#leading to the elimination chamber

[moongirlwidow]

File: Volkov, Anetka Vespera —> Notable Events

Aliases: Winter Widow

Status: Classified

File Last updated: July 6, 2023 AD

Status: Student

Age: 15

Class: 16ABX

Total Missions: 681

Missions completed: 671

Missions successful: 670

Mission failures: 1

Kill count: ~10k

The First Winter Soldier Incident

Date of occurrence: April 6, 2012

Age: 6 years

Summary: the Winter Soldier was brought to the academy for a pruning of classes and training session. After watching the elder classes fight and largely fail against the Soldat, Volkov faked unconsciousness. The objective of her class was to survive, however she laid limp for an hour before performing takedown 6AN19Y, a skill she had not been taught not previously seen. She proceeded to render the Soldat unconscious, the only Widow under the age of 11 to do so

Aftermath: following this, in consideration with Volkov’s other skills, statistics and mannerisms, she was selected to train as the replacement for the Iron Maiden, Melina Vostokov, alongside A. Dreykov, Taskmaster

Melbourne Playground 618

Date of occurrence: July 16, 2010

Age: 4 years

Summary: flammable gas canisters were placed in the playground at [redacted](Melbourne, Australia) by Volkov, Galkin and Zubov, lit with a dropped cigarette

Casualties: 29

Targets killed: 6/6

Myers Mountain Poisioning

Date of occurrence: October 16-31, 2022

Age: 13

Summary: Volkov infiltrated the Myers-Henderson Charity Gala in Salt Lake City Utah, seduced Messers. George Cawford and Issac Wells into her suite where she followed orders to lead them on in belief of a possible three-way encounter. She then put a heavy poison on her neck and lips which when oral contact is made knocks the victim unconscious, with the safety precaution of a powder which could be applied via [redacted]

Casualties: 2

Targets killed: 2/2

Retrieval of Archival Soviet Files from [redacted] Castle, Scotland

Date of occurence: August 12, 2022

Age: 15

Summary: Volkov alongside Taskmaster attended a fantasy-theme event in Scotland, using this as a cover to retrieve various Soviet files and archival items. Volkov created a contact with Nina Brown to gain na alibi for being out late, once again showing her skill in seducing women of a lesbian persuasion

Casualties: 0

Items Retrieved: 45/44

Graduation Test

Date of occurrence: July 28, 2023

Age: 15

Summary: following suit with N. Romanova, Volkov’s test included the retiring of her class. She was left blindfolded in a room with four of her peers, all of whom were shot at point-blank range, one shot to the heart and one to the throat. She then found herself in a laboratory chamber, and after moving through light gunfire she mixed chemicals to create toxic fumes, claiming the single gas mask for herself and climbing her to aid in avoiding the chemical.

The final room contained Katarina Yubkin and Olga Oborin, second and third ranked in the group. She eliminated Oborin without issue. Yubkin gave a fight, showing weakness as she begged for mercy before her death. Volkov then checked all bodies to confirm deaths and emerged for her assessment.

Score: 112/100

Time: 7 minutes, 26.751 seconds (record, beats Natalia Romanova)

Casualties: 28

[lotomber]

Scared to be lonely!

Pairing: Dazai x GN! reader

Synopsis: After an argument with dazai you left the apartment but you were attacked by an enemy!

Warning: Angst, gunshots, wounds, mentions of bleeding, comfort in the end!

Word count: ~770

You knew your boyfriend worked for the mafia but you still loved him and he also loved you. However it didn't gave him the right to flirt with other people behind your back under the pretext of information collecting. It was the third time this week you saw him with someone else flirting and getting all touchy with. You couldn't hold it back anymore and lashed at him when he returned to your apartment. You both got into an argument and it didn't helped it when he said that you were just making something out of nothing. You were hurt moreover you were furious at him, so you just grabbed your coat, wallet, phone and left the apartment. You just went walking around the streets without a destination in mind. You were too engrossed in your thoughts that it took you a while to notice that someone had been following you since you left. You started running to a crowded place to lose him but he pulled out a gun and started shooting at you. You managed to escape and hide at nearby warehouse but you got shot in your abdomen. The wound wasn't deep but it was bleeding a lot. You wanted to call Dazai but you dropped your phone while running and the guy who attacked you was still somewhere outside.

On the other end Dazai was still waiting for you to return it had been hours since you left and you weren't even responding to his calls and texts, it had been worrying him a lot so he went out to look for you. He knew all the places you go when you want to clear your mind or when you were stressed but instead of you what he found was your phone in a desolate alleyway and some signs of gunshots. He instantly understood what happened and it worried him to death. He called his men to surround the entire area and look for you. He didn't even wanted to think about the worst case scenario. In a while his men caught the assailant who attacked you, he was the last surviving member of a gang Dazai eliminated and he wanted revenge on him, so he found out about your relationship with Dazai and decided to target you. After he was caught Dazai ordered to not kill him and take him to the HQ basement's torture chambers that he will personally deal with him. Well what waited him was probably worst than death but Dazai's concern right now was you. He was still searching high and low but soon in an alleyways he found a trail of blood leading to a warehouse. He immediately rushed to found you there hiding behind some crates. You lost quite some blood and were slowly losing consciousness yet the only thing you could think about was Dazai. As soon as Dazai saw you he rushed to your aid, he looked like he would burst into tears any moment and he was trying to say something but you couldn't hear it as you soon fell unconscious in his arms.

After that you don't how much time had passed, all you remember was the darkness which engulfed you and voice of someone crying. you knew that voice very well it belonged to the man you loved with your heart. Soon after you opened your eyes to see you were in a hospital room, and Dazai was there besides you holding your hand firmly. "D..Dazai?" you tried calling out to him but your voice came out hoarse and weak. As soon as he noticed that you were awake he started apologizing to you, his eyes looked red and puffy probably like he had been crying for a while.

"I'm sorry [name]. i'm really sorry. I shouldn't have let you go like that it's all because of me that you..."

"No I'm also sorry Dazai I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that."

"No it's all cause I was stupid and I knew what I did hurted you but I still dismissed your feelings." he was trying his best not to cry in front you but you noticed it.

"Y'know when I was shot it hurted a lot but still all I could think about was you. I regretted how I stormed out and that if died there I won't able to see you again, hear your voice again and apologize to you cause I really love you samu."

"I also love you a lot [name] so just please don't ever leave my side cause you're my only reason to be alive."

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Hello! Could you explain the flux?

Adding to that. Could you also explain Swarm and Azure? What species are they? Why were they imprisoned?

What was the Flux?

The Flux was a wave of anti-matter unleashed by the Division with one goal: to obliterate the entire universe and eliminate one specific target—the Doctor. The Division had decided, in their infinite wisdom, that if they couldn't control the Doctor, it would be better to wipe out everything and start fresh in a brand-new universe. This is a bit like deciding to burn down your entire house because you don't like the curtains, but hey, ho.

⚛️ How It Worked

The Flux was like a giant hurricane made of antimatter, or perhaps more realistically the biggest bomb of antimatter ever created, similar to Davros' Reality Bomb. Every particle it touched was ripped apart or destabilised - as it tore through the universe, it indiscriminately wrecked everything in its path, creating pure chaos in a universe of reason.

1️⃣ The First Flux

The First Flux event wiped out a lot of the universe, leaving Earth at the centre of a battlefield. The Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarans all fought for control of the remaining fragments of existence, leading to intergalactic war. The First Flux also damaged the Temple of Atropos, causing a temporal chaos known as the Great Disruption to accompany all this.

2️⃣ The Second Flux

The Division planned a Second (and Final) Flux, intending to finish what they had started and bring the universe to its ultimate end, but the Doctor managed to prevent it from completely destroying the Universe by using some old forbidden Dark Time tech and a bit of bants. Unfortunately, the Doctor couldn't bring back what the Flux had already destroyed, leaving large swathes of reality forever erased from existence.

🌠 The Aftermath

Entire galaxies, civilisations, and histories were wiped out, leaving a much less interesting universe to explore. Even now in newer incarnations, the Doctor really isn't over it. He rationalises that because the Division targeted him specifically, the entire tragedy of the Flux was entirely his fault. But that kid's always been dramatic.

Who are Swarm and Azure?

Swarm and Azure were members of an ancient species known as Ravagers who lived in the Dark Times of the universe, and worshipped the eternal embodiment of Time.

They first got a bit uppity when the ancient Time Lords decided to make the Universe a more organised and less dangerous place, which involved the imprisonment of the personification of Time and some Mouri gal pals in the Temple of Atropos. The Ravagers obviously saw this as heresy.

⛓️ Imprisonment

The Ravagers' dislike of the Time Lords' actions led to a fight known as the Founding Conflict. During this, Swarm and Azure were involved in what's become known as the Seige of Atropos, where they took control of the Temple of Atropos and all the Mouri within it, whom the Time Lords had so carefully placed. The Doctor, then part of the Division, defeated them.

Following their defeat, the Division deemed that Swarm and Azure were too dangerous to be left to their own devices. Swarm was imprisoned in a containment chamber at the Burnished Rage battleground, while Azure was hidden on Earth, her identity erased, and her true nature suppressed under a human guise. Why be simple when a more convoluted solution would do?

🏃‍♂️ Escape and the Flux

Thanks to the head of the Division and part-time evil adoptive mother, Tecteun, Swarm escaped and then liberated his sister. They then decided that instead of the Division using the Flux to wipe out the Universe, they would use the Flux to wipe out the Universe, because religion makes that totally different. This all, of course, failed, and the very person they'd been worshipping for so long killed them both for their 'failure'.

Related:

What does the Web of Time look like?: Overview on the Web of Time and its relevance.

Is there such a thing as vampire Time Lords?: If vampire Time Lords exist and the murky world of cults.

