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writersdrug · 2 years ago

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Ghost x Reader x Konig: I Don't Need You (Ch. 2)

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Summary: You and Ghost argue every single day. Things aren't getting better. You're over it and wish Ghost would stop. But he makes a point to fight with you every time you're in his line of sight. Even when you try let it go, he doesn't. And you've had enough.

Chapter warnings: Cursing, VERY small mentions of consensual torture (like for one sentence).

Notes: Two chapters in one day? Maybe?? Don't expect it too often, but I'll finish this one I promise!!

Two months had passed, and the days dragged on mercilessly. The swelling in Ghost’s eye had disappeared after the first week. The depression had passed after the first month, now replaced with anger and hatred. Ghost and I had gone from awkward silence, to irritated glances, to going to extreme lengths to avoid each other, and finally, to having full blown arguments. At first, in a semi-private setting, then later, in whatever place we were in when the fight would start. Our teammates were growing concerned and annoyed with the constant tension. Multiple people had suggested we try to be civil and talk things out, and others said we needed to go to therapy. All of them, of course, never let on that they knew this was about something more than a work-related disagreement. They understood exactly why Ghost and I had been fighting.

Ghost and I, on the other hand, believed that we had done a good job at keeping our “situation” a secret.

Morning had come all too soon; I had managed to crawl into bed after another late night of anger and despair; my mind was busy reliving the moments of the argument Ghost and I had, right outside of my dorm. We had shouted like there wasn’t another soul on base, throwing insults and jabs like they were daggers – and they certainly felt like it. Ghost would typically use the “You should have known better” argument, and I took the “If you had a problem, why didn’t you say anything?” route. He called me insane. I called him a hypocrite. The same jumble of expletives until I would finally slam the door in his face and go to bed, a sobbing mess.

I had skimmed the surface of sleep until my alarm buzzed at 5 AM. I let it drone on for a while, staring out my window, watching the sun just barely breaking the surface. It was going to be a dark morning, and a cold day. Luckily, the day’s agenda for the 141 agents was mostly finishing paperwork from the last mission. I went through the motions of showering, getting dressed, putting my hair back… before I knew it, I was standing in front of my door, empty coffee cup in one hand, files and paperwork in the other, ready to start the day, At least, I looked ready. In reality, I felt like I was being held together with paperclips and thread, about to collapse at any second.

I made my way to the mess hall, claiming a seat with some of the female sergeants before heading to the line. My stomach didn’t like the look of the food, so I instead went to grab a cup of coffee. I wasn’t one for coffee, however, I needed it as a replacement for tea. Since Ghost and I had first fought, I refused to drink any sort of tea – I said it was to help me get over him, but I knew I was just being childish.

Haphazardly, I noticed that there were only two tea bags left by the brewing station. For a second, I thought I should just bite the bullet and make tea, since this would probably be all that was left until the following month. Then, a very petty idea came to mind. I casually glanced around the hall – no sign of Ghost. I raised my eyebrows, suspicious at the coincidence of it all. God, this timing is too perfect. I turned back and finished pouring cream in my coffee. Simultaneously, I snagged the teabags and shoved them in my thigh pocket, then walked back to the table like it had never happened.

When people commend me on my stealth, I can’t help but think of how I used it for dumb shit like this.

I sat down next to two of my closest friends, Skyline and Beth (not all of us chose to stick with a callsign, and Beth was one of those people). I sipped my coffee innocently.

“You’ve got a long day today.” Beth said, weighing my paperwork in her hands. “If you’d let the others get a chance at shanking the enemy, you wouldn’t have so much to report.” She plopped the paper back down with a thud.

“I already got started on it last night.” I muttered. My eyes kept flicking back to the entrance of the mess hall, waiting for Ghost. “Besides, keeps me busy.”

Beth looked at me and huffed. She followed my line of sight to the doors, then looked back at me, disappointed. “Really?”

I shrugged. “What?” I said, innocently taking another sip.

“I told you she’d do something.” Skyline piped in, unbothered as she slowly stirred her coffee. “What is it now, huh? D’you take off his door knob?”

I glanced between the two of them with an offended look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Why didn’t I ever think of that before?!

“You have got to let this go.” Beth said exasperated. “This is the most unprofessional I’ve seen you since I met you.”

That one stung. I looked at Beth, narrowing my eyes. “Are you serious- “

“It’s been over two months now. Yes, I’m serious.” Beth rubbed the bridge of her nose, and Skyline hummed in agreement. Beth continued: “You’re both acting so fucking childish. I’m surprised you even managed to get him to stoop to your level here. But it’s not just a problem for the both of you now, everyone has to deal with your shit.”

“I think your bun’s just pulled too tight.” I replied dryly. I was too busy watching Ghost walk in and place his things on the table next to Soap.

“For fuck’s sake, Bonnie – “ Beth stood up and gathered her tray. “We’re just trying to look out for you. Get your shit together.” She stormed off to find a different table, far away from me.

I watched her walk away, suddenly feeling ashamed. She was right, I was being a child. I was stooping lower than I though I ever could.

Skyline clicked her tongue. “You really should get over him.” She piped up. “It’s holding you back, you’re not focused, you look tired and worn out all the time.” She stood and picked up her tray, heading away to follow Beth. “We just don’t want to see you lose everything over some petty mistake.”

Mistake. I was tired of that word. I watched her walk away, anger bubbling in my mind. I looked back at Ghost, who was now standing by the coffee station, glancing around for the last tea bags. I sighed. Let’s get this over with.

I got up and walked over to him, fishing the tea bags from my pocket. I slapped them down on the counter in front of Ghost. “Figured you need these more than I do.”

Ghost stared at the bags for a long second, then looked sharply at me. His gaze was always intense behind the mask (right now, just the balaclava), but now more than ever, they were filled with hatred.

I shrugged. “I decided on coffee.” I answered his unspoken question.

I left Ghost at the brew station, exiting the mess hall and making quick strides towards my room. I knew the look on his face meant trouble, and I didn’t want to deal with his bullshit. For the first time in a while, I wanted the arguing and face-offs to be over. Beth’s words struck a chord with me, making me realize how much time I was wasting fighting with Ghost. Deep down, I wanted it to end, so I could go back to being the best stealth expert on the team. I had become so distracted and irritable over the past several months, and it was finally crashing down on me.

If I had felt hungry before going to the mess hall, it had faded since then. I just wanted to finish my paperwork in my dorm, go back to sleep, maybe stand in the shower and think… maybe even apologize to Beth and Skyline, telling them they were right – which would be hard. It took a lot for me to admit I was wrong, even to myself. Especially to myself.

I was angry again. I was tired of being angry. I was tired of getting frustrated, getting into fights, and crying after. I was tired of being tired. It was a workout of it’s own. But there I was, fuming again as I stormed away down the halls, muttering curses to myself.

Cutting my thoughts short, I heard Ghost’s angry voice behind me. “The fuck was that all about?” he yelled.

My eyes rolled so hard they nearly got stuck.

“Are you really going to do this over a couple of teabags??” I said, calling the fight before it had even started. “I don’t want to argue with you, Ghost. I decided not to piss you off today, that’s why I gave them back.”

“No, I’ve had enough of you and you’re selfish fucking attitude.” Ghost trailed behind me, fuming. His steps were heavier than mine and his stride slower, yet he easily kept up with my pace. “Every day it’s something new with you; some stupid fucking reason for you to piss me off, and then you go acting all innocent like nothing happened. I’m fucking tired of it.”

“Then go the fuck to bed and leave me alone.” I retorted. This was what I couldn’t understand. Why does he keep following me every day just to get mad? If he think’s I’m trying to annoy him why doesn’t he just ignore me? Why does he have to yell at me every damn day?

“Oh, real mature, real fucking mature, Bonnie. You haven’t changed one bit, you’re still a bloody prick!”

