried to burn it, thinking it was an odd piece of animal fat. The substance did not burn. My father then tried to crush it out of existence, but the material was soft, but not easily destroyed. The woman touched the center of her chest. My father’s words made me remember that there was still some of the jelly on my dress. I touched where they did not scrape, and there was a patch of the substance. I pinched the substance and it coated my fingers. It felt warm, but not hot.
Alyona was glad that the cat had returned to the ham.
My father grew angry. He was arguing with the air that if he were a real man, he would protect his daughter and revive his son. He was a good father. The woman showed Alyona a closed smile. He was crying because he knew he could do nothing. I was sore and battered from being in the crate. I felt so greasy and disgusting. I thought I was no longer the same girl that wandered in the meadows.
The woman offered to refill Alyona’s water cup.
For some reason, I brought the fingers I had used to touch the smear of the jelly that was on my dress to my mouth. The taste was tangy, but not foul. It was better than the food that my father had inserted into the holes in my crate. I sucked on it. With both hands, the woman rattled the basket. I felt so much better. It was amazing. I could not see it, but I felt my dry, cracked lips heal. My mind became clear. I knew what I had to do.
Alyona stopped eating to listen to the woman.
I asked my father to place my brother’s mouth in front of the biggest hole of my crate. He thought I was mad. He accused me of confessing that I pledged my soul to demons, but I told him that I felt different after praying to our god. The woman looked directly at Alyona. I rubbed my fingers on the same spot of my dress, and I placed them into my brother’s mouth. He was so weak that he did not respond to this action. I moved my fingers along his gums, his teeth, I even touched his tongue.
Alyona spoke to the woman. Was he healed right away?
The woman chuckled.
I like you Alyona, but you have the impatience of a child. The woman touched Alyona’s chin. It was not a sudden reversal, but he did not die. People died that night, but my brother lived. More importantly, he was the only person to get even slightly better. He was not running in the fields, talking to everyone better, but he was no longer crying in pain. His eyes were no longer looking like they would burst. Moreover, my father stopped crying for us.
I am glad. Alyona looked at the half-eaten pie. She wanted more of it, but she thought it would be rude to return to eating.
It was another day, another four deaths, before my father told the shaman that he thought I could heal the sick. They pulled me from the crate and inspected me. The women called for me to be stoned. The men wanted me burned. The shaman asked how my brother was alive, and how I was still in good health. The woman tapped her right temple. I knew I had to lie. I knew that I could not tell the truth. I had to convince these scared people that I was not dangerous.
The woman shuffled the half pie back to Alyona.
I fell in front of the shaman and shouted, ‘The Green Man came to me.’ I do not think you know the Green Man, child, but he was the god of the people before Christ came to the land. The woman pointed to a drawing of a large tree man. It matters not what god I said talked to me. I yelled that I knew that I did something wicked, but our god had forgiven me, and I was now able to cure the sickness that was killing the village.
Alyona returned to eating the pie.
They whipped me and bound me. I feared that they would burn my dress, so I yelled that the Green Man said that if I were to heal the village, I would need to be as I was when he forgave and blessed me. The woman opened her hands so that Alyona could see her palms. The oldest people would pray in this manner. They tied my legs together and only allowed my right arm to be free. However, that was all I needed to start to heal the people of my life.
Alyona finished her meal.
I would say our prayers; tell the people who were watching that the Green Man wanted everyone to close their eyes so that his healing ray could hit the person. The woman pulled her head backwards with a laugh. During this time, I would pull some of the jelly off my dress and stick the substance in the person’s mouth.
The woman laughed deeply.
What? Alyona asked.
I did not know that so many of my fellow villagers were missing teeth. Children of the people that always had food, had damaged and missing teeth. I was trapped and bored, so my mind began to guess how many disgusting teeth injuries each person would have.
Alyona shivered.
I thought the teeth were bad, but then it got worse. The woman looked upwards. It was on the third day of my healing that it happened for the first time. It was night, and the shaman had decided to blind me with a rag during the healing. Someone’s parents said that they did not want me to steal the soul of their child while I healed them. I placed my finger into a very small mouth, and everything was different. I did not feel a tingle from treating a person with the substance. I sang our songs to Green Man and rubbed jelly over my right fingers. I had planned to give the infant as much of the stuff as I could. The woman covered her eyes. The tiny body jumped, but there was still no response.
Why? Alyona wanted to know.
The baby was dead. I did not know if the god-gift could bring life back to a person. I was scared that if I did not return this child alive to their parents, I would be killed. The woman bobbed her head to the ceiling of her cave home. I kept doing it for a long time. I replenished the coating of my fingers four times, but still there was no living response. I finally shouted into the air. I faked arguing with the Green Man. I begged him to give me the infant. I spoke words that no one had ever heard in an odd voice that I thought would sound like the Green Man. This battle went on for minutes until I asked if whoever brought this child to me would allow the Green Man to have the special child live with him. I am not sure if the parents knew that their baby had died. I am uncertain if the parents wanted me to do something that I thought was evil, but a male voice eventually responded that it would be an honor if his young son joined the hunters of the Green Man.
Alyona gasped.
I spoke in my fake Green Man’s voice that the parents of his new hunter would be honored with a new child by the next spring. I informed the parents that they would find gifts for the next year. The woman rocked her head so that she was looking at the floor. They brought me five more dead people to heal, but no more deceased children. I did not make a fuss over the dead adults. I stated that the Green Man blamed the family for their death. If they truly believed in the power of the Green Man, they would have brought their loved ones to me before the sickness took them.
Alyona nodded her head.
On the fifth day, my fingers were raw. My nails felt like they were growing too fast. I guess I was healing and benefiting from the jelly, but I was placing the same fingers into people’s mouths most of the day. The worst problem was that my dress was getting dry. The woman traced her lips with her right index finger. I think my father was watching me. I think he saw me searching desperately on my dress for any of the substance. I believe this because he brought me fresh peas to eat that night. In the third pea he gave me, the pod was full of the jelly.
Did your village love you for healing everyone after those days? Alyona smiled at the woman.
No. The woman patted the girl’s forehead. They kept me in the crate. There was no joy for me after I found the jelly.
You saved them.
The woman breathed deeply.
I said that the Green Man had used me to save them. I was nothing but a tarnished girl who may have the power to harm or make people ill. The woman turned her head to the side.
Did your father and brother free you from the crate? Alyona looked hopefully at the woman.
No child, the town folk dispatched the shaman with me in that wooden prison out into the world to purge the town of my evil. He threatened to kill me daily. He attempted to abandon me at every opportunity. The woman cupped her hand in front of Alyona. When I sensed a second source of the god jelly, he was able to sell me to a person.
No! Alyona did not know if it was a spell, but she was extending her hand towards the woman.
The sum was so great that my parents and brother lived well. The woman clapped each hand separately. That was after the shaman took his share of my bounty and spent more money on food, drink, and women on the trip home.
That’s…..
That is life, my special girl. The woman grabbed her hand and they stood up. The woman led the pair through tunnels and caverns. Eventually, the woman pulled her through a blanket of vines that concealed an exit to her labyrinth.
Your forest, Alyona. The woman gestured to the glade Alyona crossed to enter the woods.
Alyona pulled her hand away from the woman and pulled her hair back.
I am not sure what you want me to find. Alyona looked up to the woman. She received a smile.
I have never told anyone this before, the woman stuck her tongue out to Alyona, when I first touched the jelly, I felt that there were ants under my skin. It was the power of the jelly moving through me. It was such an odd feeling that I thought it was a sign of madness.
Alyona lowered her head. I felt something like that. I thought it was worms latching onto me from the peat.
That is the place, little one. Take me there.
Alyona was about to step forward when the woman asked her another question.
What color was the substance you touched today?
It was not one color, ma’am. Alyona moved her hand down to her legs. She brushed unseen but felt passengers from her body. I grabbed it first because I thought it was rose root. My mother could turn the flower into medicine to sell or trade. Alyona knelt and touched the ground. Except that the flower was so low to the ground and it was not the red or yellow flower I normally pick. They were violet with orange centers.
They did not feel like flowers.
No. Alyona pulled her hand away from the ground. They stuck to me like honey.
submitted by Locke7768 to StoriesforLeon [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 01:57 Locke7768 New YA Fantasy novel examining Astral or Star Jelly

Astral or Star Jelly is a real event/substance that has been found in all areas of the earth (please Wikipedia it). My friend performed a DNA analysis on a sample of Star Jelly, and the results were amazing. His group concluded that the sample mostly had mitochondrial-like DNA, but it was very different from anything reported (much longer and having possible different base pairs).
Astral/Star Jelly is often found after meteorite showers or other astral events. I found some when I was young (heavy Northern Lights and Meteor Shower event). I crafted the first chapter of a potential novel. Please give feedback. I am switching to google docs, so soon I will have links to my works.

