How to hide outdoor air conditioner

Fiore: “Ugh, it makes me sick.”
Alec: “What makes you sick?”
Fiore: “Ellie and Gabby. Just look at them together. Ellie could do way better than that freak.”
Alec: “What’s wrong with them being together?”
Fiore(singing): “I can see what’s happening.”
Alec(confused): “What?”
Fiore(singing): “And they don’t have a clue.”
Alec: “Who?”
Fiore(singing): “They’ll fall further in love and here’s the bottom line, our Villains’ Alliance is down by one.”
Alec: “Crap.”
Fiore(singing angrily): “The sweet caress of Twilight.
There’s magic in the air,
and with all this romantic atmosphere…. Disaster’s in the aiiiiiiiir.”
(Song begins as Ellie and Gabby hold hands as they walk through towards the lake and the sunset in their swimsuits)
Chorus: “Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world for once in perfect harmony
With all its living things.”
Ellie: “So many things to tell her but how to make her see.
The truth about my villainy, impossible. She’d turn away from me.”
Gabby: “She’s holding back, she’s hiding.
But what I can’t decide.
Why won’t she be the girl I know she is. The girl I see insiiiiiiide.”
(Afterwards, Ellie runs towards the lake and immediately jumps in and when Gabby looks on in concern, Ellie pops up from underwater and pulls her in giddily.)
Chorus: “Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world for once in perfect harmony
With all its living things.”
(Soon, Ellie and Gabby get into a playful splash fight, laughing after their arms get tired from splashing when suddenly Gabby kisses Ellie on the cheek causing Ellie to give Gabby a wide eyed gaze before smiling and blushing.)
Chorus: “Can you feel the love tonight?
You needn't look too far
Stealing through the night's uncertainties
Love is where they are.”
(The chorus ends with Ellie and Gabby hugging each other as they float about.)
(We then cut back to Fiore and Alec looking on from behind them as Fiore starts to get a little teary eyed before they begin walking away from the romantic scene)
Fiore(tearfully): “And if she falls in love tonight… it can be assumed”
Alec: “Her mischievous days, with us are history.”
Alec and Fiore: “In short our ally is doooooooooooooooomed.”
Fiore: “Why do feelings have to ruin everything?!”
A/N: Felt like doing a romantic Disney song with my favorite LGBT ship to celebrate Pride Month. Hope you enjoyed.

I want to bring a break to all the political posts and do a crackpot conspiracy that I think is interesting. Here we go:
First and foremost, I think it is important to remember this was written around 95 AD, so John would have no knowledge of what an ICBM, a gun or a plane or anything actually is. Therefore when reading this, you must understand he is using things he does know to describe things he does not know. He simply has no words to name what he saw, so he used common items to describe it to people.
Revelation 6:1-8

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” ² I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. ³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. ⁵ When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds^\)^a\) of wheat for a day’s wages,^\)^b\) and six pounds^\)^c\) of barley for a day’s wages,^\)^d\) and do not damage the oil and the wine!” ⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The 4 horseman of the apocalypse. A horse of white, red, black, and pale (possibly green). If we are to assume there are no coincidences in the Bible then the color's mean something. You cant help but notice that Palestine's flag is that of white, red, black and pale. Once you look further, you will notice so is Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Sudan, UAE, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and you see my point.
Lets break down further what is to come when the first seals are broken.

Seal 1: The White Horseman

Once the first seal is broken, a rider holding a sword symbolic of conquest rode out. In the Hamas Covenant of 1988, they say in the first section: "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" and "The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem."
People bent on conquest is the first thing they mention. It is Hamas' intention to obliterate Israel and the Jews there.

Seal 2: The Red Horseman

This horseman is set to end world peace and make people kill each other. Lets take another look at Hamas' charter, shall we?
After securing the national of Israel and uniting Palestine under 1 religion, Islam in the praise of Allah. Their defined slogan is:
"Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes." and they talk about how all Muslim nations should join them to bring about Jihad until all nationals say Allah's name.
"They should back and support it, as Allah wants them to, extending to it more and more funds till Allah's purpose is achieved when ranks will close up, fighters join other fighters and masses everywhere in the Islamic world will come forward in response to the call of duty while loudly proclaiming: Hail to Jihad. Their cry will reach the heavens and will go on being resounded until liberation is achieved, the invaders vanquished and Allah's victory comes about."

Seal 3: The Black Horseman

I am assuming during this Jihad, famine will spread across the region as the infidels are killed off en masse. Food prices will sky rocket as Islamic nations erupt into chaos. Their oil production will slow causing everything to inflate, and they possibly going to war with the west as well and cut off our supply of oil.

Seal 4: The Pale Horseman (people theorize this could be a light green or yellow pale)

Global conflict as WW3 erupts across the globe. This is when food and disease will run rampant as every nation devolves into war. This horseman can kill by any means so expect anything. Bioweapons, chemical attacks, energy weapons, herbicides, ecoterrorism, etc. However I do not think nuclear warfare will happen yet because it is mentioned later on.
Now we go into what happens after the world falls into Jihad in Revelations 6:9-17

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,^\)^e\) were killed just as they had been. ¹² I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³ and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴ The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ¹⁶ They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us^\)^f\) from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of their^\)^g\) wrath has come, and who can withstand it?

>Seal 5: Judgment Day
>Seal 6: Nuclear War or Super Volcano
An earthquake, strong wind, sky turning red as the sun is blocked out. The heavens (clouds) receding like a scroll. I think this is someone describing a nuclear bomb who has never heard of one. We know nuclear bombs resemble earthquakes and can be detected via seismic activity. A strong wind comes from the blast as well, and such an explosion will move clouds as if they are being rolled back.
I think given the greater context of the apocalypse, nuclear war is the most likely, especially since John would have said something about a mountain exploding if it were a super volcano or made some mention of it.

The Grand Finale

The kings, princes, rich, and mighty + everyone else runs into caves in the mountains....I think conspiracy knows that the rich are building bunkers for a reason. They know what is to come. I think at this point the human race will be greatly reduced in population, and would be feasible for the remaining few to run to bunkers and fallout shelters.
Zechariah:
In Zechariah 14:1-2 it states that in the end days, all nations will come to Jerusalem to fight against it. I think in the coming year or years, Israel will do something so bad that all nations will tell them to stop or global sentiment will continue to shift over to support Palestine. At which point the bible says Jerusalem will be captured, houses ransacked, and women raped. Half the city will be in exile. I think this will be the Muslim population that live in Israel and do not support Jihad, currently it is at 38% Muslim there, after the Jews are mostly killed off in the jihad this number will likely be half the remaining population.
Now continuing down in the same chapter, the passage about Mount Olives is interesting. It says on this day it will be split in 2. I am not sure if this is metaphoric (nation divided in this area and explodes into warfare and the dust from explosions block the sun) or literal (the mountain explodes). It also says there will be no cold, light or frost. So I am leaning towards this will be an area of hot conflict that will erupt into warfare, rocket strikes and explosions, etc. There will be a frontline that runs straight down the middle of Mount Olives. The people there will flee en masse which the bible also says will happen.
The Angels:
Revelation 8 gives us insight into the angels in the final seal of the apocalypse and it is almost describing nuclear war perfectly.
Angel 1: Blew his trumpet and hail and fire was thrown upon the earth. 1/3rd of the earth was burned up, all the trees and grass was burned.
Angel 2: "Something like a great mountain" on fire thrown into the sea. I think this is describing an aircraft carrier getting hit, being set ablaze and going into the water. John would not know what an aircraft carrier looks like so to him, it might be something like a great mountain.
Angel 3: A great star comes falling out of the sky, blazing like a torch. A torch is a long object with a flame on one end. Sounds like a missile of some sort. Again John would have no idea what a missile is, so he is using things he knows in order to describe it. This missile poisons the water and is bitter. It is called Wormwood, which in Hebrew is written like לענה. I think John was reading Russian and rationalized it to something he could read, and the bitter water is the metallic taste people get from radiation.
Angel 4: Blew his trumpet and a third of the sun, stars and moon disappeared. Maybe at this point he is describing the response to Angel 3 via a nuclear retaliation. He also describes seeing an eagle. The eagle is symbolic of the USA which would make sense if the Angel 3 was a Russian ICBM.
Revelations 9:
Angel 5: This time John perfectly describes a missile silo. Read this:
"The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. ² When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. ³ And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them." ⁷ The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. ⁸ Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. ¹¹ They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
I think a first part with the keys to a bottomless shaft describes an underground missile silo and the smoke is the launch. However the last part is too metaphorical for me to understand. The sting of a scorpion sounds like burns and the wish for death sounds like radiation sickness. This might allude to the marks the government will give us, maybe the government will give a select group of people passes into the bunkers so those without the mark will perish in the nuclear fallout.
I think the locusts is describing air planes at this point. He describes them as horses prepared for battle (elephant walks), and their faces like humans can either be nose art or the fact people try to see faces in inanimate things like cars. So to him he saw faces. This could also be tech we have yet to see. He even describes their engines as thunderous and their breastplates made of metal., which sounds like a modern fighter I think the gold crown they wear is referring to the radar reflecting gold bubble canopies used on 5th gen fighters. John would not know how to describe a radar reflecting canopy back in 95 AD, to him it would be a gold crown.
Angel 6: Releases the other angels from the Euphrates river that wipes out 1/3rd the population. This angel however is responsible for troops in the several 10,000s. So it is either Iraq, Syria, or Turkey. He goes onto describe them as wearing Red, Blue and Yellow. Look up the dress uniform of the Iraqi army, it is a red band on their hat, gold yelow an dark blue. The Iraqi army uniform is perfectly described in revelations, even down to what river they will be coming from. That is too much of a coincidence. He then describes smoke and sulfur coming from their mounts, I imagine they will use chemical weapons or white phosphorus in battle.
Angel 7: I am not even sure tbh. maybe new tech?
My Predictions:
1-2 years: Israel/Palestine conflict will ramp up as Israel continues their bombing campaigns. I think something will happen so severe that it will shock the world and turn them against Israel, telling them to stop cut funding, etc. Middle Eastern countries will come to Gaza and start pushing their troops into Israel. A front line will be established through Mount Olive as full scale war breaks out and the people of Israel flee. The middle eastern forces will take over Israel.
3-4 years: A new Islamic government will be established in Jerusalem. From there, there will be calls for the jihad and some terror groups will appear again. This will send us back into a GWOT type of conflict where NATO is trying to fight off terrorism around the globe. WW3 starts as China takes Taiwan since US troops are spread thing fighting against the Jihad. This might start off with an attack on a US Aircraft Carrier.
5-7 years: Someone hits the big red button and nuclear war breaks out. Chaos. plague, destruction, etc. Full scale modern war.

Marshmallow is my 10 month old mini lop rabbit, she is an unspayed female. She weighs 5.5lbs and has never been sick before. I am located in Southeast Michigan.
5 days ago I noticed she was sneezing 3-4 times in a row and would wash her face a lot. There was a little bit of cleawhite nasal drainage from one nostril.
The next day she was sneezing like this about every hour, so the frequency was increasing. I called my vet and got an appointment for the next day thankfully. At the appointment Mel looked literally perfect, no teeth issues, eaeyes/nose looked normal with no inflammation and no drainage or staining. Her lungs sounded good too. My vet said she didn’t want to prescribe antibiotics based on how she presented in the clinic. However I could call her if the symptoms were persisting/worsening.
That night the sneezing started up again. 3-4 times in a row with no drainage still. So I called and got antibiotics, she is on Bactrim 0.3 cc once every 24 hours and the concentration is 100mg/ml.
She is on her third dose today and is still sneezing! I got an air purifier, wiped down all the dust and deep cleaned their room.
She has been eating and drinking and running around like normal.
Since there is no discoloration of her fur and no inflammation or drainage is this something I should be worried about? Or is it allergies that will go away on its own?
Video of her sneezing fits
Some other important info:
A week prior to the onset of her symptoms our house air conditioner broke, so we had the windows open during the night for 4 days. The temps fluctuated from 65-78 degrees in their room during this time.
She has not been outdoors. Her partner has been separated so she doesn’t catch anything if it’s communicable.
Any advice or suggestions would be great! Should I call my vet on Monday if she doesn’t stop sneezing?

My AC unit sits under an oak tree and it takes a lot of abuse in the winter. Would it be a good idea to put a cover on it during the winter?
https://www.coverstore.com/utility-covers/air-conditioner-covers/outdoor-air-conditioner-covers

First Previous Patreon Royal Road is up to chapter 30!
“FUCK YOU BOAR” Mark said triumphantly as he raised his arms up above his head in the shape of a V “Did you see that, Noah?” Mark looked to his cousin and noticed that he was struggling to prop himself up off the ground “Oh crap sorry, I got a bit too carried away there.”
“It’s fine, you did a great job. Now, let’s get out of here before the other two boars show up and decide to avenge their fallen comrade.” Noah began limping in the direction of the boar and put it away in his artifact. He couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t get a kill notification for that boar… “Hmmm?” in the corner of his vision, a bell icon suddenly materialized. It shook and enlarged as if it was ringing. He mentally pressed the ringing bell and out came a cascade of notifications.
Spell [Waterball] has leveled up!
Skill [Water Manipulation] has leveled up!
**Spell [Waterball] has leveled up!**
**Skill [Air Manipulation] has leveled up!**
**Skill [Mana Sense] has leveled up!**
**Skill [Analyze] has leveled up!**
**Spell [Fireball] has leveled up!**
**Spell [Air Bullet] has leveled up!**
**Spell [Air Bullet] has leveled up!**
You have killed Boar – lvl 3
**You have leveled up! You have 9 status points to spend!**
It was dizzying to see so many notifications so he swiped them all away intending to manage it all when they got back to their base. He started walking lamely towards the direction of the apartment building when Mark came and helped him walk.
“I can heal you while we trek through the forest.” Mark activated his skills, first, he cast his innate skill [Diagnosis] which halved all mana cost for healing skills while also identifying the specific problem, which in this case was a hairline fracture across the tibia, he then cast [Mend Wounds] and [Heal] in quick succession. Mark repeatedly cast his three skills over and over while they were walking until, a half hour later when Noah could finally walk well enough on his own
“Magic truly is miraculous. A fracture that should’ve taken a few weeks to heal on its own in the old world, healed in just half an hour.” Noah said admiringly “I told you you’d save my life one day, I just didn’t expect it to be this soon.”
“Yeah, yeah, you were right again mister right all the time. Now shush, I don’t want another random beast coming out of the tall grass while I’m almost out of mana.”
With that, Noah and Mark proceeded silently towards their destination. As they trudged along across the forest they heard a cacophony of animal noises, it was honestly kind of soothing but, just as they were relaxing, everything turned quiet. Wing flaps could be heard in the distance and they were just getting louder by the second. Noah looked up and he saw a small bird slowly getting larger and larger as his pupils dilated in distress and focus as he cast [Analyze] on the thing flying towards them with an extra 15 mana put into it to see its level.
**Wyvern - lvl ??**
“Crap” was all he could say as he heard and saw the Wyvern screech and swoop down.
“Noah, what are you doing?! Get down!” Mark hurriedly tackled Noah down to the ground and narrowly evaded the Wyvern’s sharp talons. That was when another, much louder screech was heard coming closer. They looked up again and couldn’t believe their eyes, a much larger bird-like beast the size of a commercial airplane dove down and ate the Wyvern in one gulp.
Noah and Mark curled themselves up into balls hoping, praying, that the massive bird-beast would hopefully think of them as too small and too insignificant to even count as a snack for it. Then, as if to mock them the beast flapped its wings toward them summoning strong gusts of wind enough to make them roll around, suddenly, the massive bird spoke but, not out loud, it was as if it was speaking straight into their minds.
“HAHAHA! YOU HUMANS ARE TRULY SUCH FUNNY LITTLE CREATURES. YOUR LIFE IS SAVED BY THE MAJESTIC ME AND STILL COWER IN FEAR”
The massive bird landed on the ground and proceeded to preen itself while speaking to them. Noah abruptly stood up and said “Um, hello Mr. Bird sir…” but before he could finish speaking, the bird screeched and laughed in their minds.
“ME? A MERE BIRD? HAHAHA. TRULY QUITE A FUNNY HUMAN. WHY DON’T YOU USE YOUR INNATE SKILL ON ME, THOUGH I DOUBT IT WILL GIVE YOU ANY INFORMATION WITH ITS PITIFULLY LOW LEVEL.”
“Analyze.”
Roc – lvl 9
Noah couldn’t believe his eyes. Didn’t Rocs only exist in mythology? How was there one standing and preening itself right in front of him?
“HAHAHA! YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR EXPRESSION RIGHT NOW”
“Ummm, Mr. Roc sir, thank you for saving us but, what can we do to repay the favor? Surely a Roc as majestic as you has everything it needs and whatever we could offer you, you could probably get with a simple snap of a finger, uhhh, a snap of a talon in your case”
Suddenly, the preening roc visibly shrunk then morphed into the shape of a human with a multicolored robe around him
“Oh, you are indeed right, you cannot do anything for me. I am only here because I find your little building here quite satisfactory for my new nest.”
“So, you’re telling us to get out of here?” Noah asked as his face turned white
“Oh no no no, this majestic me would not resort to taking the house of someone as insignificant like you. I am just saying hi to my new neighbors! I am moving into one of the rooms, and I am not asking you, I’m telling you.” The roc said threateningly
This was when Mark finally calmed down enough to say “So Mr. Roc sir, you’re telling us that you, someone who is leagues above us in strength and most probably level too…”
“Level? Oh, no, I’m still under level 10 actually but, yes, I am definitely way above you in strength thanks to my heritage as one of the mythological races. You see, all those myths and legends in your history have some truth in them, we’ve just been hiding among you because honestly speaking, humans make some really cool shit. I was an avid gamer myself so color me surprised when game like blue screens suddenly appeared in my vision.”
“I know right?! It’s all so exciting!” Noah beamed at the Roc turned human and asked “So Mr. Roc do you guys have classes too?”
“Please, just call me Talal and no, we don’t. I confirmed it with my fellow Rocs and other mythological creatures but we all only have race and levels as far as we know but, we do get massive increases to our stats per level. Unfortunately, we can’t pick where we put our stats unlike you humans. Anyway, enough talk, I’ll take the top floor and rooftop, you guys get all the other floors, but I will only say this once, since I am taking something from you, you will get one favor from me, otherwise I will not protect you nor will I involve myself with your lives”
Noah and Mark looked at each other and nodded. They were obviously the ones who came out on top of this deal with no obvious downsides, except maybe, living with someone that can pretty much just kill them with a sneeze, but that wasn’t going to happen right?... right?
While they were thinking of the potential downsides to this deal, Talal turned around and started heading towards the building. Noah and Mark hurriedly caught up to him and said “We were previously living on the top floor so it might be a little messy… Want us to clean it up for you?”
“You would do that for me? Oh, but I don’t like it when people are in my nest, I’ll do it myself.” Talal abruptly disappeared from where he was standing. At first, they thought that he could teleport but then they saw a colorful ball flying across the sky towards the apartment. They started running in order to catch up and a few minutes later arrived at the building just in time to see full on concrete slabs flying out of the top floor windows and falling onto the parking lot.
“Guess he’s renovating.” Noah said trying to lighten the mood as he noticed that Mark wasn’t really into the whole idea of living with a mythological creature “Come on Mark, look at the bright side, if he lives here, we probably won’t have to worry about waking up to random beasts knocking on our doors.”
“How’s that?”
“Don’t animals have territories and stuff? Like how wolves and dogs pee on their territory to mark it. Maybe he has something similar.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right”
“Of course I’m right! Now let’s go set up on one of the lower floors. I am tired after having almost died so many times today. We also need to strategize how we’re gonna use all our abilities in order to survive, we can’t rely on that one favor from our new neighbor.”
With that, they started heading towards the building and went up the stairs to the ninth floor which they picked because it was only logical to live close to the powerful neighbor they found themselves with.
Noah filled a couple buckets with [Waterball] which they used to drink and wash themselves with, then, they went out to the parking lot and Noah took the boar carcass out of his artifact and said “So what do we do with this thing?”
“If memory serves me right, we need to bleed it out first. It makes the meat taste better and last longer.”
Noah looked at the 5 feet tall furry boar with the bald spot from when he threw a fireball at it and said “So do I just burn off the rest of the fur?”
“Yeah, that should be fine”
Noah went ahead and summoned a fireball and proceeded to carefully burn off every bit of fur. It took a few minutes and a bit of elbow grease to flip the whole boar around and burn the fur on the other side but they managed to do it. Then they took a kitchen knife and slit its throat, but there was one problem. “Where do we hang it?” Noah asked after unsummoning his fireball.
Mark looked at the now bald boar and said “We could get some rope and tie it to a ladder? No, the ladder probably can’t take that much weight.
Noah began thinking and then had an idea. “I know! I’ll just make something like an arch with earth manipulation and hang it from there!”
Noah walked a few meters away from the concrete floor of the parking lot and began manipulating the earth. It took all of his mana to just make it half way up his planned arch then he suddenly fell down panting.
“Noah! You okay?” Mark asked worriedly
“Uh, yeah. I think I just found out what happens when you use up all your mana.” Noah just laid there on the ground panting and holding his aching head. “I’m definitely not doing that ever again, I feel like shit.”
“You look like shit” they looked at each other and just laughed. They were not laughing because it was funny mind you, they were laughing at the absurdity of the situation. They were building an arch from which they’d hang a boar twice the size of old-world boars, all this they did with magic, real fucking magic. Not to mention that Mark healed an injury that would’ve taken weeks of healing.
Truly absurd indeed.
But all they could do was laugh and accept the situation because otherwise, they’d die and they'd die horribly.

