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arjaandsimoni · 1 year

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Simoni

Arja had a rough time talking her dad into going to London. Plane flights, especially international, weren’t cheap… but her mother had spoken with Akul about the plan and had a few words of her own with Rajesh and he finally had to admit it was worth the risk.

He wasn’t willing to toss Stephanie to the proverbial wolves by any means, but he had to work within society’s expectations and such, and having one’s home attacked by a mob of sword-wielding Irishmen would probably cause complications, especially when it came to ‘why did a bunch of Irish people come here? Did it have to do with the one person in your house who has pale skin and red hair?’

Stephanie wasn’t even sure she could use the Wulfshead to pull that stunt again. She’d gotten lucky guessing the passphrase that time, but she also remembered Dawn telling her once that the place where the doorknob appears also checks to see if one is on the ‘banned’ list and if they are then they find out why it’s called the ‘Wulfshead’ Club as the door manifest’s a wolf-like muzzle and bites the offending hand off.

Stephanie didn’t THINK busting in unannounced and immediately leaving would do that… but she did like having two hands.

Still, he did admit that after those assassins it may be a good idea to leave the country for a while, and once Iravati explained Stephanie’s idea he… well he expressed concern at how permanent it was, but Iravati pointed out that so was having your head chopped off by an insane Patriarch so, yeah, take the one you could survive.

As the flight neared London Stephanie was showing Arja pictures on her phone. “That’s my brother, Nelen, and his friend Dawn.” she said, showing them the picture Dawn texted her of them with a suspected ghost and actual bank robber sandwiched between them, both of them grinning and Nelen holding a rubber mask in his free hand while Dawn took the selfie and gave the peace sign. “They deal with supernatural threats on a case-by-case deal out of the Wulfshead Club and, well, apparently every so often it actually does turn out to be some guy in a mask and costume. The club apparently has a standing policy, ‘Get Scooby Doo’d’ and you drink free for a week.”

Arja cackled at that, pointing at the robber, “Oh jeez look at his face!” she grinned, the robber sweating and staring towards Dawn, the Cheshire’s glasses and hat gone to reveal she was, basically, a humanoid cat. “He had no idea any of that was real, did he?” she chuckled.

“Nope. Nelen put in an anonymous tip to the cops after they left and apparently he was going to serve ten to twenty for attempted bank robbery, but after shouting about blood magic and teleporting cat people he was declared unfit for trial and is in a mental hospital.” she giggled.

Arja snorted at that, shaking her head, “Jeez, sounds like a fun life…” she nodded, “Why didn’t you tell him about what happened?” she asked.

At this Stephanie hesitated, “He… well… he’s a good brother, but knowing him he’d either make me go back home or insist on staying near me, and with two of us together and Franklin wanting us both gone…” she nodded.

Arja frowned, “I get it… your grandfather wouldn’t just send ONE group of killers after you.” she replied.

“Exactly.” she nodded, “I don’t even wanna tell him or for all I know he’d show up at your doorstep too.” she muttered.

Arja snorted, “Oh no, a strange westerner would appear at my doorstep, how horrible…” she teased.

Stephanie blushed brightly, glancing away, “… sorry… I just…”

Arja nodded, “I get it… everything just fell apart all at once and you panicked.” she sighed, putting her arm around the girl and giving her a hug, “Lets just hope this works…” she nodded as the plane descended.

A quick cab ride into town and they were dropped off outside of Buckingham Palace, a popular tourist destination to say the least. Arja regarded it after paying the cab fare and said, “Think we have time to swipe the crown jewels?” she asked.

Stephanie smirked, smacking her arm, “Pretty sure they’ve got some SERIOUS guards on those, even by our standards.” she nodded, “Besides swiping them would probably get us on Franklin’s radar and I don’t want him to know we’re here.”

“Oh whatever, they were ours first anyways. I’d only be stealing them back.” smirked Arja, following next to Stephanie as they walked towards Big Ben.

As they did her phone suddenly beeped and she pulled it out. “Huh… that’s weird, the map app is open? Must’ve bumped the icon.” she shrugged, slipping it back into her pocket and walking along to a wall. “Okay, Dawn told me once how to do this…” she looked around, then spotted some chalk sitting nearby on what was once payphone post. She picked it up and walked to the wall, then scrawled out a sentence in English on it.

Arja raised her eyebrow, “… ‘Daigon Alley is for Pussies?’” she asked, “Stephanie, please tell me this isn’t just a jo- EEK!” she yelped, letting out a monkey-like screech as the wall suddenly split from top to bottom, then slid open to reveal a tunnel into darkness. “… huh…”

Stephanie shrugged, “Whoever set it up had a sense of humor I guess.” she replied, walking into the tunnel. A few long moments later they emerged, and Arja’s eyebrows went up.

“… I… didn’t expect this from how you described it.” she murmured.

“Yeah, it’s my first time too, but Nelen said that he lived here when he first hid out from Clan Fullmoon and that they had everything there, including what I told you…” she replied, walking along the street.

The Nightside spread out before them, the dark hidden heart of London, and as always it was a twisted and warped version of reality as if it were stretched and distorted in a funhouse mirror.

They walked past a group of zombie girls who were all sharing what at first glance looked like a tub of chicken fingers… except upon closer inspection they weren’t chicken.

Across the street they saw a man in a tattered tailcoat and a worn and beaten top hat slumped against the wall next to a bowl, a staff with a human skull at the top and several colorful feathers hanging from it helping to prop up a sign reading ‘Lost my mojo, please help.’

A woman in a long flowing cape, high heels, and spandex strode past, fingering what looked like a batarang on her belt, and it was only a second glance that told Stephanie that they’d just walked past the Nightside’s personal crimefighting superheroine, Ms. Fate. Apparently, her secret identity was REALLY secret… given that she was, according to Dawn, a male transvestite.

Three pug dogs sat on a porch next to a storefront, smoking from a hookah in turns, one of them sniggering as they walked past.

The stores were every bit as esoteric as always too. A painting gallery sold a selection of prints done by Adolf Hitler from an alternate timeline where he had been accepted into art school, while a restaurant called Ticktacks sold blood in a bag to the local vampire population.

Up the street a busker with eight sets of arms did a REAL one-man band in an impressive feat of fractal ambidexterity, though it was slightly spoiled by the fact that the song he was playing was ‘Uncle Fucker’ from the South Park movie.

And of course, in the sky was a full moon, ten times larger than any you’d ever see on earth, shining down impassively over the chaos.

Arja stared around her as they went, Stephanie rather impressed too, almost to the point that they nearly missed it when they arrived at their destination. It was one of the main draws to the Nightside, and clearly signposted.

Infront of them loomed a massive building, so huge that it almost hurt to look at… like its dimensions were wrong somehow, that it was bigger than it should be.

The Mammon Emporium

The shopping mall to end all shopping malls. A shrine to commerce, commercialism, and capitalism so blatant that not only was it named for the Archduke of Greed himself but he actually attended the grand opening as a guest of honor (reportedly he was very impressed by the canapes they had for the celebration too.)

Stephanie walked in with Arja, walking over to the mall’s map. “Okay… um…” she muttered, then walked around it. The map wasn’t a sign, but rather a huge three-dimensional hologram that seemed to keep shifting… then she saw a spot near it that said ‘place phone here.’ She did so and her iPhone let out a small wail before beeping and saying ‘map daemon installed.’

“… uh…” she looked at the store list, under cosmetic services, then opened the new app and typed in ‘New U Clinic.’

The app flickered, then said “Head three lanes north, then take a right.”

Arja just stared, “Did… did your phone scream when you did that?” she asked.

The app replied, “When you download the map daemon in the Mammon Emporium, we do not mix metaphors. I will be exorcised upon your exit from the mall (all hail Lord Lucifer.)” Then it paused and said, “Ignore that last bit, old habits.”

Stephanie shrugged at her, then they followed the map past several more bizarre shops including a Head Shop that sold actual new heads, a body shop that did repairs for zombies and other creatures whose limbs may not always match the rest of them, an esoteric bookstore with a copy of ‘The King in Yellow’ in the shop window with a large sign reading ‘We accept no responsibility for any despair, depression, suicide, mental illness, or other negative effects caused by reading this book. Customers must sign a waiver absolving us of all liability before purchase AND NO READING IT IN THE STORE! We’re not a bloody library.’

Eventually however they arrived at the clinic which, despite the strangeness of the building, looked like just another dentist’s office save for the pictures on the walls. Stephanie walked up to the desk and put her name down, then shrugged to Arja, “Dawn told me about this place, said that she and Nelen helped some political refugee get here a few years back.” she explained.

Across the way from Arja an attendant called out a name and a wizened old man who had to be at least pushing ninety got up and hobbled into the clinic.

They sat and waited, watching the TV in the waiting room for a bit, which was showing against all the insane logic just old Tom & Jerry reruns. As they did Stephanie did a bit of googling on her phone.

After a bit the clinic door opened and a young girl skipped out wearing a bright gingham dress with her hair in pigtails. Of the old man there was no sign.

Then the receptionist called out, “Stephanie Fullmoon?”

“Right here!” she said, getting up and nodding to Arja, “Shouldn’t be too long I hope…” she nodded, going inside.

Arja hesitated, almost wanting to follow her, but Stephanie shook her head and pointed to the sign. ‘Patients ONLY beyond this point.’

So Arja just huffed and waited… and waited… and waited some more.

Meanwhile, in the Nightside proper

The tunnel entrance cracked open and two figures raced into the madness of the Nightside, looking around frantically. “I don’t see her anywhere! DAMMIT!” cursed Nelen Fullmoon. “Dawn! Go to the rooftops, try to spot her, look for red hair!” he nodded, then he raced off through the crowd.

Back in the Clinic

Finally, Arja got fed up. She was getting worried now, what if Franklin had sent a goon in to watch for her, replaced the doctor, and taken her out while she just sat there!

She growled, getting to her feet, then paused as the door opened.