How might the Celestis digest?: How the Celestis might digest, highly theoretical

Hope that helped! 😃

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[judgementdaysunshine]

Homecoming adventure

Pairing: Rhea Ripley x Fem reader

Description: Rhea shows you around Perth meeting each other's families helping her celebrate her win after elimination chamber showing how proud you are of her

Rhea smiles seeing you like a little kid as she shows you around Perth absolutely thrilled that not only both of you would be in elimination chamber but that she got to show you around Australia for the very first time excited that you would also get to meet her family. She hugs her parents and sister Calista having them quietly follow you as you were in awe holding a koala in your arms before you were giggling at the sugar glider on your arm quickly showering in your hotel room before walking down the street from the hotel to a small restaurant and bar sharing a quick kiss before walking in immediately feeling like you had known her little sister and parents for years getting showered with affection by them enjoying the night with them before you and rhea went to the hotel and to bed feeling nervous as you watch the first two matches of elimination before your match with Bianca winning and retaining your intercontinental championship smiling when you see your family in one part of the crowd and rhea's in the other smiling as you share hugs with both families before walking backstage sharing hugs with Dom, Naomi, Damian, Kevin, Finn, Liv, and Becky pacing nervously throughout rhea's match with Nia almost running out when you see and feel her pain but damian holds you back feeling proud and overjoyed when she wins. You run down to the ring as she celebrates with her family jumping in her arms sharing a sweet kiss before you were being hugged again by her family leading her outside to your family who welcomed her with open arms heading back to the hotel after a big dinner introducing your families to each other smiling sweetly when you see your baby sister Tara and calista immediately glued to the hip taking pictures with them before leaving where the two of you share paused open mouthed kisses in your hotel room where you straddled her kissing down her body as you stripped her down until both of you were nude "I'm so proud of you Mami, tonight is all about you" you smile hearing her moans and her back arching but things switch up when she yanks you up burying her face between your legs leaving you holding on to her hands turning to putty seeing her face as she laid you down positioning your legs between hers "This night is about you as much as me, I'm proud of you babygirl" not even a second later you were moaning and lightly crying from the pleasure as you grinded in a scissoring position shaking as more paused kisses were shared "I love you koala" the nickname makes you melt as the two of you shower laying in her arms "I love you my dear".

[all-risejd]

Who Needs a Bedroom

This is an Outtake from After Shine. Due to the changes in Finn’s character (read: the definition of his sexuality changed as he progressed) this scene no longer fits in the way it is currently written. It might be tweaked for the actual inclusion. But we decided it was too good like this not to share. 

Judgment Day X OC

Set after Elimination Chamber 

The five members of Judgment Day could feel a pulse of something swimming around them. Thrumming between them. They barely made it back into their dressing room and shut the door when Damian backed Danika up against the nearest wall and dropped to his knees while rucking her little black dress up, the ripping of her underwear seemed to fuel Rhea on, who similarly pushed Dominik against the wall and hit her own knees, working at his belt and pants to free his cock. Finn, ever the cautious one, locked the door behind them and studied the beautiful picture before him. 

Damian had both of Danika’s legs tossed over his shoulders, one of his hands was still holding the front of her dress where he’d pushed it up enough to get at her cunt, his other hand Finn assumed was against the wall helping stabilize them. Danika had one hand tangled in Damian’s purple braids, her other hand was linked into Dominik’s, grounding each other, silently Finn wondered if the pair of them realized how deep their connection really ran. Rhea had pulled Dominik’s pants down enough to reveal the slight juts of his hips, her head bobbing up and down on his cock, her hands on his thighs holding him exactly where she wanted him, Dom’s hand not holding Danika’s was resting delicately on Rhea’s shoulder. It was a mouthwatering sight. But the sounds were much better. Danika was making cute little whines, the slick wet noises of Damian devouring her clit and tongue fucking her had Finn’s cock twitching with excitement. Dominik was letting out louder choked off noises, while Rhea slurped at his cock, sometimes sucking hard enough Dominik cried out, Finn felt like his whole body was on fire. He wanted, no he needed. 

Finn wasn’t sure exactly what to do, until Danika’s eyes met his. She cocked her head to the side and moaned his name, the filthy little brat, “Fergal”. He pushed toward her, and Dominik, coming to stand in between Rhea and Damian who were on their knees. They hadn’t talked about this. He wasn’t sure where their boundaries were exactly, but the tangled hands of Dom and Danika caught his shirt front, with Danika pulling him into a sloppy and needy kiss, before Dominik was yanking him away for a softer sweeter kiss. Finn get like he was flying as the pair lowered their hands, to push at his pants, their lack of coordination he attributed to the two monsters on their knees and took pity on them, shoving his pants down his hips, exhaling sharply as he realized Danika was the only one who hadn’t been in ring gear, his grunt was loud and shocked him as Dominik instantly curled his hand around his balls and began gently tugging and rolling them in the palm of his hand, the heat of Dominik’s touch had Finn biting his bottom lip. Danika has pulled her hand back up to her mouth and licked her palm, before lowering her hand back down to encircle his cock, Finn wrapped his hand around hers to help her go as fast and as tight as he wanted, while he let his other hand fist into Dominik’s shirt front. 

There was something absolutely feral about fucking around with most of their clothes on. It sent a thrill up Finn’s spine and made him want more. It - sex, or the leading up acts for sex - had never felt like this, like he would combust if he didn’t somehow get more. His was so close to cumming it wasn’t funny, when Danika let out a shuttering cry, and her hand froze. Damian was shuffling around, Finn gazed down to see the taller man watching him, “Hungry, Fergal?” He asked with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Finn nodded, and watched transfixed as Damian stood, carefully hauling Danika into his arms, he tossed her down onto the couch, then grabbed the back of the couch to flip it over, “Sit up here, kitten.” He pulled the couch cushions out of the way, to make himself a seat, even as Rhea moved to sit next to Danika on the upended couch.

“Mami, leave the fishnets on please?” Dominik asked, his voice wrecked enough, it made Finn shiver. He watched as Danika hauled her dress up enough to reveal a pierced belly button, and her slick cunt to his eyes. Finn looked back at Damian, who was now knelt down on the couch cushions, his cock out, and hand slowly stroking it, Damain nodded his head, which was enough encouragement, for Finn to fall to his knees and crawl forward. Danika smelt divine, ripe and young, with the slight hint of Damian’s aftershave lingering on her thighs. It made his blood thrum with eagerness. He carefully ran his hands up her inner thighs, pulling them apart more, eyes hungrily devouring her bitten and kissed swollen clit, and her impossibly tiny slit.

“How the fuck do you fit inside her?” Finn grumbled, making both Damian and Dominik chuckle - although Dominik’s was muffled, as he was now between Rhea’s thighs, devoutly eating her out. Finn swollowed nervously, as the sounds of Dominik licking hungrily at Rhea’s slick cunt and the sound of skin on skin slightly behind him, where Damian was stroking his cock, the sounds were building and he was fucking flying. Danika, who had been so obedient for Damian, reached for his hair, tangling both her hands in his short locks, and jerked him forward with a high keening noise, as he exhaled harshly. His first taste of Danika was enough to make him forget all about the oddness of the situation (and really, he’d only found it odd that Damian had been kind enough to offer, so), he twirled his tongue around her clit, chasing both her sweet honey like taste and Damian’s saliva, he quickly found out how much the little menace liked when his teeth scraped over her, even as he licked and sucked and played. In the back of his mind he registered the fact that Vero had never allowed him this much freedom. 

“Fergal.” Danika wailed out, as he finally sunk his tongue into her, wiggling and chasing her taste. She was accommodating, accepting of the intrusion, but her body seemed to tighten responsively, and he could just imagine how amazing it would feel to bury himself inside her. 

“Demi.” Damian’s voice made Finn pause, it was steeped in control, “Can you and Danika kiss?” Finn peaked up through his lashes, and watched as the two met in the middle, Rhea’s hand tangling in Danika’s hair to yank her half the way into the kiss, Danika melting easily, yielding against Rhea’s lips, teeth and tongue. It was a magnificent sight, Finn moaned, and Dominik let out the most amazing shocked noise, before he did something that caused a slurping noise, and Rhea to instantly tighten her thighs around Dominik’s head, “Don’t get distracted, Fergal, give Danika what she needs, she’s got to cum at least one more time before you can see exactly how I fit inside her.” Damian was no longer behind him, Finn grunted as Damian’s hand shoved the back of his head, forcing him to have a moment of panic about not being able to breathe, Dominik let out an indignant squeak, which let Finn know that he’d received the same treatment, “Come on, boys.” Damian purred,  “Milk those pussy’s nice and good.” Finn groaned at the statement, but redoubled his efforts, alternating between rough broad licks over her clit, and pointed barbs into her slit, making sure her body trembled more and more, he raked his teeth over her mound, down to her meaty pussy lips, biting and sucking, before he closed his lips around her clit again, this time sucking for all he was worth, while flicking his tongue back and forth in a fast motion.

“Ah, ah-” Danika yelped, her thighs boxing his ears, as a gush of that sweet slick seeped out of her, Rhea had let out her own snarl, and was yanking Dominik to a standing position, Finn was pulled harshly back by Damian, the force of which sent him into the table, knocking it and the chairs over, as both Damian and Dominik hurried to move the cushions back to some sort of usefulness on the couch that was still flipped on it’s back, the men sat down close together, pushing their pants down enough that their cocks weren’t in danger of being pinched, Danika was the first to straddle Damian, with her back to his chest, while the large man held the base of his cock, she positioned herself over him and slowly speared herself, pushing down until he was completely engulfed, her face was a mixture of pain and complete bliss, “Fergie, ‘mere.” She begged, encouraging him to crawl back to them, he flicked his gaze to Damian who nodded, slowly. Finn had a hard time moving, however, as Rhea, whose fishnets were still on, but Dominik had ripped the crotch free of, copied Danika, so her back was to Dominik’s chest, as she straddled him. Finn watched, enraptured, as Dominik stroked his cock twice, before holding the base, Rhea slid down him with expert ease, honestly it made his mouth water. Danika whined out loud and made grabby hands for him, so he quickly moved to settle between Damian’s spread legs, Danika had her knees tucked under her thighs. 