Waldo could feel the tension in his body. He hated breaches. He used to be a general in the armada. Waldo had not figured out exactly what happened but in a few weeks leadership had changed all across the galaxy. Waldo had sensed something was different and Waldo had changed his identity adding himself to a low level unit while he tried to figure out what had caused the change. However, his contracts slowly disappeared and he was having a hard time cultivating new ones. Waldo had heard the name Bastion a lot in the changeover and Jonah seemed to have fallen off his radar, which Waldo found very distressing. So now he was just a lower level grunt Waldo had to follow orders and keep his identity hidden. That meant he saw lots of action thus why he was on a breaching team. All the prep in the world never made him feel safe on a breach and they had no prep time for this one. Toby slammed the charge on the handle of the Iron door and deftly ran the blasting cord around the frame, in a single smooth motion. Waldo felt Juan tense in front of him as they prepped for entry after the blast. Waldo would be second in on this one having lost the coin toss. Not that he really minded due to the lack of information. Juan would be going right, Waldo had the left, and Brett would be going down the middle. Juan, Waldo, or Brett always led the breaching team; they were their units cowboys. At least, that is what they called themselves. Their lieutenant Frank called them his lovely ladies but everyone was a girl to Frank. Waldo didn’t care about it, Brett would get angry with Frank out of combat, and Juan only ever laughed over it. Waldo was pretty sure Brett was putting up a show as he had caught Brett offering to be a bottom to a guy at a bar three months ago, which had led to him swearing secrecy over it. Waldo found himself smiling as Frank started into it.
“Lovely ladies, Juanita, Betty, and Wilma. Tina is spreading her legs in three.” Frank said loud enough for the breaching team to hear as he raised his hand holding up three fingers starting a countdown to Waldo’s 4th breach of the day. As the door blasted in they moved smoothly forward like a well rehearsed dance. Juan moved through the door into a hallway with Waldo close on his tail. Waldo saw it a second too late as Juan had completely missed the tripwire. Waldo grabbed Juan a hair too slow as Juan’s foot hit the wire tripping whatever the trap was. Waldo felt the magic in the blast before he heard the tremendous roar. Waldo felt himself pushed back by Juan while trying to pull him. Waldo felt certain he had Juan’s pack firmly gripped as he fell back. Suddenly, there was nothing in his hands. The air felt cool and instead of the hot sun beating down he felt a warm glow off to his left.
Waldo rolled to his feet and spun, assessing the room, but everything was wrong. He had lifted his rifle up to sight as he spun but it was missing so instead in the middle of the spin he drew his side arm. However, as he finished his spin his arm fell loosely to his side. Waldo stood in the middle of three empty round tables. In what, he would call the common room of a themed bar or restaurant. He saw humanoid creatures standing near a long wooden bar with 4 patrons seated at it and another dozen or so scattered around the room with more on the two levels above him. Off to the side of a warm glow that Waldo realized there was a fireplace with a fire happily burning in it and there was a stage. Waldo would have loved to hear the music from the group on stage with their odd assortment of instruments but it was at this moment Waldo realized the blast had deafened him. Waldo felt certain no one would attack him, having noticed an odd assortment of humanoids. Waldo saw gnolls, tabaxi, and maybe lizardperson. Waldo holstered his side arm but in looking down he noticed a growing pool of blood at his feet and saw a piece of rebar sticking out of his arm. Waldo saw the enchantments engraved in the rebar and part of him said magic wasn’t real then something else said that humans were the only intelligent race. Waldo pushed those back knowing better. He had seen lots of races and humans were just one of them. Waldo felt more than one voice trying to take control and he pushed back, calming his mind. Waldo attempted to quiet his mind as he was flooded with memories and thoughts he did not recognize as he pushed against them he felt someone or something help him in quieting his mind.
Waldo had not noticed the pain of his injury because of how much adrenaline was pumping through him. Waldo examined the rebar seeing the blood running down his arm. Waldo estimated he had ten minutes before blood loss would start to impact him if it did not clot on its own. Waldo glanced around the room seeing a few gnolls who had noticed him but no one seemed to care and decided he could care for the wound. Waldo grabbed the quick releases on his backpacks shoulder straps letting his bag fall onto a table he positioned behind him. Waldo quickly turned to face the bag and flipped it over so he could easily access it. Waldo grabbed a strap on the pack and deftly released it. Wrapping the loose strap above where the rebar was sticking out of his arm. Waldo smoothly grabbed his folding knife, flicking it open and cutting the sleeve away. Waldo placed the sleeve on the table and checked to see if it was all there or a piece was missing. Waldo grimace realizing a piece of sleeve is probably in his muscle. Waldo flicked the knife closed and placed it next to the sleeve. Waldo pulled out a bottle of water, a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, a healing tonic, and a sealed bandage for once it was clean. Waldo was so focused on what he was doing at the table he had not noticed the small group that had gathered behind him.
“I don’t think he can hear us.” Strisk, a large drake, said, preparing to tap the strange human’s shoulder to get his attention.
“Really, Strisk. You don’t think the guy bleeding on the floor that I shouted at can hear us?” Lydia, the only human in the commons, asked angrily, placing her hands on her hips.
“I think he is going to pull that piece of metal out of his arm.” Kna, the gnollish innkeeper and owner of the establishment, said surprised. Watching Waldo’s back tense as he stretched his arm out to the table. Grabbing the rebar in his other hand.
“Sir! Don’t!” Lydia screamed as Waldo ripped the 4 inch piece of rebar stuck halfway in his arm out.
“Fuck!” Waldo yelled as the piece of metal came free. Waldo looked it over for cloth finding a small piece that he carefully removed from the end of the rebar and placed in the hole of the sleeve and frowning seeing there was still more. Waldo screamed as the onlookers watched him shove his fingers into the hole in skin.
“Strisk, help me stop him.” Lydia said. Grabbing Waldo’s arm. Strisk hesitated. A moment before grabbing Waldo’s other arm.
"Stop! There is more fabric in my arm!” Waldo screamed as the two strangers forced his arms apart. Waldo looked at the sleeve. Unsure if they could even understand him. The strangers released Waldo as he attacked the problem again.
“Aer, go get me water. I will clean this up once he is done” Lydia said, to a gnoll barmaid nearby, deciding to stay next to this stranger.
“I’ll get the mop and some rags to help.” Kna said not wanting to watch anymore and stepping away.
Waldo pulled out a piece of fabric and placed it in the sleeve. Smiling now that he could account for all of the sleeve. Waldo grabbed the water bottle using his teeth to remove the lid and poured it down his arm. Followed by the rubbing alcohol to which he could not help but scream again as it burned.
“That looks bad.” Strisk said, fingering a potion at his hip. Seeing Waldo was prepared to heal the slow way. Strisk was trying to decide whether or not to help the stranger out by giving him the healing potion he carried as a city guard.
Waldo was looking at the hole in his arm knowing it would take time to heal even with the help of the tonic. He estimated it would be a day or two. Waldo looked back at the lizard person standing behind him in armor. Waldo grimaced as he drank the healing tonic. Waldo looked at the only human girl in the commons. Waldo instantly recognized her but could see she did not recognize him. Waldo hated this feeling but took his time looking over her sandy blonde hair and the gentle curves of her face. Waldo let his eyes wander across her chest and down her legs to the floor even though there was not much to see since she wore a high neck dress that was rather plain. Waldo expected she worked here and was not one to take crap from the patrons. However, Waldo knew her face and her shape as just as he remembered her, he did not need her clothes off to tell this. Waldo turned back to the table and opened the bandage and applied it to his arm. “He took his time looking you over.” Strisk said, eying Lydia himself.
“At least, he seems to know not to touch.” Lydia said, without looking at Strisk. She had been rebuffing advances from him and other drakes like him since she took the job. She hated the drakes, which was not unreasonable as they had burned her home to the ground, killed her parents, her betrothed, and enslaved her for five years. Lydia had fled to the nearest city not under drake control once she was freed. Lydia knew that not all drakes are slavers but getting over somethings are easier than others.
“Do you think he can hear us?” Strisk asked, ignoring the jab not wanting to be thrown out by Kna again. Strisk still was fingering the healing potion not having decided on whether or not to offer it. The human seemed to be taking things to remedy his condition. Strisk stood over the two humans by about a foot when he extended to his full height at the moment he was hunched down a bit so he did not tower over them. Strisk thought he looked good this evening having cared for his bronze scales before coming to Kna’s inn. Waldo rolled up the sleeve and piece of rebar and placed it in his pack then pulled out a healing tonic with a dropper on it and a tin a bit larger than his hand slipping the tin into a pocket. Waldo used the dropper to put a few drops of his second healing tonic down each of his ears. Waldo knew it would take a minute for the tonic to kick in and heal enough damage to restore hearing. Waldo returned the spare tonic to the pack and turned around letting his eyes meet Lydia’s. Waldo thought he saw her eyeing him and she had a small smile on her face as their eyes met. Her face made various emotions flare inside him and it had to focus to stay in control feeling a bit like someone else was trying to take control. Waldo felt his hearing return as the sounds of the room washed over him.
“Hello.” Waldo said, smiling at the woman ignoring the large lizardperson or dragonkin. Waldo could not really tell but he knew getting it wrong would probably offend them.
“Hey, I am guardsmen Strisk.” Strisk said. Waldo glanced at the drake and then looked back at the woman. She crossed her arms and her smile turned to a frown. Waldo could not help but think crossing her arms only accentuated a certain feminine feature of her form.
“Any chance I could get your name?” Waldo asked, meeting the woman’s eyes.
“Lydia. Why are you bleeding on our floor and where did you come from?” Lydia asked, feeling her pulse raise with the way he was looking at her. Lydia had not been in the presence of a human male for ten years. Lydia had not been avoiding them there just weren’t many humans in the city she had fled to and she would not risk going back to drake territory as much as part of her wanted certain things, saving up to get off his continent had been her focus. Human also from what she had seen human men did not survive long under the abuse the drakes applied to there slaves in the nearby Xalas empire. “I am Waldo Winter.” Waldo introduced himself looking at Lydia. “As for why I am bleeding, I think it was an explosion of some kind. The shockwave knocked out my hearing. I am from Halcyon. I was in an outlying district at the time of the explosion and the wood in this room tells me I am not there anymore.” Waldo stated calmly.
“So you entered Protham via an unauthorized teleport?” Strisk asked, trying to sound official.
“One I did not initialize or agree to but yes. Are you going to arrest me?” Waldo asked.
“I will have to report it. I will let someone else decide if you should be arrested. Assuming you don’t cause additional trouble.” Strisk said.
“It is an honour to make your acquaintance Strisk. Thank you for not arresting me.” Waldo said, giving Strisk a smile before turning back to Lydia.
“Why were you caught in an explosion?” Strisk asked the strange human, smiling back at him since he was being respectful.
“Well that is a little difficult. I was entering a suspected criminal's residence just before finding myself standing in this lovely room.” Waldo said deciding to omit details since it would be simpler than explaining. “There was an explosion of some kind and then I was here. I have to assume the hunk of metal hit me before I appeared here somehow.”
“Sounds like a teleport spell gone wrong.” Lydia said, allowing herself a moment to look over Waldo since he was not causing trouble. She could see the muscles in his arm and thought she recognized his jawline but knew that could not be the case since she had no idea where Halcyon was.
“I wouldn’t know much about that. I can only hope my brothers are alright. Can one of you tell me where I am?” Waldo asked, masking his face, wondering if he had died. The blast had been strong enough to rupture his ears. Waldo was not sure he could have actually survived, even with Juan in front of him. Waldo expected he had died and this was some sort of reincarnation. Waldo knew he could not return home if the was an arrival on this planet as a child of Halcyon he had heard of this experience but this was his first time. As he thought about this he realized he did not want to go back even if he could. He had been in hiding and now he was probably well outside of the problems he had and doubted anyone hunting him would keep it up after death if he had died. If not then he was incredibly lucky he had landed in a place where he did not die instantly. Looking at Lydia something told him that someone powerful had intervened but Waldo could not imagine who. Jonah had abandoned him and Waldo could not think of another player with enough power to do anything who would also care about him.
“Spriggan Inn, in Protham.” Lydia said, looking carefully at Waldo. Aer walked over carrying a rag and pushing a bucket of steaming water. Kna walked over with a mop and an empty bucket to wring the mop out.
“Oh, thank you.” Waldo said, taking the mop from Kna and starting to clean up.
“Protham is nowhere special, Lydia. We are a weeks travel from Neakar City. Neakar is the district capital here and a port city.” Strisk said, looking at Lydia.
“You don’t have to do that.” Kna said, as Waldo deftly cleaned up the blood on the floor. “Just let him. He is probably in shock.” Strisk said, as they watched Waldo clean the floor easily.
“Just a bit.” Waldo said after a moment, having finished mopping and given the mop back to Kna. Waldo used one of the rages Aer had to clean the table his pack had been on ending by wiping the drying blood from his ears. Waldo looked down and realized he was a mess.
“How far did you travel?” Aer asked, frowning having heard the conversation.
“Far enough, those names mean nothing to me.” Waldo replied.
“So you are gonna need work.” Strisk half asked and half told Waldo.
“Seems like that would be wise.” Waldo said, placing the rag over the edge of the bucket holding the dirty water from Waldo’s cleaning efforts.
“Protham needs good city guards.” Strisk said, smiling. “I can get you an interview tomorrow. I will come by tomorrow morning and get you. If you are interested?”
“I’ll need some training on your laws, but sounds interesting to me.” Waldo said, sticking out his hand to Strisk. Strisk looked at it a moment then realized he was supposed to grab it and did with his clawed hand.
“Thanks, for your help Strisk.” Waldo said, firmly shaking Strisk’s hand.
“Sounds like you want a room for the night. Unless, Strisk is offering to pay. Do you have any money?” Kna asked, frowning at Strisk.
“You can put one night on my tab, Kna.” Strisk said.
“Only if you pay your tab off tonight.” Kna said, feeling a bit bad but knowing Strisk’s tab was getting out of hand.
“Do you accept silver?” Waldo asked, before Strisk could reply to Kna.
“Yes, take a seat and I will get my scales.” Kna said, having heard enough to know she was going to need to calculate an exchange.
“I am glad you happened to have some coin on you.” Strisk said, frowning at Kna’s back.
“Yeah, my dad was big into carrying certain things every day. Good thing, I listened to him cause I bet my country's paper money is worthless here.” Waldo said, pulling the tin out of his pocket and carefully opening to make sure it was the right one then closing it again.
“Well, your bag is probably worth quite a bit. I have never seen anything like it. Fine craftsmanship.” Aer said, examining his pack.
“I would rather not part with it if possible.” Waldo said sitting down at the table his bag had been on since he moved it to the floor beside the table in cleaning the table. Strisk sat down across from him as did Aer with Lydia sitting close and she was still looking at him.
“Lydia, you are being weird.” Aer said, quietly.
“Looks like Lydia wants to bed the man.” Strisk said, frowning at Lydia.
“Watch it, Strisk.” Lydia said to Strisk with an edge in her voice. “Waldo just reminds me of someone.” Lydia followed up with a softer tone.
“Good memories I hope. I think I’d like to get to know you.” Waldo responded, not looking away from Lydia. “You remind me of… Someone.”
“Well, be nice and maybe we can share some memories.” Lydia replied, not breaking his gaze. Waldo felt there were some additional implications in her words.
“Is there a price?” Waldo asked, before he could stop himself. Waldo was not entirely sure where the words had come from in saying them they just burst from his lips like someone else was running the show. The words had sent Lydia’s hand flying. Waldo easily caught it mid air. “I will take that as a no, which is nice. A woman with a price isn’t a woman worth having.” Waldo said, speaking again without being sure where the word came from. Waldo wondered if he was going mad but something told him he was not. Waldo edged closer to Lydia as he thought this and realized he seemed to be of multiple minds in this moment. Words and actions happening that he was not sure were all him. Aer and Strisk were watching in surprise. “Maybe I misinterpreted your words.”
“If you can pay for your room. I am willing to let the words go. Now if you would let me go.” Lydia responded, carefully feeling the strength in his arm and seeing the ease with which he caught her slap. She had used a skill to hit him, one that had landed on Strisks and other guardsmen when they got out of hand. She felt he could be dangerous and even though he had caught the slap and was easily holding her arm in place he was not hurting her. In fact once she relaxed, from making the slap, she realized how relaxed he was in stopping her slap. She saw him considering letting her go. She met his eyes letting her anger show at being held in place. Lydia realized how close he had come moving a little to block her slap and left him close enough she felt his breath on her face. Lydia realized she was breathing on him too and something in his eyes seemed to be enjoying the closeness they were sharing.
“I want a taste.” Waldo said, kissing her before she could react and sliding his hand along her back. Lydia wanted to struggle but part of her had been aching for this for years and she did not put up a fight. After a moment she found she was kissing him back for a moment and just as she was about to pull away. He did first. Waldo had been wanting to kiss her since he had laid eyes on her and at least this time he was sure that was him. “Well, that was… special.” Waldo felt a memory tug at him in the back of his mind. One of a girl that looked just like this woman.
“Maybe, for you.” Lydia said, trying to hide how much she enjoyed it. Waldo released her hand and turned looking for Kna. Waldo watched Kna approach with the scales. Waldo quickly opened the tin, pulling out a bundle of five carefully wrapped gold coins before closing it again and placing the tin back in a pocket.
Waldo unwrapped the coins asking “What exchange rate can you offer on these?” Aer gave a quiet gasp at the sight of them. Waldo feared he had made a mistake. As kna set the scales on the table.
“You have gold?” Strisk asked. Kna seemed unphased as Kna placed the coins on one side of the scale and started to carefully weigh them.
“Just a little. For an emergency.” Waldo responded.
“That should be enough to live here for a month.” Strisk stated, watching Kna carefully.
“You underestimate my rates. This will buy you three weeks.” Kna stated, as the scales balanced.
“What? That is highway robbery!” Strisk said.
“I have to take them to a blacksmith to get them minted in local coinage, they will need to be paid. Or I will have to take them to a money changer, who will also take a cut.” Kna stated.
“What would that include?” Waldo said, realizing his hand had wandered from his leg and found Lydia hand grabbing it tightly. Waldo felt Lydia tense as Waldo grabbed her hand but noticed she did not pull away from the sudden contact.
“A room, hot bath every day, standard laundry service, the common breakfast, and dinner daily with one pint of house ale. You will have to pay for lunch if you come here to eat.” Kna said, listing from memory the services she included in her standard room offering.
“Sounds good to me.” Waldo said smiling and looking out the window confirming it was dark. “I assume we are in the middle of dinner?” Waldo asked, hopefully.
“Yes.” Kna answered.
“May I take dinner in my room? I would like to wash myself before bed. It has been a surprising day.” Waldo asked Kna.
“Yes! I will grab you a plate and show you to your room.” Lydia said, releasing Waldo hand and standing. Waldo let her hand go as she stood. Kna at Lydia with what Waldo expected was motherly concern. As Lydia turned away to get the room key and a plate of food.
“Is there running water in the room?” Waldo asked Kna.
“Yes, but I cannot recommend using it for anything other than bathing.” Kna said.
“It is fine I can purify water. Can I get this filled with water?” Waldo asked, holding out a metal canteen.
“Yes. Aer go fill this and bring it back.” Kna said, handing the canteen to Aer who quickly walked off. “Leave Strisk. I would have a word alone with this man.” Kna growled at Strisk looking angrily. Strisk knew better than to argue with Kna when she gave him this look.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Waldo.” Strisk said standing to his whole sevenish feet of height stretching as he walked away. Waldo only now realized how small he was compared to Strisk.
“Indeed.” Waldo said to Strisk and turned back to Kna.
“I have never seen Lydia take to a man as she has to you. Have you cast a spell on her?” Kna asked Waldo. Waldo burst out laughing, taking a moment to control himself.
“I have no skill in that kind of magic. If you know how to test one for magic I would happily submit. I suspect I know why she has taken to me but there is nothing magical about it.” Waldo said, having gained control of the strange urge to laugh at magic.
“Why?” Kna asked, eyeing him coldly.
“Now why should I answer you?” Waldo asked. “What do you care for, of freed slaves? Or are you not her enslaver?” Kna drew back surprised.
“You said you knew nothing of this place?” Kna replied.
“I have never heard of this city in my life or this land, but I have eyes. Lydia is the only human here beside me. You are a gnoll and Strisk is one of the scaled people’s. I never been around any of them long enough to learn to tell them apart. Lydia clearly has some aversion to Strisk which seems to be unconscious on some level. That suggests it is not that she does not simply dislike him but something more than that. It is obvious to me that she does not belong here and would choose another home, but something prevents that. When I kissed her I ran my hand down her back. I felt the cursed marks of a whip. Is she a free woman or do you own her?” Waldo said, sliding his hand to the knife attached to his lower back.
“My people do not enslave others. She is free. I did not know she hated it here.” Kna said going from angry to crestfallen. “I did not know she had been a drake's slave.”
“You will say nothing of this. If you value your friendship with her. I did not say she hated it here. She works for you, which I expect is because you are not a drake and probably more than that. I get the sense she misses her people. How long has she been here?” Waldo replied, smoothing his voice.
“Several years.” Kna said, drifting in her own thoughts.
“If she hated you she would have left. You must make her feel safe in a dark place so she does not wander from your light.” Waldo said.
“All the more reason to not let her be abused.” Kna said, gauging Waldo.
“You misunderstand something. I will always respect Ma laska.” Waldo said, changing languages without thinking and looking to where Lydia stood talking to Aer as a memory flooded over him for a moment. Waldo felt the other part of him pushing forward for a moment. “Good help you have. Deftly slowing Lydia while we talk.”
“What is ma laska?” Kna asked. Waldo hesitated, surprised by Kna's words, then realized he had called Lydia by accident. Waldo knew what it meant somehow but decided he better not translate it directly.
“A woman’s right.” Waldo said, choosing a lie over the truth. “Or at least that is a close enough translation in this context.”
“So that is another language?” Kna asked.
“Yes, one from my a place long ago.” Waldo answered. “Have we not strayed topics at this point?”
“I think I have made myself clear and you have made yourself clear now.” Kna said, glancing at Aer and making a low growl. “I will let Lydia make herself clear as she chooses. Now that I do not think you will take something Lydia does not freely offer.”
“Have you accepted her as your cub?” Waldo asked, turning to look at Kna.
“I ha... “ Kna stopped herself, looking surprised at Waldo.
“I see it in your eyes, witness it in your fur, and hear it in your voice. She is a daughter in your house. Does she know or do you keep it a secret from all but those who know how to see?” Waldo asked, calmly moving past Kna’s surprise.
“You said.” Kna started to accuse trying to remember his words.
“I have not seen another race in so long. I cannot tell the scaled races apart. However, I ran with a pack for six years. I was a brother to a gnoll, and son to his parents. I sat at their table and went on their hunts. I sang the rights and washed in their bath. I was once an adopted son, which fills me with pride. If you are not a slaver then I would call you friend.” Waldo said quickly as Lydia approached. Just as he finished speaking he gave a quiet howl in the gnoll tongue he had learned many years ago living on the plains of Halcyon long before the war that had landed him here. Aer stopped mid-step and stared at Waldo as the gnolls in the room turned looking at the grimy human who had named himself to the room in gnollish. Kna openly stared surprised Waldo had been named and knew the proper introduction for himself in a public place. Lydia was confused as to her it appeared Waldo was growling threateningly at Kna. Suddenly, the room responded with a quite gnollish welcome that made Lydia jump. Aer gently placed her hand on Lydia’s shoulder.
“They are greeting Waldo in our tongue.” Aer explained to Lydia, seeing she did not know what was happening in the room.
“He speaks gnollish?” Lydia said surprised.
“I guess.” Aer said, pulling her hand back and moving forward again.
“Why did you not say something before?” Kna asked, Waldo as Lydia and Aer walked up. Aer set his canteen on the table.
“It was not the time. All things have a place and now was this things place.” Waldo responded.
“You are a strange human, but I am comforted and feel as if there is nothing to fear.” Kna said to Waldo then turned to Lydia. “Lydia, you may do as you will the rest of the night and I will not interfere.”
“Thank you. May we call this the end of my shift then.” Lydia asked, feeling a little excited. Aer turned moving around the room with the other staff in the inn.
“Away with you before I find a need for your aid in tending to my customers. Who I have ignored, too long.” Kna said quickly moving away to help her staff tend to tables. Waldo picked up his pack and canteen.
“Lead on, Ma laska.” Waldo said, nodding to Lydia.
“Ma laska?” Lydia questioned not saying it quite right.
“Sorry, my lady. Old habits.” Waldo said, lying again feeling unsure as to why he felt like he was fighting to stay in control. Lydia raised an eyebrow questioningly but led on. Waldo followed her up the stairs to the second floor and down a hallway lined with six doors. She stopped in front of the door and placed a brass coin over the lock which clicked and the door swung open. Led him into a good sided room with an all wood floor and completely open. A large bed was on one side of the room, a table with two chairs by the door. Space at the foot of the bed. There was space between the bed and a bathtub with a toilet near the back wall with a screen by the toilet and a sink between the tub and toilet. The room was lit by glowing stones fixed to the walls Waldo saw what appeared to be a control for the glowing stones by the door before the table and chairs. There were towels by the sink. Lydia set the plate on the table and the brass coin next to it. Waldo set his bag at the foot of the bed and started to strip away his body armor until he heard the door shut causing him to turn. Waldo smiled seeing Lyida had not left.
“Would you like help?” Lydia asked, slowly walking to him with a gaze that excited Waldo. The kiss he had stolen had aroused something in Lydia and the urges she had been pushing back had rushed forward.
“I can manage. I am just removing some outer layers. They are deceptively heavy.” Waldo responded.
“Please allow me. I want to.” Lydia said, stepping next to him quickly. Waldo allowed her to help him, carefully guiding her hands to the straps holding the armor in place and allowing their fingers to get tangled. “You seem to be intentionally making this difficult.” Lydia accused, after it took almost a full minute to unhook one strap.
“Does it bother you?” Waldo asked, playfully nudging her and Lydia realized he was enjoying the delay.
“Your food will get cold…” Lydia said, blushing as she started to enjoy the fumbling of their hands and his contact.
“Hot or cold it is still food. However, this moment... is all its own.” Waldo said, dragging out her helping him remove his outer layers, which took another five or more minutes. After which, they sat across from each other as he ate his dinner. Lydia studied him as he ate.
“Have we met before?” Lydia asked, feeling at ease in his presence.
“After a manner…I believe so but not for more than a lifetime.” Waldo responded. “Do you believe in reincarnation?”
“Reincarnation?” Lydia asked not being familiar with the word.
“My people believe when you die a piece of you, what we would call a soul, starts a new life.” Waldo explained.
“I am not much for religion. In my homeland, they said the gods are dead. The Drakes of Xalas seem to think there are gods and people have souls. Most of the gnolls of Grofeas say there are no gods but there is a temple to the gnoll god in Protham and I believe the high priestess is the wife of the city's guard captain.” Lydia replied.
“Xalas? Grofeas?” Waldo asked, suspecting these are countries.
“Neakar, a large city in the Xalas empire. It even has a palace for the emperor. I don’t think it is the capital of the Xalas empire but I might be wrong. The Grofeas plains are ruled by the gnoll tribes. There are not very many cities on the Grofeas plains and Xalas has tentative peace with the plains gnolls that largely control Grofeas. Protham is the first city in the Grofeas plains after leaving the Xalas empire. Mostly, the Drakes have mined the Grofeas plains of all they are interested in so they leave them alone.” Lydia explained.
“What is your home land called?” Waldo asked.
“Northumbria, but last I heard it fell to the drakes in the war. I was captured before the Northumbrian king fell. The Teaniel Empire is the last human hold out against the drakes and if it falls the drakes will effectively rule the continent of Atios. Not that they bother much with the Grofeas plains.” Lydia explained.
“Ah, so you stay because there is no easy human stronghold to flee to?” Waldo questioned.
“I am trying to save up to go to Ibrix but that is a long boat ride off after traveling to the only gnoll port city because I refuse to go back into the Xalas empire. Only problem is Grofeas port city is three hundred leagues to the south east of here. The roads are less than safe and each year there are only about three caravans that make the trek. If I were to cross alone it is unlikely I would make it. The cost of going from here to Ibrix are a little more than a year's wage working here.” Lydia explained sadly.
“How many humans reside in Protham?” Waldo asked.
“Twelve. All women. Eight are too old for the trek and two are too young to go alone.” Lydia said.
“All former slaves of the drakes I assume.” Waldo said.
“What?” Lydia said surprised.
“I worked interrogations. I learned to read what was left unspoken. You have nothing to fear from me. Slavery is the evilest form of commerce.” Waldo said, kneeling by his chair with his back to Lydia and bearing it. Lydia saw thin white scars from wounds that had healed and been reopened only to heal again over and over again. Lydia was speechless. After a moment Waldo covered himself and sat down facing her.
“How did you know?” Lydia questioned. Waldo slid his chair close to her so they were a breath apart. Lydia stared at him waiting for an answer when he kissed her. This time she felt his hand running down her back touching her hidden marks. Waldo pulled back from the kiss after a moment.
“Slavers tend to have the same tricks. They leave the same marks on one's body and some people's souls.” Waldo said quietly as he sat a breaths distance from Lydia’s face. The moment stretched as shared history passed between them and without a word spoken they had shared secrets too dark to udder in the quiet of the room then there was a roar of cheers from the commons breaking the spell that dark secrets of shared history had woven for a moment.
“I hope we can talk more.” Lydia said, after a moment now that the spell was broken. Lydia stood now that her head had cleared. Lydia was not sure what she would do if she stayed and questioned what she wanted.
“Will you stay?” Waldo asked, gently touching Lydia’s hand. Lydia did not pull away. Standing Lydia moved to the door. She intended to open the door and leave but she grabbed the night lock turning the knob. Waldo was not sure what he expected but he would not stop her from leaving. Waldo heard the door lock click into place, Lydia took a few steps toward the bath and moved her hair to one side exposing the ties along her back. Waldo stood and moved to her beginning to untie her dress. Once he was done. Lydia let the dress fall to the floor. Time stretched and shortened all at once and before he knew it exhaustion took them as they lay on the bed together. Lydia snuggled up to him and in a moment her breathing was even and gentle. Waldo knew she had fallen asleep in that moment of respite. Waldo watched her for a moment only to realize how tired he was and started to doze off but just as he heard a voice speak in his mind.
“Class gained Soldier, Level one. Skill gained, find allegiance.”
“Cancel! Reject!” Waldo whispered, angrily not wanting to wake Lydia.
“Class and level canceled.”
Waldo was fully awake now. Realizing he is on a game world, Waldo frowned. He considered this for a moment. Waldo had heard of these but never been on one. Now the injury made more sense. He had died on Halcyon. Waldo wondered if Jonah even cared that he had died. Waldo took a moment to consider the implications of being on a gaming world. There would be no intergalactic armada base here. Waldo knew the gaming worlds had been cut off, largely due to proximity. All the gaming worlds were the opposite side of the galaxy. The armada was still a thousand years of growth away. Waldo now knew with certainty there was no simple way back. As he considered this he realized there might be a way. Waldo thought about it for a few minutes as the idea grew in his mind and realized he truly did not want to go back. “I am a God.” Waldo thought to himself, Waldo felt something rush to the front of his mind, something that believed it or he was a god.
“Class gained God, level one. Skill gained, anoint worshiper. Quest assigned, claim domain.”
Waldo smiled, surprised it was that simple. Waldo considered trying to cancel it but part of him said if he was going to stay here he might as well be a god. Thinking he could do anything as a god. Another part said it was a bad idea and it would not be easy. Waldo wondered why he was feeling so conflicted about everything and why he did not feel like he was in perfect control. Then he wondered if the gods were dead on this world, would he be the only god around, and if so what domain he should claim. Waldo slowly drifted to sleep with these conflicting thoughts.