“And you’re still crawling back for more, huh?!”

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you!! This is fucking petty, Ghost!!”

“You think I’m being petty?!” he shouted, defensively, following me around a corner. “Fuckin’ take a look at yourself, acting like a child. Can’t be a fucking adult here, you’re just going t’ walk away like nothing happened, huh? You gonna fucking run every time I try and talk to you? You know, that’s real fucking weak of you!!”

Weak. My mind snapped before I knew what was happening.

I grabbed my knife from my belt and spun a full one-eighty, flinging it as hard as I could in Ghost’s direction. It missed his face by a couple of inches before it collided with the cement wall behind him and clattered to the floor. As the clang echoed throughout the hallway, I caught Ghost holding his breath, a shocked look in his eyes. He knew how good my aim was – he had seen it countless times in combat. I never miss my mark. But this time, he wasn’t sure what I had meant to hit.

“Fuck OFF.” I emphasized the words I yelled though the glare I shot him, before finally turning away. The walls on either side of me seemed to close in, and the end of the hall stretched farther and farther away with each step I took. I knew Ghost was still frozen behind me, trying to figure out if I had meant to shank him or if I had intentionally missed him – frankly, I was just as uncertain as he was.

Finally reaching my door, I barreled through it and slammed it behind me. My head was throbbing from the emotions swimming through it. I didn’t want to cry again, I was so goddamn tired of crying. Yet the stinging threat of tears lingered in my eyes all the same. I stood there, fuming, my shoulders heaving from the breaths I sucked in, trying to wash away the red behind my eyelids. It wasn’t enough.

I ripped my shirt over my head and threw it to the ground. I kicked off my shoes, yanked down my pants, and ripped off my underwear as I stumbled to my bathroom. My head was dizzy as I frantically pulled myself into the shower, cranking it on and to the highest setting. Initially, the water hit my skin like shards of ice, making my muscles tense and shake. Slowly, it turned into a cooling rain, then a comforting shower, before it finally burned.

It felt so good. Maybe not good, but it was distracting. The water felt like a million cigarettes being put out against my skin. I remembered how Simon used to do that, once or twice, placing claims on my skin that no one else would see but us. I told him I never wanted them to fade, but they did anyways. I braced my hands against the wall in front of me and hunched my back. My muscles fought against my brain, shaking with the urge to jump back from the water, as my mind forced them to stay locked under it. My scalp screamed under the heat as small, hot streams trickled down my face. It burned. All of it burned, and it felt so good. So numbing.

Eventually, the water cooled off a bit. The base’s water heater was unable to keep up with what I needed. As the searing pain eased off, the emotions came flooding back – now, as despair and confusion. The void in my chest came back, angry and empty as ever. I had nothing to fill it with. I tried folding in on myself, crumpling to the floor, hoping to fill the gap with my own self. But it didn’t work. Nothing ever worked.

#konig x reader #konig cod #konig smut #simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #ghost x reader smut #ghost cod #cod x reader #cod #call of duty

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mikhailwrites · 1 year ago

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Soaring Ever Higher 1 - Ghoap/Ace Combat 7 crossover

Remember when I said it's gonna be a one shot? Yeah, me neither...

Ghost looks up, into the vast expanse of clear blue sky. To be honest, he never paid too much attention to it. His fight is and has always been on the ground. Now, he can’t help but wonder: how does being up there feel? There is no ground to support you, no cover to help you, no nothing, just you, the mission, and almost endless space. Is it freeing or terrifying? Maybe both? Maybe he will ask MacTavish, if they cross paths again...

This chapter on AO3 | Next chapter

„This is Bravo 0-7. I’m in position and ready,“ Ghost says into the com, crouching in the vegetation, trying his best to ignore a bead of sweat tracing his spine. Of all the places, the jungle is probably his least favourite. Everything around him slithers and crawls, the humid heat making him sweat gallons.

“Copy that, Bravo; ETA on Strider is T-minus seven minutes; be ready to paint the target,” Laswell informs him in her signature matter-of-fact manner.

Ghost takes the laser designator out of the backpack and mounts it on a tripod. The conditions are less than ideal; the sky is uniformly grey and overcast. It’ll be hard, if not impossible, for the laser to penetrate the clouds, and even then, there’s still a dense jungle that could thwart the attack. It’ll take a damn skilled pilot to make this work.

“Bravo 0-7, this is Strider 1 en route; how copy?” a new voice on the coms. Ghost’s eyebrow twitch in surprise as an unmistakable Scottish brogue greets him.

“Solid copy,” Ghost answers out of habit more than anything.

“Some taps-aff weather today, eh? I reckon I’ll be entering the OA in about three minutes.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a behemoth of a jet emerges from the clouds like a bloody reaper surfacing from the Styx. Ghost has never seen a plane like that before, all sharp angles and planes of dark grey stealth coating. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie. And right behind it comes the thundering sound, unable to quite catch up to the plane.

“Strider 1 entering OA. I’m getting a solid reading on the laser, moving up to drop the package. You might want to turn around, LT,” the pilot warns as the jet closes in on the target. The drop is flawless, and Ghost doesn’t turn away despite the advice. The jet thunders by, and a few seconds later, the whole enemy base goes up in an eruption of fire, debris and smoke. The explosion shatters the building and shakes the ground. Ghost is grateful for his protective headset because it most probably just saved his hearing.

“Bloody hell!” Ghost shields his eyes as the shock wave reaches him and, with it, the gust of dust and dirt. The worst of the dust settles in, the jet gone, up above the clouds once more, as if it was never here in the first place, a spectre of destruction. “Bravo 0-7, confirming a direct hit.”

“Happy to hear that. Strider, Bravo, you’re RTB. Get out of there before the enemy regroups,” Laswell instructs, just as Ghost is packing the designator and prepares to trek back through the jungle to the RV, where the helo will be waiting to pick him up.

No sooner than he starts to think the mission’s been a breeze, the bullets start flying. The base is destroyed, but apparently, what’s left of the enemy managed to regroup rather quickly. Ghost curses and immediately lifts his rifle as he scurries through the dense vegetation, hoping to lose the tail. There’s no telling how many are onto him, but it doesn’t matter; he’s alone, and that’s some crappy odds he doesn’t want to test.

“This is Bravo 0-7. I’m in a hotspot, multiple tangos on me,” he hurriedly explains his situation just as a bullet chips away at the tree not even a few feet from him. He has no choice but to throw himself on the ground to make himself the smallest target possible. “Fuck!”

“Break the contact and proceed to the RV!” Laswell urges him.

As much as he’d love to heed her words, he’s pinned down. “Negative, Watcher 1, I’m stuck!”

“I can turn around and make a sweep; he’s got the IR tag; I’ll see him and can provide support,” Strider cuts into the conversation.

“You’re RTB, Strider 1; do not stray from the course!” yet another voice, male, older. Perhaps Strider’s CO.

“I’m not leaving him there if I can help!” Strider 1 argues, sounding more irritated than agitated.

“That was a direct order, Strider. Return to base immediately! You are not armed for close air support!”

“I still have the 20mm; that’s more than enough! Re-entering OA in two minutes!”

Ghost doesn’t say anything, but he’s bloody grateful for Strider’s help, insubordination or not. Carefully, he turns and dusts one tango he has in his sights. There’s plenty more as another salvo of bullets flies over his head.

“ETA thirty seconds, Ghost; hang in there, soldier!” Strider says, sounding breathless.

“I’m going to have your ass for this, Trigger!” the man on comms shouts.

Ghost is almost tempted to say something at that point. Luckily, the grey war beast makes a hell of an entrance right then. Ghost’s only warning is a shout of “incoming!” as the fighter swoops in from the left and spreads some 20mm cheer across the jungle—the vegetation yields. The enemies do, too. The jet is gone, leaving an ungodly amount of devastation in its wake. Only to make a second pass from the right moments later. Strider had to pull off some serious high-G turn to be that fast.