Danika caught Finn’s face in her hands and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss, as Damian gripped her hips, planted his feet, and maneuvered her up just enough that he could thrust into her with teeth jarring force. She let out a broken little whine, as she pulled back from the kiss and grabbed Finn’s hand, pressing it to her stomach, below her belly ring, Finn’s gaze drifted down as he realized what she was trying to show him. Danika was so tiny, and Damian so large, that every one of his thrust into her caused her stomach to ripple - more accurately, the outline of his cock could be seen, as he continued to thrust as deep into her as possible. Rhea caught his chin, drawing his attention to her - where Dominik’s cock was doing much the same to her lower stomach, but not as noticeable as Danika’s - before he could comment on it, Rhea hauled him into a searing kiss, biting at his bottom lip. He moved so he was between both women, and could trade them kisses, his hands working their way back down their bodies, eventually to play with both their clits, and trace over Damian and Dominik’s cocks as they pistoned in and out of the girls. Finn, honest to god, lost track of time.

“I probably…” Dominik growled, “Won’t last…” His voice was horse and a shiver was running over his shoulders and down his body now like a livewire, “Much longer…” He admitted, a flush on his cheeks.

“Let Fergie have a taste.” Rhea panted,as she continued to use her powerful thighs and calves to pump herself up and down, “Do you want Dom’s cum, Fergie?” Her voice was sticky sweet, but filled with lust, Finn found himself nodding wordlessly, “Good boy, now work for it,” She ordered, even as she pulled herself completely off, while also dragging Finn’s head down, he eagerly licked at the tip of Dominik’s cock, his taste buds singing at the combined near-sweet taste of Rhea and the salty precum that was no doubt Dominik’s. He didn’t get a chance to look up as dominik cradled the back of his head, and tentatively canted his hips forward, fucking down his throat, he gave Dominik a thumbs up, before the younger man started to roughly fuck his throat. It had been years since Finn had given anyone head, especially like this, but somethings he supposed were like riding a bike, and this was one of them, being careful with his teeth, he cleared his mind, and put his tongue and suction skills to good use. Dominik came hard, when he did cum, spilling down Finn’s throat. Finn swallowed it all down with a burst of pride, as the younger mans hips twitched, and Dominik’s hand petted Finn’s head, sweetly, when he finally did move, he was rewarded with the sight of Dominik once more licking at Rhea’s cunt, this time the boy was fingering her with a happy if not dopey smile on his face, three fingers deep, licking at her while she brutally rubbed her clit to satisfaction. Finn got to watch her cum, before he was being yanked on again, this time by Danika.

The youngest of them had tears on her cheeks, and was bent slightly forward on her knees, with Damian now behind her, caged around her, as he fucked into her hard enough she was letting out little sobs everytime. Finn could tell she didn’t mind really, but the overall view - Danika with tears on her lashes, and Damian literally fucking her like she was his property, it made the already lava hot pool in his lower stomach heat up even more. Finn kissed the tears from her cheeks, even as Damian cleared his throat, “I’m getting close, want to taste me, too, Fergal?” Finn found himself nodding, even as Damian gave him a beautiful grin, “Danika, how about you help Fergie until he can suck my cock, ok?” She bobbed her head, and looked up at Finn with her glossy and innocent eyes. He pushed his pants down a bit more, to free his balls which were dangerously close to being pinched uncomfortably, and rose once more up on his knees, he cast a glance at the others even as Danika licked the tip of his cock. He was still unsure about this in ways he wished he could pinpoint. Rhea and Dominik were in the cuddling-come-down stage of sex, curled together and trading lazy kisses, it was cute, honestly.

Dominik smiled at him, lopsided and young, “Fergie, she can take a face fucking.” 

Finn nodded his head, slowly, even as he carefully cradled Danika’s face in his hands, she was looking up at him with nothing but adoration and trust, she opened her mouth more, inviting him in, so he canted his hips forward in a half thrust, she moaned, as her hands rose from the floor where she’d been supporting herself, to hold onto his upper thighs, her eyes fluttered closed as she tightened her lips around him - now that he was slowly pushing his cock deeper into her mouth, he could feel the power of Damian’s thrust into her much smaller body, and honestly, it was the best feeling in the world, to have Damian’s forward thrust, his cock spearing into Danika with enough force, be what drove her head forward, and forced her throat to open around his cock. Finn could hear their moans bouncing off the concrete walls around them, but he wasn’t ashamed anymore, he was content to do what Damian wanted him to do, the man’s warm honey voice dancing through him as he commanded Finn, “Go slow, she’s good at it, she won’t choke on your cock, and she can hold her breath.” Finn felt his own eyes flutter closed, as he slowly rolled his hips forward and backwards, thanking whatever deity it was that had made Danika. 

“Fuck, Dani-Girl.” Finn panted, as he curled over her, his orgasm quickly coming, “You were made to suck cock.” He panted, “I’m so fuckin’ close-”

“Stop.” Damian ordered, Finn immediately pulled free of Danika’s mouth, which made the younger girl howl in frustration, “Kitten, I need to cum, we want Fergie to have a taste of us don’t we?” Finn watched as Damian patted her side, “You were so close, too, hmm.” He teased her even as he eased out of her, Finn watched curiously as Dominik pulled her into his arms, and onto his lap, but Rhea’s hand ran down the front of Danika, pushing and shoving her dress out of the way, before Rhea sank three fingers into her stretched out slit, Danika moaned, and whined in unison, Rhea grinned down at her, “Come on, Fergal, I wanna cum down your throat.” Finn crawled forward on his hands and knees, eyeing Damian's cock, he only had to get within grabbing distance before Damian had his head in his hands, and was dragging Finn where he wanted him. Finn was amazed as his mouth was gently stuffed full of Damian’s hard cock - his precum was more bitter than salty, but Danika’s honey nectar taste flavored it enough Finn didn’t mind - Damian was being soft and easy with him, letting Finn set the pace, even as Danika’s moans bounced off the walls, she was begging, begging Rhea to let her cum.

“Demmmmmi, please, please…” He could hear the broken and cracked little sobs that were falling from Danika’s lips, even as Damian tightened his hold on Finn’s head, and canted his hips forward a little harder, Finn hummed around the thick cock in his mouth, which was invitation enough for Damian to speed up his thrust, “DEMI!” Danika’s yelp was enough to let Finn know the girl had came, and hard by the sounds of Rhea’s giggles and Danika’s hiccuping pants. Dominik let out a noise that sounded like amusement, even as Damian growled, low and deep in his chest, the noise reverberated down his cock, and through Finn, before the man was spilling his seed down Finn’s throat. He swallowed as much as he could - what he couldn’t dribbled down his chin, Damian, once he seemed to stop pulsing in Finn’s mouth, gently guided his cock free of Finn’s lips, and pulled the shorter man up to lick his own cum off Finn’s face and lick his way into Finn’s mouth, Damian used his strength and Finn’s momentary shock at being savagely french kissed by the larger Puerto Rican to maneuver Finn onto his back between the four of them. Finn was leaking enough precum he was uncomfortable, which only served to make Damian’s eyes glint with joy when he pulled back and wrapped his large hand around Finn’s cock, fisting him tightly he pumped Finn’s cock twice before he pulled back. 

Danika climbed over him to join Damian on his right side while Rhea and Dominik stayed on his left side. Finn tried to help the girls get him out of his pants, but his body had turned to jelly with how much he needed to cum, he couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t stop the stream of moans that fell from his lips as Danika’s began sucking hickies into his hip bones, ignoring his hard and now painfully weeping cock. He couldn’t stop the tears that started when Dominik began biting and sucking at his ribs, his hand tangling in Finn’s pubic hairs after tracing his happy trail down and tugging so hard Finn thought he was going to cum just from that. He couldn’t stop the whole body shivers that started, or the way his back arched, when Rhea who was leaning over Dom began a violent assault on his nipples, twisting them first with her fingertips - her manicured nails scraping just right, then with her teeth and tongue as she proceeded to treat them like her own favorite suckers. Damian, always careful of the others, pushed Finn’s head to the side, and began an aggressive marking session on the column of his neck - which only served to make Finn squirm as he felt hickies and bite marks being layered up on him. He was so hot, and so wet from precum, his balls were aching, drawing up tight, and he needed something - it came in the form of Danika, shifting away from his hips, to settle between his spread legs. Finally, he thought, she’d take his cock back in her mouth and he could cum down her tight little throat - instead Dominik moved down his body, kissing a trail from his ribs to his hip bones that had just been abandoned. Danika’s mouth was going to be the death of him, he reasoned even as his back arched and he cried out in confusion, the youngest had taken both his balls in her mouth and was gently and persistently rolling them with her tongue. 

“Are you close, Fergie?” Rhea asked against his left nipple. What he managed to get out wasn’t words, but a scream of sorts, because as Danika used her mouth to sort of pull on his sack, Dominik’s mouth enveloped the head of his cock, and the boy tentatively licked the head - it was enough, sending Finn over the edge. Finn felt the scream before he realized he was the one screaming. He felt teeth scraping his over sensitive nipple just as his balls were released from Danika’s warm mouth, Damian’s mouth sealed over his, gentle and encouraging, “Dom, hold the cum in your mouth, we all want a taste.” Rhea ordered, Finn managed to open his eyes as Damian released him from the kiss to see Dominik grabbing Danika’s chin, the girl’s mouth open eagerly, as he spat some of Finn’s cum into her waiting mouth, he did the same with Rhea, who met Danika for a filthy kiss over Finn’s still twitching thighs, Damian motioned for Dominik to do something, Finn realized as Damian pushed his lips open Dominik tilted forward around Rhea and Danika to dribble some of Finn’s cum into Finn’s waiting mouth, before Damian caught Dominik by his longer hair and pulled him into a forceful kiss, Finn watched open mouthed as his cum leaked out of the corner of Dom’s mouth, only to be licked up by Rhea, who managed to join the Dominik and Damian kiss in a way that made his body yearn. Danika had managed to wiggle her way between the taller three, she stretched her body out over Finn’s, the soft fabric of her dress making his very sensitive nipples tingle in pain, as she gently kissed his lips, licking once more into his mouth. 