The girl who came out was wearing Stephanie’s clothes, but her skin was as dark as Arja’s and her hair had gone from red and wavy to black and straight down to her waist. Her build was similar, but her features were of a more Indian cast, but her eyes… most people in India did not have green eyes.

Arja stared, then walked forward, “… Stephanie?” she asked.

The girl blushed, “Not anymore… Grandpa can’t find me if I’m not the girl he’s looking for.” she nodded, “Um… I googled some Hindi names while we were waiting… I mean I don’t think I really look like a ‘Stephanie’ now… how does, um, Simoni sound?” she asked.

Arja blinked, then snorted, “… um…” she giggled, “Going for the ironic definition?” she asked.

“W-what do you mean ‘Ironic?!’ The website said it means ‘beautiful!’” she blushed, looking hurt.

Arja shook her head, “Noooo, ‘Saloni’ means ‘beautiful.’ ‘Simoni’ means ‘obedient or dutiful.’” she grinned back.

The newly remade Stephanie blushed brightly, “… f-fine then! If it means that then it’ll REALLY throw grandad off!” she huffed.

Arja grinned, “Fine fine, Simoni it is… got a surname picked out? Something involving feet?” she teased.

Simoni frowned, “You’re never going to stop teasing me about that are you?” she asked.

“Nope.” grinned Arja.

“Well… I got an idea from when I saw all the vanara that night… why not just use your last name, ‘Barjar?’ I mean your family huge! Would Clan Fullmoon even notice one more kid?”

Arja thought about that, “Hide a leaf in the jungle…” she muttered, then grinned, “Good idea!” she nodded, then walked out of the store after they paid for the service using a credit card her father had given her. “So, now what? This takes care of one problem, but unless ‘Stephanie Fullmoon’ goes home…”

Simoni nodded, “Yeaaaaaah, about that… Dawn said there’s all sorts of shops here, and apparently one of them makes super-convincing body doubles…” she said.

“… um… that sounded a bit ominous.” commented Arja.

Simoni nodded, “Yeah… I know.”

Out in the Nightside proper

Dawn blinked from rooftop to rooftop, scanning the crowds, “Nope… nope… nuh-uh… too old… too many heads…” she hissed angrily, then teleported away again.

Nelen had already checked all the bookstores, clothing outlets, and other places his sister would like that he knew of… sure he didn’t know WHY she was in the Nightside but it was all he had to go on!

Back in the Mammon Emporium

The store that Arja and Simoni arrived at said ‘Fine Fetches’ and under it, the tagline ‘Be You and Your Shadow!’

Arja tilted her head, “… fetch?” she asked.

Simoni shrugged, “Guess the Fair Folk aren’t as big a deal in India. But sometimes faeries will come and abduct humans in the West, and when they do they sometimes leave behind fakes made out of random junk and covered in magic to look human, the better ones are even convinced they ARE human.” she nodded.

Arja looked at her, “Uhhh… they do what with humans?” she asked.

“Oh its fine! The ones in the Nightside are here because they got kicked out of Arcadia!” she replied, walking into the store. “They sell fetches for all sorts of reasons, we’re going to have them base one on how I used to look and send it back to my family to make them think I’ve come home!” she nodded, then stumbled to a halt as her eyes went big.

Seated at the counter, flipping through a magazine with a bored expression, was a small childlike faerie that looked like a young boy in a white teeshirt and slacks, their head seemingly covered in huge cracks and held together by some sort of magic. His eyes were like two jet black marbles.

“… buh…” muttered Simoni, then she cleared her throat and walked up to him, “Um… h-hi… I wanna get a fetch made to look like this girl.” she nodded, taking out her phone and showing it to him, a picture of her former self standing next to her cousin Stephy, grinning with her arm around his shoulder.

The fae scowled, “Something… about her… annoys me greatly…” he frowned, tilting his head as the bits rattled against each other like broken porcelain, “… but… I can’t remember…” he grunted, then shook his head. “Very well…” he nodded, filling out some paperwork on the appearance, noting down any distinguishing features, then walking into the back room.

A moment later there was a loud echoing scream and the smell of burning leaves and fruiting corpses filled the air, and he came out with what appeared to be a rather listless and confused Stephanie Fullmoon! “That… will be… five hundred pounds… or equivalent…” he muttered, “… sorry… head hurts… always hurts…”

She nodded and after they paid she led the fake out into the hallway. “This is freaking creepy…” muttered Arja.

“That’s the Fair Folk in a nutshell.” she replied, snapping her fingers infront of the fetch’s eyes, “Okay, listen up. You’re Stephanie Fullmoon. After Jacob and his men attacked Arja’s father told you that you can’t stay because you’re risking his family’s safety and told you to go back to Kentucky. You’re going to take this plane ticket…” she slipped a ticket they’d bought out of her pocket and handed it over, along with her wallet with her old ID and passport, “… and go to London International, then fly to the United States and go back home. Understand?” she asked.

The fetch’s head bobbed slowly, “… I’m Stephanie Fullmoon…” she murmured in a faraway voice.

“Supposedly they’re a bit loopy when they’re still new.” she whispered to Arja, then turned to her again, “Well, go on then! You’ve got a flight to catch.” she gave the fetch a little push and it stumbled away, blinking sleepily. “We’ll hang out a bit longer, maybe grab dinner or something. I wanna make sure if grandpa has anyone watching the entrances to the Nightside they see ‘me’ leaving alone.” she nodded.

Arja nodded in agreement, still staring a bit at the fake Stephanie as she followed her out of the back to the entrance, the map daemon leading the way.

“Exit in thirty meters… are you sure you wouldn’t like to browse some more?” it asked.

“We’re fine thank you.” replied Simoni.

“Exit in twenty meters… perhaps a lovely pretzel?” it suggested.

“No, I think we're good.” she added.

“Exit in ten meters… I hear the bookstore is having a sale!” said the daemon, a bit of a desperate edge to its voice.

Simoni paused in mid-step, then shook her head, “Tempting, but no.”

“Er… um… er… w-well how about…” it started as they crossed the threshold, and as they did the door buzzed in the exact sound of churchbells, “AAGUUGUHYHHOGHAAAAITBUUUUURNS! IT BUUUUURNS! BY ASMODEUS’ NINTEEN BALLS IT BUUUURNS! THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AT THE MAAMMOOOOON EMPOOOORiuuuu...” it wailed as the daemon was exorcised from her phone.

They both stared at it, “… I thought he was speaking figuratively…” muttered Simoni.

Outside in the Nightside

Nelen Fullmoon raced through the mad reflection of London, his feet pounding against the pavement as he shoved others aside, the warlock growling under his breath, “Dammit girl answer your bloody text messages!” he snarled.

As Nelen ran along he almost collided with a pair of Indian girls, the warlock stumbling, “SHIT! Sorry, comin’ through!” he shouted, rushing off.

The two watched them go, then Arja paused and said, “Hey… wasn’t that…”

Simoni shook her head, putting a finger to her mouth, then quickly ushered her companion on, glancing over her shoulder as he ran through the Nightside. “Let him go… like I said, he can be a bit… stubborn about stuff.” she nodded, “C’mon. I heard about a good place up the way from here.” she grinned.

The Hawk’s Wind Bar & Grill had sat in the Nightside since the 1960s… sort of. Technically the restaurant was a ghost, haunting it’s own premises. It was so beloved by the people of the Nightside, such a major tourist spot, such a huge hangout for everyone from the average joes to the big power brokers of the time, that it had gained a sort of semi sentience and awareness, becoming an entity in its own right.

It had burned itself down April 10th 1970, in protest to the Beatles breaking up… but the love of everyone in the Nightside anchored it down and there it remained, a fully functioning restaurant to anyone who looked close. Even necromancers, sin-eaters, and others who deal with (or were) dead couldn’t tell.

Simoni walked in with Arja, grinning at the sight. It was hard to stay worried in there. The entire bar was lit with psychedelic lighting, the jukebox playing ‘All the Young Dudes’ by Mott the Hoople, and the place was packed. Thanks to its slightly unstuck in time nature you could see quite the cast on any given night, if you weren’t careful you might bump into yourself trying to skip out on the bill next week or so the rumors went.

“Huh… why is everyone wearing plastic?” asked Arja as a waitress walked by in thigh high Go Go boots and a shiny white dress.

“Dunno, guess it was the fashion in England at the time?” she tried, shrugging, “I heard they do an amazing burger though.” she nodded.

Arja paused, then put her hand on Simoni’s shoulder, “Ummm, Simoni… do you mean a hamburger?” she asked.

Simoni stopped, looking back, “Uh, yeah. Why?” she asked.

Arja sighed, “Simoni… you REALLY need to think about stuff if you wanna convince people you’re Indian.” she smiled, shaking her head, “We don’t eat beef. Its taboo.”

Simoni blinked slowly, “Oh… huh… I guess… yeah I did hear that once… huh, um…” she looked at Arja with a bit of anxiety, come to think of it her meals with the Barjar family had leaned heavy on the veggies. She gave Arja the look of a girl who thought she’d never have a proper hot dog again.

Arja snorted, “Other meats are fine! We had chicken masala last night remember?” she laughed, patting her shoulder.

Simoni let out a sigh of relief, “Right, yeah…” she nodded, then paused, her eyes going huge. “Wait… I can’t have chili anymore?!” she winced. Cincinnati was famous for its chili and before all this Simoni had been a big fan of the Skyline franchise. It was a point of national pride for her home city.

Arja shook her head, “Not as long as you’re trying to fit in back home in Jaipur.” she replied.

Simoni stared at the wall with a deadpan expression, “I’ve made a terrible mistake…” she muttered.

Arja snorted, “Oh stop being so melodramatic! I can see at least five people eating chicken fingers from here.” she grinned, “We still got options. Now lets grab a booth.” she smirked.