I had this dream after waking up in the morning and just wanting to sleep some more today, therefore I forgot my night's dream, but I remember this one.
The dream started around the middle of its plot, I was walking with family and friends, it was very focused on making plans and stuff. I almost got hit by a large vehicle (I think it was a truck, but it could be a bus) because the light was green. The crosswalk where this happened exists in real life in my city, but later we went through streets and alleys that didn't.
It was during the evening and I had to go study for some exam, but I offered to go to my brother's eyes' condition check with the doctor for him. My aunt and my family went separate ways, and my friends had already left.
After walking through an alley I entered, through a door, a corridor, which had the style of a modern, 20th century hospital/school, white with benches, air conditioners, and some railing. I walked down through some stairs, and I had a wall in front of me, with a horizontal grid of translucent, square windows, which showed some blurry people and furniture. Under said wall there was a corridor which was very dark. Now, this is where the "uncomfortable" part happened.
The ceiling in that corridor was very low (due to the previously explained wall), so I felt pretty claustrophobic. I had to crawl through it until I saw the line for the doctor's office, and everyone was short. I asked them if I could jump to the beginning of the line, because I was much taller than them and I was feeling uncomfortable with the height. Luckily, they let me in.
I entered the office and the ceiling was slightly taller. There were some papers about my brother, pretty much incomprehensible, but they had some black circles. The doctor had a computer and a table, the office had a dim light (it's kinda hard to explain it exactly how I saw it, since dreams are often hard to describe visually, but you get the idea).
And the dream ended not much longer after that. The last part was really bad like I said, at least I didn't argue with anyone, because arguing in such difficult places would be horrible.
I already dreamt of this place in the past, but I came from a different place, instead of reaching this building from an alley in the street.