Chapter 1
The Byproduct of Gods
Her owners had held her for so many lifetimes that the stream, which flowed, near her family’s hut was gone. The trees that provided fuel, housing, and food were missing, replaced by a prairie. After all the years of the concept of returning home keeping her going, she did not feel safe. There were no people near her village, and it took her days to unearth signs of her youth. She discovered the land that she had first walked on only because the mountain and stones did not move. As she cleaned the Blue Volga granite idol of her parents’ deity, she felt nothing. The blue-green face of the god looked sad to her. He also was no longer safe. His followers were dead and his power forgotten.
Her first owner was a traveler. They moved with each new moon. Her master felt safe but she failed to understand that her entourage plodded along a predictable path. After many decades, a tale of a demon woman who did not age traveled the same circuit. Finally, a village attacked the demon. Her second owner was the daughter of the woman who bought her. The daughter decided to build a fortress and to rule her fief. Her third owner was the daughter’s son who had grown tired of never gaining his birthright. His guilt and myopic greed caused him to sell her to an alchemist. From that point on, she was an item for trade or barter.
Her final master failed to return home. She remained in his caravan for a week, performing her duties. When she had eaten all the food, she felt justified using her knowledge to destroy her metal shackles. It took her five days to dissolve her bindings with her jellies.
She thought of the places that she had felt safe. Those havens were all underground. A magician made her live in the passages beneath Kyiv when he was being hunted. The tunnels funneled the 15 rivers of the city and protected inhabitants from invaders or punishing ruling forces. For twenty years, she had lived in the coquina catacombs of Odessa. A man who thought he was a seer was convinced that his power had attracted the attention of dragons and demons. No one could approach the lair unseen.
After a week of searching the now unfamiliar area, the woman began to carve her home from the soil of her childhood. She spent fifty years making her home safe. Only she would know the paths and twists of her underground world. Only she would know where the escape exits emerged into the surrounding world.
Eventually, her home attracted others. The woman could have chased them away, but she felt a need to observe people. When the fourth generations of villagers were aging to the grave, there was no hiding the fact that she had not died. The villagers erected a semi-circular wall around the entrance to the woman’s cave. The wall grew and the woman did not protest the separation.
Generations later, people whispered that the villagers maintained the defenses of their community to keep the woman away from the town’s children at night. In the tavern, each generation of gallant males would boast that they would be the one to remove the blight of the woman from the town. When she inevitably outlasted them, she would attend the funeral of the most vocal warrior from each age group.
Daily the woman would remove more soil from her dugout. The community would search her discarded diggings for possible minerals or stones. They did not share any discoveries with the woman. During times of blight or famine, the locals would collect her soil and remove it from the community.
People would peer around the wall to scan the woman’s home. As the village grew, a leader placed two chairs at endpoints of the semi-circle barrier. During full moons, periods of strife, festivals, and other social events, menacing men sat in the chairs. Infrequently, people tried to enter the woman’s home. Aside from the guards, it was the more distraught people of the village who visited her.. The most recent person to enter the woman’s home was a grieving widow. Her grief made her seek the woman to find answers about her loss. Three mornings later, the villagers found the widow in the public square with drapes of herbs, flowers, and crafts around her limbs. The people thought the widow was dead or mindless from torture. When the widow awoke, she went to her house and began the chores for the day. When pressed about the woman’s abode, the widow would state that the home was loved, clean, and well maintained.
On the spring day when the widow was about to remarry, she was again discovered in the square coated with ropes of herbs, flowers, and idols. The woman disappeared for a decade after the wedding, but the widow brought her newborns to the opening of the earthwork to declare their names into the sunken space.
The aging hamlet relaxed when the woman was away. There was a sense of freedom in the people. They did not fear the retribution of the woman for their actions, and parents could not correct their children with threats of giving them to the woman. At times, the leaders of the people would consider filling in the woman’s hovel, but shovels and spades would split if used to cover the opening of the woman’s home. One regretful man tried using a mule and cart to dump rocks into the fastness. The stones crushed the man after his own tram flipped over on him.
Although the townsfolk feared and despised the woman, she had free reign in the village. As an indicator that she was amongst the people, the woman would adorn her head with a dark purple scarf. No other members of the village would wear that color. They looked for it whenever the woman shopped at the market. The woman paid with old and foreign coins, but the merchants welcomed the precious metals they were composed of. During the dark days of winter, the people collected the woman’s tender and deposited it into a lead box. The villagers had a belief that the more people touched the woman’s currency, the longer the winter would be.
After the community fortified against the woman, religious leaders organized efforts to erect carved idols and large wagon-wheel hexes aimed at her home. Each generation attempted to counter the woman with the current symbols of spiritual protection. The largest structure in the village was now a church, and the threshold of the church was oriented to face the woman’s home.
The woman was home when Alyona began her schooling in the church. She had learned the fundamentals of math, reading, and writing. She knew that her coursework would end soon. The village expected girls to be useful to a limit. Her mother walked her only surviving child to school along a path that would prevent their shadow from falling close to the woman’s realm. The villagers performed this ritual after someone claimed that the woman had controlled their behavior by stealing their shadow.
Alyona was daydreaming during school of a life away from the village when the woman touched her. Alyona had spent the morning in the woods collecting mushrooms and other edibles. Her findings made for great, free additions to their usually simple meals. . On days that Alyona returned with a bounty, they shared the extras with neighbors. It was a wager that these people would remember the gift and provide Alyona’s home with food during lean days.
The person gripping Alyona twirled her body so that she faced the opposite direction. Alyona assumed the culprit was another student or a young assistant at the church. It could have been a boy attempting to bully her to get her attention. She lowered her right hand, preparing to use the back to slap the violator. Alyona’s willingness to confront her accoster left when she saw the face of the woman under her purple scarf. Alyona knew she should look away from the woman, but her eyes locked with the woman’s gaze. All the stories the Alyona heard about the town ghoul stated that the woman was so old that her skeleton was all that was left of her body. The woman’s youthful face surprised Alyona. There were no lines or furrows on the woman’s forehead. If anything, Alyona would have stated that the woman’s face glowed.
I can smell it on your hands. The woman placed Alyona’s fingers under her nose. The force of the drawn air startled Alyona. She thought that the woman had pulled the top layer of skin off her index finger. Alyona’s toes curled when the woman sampled her hand. Across a church aisle, one of the priests was herding schoolchildren. He spotted the two of them. His face darkened at the sight of their contact.
WHAT IS ON YOUR HANDS, ALYONA? The priest shouted over the children.
Nothing, Sir. The woman’s tongue darted over the tip of Alyona’s index finger. I was harvesting in the woods before class.
You touched more than growths and nuts this morning, Singleton Child of the Crying Matron. The woman chewed on her thumbnail.
Alyona did not like her mother being referred to in that way, but the eyes of the woman immobilized her. How could she react forcefully to a person who was savoring her hand?
She is mine today, priest. The woman held out her other hand to the shepherd of the church. I will pay her mother for occupying her child for the day, and she will be returned unsoiled and whole.
The priest brought a gurgle of protest up but was shut down quickly.
My tunnels are beneath your place of worship and the bedchambers of Mistress Blake, The women stomped on the ground, and I know all of what has occurred within your walls.
Alyona realized that she was screaming when her throat began to sear. She expected that the woman’s hole would be dark, but the home glowed. There were mirrors and reflective glasses positioned throughout the house to harness sun rays from many holes and entrances in the surface of the residence. Therefore, Alyona was able to see herself yelling on fifty surfaces.
Hush child. The woman touched her mouth. Do not be afraid of the manner in which I inspected you. It is a show for the people. I only want to talk about your morning, and then I will let you go with a full belly and money to buy many toys.
Alyona felt her utterances dwindle down to a wheeze that slipped out her lips.
You have the scent on your fingers, girl. The woman was now examining Alyona’s left hand. It is on both hands, so you must have found a huge source.
A source? Alyona wanted to look at her hands but she maintained her attention on the woman.
Sit. The woman pointed to a well-padded chair. Sit and I will return with small pies and honey.
Alyona hovered over the seat. She wanted to be strong and to stand, but then she smelt the pies. The chair was very soft. There were no pins, claws, or spines in the cushion like she feared.
Alyona. The voice of the woman wove through the tunnels of the underground network. Alyona felt her name circle around her. She had never been afraid of her name before. Alyona Pistan…daughter of Fiva and the missing soldier.
Alyona closed her fist and felt the pain of her nails digging into her palms.
Fiva lives off the salary that the Duke must pay for your father’s military service. Your mother knows that the Duke no longer wants to pay this burden.
Alyona wanted to speak but her throat stung from screaming.
Your father’s name is Bay. He earned this title because he would not stop speaking when he was a baby. Like a horse that always had an opinion, your father would squawk at everyone before he knew words. The voice was now coming directly towards Alyona. My first gift to you and Fiva is the information that your father lives. There was a pause in the woman’s words. An enemy does not enslave him; he is lost with the simpleton that led him away. One day a map will lead him home, child.
The woman emerged from a cutout with a basket laden with pies, a pot of honey, wooden utensils, and slices of ham. In her other hand, she held a bucket of colored water.
We will eat together. The woman placed the basket on Alyona’s lap and retrieved two cups. After you accept the first pie, I will tell you an important secret of mine.
I do not think I want to know any of your secrets Starly-Gradda.
The woman laughed and placed the small wooden spoon into the pie directly in front of Alyona.
Elder-grandmother, you call me. The woman dunked a cup into the water and held it in her left hand. I think that term is the nicest thing a child has called me in a lifetime.
Alyona brought the food to her lips. She smelt the mint, berries, and kasha. Gently she laid the pie onto her tongue. She did not chew; she only let it rest in her mouth. She expected that the food would burn or numb her. The taste was full and made her wish to spit the substance out because it was too good to be real.
Ah, she eats. The woman clapped her hands. I was your age when I saw my first god being born.
Alyona choked on the pie.
I was sitting by a riverbank when the god entered our place. The woman drank from her cup. It was a bright yellow fish with shiny scales. I saw it come from nothing to being here.
The woman snapped her fingers and Alyona swallowed her food.
No one prayed for its existence. No one was singing for it to bring salvation. The woman made circles with her hands in front of Alyona. As far as I know, simple fish do not worship gods, but a god came for the fish of that river.
The woman tapped Alyona’s hand to take another bite of pie.
It floated there. The woman held up her hands. Here I am…a young maiden…thinking a god or demon turned itself into this creature to seduce or corrupt me. Again, a chuckle came from the woman. No other god cared about this special fish. I think it was floating only because it did not realize that a fish should swim in water.
Alyona grabbed a slice of ham. It had been two months since she had meat that was not paste.
Eventually, the golden fish fell into the water and swam away. The woman pulled back her hood and revealed her full face to Alyona. I tried to follow it, but it swam away from shore, and I lost sight of it.
Alyona cleared her throat and licked her lips.
Girl, if you want a drink, just take it. The woman filled Alyona’s cup and handed it to her. The ham is not that salty, but I think your sore throat would improve if you drank.
Alyona sipped the water. It did not taste bitter. It did not smell foul. In fact, the water’s taste was a mixture of apples, roses, and plums.
I told my mother, and she whispered to my father that they needed to trade me into marriage now, before I became soft in the head. I did not want to marry at my age, so I told her that I would go find proof of my shiny golden fish. The woman used a toothpick to dollop out a portion of honey. There was nothing in the water when I returned. I waded in the cool stream. I put my head under the surface and looked at the rocks for the golden shimmer. I found nothing.
Alyona ate the ham.
I was weeping on the spot that I saw the god be born. My heart was full of dread. I started to believe that the shiny golden god was not real. I was so sad that I was quickly accepting that I would be married to an old man so that he would tolerate my problems. The woman tapped her top lip. I felt that my mother had no love for me. I thought that if the golden fish were my mother, it would love me just because that is what should be.
Alyona selected another pie. This pie contained spices and mashed nuts.
Your mother loves you. I listen to all the words spoken in this village. If a parent lacks love for their child, I correct them or have them leave. The woman did not form a fist. She turned her hand into a claw, the conviction in her words hanging in the air until she relaxed it. As all hope was gone, I put my hand down in the grass, and felt the substance.
The woman held her hand flat towards Alyona.
It was clear. It was squishy like the rendered bones of stock animals. It had a pleasant smell, but I was scared to taste it. The woman cupped her hands. I gathered this glob. I used the front of my dress to carry the material. When I believed that the last speck was contained in my clothing, I ran to my parents.
Alyona had felt something similar in the forest that morning.
My mother accused me of only finding the discarded waste of an animal. She threatened to smear it over my face. The woman moved the honey pot closer to Alyona. My father took me to the village shaman, and he looked at the material. They scraped the material off my clothes, but not around my breasts. The shaman thought it was bone waste from an owl, the eggs of a species of frog, a shell-less egg from a dying bird, a mushroom that was usually underground, or the spit of an evil spirit.
Alyona’s eyes widened.
Of course, something as amazing as what we found would be considered evil. The woman waved her hand. I have discovered many bundles and I have never seen the substance created by an evil thing.
No? Alonya asked, breaking her food-induced silence.
No, child. The woman touched the tip of Alyona’s nose. It is not to say that evil people and things are not interested in the substance, but the creation of it does not come from evil.
Alyona resumed consuming the luxurious treats.
The morning after I saw the god being born, people started to fall sick. The woman sighed. My mother blamed the god substance. It was hard for the village not to turn on me after my mother told them it was my fault. The woman’s shoulders lowered. I had not slept that night, and I did not clean after my discovery. They put me in a crate that only had three holes. My father fed me and still cared for me.
Alyona did not know how to react but to nod at the woman.
When my elder brother was close to death from the illness, my mother brought him to my crate. She told me that I would have to watch my brother die because I was an evil liar who unleashed a demon on the community. I could see him wither in pain from the openings in my prison. The woman moved a third pie in front of Alyona. The night my mother told me that my brother would die, my father talked to me. It was an act of rebellion against my mother, but he asked me if I knew what had happened. I cried to him about how this was not something I did. I pleaded with my dad that I would never make my brother suffer, and that the day watching him had crushed my will to live.
The woman tore a slice of ham into pieces and placed pieces of the meat on the floor of her keep.
My father and I wept. He told me that I was likely to die because of the sickness. The woman tapped the tray. Not that I was sick… or was likely to get sick, but because it would seem as justice to the people. I knew his words were true, but I could not think of anything else to say.
The third pie was berry and egg meringue. Alyona did not know that pies like this one existed.
I entered the crate in the dress I wore when I saw the god be born. The truth is that I only had that dress and a wedding dress. My mother kept the dress I would’ve worn to my wedding in a box near her bed. A cat approached the pieces of ham. My grandfather had given me the wedding dress when he died, but she took it from me. My father used what he received from his father to buy me the only special clothes I would have in my life. My father loved me, Alyona, just like yours.
The cat touched Alyona’s leg. It startled her, and she confirmed that the cat was not black.
We talked about the jelly I had found. My father told me that he had tried to burn it, thinking it was an odd piece of animal fat. The substance did not burn. My father then tried to crush it out of existence, but the material was soft, but not easily destroyed. The woman touched the center of her chest. My father’s words made me remember that there was still some of the jelly on my dress. I touched where they did not scrape, and there was a patch of the substance. I pinched the substance and it coated my fingers. It felt warm, but not hot.
Alyona was glad that the cat had returned to the ham.
My father grew angry. He was arguing with the air that if he were a real man, he would protect his daughter and revive his son. He was a good father. The woman showed Alyona a closed smile. He was crying because he knew he could do nothing. I was sore and battered from being in the crate. I felt so greasy and disgusting. I thought I was no longer the same girl that wandered in the meadows.
The woman offered to refill Alyona’s water cup.
For some reason, I brought the fingers I had used to touch the smear of the jelly that was on my dress to my mouth. The taste was tangy, but not foul. It was better than the food that my father had inserted into the holes in my crate. I sucked on it. With both hands, the woman rattled the basket. I felt so much better. It was amazing. I could not see it, but I felt my dry, cracked lips heal. My mind became clear. I knew what I had to do.
Alyona stopped eating to listen to the woman.
I asked my father to place my brother’s mouth in front of the biggest hole of my crate. He thought I was mad. He accused me of confessing that I pledged my soul to demons, but I told him that I felt different after praying to our god. The woman looked directly at Alyona. I rubbed my fingers on the same spot of my dress, and I placed them into my brother’s mouth. He was so weak that he did not respond to this action. I moved my fingers along his gums, his teeth, I even touched his tongue.
Alyona spoke to the woman. Was he healed right away?
The woman chuckled.
I like you Alyona, but you have the impatience of a child. The woman touched Alyona’s chin. It was not a sudden reversal, but he did not die. People died that night, but my brother lived. More importantly, he was the only person to get even slightly better. He was not running in the fields, talking to everyone better, but he was no longer crying in pain. His eyes were no longer looking like they would burst. Moreover, my father stopped crying for us.
I am glad. Alyona looked at the half-eaten pie. She wanted more of it, but she thought it would be rude to return to eating.
It was another day, another four deaths, before my father told the shaman that he thought I could heal the sick. They pulled me from the crate and inspected me. The women called for me to be stoned. The men wanted me burned. The shaman asked how my brother was alive, and how I was still in good health. The woman tapped her right temple. I knew I had to lie. I knew that I could not tell the truth. I had to convince these scared people that I was not dangerous.
The woman shuffled the half pie back to Alyona.
I fell in front of the shaman and shouted, ‘The Green Man came to me.’ I do not think you know the Green Man, child, but he was the god of the people before Christ came to the land. The woman pointed to a drawing of a large tree man. It matters not what god I said talked to me. I yelled that I knew that I did something wicked, but our god had forgiven me, and I was now able to cure the sickness that was killing the village.
Alyona returned to eating the pie.
They whipped me and bound me. I feared that they would burn my dress, so I yelled that the Green Man said that if I were to heal the village, I would need to be as I was when he forgave and blessed me. The woman opened her hands so that Alyona could see her palms. The oldest people would pray in this manner. They tied my legs together and only allowed my right arm to be free. However, that was all I needed to start to heal the people of my life.
Alyona finished her meal.
I would say our prayers; tell the people who were watching that the Green Man wanted everyone to close their eyes so that his healing ray could hit the person. The woman pulled her head backwards with a laugh. During this time, I would pull some of the jelly off my dress and stick the substance in the person’s mouth.
The woman laughed deeply.
What? Alyona asked.
I did not know that so many of my fellow villagers were missing teeth. Children of the people that always had food, had damaged and missing teeth. I was trapped and bored, so my mind began to guess how many disgusting teeth injuries each person would have.
Alyona shivered.
I thought the teeth were bad, but then it got worse. The woman looked upwards. It was on the third day of my healing that it happened for the first time. It was night, and the shaman had decided to blind me with a rag during the healing. Someone’s parents said that they did not want me to steal the soul of their child while I healed them. I placed my finger into a very small mouth, and everything was different. I did not feel a tingle from treating a person with the substance. I sang our songs to Green Man and rubbed jelly over my right fingers. I had planned to give the infant as much of the stuff as I could. The woman covered her eyes. The tiny body jumped, but there was still no response.
Why? Alyona wanted to know.
The baby was dead. I did not know if the god-gift could bring life back to a person. I was scared that if I did not return this child alive to their parents, I would be killed. The woman bobbed her head to the ceiling of her cave home. I kept doing it for a long time. I replenished the coating of my fingers four times, but still there was no living response. I finally shouted into the air. I faked arguing with the Green Man. I begged him to give me the infant. I spoke words that no one had ever heard in an odd voice that I thought would sound like the Green Man. This battle went on for minutes until I asked if whoever brought this child to me would allow the Green Man to have the special child live with him. I am not sure if the parents knew that their baby had died. I am uncertain if the parents wanted me to do something that I thought was evil, but a male voice eventually responded that it would be an honor if his young son joined the hunters of the Green Man.
Alyona gasped.
I spoke in my fake Green Man’s voice that the parents of his new hunter would be honored with a new child by the next spring. I informed the parents that they would find gifts for the next year. The woman rocked her head so that she was looking at the floor. They brought me five more dead people to heal, but no more deceased children. I did not make a fuss over the dead adults. I stated that the Green Man blamed the family for their death. If they truly believed in the power of the Green Man, they would have brought their loved ones to me before the sickness took them.
Alyona nodded her head.
On the fifth day, my fingers were raw. My nails felt like they were growing too fast. I guess I was healing and benefiting from the jelly, but I was placing the same fingers into people’s mouths most of the day. The worst problem was that my dress was getting dry. The woman traced her lips with her right index finger. I think my father was watching me. I think he saw me searching desperately on my dress for any of the substance. I believe this because he brought me fresh peas to eat that night. In the third pea he gave me, the pod was full of the jelly.
Did your village love you for healing everyone after those days? Alyona smiled at the woman.
No. The woman patted the girl’s forehead. They kept me in the crate. There was no joy for me after I found the jelly.
You saved them.
The woman breathed deeply.
I said that the Green Man had used me to save them. I was nothing but a tarnished girl who may have the power to harm or make people ill. The woman turned her head to the side.
Did your father and brother free you from the crate? Alyona looked hopefully at the woman.
No child, the town folk dispatched the shaman with me in that wooden prison out into the world to purge the town of my evil. He threatened to kill me daily. He attempted to abandon me at every opportunity. The woman cupped her hand in front of Alyona. When I sensed a second source of the god jelly, he was able to sell me to a person.
No! Alyona did not know if it was a spell, but she was extending her hand towards the woman.
The sum was so great that my parents and brother lived well. The woman clapped each hand separately. That was after the shaman took his share of my bounty and spent more money on food, drink, and women on the trip home.
That’s…..
That is life, my special girl. The woman grabbed her hand and they stood up. The woman led the pair through tunnels and caverns. Eventually, the woman pulled her through a blanket of vines that concealed an exit to her labyrinth.
Your forest, Alyona. The woman gestured to the glade Alyona crossed to enter the woods.
Alyona pulled her hand away from the woman and pulled her hair back.
I am not sure what you want me to find. Alyona looked up to the woman. She received a smile.
I have never told anyone this before, the woman stuck her tongue out to Alyona, when I first touched the jelly, I felt that there were ants under my skin. It was the power of the jelly moving through me. It was such an odd feeling that I thought it was a sign of madness.
Alyona lowered her head. I felt something like that. I thought it was worms latching onto me from the peat.
That is the place, little one. Take me there.
Alyona was about to step forward when the woman asked her another question.
What color was the substance you touched today?
It was not one color, ma’am. Alyona moved her hand down to her legs. She brushed unseen but felt passengers from her body. I grabbed it first because I thought it was rose root. My mother could turn the flower into medicine to sell or trade. Alyona knelt and touched the ground. Except that the flower was so low to the ground and it was not the red or yellow flower I normally pick. They were violet with orange centers.
They did not feel like flowers.
No. Alyona pulled her hand away from the ground. They stuck to me like honey.
submitted by Locke7768 to fantasywriters [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 01:50 WizardofGames [USA] [H] switch, ds/3ds games, lrg collector editions [W] switch, ds/3ds, ps5 offers/lists

