#Combined Joint Task Force

[ortadoguhaber-blog]

USCENTCOM Komutanı Suriye'de PKK ile Görüştü?

General Michael Kurilla Suriye’de PKK ile görüştü Bugün, 10 Aralık, General Kurilla, ABD askeri komutanlarını ve askerlerini, ayrıca Yenilgi-İŞİD ortaklarımız olan Suriye Demokratik Güçlerini Suriye’deki birçok üsde ziyaret etti. Güç koruma tedbirleri, hızla gelişen durum ve IŞİD’in mevcut durumu istismar etmesini önlemeye yönelik devam eden çabalar hakkında ilk elden değerlendirme aldı.…

[syntheticsymp]

tw: smut

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley only has one ball.

The other he had lost in some mission or other. He honestly couldn’t remember which. Every mission came with a fresh new batch of scars and missing flesh.

He never really felt self conscious about it. The one night stands he picked up didn’t seem to mind. In the moment, they had much bigger issues to think about.

But then Simon met you. His precious little bird. He settled down as much as he could, and for the first time in his life, he considered truly living. The transition to this mindset was slow and came with a plethora of thoughts. Most prominently, doubt.

The thick, hot spurts of cum he dumped deep inside you painted your walls, his juices combining with your own. By some miracle, you had convinced him to try for a kid. You had promised you wouldn’t let him become like his father. Though, he mainly agreed just so you’d have to rely on him for nine months.

Simon was silent as he fucked you, keeping you pinned beneath him. The only noise in the room was a harmony of your moans, which he ensured by keeping his fingers shoved in your mouth, and the sound of his ball slapping against that sweet spot by your clit.

It didn’t matter if the task force’s medic said he had a lower chance of fertility. If you wanted a baby, he would give you one. He’d give you the whole world, if you asked.

He came inside you over and over until you had lost count. Simon was not a man who did things half-assed. Being an operative for so long had taught him the importance of endurance.

His breaths came out in labored pants, looking just as half-dead as you. Exhausted was the nice way to describe the matching expression the two of you wore. Even Simon couldn’t continue. While he was young, his energy wasn’t limitless.

Pulling your sleepy body into his arms, he pulled the covers over the two of you. He pressed his thick fingers into your cunt, just to ensure the seed he had so carefully dumped inside you wouldn’t spill out during the night, earning him a small whimper from your lips.

It was Heaven. The broken soldier had found his own little Angel.

“Get some sleep,” he grumbled into your ear.

You didn't have to be told twice. Your breathing slowed, turning rhythmic.

Simon, however, stayed awake a moment longer.

There was something still vying for his attention.

The little green jar on his shelf, one of the only objects in your joint home that he had bothered to bring with him, contained his lost ball. Floating there, mocking him.

Oh, he would show you.

He would keep fucking you until your next pregnancy test came back with those two sweet little lines. Having a family meant you’d stay with him. It meant you were his.

And damn, if he didn’t like the sound of that.

[alisha-on-arcane]

It's a cliche 'cos it's true: forgiveness and the cycle of violence in Arcane

I do think a lot of Zaun-aligned Arcane fans find the themes of forgiveness quite hard, particularly forgiveness when great wrong has been done. But.... it's not really forgiveness if no wrong has been done, is it? And by season 2, there's some major forgiveness needed. Piltover's Council has done Zaun wrong, and Zaunites have committed terrorist attacks against Piltover citizens who weren't responsible for the actions of their government. The whole situation there is so messed up that any attempt to allocate justice will most likely create new aggressors out of innocent people on both sides, as Jayce's attack led to Renni's attack, and Renni's (and Jinx's) attacks led to Caitlyn's attacks, and Caitlyn's use of the Gray led to Jinx rerouting it back to Piltover's citizens...

The Jinx - Vi storyline is not really relevant to that. It's nice that the sisters reached first a sort of peace (Jinx watching Vi at the pit fights, betting on her but not coming to talk) and then finally resumed a sort of relationship. But then Jinx just died / left, so all that really happened from the forgiveness was that they both got some closure. That's a great resolution for individual people who can simply get over one another, but it doesn't work for cities that are geographically next to each other. They share a water supply! They could have different governments, but those governments would still have to work together.

The storyline relevant to that is Zaundads. I still think it's weirdly out of character to give Silco (even blissed-out and somewhat inebriated AU Silco) the line "the greatest thing we can do in life is to forgive", but it works thematically. Because what Vander did to Silco was unforgiveable (seriously, rewatch the drowning scene), and no sane person would advise Silco to resume that relationship. But we also know that main timeline Silco was miserably hung up on Vander until his dying day, while AU Silco apparently gets Vander making him cocktails every evening and doing unspeakably pleasant things with him every night. Forgiveness might not be deserved by Vander, but it certainly was the best thing for Silco to do for himself.

... and that's the way with the two populations at war, isn't it? I'm sure the Silco-Vander reconciliation was nowhere near as simple as 'Silco reads the letter, forgives' (for one thing I don't think Silco would have, or should have, simply abandoned his Shimmer plans). And the new combined Piltover-Zaun Council has huge arguments ahead of it, and will probably never reach gazing-into-one-anothers'-eyes-lovingly levels of amity. I bloody well hope their first agenda items are a huge Zaun infrastructure bill, an agreement on more equitable policing, and a joint task force to legalise medical Shimmer. It's unlikely. But I still think that like Silco and Vander, they can build a happier future by working together than apart. They don't really have any good alternatives.

[judgemark45]

Coral Sea (June 14, 2005) - The conventionally powered aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and the guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) receives fuel during a replenishment at sea from the Royal Australian Navy auxiliary oiler replenishment ship HMAS Success (AOR 304). Kitty Hawk is currently operating in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia's Queensland region as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2005. Talisman Sabre is an exercise jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and Australian Defense Force Joint Operations Command, and designed to train the U.S. Seventh Fleet commander's staff and Australian Joint Operations staff as a designated Combined Task Force (CTF) headquarters. The exercise focuses on crisis action planning and execution of contingency response operations. U.S. Pacific Command units and Australian forces will conduct land, sea and air training throughout the training area. More than 11,000 U.S. and 6,000 Australian personnel will participate. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class William H. Ramsey (RELEASED)

[rev-draws]

Call of Duty OC : Xochitl "Pidge" Magdalena Ortiz

Fiercely loyal, resourceful, and compassionate but also deeply guarded due to her traumatic past, Pidge carries a quiet strength, expressing herself more through action than words. Rescued by Captain Price as a teen, Pidge considers him a primary figure in her life and credits him, alongside Alejandro Vargas, for shaping her into the soldier she is today, making her a formidable addition to taskforce 141.

General:

Name: Xochitl Magdalena Ortiz

Alias: "Pidge" (given to her by Captain Price)

Date of Birth: September 16, 1994

Age: 28

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 210 lbs

Blood Type: AB

Race/Ethnicity: Latina

Country of Origin: Mexico

Affiliation: Mexican Special Forces (Fuerzas Especiales), Task Force 141

Rank: Sergeant

Appearance:

Eye Color: jade green

Hair Color: raven black

Height: 5' 6" (167 cm)

Scars: (pictured above) Xochitl has various scars from her time in the fighting ring, most notably her hands, as well as others around her body from her time on the field.

Tattoos: (pictured above) Her most notable tattoo is the large pair of wings accentuating her mid back and shoulders.

Build: Athletic with a sturdy, muscular frame, reflecting her strength and agility

Fancast: Stephanie Beatriz

Favorites:

Color: sunset orange

Food: pozole

Drink: agua de jamaica and black coffee

Flower: marigold

Pastimes: boxing, weightlifting, smoking, journaling

Skills and Abilities:

Preferred weapon(s): Sniper rifle

Special skills: Close-Quarters Combat (CQC) Pidge is swift and calculated, using her smaller stature and agility to outmaneuver larger opponents. With a combination of joint locks and throws, she incorporates techniques to disarm or disable opponents quickly, using their momentum against them.