London, England

The tunnel opened with a crack and ‘Stephanie Fullmoon’ walked out into the London evening, looking around before heading down the road. She stopped at a main road, hailing a cab and heading to London International. As she went a man who was unobtrusively reading a newspaper nearby watched her go, then took out his phone and texted… ‘SF London 20:00. Cab Northbound. Air?’

Back in the Hawks Wind

Simoni did have to admit that her beef-product-less future looked less bleak with a plate of freshly fried chicken fingers and chips infront of her, along with a large coke.

Arja grinned at her across the table, the monkey girl having her own deep-fried fish. If there was one thing that the British knew how to do, it was just fry the fuck out of everything. She had a coke as well.

“See? Not so bad. We have TONS of chicken recipes. Fish too, and lamb and goat. You’ll live without ever having to even look at another cow… and I’m suuuuure we’ll find a way to balance out the bad karma for a few years’ worth of big macs.” she teased.

Simoni snorted a bit as she took a drink from her soda, coughing and rubbing her nose at that. “Oh jeez am I gonna have to…” she started.

Arja shrugged, “I won’t insist you convert, but I mean you will have to come with me for religious observances to keep up appearances. Besides, some of them are really fun! Holi is a blast, we get to run around throwing powdered paint at each other and make a huge mess.” she grinned widely, taking a sip from her own coke, then coughing a bit. “Woah…” she blinked, looking into the glass.

Simoni giggled a little, “Yeah, Nelen told me about this place. They serve the original stuff here before they ever came up with ‘classic’ or redid it and such. He’s really… loud about how much he prefers this one. Personally I can’t really tell.” she shrugged, having another sip, “It does taste a little different…”

Arja smirked, “A bit yeah, but honestly culture-wise we’re not super different from the West in most ways… except our roads aren’t always marked great. If you hear a motorcycle its best to get the heck out of the way, scooters too.” she nodded.

Simoni blushed, “Well, I mean… I really didn’t even consider it when I ran away from home. Before I got to India I thought everyone wore sarees and stuff there…” she admitted sheepishly.

Arja grinned back, “If it helps, when Dad first took me to America I asked him why everyone was so fat.”

Simoni snorted her drink, giggling frantically as she wiped at her face with a napkin. That was the thing about American Cinema, it really didn’t depict Americans accurately at all. Give Captain America a beer belly and bad knees, there you go.

She coughed a bit, then put her coke down and sighed, “Yeah, just… I’m still scared. I can learn to behave and such, but unless I find some way to learn Hindi like… STUPID fast… I’m going to really stick out.” she frowned, “That or I gotta pretend to be mute…”

Arja raised her eyebrow, “… um. Simoni?” she said.

Simoni looked up, “Yeah?”

Arja grinned, “Tell them the truth, you’re from America. Its not unbelievable that you could have just lived abroad and moved back to India. If they think you have a REASON for not knowing Hindi they’ll just shrug it off.”

Simoni blinked slowly, “… huh, I guess that would work wouldn’t it?” she muttered.

Arja nodded, “You think my people haven’t had to think up excuses for generations for why we all have trapdoors in the roofs of our houses or why monkeys seem to like us so much? C’mon, aren’t you a hunter? Tricking mundanes should be easy for you!” she giggled.

Simoni blushed and smiled a bit, “Yeah, I know… its just…” she sighed and leaned onto the table, her hand resting near the middle. “Its just… scary. This was all on impulse and now I’ve got a whole new body… its like I’m running across a lake on really small stones in the mist. One wrong move and I’m drowning… but I can barely see where the next stone is.”

She looked up as she felt a warm hand take hold of her own. Arja was leaning onto the table as well, smiling at her, “Hey. You’re not gonna have to do it alone. Yeah you were dumb to pull this stunt and yeah you’re lucky my dad didn’t insist you go back home, but whats done is done. You can’t change the past, just try to focus on the future. Right?” she asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

Simoni blushed, “The future…” she nodded, moving her hand so that her fingers slid between Arja’s. The monkey girl glanced down, then back up, but didn’t stop her or try to pull her hand away.

“Yeah. Future. Whatever it holds we’re going to do all we can to make sure you’re safe. Even if this doesn’t work Grandpa Akul was right. You came and helped me fight off that naga assassin without even knowing who I was. You could have run, you could have stayed back, and nobody would have blamed you. You didn’t, and if you had I might have rejoined the cycle.” she nodded, “You protected me, and I’m Hanuman’s heir. If I turned you away, I’d bring shame onto Lord Hanuman’s name. I won’t do that… besides…” she blushed, glancing away.

Simoni looked at her curiously, “… besides?” she asked.

Arja blushed, then grinned a little, “There may also be the teeny tiny detail that I really do rather like you, a lot.” she replied, her cheeks reddening.

Now it was Simoni’s turn to blush, the girl smiling shyly and glancing away as she held Arja’s hand a bit tighter. “Um… w-we should go…” she muttered. "Its late, and the fetch probably made it to the airport by now. But… um… y-yeah… I do… um… you too…” she nodded.

Arja grinned, then stood up with her and paid for their food, the two leaving. “So, um… about that kiss back in Cincinnati though…” she asked, “I checked online, isn’t that illegal in India? Public displays of affection and all?”

Arja shrugged, “Yeah, it is… but one, me and my parents travel a lot so I’ve seen plenty of countries where that wasn’t illegal and, two…” she grinned, then pulled Simoni into a quick one arm hug and kissed her cheek again, “Pretty sure its not illegal in England either.” she grinned.

Simoni didn’t really say much on the way back to the hotel, but Arja did notice it was very windy when they got out of the Nightside.

As they left however a homeless man looked up from his squatting point. He slid a rather battered phone out of his pocket, then texted. ‘AB London, +1. Unknown, Indian. F. Same or close age.’

A Rather Upscale Hotel in London

Simoni flopped onto the bed in the hotel, the girl still a bit blissed out from the kiss, though Arja was beginning to get a bit worried there. Until she gave Simoni’s nose an experimental poke and heard a faint ‘eeeee’ sound, then heard the windows rattle. “Okay, as flattering as this is, snap out of it.” she smirked, reaching down and tickling the girl’s belly with both hands.

Simoni shrieked and flailed, “AAAACK! STOPPIT STOPPIT STOPPIT!” she squealed, squirming back against the head of the bed, blushing. “Jerk… lemme just enjoy that…” she pouted.

Arja smirked back, “Oh c’mon, we can do that whenever we want back at my family’s place. Its only illegal in public.” she teased as Simoni huffed and took out her phone, then looked at the screen.

“Oh, hey, I just realized I never turned messenger notifications back on after I ran away from home…” she said, going into the settings and turning them back on.

A cacophony of message dings came up, about fifty from her mother, a dozen from her brother, and several VERY colorful ones from Dawn…

Arja peeked at the phone over her shoulder, “Wow… that Dawn person sounds really pissed off.”

Slowly, Simoni went back into settings and re-muted her notifications. “… yes, she does.” she replied in a small voice. She did look the part, she was worried that she was doing something really WRONG somehow, but at the same time the alternative was sticking out like a sore thumb in India until her grandfather killed her or going back home and likely getting killed by her grandfather there instead.

This was… unconventional… but if Franklin was looking for Stephanie Fullmoon the safest thing to be was Not Stephanie Fullmoon. She’d blend in and disappear and, maybe eventually, India could become her new home.

#supernatural adventures #modern fantasy #fiction #lgbtq

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goodthoughts001 · 2 years

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Mike Fleiss and Laura Kaeppeler: Married!

Mike Fleiss married Laura Kaeppeler at his Malibu home on Sunday evening. The Bachelor creator, 49, and former Miss America, 26, have made it official!

Obviously, the ceremony was officiated by the reality show’s host and the groom’s longtime friend Chris Harrison, while Neil Lane designed the rings.

Laura’s engagement ring is over five carats and features a central round diamond in a handmade platinum tulip design accented by smaller round diamonds.

Nice work Mike. And Neil.

Says Lane, the go-to jeweler of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, “It’s great to see two people I really like so much in love. I wish them a lifetime of happiness.”

Earlier in the weekend, Fleiss and Kaeppeler both Tweeted about the big day and the ceremony to come. “I’m the luckiest man on earth!!!” Fleiss wrote.

“Today is the happiest day of my life!” Tweeted Laura Kaeppeler, who was crowned Miss America in 2012 and now goes by the name Laura Fleiss.

Did you like The Bachelor Couples: Are They Still Together?? If so, please share:Get more content like this delivered to your inbox for FREE:

“What a beautiful night. Congrats Laura & Mike! Love you guys honored to be there,” Harrison, 42, Tweeted on Monday, along with a photo of the ceremony.

This is the first marriage for Kaeppeler, and the second for Fleiss, whose 24-year marriage to high school sweetheart Alexandra Vorbec ended in 2012.

The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchise is now in its 28th season, and his new series, The Bachelor in Paradise, premieres August 4 on ABC.

After Andi Dorfman finds her mate (or at least a lot of publicity) on The Bachelorette, a spinoff will feature former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants.

Ones who want a second chance at finding love/sex and/or 15 minutes of fame. Ideally both. That’s sort of the beauty of the show, isn’t it? Win-win.

Alex Hribal, School Stabbing Suspect, Charged in Pennsylvania Rampage

Alex Hribal, a teenage boy wielding two kitchen knives, reportedly went on a brutal stabbing rampage at his high school in Murrysville, Pa., on Wednesday.

Before being tackled by an assistant principal, authorities said, 20 students and a security officer at Franklin Regional Senior H.S. were either stabbed or slashed.

Hribal, 16, faces four counts of attempted homicide, 21 counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a weapon on school grounds.

He was arraigned as an adult and is being held without bail at the Westmoreland County juvenile detention center while the community is left reeling.

“I’m not sure he knows what he did, quite frankly,” Hribal’s attorney, Patrick Thomassey, said, adding he would file a motion to move the case to juvenile court.