Understanding Mini Split AC Systems

Mini split AC systems are a type of air conditioning system that consists of two main components: an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit is typically mounted on a wall or ceiling and is responsible for cooling the air inside the room, while the outdoor unit houses the compressor and condenser.
Unlike central air conditioning systems, mini split AC systems do not require ductwork to distribute cool air throughout the house. Instead, they use a refrigerant line to connect the indoor and outdoor units, allowing for more flexibility in installation.
Understanding how mini split AC systems work can help you make an informed decision when choosing the best unit for your cooling needs.

u/SpacePaladin15 is responsible for the creation of the NOP universe. u/JulianSkies is responsible for the creation of a metric fuckton of fics within that universe.
this story is my ficnapping entry for... uhhhh... *checks notes* old scabbard, the allergy, gremlins, game review: escape series, river wolves and meteors. it's probably not strictly necessary to read them to enjoy this ficnap? but you should do it anyway, because they are Very Excellent™.
////////////////////////// Barkeep's Log: Reunion ////// Wednesday, July 9th, 2138 8:16 PM, Brasilia Time //////////////////////////
Ah, the middle of the week. For most bars, it is a time of quiet, of minimal activity. Some scant few people might show up; either regulars who come every day, or those who seek to unwind with a quick drink or just get out of the house for a bit, but they don't often stay long. They get one or two cups, share the bare minimum of a chat, and then get on their merry way.
...But of course, that's just the way humans do things.
The countless aliens who have taken up residence in Sao Paulo since the fall of the Federation simply don't seem to care for our silly calendar. They come in whenever they please, week or weekend, midday or midnight, rain or shine. Sometimes they want to get blackout drunk, other times they just want a quick taste of home. Or, there's always the frequent visitor who's just here to get their fill of social contact. Those ones are perhaps my favorite. After the horrors of the Federation War, and taking refuge on Skalga, I certainly won't ever tire of seeing aliens and humans—total strangers to one another—start chatting and getting along, coexisting in peace and harmony, without anyone batting an eye.
Today, though... was not the typical rush of aliens and one or two human regulars. When the bell above the door jingled and a figure stepped in from the cool outside air, consider my surprise to see not a small fluffy thing with no clothes, but a tall, lanky human man, with a face I hadn't seen in months.
"Lucas," I jovially said. "Welcome. It's good to see you again."
He smiled bashfully and raised an arm in a silent wave, seeing a dozen heads turn to look at him. One head in particular turned much farther than the rest; a gaunt human woman, accompanied by a relaxed venlil—Bella Rivers and Taya, both of whom are... perhaps my most frequent guests. "Oh damn! And here I was starting to think you died in a car accident, Luc," Bella said, clearly surprised to see another human at this hour, letalone one who'd been absent for so long.
"Haha, no..." Lucas said, making a beeline for the bar. "Just been... er, busy, you know how it is. How've things been here?"
Bella cast a brief glance at me, asking a silent question, to which I gave a simple nod. "It's been great," she answered in my stead. "Every day feels like more people know about this place. I keep telling Keeps to start thinking about remodeling, get some more space in here before it starts turning into a moshpit every weekend."
Lucas let out a chuckle. "I almost can't believe you two come here so often that you can say that."
Taya leaned around Bella just enough to look Lucas in the eye. "Well no duh! Where else are we gonna go? Name one pub in this city besides The Crossroad that's licensed to sell alien food and drink, and always cares about dietary restrictions!"
Bella laughed. "Okay girl, you ain't gotta shill that hard."
"Nuh uh. I'm not drunk enough not to shill," the normally-reserved venlil droned. She most certainly was a little drunk...
"Speaking of," I cut in, turning to Lucas. "The usual?"
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You still remember my drink?"
"Of course."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling. "Yeah. I'd love that."
I wasted no time in gathering my tools and the requisite bottles and ingredients to put together his complicated order. To say I pride myself on remembering my patrons, their quirks, and their likes and dislikes... would be an understatement. What is a barkeep if not the central pillar of the establishment? It simply wouldn't do for me to be anything less than reliable.
"For real though," Bella said. "It's not just the food that keeps us here. Like yeah, I love being able to trust my food, but there's more to it. Just look around," she waved a hand out at the rest of the room, "Isn't it great, seeing so many different people, from so many different walks of life, all come together in one place? Back during the war, I... we never imagined we'd get to see something like this. And yet here we are, back on Earth, with God knows how many aliens just hangin' around, being chill, doing their things."
"Huh... yeah, I guess I can see it-- ah, thanks Keeps," Lucas said as I passed him his completed drink. "If you forget everything that's happened, it kinda does look like how everyone dreamed things would go before first contact."
Bella smiled wistfully, idly swirling her half-full drink with her straw. "I think it's amazing. All these different cultures and faces mashing together at once, just this giant melting pot of people and worldviews and everything."
"...Yeah. It really is incredible."
Bella's brows furrowed as Lucas wasted no time in taking a large swig of his drink. It seemed as if something was on his mind, and perhaps she could tell. "Hey... where have you been, these past few months?"
"I've... well," he put down his glass, staring at it almost disdainfully. And after I'd made it so perfectly for him, to boot. Rude. "I've actually been trying to uh, cut back on the drinking..."
Bella turned, glancing confusedly at Taya, who flicked her tail in equal uncertainty. "Really? But you've always been such a responsible drinker. I don't think I can even remember a single time you've ever caused trouble, or got sick or anything. Did something happen?"
"No, nothing like that. I just wanted... well, here, look at this," he said and produced his holopad, skillfully swiping to his photo album. In seconds, he pulled up a picture of himself alongside an alien with gray fur... and long, floppy, dog-like ears. A farsul. "This is Talon. He's been staying with me since the xenomed center got going full swing."
Taya recoiled at the sight, ears flattening in apparent anger before Bella turned and shot her a firm glare. The venlil immediately shrunk on herself, looking both apologetic, and yet still agitated.
"I'm doing it for him. He... um, let's just say he gets a little nervous," Lucas mumbled. He swiped to another picture, this time with Talon hanging off his arm like a monkey, tongue lolling out of his wide-open muzzle in obvious glee. "He's such a sweet little guy, like the brother I never had. But it wasn't good for him, to be dealing with me coming home drunk. He needs stability, consistency. I... was making him worry whether I'll be the same every time I walk through the door. So I promised him I'd stop."
Bella put a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "Well that's sweet of you. I can tell you care a lot."
Lucas frowned. "Of course I care. After the shit he got put through in those... fucking goddamn facilities."
A bubble of silence surrounded the trio as his words sunk in. Bella swirled her drink one last time before she took a huge swig. Lucas watched her for a moment before he grabbed his own near-full glass and downed the whole of it in one fell swoop.
"Hhh. So much for that," he grumbled as he glared down at his freshly emptied cup. Then his expression softened slightly, turning closer to remorse. "...Sorry. I didn't mean to fuck up the vibe. I uh, got some other pics of him if--"
"No, Lucas, it's okay," Taya suddenly said. "There's nothing wrong with being honest. Especially not in a place like this," she pointed one eye toward me, "ain't that right, Keeps?"
All I could offer in response was a curt nod.
Bella reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "If something's on your mind, then... c'mon, be straight with us."
Lucas sighed. "I wish there were more I could do for him," he bluntly said. "We've tried so many things to help him stay calm. Breathing exercises, fidget toys, music... but it's never enough. He still just can't function in public, or around new people, or... anywhere. Especially if I'm not there. And I don't know what to do anymore. I keep telling him to take as long as he needs, but I..." Lucas slouched over, holding his head in his hands, "I feel like every time takes a little longer."
"Um... Y'know..." Taya spoke up, as her ears twisted nervously. "It... sounds like, maybe, um... he... needs a friend?"
"I am his friend," Lucas deadpanned.
"N-no, I mean... oorgh, how do I say this?"
"I think what she's trying to say is... if you want a little help, Lucas, we'd be happy to be there for you. For him."
Lucas's brows furrowed for a moment before he seemed to grasp what she was saying, and his eyes went wide. "Really? But-" his eyes locked onto Taya, "but you're--"
Taya shook her head. "Don't say it. I... I know. I know what I am," she all but whispered. "But maybe I don't want to be like... this. Maybe I want to be better. After all, if I'd never tried to have an open mind about humans, I never would've met Bella!"
"Well... okay," Lucas said, as a small smile grew on his face. "Here. Lemme get your numbers, and I'll talk to him, and we'll get in touch?"
Bella nodded and presented her pad, as Taya did the same. "Yep! And hey, if he isn't up to meeting in person, maybe you can see if he wants to try just being... like, pen pals or something?"
"Hah. He's not a child, you know. But thanks. I really mean it."
"I know you mean it. We're glad to help."
The three of them tapped pads to exchange contacts, and with that, their fates became intertwined. Whatever may happen to them after today, I cannot know. A humble barkeeper such myself shan't be blessed with the absolutes of the future. Some may try to predict what is to come, but I believe the future is theirs to decide, that they may take whatever happens in their own hands and mold it to their will.
It is all I can hope that Bella and Taya will return and share with me the stories of their antics. Or, as unlikely as it seems, perhaps Lucas could bring Talon here, for them both to participate in this gathering of souls; for them to find joy among friends new and old; for the chance to walk the wondrous crossroads of life and love.
​
////////////////////////// Barkeep's Log: Scampering Menaces ////// Monday, July 14th, 2138 1:39 PM, Brasilia Time //////////////////////////
Monday. The day of loathing. Of rest and relaxation coming to an end. Of waking up early, getting ready for work, and repeating yet another week of monotony. Some would question my sanity, to open the bar at all on a Monday, letalone to do so at noon. But those foolish few simply haven't seen how excited aliens can be about something so mundane as lunch.
But alas, the lunch rush never persists forever, and just like always, I eventually found my beloved pub woefully empty. As it would likely stay for the rest of the afternoon, save for the occasional visitor with a more unusual schedule.
...Or, perhaps, should I be so lucky... a much more rare sight; a true oddity, who might seek to come here only during the dead hours.
And wouldn't you know, it was on this day that I was blessed with one such patron. Or... multiple patrons. A human and a trio... no, quartet of dossur. It was very much a challenge for me to keep track of the little sapient rodents as they skittered about, both on and literally around their human, but I was more than certain that there were definitely only four of them.
At first, I thought there were three dossur. But then one of them retreated into their human's apparently rather spacious hoodie, and a very distinctly different dossur came out. She looked... mangy, for lack of a polite term, with numerous patches of discolored and uneven fur, and what appeared to be a few healed scars. It was clear to me that she must have been through something horrible, and yet had been saved by the miracle of modern medicine.
The small group's incursion upon my shop was... relatively peaceful. They certainly had no qualms about using their outdoor voices, speaking loudly and freely about whatever came to mind, from plans for when they got home, to theorycrafting about potential vacations they could take, and even to the status of the Sapient Coalition as a whole. I, of course, had no right to begrudge them for being so noisy—they were the only ones in the bar, after all.
But everything changed when the front door swung open, the gentle dingle of the bell heralding the arrival of yet another rare antisocial patron.
To my surprise, this newcomer was another human. But not just any human, oh no, this was a very particular human. One who I could say might be somewhat of a regular, despite his tendency to avoid the busier hours. It was no trouble for me to recognize him from the slightest glance, as his unforgettable silver hair, and the red highlights within, matched gorgeously with his red scarf.
As he entered, a somewhat shorter than average venlil trailed close behind. He too wore a red scarf, though for a... different reason. A deeply personal reason, that neither he nor his human have ever seemed keen to share. And I, out of respect for them both, shan't pry.
With a brief, wary glance at the table of chaos, the two of them made their way toward the bar. They hardly made it more than a few steps before a painfully loud shriek, followed by three more of the same, damn near shattered every piece of glass in my bar.
"HUMY!!!!!" "OH MY GOD HI!!" "JOHN! LOOK!!" "Don't yell in my ear--" "Wait is it really-- IT IS! GUYS GET OUT HERE--"
And in a staggering instant... where I thought there were only four dossur, I was once again proven thoroughly WRONG. From within John's hoodie came not one, not two, but four more of the little bastards! There were eight of them! They all scampered up their poor handler's arms and stood on his head and shoulders, waving their whole bodies and jumping up and down, and being so very loud.
"HI HUMY!!!!!!!!" "HI!!!" "HIIIIII!!!!!!" "He's so tall..." "Is that VV?? HI VV!!" "WOW I didn't know his hair was really that white!"
Humy, while certainly shocked by the sudden attention, somehow managed to take it in stride. He raised a hand and waved back to the crowd of not-squirrels, the action shutting them up for only a moment before they started squealing even LOUDER in sheer excitement.
"Guys... Y'all oughta quiet down a bit," John said... or so I think. I frankly couldn't hear him over the orchestra of rodent insanity.
One particularly bold dossur—the one with the damaged fur—made her way down from the chaos table and practically sprinted to Humy's legs, before climbing him like a tree. He recoiled in surprise, but she kept going until she was leaning off the top of his head, staring straight into his eyes. The others went silent, waiting with bated breath for whatever might happen next.
...
"Hi."
The poor man, frazzled, startled, accosted-by-an-alien-squirrel, took a long moment before he figured out what to do about this situation. "Um. Hi."
Unfortunately, that was the wrong response.
"HE SAID HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "I WANNA SAY HI TO HUMY!!" "THAT'S NOT FAIR, HOW COME SHE GETS--" "JOHN!!!" "Guys, pl--" "--TO SAY HI TO HIM?!?!!?!" "JOHN BRING US TO HIM OR DIE"
John abruptly slapped the table and stood up, nearly flinging half of his passengers in different directions as they panicked and clung to him for dear life. "I'm so sorry," he quickly said, "They're not usually like this. We'll just be going," he turned to me, making eye contact for an instant, "Cya later, Keeps."
"No, wait!" Humy said, just barely before the swarm could scream their collective dissent. "Please don't. I don't mind, I promise. All I ask is you quieten down a notch, is that okay?"
The dossur looked amongst each other; some of them drooped in shame, while others seemed to simply not grasp the relevance of the request. But in the end, it was John who spoke up first. "He's right, guys. Y'all need to tone it down. No more screaming."
"Okay?" "Sorry..." "Makes sense." "SURE!!--"
John immediately snatched up that particular troublemaker before stuffing him in his hoodie, never to be seen again.
"Ah... anyway..." Humy said, and gestured to the counter, where VV had already taken a seat during the commotion. John took the unspoken invitation, and the middle-aged man reunited with his friend as the dossur wrangler sat on his other side.
The swarm, of course, wasted no time in dismounting John and lining up right in front of poor Humy. Or, well, only two of them lined up. One crawled up onto his sleeve, two onto his shoulders, and the last simply kept climbing around, seemingly not intent on stopping ever. The seventh and eighth remained imprisoned in John's pocket and sprawled out atop Humy's head, respectively.
"Is Humy your real name?" "Why's your hair white?" "Your scarves are so cool!" "What's your favorite fruit?"
Humy burst out in a fit of chuckles, evidently amused by the dossur speaking over each other in their haste to treat him like a talking jungle gym. "Wow. John, right?" he turned to the other human, who gave a curt nod. "How do you live with this?"
"Very patiently," John deadpanned. "No one would ever believe me if I told them these little shits are highly trained Marines."
"Have you ever been on a cruise?" "What's your favorite game?" "If I gave you a strawberry, would you eat it?" "Are you two dating?" "Seriously, why's your hair white!?"
"Okay, okay, c'mon, one at a time! Why don't all of you line up right here in front of me, and I'll go down the line?"
"No." "...Nah." "It's comfy up here." "And it's boring down there!" "And your hair smells good..."
Humy sighed and shook his head, but his smile betrayed his mirth at the situation. "Fine... let's see... you, at the very top. What's your question?"
"Huh? Oh, uhhh-" the mangled one trailed off. She'd been rather quiet the whole time. "Hmm... what's your next video gonna be, and when's it gonna be out?"
"Ooh!" "Yeah!" "Yes yes yes tell us!" "Genius question, Fée!"
Humy, despite the dossurs' excitement, grimaced. "I'm sorry, you guys, but I can't answer that. I just can't leak upcoming content!"
"Auugh!" "Noo c'mon!" "What." "That's not fair!"
"But..." Humy cut them off, looking thoughtful. "Well... maybe I can tell you one thing. I might have something very, very special lined up soon. Do you all remember when I played that thafki game, Survivor? Well I--"
Humy jumped, startled as VV—who'd been totally quiet and unobtrusive the whole time—abruptly grabbed his sleeve and tugged it sharply. A sheepish expression spread across the human's face. "Oops! Can't spoil the surprise. Sorry! How 'bout we hear another question?"
The dossur pouted, looking dejected, disappointed and all-around displeased. But, with that, the seven tiny herbivores quickly moved on, and continued to pester Humy with evermore nonsense. Too much nonsense. Truly, veritably, too much.
It wasn't until hours later, around 4 PM, that both parties finally grew fatigued and split ways. In the wake of their madness, I could feel nothing but gratitude for the fact that, despite their behavior, the rodents hadn't made a mess of anything, nor skipped out on their tab. While they were loud, and excitable, and far too much enjoyed using poor Humy as a playground... they weren't hooligans. They were, in the end, people. Not just noisy squirrels.
With that in mind... perhaps, maybe, just maybe, next time they come in... I wouldn't be unwilling to greet them, to welcome them to this place of character and merriment; to welcome their uniqueness among the myriad faces that make themselves known; to invite them in as members, as friends, as we all tread upon the ever-exciting crossroads of greetings and farewells.
​
////////////////////////// Barkeep's Log: Mayflies ////// Friday, August 1st, 2138 9:05 PM, Brasilia Time //////////////////////////
Ah, the weekend. For a bar, it is the busiest time one could imagine. But for a bartender such as myself, it is so much more. The activity, the bustle, the countless different people coming together and simply being themselves. Just by merely being here, serving drinks and dinner to all who would want it, I am blessed with the wondrous opportunity to overhear talk and tales of peoples' lives—their homes, their hopes and dreams, their fears and regrets.
And today, of course, was no exception. Perchance, allow me to skip the lengthy preamble and get to the good stuff.
The moment an elderly, borderline decrepit old man entered the bar, he had my attention. Someone his age, coming somewhere like this, alone? The scenario piqued my curiosity.
He had a tired air to him, something between boredom, the general fatigue that comes with such advanced age and... if my keen eyes didn't deceive me, a touch of discomfort. As if he was out of his element in some way, not quite sure what to do with himself. He kept silent, bothering no one as he approached the counter and scanned one of the many QR codes plastered around the dining room.
His face stayed the same as he reviewed The Crossroads' prodigious menu, as though he was unimpressed with our unrivaled selection. But then, he paused, and something changed in his stance. His eyes flicked up and met mine, his expression suddenly lit ablaze, full of energy that wasn't there before. "Redtato tacos?" he curtly asked, sounding almost bewildered. His gaze dropped back down to the menu, to the other dishes on that same page. "Spice plates... cricket burgers," he looks back up at me, wearing a deranged grin, "even goddamn ichor ice cream? You're insane."
"Insane? Tell me you're new here without telling me," a new voice interjected. One of the other patrons—a thafki, who unlike her kin, had taken to wearing a black hoodie with the emblem of the United Nations—turned to us, appearing amused as she looked between me and the old man. "Wow, you're a perfect match for one another. Didn't think humans could get any older than ol' Barkeep here. What's someone as ancient as you doing here, new guy?"
"Hah. I like you, Blue," the man said as he took a seat beside the nosy and maybe slightly drunk alien.
"My name's not Blue. Call me Ayeli."
He held out a hand toward Ayeli. She glanced at it before shaking it without a second thought. "Ryusei," he said, before eyeing her beverage. "Tell you what, Barkeep, gimme one of whatever that is. And a refill for her, if she'll have it."
"Saltwine," I said, and reached beneath the counter to procure the bottle from which I'd poured Ayeli's first glass. I turned it back and forth in front of him, letting him read the translated label. "Be warned. This is a specialty item. It is not to most peoples' tastes, nor is it cheap."
"Pfft just do it. I've eaten rocks, you old coot."
The sheer brazenness of his words, the unwavering resolve in his eyes, and the utter lack of hesitation in his voice, took me truly off guard for the first time in a long, long while. "I'm not an old coot, you bumbling codger," I grumbled as I took a glass and filled it. Then, putting my professional facade back on just like nothing ever happened, I turned to Ayeli and hovered the bottle over her cup. She gave a thumbs up, and I poured.
Ryusei stared at me with a smug grin. "Pff. Looked in a mirror lately? Time ain't been good to you, friend. Look at all them gray hairs. Yeek."
"I can poison you in seventeen different ways," I deadpanned.
"As if I'd even be able to tell? There's nothing you can do to me that my body hasn't done at least twice already."
"Venlise alcohol. Not diluted."
"Now there'd be a challenge..." he murmured, before his attention drifted to his idle drink. He raised the glass to his lips and took a hearty sip, allowing the fluid—its texture, its flavor—to rest in his mouth before swallowing. "Mmh. Damn."
"You like it?" Ayeli asked.
"Y'know what? Yeah. Shit's weird in all the right ways. Hits your tongue like a pile of salt, but goes down smooth. No aftertaste, no burn, just a quick slap in the face and then it's gone."
Ayeli drummed her fingers on the counter before taking a long swig of her own drink. "Mmmhmm. That's how it is. How it's meant to be. I can't wait 'til someone figures out how to make this stuff for cheap."
"Speaking of. Ey Barkeep, put me down for one of them fucked up tacos. Let's see just how close a buncha earthlings can get to authentic Martian cuisine."
With a nod and several practiced movements, I had his request sent to the kitchen in seconds. I don't believe he saw me even touch the order pad with how fast I was.
"...Martian?" Ayeli asked. "Now hang on. That's... the red planet, no?"
"Mhm," The man let out a grunt of affirmation. "First planet humanity settled besides Earth. It's a dead, empty husk. Nothing but rocks and dust and solar radiation. I was born there."
"Huh. What're you doing here, then? There no bars on Mars?"
"...Classified."
"Oh. Yeah..."
Quiet spread between the two, Ayeli staring blankly into her own reflection within her glass. Ryusei's eyes slowly drifted toward her as his brow furrowed. "You... were a soldier, huh?"
Ayeli jolted, startled by the question. "Wh--? How... I mean, yeah. I guess I was. But how can you tell?"
"Eh. I've been there. Where you are now."
"...What?"
He took another sip. "You know how it is. Everything goes to shit. Then it gets better. Now everyone's pretending life is back to normal, and you have to pretend too. Even if you lost friends. Or family. Or... parts of yourself."
...
Ayeli frowned. "I... yeah. I guess."
"You guess?"
"It's... it's not that I've lost people. Or parts of myself," she said. "It's not even that I have to pretend that everything's back to normal."
Ryusei raised an eyebrow.
"All things considered, I've lost nothing. I joined the UN Marines, killed some lizards, and now I'm here. And I'm fine. Not even 'oh you're lying to yourself, you need a therapist' fine, but just... actually fine."
"Why's that, do you think?"
"I don't know. All my friends are so much worse off than me. They're all... fucked up, from everything. But I'm not. I just don't feel anything."
"I just... shouldn't I feel something?" she continued. "I've killed people. Drowned people. Slit throats. But whenever I think about it, there's just nothing. No guilt, no shame, no... no empathy."
"I understand," Ryusei breathed. Something behind his eyes changed, his tone becoming more... genuine. "You and I are alike, in a way."
"...Really?"
Ryusei swirled his drink before taking a quick sip. "When I was younger, I was part of something bigger than myself. It was dangerous as all hell—sixty percent fatality rate—but I was glad to be doing it. Glad to be playing my part. Happy to risk my life so someone else doesn't have to. But then it was over, and I got back to life like normal. I got my accolades, I took my damn awards, and I went home. And that was that."
"Except it wasn't," he continued. "I went home, and found out my family had ripped themselves apart. Half of em were obviously over the moons with pride, knowing I'd been there in the very front and came home a goddamn hero. But the rest... they had been scared. Terrified they'd never see me again. It was all they wanted for me to just come home and be safe."
"And... that's what got you?" Ayeli asked. Something in her voice was vulnerable, almost afraid. "The fact that you were ready to move on, but no one else was?"
Ryusei nodded. "I felt like a shithead not because I'd almost died a hundred times, but because I'd been the reason my parents got divorced."
Ayeli stared into nothing, dead silent for a long moment before she grabbed her drink and downed the remainder of it in one go. "F-fuck," she rasped. "It was supposed to go back to normal. We were supposed to have our happy ending. So why is everyone still like this? Why can't we just be okay now?"
"Because people need time, kid. You and I are the exceptions. You'll get your happy ending, you just... gotta wait. Gotta be there for them when they need you."
"How?"
"Whatever way you can. My little brother got hit the hardest by our parents' shitshow. He couldn't stand being around either of them. So I would drive him out to the middle of nowhere, and we'd just watch the universe go by. We'd count the stars, talk about how small we are, how it just keeps going, how empty it all is, yet still teeming with mystery. By the end of it, we'd both be feeling better... and then we'd do it again a week later when we felt like shit again. And on and on, for years."
"...We've already seen the stars though. How would that help?"
Ryusei slid his glass over to Ayeli, offering her the last few sips he had. "There are more things of beauty in this world than just the stars. Take it from me, old fart that I am—if you just take the time to look, you can find meaning anywhere. Even things you might take for granted."
Ayeli perked up, as if she'd realized something. "The ocean..."
"Something like that."
"It's... it's simple, it's mundane, it's so normal to us now that we can just go swimming whenever we like. But ten years ago, that would've been different. We... we did it. We changed it. For ourselves. We won."
"You hit the nail on the head, Blue. Tell all that to your pals. Really show them that it's over."
She looked down at the drink she'd been given, and lifted it to her lips to take a small sip. "An ocean of water, an ocean of stars... what difference does it make? Maybe you're right. Maybe we really are alike."
"Both have been around for millenia. And both will be there still, long after we're gone," Ryusei said. He looked down at his hands, an odd half-smile on his face. "Call me a sentimental old coot, but part of me still finds comfort in the stars. An infinite sea of beacons, shining in every direction for eternity. Always there, always waiting, no matter what."
"Mmm... y'know, it's funny. Our ancient ancestors probably each thought the same at one point or another. Wonder if any of 'em ever looked up in just the right place, at the right time... and looked straight at each other, even if they didn't know it."
"Heh. As much as I want to rain on your parade and say that's impossible... well, just look at the two of us, eh? The chance that we both would happen to be here, right now. Maybe it's not. The universe is pretty damn huge, and yet here we are."
Ayeli sat up straight in her seat, a determined look spreading across her face. "Yeah. I... I think I know what to do. How to help everyone else move on. Thanks for the drinks, 'Keep. And the chat, Ryusei."
"Yeah yeah. Go on, get outta here. Get back to your friends."
The thafki nodded and gave us both a smile, and then with one last wave goodbye, she made her way out of the establishment. Ryusei sighed and turned back to the bar, crossing his arms and slouching in that tired, past-our-prime way we both must know so well.
Before long, his plate of redtato tacos were brought out, and without another word, he got to work. He remained silent as he ate, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was satisfied.
"Alright... yeah, yeah you did good..." he said when there was nothing left to eat. "I'll remember this place. Think if I ever end up 'round here again, I might stop by."
"You'll always be welcome... until you call me old again. Then you might find something different in your cup than you ordered."
He laughed, grinning like a madman as he stood from his seat. "Bold of you to threaten me with a good time. Now I'm definitely coming back!"
With that, he paid for his meal and his and Ayeli's drinks, and just as suddenly as it all began, he was gone. The cycle of greetings and goodbyes played its part yet again, bringing us together and pulling us apart as if no time had passed at all.
But where his and Ayeli's presence left my bar, their imprints have not. In my memory, and theirs, lies the everlasting essence of our encounter. The feelings of meeting, of learning, of sharing ourselves—and above all else, the words they spoke. The sentiment has truly been burned into my recollection, never to be forgotten with how it touched my heart, my very soul.
How wondrous it is that two people so similar and yet so different could ever meet. The universe is vast—immeasurably so—and still they both happened to be in the right place at the right time for their lives to become intertwined. Is it coincidence? Is it fate? I can't possibly know. Such things are beyond my station. All I can say for certain is that it will happen again, and again, on an eternal cycle. So long as life itself persists, people will always be bound to find one another.
And that, I believe... is the true beauty of our crossroads of destiny.
//////////////////////////