Fighting style: Strong foundation in hand-to-hand combat and situational awareness.

Survival Instincts: Her experience surviving extreme hardships as a child honed her ability to adapt to unpredictable situations. Relies on quick reflexes, creativity, and unconventional tactics.

Boxing and Kickboxing: Uses sharp, deliberate punches and low, sweeping kicks to destabilize opponents.

Krav Maga Influence: Practical techniques aimed at disarming, disabling, or neutralizing threats efficiently.

Focus on Pressure Points: Targets vulnerable areas like the throat, knees, and ribs for maximum impact.

Personality:

Myers Briggs Type: ISFJ (The Defender) Pidge is naturally reserved and introspective, often communicating more through her actions than words. She tends to keep her emotions and thoughts private, relying on a small circle of trusted individuals. She can also be highly detail-oriented, practical and grounded, focusing on the present moment and the tangible realities of her missions. Her sharp observational skills allow her to read her environment and the people around her with precision.

Deeply empathetic and loyal: prioritizes the well-being of her loved ones and teammates. Her moral compass is strong, guiding her decisions and actions even in the harshest circumstances. She shows compassion, particularly towards vulnerable individuals like young children.

Adaptable Under Pressure: Although she prefers structure, her military training and survival instincts enable her to remain calm and resourceful in unpredictable situations.

Negative Traits:

Emotional Guardedness/Struggles with Vulnerability: Pidge often hides her deeper emotions, fearing judgment or being perceived as weak.

Difficulty Asking for Help: Her self-reliance sometimes prevents her from seeking support, leading to unnecessary stress or burnout.

Stubbornness: While her determination is usually a strength, it can turn into inflexibility, causing her to push herself or others too hard.

Residual Trauma: Due to her traumatic past, Pidge is constantly on edge, always scanning for potential threats. While this is useful in her line of work, it can also prevent her from fully relaxing or enjoying peaceful moments.

Tendency to Bottle Emotions: When she suppresses her feelings for too long, Pidge might have sudden emotional outbursts, which can catch others off guard. She tends to internalize negative emotions, letting them fester rather than addressing them head-on.

Background Story:

Born in a small village in Mexico, Xochitl’s early years were marked by tragedy and hardship. With her hometown overrun by rising cartels, she was caught in the crossfire of many rival gangs, taken by a human trafficking ring and was subjected to unimaginable abuse. As part of an underground fighting ring, Xochitl was forced to fight and survive, her combat skills sharpened at the cost of the many young lives she had to fight against.

The underground fighting ring turned children into killers. Every week, the cartel ran gambling rings on their "fighters"—children pitted against one another to the death. Xochitl learned quickly. The first fight nearly killed her, but the desire to survive burned brighter than the fear. At 16, she was rescued during a military operation led by John Price. Upon reaching the base of operations, it was unusually quiet. Price's team managed to find a cell filled with young girls, many of them weak and afraid, but still alive. With no sign of any cartel members, Price found it unusual, and went to investigate, only to find a horrific sight before him. Inside one of the darker cells, was the silhouette of a young woman, drenched and sitting in a pool of blood with the bodies of 4 cartel members surrounding her. With her back turned to him, he approached her quietly, but was met with a pair of jade green eyes, wide and seemingly cutting through the darkness. With heavy and ragged breaths, she revealed her name. Xochitl. After sitting with her for a few minutes, Price managed to gain her trust, freeing her from the house of horrors she grew fighting in. Price was baffled to see someone so young manage to take down 4 grown men on her own, saving the other young girls in the process. To him, she wasn't a monster. She was a hero. A fighter.

Though physically free, Xochitl struggled to trust others and rarely spoke. With no information on her family, Price took her under his wing instead of having her placed in some horrid orphanage, until she was 18, eventually joining the Mexican Special Forces (Fuerzas Especiales), under the guide of Colonel Alejandro Vargas, earning recognition for her unmatched skill set and loyalty.

After 10 years, Xochitl became a formidable member of the Mexican Special Forces, reaching the ranks of sergeant. Her jade eyes continue to carry the many lives she had taken all those years ago. With her expertise behind the scope and her close combat skills, she keeps her team safe by keeping a keen watch from above. As the events in Las Almas, Mexico unfold, Xochitl becomes a close ally to Ghost and Soap, earning mutual respect from each other. With her intimidating silence and quiet movements through the shadows, it wasn't long until Ghost began to grow intrigued by her sheer determination.

Trivia:

According to Captain Price, Xochitl had often prayed to God as a child, asking to be turned into a bird so she could fly far away, thus earning her the name "Pidge."

Price has also stated that she was quite the troublemaker, oftentimes getting into trouble and even having to bail her out of a Mexican Prison

True to her callsign, Pidge has an uncanny habit of finding high vantage points (trees, high rise buildings, etc.) whether in combat or just to think.

Pidge is terrified of severe storms, a result of her traumatic childhood. She also has an irrational fear of moths.

Pidge is afraid to close her eyes in the shower.

Pidge sometimes plays guitar and sings, but does it in private.

Pidge has an uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere, no matter how uncomfortable it may seem.

Before every mission, she silently prays for her teams safety while holding her cross necklace.

Notable Quotes:

"Sometimes, all we need is a little freedom to soar."

"A bird in a cage is still a bird, but one that fights to fly... that's me."

"I’ve faced monsters before. They taught me how to be one—but I choose not to be."

----------------------------------------------------------

Credit to @sleepyconfusedpotato for the format inspiration 💖

[dronescapesvideos]

Convair XFY Pogo Experimental Cold War Aircraft. The early 50s 🎥 VIDEO: https://youtu.be/f1ACLMhO9Ak

🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme

🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme

Following World War II, the need for practical Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) combat aircraft became a priority, and the Convair XFY-1 Pogo stands out as a prime example of these early efforts. While the British eventually achieved success with the Hawker-Siddeley Harrier, the United States explored numerous VTOL designs. The vulnerability of fixed airfields to enemy attacks, both from land and air, as well as the risks faced by aircraft carriers (highlighted by Japanese kamikaze attacks), fueled this pursuit. Recognizing the limitations of assigning carrier task forces to every defensive need, the U.S. Navy, inspired by the practicality of helicopters demonstrated by the Army Air Forces and Navy during the war, began considering VTOL interceptors for deployment on various non-carrier ships.

This led to Project Hummingbird in 1947, a joint U.S. Air Force and Navy design study. Building upon this data and insights from captured German Focke-Wulf Triebflugel technology, the Navy formally launched a VTOL fighter program in 1948. The objective was to create an aircraft capable of vertical launch and recovery from destroyers, LSTs, fleet oilers, transports, and other large vessels not equipped for conventional planes. The vision was that these VTOL fighters could independently protect their host ships or combine to defend larger naval formations.

After four years of investigation, the Navy awarded contracts to Convair and Lockheed in May 1951 to develop, construct, and test experimental VTOL fighters. Although both companies were slated to produce two prototypes, only one Lockheed XFV-1 and one Convair XFY-1 Pogo were ultimately built. Notably, the XFV-1 never achieved vertical takeoff and landing, largely because the Navy allocated the sole engine capable of both vertical and horizontal flight to Convair. In contrast, the XFY-1 Pogo successfully executed vertical takeoffs and landings, as well as seamless transitions to horizontal flight and back, demonstrating its capabilities numerous times, thanks in part to its innovative design.