It paid off, though. There’s not a single living thing near Ghost.

“I’m in the clear, heading to RV now; thanks for the air support, Strider 1. Much appreciated, mate,” Ghost says as he’s finally on his way from this hellhole.

Ghost can’t leave it alone. He wants to thank the man properly, so after a lengthy mission report, during which he hasn’t forgotten to stress that Strider saved his life, he heads to the hangar. Sure enough, the aircraft is there. Up close, it looks even stranger. Like it shouldn’t even be able to fly, let alone be capable of stuff Ghost had witnessed earlier that day. The jet is huge and imposing; short, diamond-shaped wings and vertical stabilizers placed on the outer edges of the craft only enhance the overall alien look. Ghost also notices distinct white decals on its vertical stabilisers: three scratches and a clawed paw. It feels familiar, yet he can’t honestly remember why. Maybe he overheard someone talking about it, or maybe his mind is playing tricks on him.

“Bonnie lass, ain’t she?” someone asks from behind his back. The voice is a little familiar now. Simon turns around to put a face to it. And is surprised. Pleasantly so. The man is a bit shorter and well-built, obviously fit, but that goes without saying. You can’t sustain high-G manoeuvres without some proper muscles and strength. His face is pleasant, too, thin lips curling in a smile. He looks like a father proudly displaying his offspring. Only the “kid”, in this case, is a multimillion-pound war machine. Ghost pauses his inspection on the mohawk. How cliché is that? Yet, it suits the man.

“What is it even?” slowly, he turns back to the plane.

“An old prototype made for the Americans. They went with a different plane in the end, the F-22. The two of these were meant for some sort of museum or whatever. Got a chance to rescue one, so I did,” Strider shrugs, looking at the plane almost lovingly.

Ghost hums in contemplation. The plane looks like a prototype, alright. But whatever does the Strider even mean by rescuing it? How do you rescue a jet? And why? “What’s your name?”

That seems to get the pilot’s attention. For a split second, he looks confused, then bursts into laughter. “Aye, that’s fair, boasting about my plane, and I haven’t even introduced myself.” He walks closer, extending his right arm. Ghost shakes it, noting the firm grip. “John MacTavish, call-sign Trigger.”

“Ghost,” Ghost replies, not bothering with his name and surname as he suspects Trigger already knows. “Thanks for… earlier.” The Lieutenant nods to show his appreciation further. Trigger truly saved his ass back there. What an apt call-sign, too.

“Don’t mention it. You needed a backup, and I was close by,” Trigger waves his hand to dismiss the gratitude, looking almost sheepish as if anyone would do the same. Ghost knows only too well it’s not true.

“You disobeyed a direct order,” Ghost reminds him, having a very clear idea about the reprimand and possible disciplinary actions that awaited John.

“I value life over the orders, anytime, and from what I’ve heard about you, I think you understand,” suddenly, Trigger’s face became unreadable, blue eyes searching Ghost’s own for… something.

The Scot is not wrong, but how exactly does he know? He has no idea. Ghost’s notoriety comes mostly from the mystery behind his mask and his combat skill. Sticking up for his teammates is usually not part of the legend.

At first, Ghost thought MacTavish to be yet another flamboyant hothead. Fighter pilots are an odd bunch, all of them. Yet MacTavish seems different, somehow. As if he wants to fit the stereotype; wants the people to see him for someone he’s clearly not. Why? Ghost has no idea. There seems to be a growing number of ‘whys’ around the man, and Ghost would be lying if he said he’s not intrigued. “I do, which also means that I can appreciate the sentiment all the more.”

“Tell you what, if you really want to thank me, how about you buy me a drink? I’m parched!” Trigger proposes, and the smile is back on his handsome face.

Ghost has a pretty good idea about where this is heading, but there are not many reasons not to pursue it. The bloke is interesting, entertaining, and easy on the eyes. If he’s game, then Ghost is, too. And if he’s misreading the situation? Well, he deserves a drink anyway.

“Give me a few minutes. I’ll finish up here and meet you by the gate,” John says as he takes a rag and cleans an oil stain on the nose of his plane.

Ghost nods and heads out. The night has fallen while he was in the hangar, but the base and especially the tarmac are always well-lit.

Ghost waits by the gate, just like Trigger asked him to. However, it’s already been over thirty minutes, and there’s still no sign of John. Ghost gives it another ten before he comes to an inevitable conclusion that he’s been stood up. Ghost shakes his head in disbelief. In his thirty-odd years, this has to be the first.

The Lieutenant chuckles as he starts to the barracks.

#Soap is Trigger #And flies YF-23 #call of duty #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #ghostsoap #soapghost #ghost x soap #ghoap #ghost mw2 #soap mw2 #ace combat #ace combat 7

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paperanddice · 2 years ago

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Angler worms are gigantic creatures that live underground. They are ambush predators, setting up large tangles of fully invisible sticky snares to catch wandering prey, descending from hidden nests in the ceiling or walls to gather trapped food. If a creature seems able to avoid the worm's snares, it will conjure a hypnotic blue light within the thickest section of the snares, or close enough to itself that anything caught by the lure is easily picked off by the worm. It wraps its long body around multiple creatures, crushing them tight in its coils until reduced to a pulpy mess the worm can feed upon.

Originally from the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Angler Worm Creature 4 N Huge Animal Perception +10; tremorsense (imprecise) 60 feet Skills Athletics +13, Stealth +9 Str +5, Dex -1, Con +6, Int -4, Wis +2, Cha -5 AC 18; Fort +14, Ref +7, Will +8 HP 76; Immunities blinded Speed 20 feet, climb 20 feet Melee jaws +13 (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+5 piercing plus Grab Ethereal Lure [one action] (illusion, visual) The angler worm creates a faint, blue light in a spot within 20 feet of it. The light lasts until the start of the worm's next turn. All other creatures that can see this light must attempt a DC 16 Will saving throw. Critical Success The target is unaffected and is temporarily immune to Ethereal Lure for 24 hours. Success The target is unaffected. Failure The target is stupified 1 and fascinated as long as it can see the light. Critical Failure The target is stupified 2 and fascinated as long as it can see the light, and must use its actions to approach the light by the most direct rout. In addition, the angler worm is concealed from the target. Greater Constrict [one action] 1d8+5 bludgeoning, DC 19 Wrap in Coils [one action](attack); Requirement A large or smaller creature is grabbed or restrained in the angler worm's jaws. Effect The angler worm moves the creature into its coils, freeing its jaws to make attacks, then uses Greater Constrict against the creature. The angler worm's coils can hold as many creatures as will fit in its space.

Hidden Snare Hazard 4 environmental Complexity Simple Stealth Invisible, DC 25 (expert) or DC 17 (trained) to creatures that can see invisibility Description Invisible strands of sticky webbing stretched across tunnels, doorways, and other passages. Disable DC 25 Survival (trained) to dislodge it, or DC 20 to creatures that can see invisibility AC 18, Fort +9, Ref +10 HP 38 (BT 19); Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage Ensnare [reaction] Trigger A creature that isn’t the angler worm moves into the snare; Effect The snare clings to the triggering creature's limbs. The triggering creature must succeed at a DC 22 Reflex save or become immobilized until they Escape the snare (DC 22). On a critical failure, the webbing wraps even tighter, pinning limbs in place and restraining the creature until they Escape the snare.