Marshmallow is my 10 month old mini lop rabbit, she is an unspayed female. She weighs 5.5lbs and has never been sick before. I am located in Southeast Michigan.
5 days ago I noticed she was sneezing 3-4 times in a row and would wash her face a lot. There was a little bit of cleawhite nasal drainage from one nostril.
The next day she was sneezing like this about every hour, so the frequency was increasing. I called my vet and got an appointment for the next day thankfully. At the appointment Mel looked literally perfect, no teeth issues, eaeyes/nose looked normal with no inflammation and no drainage or staining. Her lungs sounded good too. My vet said she didn’t want to prescribe antibiotics based on how she presented in the clinic. However I could call her if the symptoms were persisting/worsening.
That night the sneezing started up again. 3-4 times in a row with no drainage still. So I called and got antibiotics, she is on Bactrim 0.3 cc once every 24 hours and the concentration is 100mg/ml.
She is on her third dose today and is still sneezing! I got an air purifier, wiped down all the dust and deep cleaned their room.
She has been eating and drinking and running around like normal.
Since there is no discoloration of her fur and no inflammation or drainage is this something I should be worried about? Or is it allergies that will go away on its own?
Video of her sneezing fits
Some other important info:
A week prior to the onset of her symptoms our house air conditioner broke, so we had the windows open during the night for 4 days. The temps fluctuated from 65-78 degrees in their room during this time.
She has not been outdoors. Her partner has been separated so she doesn’t catch anything if it’s communicable.
Any advice or suggestions would be great! Should I call my vet on Monday if she doesn’t stop sneezing?