https://imgur.com/a/DLJTRTJ
SWITCH
AI: The Solmnium Files (nib)
Atelier Ryza 2 (cib)
Bayonetta 3 trinity (cib)
Blasphemous (nib)
Bustafellows (cib)
Darkside Detective (nib)
Death Mark (nib)
Demon Turf (nib)
Dusk (cib)
Forgotten Anne (cib)
Heavens Vault (nib)
Heidelberg 1693 (nib)
Horace (cib)
Horror Tales: The Wine (nib)
Ib (cib)
Last Day of June (cib)
Letter: A Horror Visual Novel (nib)
Madison (nib)
N++ (cib)
NEO: world ends (nib)
Ni No Kuni (cib)
Ni No Kuni II (nib)
No Man’s Sky (cib)
No More Heroes (cib)
No More Heroes 2 (cib)
Omori (nib)
Oxenfree (cib)
Oxide Room 104 (cib)
Paradise Killer (nib)
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (cib)
Quake (cib)
RealMyst (nib)
Return of Obra Dinn (cib)
Rivals of Aether (cib)
River City Girls 1/2 JP (nib)
Root Letter Last Answer (cib)
Sam & Max Save the World (cib)
Spirit Hunter NG (nib)
The House of Fata Morgana (nib)
The Last Door (cib)
The procession to Calvary (cib)
The Red Strings Club LRG (nib)
The Sword of Ditto (nib)
Thimbleweed Park (cib)
TowerFall (cib)
Va-11 Hall-A (nib)
White Day (nib)
White Night (cib)
SWITCH COLLECTOR EDITIONS (NIB)
Akiba’s Trip
Bridge Construction Portal
Danganronpa Decadence
Double Dragon neon
Double Dragon IV
Fate Extella Link
Giraffe and Aninika
Mighty Gunvolt Burst
Monster Hunter stories 2
No More Heroes Santa Destroyer Bundle - (will find flag before selling)
Republic commando
Rivals of Aether
Sakuna of Rice and Ruin
Sam and Max
To the Moon
TowerFall
Unrailed
Vambrace
3DS
Animal Crossing Wild World (loose)
Donkey Kong 3d selects (nib)
Kid Icarus (cib)
Mario Party Star Rush (case/game)
Monster Hunter Generations (cib)
Paper Mario Sticker Star (cib)
New Super Mario 2 (cib)
GAMECUBE
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (cib)
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour (cib)
LEGO
Brick Headz villains (nib)
Beick Headz starwars (nib)
Wants (what I can think of atm)
Ds/3ds
Dragon quest viii/v
RPG’s
submitted by WizardofGames to gameswap [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 01:46 Hermes_Blanket Yes, Meghan said that