[freeonlineworkouts]

TRX Beginner Workout Benefits

A TRX (Total Body Resistance Exercise) beginner workout offers a wide range of benefits, making it an excellent choice for those new to fitness or looking to diversify their routine. TRX uses suspension straps anchored to a stable point, allowing you to use your body weight as resistance. Here are the key benefits of a TRX beginner workout:

1. Full-Body Workout

Benefit: TRX exercises engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, providing a comprehensive full-body workout.

Example: Exercises like TRX rows, squats, and planks target your arms, back, core, and legs in one session.

2. Improves Core Strength

Benefit: Many TRX exercises require stabilization, which activates your core muscles.

Example: Moves like TRX planks or pikes force your core to work harder to maintain balance.

3. Low-Impact and Joint-Friendly

Benefit: TRX workouts are low-impact, reducing stress on your joints compared to weightlifting or high-intensity exercises.

Example: Suspension training allows for controlled movements, making it ideal for beginners or those with joint issues.

4. Builds Functional Strength

Benefit: TRX exercises mimic real-life movements, improving your strength for daily activities.

Example: Exercises like TRX lunges and chest presses enhance your ability to perform tasks like lifting, pushing, and pulling.

5. Enhances Flexibility and Mobility

Benefit: The dynamic nature of TRX exercises improves your range of motion and flexibility.

Example: Stretching exercises like TRX hamstring stretches or chest openers help increase flexibility.

6. Scalable for All Fitness Levels

Benefit: TRX workouts can be easily modified to match your fitness level by adjusting your body angle or stance.

Example: Beginners can start with a more upright position for TRX rows and progress to a more challenging angle as they get stronger.

7. Improves Balance and Stability

Benefit: Suspension training forces your body to stabilize itself, improving balance and coordination.

Example: Exercises like TRX single-leg squats or balance lunges challenge your stability.

8. Portable and Convenient

Benefit: TRX straps are lightweight and portable, allowing you to work out anywhere.

Example: You can anchor TRX straps to a door, tree, or sturdy beam for a workout at home, in the park, or while traveling.

9. Burns Calories and Promotes Weight Loss

Benefit: TRX workouts are effective for burning calories and boosting metabolism.

Example: A 30-minute TRX session can burn between 200-300 calories, depending on intensity.

10. Builds Muscle Endurance

Benefit: TRX exercises often involve high repetitions, which improve muscle endurance over time.

Example: Exercises like TRX push-ups or bicep curls performed in sets help build endurance.

11. Encourages Proper Form and Technique

Benefit: TRX exercises require controlled movements, which helps beginners learn proper form and reduce the risk of injury.

Example: TRX rows teach proper back and shoulder engagement, promoting good posture.

12. Boosts Cardiovascular Fitness

Benefit: When performed in a circuit or with minimal rest, TRX workouts can elevate your heart rate, improving cardiovascular health.

Example: A TRX circuit combining squats, rows, and planks with short rest periods can provide a cardio boost.

13. Increases Mind-Body Connection

Benefit: TRX workouts require focus and coordination, enhancing your mind-body connection.

Example: Balancing during TRX exercises forces you to concentrate on your movements and breathing.

14. Versatile and Fun

Benefit: TRX offers endless exercise variations, keeping your workouts fresh and engaging.

Example: You can switch between strength, cardio, and flexibility exercises in one session.

Sample TRX Beginner Workout

Here’s a simple TRX beginner workout to get started:

TRX Rows (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

TRX Chest Press (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

TRX Squats (3 sets of 12-15 reps)

TRX Plank (Hold for 30-60 seconds)

TRX Hamstring Curls (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

Conclusion

A TRX beginner workout is an effective, low-impact way to build strength, improve flexibility, and enhance overall fitness. Its versatility and scalability make it suitable for all fitness levels, while its focus on functional movements ensures real-world benefits. Whether trx new to exercise or looking to add variety to your routine, TRX is a great option to consider!

[usafphantom2]

Stealth bombers land precision strike against Houthi militia

Nov. 22, 2024

240909-F-SZ986-1384

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber conducts a touch and go maneuver after a Bomber Task Force mission at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, Australia, Sept. 6, 2024. Bomber missions enhance readiness to respond to any potential crisis or challenge in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Hetlage)

Photo Details / Download Hi-Res

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --

On Oct. 16, B-2 Spirit long-range bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, conducted precision strikes against five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The use of the B-2s showcased the U.S.'s global strike capabilities and ability to take action against these targets anytime, anywhere.

“As the warfighting component to U.S. Strategic Command, our Airmen and aircraft are ready to respond anytime, anywhere,” said Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost, 8th Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center (J-GSOC) commander.

Every B-2 mission is a total force mission, and the air strike conducted on October 16 was no exception. The 509th Bomb Wing, 131st BW, and the J-GSOC played a significant role during the strikes.

At Whiteman AFB, Total Force Airmen comprising Air National Guard and active-duty Airmen worked side-by-side in all facets of operations, maintenance, planning, logistics and support to put the world’s only stealth bombers in the air and bring them home safely.

"This mission was the result of hard work, long hours, and dedication by many across the installation,” said Col. Keith J. Butler, 509th BW commander. “Once again Team Whiteman answered the nation's call with precision, professionalism and outstanding performance.”

Meanwhile in the J-GSOC, planners went to work to develop courses of action incorporating all aspects of the long-range strike mission, including a vast array of support and intelligence requirements and coordination across six combatant commands. According to J-GSOC planners, CONUS-based strike operations like this are among the most complex in the air-planning repertoire, requiring precise command and control, airlift, aerial refueling, logistics and airspace deconfliction, all while maintaining strict operational security across multiple organizations."

“I couldn’t be more proud of the dedication, professionalism and hard work the men and women of the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center displayed to support strike operations on October 16,” said Armagost. “Whether we are called upon to conduct indefinite strategic deterrence operations or execute decisive global strikes, the J-GSOC will remain agile and ready.”

The active-duty and Guard partnership is integral to a combined ability to deliver credible deterrence to adversaries, and global strike capability in support of national objectives.

In addition to loading and launching aircraft and tactical planning and execution by 131st maintenance and operations Airmen at Whiteman AFB, at Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station in St. Louis, the 157th Air Operations Group provided worldwide support to the development and delivery of multi-domain effects for the operation, as the 257th Combat Operations Flight leveraged its global strike capabilities to ensure lethal and survivable implementation of presidential directed operations.

“This was a team effort in all aspects of the mission and our Missouri Guard Airmen contributed every step of the way,” said Col. Jared Kennish, 131st BW commander. “The total force relationships the 131st BW has built with our active-duty counterparts proved decisive for a successful mission."

The strike demonstrated the B-2's combined capability of long range, large payload, low-observability, and advanced precision weapons, proving that it is one of the most advanced airframes in the world.

"We continue to stay ready and on October 16th we showed the world a peek of what Team Whiteman can do," Butler expounded to the members of Whiteman AFB. “Team Whiteman is an elite, highly disciplined team, consisting of Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, civilians and contractors working in unison to deliver global strike… anytime, anywhere.”

@Whiteman.AF.Mil

[checkoutmybookshelf]

...Are We the Bad Guys?

Guys...I was going to be good. I was going to finish a chapter last night and call it good and go to bed. That...SUPER did not happen, because the last few chapters of this book happened which meant that I was just fully up half the night finishing it and I HAVE THOUGHTS. So with that for preamble, let's talk Fourth Wing.

THIS IS A SPOILER-IFIC REVIEW BELOW THE BREAK because I wanna talk about a couple things...so be warned.

Ok, so the TL;DR on Fourth Wing is that it's a romantasy in a military training camp for dragon riders that is full-on enemies to lovers with a protagonist with a disability that reads like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). It's also very good, I basically inhaled the book around work and life. I also have THOUGHTS about this book.