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Generous hours donated to the editing foundation by WaveOfWire
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Lukewarm water gave way to sand underfoot, frequent rocks and dried sea flora giving the orange shore a coarse design. Following an animate piece of metal to harvest underwater stone was not something the gray-skinned fisherwoman thought she would ever be doing. She hauled the ‘potassium’ up and into the wheelbarrow alongside her sister, the once-submerged resources’ rugged texture reflecting the bright sun’s rays in peculiar ways. Unfortunately, the days were getting colder much faster than she would have liked, despite the plentiful light. It was dismissible, but it ever so slightly urged her toward the warmth of the fires… and her new living quarters—the luxurious abode provided by the star-sent himself.
She could not understand how the brick home was capable of keeping such heat without flames, but she would not question it. Instead, she elected to enjoy the first nights of truly comfortable sleep in a long while… and it had been quite some time since the fisherwoman twins enjoyed the luxury of proper civilization. The village was quiet and peaceful compared to the bustling capitol, but it simply lacked the amenities that a large population provided. Their escape to the island provided poor bedding, no entertainment, little variation in food, and a nauseating deficiency of rum. Oh, how the sisters missed the sweet burning liquid. Their… past… may have heightened such affection for the alcohol, but it also didn’t help that they were suddenly branded as sky-worshipers and forced to flee to a humble islet—one that didn’t have any drinks besides boiled water…
Now look at the fisherwoman; there was no escaping her banishment. All that time spent making good with the locals, just for the inquisitors to show up once more and throw her onto the deck of a boat before it departed for an unknown land. She was not scared of the prospect, no. So what if she was to live on the mainland? It was no less rural than the last island—one they were just getting used to. No, she was vengeful for what they had stripped from her and her sister. They had crawled their way from nothing to something within the capitol only a winter or two prior. They could have lived like regular citizens. She supposed it was the grace of the Mountain God that they were led to an actual deity-sent. The siblings’ living situation had improved, too, even over their previous urban living situation. The two would not have to resort to… alternate forms of making a living ever again. She was even starting to appreciate the honor of completing a hard day’s work.
The wheelbarrow creaked and whined underneath the strain it was put under. The hefty rocks were intent on digging the two wheels deep into the dirt. Her sister’s equipment was fairing much the same, but they persevered, dragging the precious haul to the workshop where the Creator needed them. She shoved the portable storage up and over the small hump of the ‘cargo bay’ entrance, hauling it down the rows of animate creations.
Dozens of ‘hums,’ ‘whirrs,’ ‘tonks,’ ‘slams,’ and ear-mauling scrapes assaulted her senses. The ‘machines’ were clumped up with one another under the bright white lights. They spat materials, clear liquids, and yellow gasses amongst their others in a jumble of… something. Some things boiled, others hissed. There was much going on, with one foreign male at the center of it all.
The Creator stood by a towering device, pushing it with the help of the juvenile and the ceramist. The group slid the apparatus into place, leaving the star-sent to deftly manage the many colors on the glowing, rune-filled panel, while the assistants were dismissed, having received a few genuine words of appreciation from the male.
The gray-skinned fisherwoman clicked her tongue, garnering his attention, his weary eyes meeting her own.
“Hey,” he addressed them casually, eyeing their cargo with a raised brow. “You two are back soon. You can put the stuff in the same place as last, then just close the panel. Appreciate the hard work. Feel free to take a break between the next three loads; these machines won’t work fast enough to keep up with y’all.”
“You have my appreciation,” the twins said in unison.
The two of them did as asked, traversing the maze of tubes and metal, pouring the crumbling rocks into the belly of the machine, making sure to close the door as requested. Her sister sighed and stretched her back, extending all four arms up and backward, revealing the short cuts she had on their undersides. The fisherwoman cringed underneath the sudden aura of shame at the sight… It was the only real differentiator between the two, and it was her fault.
“I believe I shall take up the Creator on his blessing and take a short break by the fire. Will you join me?” her twin asked.
“I will be there shortly. Allow me a moment,” she returned.
Her counterpart squinted playfully. “Planning on something with the males, eh?”
“Nothing of the sort,” the fisherwoman chided, flicking her sister's snout with a singular talon.
The twin scowled and turned away, exiting the castle swiftly.
The fisherwoman shook her head and made her way to the star-sent, heedfulness and hesitation quieting her footsteps. It was an unusual feeling. She was never the best when it came to respecting those higher on the mountain than herself; they were always flippant, derisively ordering and pecking at those ‘who make not an honest day’s work.’ She despised giving her labor for such self-assured fools, forced to put on a face for them while suffering through their ‘hierarchy.’
That was why the small island villagers were so welcoming. They were much less strict in their positions or status, allowing for a community focused on the goals of the whole rather than the aspirations of a singular high-ranking Malkrin. Maybe that was why it was so easy for the gray-skinned twins to return to sincere labor there.
The star-sent was much the same, though… different in one aspect. Where the village had a sort of collectivism while still keeping some status of the elders or those higher up the mountain, the Creator did not seem to place himself within any sort of hierarchy. He was solely focused on seeing the settlement progress, addressing and communicating with whomever as if they were of the same status. It made tasks a lot easier and was most certainly why she felt it so easy to approach him with such an unnecessary question.
He was not by the previous set of machines, leaving the fisherwoman to look around. She scanned the entire floor, looking over much of the equipment, spotting him by one of the desks. She stepped up behind him, curiously eying the items on his table. He was… disassembling his staff? His blunt digits twisted small metallic pieces and pulled off larger ones, sliding the large cylindrical end out. He continued until all the components were resting on their respective cuts of cloth, each cleaned and rubbed down with a few liquids.
The fisherwoman did not realize she was leaning over him and staring until he stopped and stretched upward, inadvertently tapping her snout. His chair jolted out of the way, turning around to face her. The Creator’s body was stiff as his wide eyes bored into her, palm resting atop his shoulder-bound blade. He stared up at her for a long few seconds, his burning glare stunning her in place all the while. A loud huff finally escaped him, his strained posture loosening.
“…Jesus, you fuckin’ scared me,” the high male groaned, his chest still rising and falling rapidly. His hand still had not left his knife. “Did you need something?”
“Forgive me star-sent,” she bowed her head, embarrassment and a hint of shame running through her frills. She quickly excused her actions nervously. “I did not mean to startle you… Nor did wish not to bother you, b-but I have a query. You had mentioned that I was free to ask any.”
“Mm, yeah.” The Creator finally released his blade and took a piece of cloth, returning to his task of rubbing down another metallic piece of his staff. “I’d rather you guys ask questions than sit in confusion. So, what’s up? Is there anything you need to harvest the deposits? We’ve got some metal to spare.”
Sparing metal for her simplistic job? Lord above… “N-No. Please excuse my prodding, but I wish to know what these machines are doing.”
“What they’re doing? Like, each one specifically or as a whole?”
“As a whole, Creator.” She did not dream of wrapping her head around the blessed equipment.
He grabbed a gray tube from his staff’s belt. “Gunpowder… for these. Or, more accurately, modified black powder. It’s just as powerful, but it’ll also put on more of a smoke show… and dirty the hell out of barrels and bolts alike…” He frowned at the components next to him before noticing her confused expression. He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s a powder that ignites and propels—” he dug into the cylinder with his digits and slid out a piece of metal. “—slugs and bullets. It’s essentially the whole reason guns work. I’m sure you’ve seen the FAL Akula’s touting around, right?”
She slowly nodded, understanding what he was alluding to. The dark-green-skinned fisherwoman was quite proud of receiving her own staff, keeping it in hand at all times.
“Yeah, so without this, her weapon would be as good as a piece of wood. That’s why I plan on making so much of it.”
“I… see.” She looked back at the whirring snake of moving parts within the center of the castle, a greater sense of awe settling on her as she took in its final purpose. “So it takes metals from a cave, rocks from the sea floor, and the burnt husks of logs to produce such?”
“There are a few more ingredients, like the spider-crab biofuel and trace air elements, but yeah.” The high male continued to clean the components of his weapon as if the process of gunpowder creation was only a menial accomplishment. “It takes a good bit of specific inputs to make the stuff.”
The others claimed the star-sent to be a wizard, and that would be an easy assessment with his staff and mystic equipment, but that would not be accurate. The Creator was clearly a great alchemist, turning useless materials into the very power of his grand weapons. Not to mention forming fine metals from coarse rocks. How did the settlers not see such? The villagers were more blessed than they realized.
A thousand other questions burned into her mind of what else he was capable of creating. What could he do with tree bark? What about dirt and fish? Were they ingredients of powerful remedies or sturdy materials? The dam almost burst, but she held it in. The star-sent’s invitation to casual conversation should not be squandered by her pestering any further. Perhaps he would enlighten her another time. For now, she was required to complete her tasks—this time with much more purpose than she had prior.
She thanked the high male and left for the shore with a swaying tail. Perhaps her efforts would be rewarded handsomely were she to keep it up.
\= = = = =
Harrison sat back on a stool by the outdoor range. The sun had already been down for some time, keeping much of his work underneath the few Malkrin-sized floodlights placed around the settlement. Their bright white light illuminated the decimated wooden targets twenty meters out, dim moonlit covering the rest of the meadows further beyond. It wasn’t a great idea to stay out in the night, given Tracy’s reconnaissance drones weren’t equipped with any night vision or thermals yet, but there was still work to be done, so he instead relied on two armed females to serve as early warnings and defense while he finished up his testing.
The modified black powder was finally narrowed down to a suitable side-grade for traditional double and triple-base gunpowder. The first batch wasn’t nearly powerful enough, and it dirtied the hell out of the FAL he used. The second attempt was much the same, but actually managed to reach an acceptable muzzle velocity. Now, after a whole day of experimenting with the ingredients, it was a damn powerful propellant. The most important ingredient was the added biofuel-adjacent compounds that were made from, of course, biofuel, and much of the air-extracted elements like oxygen and nitrogen.
It was an increasingly convoluted process that required many of the machines to be switched around. Most of their programmed inputs and outputs had been changed several times by the end of the day. Hell, almost the entirety of the workshop’s stock of chemical and mechanical fabrication units had been used up by the operation—if they hadn’t already been taken by the other ongoing lines of industry.
The powder dirtied the hell out of the rifles, it kicked like a horse, and it was a pain in the ass to synthesize, but it was done. He wouldn’t need to worry about letting loose any bullets into those spider-crabs anymore. He even had a suitable source of metal, solving all of his iron and steel needs too. It was small scale, but it was something, and that little bit of income was all he needed to start scaling up the process and deal with all the alloy-hungry projects he needed to start on.
The first of which was probably going to be simple automated mules for the heavy ore. He spent a good portion of the morning assisting with the mining operations until he was confident that the lumberjack got a hang of the hand-held lasers. The most prevailing thing the engineer learned from his efforts was how much of a pain in the ass it was to drag the sphalerite back on sleds.
They didn’t have any on-hand blueprints for any transportation droids until he traveled to the vehicle bay and got them himself. Thankfully, there just happened to be a woman who specialized in creating automated drones, and she was more than happy to take the task on herself. Some part of him felt a little bit of remorse for dumping the work on the technician, but she genuinely seemed to actually kind of enjoy it, almost like it was just a hobby for her. The woman even had her own corner of the workshop dedicated to her tinkering. It had two fabricators, warm yellow lighting, and plenty of cluttered parts and pieces around her laptop. All of it surrounded a central chair that she used to bounce between the different sections of the building process. One corner was for the printers and requesting components, another was for welding, a third for circuitry, and so on.
However, the whole thing did urge him to visit the vehicle bay before the blood-moon. There were a hell of a lot more applications for drone automation than he realized, and he wasn’t intent on putting all of that on Tracy.
The engineer sighed and rubbed his forehead, grabbing for another blue-leaf on the nearby bullet casing-covered table. The finger-width frond was something he’d been enjoying since the foraging Malkrin started to bring them back. They tasted like the fragrance of jasmine. Simply chewing it and letting the small particles of plant matter mix with saliva created a sort of tea in his mouth. He saw Cera using it alongside the whole ‘females using a stick to sharpen their teeth’ thing, so he asked and was generously given a bunch.
The blue-leaf jutted from his mouth like those depictions of Old-Earth farmers chewing the stems of wheat, slowly being gnawed until its tip as the night went on. He eyed Sharky and the ceramist standing at their post nearby, the two of them staying as alert as possible despite it being later than they would usually go to sleep… Maybe it wasn’t best to test gunpowder late at night with unsuppressed fire while the others were sleeping. A tinge of embarrassment and regret nipped at the back of his head.
It was worth it, though. Their ranged capabilities would benefit immensely from the gunpowder, most likely ensuring their survival to come… if it weren’t some small issues. It was a shame the Malkrin had such difficulties with the weapons. Not enough to make them unusable, but enough to cause annoyance with general handling. The guns were practically compact submachine guns to the giant females. Cera and Akula had a hard time reloading with their big ‘ol talons, especially for the mag-release paddles by the trigger. Not to mention the process of actually packing ammo back in the empty magazines… Furthermore, there was irritation with trying to keep the firearm in a suitable place while they worked. Slings swung around too much, and pack attachments poked their lower arms and back. Of course, none of them voiced their opinions on it. He simply noticed all the ways they squirmed when the gun swung out and poked them in the side, or how they fumbled with them while reloading.
Honestly, at this point he might just consider designing a whole new weapon system if the most basic aspects of kinetics were a bother. Something more ergonomic for them to use and store… probably with a bigger bullet that’s easier for them to handle. He’d figure it out later, after he managed to finish helping Tracy build the automated mule.
“Shar! Cera! C’mere!” he called out, his voice somewhat muffled by the frond stuck between his teeth.
The two females perked up, quickly making their way back to his ramshackle firing point. The paladin clipped her M2 onto her back as she trotted up to his side.
“Are we fin—hed for the even—g?” the maroon-colored Malkrin questioned, looking rather tired.
He packed the can of ammunition up, slapping its cover closed. “Just about. I’ve still gotta test the fifty-cal ammo for your browning, but that’s for us to deal with tomorrow.”
“Of course. Will y–u be requiring this firearm for the durat—n?”
“Luckily for you, I won’t.” He pointed a thumb in the direction of the workshop. “I’ve got another being printed right now.”
The paladin squinted. “Anot—r? For whom?”
Cera flipped through the notebook she used for communication, scribbling on it for a mere second before turning it around for the other two to see. It showed a crude outline of the turret they used during the last blood moon… How’d she know?
“I’m guessing Tracy filled you in, huh?” The technician and the ceramist were pretty close, especially whenever Tracy went to help her with drawing. He slid a few FAL magazines into a small pseudomycelium bag, glancing up at Shar. “We’re planning on putting two or three active turrets up around the modules and possibly around the beach and sphalerite cave—depending on resources, of course.”
A grin spread across Shar’s muzzle, her tail swaying. “So we sh—l be furthering our fortificat—ns? It is wise we act early before the bl—d-moon.”
The engineer continued to pack the range items away with the ceramist's assistance. “Yeah, only about ten days or so until then. We have to make the best of it. But that’s not the only reason; I’m planning on setting out sometime ‘fore the blood-moon to retrieve some data from a module further out. This time, it’ll be a longer expedition; ‘Smore than a day’s walk. We’ll be needing more than just the two of us to keep watch overnight. So yeah, we’ll need to keep home base safe while we’re out.”
She leaned forward, an inspired glint in her eye. “I underst—d. Will there be anyth—g I can do to assist the p—paration process?”
“Nothin’ specific.” He smirked, patting her on her oversized forearm for a moment. “‘Cept training and lifting stuff like you do anyway. Definitely gonna need yer strength for hauling turret materials around. Even more for the bullshit we’ll probably have to go through on the journey.”
Her restrained smile turning into something different than the grin she wore before. “I-I am at your c—mand, Harrison. I give my labor to y–u freely.”
Harrison caught Cera idly watching their conversation, a curious look gathering on her face as she observed him. He soon noticed his palm was resting atop shar’s wrist, his hand in a much different place than he last remembered leaving it. He awkwardly coughed and removed it, returning his attention to the mass of equipment he packed up. “Right, uh… Again, that’s all for the day. Cera, you’re free to check out if you want.”
The addressed female raised a brow, still eying up him and the paladin before wiping the look off her face and smiling. She bowed and gave a short wave, leaving him and Sharky to stand underneath the outdoor floodlights while Cera slunk back to the barracks. He looked back up at the tall female beside him, giving her a knowing look.
“You can head off too if you want. I know you’ll be sleeping anyway if we head back into the workshop.”
She stood up straight, an adorable mix of furrowed brows and a pout resembling offense forming on her visage. “I w—ld not fall asl…” The flushed paladin paused, clearly realizing her inaccuracy, causing Harrison’s smile to grow all the wider. She huffed and quietly continued with her excuses. “I can not leave you to the night by y—rself. What if sculking b—sts enter the castle? I should not dare to l—ve your side.”
He stared at her with lighthearted contempt. “C’mon, Shar. Wouldn’t you rather fall asleep in a comfortable bed than a metal desk? I’m gonna be helping Trace with her drones for a long while too.”
“I would prefer noth—g more than to be within arm’s r—ch of you,” she insisted. Her orange irises burned as her tail found its way around him. “Even still, the other star-s—t has left for the other castle alr—dy.”
He raised a brow, the cool skin of her limb rubbing against his palm. “Wait, Tracy left already? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“F—give me, I was busy patrolling the settlem—t. She offered a short wave to me as she left.”
If the technician was gone already and wasn’t in the workshop in the first place to need his help… why did he even need to be in there? She noticed his realization, leaning in closer. Her eyes glanced away nervously for a short moment as she appeared lost in thought before being wrangled back to match his gaze.
“Then, if there is noth—g else for you to complete with the machines, might I sugg—t a compromise to the is—e at hand?”
He raised a brow curiously.
Short clacks of the talons tapping together filled the air. “W-Well, If y–u were to join my slumber, It would satisfy your wish as w—l as my own. I will not fall asl—p atop the desk and you shall be within my p—tection. I-It would be best for your sl—p if I were there, no?
He gave her an incredulous look, the corners of his cheeks breached by a small smile. It wasn’t a great ‘compromise’ for him, but it wasn’t like he had any place to argue against it, really. He wasn’t that tired, yet there was fuck all to do in the workshop until tomorrow… so… “If it’ll get you to sleep, then fine.”
Her eyes lit up in surprise. She clearly wasn’t expecting him to go without debate. “Y-You… Yes, of c—rse. The offer was intended for both our be—fits…” The paladin gestured toward the other module with a wide arm, her thin confidence barely hiding her vibrating frills. “Sh—l… we…?”
He nodded, letting her tail rest on his shoulder like a scarf as he turned around, nudging her to follow. They strolled through the soft grass and night breeze, eased by the thought of a comfortable bed and sound sleep.
\= = = = =
A consistent click came from Kegara’s talon tapping rhythmically against her shield, the piercing sound mirroring the force of her scalding breaths. The tent was bathed in the flickering hue of flame from a centralized fire, yet the warmth bled from everywhere she looked, which was primarily the current target of her displeasure. When their excursion team returned, the Grand Paladin thought them to come back with results or news, yet they brought only an infuriating pitiful recount of a spineless worm.
Every exhale was riddled with the white-skinned female’s ire as she paced around the trembling, pink-skinned female that stood inside the Grand Paladin’s tent. The fisherwoman’s shaking breaths could barely be heard beneath the sizzling of Kegara’s unfinished meal. She had lost her appetite, and the contents she had been looking forward to were now tainted by the taste of ineptitude. A burnt smell permeated throughout the room. A waste, but no more of a waste than the pathetic trash currently fouling her tent.
The failure’s back was straight, her head was kept level, and her tail was as still as the mountain towering above the camp outside, yet nothing but inadequacy was visible.
The Grand Paladin stopped her pacing in front of the messenger, covering her burning vexation with cold, quiet intent and an edged stare. The fisherwoman swallowed heavily. “Were you at least capable of finding their sea vessel, incompetent one?”
“W-We did, Grand Paladin,” the pitiful excuse for a Malkrin quickly returned, fear and guilt bleeding through her voice. A sense of hope entered those dull eyes as they tried to salvage what was already lost. “There were footsteps we followed along the beach, b-but they were cut off abruptly by the tracks of abhorrent!”
Kegara took another step forward, brows furrowing as she bore her gaze ever deeper into the scum that stood before her, the head-height difference in stature between them further emblazening the glare. Her words grew more heated with every question, each syllable teeming with threats. “Then they perished? Was there blood? Signs of a battle?”
The pink-skinned female struggled to keep herself straight, trembling down to the talons. “T-There was no sign of s-such.”
“And you did not pursue them?” A simple question, and one spoke through a frigid, flat tone. Dignified and controlled, yet making no effort to hide the malice underneath. Her digits twitched, barely restrained.
“N-No, we f-feared the abhor—”
The fisherwoman’s speech was cut short with a choke and a flicker of movement from the white-skinned paladin. A singular hand wrung the failure’s throat and lifted the veritable waste, her grip tight enough to cull the fouled intent before it could spit more worthless drivel. Kegara’s frills shook with her burning projection. “You failed because you were *scared? Fourteen females were **frightened of footprints? You insolent failure! Your heathenous brothers and sisters are left to the whims of the mainland because of your fear! Left to be mauled and eaten alive by the abhorrent!”*
“W-We could not have—”
“SILENCE,” she commanded sharply, her voice a blade that tore through the fisherwoman’s denial. She snarled, feeling the very heartbeat within the fragile neck as her grip tightened. Shameful vocalizations and strained breaths failed to bring air to the pathetic one’s lungs. It would be quicker to silence the fool permanently, and Kegara’s pride demanded it be done. Every move within the paladin’s talons threatened to rend the very flesh beneath them, yet her claws must be stayed, for allowing blood to spill would be an equally foolish mistake. The fisherwoman was lucky; menial labor was a strained resource. Such a failure of a banished fool would be culled on the spot otherwise.
The pink-skinned female was thrown to the ground, dirt being tossed into the air as she skid to a stop. She hacked and coughed on her back, her ragged gasps irritatingly scraping the high one’s ears. Kegara’s slow exhalations poured through clenched teeth as she controlled herself. Perfection required persistence. If she wished to send the group back out for their incompetence, then she would need them to live long enough to do so. To ensure the new banished were found and brought back. To prove themselves worth her kindness.
But were there banished left to collect? The latest group was most likely reduced to bones for the repulsive creatures to gnaw on by now, and it would be but a waste of Malkrin to frivolously send more out. It was a situation wrought from mistakes and inadequacy, searing her flesh with its reflection onto her, painting her image with its wretched color. The vexation burned her from the inside as she resisted the urge to stain her tent with the failure’s red. This was much greater a failure than the fisherwoman could understand, but at least a large catch of meat had been procured. This was still a salvageable outcome.
“Bring half the food to the cooks,” the grand paladin relented with a simmering hiss, glaring down at the coughing lump of shame. “Leave the rest by the cave as always. Do not fail me with such a simple task, or you will prove my benevolence to be a mistake.”
“Of… c-course.” The fisherwoman shakily nodded before shuffling away, all but fleeing the tent to complete her duties. The failure was gone, but her stench persisted.
Kegara spat on the ground, no longer wishing to return to her meal, as disgusting as it had become. The searing exasperation that gnawed at her chest slowly fell away, leaving only the frigid caress of mortification on her frills. The lack of success would carry with it great consequences, and those would carry more in an ever-growing rockslide of punishment.
Would it impact her mission? What would happen if her settlement was incapable of providing logistics for the excavation? Would they no longer return with the relics? How would the Grand Script-keeper react? What of the high priestesses? The Grand Paladin was no fool; she knew where their disdain would lie, should she prove to be as pathetic as that fisherwoman. The blame could not be siphoned off into the tainted peasantry beneath her command. It would be put on her and her alone. She would face judgment without reprieve.
The white-skinned Makrin let out a shaky breath, steeling herself away from the agonizing worries. The solution was as clear as her faith, and just as certain. She would not allow such a mistake to occur again. More capable laborers would be sent next time, paladins without such weaknesses as fear, and success would be enforced.
According to the report, the next island that the inquisitors were approaching was one with a larger population, numbering in the thousands. It was assured that they would find many more of the blighted Malkrin to be exiled, and the traitorous filth would find their labor funneling directly to the mainland. She could perform her duties properly once she had the subordinates to do so.
Those higher on the mountain would see her accomplishments then. Surely.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Space Marines Malkrin