These are all quotes ascribed to Meghan from Brainy Quote, which is a pretty reputable source. Some of them have not aged very well. Here's the link to the whole kit and kaboodle: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/meghan-markle-quotes
Buckle up ... and read on.
Meghan on men:
"The best job a man could have would be a chef. They'd understand the long hours I work and the drive and ambition it takes to succeed."
"Kindness is the No.1 quality I look for in a man. You can see in how he treats anyone - from a CEO to a housekeeper - and it's a reflection of how nice a guy is. Funniness and confidence come after that... When a guy approaches me, it's fantastic if he can make me laugh." Does juggling count?
"It's really attractive if a man has a skill that you want to improve in yourself. If you can learn from someone, then that's sexy." Again, does juggling count?
"Catty is not cool. I can't think of anything less becoming than a man who talks about people behind their backs." Or writes books behind their backs?
Meghan the humanitarian:
"I don't sit around thinking about my titles and roles; I just do what feels right." Just call me HRH, The Duchess of Sussex!
"While most become star struck by A-list actors, you'll only see me in awe of leaders effecting change. Politician and diplomat Madeleine Albright, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. These are my heroes. These are my celebrities." Wait, did António Guterres get a wedding invite?
"While my life shifts from refugee camps to red carpets, I choose them both because these worlds can, in fact, coexist. And for me, they must."
Meghan on fashion and lifestyle:
"If you make a fashion mistake, that's one that's going to resonate for a very long time."
"There is nothing like a hair flip!"
"As I've gotten older, I like longer dresses, but my legs come up to my ears, and I'm not very tall, so when I wear a short skirt,I've got to be really conscious." They come up to her ears?
"I'm the person friends come to when they want to find the perfect restaurant or boutique hotel on the outskirts of Paris. As opposed to scouring the Internet for a travel guide, wouldn't you rather ask the people who are really cool who go there?"
"I never want to lose touch with reality. I won't push $100 candles just because. I realized that I could create a hub of positivity and affirmation."
"I've always shopped on the sale rack, and I've always been the girl flipping through the hangers trying to find the best deal."
But then again ...
"I love Ralph Lauren. As I travel so much, I prefer to shop online."
"I love the opportunity to get properly dressed up. I've worn three Lanvin dresses, and they've all been a dream. They're so well made, with the most beautiful craftsmanship. I don't tend to go with things that are ornate - just beautifully made pieces and some classic jewelry. Let the work speak for itself. I love that."
Meghan on work:
"I had always been the theater nerd at Northwestern University. I knew I wanted to do acting, but I hated the idea of being this cliche - a girl from L.A. who decides to be an actress. I wanted more than that, and I had always loved politics, so I ended up changing my major completely, and double-majoring in theater and international relations."
But then again ...
"I never thought I would become an actress. I always wanted to get into politics, and I moved to Argentina and worked for the U.S. embassy for a bit. It sort of happened upon me when I was home for the holiday - acting, that is - and I stuck with it."
And my personal favorite (drum roll):
"Don't get involved in the interoffice politics. On 'Suits,' it can be cheeky and fun to see Rachel and Donna being gossipy, but people get caught up in that. I think in life and in the office, it's best to stay out of the drama."
submitted by Hermes_Blanket to SaintMeghanMarkle [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 01:33 User_3971 MHA/CCA/PSE/RCA: Skip the line! Career jobs posted within. 5-31 rollup.