Violet Sorrengail is our disabled protagonist, and the daughter of General Lillith Sorrengail was supposed to be a scribe, but her mother basically forces her into trying to become a dragon rider, with everyone from Vi's older sister Mira to her childhood best friend and fellow trainee Dain Aetos think will kill her because she is--as everyone in the damn book describes her--fragile. She obviously does not die, but put a pin in Dain for a second, because we're coming back to his ass after we talk about Vi and how disability was handled in this book.

I am...objectively kind of torn on how this book handles Vi's EDS. On the one hand, I am very much here for getting rid of the idea that a disabled protagonist doesn't belong in any type of story you want to tell, up to and including the ones that involve "graduate or die" styles of training camps. Disability is everywhere, and I am so, so very cool with disrupting the stereotype that disabled protagonists either cannot be in these stories or have to die at the end--and Vi is gloriously alive and kicking at the end of the book.

That said...there are like...hard ceilings and absolute limits on what you can push a body to do, and Vi...kind of doesn't hit EDS-related hard limits in a significant way. Some of that is because she works smarter not harder (poisoning her challenges is flippin' inspired), but some of it is also framed in the book as Vi exercising to strengthen her joints and being creative in executing tasks and challenges, which are great and can absolutely alleviate some symptoms. But then she also refuses the magical healing that has kept her functional (not cured, which I appreciate, just functional) for most of her life to avoid the appearance of weakness. So for someone with a chronic illness that also involves a HELL of a lot of pain and joint issues, this read to me like a combination of toxic strength and refusing actual medical care in favor of like...exercising the symptoms away? And while exercise can absolutely help, it being the only thing combined with bailing on medical treatment read really toxic. I feel like a combination of sneaky care hidden from the other cadets and the exercise might have been less toxic feeling. I know that everyone's bodies are different, and some people can probably manage with exercise, but I do not love the vibe I was getting of "sheer grit and exercise can completely replace medical assistance in managing physical disabilities so you don't look weak to people around you."

To be VERY clear: Needing medical assistance to function has no moral value. Needing it to have the best possible quality of life has no moral value. And I don't love when stories put a moral value on physical strength without medical intervention.

I did appreciate that Vi simply could not physically hold her seat on her dragon by brute strength alone, and that she was accommodated with a saddle with actual straps. And the book does go out of its way to highlight that Vi's moral courage and intelligence are ultimately more valuable to the people and dragons who love her than her physical ability. I just could have done without the firing her mender to avoid looking weak.

And this is where we remember that we put a freaking pin in Dain Aetos, because JFC I have not wanted to reach into a book and punch a fictional character as much as I have Dain in a LONG time. Dain spends the ENTIRE book cutting Vi's confidence out from under her because he's convinced she is too physically weak to survive in the Rider's Quadrant and that he's going to have to watch her die. He says this after she survives the parapet. He says this after she survives having her shoulder ripped to shreds in the physical assessment. He says this after she survives the Gauntlet. After she survives Threshing. After she has BONDED NOT ONLY THE BIGGEST MOST BADASS DRAGON IN THE VALE BUT ALSO A SECOND ADORABLE DRAGON. Dain literally has zero faith in Vi's abilities and instead of helping her survive, he actively gets in the way of her physical and emotional growth. I wanted to PUNCH this man in his smug-ass paternalistic fucking face.

And no, y'all, the whole "I would be absolutely destroyed if I had to watch you die because your body can't handle the environment" is in no way an excuse or even acceptable. It's paternalistic and shitty and moves the focus from VI'S ACTUAL LIFE to his man pain. We don't fucking have that in this house.

In fairness, the book also calls Dain out on this. Everyone from Xaden to Tairn spends the book bitching about how Dain isn't helping Vi. The fact that it's mostly the men around Vi bitching about how they're affecting or not affecting her life and choices isn't my favorite thing either, but I'll take the book calling out at least some toxic paternalistic bullshit, especially where it comes to wrapping girls with disabilities in bubble wrap and trying to put them on shelves against their will.

This also facilitates Dain and Xadens' narrative chiasmus (crossing over). Dain starts as the childhood best friend that Vi wants, and ends up worse than anything he ever accused Xaden of. Xaden, of course, starts out as the literal black-hatted villain with every reason to want to murder Vi himself and ends up as the boyfriend. I did appreciate that little narrative peice, because it was pretty well executed throughout, and Vi having feelings about it was very fun to watch.

The other thing about this book that was stunningly well done was the worldbuilding. Rarely do I see "oh shit, we're the bad guys" done this well, and with this many dragons. It was a ton of fun, and I will absolutely be picking up Iron Flame when it comes out in November. I cannot wait to see what's in store for Vi, Xaden, Dain, and Navarre in general.

[soulofjuche]

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Inspects Combined Tactical Drill of Different Arms Conducted under Training Course of Conference of Training Officers of KPA

Pyongyang, May 14 (KCNA) -- A combined tactical drill of special operations sub-units for surpassing the standards for an all-mission battalion and a match and joint fire strike drill demonstration of tankmen's sub-units were held on May 13 as a demonstration drill under the training course of the Conference of Training Officers of the Korean People's Army.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, visited Training Camp No. 60 of the Capital City Defence Corps of the KPA and watched the tactical drill demonstrations of different arms held under the training course of the conference of training officers.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was greeted on the spot by No Kwang Chol, minister of National Defence of the DPRK, Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, Jong Kyong Thaek, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, and other leading commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and military and political commanding officers of large combined units of the KPA.

Before watching the drill, Kim Jong Un acquainted himself with the functions and components of the training base and appreciated that all conditions are well provided for properly conducting various tactical drills of sub-units as befitting a multi-functional combined training base.

He watched various tactical drill demonstrations together with commanding officers of the KPA at the observation post.

Also watching the demonstrations were the participants in the Conference of the Training Officers of the KPA.

The combat training department of the KPA General Staff explained to the spectators the forms, methods and contents of various tactical drills and matches.

Various tactical drills conducted by special operations sub-units for surpassing the standards for all-mission battalion and the match between tankmen's sub-units held afterwards aroused the visitors' special interest.

Kim Jong Un said that scientific combat training systems have been established throughout the whole army as our Party set forth the five-point policy for effecting a revolution in training and paid close attention to thoroughly establishing a climate of prioritizing training at all levels of the KPA, strengthening the integral system of organizing, judging and reviewing training and putting main stress on war-like training in keeping with the developing aspects and changing trend of modern warfare. He affirmatively appreciated that this has promoted substantial changes in the training sector and the strengthening and development of combat capability of units and sub-units.

And he continued:

Amid the training matches of different services and arms being held in an innovative way in various spheres to cope with the actual war, changes have begun to take place in the understanding of the officials in the training sector. The fundamental change in the viewpoint on training will play a great role in cultivating the high combat spirit of our service personnel, perfecting the military and technical preparations and improving the combat efficiency and effectiveness of our weapon systems, and this serves as a potential driving force for developing our armed forces' capability to fight a war to the full.

Our revolutionary armed forces are now in charge of not a few fronts, but the most important among them is the anti-imperialist class front and making full preparations for war is their most crucial task, Combat drill to turn all the levels of the army into elite ranks that are thoroughgoing and perfect in executing any order is the first revolutionary task.

In order to implement the Party's military strategic plan for putting the special operations forces on all-mission arms of services and all-mission specialists basis, it is important to launch a vigorous revolutionary movement to surpass the standards for an all-mission battalion.

Modern warfare is a showdown between military talents and war of commanding officers' brains. In order to firmly maintain and strengthen the qualitative superiority of our army, all combat drills should be organized on the principle of enhancing the initiative, independence and creativity of commanding officers and practical brain drills and actual maneuverings be intensified.