13th Age

Angler Worm Huge 4th level blocker [beast] Initiative: +5 Grasping Maw +9 vs. AC - 30 damage. Natural Even Hit: The angler worm can make a coiling body attack against the target as a free action.Miss: 10 damage. [Special Trigger] Coiling Body +9 vs. PD - 10 damage and the target is grabbed. Crush +13 vs. PD (all grabbed enemies; includes +4 grab bonus) - 25 damage. R: Ethereal Lure +9 vs. MD (1d4 random nearby or far away creatures) - The target is dazed until the end of the angler worm’s next turn. Natural 14+: The target can’t attack, and must use its turn to approach the angler worm. If it engages the angler worm, the worm can make a coiling body attack against the target as a free action. Transparent Trap: The angler worm has filled the area with transparent snare lines to snag enemies. At the start of the battle, and each time a creature besides the angler worm moves, it must make a save; on a failure, the target is stuck (save ends). A character can spend an action to attempt a DC 25 skill check to spot the snares; on a success, it no longer has to roll saves when it moves. If the character can see invisible things, the DC of the skill check is only 15. Wall Climber. AC 20 PD 19 MD 13 HP 158

#pathfinder 2e #13th age #homebrew #my homebrew #monster #animal #beast #pathfinder level 4 #13th age level 4 #long post

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onslaughtsixdotcom · 2 years ago

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My Wilderness Hexcrawl Rules

This post began life as an attempt to redesign the Ranger for 5e. I'm still going to do that, but it diverted to an explanation of my wilderness hexcrawl procedure, which I don't believe I've ever shared online in full.

I am on record as saying "exploration" is everything the players do that isn't talking to people or fighting monsters, but for the sake of this, we're going to focus on wilderness "exploration" and parts of the game that use that.

So to do that, we need to talk about what this looks like in my game and at my table. All overland travel in a dangerous area is on a 6 mile hex grid, and we engage in the "gritty realism" rest variant when we use it. This means a short rest is 8 hours overnight, and a long rest is every 7 days/short rests or if the party spends 24 hours within the same hex (which also puts them back on "normal" resting; unless, of course, they travel outside that hex again). Again, this is a "dangerous area," which is most of the parts of the world that adventure takes place in. If the players are travelling a long distance that isn't the focus of the adventure (for example, they travel weeks from the city of Dawnharbour to the city of Steelhaven) then that can be handwaved; they're sticking to roads and not worrying about it, because the Adventure is not The Travel.

When the party travels through hexes, we determine their planned route and weather. This determines how many hexes they can go through. The party can travel 24 miles per day through normal terrain, which equals 4 hexes; difficult terrain like swamps, deep forest or mountains may reduce this to 3 or even 2 hexes.

For each hex, the players roll what I call "Advancing d6s." This means they roll, in order: 1d6, 2d6, 3d6, and finally 4d6. This produces several results, between 1-6, 2-12, 3-18 and finally 4-24. This corresponds with this simple table:

The d6 table is landmarks such as burial mounds, obelisks, etc. The d8 table is several encounters that are not necessarily combat related, such as a group of fake adventurers, a Peryton that attempts to capture a player, or a golden Fey steed appearing on the horizon. It also contains an entry called "Character Event," which is a series of encounters built around the PCs. (I'll go more into Character Events in a later post.) The d12 table is larger landmarks and mini-dungeons or lairs, including things like wild magic zones, dead magic zones, etc. Finally I have lists of combat encounters. Embphyrkhaksis is the BBEG of the campaign this particular table is taken from; an adult red dragon who can appear any time all four players roll 6s. (For each encounter with Embphyrkhaksis, I raise the threshold for him to abandon the encounter by 10hp; initially they just had to deal 10 damage to the dragon for him to flee, but after 4 or 5 encounters they need to do 40 or 50 damage for him to leave. Exciting!) I then arrange the encounters we rolled into the best narratively cohesive order, based on my judgement as a DM and my absolute, flawless, omniscient knowledge of what is Actually in the hexes ahead of them; I ignore results that are boring or have been used recently if there is a legitimate feature in a hex that I've previously determined. At a later time, I'll update this post with a formatted PDF of my table so you can alter it and make your own.

When the party spends the night in the wilderness, they need to set up watches. My rules assume a 4 person party using 2 hour watches. (Elves can take 2 watches and still gain the benefits of a short rest.) During a watch, they roll 1d6; on a 6, an encounter happens. The character makes a Perception check to see if they notice the encounter; this is contested against a DC equal to a passive stealth check made by the monster. (If there are multiple monsters, I use the monster with the highest bonus.) If they fail, they are Surprised, which can be really dangerous with 3/4 of the party still sleeping, outside of their armour. If they pass, the party member has the opportunity to wake up the other players and put on their armour. (Realistically, this takes 10 minutes, but the start of the encounter is a little abstracted in this case.)

This is the core of my wilderness overland travel system. It's easy to see, when it's laid out like this, that there are several "hooks" by which the Ranger can key into to make them feel very useful in this style of campaign.

Next time: We fix the Ranger.

#dungeons & dragons #d&d #dnd #5e #hexcrawl

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rainytimetravelfart · 22 days ago

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10 Essential Navy Current Affairs for 2025

In 2025, the maritime domain is more critical than ever. With shifting geopolitical dynamics, emerging technologies, and a growing emphasis on blue-water capabilities, navies around the world are navigating uncharted waters. From AI-driven submarines to strategic Indo-Pacific partnerships, 10 Essential Navy Current Affairs for 2025 provides a focused look at the events and innovations that are steering naval affairs in a new direction.

Here are the 10 defining developments in navy current affairs 2025 (for TheVeza):

1. AUKUS 2.0: Strengthening the Pacific Shield

The AUKUS alliance — originally formed by Australia, the UK, and the US — has entered its next phase. In 2025, AUKUS 2.0 includes Japan and Canada in a broader Pacific strategy to counterbalance rising maritime assertiveness in the region. The joint submarine development program, focused on AI-integrated propulsion systems, is making global headlines.

2. India’s INS Vishal Breaks Cover

India's long-anticipated supercarrier, INS Vishal, finally made its debut in early 2025. Featuring EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System) and next-gen stealth aircraft, it places India firmly in the elite carrier-operating nations. This move is pivotal in South Asian navy current affairs 2025, especially in the context of Indo-Pacific power dynamics.

3. China's Blue Water Expansion Accelerates

The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) continues to accelerate its blue-water expansion. With the launch of its fourth aircraft carrier and multiple Type-055 destroyers, China is extending its operational range well beyond the South China Sea. Naval analysts believe 2025 marks the year China begins asserting naval influence in the western Indian Ocean with permanent basing agreements in Africa.

4. US Navy Embraces AI-First Doctrine

The U.S. Navy has formally adopted an “AI-First Doctrine” for unmanned vessel operations and data-driven combat strategies. The Ghost Fleet Overlord project—previously experimental—is now operational. In 2025, autonomous vessels played a central role in joint exercises in the Arctic, signaling a paradigm shift in naval warfare.

5. Global Naval Climate Initiative Launched

Climate change has officially become a naval security issue. In March 2025, 40 countries signed the Naval Climate Accord, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of maritime operations. Navies are now exploring hybrid propulsion, sustainable fuels, and ocean monitoring missions. This is a groundbreaking moment in navy current affairs 2025, combining environmental science with defense strategy.

6. Cyber Naval Defense Units Go Operational

The launch of specialized cyber-defense units within major navies—especially in the U.S., UK, Israel, and South Korea—is a direct response to increasing maritime cyber-attacks. In 2025 alone, three attempted breaches of autonomous vessel networks were intercepted, underscoring the importance of digital security at sea.

7. Arctic Passage Patrols Intensify

Melting ice continues to open new shipping routes through the Arctic, and navies are moving quickly to secure these passages. Russia has increased its Arctic patrols with nuclear-powered icebreakers, while NATO has responded with joint Arctic readiness drills. The “cold war” in the Arctic is heating up, making this one of the most dynamic navy current affairs 2025.