Eventually they managed to separate, using the cushions they tumbled into one another, Rhea, then Dom, then Finn, then Danika, then Damian, all touching, and panting, sweaty messes. Danika burst with giggles as she licked her lips, Dominik with a pout that only proved how much of a brat he could hauled her into a kiss that was almost demanding over Finn’s flushed face, it looked like the start of something more, honestly.  Rhea snickered, “Dom, I’m sure if you asked Fergie he’d let you taste him again so you don’t have to lick Danika’s tonsils.” She looked geared to say more when a knock sounded on the door. 

“Fuck.” Damian was quick to tuck himself back into his ones, “Showers all of you.” He smoothed his braids down and waited for them to at least be up and moving, he groaned as they shed their clothes on the way to the shower - Finn’s gear had been discarded on the flipped over couch. Their dressing room looked like a crime scene. They’d knocked tables, chairs, lamps and the couch over. Oops. Finn grunted as Rhea shoved him into the nearest shower and turned the hot water on full blast, after a moment of contemplation she pushed Dominik in with him, before dragging Danika into the next stall with her, all four strained to hear Damian, “Hunter, uh…”

“We got a few noise complaints from dressing rooms around you guys. Apparently there was some screaming and… what happened in here?”

Damian cleared his throat, “Uh, we had a party?”

“It looks like you were sore losers and wrecked -“

“No, uh we will clean all of this. Look, Hunter, you're our boss. There are some, uh, personal things we’d rather not have to tell you. There wasn’t a fight and we didn’t wreck the room on purpose.” Damian sounded a bit amused, even as Dominik offered Finn the body wash (it was Damian’s). The younger man had already soaped up his hair and was trying to give Finn enough room to get under the spray of the water while the girls next to them were giggling a bit. 

There was a long stretch before Hunter let out a strangled noise, “Please tell me right now Luis, as a friend, that you five are not fucking eachother.” Damian was eerily silent, “Jesus Christ, the five of you are…” Hunter sounded first concerned then, “You don’t fuck here or in the arenas anymore. Whatever bullshit you five are up to, remember optics and perception in this company is everything if I had known just how well Danika and Dominik could act like obedient followers I might not have agree to this.” There was a long stretch of silence, “Part of me wants to know how Devitt fits in with this, but honestly I’d rather you promise me this… group relationship had nothing to do with his divorce.”

“It had nothing to do with Vero ending things. She cheated. Fergal is a new uh, element.” Damian sounded mortified, “Hunter I promise we aren’t going to broadcast our bedroom antics to the world, contrary to popular belief I don’t wanna be the new Edge.” Damian sounded meek for a moment, even as Finn strained to listen and Dominik, over waiting for Finn to soap himself up, started to scrub him down. He felt his chest and neck flush. “I promise this isn’t going to become something you have to worry about. We will keep it out of the arenas.”

Hunter let out an exasperated sigh, “I don’t care about the bedroom stuff but I do care about the effects it could have on the younger three's career. There is a lot of… talk already about you and Danika and your age difference, Devitt is your age. Dom and Demi are closer in age to Danika. There are going to be whispers.” Hunter was pointing out Finn’s fears. The world would never accept them, “But it could give you and Finn an angle with Danika we hadn’t thought about. Everyone thinks she’s just with you, if she’s got good chemistry with Balor maybe she could do some ring work with him, be flirty and cute. Something to think about.”

Damian let out a little noise, one that Finn knew was a warning. “How about for the sake of all of us, you and creative let us handle our public displays of affection. We are after all the ones who have to deal with the fallout and implications.” Both men’s voices were too low to hear as Danika and Rhea shut their water off and moved into the stall with Finn and Dominik, Danika wrapped around Finn, Dominik and Rhea sort of coiled together. Damian joined them naked and angry and still half-hard a few minutes later. He looked pissed off, so Finn followed Danika’s lead. The younger woman kissed his chest and poured until he kissed her lips. Finn kissed his shoulder and collarbone before he, too got a kiss. Rhea just hauled him into one, but Dominik waited patiently until Damian reached for him like a good boy. “We aren’t in trouble, but we do have to clean up the room and pay a fine for inappropriate backstage behavior.”

“I’ll write a check.” Danika shrugged, “Not like we really care, right?” She leaned into Finn while Damian continued to scrub himself down. 

“Nope.” Rhea declared, “It’s not appropriate for him to ask about our sex lives either.”

Damian growled, “So, Ferg, you aren’t going to run from this right, you wanna be with us, we’ve all expressed wanting you. Now can we do this properly. Be together all five of us?”

“We are stronger together.” Dominik offered, “And Luis is right, Fergal. We love you. You're home with us.” The boy blushed deeply as he said it. 

Danika winked at him, “I already told you I loved you. My kids call you daddy.” She gave him a long look, soul searching, “We want you to be happy, I think we can make you happy.”

Rhea bobbed her head in agreement, “Fergie let us spend the rest of our lives patching up all the pain in you. Let us show you how good love, sex, domestic life can be. Let us-“ She pointed between herself and Danika, “Give you kids over time, let us all hold you through the darkness.”

“You’d have me baby?” Finn found himself stuck on that as he looked between the women. 

“I already gave Dominik kids, so naturally I want to give both you and Luis kids.” Danika said with a shrug, “I have always wanted a big family.”

Rhea hummed, “I do want children, I want kids with all of you. I feel like Danika and I should figure out how to have a baby together…” Rhea muttered. 

“Biologically probably not something we could do.” Danika snickered as the water ran cold and Damian turned the water off, “But I’d be game to try with you, over and over again.” The little minx had the audacity to wink at Rhea. 

Finn looked at the four of them critically. They were all naked, dripping wet in a shower room in an arena they’d probably been in before and would be in again. They had surprised him, sure but he didn’t want to let them go. “I think I’m going to be selfish. I want you all, I want the kids, I want more kids.” He offered, and found himself hauled into a group hug. 

Damian and Dominik kissed his head, with Dominik adding, “Welcome home, Fergal Devitt.” They dried off and got dressed in a tangled mess of touching one another and kissing, by the time they were out of the locker room in street clothes with duffles over their shoulders most of the talent that had been around them had already left.

[whatevenisexisting]

Here is your reminder not to bother engaging with the “transx” community that makes a joke out of the trans and larger LGBT community by spreading misinformation, romanticizing disabilities (notice how nobody identifies with the conditions that are stigmatized in a different way like IBS), perpetuating racism (if you’re white and identify as a person of color, I have some news for you hun), encouraging adults to go in the space of minors, further fueling ped0s who have no shame in acting on their disorder, and overall just causing harm to those of us who live with these actual identities!

It’s not worth it, babes. Exit out of Tumblr for a bit, take a deep breath, eat a snack or hydrate or step outside - give yourself that care. They aren’t going to listen because they’re too far in this echo chamber.

The only thing we can do is hope that this “community” will eventually realize what they’re doing is harmful and apologize, even delete their blog to eliminate the harm they caused - in my opinion, it’s better to delete than leave it up, unless they make it very clear they were wrong and caused harm.

And maybe, if someone seems genuine in asking more about these identities, and the energy is there, messaging them privately and providing them with the education they are seeking and deserve. Because responding publicly at this point will only cause further harm to ourselves and will lead them to be convinced by others what we want so badly for them to NOT believe.

Conserve your energy, babes. Use it elsewhere, whether it’s as an advocate for your or other communities, engaging in your hobbies and self-care, seeking out your support system, know that each of these alternatives is valid. It’s valid if you do engage, but it’s JUST as valid as if you do not.

Put yourself first.

[semperintrepida]

A Sneak Peek at Deimos!Kassandra, From My Current WIP...