The secure prospect of building a powerful army desired by our Party is provided on the training front, and the combat preparedness of the KPA is completed and guaranteed first by the training sector. To this end, it is necessary to decisively improve the quality of military education and put the main emphasis on educating and strengthening the ranks of training officers.

He then underlined the need to perfect in all aspects the training apparatuses and elements of training grounds for preparing all levels of our armed forces for modern warfare as required by the reality that urgently demands their qualitative change, to introduce IT and scientific judgment systems into training, and to renew the training system in keeping with the developing trend of the new century.

That day, he met the combatants of the sub-unit under the 11th Corps of the KPA, who surpassed the standards for all-mission battalion, and appreciated and warmly encouraged them, saying that they played the role as vanguard fighters in bringing about a revolution in training and as model in rounding off the war preparations. Then he had a photo taken with them.

He clarified the tasks for fundamentally improving the contents, forms and methods of operations and combat drills in the training sector and making the training part of life, habit and mental quality of the service personnel in order to prepare the KPA to be an army that is capable of fighting a war any time, an army that wins without fail if it fights, and for expanding its strategic potential as a powerful army.

Hoping that the seventh conference of training officers will serve as an occasion for bringing about an epochal leap forward in further enhancing the qualifications and abilities of all the training officers, he extended militant encouragement to all the participants in the conference.

[dr-octavio-kalev]

TW: Violence/gore, animal harming, body horror

ANM-682: "Laughing Swine"

Danger Level: RHTL (Rural Horror Threat Level) 🌲 | Uncontained ❌️

Insalubrity Level: 40%

Lead Researcher: Dr. Öctavio Kalev

Anomaly Type: Rural, predatory, bestial

Containment: ANM-682 is currently uncontrolled and highly dangerous. Due to its rural and remote nature, containment efforts are focused on monitoring rural areas in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and along the division between Piauí and Ceará. All reports of nocturnal attacks or sightings of giant pigs should be immediately investigated by the Elite Task Force "Foxhound" and the "Sewer Worms" Task Force, specialized in rural anomalies.

Local authorities and the public should be misled with stories of a dangerous escaped animal and should not approach or engage with ANM-682 under any circumstances. A network of Institute secret agents must be positioned in key villages and towns to track ANM-682’s movements and report any anomalies. Due to the difficulty of conventional tracking methods, a joint task force is working on developing a specialized tracking system based on pheromones.

If ANM-682 is found, personnel must maintain a distance of at least 200 meters and avoid all direct visual and auditory contact with the humanoid entity residing in ANM-682-1.

Description: ANM-682 consists of two distinct entities, identified as ANM-682-1 and ANM-682-2.

ANM-682-1 is a large, abnormally large pig, approximately 3 meters long and weighing over 1,200 kg. Its abdomen is crudely stitched with thick, rusted wire, indicating a recent and likely amateur attempt at surgery. ANM-682-1's skin is heavily scarred and discolored, displaying patches of necrotic tissue and purulent wounds, emitting a nauseating stench that can cause nausea and dizziness in those nearby.

The primary anomalous property of ANM-682-1 is its ability to sustain ANM-682-2, which resides within its abdominal cavity. ANM-682-1 appears to be in a constant state of distress, producing low, painful grunts interspersed with sharp squeals whenever ANM-682-2 is active. Despite its apparent suffering, ANM-682-1 is highly aggressive and will attack anyone approaching within a 50-meter radius, using its considerable bulk to trample, bite, or headbutt its targets.

ANM-682-2 is a human with severe physical disabilities, estimated to be in its late 30s, measuring approximately 1.50m. ANM-682-2 suffers from a multitude of chronic illnesses and physical deformities, including polio, genu recurvatum (backward-bent knees), and severe malnutrition. It is covered in scar tissue and old wounds, indicating long-term physical trauma.

ANM-682-2 is characterized by a continuous high-pitched laugh, similar to a pig's squeal, which it emits constantly while inside ANM-682-1. This laughter has a profound psychological effect on those who hear it, inducing severe anxiety, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations in exposed individuals. These symptoms usually escalate to full-blown psychosis if exposure exceeds 10 minutes.

During nighttime hours (between 21:00 and 04:00 local time), ANM-682-2 will exit ANM-682-1 through a large, torn cut in its abdomen. Covered in blood and organic fluids, ANM-682-2 will begin stalking rural communities, searching for human prey. It exhibits extreme agility and speed despite its physical disabilities, moving with an abnormally fluid and rapid gait, often running quadrupedally due to its bent knees.

ANM-682-2 is known to enter the homes of sleeping individuals, where it attacks them in their beds, targeting the limbs and facial features of its victims. ANM-682-2’s jaw is abnormally developed, capable of exerting immense pressure and chewing through bone and resistant organic material. This, combined with its resistance to damage, suggests a form of adaptation to its horrific dietary habits.

After consuming a sufficient amount of human flesh, ANM-682-2 will return to ANM-682-1 and forcibly re-enter its abdominal cavity. ANM-682-1 will then flee the scene, usually disappearing into densely forested or isolated areas.

Addendum 682-1: Incident Log

Incident 682-07-A:

Date: 08/23/2023

Location: Rural community near Montes Claros, Minas Gerais.

Description: Several reports of loud, animalistic laughter were received by local police over three nights. The following morning, the mutilated bodies of three farmers were discovered in their homes. The victims exhibited extensive trauma to the shoulders and face, consistent with ANM-682-2’s attack patterns. Surveillance footage captured ANM-682-2 entering one of the houses, but as usual, the image quality was too poor to provide useful identification. Agents on-site confirmed ANM-682's presence, and containment efforts were initiated.

Incident 682-09-B:

Date: 09/15/2023

Location: Surroundings of Bom Jesus do Piauí.

Description: A family of five was attacked in their sleep by ANM-682-2. The father, who survived the encounter, described ANM-682-2 as “the devil itself, with twisted legs, a mouth full of broken teeth, long hair, and exposed ribs, laughing like a pig.” Despite severe injuries, he managed to fend off ANM-682-2 with a shotgun, causing the entity to quickly retreat into a nearby forest. ANM-682-1 was seen retreating into dense brush shortly after.

Addendum 682-2: Psychological Effects

Extensive testing with Subject P personnel exposed to recordings of ANM-682-2’s laughter revealed a consistent pattern of psychological degradation. Subjects reported auditory hallucinations, including the sound of pigs grunting and human screams, even after the audio was stopped. Prolonged exposure led to violent outbursts, self-harm, and in two cases, suicide.

It is currently theorized that ANM-682-2’s laughter functions as a memetic hazard, potentially linked to the anomalous properties of ANM-682-1. Further research into the nature of this phenomenon is ongoing.

Addendum 682-3: Containment Efforts

Efforts to capture ANM-682-1 and ANM-682-2 have been unsuccessful. ANM-682-1 is believed to be capable of traveling long distances at high speeds, making tracking and capture extremely difficult. Current containment protocols are focused on minimizing civilian casualties and monitoring affected regions for signs of ANM-682’s presence.

Institute personnel are advised to approach all encounters with ANM-682 with extreme caution. Under no circumstances should there be direct contact with ANM-682-2. Any personnel exposed to ANM-682-2’s laughter must undergo immediate psychological evaluation and amnestic treatment as necessary.

[dream-as-life]

I've been thinking a lot since I finished watching the show just how dirty they did Ben u know? Like man had to literally take a position as the second in hand in the police task while Gedeon spent most of the time being somewhere else but doing his job because he left everything to him.