“We have to make sure that he understands the nature of the charges and what’s going on. It’s important that he be examined by a psychiatrist and determined where he is mentally.”

A doctor who treated six of the victims, primarily teens, said at first they did not know they had been stabbed, or whether their wounds were critical.

“They just felt pain and noticed they were bleeding,” Dr. Timothy VanFleet, chief of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told CNN.

“Almost all of them said they didn’t see anyone coming. It apparently was a crowded hallway and they were going about their business, and then just felt pain and started bleeding.”

Arguing against bail for Hribal, the district attorney told the court that four of the victims were in critical condition, including one who was “eviscerated.”

There’s a question whether the victim will survive, according to reports.

Authorities have not detailed a possible motive in the attack, but the D.A. said in court the teen made “statements when subdued by officials that he wanted to die.”

The carnage began shortly before the start of classes, when an attacker began stabbing students in a crowded hallway and then went from classroom to classroom.

Student Matt DeCesare was outside the school when he heard a fire alarm ring and then saw two students come out of the school covered in blood.

Then he saw teachers running into the building and pulling “a couple of more students out,” he told reporters afterward. The students had been stabbed.

To stanch the bleeding, the teachers asked the students for their hoodies, which they “handed to the teachers to use as tourniquets to stop the bleeding.”

Recordings of emergency calls released in the wake of the attack provide a soundtrack of sorts to the terror and chaos that played out inside the school. To translate this content in other language, contact Translation Companies UK

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coghive · 2 years

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[Download] Help Me (Live) - Tamela Mann Ft. Tim Rogers & The Fellas

GRAMMY® Award-winning Gospel artist Tamela Mann releases the official music video for NAACP® Image Award-winning, Billboard No. 1 Gospel Charting single Help Me (Live) ft. Tim Rogers & The Fellas, from her acclaimed Overcomer: Deluxe Edition album. The video for the energetic track will premiere today on YouTube at 4:00pm CT and will be available to view here. “A lot of the songs, like this one, are about what I was dealing with in my personal life. I asked Tim and The Fellas to lend their vocals to the live version of the song. Because we were doing old school, I wanted the quartet sound. They are young, contemporary guys but still have an old school flair and new sound. I thought they would give the song the grit it needed,” said Tamela Mann. Help Me (Live) - Tamela Mann Ft. Tim Rogers & The Fellas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH50lzRwNYo https://coghive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Tamela-Mann-Help-Me-Live-feat.-Tim-Rogers-The-Fellas.mp3 Marking her sixth studio offering, Overcomer: Deluxe Edition is heralded as some of the superstar’s best work. Propelling upon the original version’s themes of resilience, strength, purpose and the beauty of faith, the deluxe edition features both reimagined renditions of fan favorites and all-new music, including single, “Superheroes Prayer” featuring Yolanda Adams and the new live version of “Finished,” which is currently climbing the Billboard Gospel radio chart. The album features additional special guests including industry heavy-hitters Wyclef Jean, Kirk Franklin, Tim Rogers & The Fellas, and Todd Dulaney. Overcomer: Deluxe Edition is distributed by The Orchard and is available to stream here. The album is also available as a physical CD wherever gospel music is sold.

Tamela was recently named both the Contemporary Female Artist of the Year and the Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year at the 37th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Tamela was also presented with the Crown Jewel of Excellence at the world-renowned Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF). Tamela and her husband, NAACP Image® Award-Winning comedian David Mann, are currently on their “Overcomer Mann Family Tour,” which kicked off this Fall. Featuring David, Tamela, son David Mann Jr, daughters La’Tia Mann and Tiffany Mann, the evening includes music, comedy, and family entertainment. David brings a laugh yourself silly comedy set, and Tamela will be performing her biggest hits and new songs from Overcomer: Deluxe Edition. Tour information, tour dates, cities and tickets, available here. Tamela and David On Tour 9/30 New Orleans, LA 10/1 Mobile, AL 10/2 Montgomery, AL 10/7 Memphis, TN 10/14 Charlotte, NC 10/15 Columbus, GA 10/16 Macon, GA 10/21 Baton Rouge, LA 10/22 Shreveport, LA 10/28 Nashville, TN 10/29 Atlanta, GA 10/30 Birmingham, AL 11/4 Austin, TX 11/11 San Antonio, TX Read the full article

#HelpMe #TamelaMann #TheFellas #TimRogers

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countrymusiclover · 2 years

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14 - Dinosaurs Market

Part 15

Hybrid Trainer

@ellora-brekker @bigbendyhorns @fieryflower24 @foundationsretail

Franklin had given us information on a market that was selling dinosaurs in a black market type thing. Entering the room I grasped Owen's hand seeing multiple dinosaurs in cages being sold to whoever could afford them. I had changed into a short green shirt, dark blue jeans and brown combat boots. My hair completely loose except two strands pulled back. Claire went to ask people around carrying a picture of Maisie and Jewel. Owen and I broke away where I used my hearing trying to see if anyone was talking about our girls. I couldn't use my raptor smell since there's too many different things in this area. Sniffing into the air I spun on my feet seeing someone I recognized from the island. "Barry, what are you doing here?" I asked before he opened his arms hugging me. Wrapping my arms around his neck I smiled seeing him after years.

We break the hug smiling at each other until he grabbed my arm pulling me behind a wall with an opening to see through. There's two guys that must be the guys transporting. A woman wearing a white dress with blonde hair came around a cart with a red tarp covering whatever was inside. "What's the cargo?" One of the guys with long brown hair and a thick beard asked the woman. "Atrociraptors, thoroughbreds. Trained to kill." She simply replied when the tarp gets thrown opened causing whatever is inside to make loud noises. The dinosaurs pitch sounds a lot like a velociraptor. Leaning up on my toes I glared at the lady whispering to Barry at my side. "She has to be the person who took my girls." He didn't respond listening to her. "They are told to kill whoever they are told. The lazier marks the target. They attach to the scent and don't stop until it's dead. It's inescapable. Those idiots making hybrids had it all wrong. You can't engineer loyalty."

"Go find Owen and Claire. Warn them." I demand to him clutching my hands into fists at my sides. He raised a brow in confusion at my words. "What are you gonna do?" Baring my teeth my eyes flashed golden to him before I turned on my heels leaving him. "I'm gonna go kick a blonde's ass for taking my children." Walking around the corner the woman smirked at me before multiple guns are aimed on us. She throws a smoke bomb then the truck starts driving off. Owen called my name when I broke into a run after the blonde's scent. Closing my eyes I transformed into my raptor form cornering her. Growling in a low tone she pressed her back against the wall. "So you're the famous hybrid raptor everyone talks about. Dr. Wu was an idiot to think mixing human and dinosaurs DNA together. At least that's what I would have said until I met your daughters." Throwing my claws out I bent my knees about to kill her right then and there.

She raised her hands in the air where I noticed a lazier pointer in her hands. She turned it on immediately when I bolted in the opposite direction. If she marks me they'll kill me for sure. Jumping over a fence I collapse onto the stome ground hearing a high pitched sound from somewhere. Frantically looking around the cages they were in were surrounding me and Barry. He holds his gun up before my eyes follow the red dot on his chest. The blonde woman moved her pointer onto me before releasing the pitch. The cages opened where I scramble to my feet still in my raptor form. I counted off like seven of these dinosaurs that all bent their legs growling at us. Barry ran getting trapped inside a truck while I ran outside as fast as I could. I passed Claire who hollered back to Owen through the earpiece. "Owen they marked Y/n. You've gotta catch her!" Turning the corners one of the creatures about bite my tail. These things are the same speed as me and it's hard to believe that they aren't made from my blood.

My claws hit a metal passageway where I launched myself onto the ground hitting the stone steps. The velociraptors ran over the bridge where I think I have lost them. Transforming back into my human form I leaned against the wall catching my breath until I felt something breathing down my neck aggressively. I screamed bolting down an empty alleyway with two of them chasing after me immediately. My heart pounds against my chest while I kept running as fast as I could. A truck honked at me where I ran across the road causing one of the raptors to get hit. Whipping my head around I tripped down the stairs landing harshly on my back. The Atrociraptor launched itself over my body snarling in my face. Gulping deeply I couldn't move my arms because it's front claws were holding me down getting close to biting my head off and killing me. "Y/n!" Owen's voice shouted out to me before a motorcycle hit the Atrociraptor off of me killing it. He turned his bike around holding a hand out for me to take. "Velociraptor trainer husband to the rescue." He smirks down at me where I death gripped his hand in relief.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

Okay this whole Atrociraptor scene is so badass for Owen. I love it!!

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perfettamentechic · 1 year

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6 aprile … ricordiamo …

6 aprile … ricordiamo … #semprevivineiricordi #nomidaricordare #personaggiimportanti #perfettamentechic

2022: Rae Allen, all’anagrafe Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo, attrice statunitense di teatro, cinema e televisione, regista e cantante, e ha anche aperto la sua scuola di recitazione ed è stata insegnante di recitazione; la sua carriera è durata circa settant’anni e otto decenni. Era la figlia di Julia Riccio, sarta e parrucchiera, e di Joseph Abruzzo, autista e cantante d’opera. Rae ha iniziato…

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sweetchup · 4 years

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Of Blood and Bruises

Anon asks: You’re writing is super underrated may I request Feitan x artist who draws dark themes please make it a lemon if you’re feeling scandalous :)

Anon asks: I’m in love with your writing! Could you do another NSFW scenario with Fei when he loses control? Thank you!!

Type: Feitan x reader

Au?: None

Word count: 3,000+

Warnings: Angst, Blood/gore, Mature Content, Lime, NSFW, Abuse, Psychotic/Sociopath reader, slight yandere?

Author Note: I decided to combine two asks into one scenario because they fit really well together. I hope you two like it and thanks for all the compliments. I get really happy when I read them!! ❤️❤️

“Though Little Spider, I truly believe that there is a Nen Curse on the Bloody Jewel of the East. It’s the only plausible answer.”