Here's the opening scene from "Irredeemable." Note that this is a draft, so the text will likely change between now and the final version. But hopefully there's still plenty in here to get excited about—and I'm going to need your excitement to stay motivated with this one; I've got a very long way to go to reach the finish line.

~~~~~

Once, her name was Terror.

Deimos, they called her, and other epithets, too. The Butcher of Pylos. The Sword of Order. The Champion of Kosmos. With a demigod's blood flowing in her veins, she'd cut a burning swath of bodies across Greece and forced the leaders of nations to their knees. She was the Chosen One, destined to bring order to this world, and she'd risen to every challenge, eliminated every enemy, conquered every polis, until her goal lay within her grasp—

But Alexios had stopped her.

Alexios the Eagle Bearer, hero of Greece. Alexios her brother, who had shown her that everything she'd known of herself had been a lie. Alexios, who crouched beside her now, in the shadows of a dank and foul cave, watching a priest of the Followers of Ares unsheathe a dagger while three acolytes dragged a woman to their bloody altar, her pleas for mercy bouncing uselessly off the cave's stone walls.

"What now, brother?" she asked him, keeping her voice low and quiet, though she needn't have bothered—the captive's shrieks filled the chamber. The air thrummed with fear. She breathed it in and allowed herself a moment to savor it. Then an unwelcome twinge shot through her ribs and she glanced at Alexios, glad that he hadn't turned around to see her. She nodded at the altar below. "Skulking in the shadows like rats won't save that woman."

Alexios stirred, then pulled the Spear from its sheath, the blade of the dagger-like weapon shining liquid bronze in the dim torchlight. "I'll take the ones at the altar. You take the reinforcements."

"Finally," she muttered, but he was already gone, having used the godly power of the Spear of Leonidas to launch himself at the priest with the speed and force of a thrown javelin. She was alone, as she preferred to be. She jumped into the center of the chamber, landing lightly on her feet, and as she strolled towards the passageways that would bring her amusements to play with, she whistled between her teeth and stroked the pommel of her sword.

Behind her, metal gnashed against metal as Alexios fought the priest and the acolytes, and the sound of battle called a handful of Followers into the chamber a few moments later, their weapons drawn and ready. But when the man leading the charge caught sight of her standing in his path, he stopped short, his drug-addled eyes wildly darting between her face, her gold cuirass, and her white pteruges. "Deimos?" he asked.

She smiled and drew her sword. "Ready to meet your god?"

The acolytes stared at her in confusion, the friend they expected having turned into an enemy, and in the space of their hesitation she drew upon the endless rage that boiled within her and channeled it into her sword, its grip growing hot within her fingers. She thrust it point-first into the ground, unleashing a concussive wave of force that knocked the acolytes off their feet. In its wake she followed, walking among the dazed figures and dispatching each one with quick thrusts of her blade.

As she finished off the last, more rushed into the chamber through the second passageway. She glanced at the altar, where the bodies of the priest and his minions lay in the dirt, and grinned at Alexios as he joined her in the fray, his sword and spear flashing as he cut a path through the acolytes with a fluid grace that always surprised her.

Her own style was far more direct. Holding her sword ready, she watched a pair of acolytes approach, her eyes flicking between the elder's spear and the fanatic's axe, reading the intentions behind the shifting weight at their knees, hips, and elbows with practiced ease. She'd spent twenty years learning to glean meaning from the slightest of movements, and when the point of the elder's spear thrust towards her throat, her counter-attack unfurled with the snap of a winch suddenly released: her shoulders turned to let his spearpoint pass by harmlessly while her sword whipped around to cut his throat wide open. With her free hand, she caught his now-falling spear out of the air, spun it around, and let the onrushing fanatic impale himself upon its point, his axe tumbling from his dying grasp.

She was sudden force applied with lethal effect, more like the strike of a snake than Alexios's whirlwind of blades. The Cult of Kosmos valued efficiency almost as much as it valued obedience, and its philosophies had been drilled into her by trainers who'd made her into a weapon unlike the world had ever seen.

These Followers of Ares were unworthy foes, clumsy and disorganized. As Alexios sliced through acolyte after acolyte, she amused herself by devising ways to turn their own weapons against them. A spear here, a sword there, smiling at their surprise as they died by the very blades they'd carried at their sides during the day and kept by their pillows at night.

The fight ended as suddenly as it began, the chamber falling silent but for the crackling flames of torches and braziers. For a time, nothing moved. Then a muffled sob drew her eyes to the cages that lined the cave's walls—and the pathetic figures huddling within them.

She flicked the blood off her sword and slid it back into place on her belt, then stepped over the first of several bodies between her and the cages, pausing once to pick up a fallen axe along the way.

A man's voice drifted out from between the bars. "Please, warrior, free us from this monstrous place. They've been feasting upon us for weeks."

Cannibals, these Followers of Ares were. A decade ago, they were an unorganized group of zealots who believed that consuming human flesh would imbue them with the power of Ares himself. Then Harpalos had come along, using his charisma to quickly anoint himself their leader and build them into an army, one that the Cult had welcomed with open arms.

Lunatics, all of them. But after the Cult convinced Harpalos of the power in her bloodline, he and his minions had become useful in their obedience—and Deimos had found herself worshipped as a god by followers who kidnapped innocents across the land and devoured them in sacrifice.

A row of terrified eyes watched her. In the before times—before Alexios had dragged her down and made her mortal, with a mortal's guilt—the sight of that much fear would have put her in a good mood for days. Now, it felt like a leap from a high rooftop: a momentary rush of delighted freedom, followed by a painful slam back to earth.

She hefted the axe, hammered it against the lock until the hasp split in two. And as she tugged the door open, the captives' terror gave way to a grateful relief that engulfed her in waves, as incomprehensible as the babble of a foreign tongue.

Then Alexios opened the other cage, and she tossed her axe aside and nodded at him silently as she joined him. The captives burst from the cages, running for freedom without stopping to thank their saviors. She would have done the same, had she been in their place, and as it was, she shook away a shivered memory of confinement in a cold darkness, surrounded by unyielding bars.

All the captives fled except one. In the doorway of a cage stood an old woman, a woman who stared at her with piercing eyes.

"You," the woman said, pointing at her. "They called you Deimos. I heard them." Her voice was strident, and she stepped closer without fear. "You're the Butcher of Pylos. And Amphipolis. My son..." and then, quick as a viper, the woman spat in her face.

The woman was right: Deimos was her true name. She had not asked for it, but it had been given to her all the same, beaten into her with fist and lash and other cruelties, multiplying the terror inside her a tenfold, a hundredfold. The Cult had encouraged it and nurtured it, training her to it like a grapevine to a trellis. They'd taught her to find pleasure in releasing terror back into the world.

And she'd been very, very good at it, her infamy spreading far and wide.

Warm spittle slid down her cheek, yet she didn't move. And here was Alexios, placing himself between her and the woman. He held his palm towards her as if to keep her from doing... what? Flying into a rage? Killing someone?

Her heart beat itself against frozen ribs. She forced herself to draw in a breath. Then she turned, wordlessly, and walked away, heading for the passage that led out of the cave, surrounded by the echoes of the woman wailing behind her.

"She murdered my boy. My boy. And now she's saved my life. Oh, the gods are cruel, to make me live with this knowing."

Once, not long ago, she would have killed the woman without another thought, but now she wiped spittle from her cheek and placed one foot in front of the other, fixing her eyes on the ever-moving darkness at the far end of the passageway. She tried to keep her breath steady, even as the stone walls seemed to take on the sheen of metal, closing in around her, the air smelling and tasting of copper.

When she finally reached the cave's entrance, she stumbled into the sunlight, dizzy and reeling, and she doubled over, hands on her knees, and retched into the dust.

The cave opened into a hollow in the hillside. Further down the steep slope was a road, and to her left stood an enormous carving of Sisyphos struggling with his boulder. He loomed over this corner of Korinthia, as big as a mountain.

Her feet somehow brought her to a stony outcropping that overlooked the entire valley, from the city of Korinth all the way to the sea, and she stared at the people traveling the road far below in lines like ants, until she heard the rustle of grass and the soft creak of armor, knowing without turning that it was Alexios who approached her.

"Kassandra?"

That name still meant nothing to her, but she would have to learn to answer to it. "What?"

Alexios clambered up beside her. "Are you all right?"

She kept watching the people below. "Yes, I'm just fine," she said, letting her voice twist with sarcasm. "Skewered some lunatics and got spat on for my troubles. Just fine."

"You just saved a dozen lives."

Now she turned to him. "You saved a dozen lives," she said. "I wouldn't have even stopped." She'd been minding her own business as they'd walked the road earlier in the day, and it had been Alexios who'd spotted the blood-spattered banners waving their dire warning on the hillside above them. Of course he'd dragged her along with him to investigate. That's what heroes did, apparently. Wandered around the countryside, looking for people to save.

"What happened in there..." He breathed in, searching for words. "Pylos. Amphipolis. It was war." They'd even crossed blades in both battles, fighting on opposite sides, but neither duel had reached a conclusive ending. "How many do you think I've killed?"

His clumsy attempt to soothe her feelings nearly made her laugh. She doubted Alexios's number was as astronomical as hers. Even if it was, had he enjoyed each murder as much as she had? "My crimes run far deeper than fighting for a nation I cared nothing about," she said, and then she smiled, knowing it would make him squirm.

She had tortured him once, her fists slamming into his flesh, and she'd basked in the delight of making him hurt the way she had for so many years. But he'd simply hung there, pliant at the end of his chains, blood running from his nose and the split in his lip, asking her, "Why, sister? Why do this?"

His words had only stoked her anger hotter, and as she raised her fists to begin the next round, he lifted his head to look at her with those bronze-flecked eyes so like her own, and his gaze never flinched, not once.

Sister, he'd called her, every time their paths crossed.

What kind of sister would do such things to her own brother? She felt another retch begin to build deep in her throat.