BUT (and that's what makes me feel a lot for the poor man) Ben also had to take the very same position when being with Ellie and almost finishing the show he literally took a bullet because he hadn't enough the time to react and also happened to be in the wrong place and the wrong time (in fact he was doing his job, but things would've been waaaaayyy too different had Ellie been there).

And that's what makes me mad like why????? Was it necessary for the plot? ABSOLUTELY NOT bc his dead didn't change anything so mfs decided to just kill unnecessarily the most decent character (although I can also count Thomas, Sven and maybe Pia) that had more braincells than his bosses combined.

Although Ben wasn't alone bc something similar happened with Ellie and Thomas, but in this case Ellie was the obsessed one with being in charge, yet Thomas also kinda took the same place as Ben. So they obviously have become best buddies almost on and off joint forces because they had to deal with their shitty bosses and their fucked up attitudes + losing braincells with their tantrums.

But still man deserved a raise and a better ending

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

Project2025 #TechBros #CorpMedia #Oligarchs #MegaBanks vs #Union #Occupy #NoDAPL #BLM #SDF #DACA #MeToo #Humanity #FeelTheBern

JinJiyanAzadi #BijiRojava Syrian Democratic Forces, Coalition Begin Phase 2 of Operation Roundup [UPDATE]

Syrian Democratic Forces have initiated ground operations for phase two of Operation Roundup to defeat Islamic State of Iraq and Syria remnants in northeastern Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials announced today…

RELATED UPDATE: Operation Roundup 7 June 18 Dashisha Strike

https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/videoid/606351/dvpTag/Roundup/

RELATED UPDATE: Syria: SDF launches assault on ISIS remnants in Hajin

RELATED UPDATE: US troops are leaving, but ISIS is not defeated in Syria

RELATED UPDATE: CJTF-OIR reflects on significant military gains, fighting ISIS in 2018

https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/NEWS-ARTICLES/News-Article-View/Article/1725931/cjtf-oir-reflects-on-significant-military-gains-fighting-isis-in-2018/

RELATED UPDATE: From the Tundra to the Desert: Alaska’s 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division Deploys to Iraq

RELATED UPDATE: Tehran: Azim Yadegari, One of the Detainees of the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” Uprising, Arrested to Serve a 10-Year Sentence and Transferred to Ilam Prison

RELATED UPDATE: YJK-S 9th Congress: Weaving democratic politics with Jin, Jiyan, Azadî

RELATED UPDATE: Hatimoğulları: Constitutional reform is not our main priority

FURTHER READING:

[wrathofrats]

I blacked out in @divine-misfortunes DMs as usual because one of us mentioned the idea of murder Zeph so im here to bless you all with 1k of just zephyr being unhinged

Content warning for gore, body horror and graphic depictions of violence. This is just a description of zephyr killing someone, please be aware of what this is before you proceed

Anyways, hope you all enjoy <3

-

Zephyrs body has never worked correctly.

Their joints ache and scream when they move, their back burns some days when they use their cane to hobble through the halls. They feel pathetic and helpless on their bad days. Left to rely on ifrit for simple tasks even though it gnaws and pulls at them to be so practically helpless.

Zephyr gets somewhat pent up, over it. A sick craving for blood and gore that goes beyond making their stomach full. A carnal rage to rip into something, to play god with the life of something beneath them.

They want to see the life in someone’s eyes die, the fear as they beg them not to. They want to feel powerful and in control. Can’t help but to play with their food and draw it out for as long as possible.

They don’t often get prey in their grasp with no way for them to wriggle free, zephyr might as well have their fun with it.

It’s almost laughable how easy it is for them to find their victim.

They’re unassuming. Zephyr knows their reputation in the halls of the abbey, always has a bark harsher than their bite. With the cane or having to lean on ifrit to get through the corridors it’s really no surprise that they’re not seen as a threat.

It just makes it easier for them.

It’s really almost too easy.

Zephyr stands in wait in one of the halls late at night, paces a bit to seem like they’re busy. It’s almost entirely empty at this hour, they walk up and down for what feels like hours. Their mouth waters as they think about their plan, the metallic taste tingles in the bottom of their fangs.

The click of a sisters heels startles Zeph out of their crimson fantasies.

“Zephyr? What are you doing out at this hour?”

They don’t recognize her, almost feels bad but at their age the constant rotation of devotees for their cause makes it impossible to keep up. It won’t matter in a bit anyways.

“Can you help me push this door open? It’s just too heavy for me today”

The sibling smiles and gives a look that’s a bit too close to sympathetic. Pity almost, if it wasn’t for the nature of the interaction zephyr may be a bit more forgiving but it only really fuels their desire. It becomes a show of power rather than the need to feast.

She pushes open the door, standing in front of it to make sure it stays open while Zeph makes a show of hobbling through. She even asks if there’s anything else she can do while she’s still there. It’s a shame she’s so polite, zephyr almost feels bad.

The oxygen is soon ripped from her lungs so fast that she collapses to the floor in a vain attempt to force it back inside. She looks up in shock, mouth agape gasping for air.

It’s not enough to make her unconscious, just enough to incapacitate her because oh it wouldn’t be much fun if she wasn’t awake would it be?

The sibling tries to fight against zephs power to gulp in the oxygen. It doesn’t work, painful and useless and she struggles against herself not to panic completely when they see Zeph staring at them with a claw raised. Their eyes glaze over in black, a bloodlust invading their senses as their pupils blow wide.

She can’t fight, the lack if air combined with the sheer primal panic of not being able to breathe is enough to have her incapacitated, not able to do much more than writhe on the ground like a roach.

It’s entertaining to watch them struggle while she still doesn’t know what’s going on. The lack of oxygen isn’t enough to kill the poor prey, sadly enough for it, but it’s enough to finally steal away their consciousness as zephyr prepares to go in for their kill.

Again, it’s almost too easy.

A sharp claw runs down her sternum, digging in just enough draw blood, the sharp sensation enough to jerk her awake.

Zeph quickly rips away the air from their prey’s lungs again once they start to scream. It’s loud, piercing, almost annoying. Much easier to have them silently mimic trying to gasp for the air it must know it won’t receive.

The claw sinks deeper on the way down. Past the hard bone of the ribcage and truly ripping through the soft flesh of the stomach. Its face contorts violently as they slash through the fat and muscle. Can’t fight, only can watch and thrash their head as if maybe if it turned at the right angle it would be able to breath again.

The white hot searing pain that comes from its abdomen would take its breath away anyways, its lungs fight to expel the air from the feeling of being flayed open but desperately tries to open to take in the oxygen it hasn’t had in minutes now.

Zephyr completely disembowels the prey, something sickly powerful about seeing an organ work in a still living body. The way its stomach moves or seeing the underside of the bottom of its ribs move with each breath they’ve now allowed them to have back.

Their mouth starts to water again. They debate tasting their meal as they prepare it.

Zephyr clots their wounds closer so the steady river of blood stops trying to tempt them into losing the control they’ve fought so hard for.

The state of being in and out of consciousness is gagging torture, being in so much pain that it passes out before being brutally forced back into the hell state by zephyr allowing it to breath again.

It’s a horrific realization after a couple passes that zephyr is eating it alive.

The ghoul just stares at it low from its abdomen, covered in blood and entrails in their mouth, shredded at the ends from where they had been forcefully ripped from their confines. The blood that they haven’t clotted drips down their chin and over the skin that has yet to be cut open wide.

This is the best part, a true delicacy. Fleshy and easy to access but not enough to kill the prey in any fast amount of times it’s enough to savor it, really take in everything while it’s still alive.

The mercy only comes when Zeph is done eating. A slash to the throat is fastest, leave it wide open to lap up the blood until it stops twitching.