You look away from your sketchbook to look down at Chrollo who had laid his head on your lap, his eyes closed as he talks. What were you going to do with this man?

“Chrollo I’m pretty sure the reason it’s called the Bloody Jewel is because it’s a big red jewel found after 100 men in the mines got crushed to death by an explosion Accident. I don’t think a dynamite getting set off counts as any sort of Nen curse.” You say, causing the man on your lap to snort. You shake your head and go back to sketching. You had really taken inspiration from the recent Budo Knives that you guys had stolen, and you were trying to capture the essence of the destructiveness they caused to the human body when used. The blood splatter, the guts and the gore, always amazed you like it was some sort of wonderful form of art. So you sketch it, framing your memories and love for death into time itself.

“I’m starting to think you should take up my spot as leader. What do you say, (y/n)?”

“Yeah, and let you be the heart? No way Boss, sorry.” You hear Chrollo and some of the other members chuckle. Looking away from Chrollo you look at the members who had laughed. “I’m serious. Come on. Imagine if the boss had my job. We be all dead before we could say ‘Spider Shish Kabob’”

This causes all of the members to break out into a fit of laughter, even causing you to crack and laugh. As you all begin to calm down, wiping the tears from your eyes, you notice something. We’re missing someone.

“Hey. Where’s Feitan?” No one responds but you feel the room get tense. You had just now realized you haven’t seen the sadistic short man all day. You should probably go check up on him.

Pulling Chrollo lightly off your lap, you jump down onto the bottom floor of the cobblestone abandoned church you guys were hiding out in. If you remember correctly, Feitan took the 3rd room on the left side halfway. You go to walk down there but a giant hand grabs onto you. Blinking, you turn to look at Franklin who had stopped you.

“I wouldn’t suggest that, (y/n). Let’s just leave Feitan alone.” Franklin says, using his other hand to pat your head, “How about you just join Shalnark, Uvo, Phinks and I in a game of cards?”

“But, why…Why can’t I check up on Feitan? Is he torturing someone again? You know I don’t get bothered by that stuff.”

Franklin goes to rebut but Uvo lets out a laugh and cuts him off. “Don’t try Franklin. It’s pointless when (y/n) wants to go do her job.”

Uvogin takes a sip of his beer before looking serious at you. “I wouldn’t suggest it though, squirt. Shalnark and Phinks decided to really just annoy the shit out of Feitan today. So he’s not… in the best state of mind right now, kiddo.”

You sigh and glare at Shalnark and Phinks who freeze up under your gaze. “You two hadn’t learned your lesson from last time didn’t you. Well, that doesn’t change things because I’m still going to check up on him.”

“(Y/n)—“

“Franklin. It’s my job. You guys are the legs, Chrollo is the head and I’m the heart. It’s my job to make sure everything is running smoothly within the Troope and during missions. I can’t have any bad blood going on with the members before we go out on a mission.”

Franklin and you stare each other down for a couple of minutes before the larger man removes his hand. He lets out a sigh clearly not happy with letting you go. “Fine. But, you better call us if anything happens. I don’t trust Feitan right now.”

You giggle and hit Franklin on the arm. “Of course but I doubt anything will happen.”

Franklin stares as he watches you walk away. He just can’t understand why you do your job. After all you just—

“Franklin! Come on we are about to start.” Franklin sighs at Shalnark’s call and just decides to leave the thought alone for now.

————🕸—☠️—🕸————

“What? Is that all you can do short ass—“ The man chokes out another scream as Feitan peels off another fingernail. Feitan was not amused by the man and honestly, he wasn’t calming down, he was just getting more pissed off. This man had a sharp tongue just like Shalnark and Phinks. Maybe he should cut theirs out next time when the boss or (y/n) isn’t looking. “Fuck.. you… you gay bi—“

Feitan had enough of the man and decided to just snap his neck, it’s easier that way and maybe with some quiet he could calm down. Feitan takes a deep breath, his fingers shaking in rage. He needs to calm down, he’s usually not like this and if he can’t he’ll snap.

“Fei?” You stick your head through the door. All you can see under the light of candles is the back of Feitan who is looking at a dead man on the table in front of him. You wait a couple of seconds but you get no response so you walk in. You come closer and closer until you're standing next to Feitan. You don’t look at the black haired man and instead, grab the hand of the dead man in front of you. “Wow. I always wondered how you could be so good at peeling fingernails. You always do it so clean and precise. You should teach me one time.”

You two then sit in silence for a while after you speak. You take a shaky breath. Feitan is usually quiet but he’s never been this silent around you before.

“Hey Fei… I don’t know what happened but—“

When you put a light hand on Feitan's shoulder, all hell breaks loose. One second, you're standing next to him and the next you're being pressed up against the wall. You go to yell out but Feitan quickly shuts you up by fiercely kissing you. Crap, you should’ve listened to Franklin. Now, you're stuck in a bad situation, like you always are.

Feitan pulls away from your mouth with a light string of saliva still connecting you two. You look into the man’s eyes and just see pure sadistic darkest enveloping them. Just from looking at it you know. You know that Feitan has completely lost himself.

“Fei—“ “Shut up.” Feitan grabs the roots of your hair and pulls it back, hard. You let a whine out at the painful feeling before letting out a small moan as Feitan moves to your neck. Feitan starts with harsh bruising kisses and sucks on your neck and shoulder. You gulp, slightly scared, as he sucks particularly hard on a spot right where your windpipe is. You hear the man chuckle at your gulp, amused by your reaction.

You definitely shouldn’t have given a reaction because now he was given harsh vampire hickeys and blood drawing bites on important parts of your neck and shoulders. Including the important carotid arteries that are needed to deliver blood to your brain and head. This definitely wasn’t good, it was very dangerous what Feitan is attempting. But, at the same time, you didn’t know what to do in this situation, you’ve been in bad situations but not like this. Technically if you allowed Feitan to do what he wanted, it could calm him down and a possible later on situation with another member could be avoided. You just weren't sure if it was the right call when he’s like this. He could honestly kill you right now without a single thought if he wanted to.

You are startled out of your raising thoughts as you hear a popping noise. Blushing, you watch helplessly as Feitan bursts open your shirt, the buttons flying off as he does so. “Feitan—“

You can’t get a word out again as your head is slammed against the wall with Feitan’s hand at your throat. You shiver as you meet Feitan’s gaze with teary eyes, slightly scared as you feel a little of his bloodlust leak out. As you are about to feel as if your heart was going to actually burst out of your chest and run away, Feitan looks away, focusing on undressing the rest of you.

You would let out a sigh of relief at that but can’t. Afterall, you felt as if you were literally being hanged.

Due to Feitan being strong, he could and was holding you off the ground, with the tips of your feet hardly scraping the cobblestone. It also didn’t help that he was ever so often squeezing a little bit more forcefully down on your neck, making the next breath you take after he unsqueezes feel like hot coal traveling down your throat. It was honestly a heart stopping feeling, it was something so scary that you have never felt before. Not even back in the hell place of Meteor City. Fuck, your mind was screaming at you to do something as you felt your sense of sight loosing itself. You were actually going to die or, at the very least, pass out from lack of oxygen.

As if you God suddenly heard your call, though according to Chrollo there isn’t one, Feitan let’s you go and you fall to your knees in a fit of coughing. It has never been so amazing to you to feel the sweet amazing life force called air flow through you.

Though that is very short lived as you feel a hand grab and tug your hair. You look towards the direction you're being pulled and blush as you come face to face with Feitan’s cock. Gulping, you look up at the man who glares down at you. He had a firm grip on your hair so you knew there was no use in running away now.

Pulling a shaky hand up you grab onto the pulsing shaft and take a couple of slow pumps. As you do so you hear Feitan hiss and grip onto your hair tighter. At least he’s very sensitive so this should hopefully go quickly. You lean your face in and give small kitten licks from the bottom of the shaft all the up to the tip. As you finally make it up to the top, you give the blushing tip a kiss as a little precum leaks out of it. You gulp as you feel the substance make contact with your tongue, it was an interesting taste that sent a shiver up your spine.

Now comes the hard part. You’ve never ever given anyone head or a blowjob before so you are going to have to somehow figure this out, and fast too unless you want Feitan to get mad. Opening your mouth you wrap your lips around Feitan’s tip, careful to make sure your teeth don’t rub against his shaft.

Clenching your eyes shut and trying to focus not on gaging, you take Feitan inch by inch into your mouth until your nose is right against his pubic hair. Your eyes and throat stings, you definitely know you can’t take Feitan in this far yet so you’ll have to use your hands for part of the blowjob. As you go to pull away you feel Feitan clutch onto your hair tighter.

You quickly look up worried at the man as you still have his full length in his mouth. Feitan smirks down at you and, as if he wants you to suffer, he starts to make short thrust into your mouth, keeping your head still as he does so.

Tears start to roll down your cheeks as your throat begins to convulse erratically around his length. Your throat absolutely burned as you continuously gagged at each thrust and you honestly felt as if you wanted to puke. You were definitely already not ready to give a blowjob after getting strangled, little less a face fuck.

You place your hands on his thighs, clawing at them, trying to get Feitan to stop or at the very least slow down. Though the pain you give him as you claw into him only makes him go faster.

“Fuck…” Feitan chuckles as he looks down at you. “Your throat is literally spazzing around me. Can’t take it, can you (y/n)?”

You look up at Feitan and looking at him through blurry eyes, you beg him to stop. Though as you go to make some sort of sound, it only causes vibration and it makes Feitan thrusts move erratically and unrhythmically.

“F-Fuck. You stupid slut, trying to make me— fuck.”

Feitan gives a last couple of messy thrusts before burying his whole length in your mouth. He lets out a groan and a couple of swears as he finally releases and his cum starts squirting out in strands, painting your throat and mouth white. All you can do is try to swallow as much as you can, trying not to choke on the thick white substance.