It would've been easier if she'd made him kill her on that clifftop on Mount Taygetos. She wouldn't have to remember his grunts of pain every time she looked at him. She wouldn't have to figure out how to live under the crushing weight of the terrible things she'd done. Just one lunge—towards him, towards their mater—and he would've driven his Spear through her throat and sent her to Hades's doorstep.

She wasn't a fool. Eternal torment was all that awaited her in the Underworld, but an easy death was a coward's way out and she'd been far too proud to take it—only realizing too late that pride wouldn't keep her from going mad once the Furies came calling. Tisiphone's invisible hand was already at work: the closer she and Alexios got to Athens, the more she'd been recognized, each confrontation forcing her to stand face to face with yet another person she'd wronged.

She wasn't sure how much longer she could bear it.

"Let's go," she heard herself say, turning to begin the long journey down to the road without waiting for Alexios to answer, and as they picked their way down the rocky slope, she spared a glance up at Sisyphos, his granite face too contorted with agony to stare anywhere but the distant unknown.

[mrawkweird]

i don't want anyone saying the only reason rhea is in the main event is cause roman is part time and seth is injured

I want to know who is out here wondering why not Australian born Roman Reigns and not Australian born Seth Rollins aren't main eventing Elimination Chamber in Australia. That is copium on a different level mode if that's the case. Rhea's career has been leading to a night like this. This was basically her event as she is not only their most prominent Australian star right now but she's a star in general.

[artbybai]

Baiya Briefs

The First New Saiyan

(OC Lore Dump)

As the adoptive daughter of Bulma & Vegeta, Baiya carries the Legacy of the Saiyans in her blood—literally! Created using the dormant DNA found within a healing pod Bulma salvaged from an ancient, crashed spaceship, Baiya is the lab-grown amalgam of hundreds of Saiyans’ genes. The DNA she harbors can bring forth the next generations of Saiyans; if Baiya proves to be stable, then more New Saiyans may one day be made, to then send to a distant, uninhabited planet to start their own colony.

~Additional Info~

Baiya can’t exactly be considered a “clone”, as Bulma’s experiment allowed for her to be formed as her own person. Since she’s not a hybrid, created solely from Saiyan DNA, Baiya would appear with standard Saiyan traits: Black/dark hair, and dark eyes. She also naturally grows a tail.

Generally, Baiya is pretty serendipitous and friendly towards others—she tries to see the best in everyone. If such naive trust is broken, however, she can become surprisingly cold and reserved around said person that broke her trust. She’s dedicated to her training, but sometimes struggles with her fears about being too weak to live up to expectations. Vegeta’s more than happy to give her long-winded speeches about rising above your own potential, lol.

I’ve debated whether to keep this as a part of her character, but I’ll include it here just for funsies: Originally, I had wanted Baiya to have her own “unique” form, called “Killer Instinct”. In exchange for this transformation, I imagined she would have a strange quirk in her DNA that switched out her natural Oozaru/Great Ape form for a smaller manifestation of “pure survival instinct”, functioning similarly to Ultra Ego, but having… Preservative powers? That would keep Baiya alive in her Killer Instinct state until the mortal threat was eliminated. Given this idea came before I went with the idea of Baiya being a “lab-grown” Saiyan, it now, unfortunately, doesn’t quite fit with her character anymore. I think I’d still like to tweak it someday to bring it back, though! The form would give Baiya a “feral” look, with longer, wilder hair, sharper teeth, and burning red eyes like Beast Mode Gohan.

Vegeta, understandably, had… Many, many strong opinions on the experiment, but by the time he found out (after the Goku Black Arc,) it was already too late to stop Bulma. Understandably, he still has his reservations about the whole thing, but he couldn’t resist the excitement that came with there being a possibility of reviving the Saiyan race thanks to Baiya’s creation.

Baiya is the first child of theirs that Bulma has allowed Vegeta to name himself/give a Saiyan name (LOL). Her name is based on Bay Leaves (and also is part of my name, since she’s a self-insert OC.)

Baiya was artificially aged to be around her mid-20’s (25), so that she’d be in the “prime of her life” when brought out. When Baiya was first “awakened” from her (Pod? Tube?), she still had to learn the basics of walking/ambulating & talking. Bulma tried to speed up this process beforehand by finding a way to give Baiya memories of everyone leading up to her creation via implanting videos/memories of past events.

Once Baiya had gotten the hang of… Well, being alive, Vegeta began her combat training immediately. Baiya’s still fairly weak, power-level wise, but she’s a fast learner.

I like to imagine Vegeta sees Baiya as a bit of a “test run” for parenting Bra/Bulla, so he’s not quite as harsh as he was with raising Trunks. As much as he still wants to push Baiya to reach her full potential, keeping Bulla in mind, Vegeta works at a slower pace with Baiya as he takes her through various training drills in the Gravity Chamber.

Baiya finds these repetitive training regimens to get boring pretty easily, so Vegeta will sometimes call in Trunks for sparring matches. When she first started training like this, Trunks was probably in his tweens/just starting high school.

Now that Trunks is in his teens/has taken up his superhero mantle (I forgor the name exactly. Fake fan lol 🫠), the relationship between him & Baiya as adoptive siblings has become slightly strained/tense. Baiya prefers Vegeta’s training style, and feels that Trunks’s vigilantism has led to a more careless attitude about fighting. She worries that he won’t take actual threats seriously; Despite this, she still cares about him immensely. Vegeta’s had to intervene once or twice, when Baiya would push Trunks too hard during training sessions in the Gravity Chamber. She holds this same fear of recklessness for Goten, but to a lesser extent, as the two rarely interact.

Baiya’s on good terms with the Son family; She’ll visit occasionally to bring over a casserole/similar things between Bulma & Chi-Chi. Baiya will also sometimes help Goku out with farming, as she considers it to be endurance training (she kinda just likes playing in the dirt and gardening, lol. Just Girly Things)

Baiya has picked up on Vegeta’s habit of calling Goku “Kakarot”, and she usually refers to him by his Saiyan name while at Capsule Corporation/around Vegeta. Sometimes she’ll mix it up while working with Goku on his farm, but of course, Goku’s generally forgiving about a slip here and there. I imagine he’d likely joke abt it w her, like “Heh, if you keep calling me by that name, I might just think you’re planning to challenge me to an all-out battle someday! Only my rivals call me that!”

(This mildly puts the fear of Kami into Baiya, LOL. She’s much more careful about it now, though maybe Goku would miss it a tiny bit, since she wouldn’t practically spit the name at him like Vegeta does. Idk that’s just me/wishful thinking)

That being said, Baiya does enjoy training with Goku sometimes! Although, she has some difficulty with it, as she’d grown accustomed to Vegeta’s style & method.

Piccolo… Tolerates Baiya, lol. I think he’d understand she has good intentions behind her more bubbly and outgoing personality, and doesn’t mean to overwhelm him. She’ll happily bring him samplers of fancy bottled waters to win him over. Baiya does enjoy helping him babysit Pan sometimes, whenever she happens to visit after Gohan drops her off, and *this* is mostly what’d probably help Piccolo warm up to her.

Speaking of which, Baiya would definitely take up babysitting duties for Bulla while Bulma works on her inventions/business stuff. She’ll sometimes babysit Pan, whenever Piccolo’s unavailable for one reason or another (needing peace and quiet. Valid)

For the most part, Baiya would likely be privately tutored at home, similar to Trunks. Aside from general “how to Earthling” lessons, Vegeta would be giving her lessons on her Saiyan heritage/their lost culture. I imagine Vegeta was very knowledgable of Saiyan culture even as a young child, and I think he probably kept various history books with him during his later years in the Frieza Force to memorize. I would guess though that the crown would have a more narrow understanding of common Saiyan culture, though major holidays would at least be recognized/acknowledged.

Still debating about this idea, but I think it’d be interesting if this led to Vegeta basically raising Baiya as he would Bulla, teaching her how to behave as a Saiyan Princess (despite not sharing the Vegeta bloodline.) This means Baiya would definitely grow up with a sense of diplomacy.

Baiya’s fighting stance would evolve from mimicking Vegeta’s stance, to a blend of her own, low to the ground and loose. Baiya’s fighting *style* eventually comes to her, as she researches acupuncture techniques to target pressure points. Considering she’s a weaker fighter, she chooses to hone her speed and precision over brute force, and has started channeling her Ki into her fingertips when landing vicious jabs to her opponents.

So far, Baiya’s only just barely managed to achieve her Super Saiyan form. I haven’t yet decided if I’ll go with an idea I had, of Vegeta willingly helping her jumpstart her powers with a Zenkai Boost (aka Vegeta willingly helping her go through a controlled, monitored near-death experience in order to simulate a natural Zenkai Boost.) Although Baiya would trust Vegeta with her life, I doubt that Vegeta would ever approve such an extreme measure. He’d probably view it as a shortcut—instead, recommending that they begin more intense training regimens.

Eventually, after Baiya’s a little more capable of taking care of/defending herself, Bulma and Vegeta would approve of her helping out with collecting the Dragon Balls. Baiya would learn & familiarize herself with various vehicles Bulma allows her to pilot/drive in order to seek them out, and give Baiya her own Capsules to take with her for emergencies.

I like to imagine, since Baiya would eventually befriend Piccolo, this would then lead to her making friends with Dende, and visiting him regularly whenever she’s sent out to retrieve the Dragon Balls after their dormant period.

Baiya’s friendship with Dende likely would lead to her eventually visiting New Namek, and possibly even the Sacred Lands (though this would be highly unlikely. I think she could, possibly, pester either Dende or Goku to take her with them to visit, as she’d naturally be curious to know more. I also think it’d be funny to see her interact with a mildly exasperated Shin, who appreciates her interest in Kai culture, but can’t quite handle her energy lol)

Concerning Beerus and Whis… I have a feeling Vegeta likely would hesitate to bring Baiya to Beerus’s Planet, and would deem their training to be above her current abilities to safely keep up with. Baiya would probably grow frustrated with Whis’s tendency to give her vague answers, much preferring straightforward answers to being led to think of answers herself… Though she does try, at Whis’s gentle encouragement. Vegeta would try to keep Baiya from interacting much with Beerus, fearing she’d get on his nerves easily LOL. Not really sure how the two would get along, if I’m honest.

AUs

Since I originally made Baiya as a self-insert for shipping purposes, I do have multiple AUs for her, as a character, involving each ship. (Has little to do with her main story, whatever that may end up being if I write anything properly abt her someday lol)

Raditz x Baiya

I WOULD LOVE FOR RADITZ TO COME BACK. So this isn’t *entirely* ship-only, as I think it could reasonably happen, given Baiya’s personality.