Zephyr is a contradicting sight. Prim and proper, all pale and delicate but covered in blood with a wild look in their eyes. Soaks through their shirt and drips down their arms and wrists from where it coats their hands.

Properly unhinged and brimming with a sick sort of glee.

A dark power, being able to kill and covered in their pretty blood.

proud and hungry.

[nullnvoid911]

A soldier assigned to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force- Operation Inherent Resolve, bonds with local children during a community engagement in Northeast Syria by U.S. forces.

Capt. Ryan Reynolds / CJTF, March 6, 2020

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 17: Breaking Point: Pushing Mitsuhide’s buttons is a bad idea - Katsu does it anyway..

All Chapters Archived on Ao3 

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

"Once again, I find myself mystified as to how to get you to stay in one place." Mitsuhide locked one end of the chain to my ankle, and the other to his own. "Finally it occurred to me that you need something to occupy yourself, a puzzle, a code, a game, or..." he handed me the lock picks, "An escape task."

"And you chose option D?" I eyed the shogi game set that he had put on display. "I do know how to play Shogi."

He he took a step toward the table and I nearly fell over. I hope he didn’t noti-. His smirk told me he noticed. "In the highly unlikely event that I become tired of watching you struggle with this, we can have a game."

He wasn’t completely sadistic; he had let me go to the bathroom and change into less restrictive clothing before he’d locked us together. "Won't it bother you if I'm moving around?" I tested length of the chain; I could possibly get a meter away from him.

"I will manage to live with the annoyance." He settled down at his desk, forcing me to take the cushion closest to him. On the bright side, this was an interesting challenge, he had been correct about the fact that it was something that would occupy my attention for--

Click

About a minute.

"Ha! Done." I gave Mitsuhide what I hoped was a look of triumph. Call me Houdini. Harry Houdini.

"That, was your warm up." Mitsuhide locked the chain to my ankle again, this time with a new coded lock. He must have been scouring the town to add to a collection of restraints.

Er. Locks. I totally meant locks. I reached for my foot, only to be stopped by Mitsuhide, who put that pink blindfold back on me. "Really? Is that necessary?"

"For training, possibly not, for amusement purposes, absolutely.” I glared at him through the blindfold – I know, he couldn’t possibly know I was glaring but it made me feel slightly better to do it. “I could only find one new lock – this will prevent you from memorizing the combination.” Ok he knows I was glaring.

Then something soft and feathery brushed the bottom of my foot. "What was that? What did you just do?"

"Adding a distraction to the difficulty level." He said it matter-of-factly, daring me to accuse him of torturing me for fun.

That brushy thing - it probably was one of the peacock feathers from the large vase by the door- slithered across the bottom of my foot again. "Stop that."

"Are you ticklish, Brat?” The soft touches halted for a moment, then began again in random patterns.

"No." Not there anyway. But the unannounced guerilla attacks were working my last nerve. I never knew when, or exactly where, the feather would swoop down for a tickle raid.

"Pity." The feather teased the end of my nose. "When we first met, Aki was hurling knives at you. You cannot make me believe that knives are in fact preferable to feathers."

"I could in fact see the knives." That annoying feather hit the inside of my elbow, where I actually was ticklish, and I slapped it in annoyance. In the process, I lost my place on the lock. I could feel the barrels slip out of joint.

Grrr!

Behind me, Mitsuhide was quietly snickering. I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing that a visible sign of annoyance would simply encourage him, and started again, this time bracing myself for wherever he would strike next.

"I never imagined that distracting you would be this entertaining."

Feather.

Chin.

Feather.

Knee.

Feath - that was not a feather, Mitsuhide had drawn his finger along the inside of my arm.

"Enough!" I took hold of the chain and yanked on it hard. If he had been standing it could have pulled him over, I knew I hadn’t budged him, but maybe that had stung a little.

That appeared to get the message through for he stopped pestering me, and I was able to concentrate on decoding the lock. One tumbler, two.... three. Those were the ones I had solved before his tease had messed me up, so they were close to the line anyway. I pulled in the kind of focus I normally used practicing archery, direction all my attention on that one specific tumbler, shutting out everything else.

Four.

Mitsuhide didn’t exist. It was me and the lock and—

A cool finger touched the back of neck. No that had been the tip of his tongue! “Ughhh!” I yanked off the blindfold, and pushed him away. "That was not part of our agreement."

"In fact it is, you will find." He sat there with that infuriating grin on his face.

"No sexual touching when we are in private." I know what is in our contract – I transcribed most of it myself.

"While we are not investigating or otherwise working," Again the calm statement dared me to argue.

I argued.

"We’re not working.  Nor were we working today. You were gone. I had things to do." He could not have expected me to wait patently in this house while he was gone for almost a week.

His mood flipped in an instant. One moment, I had teasing Mitsuhide, the next, that coldly furious man I had met at the beginning of the summer.

It happened so fast, I’d had no time to react. Mitsuhide knocked me backward, pushing me down on the cushion, holding my wrists to the floor. "You've been testing the boundary of our agreement from the start. Sneaking out at night, leaving when I've ordered you to stay put, breaking into my room to search it. The only freedom you have ever had is what I have granted you, and I’m rapidly losing patience with your little rebellions."

"Let go of me." I squirmed, trying to wiggle away from him, but he knew what he was doing and did not budge. "Do you want me to stab you in your sleep? Because we're getting dangerously close to the line here."

"A piece of advice, in fact two. One, death threats are useless when the other person holds all the power. Which, you will find, I do." He demonstrated this power by adding more pressure to the hold, immobilizing me from shoulder to hip. "Second, telling the person you plan to kill exactly how you plan to do it only gives them time to prepare."

Point to him. Threatening death by stab only works if you are someone like Uesugi Kenshin.

Even so, if he didn’t let go of me soon, I would spend the rest of our time here getting as much creative revenge as I could manage. Maybe even longer than that. Five years from now, I would still be visiting to enact more revenge.

"Now, do I have your attention?" He looked right into my eyes, daring me to look away. Daring me to blink. I did neither. My nerves were buzzing, though, and I’m sure he could tell my pulse was racing. I could hear it in my ears. "I'll consider that a yes. There are things I do, orders I give, because they need doing, doing by me. Whenever you leave this place without my permission, without telling me where you are going, what you are doing, you risk my, yes my investigation. You, brat, are the perfect example of someone who knows just enough to be dangerous. You have skill and training, but you’re reckless and overconfident." He held still for a moment longer, apparently waiting for a sign that I understood him.

"Would it kill you to explain why you’re giving me orders, and what your plans are?" All I want is a little bit of logic in my life.

"You shouldn’t need that from me - or anyone. Does your father explain himself to you every time?" He let go of one of my wrists to poke me in the forehead.

"N-n-no.” He never had. And the things Aki had done without explanation were piling up, farther and faster than I could keep up with them.

"I don’t have time step softly around your feelings about whatever you believe your father did - although I suspect it has something to do with that drawing you brought home." Again, he poked my forehead, this time more gently, taking the opportunity to brush my hair out of my eyes. "This is not a game where you play at being a spy. I'm trying to keep us alive. I'm trying to find Hideyoshi and Mai before whoever has them decides they are worth more dead than alive. Every time you fight me takes me further away from that. Do you understand?"

I nodded. I could have left it there, not let him in any further, but the lie of my life had gotten too big for me to keep locked away any further. "He left her. He left us alone with her. I never knew her as she was in that drawing… happy."

"Us?" The questioning tone in his voice reminded me that I’d never told Mitsuhide about Toshiie.

"I have a brother. He disappeared seven years ago – before Aki took me in." Our being in this era could not have been a coincidence. Why hadn’t Aki managed to save both of us? Or found Toshiie in the interim?