Feitan lets out a sigh as he finally pulls out of your mouth, allowing a few last white strands to paint your face. As he lets your head go you, exhausted, lean against the wall trying to stabilize yourself. So much hurt, from your jaw to your throat and even some of the bites on your chest. Nothing felt right.

You flinch as you feel something touch your cheek. Opening your eyes, you see Feitan with his hand now away. As you look into his eye, you can see he had finally calmed down and had snapped out of his trance.

Feitan feels as if he’s been stung as you flinch because of him. Though, he can’t blame you, he had lost control of himself and totally blacked out. He just can’t believe what he did to you. You are all bruised and bloody, and dirty with his cum streamed on your face. He clenches his fist as he feels his eyes start to burn. You are the heart, the little spider of the group. You help the troupe members even if not asked. You make sure they’ve eaten, taken showers, you bandage their wounds, and even taken care of them when they get sick. You are the one that actually cares if they make it back from a mission or not. Feitan remembers as if it was yesterday how hard you cried and mourned when the previous number 4 and 8 hadn’t come back.

“F-feitan.” You say shakily, reaching a hand up as you see a tear roll down the man’s face. As you are about to touch him, he slaps your hand away and backs up.

“Don’t comfort me. D-don’t.”

“But-t, feitan I—“

“Don’t (y/n). I don’t deserve it. You know that—“ Feitan is cut off as you grab onto him. Clutching him to you in a hug. Feitan scurries to try to pull you off, “(y/n)! Let go! Are you fucking insane?! Look at yourself, look at what I’ve done to you. You’re our little spider and I hurt you!! I’m a monst—“

Feitan is cut off yet again as he feels a sting. You, you just slapped him. You just slapped the torturer of the phantom troupe. Feitan finally looks at you again and he sees you looking serious at him. “You idiot. Don’t call yourself a monster. This is the first time you’ve ever hurt me. And you didn’t mean it, right? Then to me that means you are forgiven.”

“W-what?”

“I’m not mad at you.”

Feitan puts his head down and lets out a soft laugh. He just can’t believe what he heard. “What…what the fuck is wrong with you? How can you forgive me so easily. Are you fucking stupid or something?”

You put a finger to your chin and think. “Hmmm… I think so. Remember the time Phinks chucked me into a car by accident when he got mad.”

“I’m not fucking talking about that—“

“Feitan. Stop.”

Feitan glares at you as you massage your fingers through his hair. “You know this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten hurt. Like I said before Phinks has chucked me into a car before when he got mad. Uvogin was so close to paralyzing me once. Hell, even Machi sewed my lips closed once. It comes with the territory. Because…”

You place your forehead on Feitan’s and he sighs, not wanting to say what he knows is true. “You're the heart... It’s your job to make sure everything is running smoothly within the Troope and during missions. Even…

Feitan’s throat chokes up and he can’t make himself finish. You place a small kiss on his forehead and finish for him. “Even, if it means I get hurt. I’m the toughest muscle in the body so I can take the burden off of the legs and the head.”

Feitan is silent for a moment. He stares blankly into your eyes, just wondering why. Why do your eyes still spark when you look at him after what he had just done to you? What the others have done to you… Why do you still stay around? Just why—

“Feitan.” The man snaps out of it. He watches as you stand up to pull out your sketchbook that you had dropped when he attacked. As soon as you have it in your hand, you pat your lap as you sit down, “tell me what happened. I heard Shalnark and Phinks caused something.”

The man, unemotionally, plops his head down on your lap. It was wrong, he knew everything was wrong with the current structure of how the troupe was set up. But, he knew, it was pretty much a fact, that they couldn’t live without you and the way you just make their life so much brighter and better.

Feitan just lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. No matter how much bruises and blood you receive. No matter how much trauma you face. No matter how much you just want to quit. The heart has to pump on.

… Because without it…the Spider will die.

#hxh #hunter x hunter #phantom troupe #hxh scenarios #scenarios #feitan #feitan portor #feitan x reader

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photolover82 · 3 years

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The Masked Singer Season 6 Episodes 9 and 10: Group A & B Finals (Recap/Commentary)

Hello everyone! Long time no see, it’s been a crazy past couple of weeks ending the semester in college, you know finals and such, but I am back! This one’s gonna be quick and easy recap of the 2 episodes I missed, which are the finals for both groups individually… so here we go, starting with Group A:

Group A was Bull vs Skunk, they each performed twice, once alone and once in a duet with a celebrity

Starting off with the eliminated contestant aka Skunk 🦨

Solo Performance: she sang I Never Loved a Man by Aretha Franklin, and wow yeah like all of her performances, this was insanely strong. Her voice is insane, she is such a soul diva, it’s amazing! Her voice is just so classic and enjoyable to hear. (Tbh this round was to me the most difficult in terms of who is staying/who’s going)

Then, she got to do a duet with the one and only Micheal Bolton, singing Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Duet Performance: This is where I feel Bull edged her out a tiny bit… their voices are insanely strong like wow it’s freaking Micheal Bolton, he’s a legend for real. The man’s older and he still has a pristine voice, he can SANGGGG and so can she, but their voices don’t really go together as well as opposed to Bull’s celebrity duet (which I will talk ab later).

Anyways, she was revealed to be (as I guessed prob 100 times):

Ms. Faith Evans herself

Yeah, well, I knew it! We’re at I believe 11.5/12 correct at this moment. However, this one was a super close call and it was hard seeing her leave.

Now, onto the winner of Group A, The Bull!*

*(Aka Todrick Hall just in case you don’t know my guess for him)

Solo Performance: He sang Straight Up by Paula Abdul and the man pulled every single trick in the book and it was impressive. He really did all the Broadway things that will make an audience’s jaw drop… whistle tones, splits, a trust fall onto a group of dancers, kicks, spins, the raspy rock n roll thing people do I guess idk what to call it, even ending it with a back bend on the ground. Like WHAT?! This guy can put on a show!

Then, his celeb duet performance was with the one and only Turtle himself, Mr. Jesse McCartney, singing Breakeven by The Script

Duet Performance: Whoever picked this song needs a prize man! This was perfect for these two guys, like it showed their falsetto and their range and they harmonized amazingly. It also made both of their voices shine and gave Bull a chance to show a softer and emotional side than what he showed in the other performance, which I feel gave him the edge over Skunk. He showed he is a versatile performer, and Jesse was an amazing addition!

Alright, now moving onto the Group B Finals which were similar in format:

Group B was Banana Split vs Queen of Hearts, with 2 performances as well: a solo performance and a duet, but this time with 2 of the panelists

Let’s begin with our eliminated contestants, Banana Split

Solo Performance: they performed Singin’ In the Rain by Arthur Freed and they are just as showmen as Bull is, like she tapped dance for god’s sake. Again, though, this one was also a really close call between the 2, but QOH did edge them out vocally honestly… and we already have a showmen with Bull so I guess it’s ok. I was a bit upset they left because she’s insane and he’s such a genius composer.

For their duet, they got to sing with Robin Thicke Don’t You Worry About a Thing by Stevie Wonder

Duet Performance: This one I actually liked better than the QOH one, because Robin is amazing at harmonizing with whoever he sings with and it sounded fantastic. They really with this song got to have so much fun and show off their falsetto and those high notes were exquisite! Their voices really worked so well together I really loved it!

Anyways, they were revealed to be (again I suspected this 100 times):

David Foster and Katherine McPhee

Yay 12.5/13! This one did upset me, because I was really hoping they can be the first duo to win it all but it’s ok. They did amazing tho, that doesn’t negate that fact.

Ok, now for our Group B winner, Queen of Hearts*:

*aka Jewel, if you didn’t know who my guess is

Solo Performance: She sang Bird Set Free by Sia and it was a great song choice! She did edge Banana Split out with her voice because it was such a huge voice with that song where she really showcased her range instead of being really fun and energetic like the Banana Split. I just wish she did do more energetic performances and moved around a bit more, but I get that the costume is restraining.

Moving on, for her duet, she sang with Nicole Scherzinger Dream On by Aerosmith

Duet Performance: I hate being a negative Nancy, but this one was good and all because Nicole and her are amazing, but this song was not it. Nicole was overpowering QOH and there was not real harmonizing. The huge large note could have been an opportunity for QOH to showcase what she can do but Nicole had to take over and it just felt like 2 voices competing for the main dominance. It was my least favorite duet for sure.

Anyways, that’s it! Thanks for tuning in, tomorrow is the season finale aka the last one of these for a while until season 7 airs which I believe is in March if I am not mistaken. Follow me on Twitter (photolover82) to see me live tweet the show! Also, like, comment, do the social media things! Bye guys see you in a couple of days! 👋🏼

#the masked singer #themaskedsinger #celebrities #music #hollywood #tv shows #the masked singer season 6 #faith evans #todrick hall #katherine mcphee #David foster #jewel #2000s #90s music

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rye-views · 5 years

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Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) dir. Jake Kasdan. 7.3/10

The fucking horse gdi. It even jumped into the lake.

Yaaa at the guy feeling more pain than women. lmaoo.

We love this acting range. Jack black a1. Why was Awkwafina so meant for Danny Devito’s role? Still not used to Nick Jonas being in this.