Nature of Humanity Ch 69 A NoP fic
Under Pressure Part 12
A Fanfic of u/SpacePaladin15’s work “The Nature of Predators.” Thank you for the story!
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Memory transcription subject: Silvera, Factory 13 Manager
Date [standardized human time]: November 4th, 2136
I helped John to his feet and had to admit, he was moving around without the aid of pain medications like someone who wasn’t really hurt. He stretched, and I could finally see hundreds of scars under the pelt of fur he sported on his chest. My paws found their way to his torso and began to trace the trauma lines. His own hand found its way to the top of my back as he stood still and allowed me to actually look at his body.
My curiosity sated, I took a step back and tried to hide my embarrassment, “I apologize. When you told me about the fights where- Well… I didn’t realize just how bad it was. If it wasn’t for how fresh they are I wouldn’t be able to see where those purist fucks hurt you.”
A shameful smile spread across John’s face, “Yeah… I’ve not lived a good life. I’ve just tried to- oh hello there.”
A Venlil I didn’t recognize stood next to John. Her voice seemed off as she teetered back and forth. Before either of us could ask if she needed help, she held a small gooey orange mess up to John, “You have a soft voice. Please take care of her.”
It was only when what, I thought, was a tentacle drooped down from the orange goo did it click what I was looking at. Her lower side was caked in orange blood and the small mass she just handed John was a newborn, umbilical and placenta still attached. John quickly clutched the newborn to his chest the second he realized what was in his hands. The mother began to uneasily run off with little readable emotion on her face.
John desperately looked around as he cradled the newborn in his arms, “Stop her! HEY! SOMEONE STOP HER!”
I was torn between trying to help John and tearing after the new mother. For the first time in my life, I was glad to see exterminators. The trio John had intimidated were still close by and quickly rushed to stop her.
I rushed back to John's side and called an ambulance for both of them. John seemed to be in a fog. Concern and fear laced every feature of his face as he held the child. He looked to me for some sort of answer. I could only shake my head as I leaned in to get a better view of the infant.
It was difficult to judge on their wool color, but they seemed to have their mother’s steel-gray wool. John was shaking slightly as the trio brought the mother back over, “We caught her. What’s going on?”
John held the wriggling mess in his arms, “She- she just handed me her newborn! I- we have an ambulance on the way for both of them. I just- why?”
We studied the neutral-sick look on her face as she slowly bobbed back and forth. She didn't seem capable of responding. One of the exterminators took off his hood to reveal his Venlilian features, “She's definitely been through a PD facility… it looks like they… well… she's certainly on a cocktail of something.”
John happily took a clean rag from one of the other exterminators and wrapped the placenta and umbilical cord in it, while trying to use a free edge to clean the child, “Thank you. … She needs help. They both need help. I think this little one is addicted as well.”
The meekest of the trio took off their hood revealing their chameleon scales, “Addicted? The baby was just born, how can it be addicted to anything?”
Tears were welling in his eyes, “The drugs get into the mother's bloodstream and are carried right into the baby. It can be lethal if you aren't careful. It was really only blind luck that I was able to do this before.”
The boldest one took off his hood. The Brown colored Venlil looked sad, “You've done this before? … I guess that little one is luckier than they know. Star’s guide you. I don't know what I'd do if someone herd swapped that pup with me.”
I had repressed the memories of my old herds doing the same to me. John looked up confused as I explained, “Herd Swapping is when a group decides that one of its members isn't worth keeping around but feel bad about just abandoning them. So they find another group, and quickly dump off the unwanted before they have a chance to reject them. It's not a fun practice to be on the receiving end of.”
He gently pressed a finger to the tip of the pup's snout. Slowly his gaze drifted to the barely conscious mother, “Mam… I'll take care of them. Do you have a name for them? Would you like to hold them.”
Her head bobbed for a moment before a flicker of some consciousness crossed through her eyes, “Aaaaaa. Aaaaalaaa… Aalvi. Heeer name iiiis Alvi.”
She was barely able to hold her arms up as John gently placed that small pup into them. He supported her arms as she held Alvi to her chest. The Harchen helped her sit on the ground as she gently groomed her pup.
As the sounds of sirens started to penetrate the indoor park she pressed her pup once more into my boyfriend's arms as paramedics rushed in. John stood to his full height and the medics halted to a stop before the bold Exterminator let out a loud sigh, “Get over here and do your damn jobs! We are placing a hold on her. Once she's stable, she is to be transferred to our care under Dr. Audefen.”
It felt terrible watching her get arrested once more for Predator Disease, but there wasn’t anything I could do. John, however, could and chose to intervene, “Our care? She needs rehab! Rehab and a good Counselor most likely.”
The boldest one and the Harchen both asked simultaneously,
“What's Rehab?”
“What's a Counselor?”
He looked aghast for a moment, “Rehab… is a place dedicated to helping people get off addictive drugs. A Counselor is a trained professional that helps people that are neurodivergent live in society.”
The meekest looked confused, “Neurodivergent?”
He let out a long depressed sigh, “People that… I guess don't fit the norm.”
The paramedics strapped the mother down to the gurney. We watched as they administered an IV packet and began to haul the mother away. John took a half step after them, “Wait! The baby! Are you not going to-”
The older one angrily flicked her tail, “Are they breathing?”
Rage flicked in John's eyes, “What?! Yes!”
The medic stomped her foot, “Then you can take them to the hospital if you have any concerns.”
John raised his voice and took a step forward, “The child might be addicted-”
She spat back with vitriol, “I’ve seen PD babies before. That one doesn’t have any of the signs of infant addiction. The mother overdosed, likely moments after giving birth. Take the child to a pediatrician and explain the situation. We are done here.”
John stood there speechless as they left Bio-dome. The meekest exterminator pushed his wheelchair up behind him, and I finally noticed John's legs were extremely wobbly. The other two helped him sit down just in time.
The boldest one patted John on the shoulder, “Well, uhm, congratulations on becoming a Father?”
His chin quivered as he looked at the small person in his arms, “I- … at least until I can get them properly adopted.”
The Harchen looked ashamed as they shook their head, “Yeah, good luck with that.”
John looked hurt and confused. I placed my paw on his arm, “No one would adopt me because I was different and all I needed was a back brace. They are the child of a P.D. patient. If it's not you- if it's not us, then they have no one.”
He looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating, “I! You! Are you serious? This- I wasn't trying to volunteer you, for this.”
I gave him a kind smile and gently squeezed his arm, “I'm in it for the long haul. But we can talk about this later. We need to get Alvi here to a doctor.”
The bold one replaced their hood, “Dr. Audefen should be more than qualified to do a check-up. He has one of the best clinics outside Zurulian space. Do you guys need a lift?”
I signalled no, “I can take them to your guild.”
John stammered out, “Wait! I don't have a baby seat! Its- oh for fuck's sake. Right… not a thing outside of Earth.”
I squeezed his arm again and he began to calm down, “I'll take it slow John. While this, uhm, Audefen is doing a check-up I'll call some friends and see if they can get or make this ‘baby seat’ you want.”
John cradled little Alvi a bit closer and nodded his head. He slowly looked to the trio of exterminators he once butted heads with, “Can you guys go tell Da- Chief Loke about the situation? I came here with him and I don't want him worrying. Oh, and uh… Chodri?”
The boldest one looked at him curiously, “Yeah?”
John looked a little ashamed, “Well two things, first sorry for how I treated you guys earlier. That wasn't right.”
The trio looked a little uncomfortable as that memory was dragged back up. Chodri looked everywhere but at John, “Uh… thanks I guess?”
I can't describe the look on John's face as he ordered, “Also give me your shirt.”
They took a half step back, “What?!”
“I uh, gave mine to my girlfriend and uh…” He nodded towards the pup and then outside, “wait… I can just use my jacket as insulated swaddling. Never mind.”
“Wait.” Chodri pulled his jacket off and helped John swaddle the infant in it, “I have wool to keep me warm. I'll be warmer than you with that sparse pelt… I thought you humans didn't have fur…”
“Yeah, it's not fur. Some of us are just hairier than others. I'm not a good example of the norm.”
Chodri let out a small chuckles, “Well, I figured that much out. Go on now. Get the kid to Audefen. Make sure they are ok.” He turned on the other two, “I am going to appraise the chief of the fact that he's now technically a grandfather. You two go find out who that nurse is and pull her in for a PD test after her shift. She was all too quick to abandon a member of the herd.”
The Harchen started to protest, “But it's a-”
Chodri puffed out their chest, “No! She went through a PD facility and got released. That means she's rehabilitated. I won't have anyone treat someone who isn't a predator, like one.”
The meekest one flicked his tail at John, “What about John? He's a-”
Chodri threw his paws into the air and stomped, “STOP LOLLYGAGGING AND BY THE VOID GET TO WORK!”
The meek one and the Harchen sprinted for the exit as Chodri flicked his tail farewell. John remained fairly quiet on the ride to his guild hall. It wasn't until we stepped through the side entrance of the guild did he finally start talking, “Thank you Silv. I- god, I hoped I'd never do this again.”
Despite being a bit afraid of jumping into raising a child, I doubled down, “We got this. You've already raised one kid. How is an alien going to be more difficult?”
As if on cue the pup began to let loose an ear-splitting cry. We hurried through the side door and gathered a lot of odd looks speedwalking down the hall. A Gojid and Tilfish I didn't recognize rushed to catch up with us, “What’s going on? John! Why do you have a Venlil pup!”
I felt like being a bit of a wise ass, “Oh! That's our pup! We just had them. It is funny how a Sivkit/Human cross looks just like a Venlil!”
The Tilfish threw his paws in the air, “I KNEW IT! I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU ALL THE REASON THE SIVKITS LEFT WAS BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT US LEARNING THEY ONCE CONSORTED WITH TERRAN PREDATORS!”
“OH!” The Tilfish jumped at my exclamation, “I know you! You're the conspiracy theory nut job!”
The Tilfish stomped his foot and came to a stop, “They are not theories! They are the truth!”
The Gojid came to a stop next with a look of equal parts disgust and disbelief on his face as he addressed the Tilfish, “Really? That's the part you debate? Really?”
We quickly left the two of them in the dust as we entered their Medical ward. A rather small Mazic stood up, “What is that- John? You should be in a wheelchair! What’s-”
“No time to explain! Got ‘herd swapped’ and mother was ODing on drugs! Possible addict baby! Need food, maybe for it! Freaking out and in pain! Need to sit!”
Dr. Audefen ushered John to place the infant on a small medical table as he brought the medical equipment to life. John collapsed onto a nearby bed and held his side. I rushed to him, but he pointed to Alvi with a pained expression on his face.
I nodded and returned to Audefren’s side. He brought over a machine with a dozen robotic arms with a myriad of attachments and masterfully worked the soft robotics to unswaddle the baby and remove the towel from their umbilical cord. Faster than I could really track with my vision, he had an elastic band around the base of the cord and the machine cut and whisked the cord away, all while drawing blood for a battery of tests.
He hrmmmed and hummed to himself as examined the wailing infant. He appeared to have a eureka moment as he activated an arm that began to gently sponge bathe Alvi, who calmed down almost immediately.
He gave one last glance at the screen before addressing the pair of us, “Well for starters the patient is fine and healthy without a drop of anything unexpected in her blood nor any abnormalities. I must say, John, you apparently did have time to explain! The reason for the crying was simply discomfort as the birthing fluids began to dry and irritate the sensitive skin.”
He pulled a new machine over, and it began to hum, “Judging from the CAT scan, she can’t be more than a few hours old… everything looks… perfectly normal. This is one healthy baby. Actually, it's probably not too long before she is going to want her first meal… hang on, I should have some newborn formula… around here somewhere… Ah! Here we are! You'll only need this one, and then you can switch to the [two weeks] to [six month] formula. Young Paws is an excellent brand.”
John collapsed backwards on the bed, “Th-thank you, Dr. Audefen. I- I was starting to freak out.”
Audefen waved it off with a flick of his tail, “Don't. If you have any, and I do mean any, concerns about her health or your own, call me at any time… partially because this is covered under your insurance as an Exterminator and also, I pride myself on my medical care.”
John scrunched his face up, “I have insurance?”
The Mazic rolled his eyes before looking at John like he was an idiot, “I- … YES, YOU HAVE INSURANCE. HOW- How has no-one gone over your care package? You, your spouse, and any children you have can walk in at any time or schedule an appointment.”
John lifted his head from the bed, “Can my girlfriend count as my spouse? She's decided to be the mother of my kid… that I wasn't expecting to have…”
Dr. Audefen let out a sigh before he began to signal no. Then he finally looked at me and his eyes widened, “Yes. I will make it work. Now seeing as I have all three of you here, let's get you up to date on all of your medical charts and vaccinations.”
___/\___
GOOD GRIEF IT TOOK FOREVER TO GET TO THIS! John is a dad now! I have had this planned since I saw this on the discord. Also, Silvera decides, in for a penny in for a pound. It wasn’t like she was going to have kids with any of the plethora of Sivkits that live outside the grand fleet. (that was a joke. There is not a plethora of Sivkits living outside the fleet as far as I am aware, and any she would meet would not be interested because she can walk on two legs and can be rather intimidating if she wishes)
Special thanks to u/JulianSkies and u/callmefishy11 for proofreading! Seriously it felt like my eyes were melting out of my skull and your feedback was everything I needed!
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Under Pressure
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This story might be long. My boyfriend of 9 yrs (ex bf very soon, maybe) and I went to a country concert last night. We ended up getting into a small argument over some confusion about him not waiting for me when I was done using the restroom inside the venue. When I called him once I was done with the restroom I asked him where he was at, he responded by telling me to shut up and that he wasn’t going to let me ruin the show for him. I was like huh, that was rude. So i Just stand around, 2 songs in i see him make his way out of the GA pit twords me with this look on his face that I could just telllll he was about to grill me about something. Surely, he starts to blame me for getting lost after the bathroom cause apparently he waited for me for 20 minutes. (not true). Anyways that was the argument. Then, we both head out to the GA area, there I try talking to him about why he told me to shutup on the phone and how rude and mean that was of him. He proceeded to tell me to shut up cause he wasnt gonna let me ruin the show, then he walked away and said he would go enjoy the show from somewhere else and left me alone. He came back to where I was at the last 20 minutes of the show as if nothing happened having a great time hugging me and all of this. As soon as the band stops playing he asks to see my phone. I give it to him cause I’m not hiding anything. He says he’s checking to see if i got anyones number while he was gone. I tell him go ahead go though my phone, nothing is on there but what did happen was while you were gone a guy kept trying to talk to me and tapping me on my waist ( i was wearing a crop top ). Btw when this happened i told the guy to fuck off and quit touching me. He walked away. When i told my bf this he absolutely fucking lost his shit and kept talking about how i’m so nasty for allowing a man to touch me, how i shouldve let him touch me some more, how he can’t believe i let a man touch me. Whats crazy is did i not do my part by telling the guy to fuck off? not only that, had my boyfriend been there standing with me, no man would have ever had the impression that i was there alone with no man. He starts crying literally yelling screaming as if i cheated on him. I’m just so lost for words cause like what the actual shit did i do?? i pulled over at a parking lot and told him to relax and get some air cause he was really having a whole attack. In his brain, i cheated on him and betrayed him.. He proceeded to get out of my car and walk away into the streets of downtown houston. I at this point am crying balling my eyes out because I could not find the man and I knew he was drunk. I drove around for like 30 minutes trying to find him and nada. I called texted everything, nada. I eventually go home and cry wondering where i went wrong and pray he just got an uber. low and behold he calls me like 3 hours later at like 3am at this point asking if i can go get him hes lost in downtown houston. I have a heart and i care for this man so i go and get him. When we get back to my place we get into it again cause he starts talking about how horrible i am for letting a man touch me and in the small time i went inside to pee he disappeared on me and turns out he was walking home, he lives like 5 miles from my place. I get all worried again and start looking for this man driving around and i find him walking on the side of the road at 3am DRUNK. He gets in and i take him home. I cant believe all he has put me through in the past couple of hours its actually insane. No contact since then either, i blocked him on everything.If you made it this far, thank you

As the title says, I'm a failure as of right now. This is even worse because my family is full of overachievers. like literal child work to doctor for my mom and my dad becoming an engineer and building his own house by the time he was my age. My brother became a doctor as well and managed to move into Germany and works as a doctor there.
Me? I started well but got lost along the way. I got my degree from the best college in my country in mech engineering. Graduating was absolutely brutal, for example in my career only me and 7 other guys managed to graduate on time. Burnout started to settle bythat time. Next year I took it completely off, my life consisted of going to the gym and playing videogames all day.
Next year I got a job in a factory as a maintenance engineer. The idea my college sold to me about engineering was completely different from what my country offers to me. The pay was abysmal, the environment was dreadful, dirty, loud that it hit unsafe levels, and hard on the body as I had to do manual labor like carrying steel beams. Lots of injuries in the workplace, my boss was missing the tip of his finger because a machine accident, people having to retire every month because they have to lift heavy stuff all day. Real 3rd world shit. Did I mention I was doing my masters here as well? It was absolute hell balancing both.
Covid hit next year. I was laid off and finished my degree from home with the severance package.
After getting my master I was scared shitless of getting back to work because of my last experience and was dreading doing it. I managed to land a job abroad as I speak english very well. Turned out I was wrong, the second job was even more brutal. Each standard shift was 12h, 6 days a week and my job involved doing all kinds of jobs and also daily reports so 12h became 14 to 16 for me.
I became addicted to energy drinks to stay awake as my shift was from 6pm to 6am. Almost developed alcoholism bacause of the stress. The guy at the gas station near me started recognizing me because every Saturday I would be there buying booze to get myself blackout drunk while I watched anime in my house. That job was unsustainable so I ended up quitting.
When I came back I was 200% burned out, So I did nothing for a while. I tried getting into art as I was talented in it. Things started well but despite thousands of likes in social media and flattering comments, that doesn't translate into commissions requests. Also, the AI boom made it way harder and it took a severe toll on my mental as I considered sustainability for the future.
The final blow there was when an IRL friend asked me to for a comission and the quality she wanted was AI level for an entire 20 page comic in a 4 week period. I told her it was impossible. Manga artists struggle to make 1 chapter with a team of 3 or 4 guys and they can barely do 1 chapter a week in black and white. She wanted full color full backgrounds every panel. In the end she said it's fine, she would do it using GPT.
The writing was on the wall for me, I can't keep going in this path. Money savings dried up, art isn’t covering expenses. Tried getting a job, 0 offers because I have a gigantic 3-year hole in my CV.
This was rockbottom, 29, no work experience in the last 3 years and I'm basically broke. I have alienated all my friends by now because I'm too ashamed to answer how I'm doing compared to them who are all deep in their careers while I would be homeless if it wasn't for my parents.
One day someone offered me a job in a call center as I had English in my CV. The pay was so low that compared to my brother in Germany, he is doing 10x more and his job pays for his apartment. That realization made something inside me snap. I have to get out of this country. So, I'm choosing to move to Germany like he did. To get there I came up with a 3 year plan and I'm going to stick to as if my life depends on it.