8. Hypersonic Naval Weapons Enter Deployment

In a major leap, 2025 saw the first sea-based hypersonic missile systems enter active duty. Russia and the US both deployed hypersonic-capable destroyers, with trials conducted in the Atlantic and Black Sea. This drastically changes the calculus of naval engagements, where reaction times now demand machine-speed decision-making.

9. Women Commanders Make History

Diversity reached a milestone in 2025, as multiple countries—including the US, UK, and India—appointed women to command frontline warships for the first time. These appointments not only break gender barriers but also reflect a global shift in naval culture and inclusivity.

10. The Rise of Naval Space Integration

Space and sea are converging. In 2025, joint naval-space operations have been conducted by the US and EU to coordinate satellite surveillance and missile defense from the sea. Maritime command centers now integrate real-time space intelligence, a trend expected to dominate the next decade.

Final Thoughts

As navies around the globe continue to evolve, 2025 stands out as a transformative year. From high-tech warfare to strategic cooperation and sustainability, the seas are witnessing a revolution in defense and diplomacy. The 10 Essential Navy Current Affairs for 2025 showcase not just military might but innovation, adaptability, and vision.

Whether you’re a policy analyst, defense enthusiast, or maritime student, staying informed on these developments isn’t just insightful—it’s essential. For more in-depth analysis and updates, keep following TheVeza, your go-to source for cutting-edge global affairs.

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echodancer · 6 months ago

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It seems that while time moves forward, people move backwards in the United States as differences are sought out to be persecuted against with each passing day. Hate crimes rise. People are stalked, harassed, and brutally attacked and even killed. Isolation swells, locking people down so that here, in whatever place it might be, they can be safe if just for a little while.

There are a multitude of reasons as to why transgender students cannot always afford or approach college, whether it is for one reason, multiple, or all. Yet they all fall under the same umbrella of danger. Financial, systematical, or familial: they all play a part, and they all weigh heavy on these kids’ shoulders.

And why wouldn’t it? The government has been pushing its hands against the lives of transgender students from the beginning: make a name changing process beyond complicated, stretch it out, make hormone therapy next to impossible for basic insurance to cover, let the records become public if you ever do decide to transition legally. Of course it would stretch into the educational system.

Many transgender kids have to put their deadnames on the college application with no alternative. No preferred name option, no pronouns option. Their identity is erased for a title linked to genetics and nothing more, as that is what is standardized, and anything more is considered disgraceful. Emails often go ignored. Professors forget, or perhaps some just don’t care enough to listen. The administration certainly doesn’t. One slip up opens a world of hell for students. Suddenly deadnames are known, false pronouns can be guessed, and an identity that could’ve been meant to be hidden is known. It can be weaponized. It has been weaponized. To be trans, especially closeted or stealth, in a system that is not kind to them is inherently dangerous.

Then there’s the fact of family. There are a great deal of families that don’t support their own children for who they are, and when those families are one of the main resources in order to pay for a higher education, then it can be endlessly difficult to go to a place that could be considered freedom. They control where that money goes, and usually that requires staying close to where these kids are made to live, or a college that is unbearably restrictive. Especially when it comes to universities that are reinforced by western gender roles and beliefs. So when there’s the option of simply running away or hiding? I don’t blame these kids for choosing that route over what is supposed to be a safe haven turned corrupted by manipulation and greed.

And when it’s one after the other? A combination of all? Legal, educational, familial? It’s redundant to say transgender kids and students deserve better; we can only work towards defeating the system in order to make it right.

TransgenderFirst Page

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puzzlyfloof · 8 months ago

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The Origin - 1

Are you going to go to combat practice? I'm going.

"What is it like over there?" he said. Is it terrifying? Does it feel like you're free? As he looked up into the sky. What happens when you go in a cloud? Of course, he doesn't know. You have no ground, no cover, and even worse.

And of course, he doesn't know that either.

"This is Raptor 1, I am in position and ready," Raptor says into the com, as his first day started. He was sweating, he tried to stop.

"Copy that, Raptor; ETA on Warthog is T-minus seven minutes; get ready to paint the target," Sentry informs him in his signature matter-of-fact manner.

Raptor takes the laser designator out of the backpack and mounts it on a tripod. The conditions are less than ideal; the sky is uniformly grey and overcast. It'll be hard, if not impossible, for the laser to penetrate the clouds, and even then, there's still a dense base that could thwart the attack. It'll take a damn skilled aircraft to make this work.

"Raptor 1, this is Warthog 1 en route; how copy?" a new voice on the coms. Raptor's eyebrows twitch in surprise as an unmistakable American brouge greets him.

"Solid copy," Raptor answers out of habit more than anything.

"Some rough weather today, yes? I reckon I'll be entering the OA in about three minutes."

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a behemoth of a jet emerges from the clouds like a bloody reaper surfacing from the Styx. Raptor has never seen a plane like that before, all sharp angles and planes of dark grey stealth coating. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie. And right behind it comes the thundering sound, unable to quite catch up with the plane.

"Warthog 1 entering OA. I'm getting a solid reading on the laser, moving up to drop the package. You might want to turn around, LT," the jet warns as the jet closes in on the target. The drop is flawless, and Raptor doesn't turn away despite the advice. The jet thunders by, and a few seconds later, the whole enemy base goes up in a eruption of fire, debris and smoke. The explosion shatters the building and shakes the ground. Raptor is grateful for his helmet because it most probably just saved his hearing.

"Bloody hell!" Raptor shielded his eyes as the shock wave reaches him and, with it, the gust of dust and dirt. The worst of the dust settles in, The goggles out, up above the clouds once more, as if it was never here in the first place, a spectre of destruction. " Raptor 1, comfirming a direct hit."

"Happy to hear that. Warthog, Raptor, you're RTB. Get out of there before the enemy regroups." Sentry instructs, just as Raptor is packing the designator and prepares to trek back through the base to the RV, where his mom will be waiting to pick him up.

No sooner than he starts to think to think the missions a breeze, the bullets start flying. The base is destroyed, but apparently, what's left of the enemy managed to regroup rather quickly. Raptor curses and immediately lifts his gun as he scurries through the dense smoke, hoping to lose the tail. There's no telling how many are onto him, but it doesn't matter; He's alone, and that's some crappy odds he doesn't want to test.

"This is Raptor 1. I'm in a hotspot, multiple tangos on me," he hurriedly explains his situation just as bullet chips away at the cloud not even a few feet from him. He has no choice but to turn his stealth mode on. "Fuck!"

"Break the contact and proceed to the RV!" Sentry urges him.

As much he'd love to need his words, he's pinned down. "Negative, Sentry 1, I'm stuck!"

"I can turn around and make a sweep; he's got the IR tag; I'll see him and can provide support," Lightning cuts into the conversation.

"You're RTB, Warthog 1; do not stray from the course!" yet another voice, male, older. Perhaps Warthog's friend.

"I'm not leaving him there if I can help!" Warthog 1 argues, sounding more irritated than agitated.

"That was a direct order, Lightning. Return to base immediately! You are not armed for close air support!"

"I still have the AIM-120; that's more than enough! Re-entering OA in two minutes!"

Raptor doesn't say anything, but he's bloody grateful for Lightning's help, insubordination or not. Carefully, he turns and dusts one tango he has in his sights. There's plenty more as another salvo of bullets flies over his head.

"ETA thirty seconds, Raptor; hang in there, jet!" Lightning says, sounding breathless.

"I'm going to have your ass for this, Warthog!" the jet on comms shouts.

Raptor is almost tempted to say something at that point. Luckily, the gray war beast makes a hell of an entrance right then. Raptor's only warning is a shout of "incoming!" as the fighter swoops in from the left and spreads some AIM-120 cheer across the base-the hangars. The enemies do, too. the jet is gone, leaving an ungodly amount of devastation in its wake. Only to make a second pass from the right moments later. Lightning had to pull off some serious high-G turn to be that fast.