Damn it, lost a day! Had Memorial Day off but got fucked (mandated to work) on Saturday. Threw off the timing. Super-rare Wednesday edition!
Good afternoon. Brief listing of CAREER JOBS pulled from usps.com/careers/ for your convenience. Tell HR User_3971 sent you, let's see if they pay more than .25¢ per head. NOTE: Maintenance jobs are drying up - the In Service Register may finally be seeing results for our already career people.
Some jobs may be part-time regular however all listed jobs should qualify for federal benefits from day one. To save text I have only listed the location and date of posting for each. Use the posting number for your search term. LC and MM are entry-level Maintenance. Here is a Maint overview and here is Exam 955 info. You can DO it!

NOTE: USPS NEVER charges a fee for entrance exams. If payment is requested during the application process, walk the fuck away, go to usps.com/careers/ and APPLY THERE. We even has a video walkthrough prepared.

Laborer Custodial:
CHARLEVOIX MI NC11370316 05/27/2023
OMAHA NE NC11369343 05/27/2023
SAN JOSE CA NC11365062 05/27/2023
KIRKLAND WA NC11367251 05/27/2023
COLUMBUS OH NC11371903 05/27/2023
FORT WASHAKIE WY NC11369073 05/27/2023
YUBA CITY CA NC11367214 05/25/2023
MOUNT IDA AR NC11361986 05/20/2023
BRATTLEBORO VT NC11374752 05/31/2023
BENTON HARBOR MI NC11371533 05/27/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11371537 05/27/2023
CATASAUQUA PA NC11371600 05/27/2023
EL CENTRO CA NC11371615 05/27/2023
HAMBURG PA NC11371700 05/27/2023
SAINT LOUIS MO NC11371707 05/27/2023
HAZELWOOD MO NC11371718 05/27/2023
WAUKESHA WI NC11371854 05/27/2023
GREEN BAY WI NC11371863 05/27/2023
SAINT LOUIS MO NC11371870 05/27/2023
AUSTIN TX NC11371871 05/27/2023
YUBA CITY CA NC11371908 05/27/2023
EAST HAMPTON NY NC11371909 05/27/2023
PEEKSKILL NY NC11371527 05/27/2023
PEEKSKILL NY NC11371421 05/27/2023
MACHIAS ME NC11371418 05/27/2023
SAN MATEO CA NC11371915 05/27/2023
WILLMAR MN NC11371410 05/27/2023
CUPERTINO CA NC11370120 05/27/2023
WARSAW IN NC11369259 05/27/2023
BISMARCK ND NC11369191 05/27/2023
DES MOINES IA NC11369059 05/27/2023
URBANDALE IA NC11369055 05/27/2023
DES MOINES IA NC11369050 05/27/2023
BUFFALO GROVE IL NC11368995 05/27/2023
SANTA ANA CA NC11365065 05/27/2023
CATASAUQUA PA NC11367255 05/25/2023
HAMBURG PA NC11367254 05/25/2023
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VT NC11371417 05/27/2023
WEST CHICAGO IL NC11368968 05/27/2023