Basically: Bulma would ask Baiya to gather the Dragon Balls for Goku’s (supposed) birthday/the day Grandpa Gohan adopted him. Since Goku’s never made a selfish wish on the Dragon Balls, I think most characters would agree to this idea to gift Goku with this chance. Goku, of course, would likely try to give his wishes to everyone else (I forget exactly how many wishes they can grant now. Three? Three, probably.)

I think Goku would likely remember/be reminded that Baiya has never seen Shenron before, nor made a wish, and I like to imagine he’d want to give her the chance to experience that.

Baiya, having been told about how Goku would probably try to give his wishes away, would have been thinking on what she could wish for as a gift to him. She chooses to revive Raditz, wanting the two to reconcile. This would be regarded, understandably, as a terrible decision by the rest of the characters, despite her heart being in the right place.

This was a bad idea, as Raditz immediately tries to level a city. I’m not exactly sure how this conflict would go, but given the main cast are now powerful enough to pretty easily subdue him, I think something would happen to where Baiya could convince them to let Raditz remain alive (“Can we keep him? Pleeeaaase?”)

Raditz Rehabilitation arc LOL

Shipping-wise, idk if it’d work between Raditz & Baiya anymore, though possibly this could be changed to more of a sibling relationship in the future with a lot of tweaking. The two would butt heads, with Raditz insisting he’s irredeemable/enjoys being “villainous”, and scoffs at the idea of him settling down like some weakling. Perhaps Baiya could eventually break down his walls and convince him life on Earth would be better than rejoining the Frieza Force.

Shallot x Baiya

Disclaimer: I haven’t played Dragon Ball Legends so I feel this ship is half-baked, although it’s fun to imagine lol

Baiya would likely run into Shallot/Vegeta might introduce the two, if they ever visited Conton City (I THINK that’s where Time Patrol HQ & stuff is. Y’all have a free license to yell at me for inaccuracies LOL)

I have a feeling Baiya would get on Shallot’s nerves fairly easily (though she wouldn’t mean to. She’d probably have a crush on him right away, in all honesty, so that’d worsen the effect.)

Maybe they’d bond over food, with Baiya getting him his favorite as a sort of “sorry I pestered you relentlessly at first” gesture of good will.

More likely than not, their relationship would start out with Vegeta requesting that Shallot train with Baiya, to teach her better mastery of her Super Saiyan form, or bringing her along on routine patrols if Shallot deems it safe to take Baiya with him. Baiya would be dazzled by Shallot’s demonstration of alternate forms/learning about Ancient Saiyans in general.

Granolah x Baiya

This ship is absolutely a long shot, as I doubt Granolah would ever consider a Saiyan as a potential romantic interest. That being said, the AMVs I’ve imagined of these two as a Battle Couple will not leave my mind and I enjoy the prospect of this being what finally helps Granolah overcome most of his (reasonable) distaste for Saiyans

I just like the idea of them having a shared interest in preserving their heritage/history and that being what brings them together

I think it’d be funny if Oatmeel teased Granolah abt it and that’s almost the best part

Shin x Baiya

• Another long shot of a ship, and one that I definitely feel would be, uh… One-sided-ish? Shin might be amused by the idea of a mortal having romantic feelings for a Kai/a Supreme Kai, and though he’d be an anxious mess at first, perhaps he’d at least entertain Baiya’s fantasies/slight crush on him. This would likely simply result in them fostering a closer bond as friends, as, ultimately, I’m pretty sure Kai would be banned from romantic dealings/relations with their mortal charges of course

Z/S Broly x Baiya

DBS Broly, I’m not sure about, as I hesitate to ship him with much of anyone (cough rabid fandom on Twitter cough). Personally, I feel he & Cheelai are more like brother & sister, but that’s just me. A ship between them would be cute, and I don’t hate the idea! But, to be fair, this Broly got me into Dragon Ball lol, so he’ll always have a special place in mine and Baiya’s heart XD

Baiya would definitely take interest in him, and possibly ask Vegeta or Whis to introduce them, but the answer would likely be a solid “no”, as they’d likely deem Baiya still too weak to potentially have to deal with Broly’s hair-trigger emotions (despite his vast improvements whilst training under Beerus’s supervision.)

Still, if they met, I think they’d get along well once Baiya understands that he NEEDS calm & chill. It’s not negotiable w Broly *nervous laugh*

Z Broly is purely “I can fix him”/wishful thinking territory LOL

For the Z Broly AU it honestly came from a dream—that this version of Broly exists instead of Super’s version, and that Vegeta & Baiya had agreed to try and distract Broly with an arranged marriage plot/front to distract him while Goku would battle Paragus due to his various nefarious reasons for inviting the gang to the planet asdfghjkl

Nothing much abt staying in-character w this one honestly, though I imagine Z Broly & Baiya might get along as she’d use her diplomacy to sass back Paragus/earn some of Broly’s trust/respect by standing up for his independence etc. so. Purely for delulu funsies

And that’s all that comes to mind for Baiya!! If I think of more then I’ll add it later asdfghjkl enjoy

Addition:

Baiya takes up cooking as a hobby bc Bulma always orders takeout/Vegeta desperately still tries to do it himself but bless this man’s heart bc he’s either had everything served to him or he ate people. So far she’s got instant/microwave meals down so that’s at least a step in the right direction lol

[lesboriptide]

Need that angst/comfort drabble of rhea realizing how little tjd actually care for her and then Becky comes in and bam, rhea isn’t alone anymore(I am delusional about them)

Isn’t That Worth Holding On?

Eeeeowch! This took on a bit of a life of its own, haha. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed writing this! Thank you, and keep em coming!

For clarification, this takes place in kayfabe and is before these two officially get together. And yes, I am keeping up with naming these after Mitski lyrics.

TWs: implied manipulation/gaslighting, abusive platonic relationship

She lost.

She fucking lost, and Nia Jax was the new Women’s World Champion. Rhea could barely comprehend the moments leading up to it. All that rang through her head were the deafening boos of the crowd and Nia’s laugh. As far as anything else was concerned, none of it was real. Rhea had lost in her home country, with the Irresistible Force defying the odds and crushing her dreams. Crushing her like she was little more than a tree branch.

And once again, they weren’t there for her. Judgment Day were nowhere to be seen. She understood that it would be tasteless for them to attack or hit Nia, but they couldn’t even escort her out of the ring. They could have distracted the ref, distracted Nia…shit, that big-headed freak could’ve launched himself out of a cannon, for all Rhea could’ve cared. At least it would be something, anything to allow her to regain the upper hand.

But they didn’t, because why wouldn’t they? They were barely there for her during the build-up to the Fatal Five Way. They were nowhere to be seen when she battled Zoey Stark and Ivy Nile. They deemed R-Truth and The Miz as higher priorities than her getting beaten down by Nia every single fucking week leading up to Elimination Chamber. Dominik was still devoted to her, but his attention span swayed rapidly between her and the sausage party currently known as Judgment Day.

As she took a seat on a backstage equipment case, Rhea finally broke. She curled into herself and sobbed, hating herself for being so naive. She truly thought that that bastard Edge was right, that Judgment Day would be her true family and calling, that nobody would understand her like them. But of course, Rhea could see that was all a sick and demented lie. Edge never wanted to see her succeed — he wanted someone to control, someone to mold in his image before he eventually jumped off the burning WWE ship. Judgment Day ruined her friendships, her perception of family and love…it ruined her life, and now her Women’s World Championship reign has been ruined because of them.

Suddenly, she felt a light but distinct weight on her knee. Rhea looked up and saw that the weight was a hand, one that belonged to Becky Lynch. Because of course she had to see her like this, sobbing and broken after seeing her dreams of a match together fall apart. Having won the Women’s Chamber match earlier, she was now slated to fight Nia at Wrestlemania. Fucking terrific.

From the look on Becky’s face, she wasn’t thrilled either. But she seemingly knew better than to crowd up on Rhea, especially when she’s as emotional as she is right now. When the two met eye contact, Becky circled her thumb ever so slightly on her knee, her frown now turning into an anxious lip bite.

“It’ll be alright, Rhea,” the older woman said. “Don’t wanna overwhelm you, lass. If you need me, you have my number.”

And with that, she left as soon as she appeared. But with Rhea’s back now straight and her tears now drying on her face, the younger woman felt oddly at peace. She was still upset, but maybe, just maybe…she could find people to be happy with again.

[qsycomplainsalot]

What is the Welrod ?

The Welrod was a series of silent pistols featuring an integral suppressor meant for clandestine operations. It was developed c.1942-44 for use in the war by the British Special Operations Executive to be later produced covertly by BSA. The name itself comes from the town of Welwyn, Hertfordshire portemanteau’d with ‘rod’ for the shape of the weapon. Welwyn was the site of the SOE’s Station IX, a secret facility charged with weapon research and design which also gave birth to the Welbike (a folding Excelsior folding motorcycle), the Welgun (a folding 9mm submachine gun), the Welman (a one-man submarine) and the Welpen (a pen gun).

Welrod pistols were chambered in .32ACP and 9mm using respective Colt magazines turned into complete rubber-coated grips and downloaded to 5 rounds. They were manual repeaters using a bolt action operated using the knurl cap at the back of the gun’s receiver and a very simple push trigger. They were equipped with a grip safety to avoid accidental discharges. Effective range was about 5m without training up to 25m for well-aimed shots.

While an obviously piss-poor weapon to use on the battlefield, these pistols were designed and overspecialized for the express purpose of arming secret operatives and resistance members in occupied countries to quietly eliminate sentries for sabotage or assassination targets in populated areas. The large suppressor was much longer than the gun’s perforated barrel and encompassed the entire action, using baffles and rubber washers all to contain and slow down the gas release of a shot. This resulted in an incredibly low noise level of 73 decibels when fired. This could be further reduced by pressing the gun’s depressed muzzle cap into the target, at which point the gunshot would be completely inaudible among the chatter of a public space.

Due to the covert nature of its development, production and use, it’s hard to gauge the impact this gun had in World War 2, although we at least know that it was indeed used with at least a couple thousands making their way to Europe. Any plans for large-scale use of the weapon was dropped after witnessing the reprisal on civilian populations after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich.

Despite its limited deployment in the war, the Welrod is to this day a pretty famous firearm for being one of the most quiet gun ever made, with most of its competition using either .22LR or highly customized rounds.

Related Vocabulary

The developmental history of the Welrod can be a bit confusing, here is a guide to differentiating the different models:

MkI .32ACP: initial prototype using a fixed magazine and a conventional bolt action, as well as a side-mounted thumb trigger.