It paid off, though. There's not a single living thing near Raptor.

"I'm in the clear, heading to RV now; thanks for the air support, Warthog 1. Thank you." Raptor says as he's finally on his way from this hellhole.

Raptor can't leave it alone. He wants to thank the jet properly, so after a lengthy mission report, during which he hasn't to stress that Lightning saved his life, he heads to the hangar bar. Sure enough, there are people there. Up close, it looks too modern. Like it shouldn't be there, let alone be in the future, but Raptor sees different things. The bar looks like it was made in 2045. And it even looks like it was made by aliens. He couldn't stop looking at the bar. He remembers going here as a kid but it didn't look like that.

"Love the new bar?" someone asks from behind his back. The voice is a little familiar now. Mitchell turns around to put a face to it. And is surprised. Pleasantly so. The jet is a bit shorter and well-built, obviously fit, but that goes without saying. You can't sustain high-G manuvers without some proper wings and a never-ripoff tail. His face is pleasant, too, thin lips curling in a smile. He looks like a dad who is proud of his son. Only the "kid", in this case, has a gun that goes *BRRRRRT*. Raptor pauses his inspection on the man. What type of hair is that? It fits perfectly.

"I love it.." slowly, he turns to the jet

"He was born in 1977. When were you born?" Lightning shrugs, looking at the man.

How do you do? How is your day? "...What's your name?"

That caught the jets attention. "Heh. I've never introduced myself."

The jet walks closer, as he wants to do a handshake. "I'm Bolt McSoan. call-sign Warthog."

"Mitchell. call-sign Raptor." Raptor replies, as he was happy.

After that, it was history.

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gertlushgaming · 2 years ago

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Enshrouded Demo Preview (Steam Early Access)

For this Enshrouded Demo Preview, we play a game of survival, crafting, and Action RPG combat, set within a sprawling voxel-based continent. As you journey across the mountains and deserts of an open world, you are free to choose your path and shape your destiny. Ignite the Ancient power of the Flame, and piece together the fragments of a story that unfolds below the surface.

Enshrouded Demo Preview Pros:

- Decent graphics. - 29.53GB Download size. - Full controller support. - Graphics settings - display mode, resolution, v-sync, field of view slider, and graphics preset. - Controller settings - three controllers presets including custom. Invert axis and sensitivity sliders. - Can rebind controls for both the keyboard and the mouse. Mouse sensitivity and camera smoothing. - Character creator - male and female preset models. Change - hair, hair color, beard, beard color, voice, and name. - Three ways to play - private, host an online game, and join an online game. - Can name your save/world. - The demo has an 8-hour time limit. - 3rd person view. - A full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. - Earn and learn new recipes. - Massive skill tree. - The compass at the top of the screen shows objectives. - Stamina system for running, blocking, and swimming. - The game runs at a smooth speed. - Stunning locations. - Cooking is like in Monster Hunter where you time how long to cook it for. - Full crafting system and you have basics you can craft in the menu with bigger more complex builds being done at a crafting table. - The flame acts as a respawn point, you need it for your house and you can upgrade it to expand the base size and to gain global effects. - Hack and slash combat with melee ranged, and magic options. - Quick easy looting and gathering resources system, just press a button, and no animations. - Full base building, lay down an altar to start your own house with all the parts and shapes put into groups for quick access. - Day and night cycle. - Handy lock-on for hunting and fighting. - Stealth is a must from crouching to be quiet or hiding in the bushes to lose line of sight. - Loot chests everywhere and you get a loot all button. - The shrouded is foggy areas that appear on the map and house the worst of the worst but also great loot and enemies with rarer crafting resources. - A hot bar means you can have a load of items and weapons on a quick-access radial menu. - The game world is massive. - Drag and drop inventory system. - Many enemy types. - A lot of secret and alternate routes and rooms. - When entering a dwelling you get a pop-up showing comfort level, warmth, and if it is sheltered. - Rewards you for your exploration. - Earn exp from everything and get skill points to put into the skill tree. - Weapons and tools degrade over time but they can be repaired. - The map uncovers as you explore and fills in points of interest and mission markers. - Fast travel to your last altar visited. - Tutorial text pops up in the menus as you unlock new things and it can be replayed. Enshrouded Demo Preview Cons: - Performance hits in places, usually with high enemy numbers or when blowing up walls, etc. - A lot to take in. - The time limit is annoying. - It is a demo so of course but it has no achievements. - The way they get you moving along is not as tight as it could be. - So much menu surfing. - The inventory management for many items and tools/weapons is less than ideal and a good fix would be a way to have multiple hotbars. - Combat is up and down in terms of difficulty. - Couldn't see any Ai party members for us solo players. - Using the bow against animals is not great. - Had a few cold transitions between day and night. Related Post: Truckzilla Monster Truck Mega Ramp Mania Review (PlayStation 4) Enshrouded Demo: Official website. Developer: Keen Games Publisher: Keen Games Store Links - Steam Read the full article

#demo #EarlyAccess #Indie #PC #steam

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miragegames2023 · 2 years ago

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Assassin's Creed Mirage: Basim's Journey from the Streets to the Brotherhood

In Assassin's Creed Mirage, the story unfolds decades before the events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, placing Basim at the forefront as he rises from a street thief to the upper echelons of the Creed. The setting is the 9th century Baghdad, with its sandy dunes, shanty towns, and sun-soaked landscapes, all of which play a vital role as characters themselves. Following a subtle introduction depicting Basim's humble origins as he navigates the dusty streets, the game truly commences with the agile thief's induction into the Assassin's Brotherhood. While the transition may seem somewhat swift, the narrative provides believable motivation for his decision, and his voice acting, along with the need to buy PS5 games, exudes conviction, endearing him to players instantly.

Within the game, there is a remarkable sense of progression as players meticulously explore the gritty underbelly of Baghdad to advance through each case, evoking the image of a 9th-century detective. Mirage notably emphasizes stealth, and this shift enhances the overall gaming experience. As players navigate through various parts of Baghdad, they interact with a diverse array of characters, some of dubious morality, while others are simply in desperate need of assistance. This diversity imbues each investigation with its own distinct identity and a sense of uniqueness. Returning game mechanics have also received notable improvements; for instance, pickpocketing now involves precisely timing the Triangle button, and eavesdropping on conversations, essential for those planning to buy PS5 games, is as simple as finding a bench and pressing R3.

Freedom of Choice in the Art of Assassination

Recent additions to the game have made a triumphant return, adding significant depth to the experience. Once again, your avian companion proves invaluable for marking foes and identifying items of interest. You'll find yourself raiding bushes for life-giving berries and luring guards to a silent demise by whistling from cover. The main assassinations are executed brilliantly, with each kill zone offering multiple approaches. Whether it's finding a means of entry into an enemy stronghold, coaxing your target into the open, or infiltrating their hidden quarters, the freedom of choice is paramount. Even if one approach doesn't pan out for any reason, there's always a secondary route to ensure your blade finds its mark. This sense of freedom greatly enhances the satisfaction of each mission, as you're never constrained to a single path; the game actively encourages exploration of all possibilities, making you feel like a seasoned assassin in the process. These missions can be likened to mini sandboxes akin to the Hitman games, and they truly stand out. Additionally, the elimination of each key Order member imparts a profound sense of accomplishment. It feels like you're systematically dismantling the foundations of this enigmatic organization, especially since your adversaries are well-crafted characters with unique backgrounds and motivations. They're not nameless NPCs you eliminate for the sake of it; there's always a palpable, genuine threat to neutralize. The feeling of satisfaction derived from silently and methodically dispatching a palace full of guards undetected or subtly stalking your prey by blending into crowds to close the gap is nothing short of exhilarating, especially when you're preparing to buy PS5 games to further enhance your gaming experience.