Maintenance Mechanic:
WEST PALM BEACH FL NC11367250 05/27/2023
PONTIAC MI NC11370630 05/27/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11371348 05/27/2023
NEW YORK NY NC11370543 05/27/2023
EAGAN MN NC11369434 05/27/2023
BIRMINGHAM AL NC11369105 05/27/2023
DES MOINES IA NC11369114 05/27/2023
WICHITA KS NC11369186 05/27/2023
PHOENIX AZ NC11364942 05/27/2023
JACKSONVILLE FL NC11370197 05/27/2023
HARRISBURG PA NC11369187 05/27/2023
COLUMBUS OH NC11370181 05/27/2023
CAROL STREAM IL NC11363416 05/27/2023
BOSTON MA NC11370175 05/27/2023
BETHPAGE NY NC11371414 05/27/2023
SAINT LOUIS MO NC11371828 05/27/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11371737 05/27/2023
MELVILLE NY NC11371742 05/27/2023
JERSEY CITY NJ NC11371729 05/27/2023

Special! Interesting Maintenance Jobs: (may be skills required)

Maintenance Mechanic MPE:
FARGO ND NC11371325 05/27/2023
WEST FARGO ND NC11371173 05/27/2023
COLUMBUS OH NC11370161 05/27/2023
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION NC11371671 05/27/2023
EAGAN MN NC11369373 05/27/2023
WICHITA KS NC11369179 05/27/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11371319 05/27/2023
ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL NC11370043 05/27/2023

Building Equipment Mechanic:
FACILITY MAINTENANCE MECHANIC - MERRIFIELD VA NC11371531 05/27/2023
BELLMAWR NJ NC11368795 05/27/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11368549 05/27/2023

General Clerk VMF:
TULSA OK NC11367091 05/24/2023
MIAMI FL NC11365300 05/30/2023
WEST PALM BEACH FL NC11365247 05/30/2023

Tool & Parts Clerk:
MIAMI FL NC11365302 05/30/2023

Garage Assistant:
HOUSTON TX NC11368988 05/26/2023
Electronic Technician:
BROCKTON MA NC11370302 05/27/2023
ROCHESTER NY NC11371416 05/27/2023
ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL NC11370150 05/27/2023
JACKSON MS NC11366836 05/27/2023
TRENTON NJ NC11369363 05/27/2023

NON-Maintenance jerbs:

SALES,SVCS/DISTRIBUTION ASSOC:
LINDEN TN NC11359072 05/18/2023
OCEAN BEACH NY NC11370230 05/27/2023
LANAI CITY HI NC11363428 05/20/2023
DAYTON TX NC11362387 05/22/2023
MEMPHIS MO NC11370238 05/29/2023
JACKMAN ME NC11367260 05/25/2023
ILIAMNA AK NC11371701 05/27/2023
CHENOA IL NC11361153 05/19/2023
BUNA TX NC11362381 05/22/2023
BOLINAS CA NC11368368 05/25/2023
PRESIDIO TX NC11360896 05/19/2023
PALACIOS TX NC11362377 05/22/2023
KOTZEBUE AK NC11371704 05/27/2023
ROCKSPRINGS TX NC11361161 05/19/2023
MILLERSBURG PA NC11370506 05/27/2023
EAGLE BUTTE SD NC11367304 05/29/2023
S YARMOUTH MA NC11370685 05/27/2023
CHARLESTON TN NC11371307 05/27/2023
BERRYVILLE AR NC11360673 05/19/2023
RANDLE WA NC11367126 05/24/2023
PECONIC NY NC11370190 05/27/2023
MARSHALL AR NC11360674 05/19/2023
ELK MOUND WI NC11369091 05/25/2023
BOW WA NC11367586 05/25/2023
BASSETT NE NC11366996 05/24/2023
ADDY WA NC11367447 05/25/2023
WEST CHATHAM MA NC11368584 05/27/2023
WEBBERVILLE MI NC11360764 05/19/2023
PONCE DE LEON FL NC11367045 05/24/2023
MARENGO IL NC11369368 05/26/2023
KETCHIKAN AK NC11373327 05/30/2023
HOMEWOOD CA NC11368364 05/25/2023
HIGHLAND MD NC11372890 05/30/2023
FLANDREAU SD NC11367252 05/25/2023
BELGIUM WI NC11366636 05/24/2023
BATH MI NC11360766 05/19/2023
LOS GATOS CA NC11368369 05/26/2023
EDGECOMB ME NC11367253 05/25/2023

City Carrier:
OAKLAND CA NC11365498 05/28/2023
PITTSBURGH PA NC11365454 05/28/2023
AURORA CO NC11365555 05/28/2023
BARRINGTON IL NC11370311 05/29/2023
CAMBRIDGE MA NC11370380 05/27/2023
CINCINNATI OH NC11365482 05/28/2023
COLUMBUS OH NC11365496 05/28/2023
COVINGTON KY NC11371919 05/27/2023
DENVER CO NC11366882 05/28/2023
DULUTH MN NC11362480 05/30/2023
EAST PALO ALTO CA NC11368607 05/26/2023
FREMONT CA NC11370500 05/27/2023
HALF MOON BAY CA NC11367133 05/25/2023
HOPKINS MN NC11367637 05/25/2023
JAMAICA PLAIN MA NC11365301 05/28/2023
KANSAS CITY MO NC11365461 05/28/2023
LONGMONT CO NC11364941 05/30/2023
MENLO PARK CA NC11367127 05/25/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11365468 05/28/2023
MISSION KS NC11366896 05/28/2023
REDWOOD CITY CA NC11367129 05/25/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11361984 05/24/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11370511 05/27/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA NC11365552 05/28/2023
SANTA BARBARA CA NC11371344 05/27/2023
WALTHAM MA NC11365314 05/28/2023
WATERTOWN WI NC11367306 05/24/2023
WESTMINSTER CO NC11372881 05/30/2023
WESTMINSTER CO NC11372888 05/31/2023
WHEAT RIDGE CO NC11372884 05/30/2023
WOBURN MA NC11370383 05/27/2023
BURLINGAME CA NC11367093 05/25/2023
DENVER CO NC11365625 05/28/2023
FORT DODGE IA NC11367454 05/31/2023
GLENSHAW PA NC11367256 05/26/2023
SAN BRUNO CA NC11367213 05/25/2023
SCOTTDALE PA NC11367257 05/26/2023
ALBANY NY NC11370227 05/27/2023
BELMONT CA NC11366923 05/25/2023
CONCORD NH NC11370243 05/27/2023
DENVER CO NC11365557 05/28/2023
FLORENCE KY NC11371918 05/27/2023
LAKEWOOD CO NC11366843 05/28/2023
LOS GATOS CA NC11368374 05/26/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11365467 05/28/2023
LOWELL MA NC11370408 05/27/2023
MADISON WI NC11365493 05/28/2023
MOUNT HOREB WI NC11368738 05/26/2023
SAINT PAUL MN NC11365480 05/28/2023
SAN MATEO CA NC11367212 05/25/2023
SOUTH BEND IN NC11370168 05/26/2023
UNION GROVE WI NC11368781 05/26/2023
ASPEN CO NC11369062 05/26/2023
BELVEDERE TIBURON CA NC11372865 05/30/2023
BILLERICA MA NC11370249 05/27/2023
BILLINGS MT NC11367481 05/25/2023
BOULDER CO NC11353373 05/28/2023
BOULDER CO NC11365053 05/29/2023
CEDARBURG WI NC11367207 05/24/2023
CHELSEA MA NC11365307 05/28/2023
COHOES NY NC11367097 05/29/2023
CORTE MADERA CA NC11372872 05/30/2023
CRESSON PA NC11367258 05/26/2023
FARGO ND NC11366936 05/29/2023
INDIANAPOLIS IN NC11365459 05/28/2023
LACONIA NH NC11370526 05/27/2023
LAWRENCE MA NC11370401 05/27/2023
LITTLETON CO NC11366840 05/28/2023
MALDEN MA NC11365310 05/28/2023
MILLBRAE CA NC11367211 05/25/2023
NEWPORT KY NC11372004 05/27/2023
NORTHGLENN CO NC11366639 05/28/2023
PACIFICA CA NC11367168 05/25/2023
SAN CARLOS CA NC11367164 05/25/2023
SAN JOSE CA NC11365554 05/28/2023
SANTA CLARA CA NC11368650 05/26/2023
SARATOGA SPRINGS NY NC11367451 05/27/2023
SUNNYVALE CA NC11368652 05/26/2023
WATERTOWN WI NC11367220 05/24/2023
CENTRAL SEATTLE WA NC11366942 05/28/2023
NORTH SEATTLE WA NC11366940 05/28/2023
SOUTH SEATTLE WA NC11366849 05/28/2023