Spoiler: [About the gang from the first movie all coming back to town from college. They agree to meet at the breakfast spot, Nora’s, the following morning. Spencer and Martha had been broken up. Spencer currently has his grandpa, Eddie, visiting. That night, Spencer tinkers with the Jumanji game and goes back in. The crew meet up and don’t know where he is so goes to his place where Eddie was meeting Milo, his estranged friend of 15 years. The crew rummage through the house and see the game and go in to save him. Bethany ends up not getting sucked in so goes to Alex to get his help. In the game, they never got to choose characters because it was broken so entered as different characters. Martha is still Ruby Roundhouse. Fridge ended up being Professor Sheldon, Eddie became Dr. Bravestone, and Milo became Franklin Finbar. The grandparents didn’t understand what was happening and will take some time to figure it out even though they are constantly being taught. Nigel takes them on a new adventure, which turns out to be the next level of the game. Their objective is to get the falcon jewel back from the antagonist, Jurgen the Brutal. He had taken it away from the natives even though the jewel brings in prosperity in crops and whatnot. The new crew are dropped into a desert and have to dune buggy off a cliff to avoid aggressive ostriches. They then end up seeing Jurgen and stopped a random thief from stealing the key for the jewel. The thief turns out to be Spencer. They fight their way out. They follow an ex girlfriend of Dr. Bravestone to figure things out. Fridge and Martha end up getting a jumanji berry and discovering a river that allows them to switch characters, but they still revert to who they started as. Spencer steals a camel and Milo has a new skill to understand all languages, including those of animals. They get away and end up fighting mandrills while crossing a maze of bridges. They meet up with Alex and Bethany, but Bethany entered as a horse. After struggling a lot, they kept dying. They find another river and change characters to what they’re suited for so that they have the best chance of beating the game. Martha is still Ruby. Spencer is Dr. Bravestone. Bethany is Sheldon. Fridge is Finbar. Milo is the horse, Eddie is Ming, the thief. They enter Jurgen’s fortress as Bethany and Fridge pretend to be the Brothers Kababik, who are guests of Jurgen atm. Spencer and Martha climb an ice wall to get in. Milo and Eddie are captured and imprisoned. Spencer and Martha save Eddie. Alex saves Milo from a boobytrapped cage after 2 deaths. Jurgen asks the brothers kababik where their sister is, because she is to be his wife. He was going to kill them until Martha shows up and claims to be the bride. As they are about to be wed, Jurgen’s butler receives a message saying the real brothers will be late in arriving. When realizing that they are impostors, a fight ensues. Jurgen leaves via blimp as he sees that Dr. Bravestone is in possession of the Jumanji berry. Dr. Bravestone stops the blimp and attacks hinm with the berry, which is his weakness. He falls to his death. Milo has wings, turns out, and Eddie flies on him to get Spencer. They got the jewel and Eddie flies with Milo to show it to the sun. The sun is what it needs to give the power. They shout Jumanji and win the game. During their journey, Milo and Eddie fixed their falling out. They were estranged because Milo went into retirement and sold their joint restaurant while Eddie wanted to work until he died. Milo came to restore their friendship that day because he is sick and dying. He requests to be left in the game because he finally has wings. Everyone gets back. Spencer’s mom comes home and Eddie says that Spencer taught him how to play video games. Eddie also gets rehired by the restaurant. At the end, the guy in charge of fixing the heater in Spencer’s basement sees the game. While Spencer and his crew are eating at Nora’s a flock of ostriches run by.]

#jumanji #the next level #next level #jumanji: the next level #jumanji: next level #jake kasdan #2019 #7.3 #movie #film #review #commentary #rye-views

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hannah-deactivated20220725 · 4 years

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Reasons I Love Aria / Elise

I’ve already talked about DHaF, Belinda, Ikuisuus, Juma, Chippy, DHaFN, Ruby, Soul Surgery, Jason Zephyr, The Forest, Amelia R., Cadence, Vampire Idol rewrite, Elizabeth, Nane, Humanity’s Demon, Demonic, Samuel, Katherine A, Clarissa, Humanity’s Demon 2.0, Satan, Lucifer, Azrael, Fredrich, Lilith, Apollyon, Aamon, Master, Raguel, Michaelveli, Catrina, Zadkiel, Kenneth, Franklin, The Magic Jeweler, Chip, The Origin of the Magick Shoppe, Ariel, The Fall of the Sirens, Glorie, Maloi, Glimmer Like the Stars and Mrs. McRoy, The Curse of the Bloody Lady, Mary, Nyr Death Experiences, Betrüger, Wahr, Vergil, Maxine, Voyage of the Wisp, Nash, Mikah, Roger, Francis, Lindora and Winnifred, Origins of the Hybrid Species, Victoria, Maxie and Amelia, Kyle, Brian, Dana, Marcus, Kate, Tomoka and Jasmine

Here are some reasons why I love Aria & Elise:

Okay, so I’m gonna do these together but separate because Aria and Elise are the same person but in alternate realities. Aria is Elise in the alternate universe while Elise is Aria in the original universe of the roleplay world.

So with that in mind, I’m gonna start with the original version, Elise:

Elise is a total sweetheart and would do literally anything and everything for those she loves

She has a very complex relationship with her best friend, Sam, who’s a gay guy she’s in love with

She is caring possibly to a fault

My favorite fact to tell about her is she saw a starving child and was the one that fed the kid, even though she was a young child herself, she still had such a bleeding heart

The way that Kyle and Jarred found her and adopted her is just a cute story

Her relationship with her daddies is cute and sweet

Even though she’s an only child, Sam Bovington is like a brother and eventually she married his brother (Marc)

She and Marc are perhaps my cutest couple I’ve made by myself without my friend having one of the characters (we have a bunch of couples together xD)

The way that Elise started to go by her middle name (Elise) is just... adorable

And now for Aria, the AU version:

Aria was one of my first elven characters as well as one of my first royal characters

Aria’s backstory is both tragic and beautiful in the way it’s shaped her even though she doesn’t even remember it

She still has that bleeding heart in this story and was still adopted by Kyle and Jarred - they are one of my favorite families

Aria is the kind of person you’d wish was your queen but she also isn’t the type to want that role

In the AU, Aria is still in love with Sam (her gay best friend she’s stuck on), but she doesn’t marry Marc, as she never gets feelings for him like that. She’s too stuck on Sam. In fact, she never gets married (at least, as of now, that’s the plan)

Her utter love of nature even though she didn’t learn until she was an adult that she was an elf

Here’s a picrew image of Ari. I don’t have any of Elise:

#aria #aria lavine #about aria #ari #jasmine elise #elise #about elise #my ocs #about my ocs #picrew #character design #reasons I love my ocs #reasons I love aria #reasons I love Elise

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anakinsbugs · 4 years

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Aransas Wildlife Refuge – Winter Home of the Whooping Crane

New Post has been published on https://walrusvideo.com/aransas-wildlife-refuge-winter-home-of-the-whooping-crane/

Aransas Wildlife Refuge – Winter Home of the Whooping Crane

Aransas Wildlife Refuge is famous for being the winter home of the Whooping Crane. Aransas County, Texas is one of the hottest birding spots in the country. In fact, USA Today readers recently choice named Aransas National Wildlife Refuge as the number one birding spot in the nation. There you can see 400 different species of birds. Aransas County has long been on the great texas coastal birding trail because of its position on the central flyway path for migratory birds.

On This Page

ANWR What it is, and Where

National Wildlife Refuge System

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Best trails in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas

Aransas Wildlife Refuge Check List

How often do you visit the ANW Refuge?

ANW Refuge Austwell

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Whooping Crane Survey

Aransas Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

Texas is home to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). This refuge is known for helping to save the whooping crane from extinction. In 1941 there were only 15 whooping cranes left, this refuge was established previously to help to breed them and took the responsibility to save the whooping crane. The refuge offers many activities for visitors. There are many different nature trails and observation places to enjoy the wildlife from.

Tourists flock to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge Austwell during the winter to catch a glimpse of the whooping cranes. This year was special as a nesting pair of bald eagles was also drawing bird lovers in. About halfway down the refuge’s one-way, 9-mile driving loop visitors stop or pull their cars over to watch the iconic birds nesting in the distance.

National Wildlife Refuge System

Aransas Wildlife Refuge, coastal habitat conservation area in Southern Texas, U.S., located about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Corpus Christi. The refuge, parts of which are jointly administered by state and federal agencies, covers a total of 181 square miles (469 square km) on the Gulf of Mexico , including large tracts of land on Matagorda Island and on a broad peninsula between San Antonio Bay and St. Austwell.

The refuge was established in 1937 to serve as “a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife…” and “…for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds…” The wildlife conservation mission of the national wildlife refuge system and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ensures the refuge will continue to conserve, protect and enhance these lands for the benefit of wildlife and the American people.

In 1937 a large effort was needed to protect dwindling populations of migratory birds and other wildlife in the region. Set aside by the executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this unique gulf coast landscape has remained largely natural. It has been able to continue its ongoing legacy of constant and dramatic transformation That’s a process that began when it was first formed roughly 120,000 years ago.

Aransas is considered the “crown jewel” of the national wildlife refuge system. It is the only summering ground for the endangered whooping crane and home to large colonies of birds including pelicans, cranes, herons and egrets. The refuge has a number of small walking trails and also has a scenic 10 mi (16 km) drive through its interior. Wild boar, alligators and armadillos can also be seen at the refuge.

Current weather conditions for Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Tx, are obtained from the closest government-operated station. That is a personal station contributing to the PWSweather. Com network which may have varying degrees of accuracy Or the forecast may be obtained from the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS).

The nearest weather station for both precipitation and temperature measurements is Aransas Wildlife which is approximately 8 miles away and has an elevation of 15 feet (2 feet higher than the refuge trail system).

This refuge is one of over 545 national wildlife refuges spanning the united states and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The national wildlife refuge system is the only national system of lands dedicated to conserving our wildlife heritage for today and generations yet to come. The Aransas refuge is comprised of over 115,000 acres including the Blackjack Peninsula, Matagorda Island, Myrtle Foester Whitmire, Tatton and Lamar units.

This reserve is a large contiguous complex of wetland, terrestrial, and marine environments named for the two river systems that flow into it. Coastal prairie, oak motte, riparian freshwater, and salt marsh habitats, make up the reserve. The water portion consists of three large, open and shallow bays that support extensive tidal flats, seagrass beds, mangroves, and oyster reefs. The largest wetland habitat (24,400 acres) on the north side of the reserve is part of the refuge and is the winter home to the critically endangered whooping crane.