MkII .32ACP: uses a Colt M1903 magazine for its grip, lacks a trigger guard, smooth top receiver cut.

MkIIA .32ACP: most common Welrod, slight modifications to the MkII, most noticeably has an angular receiver cut and shorter front sight blade.

MkI 9mm Para: further development of the MkII and MkIIA using .38 Colt magazines, with a removable silencer section leading to the front sight being moved backward. The only Welrod with a trigger guard.

[solo-uso]

Sami is officially a 4x Intercontinental Champion.

Here's a recap of each win ❤️

1. With the help of Shinsuke and Cesaro, Sami defeated Braun Strowman in a 3-on-1 Handicap at Elimination Chamber 2020, and shortly thereafter vacated the Title to quarantine during the Pandemic.

2. Sami's longest reign and his best IC Title match (until now) - Clash of Champions 2020 to def. AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy (c.) - he held it during the Thunderdome era, lost it Christmas 2020 to Big E. No live audience during this reign.

3. Defeated Shinsuke in a throwaway Smackdown. In 2 weeks' time, he was snubbed by Johnny Knoxville, causing a loss to Ricochet in the lead-up to Wrestlemania 38.

4. For the first time as a face, Sami Zayn captures the IC Title at Wrestlemania 40, defeating the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion.

[judgementdaysunshine]

Jumping into the water

Pairing: Bianca Belair x Fem reader

Description: You and Bianca fall for each other online leading to a leap of faith when the two of you meet in person

You had given up on love until you met Bianca commenting on a picture of her on Instagram leading to a few conversations before exchanging phone numbers and texting. After four weeks of texting the two of you started calling each other over the phone which only made the already rapid feelings between the two of you grow even more over the next three months agreeing to meeting up despite your inner fear and hesitance you agree to meet up with her not too long after Elimination Chamber counting down the days as excitement takes over watching elimination chamber feeling over the moon seeing her win a big three way match against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch sitting in the airport as nerves and excitement take a tight hold over you before boarding the plane smiling after you land in Hawaii smiling when you see her as you walk through the airport sharing a hug before driving to the rental house the two of you will be staying in for the next three weeks already enjoying the first day together by exploring around Lahaina surfing the next morning and walking along the beach leading to a jump between the two of you. She stops sticking a flower in your hair before slowly leaning closer to you until her lips gently press against yours leading to a soft kiss that grew passionate smiling big as you pulled away walking back to the house hand in hand where you made and had dinner together taking things slow as the next few days passed by both of you already planning to meet up again later for Wrestlemania sharing a long hug and kiss before heading back home pacing in joy as time and the last few days pass by before wrestlemania locking eyes with each other in the crowd waiting until the two of you were at her hotel sharing many paused kisses enjoying room service dinner smiling as you fall asleep both of you waiting to see what the future brings.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Minnesota's Democratic Governor, Tim Walz, today reiterated his promise to sign a marijuana legalization bill that arrived at his desk on Saturday. That will make Minnesota, which legalized medical marijuana in 2014, the 23rd state to allow recreational use.

The Minnesota House and Senate, both of which are controlled by Democrats, had previously approved slightly different legalization bills. H.F. 100, which both chambers passed last week, reconciles those differences.

Adults 21 or older will be allowed to possess two ounces or less of marijuana in public, share that amount with other adults, keep two pounds or less at home, and grow up to eight plants, four of which are mature. Those provisions take effect on August 1.

The bill also establishes an Office of Cannabis Management to license and regulate commercial production and distribution. Marijuana products will be subject to a 10% retail tax, in addition to standard state and local sales taxes (which total about 8% in Minneapolis, for example). Local governments will be allowed to regulate retailers and cap their number but will not be allowed to ban them entirely. Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL–Coon Rapids), a co-author of the bill, said licensed sales should begin in 12 to 18 months.

Cannabis consumption initially will be limited to private residences. But the law eventually will allow marijuana use at specially licensed businesses and events.

Driving under the influence of marijuana will remain illegal. But Minnesota does not have a per se standard that makes a driver automatically guilty based on THC in his blood. Its law requires evidence of impairment.

H.F. 100 eliminates some marijuana offenses and downgrades others. It requires automatic expungement of misdemeanor marijuana possession records, a process that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says may take until August 2024 to complete. The bill creates a review board to consider resentencing of people with marijuana felony records.

A recent SurveyUSA poll found that 64% of Minnesota voters support marijuana legalization, including 81% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans. That is similar to the national breakdown among American adults that Gallup reported last fall.

"The system that we have right now is not working," state Sen. Lindsey Port (DFL–Burnsville) said before the vote on the marijuana bill in her chamber, where she was the lead sponsor. "The best way that we can protect our kids from access to cannabis is by legalizing and regulating."

[blackjackkent]

Quick looting run around the courtyard. Panicked a couple of poor civilians who were hiding in a side room; we have got to put a helmet or something on Orpheus. If the Emperor could operate in secret for however many years with the Knights of the Shield just by wearing a dumb hood, surely we can make our new friend a little less conspicuous.

Anyway, onward to the next bit of High Hall.

Which is looking VERY good and normal.

As we approach the brain stem, Hector comments: "Looks like part of the Netherbrain. But we'll need to be higher up to climb it."

I... will admit I didn't realize that was the plan until now although I guess it makes as much sense as anything else.

Upward we go to what looks like a simple battle with a few intellect devourers, except--

Uh oh.

"Stlarning ship," Jaheira snaps, as a bunch of AOE indicators from aerial strikes spread out over the battlefield. "It's trying to pin us in place!"

This turns out to be a bigger fight than anticipated; in addition to the orbital strikes, several other enemies spawn in on a high ground we don't have obvious access too.

"Gh'ath!" Orpheus shouts on his turn. "The dragons will burn them to ash."

Hm. Well, there's an idea. We could have Voss come in and obliterate these people but I'm not entirely sure it would end the fight, as the nautiloid is listed as an enemy too, with 10,000 hit points and no obvious line of sight.

A more fun approach, though, is to use Orpheus's black hole ability to yank them down off the high ground, which is the approach I end up taking. XD

At the end of the round, the nautiloid air strike goes off as expected:

Everyone manages to avoid it, thankfully, but new enemies spawn in on the upper level. I start getting the impression that maybe they're just going to spawn indefinitely, which @zenjestrr confirms. So maybe it's actually just time to get out of here.

There's another path on the opposite side of the building that seems to lead further up, so I have everyone book it off that way. DASH ACTIONS FOR EVERYONE. (I also end up having to reload because Hector's model falls through the floor or something and glitches out.)

This escape involves Hector slamming his way straight through a door, which is pretty sexy. A lot of mind flayers in our way but nothing else super significant. The one satisfying thing about the aerial strike is that a lot of the IDs keep getting flattened by it by accident.

Finally we reach the top.

It hadn't quite occurred to me that some of the bad guys would probably be coming around to meet me from their high ground on the other side, whoops. The floor is also starting to get REALLY covered in unsafe aerial strike AOEs.

Inside the door at the upper level is a VERY welcome sight:

Yessssss.

And, of course:

The final battle awaits.

A cutscene triggers as Hector approaches the brainstem, of the dragons taking out the nautiloid to eliminate the airstrikes.

Yesss, go dragons go!

Hector is knocked to his knees by another communication from the brain. It's as agonizing as the direct contact always is - and yet... could there be a hint of fear in that monstrous creature? Does it know the allied forces that are coming to bear on it?

"--you-- are-- PERSISTANT you-- have --FUNCTION LEAVE THEM. JOIN US. WITNESS PERFECTION."

"WITNESS THE GRAND DESIGN."

If Hector was going to do that, it would have happened a long time ago. It's certainly not going to happen now.

And there it is. No more places to explore, no one else left to save, no other battles left to fight. I get everyone herded into the room for a chug from the restoration chamber and proceed towards Hector's destiny. O.O;

[saltymagazinecowboy]

Questions for War

What is the difference between a baby dismembered by a sword and a baby dismembered by a missile?

To the parents?

To the baby?

Is there a point at which effect (dismemberment) overshadows intent (that it wasn’t deliberate)?

If you are a human shield who has just been blown apart by an airstrike, would you feel better knowing that it was nothing personal?

What is the maximum number of innocent civilians you’re willing to kill as human shields to eliminate a single potential terrorist possibly located among them?

What if the human shields are people from your own country?

Does the number change?

What if the human shields are people from your own family?

Does the number change?

Is the value of human life universally sacred or does it fluctuate like the stock market depending on the tone of one’s skin, the language one speaks, the side of a man-made wall one lives on, or the god to whom one does or doesn’t pray? Do you think levelling buildings or tunnels where hostages could be held is beneficial to their safety?

That explosions know only to incinerate the bad guys?

That falling rubble knows only to crush the guilty?

Do you think you can destroy by violent force an ideology galvanized by violent force?

Do you think the reason the US didn’t defeat the Taliban is because we didn’t occupy Afghanistan for long enough?

Or because we didn’t drop enough bombs?

Or spend enough money?

That if we would’ve occupied the area for 21 years instead 20, we’d have a strategic victory?

That if we would've dropped 85,109 bombs instead of 85,108, we would’ve won? That if we would've spent $2.314 trillion instead of $2.313, we'd get a return on our investment?

Can relocation ever be considered voluntary if there is no alternative?

Can occupation ever be considered peace?

Can vengeance ever be considered foreign policy?

Does pointing to one set of atrocities justify another?

And another?

And another?

And another?

And another?

Is it easier to pretend the other side isn't human than to reckon with the evil that humans are capable of, as well as the rights that humans deserve?

Do you believe human beings from a particular national or ethnic group can be distinct from perceived terrorists who belong to that same group, or can an entire national or ethnic group be considered dangerous, and therefore need to be eliminated?

If so, how would you go about liquidating over 2 million humans?

Trains leading them to gas chambers, perhaps?