Rural Carrier:
KNOXVILLE TN NC11372862 05/30/2023
GORHAM ME NC11370153 05/26/2023
BARRINGTON NH NC11370412 05/27/2023
BRIGHTON CO NC11372903 05/30/2023
AMERY WI NC11370225 05/26/2023

Motor Vehicle Operator:
ALBANY NY P&DC NC11371435 05/27/2023
DVD BLDG NJ P&DC NC11371439 05/27/2023
OAKLAND CA P&DC NC11371661 05/27/2023
RALEIGH NC P&DC NC11371445 05/27/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11371654 05/27/2023
MORGAN NY P&DC NC11371442 05/27/2023
PORTLAND OR P&DC NC11371664 05/27/2023
SAN JOSE CA P&DC NC11371658 05/27/2023
SAN JUAN PR P&DC NC11371880 05/27/2023
MARGARET SELLERS P&DC NC11371651 05/27/2023

Tractor Trailer Operator:
LANCASTER PA P&DC NC11371431 05/27/2023
NEW JERSEY NDC NC11358892 05/27/2023
NORTH READING P&DC NC11371432 05/27/2023
SPRINGFIELD NDC NC11371434 05/27/2023
MICHIGAN METROPLEX MI P&DC NC11371623 05/27/2023
SALT LAKE CITY UT P&DC NC11371617 05/27/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA P&DC NC11371542 05/27/2023
CAROL STREAM IL P&DC NC11371705 05/27/2023
DENVER CO P&DC NC11371611 05/27/2023
KCMO MO P&DC NC11371703 05/27/2023
OAKLAND CA P&DC NC11371538 05/27/2023
SAN FRANCISCO NDC NC11371541 05/27/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11371547 05/27/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11371601 05/27/2023
TACOMA WA P&DC NC11371609 05/27/2023
DES MOINES IA P&DC NC11371702 05/27/2023
EVANSVILLE IN P&DC NC11371709 05/27/2023
DVD BLDG NJ P&DC NC11354736 05/27/2023
SYRACUSE NY P&DC NC11371433 05/27/2023
NORTHERN NJ P&DC NC11358893 05/27/2023

No experience necessary for the laborer custodial or maintenance mechanic positions. It helps on the interview but you can surely think of maintenance related experience to relay for an interview. Based on fixing things around your house, the car etc. Always mention working safely.

Pro tip: You can apply for any job that has an exam opening and the test is administered local to yourself. Make sure you're serious and score decently; you can turn down the job offer. Keep a physical copy of your exam score, I believe they are good for two years.
The reason is: These job postings can be posted externally at capacity for testing, meaning they will not allow you to take the exam if they have enough qualified applicants. However, if you have a test score on the books, you are a qualified applicant.

Explanation of MVO/TTO to save time:
MVO= CDL B Can only drive box trucks on public roads, can drive anything for moves on postal property.
TTO= CDL A Can drive anything.

USPS provides the training. (Maintenance jobs at least. TTO and management...GOOD LUCK)

You don't have to be crazy to work here. We'll train you. Everything but proper email usage.
submitted by User_3971 to USPS [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 00:57 Iamabrawler If the opposite people had been snapped, how do you envision things would have gone?

As the title says. We already know the story as it went in Infinity WaEndgame with the characters we know who have been snapped/blipped and those who stayed, and (apologies if it's already been posted before) I've always tried to imagine how things would have gone if the roles had reversed.
Whether Thanos disappears or not depends on whether you believe he was a hypocrite excluding himself from the "half the universe" statement to stick around after snapping, or was fully willing to also vanish on his own afterwards. We're obviously never going to get a film exploring that (though if What If? ever does, it will be very interesting), so we can let theories run wild.
So, Loki dead, Gamora dead, Vision dead, that's the constants, but the original 6, Rhodey, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Rocket, Nebula are gone, and (non-exhaustive list) Fury, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Doctor Strange, most of the Guardians, Spidey, much of Ant-Man's group, T'Challa, Shuri etc. sticking around.
My personal theory is that since it would mean a lot of big hitters are still around, Thanos (being a hypocrite keeping himself alive as a guarantee) would be in even more of a hurry to destroy the Stones, and would again manage to do so. In fact, I kinda like to imagine things going roughly the same way, except with Hank Pym figuring out shrinking-based time travel a little faster, maybe even with help from Peter Parker. Barring the Guardians, a lot of remaining folks have very little links between each other which would make it difficult to form a "team" or at least one where the members have really gotten to know each other like the Avengers eventually did.
For some reason I want to imagine the Time Heist happening as well with roles swapped (Strange meeting the Ancient One to get the Time Stone and her going, "what are you doing here? You're years too early!", a few non-Asgardians going to Asgard, or maybe have Quill tasked with hunting himself down for the Power Stone since this time we'd be missing that "Cap VS Cap" moment from Endgame). As for the rest... Who knows, that's why I'm throwing the idea here. These theories could also explore avenues deeper than just the characters' interactions up to IW/Endgame, like greater implications about the universe. Really looking forward to what you can come up with.
submitted by Iamabrawler to marvelstudios [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 00:55 thesheepshepard Ser Roland Stone, Knight of Coldwater Burn

Discord Username: justinkayce#3226
Character Name and House: Ser Roland Stone (Arryn), in service to House Coldwater
Age: 28
Appearance: There is a noble air to Roland Stone. Of average height, perhaps a little shorter, he nonetheless has a presence that is surprising in a bastard knight of of of the Vale's smallest and most isolated holdings. He is a handsome man, square-jawed, quick to smile with the crinkles around the eye to match it, but with the ruddier and slightly pox-scarred complexion one expects to see in the smallfolk and the lower knight. He wears his light brown hair long and his beard cropped short; both well-maintained and neat, for Roland is a fastidious man as expected from a pious and consecrated Knight. The beard serves double duty to hide the embarrassing scars, a source of deep humiliation for him now he moves amidst the nobility. He wears the Coldwater colours proudly; Lord Coldwater has done well by him, and he repays the service eagerly in kind.
Gift: Duelist
Skills: Swords (M), Knightly, Riding
Talent(s): Singing, Hawking, Scouting
Starting Title(s): A Knight of Coldwater Burn
Starting Location: King's Landing
Family Tree: https://www.familyecho.com/?p=P7TW6&c=khpky5jdfl&f=319319579603091879
Alternate Characters: -