Mastering the Art of Precision with Assassin's Focus

A fresh addition to the game is the Assassin’s Focus mechanic. By pressing R3, time slows down, allowing players to mark up to five targets. Subsequently, hitting X enables a seemingly teleportation-like movement, swiftly dispatching these marked victims. This feature is a welcome inclusion and cannot be excessively exploited, as it can only be replenished by performing stealth kills. Basim possesses a variety of useful tools to maintain a low profile, including the return of throwing knives, smoke bombs, and non-lethal explosives that stun enemies. Combat is often more of a last resort than a viable option. Unlike Eivor, who can take on hordes of adversaries, Basim can easily be overwhelmed by just a couple of enemies. However, this does not render players entirely defenseless. Light and heavy attacks are executed with R1 and R2, respectively, while L1 is used for parrying blows, allowing you to counter with an R1 strike. Some enemies have attacks that cannot be parried and must be dodged, while others are heavily armored and can only be damaged in the legs or from behind. This streamlined approach to combat harks back to the earlier titles in the series, reminiscent of a simpler and more strategic approach to combat. It's worth noting that this doesn't make it any less enjoyable, though.

#assassin creed

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clumsiestgiantess · 2 years ago

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Ok, borrowers having no spoken language is actually such a neat concept! Many creatures communicate mainly through body language, and I feel like borrowers would benefit from having that. (Excuse me while I delve into this for a minute.)

Borrowers operate on stealth and (as mentioned above) don’t stay in very large communities with a need for louder communication, ex: to call or alert a big group over a big space. Even in places where multiple borrowers live together, they use a type of sign language to communicate. That way, their conversations can’t accidentally be overheard through the floors or walls by a human.

Logically, the only time they would need sound is (again, as mentioned above) to ward off predators and to quickly warn others of a threat. A borrower could likely go months without making any noise at all besides the occasional hiss when a bug gets too close, or a yelp when they trip over a notch in the floor.

However, they still think very much like a human. They still have a written language to record things important to them, and artwork to remember how things look. They still make rather human-looking stuff like cookware and clothing, accessories and weapons. They do understand a few simple words and phrases of human language like ‘out’ & ‘leaving’ & ‘sleep’, ‘yes’ & ‘no’, ‘living room’ & ‘bed room’ & ‘bath room’ & ‘kitchen.. room’, as well as being able to decipher human clocks to tell time. All of these are necessary things to know if you’re trying to find the best time to run a supply route, and where the human might be.

Since their main means of communicating is touch and body movement, I imagine it must be difficult for a borrower to befriend a human. Without having some sort of verbal confirmation beforehand, I doubt they would want to get close enough, or stay long enough, for the human to study their movements —nevermind touch them. They could always try signing, but it’s not a language the human knows. It would probably differ from the human variant of sign language, too (though there would probably be some overlap due to similar body structure)

For those who are really persistent, they would probably create some sort of half-spoken, half-signed language, as well as a few shared gestures between their two species: nodding & shaking head to say ‘yes’ & ‘no’, beckoning to someone to say ‘come here’, rubbing up against someone (like a cat does) to say ‘I want attention’ [affectionate], stamping a foot to say ‘I want attention’ [serious/demanding], tapping/pointing to something to say ‘look at this’ (I’m sure there’s more I’m not thinking of rn)

Then there’s also plenty of gaps for misinterpretation. Smiling is all well and good to both species, until the human smiles with their teeth. To the borrower, baring teeth alone is a sign of aggression having been threatened or frightened, but doing it while smiling means that their aggression is planned and intended. Why would the human be smiling with their teeth unless they wanted to hurt them? The human would be so sad watching their tiny friend back away in confused fear after they smiled so nicely at them.

Waving a hand as a borrower is a way to signal that an area’s been cleared of danger, so they get a bit confused when the human waves hi to them one morning. What danger had been cleared, and why hadn’t they spotted it? The human also finds it a bit strange that their borrower friend feels the need to scrutinize the room every time they enter and offer them a little wave hello.

Honestly, if I hadn’t already written half the plot of my borrower-themed story, I would probably use this. *sighs* I’ll add it to the prompt list ig *stashes away with all the prompts I have stored*

Concept:

Tinies that cannot speak or understand language at all. They're still intellegent, they just never evolved the capacity for language because large societies are discovered and do not survive.

When a human has them cornered, the tinies can't beg or shout, so... they hiss. It's meant to imitate a snake and is supposed to be threatening. (It does actually work on most of the predators they encounter)

But for humans, it just sounds like a bottle of soda being opened... But weaker, smaller and somehow less threatening. Often times, this ends up backfiring: The human hears their weak little hisses and instantly feels responsible for the tiny, helpless person they've terrified.

Meanwhile, the (absolutely traumatized) tiny is trying to figure out if the human is calling their bluff, or if humans are so powerful and terrifying that they just... Think snakes are cute???

#come NaNoWriMo I will dig up all the prompts and make lil shorts with them #for now I focus on the other several things I have in the works #g/t #giant tiny

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chocoluckchipz · 2 years ago

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Dreams of You - 27

Crap!

Chat growled, clenching his teeth as his body slammed into an invisible wall.

Annoying!

This was getting very annoying.

Not that Nino’s contraptions were indestructible—Chat’s cataclysm could break through anything—but his dear best friend had been increasingly creative with the way he used his newfound powers. Gone were simple green spheres, easily noticeable and fragile. These days, Nino was building invisible labyrinths and human-sized traps, very hard to notice and quite painful to slam against. This invisible wall was the third one Chat had smacked his face into in the past hour.

And today, of all days!

Marinette would kill him if he were to show up with bruises on his face.

"Did I finally catch the cat?" Carapace’s voice neared from behind bushes.

Chat cursed under his breath and called for his cataclysm. His friend might have gotten harder to fight against, but the day Carapace would finally best Chat Noir had yet to arrive. The coveted croissant would be Chat’s again today.

Like always.

The glass-like box shuttered under his touch; Chat vanished from view before his opponent could make a step into the clearing.

He was very close.

So close he could practically taste the pastry. Perhaps because it was Marinette who’d created it? Her croissants were superior even to Tom’s.

"Got you!" A few transparent disks ripped into a nearby tree.

Chat slid behind another one and stilled in his place. He glanced around, his eyes zeroing in on a few trees standing in a circle nearby. If his calculations were right, Carapace should be there in a few moments. He moved towards them, careful not to breathe too loudly.

His opponent didn't leave him waiting for long. Dressed in green camouflage, his head covered with a hood and his eyes with specialized goggles, Carapace walked slowly along his route. His eyes shifted between the bushes ahead and some gadget in his hand.

"I know you’re here, Chat." He stopped right where Chat wanted him, scanning his surroundings. "Stealth isn’t my greatest suit, but I can and will cage you the moment you as much as squeak. You know that, right?"

"Good thing cats don’t squeak!" Chat smirked and ran around the circle, destroying the bases of the trees in a way that sent them toppling over Carapace before he could lift a finger.

"Shit! Shelter!" Carapace yelled, barely protecting himself with his shield before the trunks enclosed him in a trap.

"Adrien! A little warning next time?"

"And let you win?" Chat raised an eyebrow. "It’s my fiancée’s croissants we’re talking about. Do you really think I’ll share?"

"That’s if you get them." Carapace looked anything but defeated.

"Don’t see why I won’t, now that you’re trapped. Good luck getting out of this."

Chat sprinted ahead with a smile on his face. Marinette’s croissants were just up ahead. His feline sense of smell was yet to betray him… and it was telling him that those croissants weren’t alone at the moment. Chat’s grin widened. He sprinted faster.

"Hello, Kitty."

His beautiful bride stood right beside the plate of mouth-watering croissants inside of some kind of force field dome, no doubt created by Nino, smiling at him.