1. get a job
2. Build my CV
3. Get a visa
4. Move to Germany

Finally got a job as an interpreter. The only benefit of being online soo much is my english is decent. More than double than the one I mentioned before. I start the 14th this month. My parents agreed to let me live with them while I save to rent for an apartment over in Germany.
Build my CV: I loved thermodynamics back in college, so I have decided to specialize in HVAC design as that is very closely related due to heat transfer and refrigeration cycles. I already enrolled in my local community college for a 15-month degree on the weekends to be a certified refrigeration and air conditioner mechanic. I'm hoping to get irl experience, guidance and refresh my knowledge in these topics, not to mention add a certification to my CV. After that I plan on doing whatever it takes to find a job for at least 2 years in that field here to get experience, hopefully that certification will make it easier. I'll be learning HVAC design online in the meantime as well to bolster the CV.
Get a visa: On monday I'll be going back to my uni to get the documents needed to get a statement of equivalence of my bachelor's and master's just like my brother did. The whole process can take over half a year This is just the first step to apply for a visa. In the next 3 years I plan to learn german, same way I learned english, with videogames and movies. I already downloaded duolingo and I have a slight advantage as I studied the german way back when I was a kid so I know the basics.
Move to Germany: The final result would be 1 or 2 new certifications in my CV, 2 years of recent experience and practical knowledge I can use over there and B1 or 2 level of German language domain to apply for a visa. Finally maybe enjoy a true engineering job where I'm paid something reasonable for all that I have invested in my career.
I think I truly needed to say this, even if nobody reads it and I’m screaming into the void, it feels good to let it off my chest. I was in a dark place, but I think I can finally see the light.

Memorial day hasn't meant much to me since I first heard about it. And the only difference to this one was I actually with a love of mine on this day. My motorcycle. Sitting at a stop light with Her, behind me.
Paying attention to anyone behind me when the bike and I were in motion isn't generally where my focus lies but of course, I am always attentive whenever we approach a stop. As you expect, cars came careening towards my bike and I to form a orderly queue into the cute little outdoor mall we were all head towards. Carelessly glancing at my mirrors, I noticed a little SUV behind me slowing to a halt. All I really noticed was hair and vague faces as my brief attention is more focused on whether they were going kill me or not and not then not trying to overtly stare at them like a creep. They stop, and I figure I throw myself into my favorite new habit as an official new member of the 'owner of a motorcycle club' by waving at all the motorcycles as the pass me by, sometimes just flinging my arms like a disconnected npc only tethered by a pure soul. Through the frequency of life flowing through me that day, I felt it radiated through connecting me to my immediate surroundings. I felt as if everything within sight of me was in tune with my being so to say. Kinda felt like whatever decision I made next, could do no wrong. So, I decided to turn around and wave. While I was signaling other bikers, I had noticed that the heads of hair behind me had faces... lovely faces too, that were smiling. Its always nice to see smiles but It's never fun to assume there they're ever on the same vibe as you. You see, there's a certain level of composure I like to believe I still possess that is only confirmed when exercised....So what was the reaction of my kind wave? 2 waves back, with more nice smiles. Helmet on, visor up I bet anyone could see my dumbass grinning from ear to ear. Pretty great feeling that I wasn't expecting but I figured it happened, because I waited for a sign or signal.
So I doubled down and figured, hey if were both going to the mall, we should probably eat something, preferably.. TOGETHER! As we turn Into the lot, I yell*yes in a motorcycle helmet* Are yalling eating? But they didn't hear or it fell on uninterested ears. No worries. They kept driving ahead a little and I decided to park my bike to this really cool black bike the almost engulfed my entire attention span in that moment. As I was getting my footing to scoot myself into the spot, I noticed they had only got about 4 cars in front of me and decided to park.
Hmmmm... I thought to myself. First I didn't want to look back and I only did, because of a feeling or a sign... is parking this close a sign I should pay attention to? Well, if so, they hazard right? Why wont they.. *blinkblink blinkblink* ...........The hazards flash Now I thinking, Well who the hell am I to question life? And I rev'd over. I don't remember what I said but It must have not been that awful because I then got invited to go shop for anklets by 2 laid back beautiful, happy women. My heart dropped... How did they know? That I actually loved shopping for anklets on memorial day exclusively?!
We take a short walk and talk a talk and walk while exchanging names, and the story unravels from their side. They pulled up behind me and thought it was funny that I was waving at all the motorcyclists and from my visor being up, thought I was cute.*yo no se*Hearing this played back to me was funny and I tried not to look too deep into it at the moment because I was in it and felt there was more to it all if I just, existed in the moment. And this point I felt enough pleasantries had been exchanged and surface level reconnaissance to see if we were cool had concluded. Now was the time to lean into one of them with a more purposely directed level of romantic attention. I lightly asked what their availability for love looked like between them and the friend said they were married but kind of signaled/explained that her friend was available. My heart said Wow my brain? Relax, Don't be weird. Continue the journey. Giving all praise to the friend.. she explains how she suggested that her friend eat after I yell/asked about it, and it was her idea to turn the hazards on to let me know to come up to them. I'm a little stunned realizing how very lucky I was for her to be the manifestation of cupid in the most clutch way possible.
Finally, we arrived at the anklet store and.............. it's close. Awh shit. Well what do you do when you and your best friend can't get matching anklets on memorial day? You initiate the best friend suicide pact aahhhhhAHHHH!!! NO, no NO NO! nonononononononono.
You... go buy an adult beverage from across the street. I mean let's be honest, any day without matching anklets so a day that has been fucked. So far as I'm concerned and if we're walking on ice, we might as well dance. Getting a little sip during the day always seems to take a little off the tip of the devils dick. So we go drink. During this time we have a great exchange of who we( me, Her, and the friend) essentially feeling out if cool or not. Throughout this though, I can't help but to feel like I'm falling for this person I'm talking to. I could really get into the fine details of it all but I feel like that is special to me. In a book, I picked up a little philosophy about keeping some things to yourself. No one needs to know all the details, ya know? And I'm breaking that rule to a degree by sharing this story only because what happened afterwards was a ghosting on a level that I can't comprehend.
Weeeee leave towards their car and I kid you not, If I did not have this girl in my hand/near me, I would have have floated the fuck off into the air. I felt that feeling again, as if I could do no wrong. So after saying goodbye to her friend, She and I hugged and I looked into her eyes. There was a future that I was felt was being welcomed to be apart of, if I didn't fumble it. I had her number, she had shown interest from a stop light... don't push it I thought... but rather.. squeeze 'it'..?
I kissed her on the cheek... and we both smiled. Not thinking, I grabbed her hand and kissed it while looking into her eyes. She was a little taken back and said, No ones ever done that, You get points for that. I smile and said.. Hell, if you're giving out points , I'm a collecting. We exchange another round of pleasantries, and we part ways.
Crossing the street and looking both ways on shaky legs made me ponder if this what deer feel like when they're caught in the headlights. Nah, they weren't as lucky as me on this day.
As I'm gearing up to ride, She comes up to me from behind and informs me that her friend told her she shouldn't leave until we have a kiss. I agreed. Her lips were ineffable. And for momentarily, they had stolen what ability I had at forming them right from my mouth.
So they left and I left the immediate area to release a little bit of energy trying to learn how to do a wheelie on my bike in this empty lot. Little bit after I got kicked I text her to at least say how great it was meeting her and her friend.
She shares the same feelings and proceeds to share with me that us meeting eachother, made her day. I remember telling her I was sorry I didn't have anything clever to say after the kiss but she and time allowed me, that I would find the words some day to express how I felt. She gave me a nickname.. I told I would do the same but it would take some time so to be as good as the one she had given me.
That was day 1. The next day, I gave a good morning and good luck today kinda text. A nice receptive and equally reflecting message in return from her. Short and sweet, Good sign I thought. Later I figured, sense the circumstances of my job don't allow me to be in one place for too long, I should try and reach out try and plan something for us to have a nice one on one before I leave town, like a dinner. I truly just wanted to know more. The pace was going well so they was no need to rush....................................................... No response for the whole day. Now, I'm a bit confused. I try not to over think it and let it be. A day passes nothing. 2? Nada. I honestly kinda didn't know what to think after having a moment like that.. I did the regular protocol. Go back and review every little detail in my head to see where I misstepped and did something wrong. I even asked an older female friend. And they couldn't help me find a fault either. Then after a few close friends give me their possible rundowns of what COULD have happen, I kinda exhaled a little bit. And kinda let it go. One friend even joked saying that maybe she died in a car wreck.... I was not laughing... atleast not immediately. I understood why they would say such a thing to a friend in that moment.
SO I decided to reel it in.... and give it one..more... cast out in the lake of... her and As I write, I still haven't heard from her. And apart of me doesn't want to make sense out of it because it might ruin the mystique of romance. That moment is there as it was left until it reveals itself again, if it ever does.
I guess I'm sharing this because I've always believed in finding someone, out there in the flesh, while trying to make it in the world is something quite beautiful in life truly worth experiencing.
And because of that I never forget that love is always around us, waiting around the corner. Or at an intersection south of the Emerald City.

I used to live in my home country for studies and job where i moved in with my boyfriend. We adopted a 1-1.5month old (1kg) stray female kitten of tabby breed and named her Bubbles.
She has always been very flexible with us. We could leave her on her own for hours and she would be staying indoors and just minding her own business. Even though i stayed with my bf, we would often travel back to our family homes in the country. And it would be me who would take bubbles with me. And for the past 4 months, i have been her primary care taker. Feeding, litter cleaning and everything mostly. She got severe food poisoning once and i was also travelling to my parents, so i took her with me. I think this incident made her more close to me. I cared for her, injected her meds, took care of her swollen anus and healed her. She understood this and cuddled with me in sleep. Anyway so fast forward to present, i had to move to another country and i couldnt bring her with me because of financial issues. She is with my bf, 2 weeks after i left she has started to want to escape through windows. She knew to slide the mesh window/balcony screen when i was there but she never got out of it. She only did when i was in the balcony.
But now she has learned to even slide the glass window/balcony slides and does it often. She does it ever so often. They live on the 10th floor of a building so its quite dangerous. At first she escaped from 10th and was found in the 4th floor by a neighbor. We have no idea how.
Then another day found in the balcony of 7th floor tenants. I assume she opens windows and balconies and just goes hopping floors which is dangerous. She is probably 7 months old now. She gets regularly fed and affection.
The vet told me it could be heat, but she has been doing this for one whole month. Is she searching for me? Is it why she is getting out continously? What is it that she needs? For now my bf has hooked her to a long leash enough for her to wander indoors comfortably but she keep trying to open windows still.
Now you may suggest to keep windows locked. But my bf cant afford air conditioning and it goes upto 40 C, so he has to keep em open for ventilation. The best he can do is keep the mesh net door, but bubbles has learned to open it herselff.
I wont be able to visit them for next 8 months so thats not an option either.
I have talked about cat proofing but my bf isnt agreeing to it. He would rather put her up for foster than proof entire house.
Ps: she is a very scaredy and anxious cat. She panics every time i carried her outdoors and would clinge on to me or my bf. She even hides away from kittens smaller than her. She is for sure an introvert who used to observer others from indoor windows but now its no more such. Still intro but escapist

I connects the dots. Such is my suspicious mind noticing things and connecting them, smh
I joined the dots. The documentary "Two Face: The Grey" and just now, "Mountain Devil 3: The Bigfoot Invasion".
The government and their masters the mega ultra rich wealthy obsessive control freaks aka (powers-that-be) runs black ops on all sorts of things. I'm just layman, so I'm putting what I think is going on.
There's the cabal, ultra rich scumbags with their obsession with power, money, and their dark worship of lucifesatan the moron, who happens to be "the prince of the AIR".
They took the Nazi's Bell UFO, which they backengineered stealing a ufo in Antarctica when they went there to search for oil and uranium but found the alien greys and giant bronzed entities who forbids them to drill for oil and uranium. How they took the ufo is not told.
So the US government took that ufo derived Nazi bell and uses it in their operations to abducts people, mutilates cattle, take their DNA, flesh, samples, whatever, for their own purposes, and be damned to people and cattle farmers.
They develops certain technologies, awful techs.
Two Face: The Grey was sanctioned by Australian government, to LEGITIMISES that there IS real "alien greys"... it's part of their agenda, with their bosses in the cabal scums.
Dr Steve Greer knows these cattle mutiliations are NOT by real aliens, if any. It is staged, faked by the black ops criminals. It's all part of their agenda, a sick agenda to frightens the world into submission to these cabal freaks, all for the sake of their insane new world odor ideology, run by a single scumbag at the top. That's clear enough.
These bigfoots that goes around murdering peopole after being dropped from ufos... clearly I sees through their lies... it's the black ops doing the same stupidities, same agenda, it's all slowly staged over the years, they are patient, no doubt of it, patiently building scenarios, in order to sow terror and fear in the public of these "creatures"...
Then there's the AI they worked on, developing AI until they gets their robots working, so they clothed those robots with the stolen DNA mixed with cattle and humans they abducted and mutiliated, created on conveyer belt, according to Dr Steve Greer. These AI programmed to kill, abduct, whatevers, anywhere dropped on certain places and carefully monitored to achieve the maximum effect, create panic, fear, terror in the populace.
The Grey in Sydney witnessed in the Sir NoFace documentary, to give it legitimacy, all part of the cabal agenda.
The bigfoots. The orbs. The ufos. The grays. Add them up.
What do you get? Let's not forget the Project Blue Beam idiocy they plans to projects holograms of ufos, huge seeming spacecrafts all over the skies, all to frighten the populace in every country, all for ONE agenda - to SCARE everyone into submission to their idea of UNITING MANKIND under ONE leader in their New World Odor ideology they so craved.
What does this reminds you? The bible gives some clues, despite the puns left there by the cryptojoos aka the cabal, aka the Phoenician Navy, as Miles W. Mathis exposed them for what they are.
Many WILL follows these lying criminals, and be doomed.
The few who refused to foillow their lies, will be saved.
So okay, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right, I do not know, but the clues are so glaringly obvious, when I saw the connections between all these things. It's insane. I hoped it's insane. BUT... the recent insane covid scamdemic, the obvious HUGE increase in the elites' wealth, and the less wealth for the rest of us... well, gee, I don't know, it seems like there's another scam, maybe, on the way.
Fricking greedy scumbags, they never quit, do they? Sighs. So tired of these shitstained morons meddling with our lives. They have no right, yet they assume they have our collective IMPLIED CONSENT to do whatever they wants to us, without our permission, without our say so. Such is their criminality. Such is their alien mindset, some kind of soulless psychopath mindset or some stupidities.
I can't help point all this out.
I hoped to God that I am wrong.
I hoped things are getting better for all of us, not the selected few who already have too much already.
But... yeah, the but... the world still seemed so effed up. It makes me thinks it's DELIBERATE. So tired of these negative-minded criminals, obsessing over controlling us, stupid obsessive control freaks that they are.
I don't understand their stupid mentality. I'll never understand them. They are so backward and upside down. Even inside out. Totally insane. I don't get it. Utter greed for power, more power, more power, more power, acting like BULLIES, Right Man Syndrome, King Crab Mentality, bossy freaks. And huge wealth, that they can never spend and get rid of in their short lifetimes. Stupid. We're all supposed to live happy lives, not miserable scraping by saving every cent while they lives high off the hogs and laughing at us. God damn them and their greedy empty soulless guts. Stupid freaks.
I am grateful Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and I'll always believed in Him, cos he offers us a way out of all these insane shits on this earth, and these stupid lucifesatan worshiping retards, ayuh.
So I'm not worried, anyways, no matter what evil shits going to happen, I puts on the Armour of God and nothing of these evil pricks can ever hurt us, ever. We are protected, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
31:25 minutes
Steve Ward, Bigfoot/UFO Researcher
“John Keel has kind of been a mentor of mine, even though I was never able to actually meet him. He wasn’t sure about some of the physicality of some of this. He thought the only real thing possibly about some of this phenomena where he called them the damnable meandering lights. He thought the light, the energy or whatever it is, was definitely real, but when people would see this, he thinks sometimes people were being programmed. Somebody would see a classic giant UFO, looking physical metal and nuts and bolts. Somebody else would see a hairy biped wander off into the woods. So he thinks that maybe people were, whatever it was, whether it was a separate intelligence creating this or just a natural result of whatever it was, people were seeing really illusions.”
(like cloaking devices, screens, hiding behind whatever images sent into viewers’ minds.)
But it wasn’t like they were crazy or imagining things. There was really some force behind it creating this. But furthermore, he talked about transmogrification. Now that’s not easy to say, but he thought that these things actually became temporarily physical at times, and that’s why you sometimes get footprints.”
(Yeah, some are five toes, some are four toes, and some are THREE toes. WEIRD! Easy to explain, cos no species ever have different numbers of toes! It means it’s faked, it’s nothing but costume dressing by the fallen “angels” demons deceiving us.)
“Sometimes some researchers, even classic researchers like Ron Moorhead, who started out looking at the Bigfoot phenomena as a physical phenomena, would go to these areas, find footprints, wander off to a certain point, and then stop, so something very strange is going on.”
(Not so strange, when you figures out their agenda.)
Reminds me of something the bible said: “For no marvel, Satan can masquerade as the light.” — Holy Bible.
Two Face: The Grey - chemtrails...
Let's not forget the chemtrails stupidities the powers-that-be thinks is such a great idea. Turns out it was done to cover up THEIR mistakes, their fuckups when the Big Oil industry drilled someplace and drilled so far down they hits the metal somewhere in the mantle, beyond the 7 mile limits that the soviet reached way back when in the K-someething peninsula, whatever.
Shits hits the fans when those metals, rocks, etc spits up from the hole destroying the drill in the process.
The atmosphere got fucked. So the powers-that-be figures the chemtrials spewed out by their planes will "save the world" so they be all heroic about it. Such is their stupid egos.
The other thing is, I think they uses their chemtrails to cools down the countries they lives in, and to hell with the other countries that suffers such extreme heat waves.
Could be wrong, could be plausible. I hoped I'm wrong, but damn, all these insanities are insane.