Timeline

  • 179 AC: Roland Stone is born to Jessamyn Coldwater, sire unknown. Jessamyn is sent to the Gulltown Motherhouse, and Roland given to the Coldwater Burn Sept.
  • 180-188 AC: A foundling of the Faith in one of the Vale's smallest and isolated towns, Roland is effectively raised as a son by Septon Caradoc, a largely ineffective and untrained Septon, but kind hearted and good, traits he impresses upon Roland from an early age. While no raging zealot, raised in the shadow of the Faith, Roland cannot help but be a pious, proper, child.
  • 189 AC: While helping Septon Caradoc attend to some of the townsfolk when a slight epidemic cuts through Coldwater Burn, Roland catches a pox. He survives, but the pox-scars along his jaw are a source of embarrassment, even as an adult.
  • 190-191 AC: As Roland enters his preteen years he began to grow into his strength, marked by the physical labour required to maintain a Sept. Unsurprisingly, the 'Septon's Son' is picked on by other urchins and orphans in the town for his holier-than-thou attitude. His strength helps him in the brawls that break out; being outnumbered doesn't. Between the fights, Roland's struggle to accept the life of a boy in the Faith, and more… secretive factors, Septon Caradoc arranges for Roland to be squire under a household knight under Lord Coldwater, Ser Reginalt Bran. Roland is both thrilled and heartbroken; he never truly stops dreaming of his potential life as a Septon, helping the people directly.
  • 192-197 AC: Ser Reginalt is a skilled knight and teacher, but a harsh taskmaster, and is determined to best out Roland's 'common speak'. Roland is forced to learn the brusque airs and graces of a Knight in service to Lords. Reginalt is no layabout household guard; he actively guards the borders of the isolated Coldwater Burn against bandit, pirate, and clansfolk, and Roland feels as if he spends more time ahorse than not. These constant patrols also reveal a nuance to the clansfolk that Roland did not expect; that Reginalt spends as much time talking and bartering with clansfolk as slaying them gives him a healthy cynicism of the sort of tales told to drive one people against another. He also is occasionally taken to tourneys in the Vale where he meets other squires; and is once again unsurprisingly sneered at, this time for being a gutter rat with airs. Roland especially develops a healthy mutually distaste for the heir to Runestone, Robin Royce, due to their clashing personalities; something Reginalt soundly beats him for.
  • 198 AC: Roland is knighted at the age of ten and nine for defending a travelling merchant, after racing ahead of the patrol to engage the clansfolk before they can slay the merchant. He kills three and is almost killed himself, and is only knighted after a half hour dressing down by Reginalt. On his return to Coldwater Burn, Roland is anointed by Caradoc personally.
  • 199-201 AC: Roland earns name as one of the truest knights in the Northern Vale, let alone Coldwater Burn. In 201, Coldwater Burn receives a surprise visit from Ser Albar Arryn, heir to the Vale, Knight of a Generation. The two men share a discussion on a moonlit battlement and Ser Albar leaves the Coldwater bastard with a mark of his respect; a silver ring in the shape of a falcon’s talon. The news of Albar's sudden death, ambushed by clansfolk, soon after affects Roland deeply.
  • 202-204 AC: The Remonstrance, the defiant death of Albar’s daughter Jeyne Arryn at the hands of the clansfolk, shocks all of the Vale to its core. Coldwater rallies to Runestone, with Ser Roland helping lead their forces. The ‘war’ is a disaster; Ser Reginalt is killed in an ambush after bad orders from Gilwood Royce. When Robin Royce is taken captive and Gilwood left dying, Roland is one of the only ones to voice his desire to help rescue the Runestone heir, even with their personal grudge. With his dying breaths, Gilwood Royce entrusts Lamentation upon the Coldwater Knight and entreats him to save his son. Roland does so, in turn being saved by Robin upon their joint escape back to their forces. The two grow close, and Roland helps Robin finally win the war.
  • 205-207 AC: Roland’s name is known across the Vale for his actions; he is even received at the Eyrie and commended for his efforts, but offers to join the Eyrie’s household knights are rejected, as Roland owes his home. He returns to Coldwater Burn to take up the responsibilities that Ser Reginalt had held before; but this time with respect, name, and friends.

AC

Character Name and House: Alfred Arryn
Age: 46
Appearance: The High Steward is all harsh lines and nasty angles. Witheringly tall, and fair enough to have been leeched of colour with his ash-blonde hair and grey-blue eyes, Alfred Arryn perfectly looks the part of the supercilious aristocrat he has built himself to be. His nose arches fiercely, his cheekbones cut out proudly, and line mark his drooping eyes and quirked mouth. Whether his constant expression of bemused half-smile is a smirk or a sneer is hard to say.
Gift: Thrifty
Skills: Architect, Espionage, Covert
Talent(s): Calligraphy, Dancing, Witty Bonne-Mottes
Starting Title(s): High Steward of the Vale and Keeper of the Gates of the Moon
Starting Location: King's Landing

Timeline

  • 161 AC: Alfred Arryn is born, grandson of Isembard the Gilded Falcon. Isembard's coup of the Vale ultimately failed due to the unification of the nobility against him, and the sympathetic Greens in King's Landing eventually giving up when they concluded an upjumped merchant wasn't worth the effort. The Gulltown Arryns at least maintain a large measure of wealth, and Alfred Arryn is raised in luxury with the poison of his grandfather's ambitions constantly dripped in his ear.
  • 179 AC: After two years spent at the Citadel studying money, accounts, and arithmetic, with two links forged, Alfred returns to Gulltown. He strikes up a relationship of mutual respect with Lord Albard Arryn, who gives him responsibility over customs and the harbours in Gulltown. He proves competent, practical, and open to just the right amount of bribery.
  • 187 AC: Through their joint machinations, Albard helps Alfred get named High Steward of the Vale and Keeper of the Gates. Alfred uses this new-found authority and name to win a marriage with Shaera Velaryon, daughter of the Lord of the Tides, partly in exchange for favourable trade rights.
  • 195 AC: Jason Arryn begins to falter in his age. A war of influence begins in the Eyrie between Alfred and Albar. Unfortunately, Albar Arryn is a paramount knight, not a politician, and he doesn't even really realise he's fighting it. Continued deaths in the Arryn family and Jason's inability act stir Alfred's ambitions. He begins constructing a web of conspiracy at a level that puts even his grandfather to shame.
  • 201 AC: Plans come to fruitions. Clansfolk armed and armoured. Bribes to bandits made. The right people silenced. First falls Albar Arryn in a mysterious and sudden bandit ambush while on patrol. Then, the Remonstrance, the clansfolk falling on Jeyne Arryn as she makes her way through the Mountains of the Moon. The 'war' that follows is lengthened and made bloody by both Gilwood Royce's incompetence... and Alfred manipulating matters from the inside.
  • 205 AC: The dust of war clears, and the House of Arryn lies almost dead; its survivors are, seemingly, only the decrepit Lord Jason and the young traumatised Roslyn. Alfred is closer than ever to the High Seat, and now practically rules the Vale in all but name.
NPCs:
Lord Jason Arryn (82) - Courtly
  • The ancient Lord of the Vale, Lord Jason Arryn was once considered one of the greatest statesman in the realm. The man who bound the Vale back to the Crown, who fixed the wounds of the Dance, turned his back on the Blacks to serve as Hand to Maelor I and Aemond I both. Few men have commanded the respect of the Lord of the Vale; but now age has its claws around him. Now memories are fog, faces are strangers, and the world is a cold and frightening place.
Maester Adelard (31) - Scholar
  • Through and through is the new Maester of the Eyrie the tool of Alfred Arryn. It is amazing how well one can corrupt the incorruptible with a judicious amount of well-placed funds.
submitted by thesheepshepard to FieldOfFire [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 00:50 Fantastic-Weight7144 DO IT!!!! The Sith Lord said so! Support CORRUPT MOON: Bloodline on @Kickstarter NOW! Half way through the Kickstarter 29% Funded! Hit that link below and bring this comic book to life!

DO IT!!!! The Sith Lord said so! Support CORRUPT MOON: Bloodline on @Kickstarter NOW! Half way through the Kickstarter 29% Funded! Hit that link below and bring this comic book to life! submitted by Fantastic-Weight7144 to VenomVerseMemes [link] [comments]