"Maybe he believed you were safer with her.” He looked away from me, and it occurred to me that Mitsuhide was more likely to relate to Aki’s actions, than to mine. “Your father gave you a home after your mother died. Provided for you. Taught you. Whatever crimes he did to your family in the past, you've had several years with him. Can present actions make up for past sins?" He was still so very close to me, enough for me to notice the way his pulse sped up at the words, ‘past sins.’

"It's... more complicated than that." To explain in any more detail would be to tell him about the time traveling and that just wasn't a conversation I was ready for. "Um. Will you let go of me now?"

The time for revelations had run out.  Whatever accord we'd come to the night we’d talked over tea and sake was long gone, whatever honesty that had been here just a moment ago fled, leaving whatever this... this confusing, raw feeling was. There were things about me that he could not have. Not now, not ever.

I believe it was the same for him.

"I'll have your promise first. And give you one as well. If I give you an order it is because it is important, necessary, it will not be from some private whim." He touched my mouth with one cold finger. "So if I tell you the sky is green, and that the moon is the sun, you must agree, and obey. Do I have your word?"

"Yes." I was still going to stab him in his sleep though.

"You know, brat, you cannot literally kill me with your eyes, no matter how fiercely you glare at me." He laughed then, a teasing laugh. A victor's laugh. Finally he let go of my wrist, sat back, and said, as calmly as if he hadn't handed me an ice cold lecture a moment earlier, "Would you like to try decoding the lock again?"

What I wanted, was to get out of this room, to retreat to a private space, away from the coldness, the teasing. But it was still early and I had a feeling I would not be permitted to lick my wounds. Nor did I want him to think I was broken. He'd had my agreement because his logic made sense, and only because of that. Resolutely, I turned my back on him and got to work on the lock. "If you distract me again, I'm strangling you with this chain."

Hey, it worked on Jabba the Hut.

“Duly noted.” Once again I got to work on trying to decode the tumblers.

“Was Kyubei very angry with you when he found you?” Like every hairstylist ever, Sho asked the question while my head was partially submerged in a large kettle of water, so I could only guess at the exact contents.

I closed my eyes while a ladle of warm water poured over my head. "You could say that." His hot and cold anger and my conflicted response to it had kept me awake most of the night. Only now, in the comforting warmth of the water, did I feel like my pulse was finally returning to normal. It wasn’t until I stepped into a large yukata that Sho held open for me, that it occurred to me that she too might have had to face his anger. "What about you? Did he find you on the docks?"

"He seemed concerned about your safety. After I told him where you were, he just walked me home and told me to come back here tomorrow early. Er today, I guess." She continued to chatter happily about her excursion, and I kept one ear open to any mention of Shojumaru. Which means I got to hear many compliments on his strong physique and his attractive looks.

"Does he have ships of his own, or just warehouses?" Hopefully, that didn’t come across as too much of a non sequitar.

"Hiko has mentioned being on board Shojumaru’s ship, so I guess he has one." She pouted a bit about her brother getting a treat she was denied, but didn’t elaborate. Either she wasn't in on this secret, or she was a better spy than she appeared to be. In case it was the latter, I didn’t press.

"I suppose I can ask him tonight - he's supposed to be at this banquet. I hate going to places when I don’t know what I'm going to talk about with people." de Sousa's little invite to dine had morphed into a large banquet. Apparently he wished to show off how things were done in Portugal.

"What do western ladies wear, do you know?” As usual, her interest was more in fashion than helping me figure out whatever the manners would be necessary at this shindig.

"I don't know really." All I knew about European fashion of this time had come from television, and I had never been enough of a fan of costume dramas, especially Western ones, to seek any out. "Maybe a lot of heavy clothes?" Corsets. Oh thank god I didn’t time travel to an era with corsets. The breast flattener I wore as Katsu was painful enough. “Or, I don’t know. Heavy fabric, but not the number of layers that court ladies wear here.”

"Hmph. It must be cold over there." she began combing the water out of my hair, blotting and squeezing out the moisture as she went. "Maybe if I braid it while it’s still wet, there would be a nice bit of curl by tonight?"

"Whatever you think best. You are the expert here." I did have a slight natural wave to my hair, but only when it was layered to take the weight out. "Did Kyubei express any preferences?"

"Oh, you want to please him? Do you like him now? I wasn’t certain myself when I first met him, but he was very kind to me yesterday." She hummed a little bit as she looked through my clothing. The seamstress had come through with several delicately feminine kimonos. None were exactly to my taste - too pale, too much embroidery... but from a certain point of view, they were pretty.

"He's got his moments." Most of which inspired homicidal thoughts in me, but if I stepped back from my emotions (usually an easier task, but... details) I thought I understood the reasoning behind his behavior. He was worried about his friends, and everything was in service to that mission. I had to admit such loyalty was admirable, even when his modus operandi consisted of coldly given orders alternating with irritating teasing. Figures that he saved whatever kindness he had for Sho. "Oh. The green, I suppose." She'd been holding out two kimonos for me to choose between - a pink with a pattern of deeper pink blossoms, or a green with willow trees and cranes.

"An excellent choice." Mitsuhide stood in the door. Oh crap, had he been listening? I double checked that my yukata was securely tied, while Sho greeted him with a bow. He strolled into the room, as calmly as if we hadn't spent last night fighting - for that was truly what it had been - a fight for control of territory.

Unfortunately I had been the territory, and I had lost the battle.

He handed me a narrow packet wrapped in festive, tissue thin rice paper. "A present for my dear Kaya. I believe you'll find they match your outfit. Please wear them."

And then, probably because Sho was watching (in fact she had her hand to her heart at the so called romance of it all), he bowed low over my hand, and pressed a European style kiss to the back of it. His lips were cool, his breath was warm, and the back of my hand tingled at the sensation. Why was ‘Kyubei' was suddenly being so nice to Kaya, when his original character had been presented as abusive? Maybe the act was for Sho's benefit. I would have to ask him later tonight.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Sho peered anxiously over my shoulder, seeming more excited about the gift than I was.

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Though the width it fit easily in my palm, the packet had a bit of heft to it. I lifted it to my ear, shook it gently and heard a very faint metallic clink. I mulled that over for a moment, until I looked up and saw that Mitsuhide looked amused.

You don’t need to turn this into a puzzle, his expression seemed to say.

I suppose not.

I unfolded the paper and pulled a trio of silver hair sticks out of the packet. They were decorated on one end with tiny sprays of white bellflowers (whch would probably tickle the tops of my ears when the sticks were inserted into my hair). Was this Mitsuhide’s way to make sure I would think about him and my mission at all time? He never did anything without an ulterior motive.

"So pretty, and they will easily match everything you own.”  Sho reached out with one finger to poke at the dangling flowers.

"Yes, I’m aware of Kaya's wardrobe." He experimentally laid one next to my head. “An attractive and effective way to keep my lady's wayward hair in place. It does rather have a habit of escaping."

Though of course the meaning of that went over Sho's head, I expected Mitsuhide intended that as a warning. Then again... I tested the weight and sharpness of the sticks. They were pretty solid. Solid enough to pierce flesh. I might even be able to stab him with one. Nor would these break if I ever tried to unlo-

At that moment, it hit me what these were. Heavier and sharper than a normal hair stick. He'd... gotten me my own set of lock picks.

Coolest gift ever.

Decorative, deadly, and capable of opening locks. He'd pretty much hit it out of the park on the gift-giving game. "This," I emphasized are pointy end, “could come in super handy. Thank you Master Kyubei." He tapped on my lips with his finger and any calmness I had been able to achieve that morning suddenly fled at his touch. "No need to thank me. Your smile is enough.” And with a bow, he was gone, leaving Sho giggling in his wake… and yes, I supposed I was indeed smiling.

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