Just one of five hundred and more national wildlife refuges spanning the US, theses are a national system of lands. Lands that are dedicated to conserving US wildlife heritage not only today but for many generations into the future.

The wildlife refuge is partnering with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to offer hunters the convenience of applying for refuge hunt permits online. Hunters are now able to apply for the refuge’s white-tailed deer and feral hog hunting permits through the texas parks and wildlife department’s online public hunt draw system.

Slowly rebounding from near extinction, this bird’s survival depends on a healthy gulf.

In the classic fine photo of the refuge a whooping crane typically stretches skyward. It remains a vital refuge for at-risk birds. Resilient whooping cranes have been slowly rebounding from near extinction during the past century, but their survival still depends on a delicate coastal ecosystem.

The friends of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The friends of Aransas National Wildlife was founded in October of 1997. They care about the refuge and want to help the US Fish and Wildlife Service with their mission of protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat. With 501 (c) (3) not for profit status, they have grown to approximately 100 members.

It is one of the most popular birding areas in Texas, famous as the best site in the world for the largest wild flock of the endangered whooping crane. In addition, a large number of other birds can be seen there. More than 392 species have been recorded in total, one of the longest bird lists from any of the USA’s network of wildlife refuges.

A park entrance fee is charged per day — $3 per person or $5 per vehicle. Note: various passes are available that permit free access to all national wildlife refuges. For more information, refer to the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Passes Dept.

The texas coastal bend has long been a region that whooping cranes migrated to for the winter. This coastal bend includes the deep curved area located along the gulf. One of its largest cities includes Corpus Christi, and other areas include Laguna Madre, North Padre Island, and Mustang Island. In the last few years, a record number of cranes have touched down along the Texas coast.

A recent visitor to the refuge peered through a scope atop an observation deck. She had never seen a whooping crane, and a pair of them towered over other birds foraging on the flats in the distance. “This is a place worth saving,” she said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced it would spend $26. 9 million making whole again a national wildlife refuge carved up by hurricane Harvey.

Aransas Wildlife Volunteers

I want to take a minute to recognize a few long-time volunteers at Aransas Wildlife Refuge that really do make a difference for our wildlife and wild places. First off, a long-time volunteer at Aransas was awarded as the 2017 Coastal Steward by the coastal bend bays foundation at the Annual Environmental Awards Banquet on 7 December. That guy put a great deal of “sweat equity” into Aransas over the years, from mowing, cutting and spraying invasive species to helping our maintenance staff with all sorts of projects.

Aransas national wildlife refuge is a 115,324-acre (466. 7km2) protected area situated on the southwest side of San Antonio bay along the gulf coast of the U.S. State of Texas. It is located in parts of Aransas, Refugio, and Calhoun counties. It is situated on the southwest side of San Antonio Bay, formed by the mouth of the Guadalupe River. It also includes nearly the entirety of Matagorda Island, a 38-mile barrier island.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see the endangered whooping cranes. We offer the chance to witness these birds in their natural habitat! These are winter and springtime trips to the Aransas refuge. The lowest impact way to see these birds is from the water looking onto the refuge, and there is no better way to see them than in the comfort of the wharf cat and scat cat.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was originally known as Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge It is located on the Blackjack Peninsula, eight miles southeast of Austwell and midway between Rockport and Port Lavaca, on the gulf coast. The refuge comprises 54,829 acres of scattered blackjack oak woodlands, fresh and saltwater marshes, ponds, and coastal grasslands on the mainland, as well as 56,668 acres on Matagorda island. Karankawa, Lipan, Tonkawa, and Comanche Indians once occupied the area.

Friends of the refuge recently gave out 500 shells they had painted, as well as roseate spoonbill postcards and Aransas NWR pencils, and information about the refuge. One member created a photo album that she had on display at the table, and that got a lot of interest.

The refuge will resume collecting fees to access the refuge beginning on Friday, March 5, 2021. Fees are used to support and enhance visitor facilities, infrastructure (trails and structures), and public programs. The contact station and restrooms will remain closed (portable restrooms are available). All visitors will need to register and pay the daily access fee (cash only) at the information kiosk/iron ranger.

There was plenty of outdoor fun to be had last autumn at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge in Austwell. Activities included archery and BB gun shooting, kids’ fishing, cast netting lessons, crafts, kayaking, junior wildland firefighter events, face painting, casting and fly fishing practice, wildlife games and more.

The bugle of the endangered whooping crane echoes across the far reaches of the marsh. Only at Aransas refuge do North America’s tallest birds find an enduring winter stronghold. Here, too, pelicans, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ducks, and geese dine, in brackish waters and salt marshes teeming with fishes, blue crabs, and clams. Onshore, javelinas, bobcats and deer wander oak woodlands.

The Trails in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas

The refuge is open daily and features a driving trail, walking trails, observation tower, and picnic area. It’s a short drive from Port Aransas and the Aransas Wildlife Refuge is well worth it. You can get up close and personal with whooping cranes and alligators. The time we went there with our dog, they told us to leave the dog in the car because it will look like dinner to the alligators! Additional activities include hiking, birding, picnicking, and fishing. Six leisurely hiking trails totalling 4.

Aransas national wildlife refuge is a 114,657 acre (464 km2) protected area situated on the southwest side of San Antonio bay along the gulf coast of the U.S. State of Texas. It is located in parts of Aransas, Refugio, and Calhoun counties.

My husband and I have been to that refuge several times over the past 20 years. It is a huge refuge at 115,324 acres. We spent about 4 hours at the refuge on this visit. We found 7 alligators on the rail trail ( 0. 3 miles) and heron trail ( 1. 4 miles ). Part of the heron trail was closed due to a damaged footbridge. We had gone to the wildlife refuge in the spring for the first time to photograph the whooping cranes at the refuge. However, the morning of our trip was so foggy all of the photos were pretty disappointing. At that time we decided we had to go back in November and indeed we did return. We found out about Kevin Sim’s charter boats, Aransas Bay Birding Charters, and booked a trip on the jack flash.

Barn owls are still quite common in the refuge, and I took a wonderful photo of a fox squirrel standing on top knotted bark of a tree. Another great shot was of an alligator hiding in the brush. So for my money, Aransas County, Texas is indeed one of the hottest birding spots in the country.

Aransas refuge is displayed on the “Mesquite Bay” USGS quadrangle of their topo map. Anyone who is interested in visiting Aransas National Wildlife Refuge can print the free topographic map and other maps using the link above. The location, topography, and nearby roads and trails around the refuge (park) can be seen in the map layers.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) offers a variety of draw hunts. I usually put my name in the hat for a couple of them every year, but I never had any luck getting drawn. That all changed this past December when I received an email from TPWD informing me that I had been drawn for a hunt in the Aransas Wildlife Refuge. The quarry was whitetail deer and feral pigs.

Wildlife Refuge Check List

You have a vacation wish list a mile long, but there’s one spot that needs to be checked off now. You’re not about to be the only person who hasn’t seen that national wildlife refuge, so it’s high time you see it your way. We found an absurdly cheap deal on a hotel near the refuge. What’s a vacation anyway if you can’t treat yourself?

For bird-watchers, the 115,000-acre ANWR is the premier site on the Texas coast, with more than 400 species having been documented here. Even people who don’t carry binoculars and ornithological checklists can get caught up in the bird-spotting frenzy. It peaks here every March and November but is still great throughout the year. None are more famous, more followed or more watched than the whooping-cranes – among the rarest creatures in North America.

Situated on the Texas Gulf Coast along San Antonio Bay, the 70,504 acres of the ANWR are host to an exotic array of wildlife, including alligators, javelina (collared peccary), snakes, bobcats and whooping cranes. A 16-mile one-way driving tour takes visitors through the refuge’s grassland, oak thicket, freshwater pond, and marshland habitats, providing excellent wildlife viewing opportunities.

How often do you visit the Aransas Wildlife Refuge?

Bird watching enthusiasts will want to take a short 45-minute drive to the refuge located on the San Antonio Bay near Austwell. This remarkable place is home each season to thousands of migratory birds including pelicans, herons, egrets, spoonbills, shorebirds, ducks, and geese.

The white prickly poppies are in full bloom in early May. Against a clear blue sky, the temperature is rising, but the spring flowers bring relief, at least in a visual sense. This was my first visit to this particular refuge, yet it feels familiar. In my experience, the refuges share a stillness that sets them apart from the world we come from.

All the information you need to know about ANWR Airport is available online. While vacationing in Rockport, Texas, we visited the ANWR and Mustang Island State Park. They were both about a 30-minute scenic drive from our spot at Bay View RV Park. We took many pictures, shot a few videos, and got sweaty in the hot and humid Southern Texas weather.

Aransas Rail Trail in the Wildlife Refuge Austwell

Aransas national wildlife refuge rail trail is a 1. 2 miles moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Austwell, Texas that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on a leash.

The youth conservation corps workers spent 8 weeks working in different areas of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The students spent one day working in the pollinator garden. They did an amazing job and accomplished more in one day than we ever imagined possible.

Refuge Whooping Crane Survey

The refuge begins posting updates once the birds begin arriving (around mid-October) and posts information frequently until the birds leave for their summer home in Canada (near the end of March). Once the birds have left their wintering grounds and the data has been fully analyzed, the refuge prepares the Aransas-wood buffalo whooping crane abundance survey, a full report on the season. This information will also be made available to the public.

The ANWR completed the annual whooping crane abundance survey 2021 in the last week of February and were able to fly three primary surveys and two secondary surveys. Areas surveyed stretch along the Texas coast from Matagorda to Port Aransas. The pilot with the USFWS migratory birds program, flew the survey crew in a wheeled Kodiak again this year. In addition to an overall estimate of the winter population size, the survey provides the ANWR with an estimate of how many juveniles were “recruited” into the population last summer.

This article was originally posted on https://holidaynexus.com/

The Article Aransas Wildlife Refuge – Winter Home of the Whooping Crane First Appeared ON : https://gqcentral.co.uk

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