"My Lady." He readied the cataclysm. "How nice of you to join me this fine morning. You look absolutely lovely, may I add?"

Her smile was teasing and so delicious it rivalled the croissants. "Going to bed at a decent hour is my secret. You can thank my maid of honour for that."

"The one who kicked me out of your room yesterday? All I wanted was a goodnight kiss."

Ladybug snickered. "And you got them. Multiple, may I add. No need to pout."

"I got only three." Chat pressed his cataclysm to the dome. "It was nowhere near—"

Huh?

It didn't budge.

It didn’t even flicker.

Chat blinked, staring at his hand. The ultimate destruction he wielded had failed, for the first time in his life.

"You asked for one kiss." Ladybug smirked at him from the inside. "You got three. The way I see it, Alya should've kicked you out two kisses earlier."

"I would have believed you if I didn’t see how disappointed you were about my departure." Chat summoned another cataclysm and pressed it to the dome again.

Nothing.

He repeated the action.

Nitz.

Nada.

Zero reactions.

"I wouldn’t call it a dis—"

"What the fudge?" Chat stared at his hands. "Plagg, did you die on me or something?"

Ladybug snickered, trying and failing to suppress a grin.

Chat looked at her, summoning two cataclysms, one to each hand. "I’m not sure what’s going on, but somehow, I feel this is revenge."

She grinned wider, her eyes sparkling as she reached for a croissant and tore it into two pieces. "It absolutely is."

Neither of the cataclysms worked. Chat tried another ten. Ladybug was finishing her first croissant by the time he was done.

"Okay, spill." He finally gave up. "How does this work?"

"How did you manage to find all five wedding dresses I created?" Ladybug retaliated.

"Princess, I've spent a lifetime sneaking around this palace. And with Nino's cloaking devices, it wasn't that hard."

"Lies. All the dresses were hidden in different places. Two of them were never left alone. You still stole a peek at each one of them. How?"

Chat smirked. "You underestimate Alya’s curiosity and my ability to create a diversion."

Ladybug frowned. "She said she didn’t leave the room once."

"I didn't need her to leave the room. I only needed something to catch her attention long enough for me to sneak into the room and then out. Again, cloaked with Nino's little gift."

Ladybug grabbed another croissant and bit into it. "You do realize I can call off the wedding if I don’t have a dress to wear and I am not wearing the ones you’ve seen."

Chat leaned toward the dome, his best kitten eyes focused on the woman inside. "So I win?"

She pressed her lips together, glaring at him.

Chat couldn’t help a chuckle. "Don’t tell me you regret challenging me?"

A little game of tease she'd proposed to keep things interesting and break the tedious routine of a royal couple they had to lead. The rules were simple: if Adrien were to steal a peek at her wedding dress before the ceremony, he'd take her away to a secluded, tropical island for their honeymoon. They would spend at least a month there, eating nothing but fruit. But if he were to fail, Marinette would be the one choosing their honeymoon destination. A Tibetan temple she had found out about from an old manuscript in Shanghai a few weeks ago, the last destination of their year-long worldwide trip, was at the top of her list.

"I still have time," Marinette finally spoke, glancing away. "Unlike you."

"What do—"

"I have to give it to you—" Carapace walked into the clearing from the other side, "The whole Lila mess taught you something useful after all."

"Yeah?" Chat cocked his head to the side. "And what’s that?"

"Offence," Carapace said, walking closer. "You don't just rely on your speed and stealth to avoid danger anymore. You attack. That's good. Though I'm not sure how you can overcome this last obstacle." Stopping by the dome Ladybug and the two remaining croissants were in, Carapace grinned, giving Chat a triumphant look. "I told you I'll find a way to beat you one day, didn't I? This is it. Good luck."

Chat looked at Ladybug and back at his friend. "Are you really going to use my only weakness against me?"

"Your weakness is quite strong," Carapace said, touching the dome in awe. "And smart. Marvellous job, Ladybug."

"Thank you. And thank you for the lessons. I wouldn't be able to do this without you teaching me." The moment her gaze returned to Chat Noir, it sparked with a challenge as she reached for another croissant. "Are you coming in, Chaton? Or am I finishing these off by myself?"

Chat summoned one more cataclysm, only for it to fail miserably against whatever force field the dome was made of. "Can you at least tell me why my destruction doesn't work?"

Ladybug shrugged. "It works quite well."

The corners of Carapace's lips curled in a smirk. "She just keeps recreating the force field at such a speed you can't even see that. The moment you destroy one, it's being replaced by another."

"Come on, really?" Chat stared at Nino, shifting his gaze to Ladybug. "No, really?"

"And remember, you can’t finish this training until you’ve got your paws on one of those croissants."

"And I guess my fiancée eating them is part of the plan?"

Carapace chuckled. "Absolutely. A timer, of sorts."

There was a single croissant left on the plate. His Lady was slowly finishing the one she had in her hands, savouring every bite as she watched him with those big beautiful eyes of hers.

Chat tried another cataclysm.

Not a scratch.

Just as he’d already suspected would happen.

Not a problem. Because, thankfully, physical strength and magical abilities weren’t the only ones in his arsenal.

Stepping closer, Chat placed his hand on the barrier. "Princess? My Lady. The love of my life. Is there anything your heart desires more than that last croissant?"

Ladybug cocked an eyebrow, answering without a second thought. "I have everything I could ever wish for. My parents' bakery is located in one of Paris' best districts and doing great. I'm enrolled at ESMOD and already got an apprenticeship at the fashion house of my dreams. My best friend is well on her path to becoming the best investigative journalist in the country. I'm even engaged to 'one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe'. Not to mention I can create anything I desire out of thin air. What more can I wish for?"

She pushed the last piece of her croissant into her mouth, reaching for the last piece of pastry on the plate.

Carapace chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I should’ve brought some popcorn."

Ladybug perked. "Want some?"

"Sure."

A decently sized bag of popcorn plopped into Carapace’s hands.

"Extra butter. Just as you like it."

"Thanks." Carapace saluted and dug in.

Chat wanted to rip his hair out. He had to think fast! If he were to lose this now, he'd have to start all over again and today of all days, he didn't want to do it.

"I’ll give up my hard-won right to choose our honeymoon destination," he offered.

Ladybug looked almost offended. "You haven’t won yet."

"I’ve already seen the dress this morning. The one with pink accents."

She gasped. "When?"

"After you left for training."

"That’s impossible. I left Maman and Alya there."

Chat took out his baton and scrolled to the picture of his photobombing a gorgeous wedding gown Marinette had created. The sixth wedding gown she created. Alya and Sabine were looking out the window in the background.

"But—when—How???" Ladybug huffed.

"I have my ways. And I can do this forever." He grinned, leaning closer. "So, let’s make a deal: you hand me this petty victory, we avoid going through a second round of training today as a bonus, and I’ll hand you the victory in our own challenge."

Ladybug pursed her lips, shifting her eyes to Carapace. "You won’t make us do this all over again today?"

Carapace gave her an apologetic smile. "I take my job seriously, and the rules are clear: he fails to eat the croissant, he has to do it all again. And since today you’re helping me, I’ll ask you to stay a little longer as well."

Ladybug frowned and looked back at Chat.

He mustered a smoulder. "So what do you say? Would it be so crazy to give up this miserly croissant for the right to choose our honeymoon destination? I’ll even send Tom and Sabine on a vacation as well. You know how much they’ve missed the ocean. They could be somewhere tropical really soon. Or in Shanghai, meeting all the relatives they haven’t seen in years. I might even do both: tropical and Shanghai."

"You drive a hard bargain." A corner of her lips curled.

"I’ve been taught the art of negotiations. And I know how much you love your parents."

"That’s cheating."

"Not if we all benefit."

She chewed on her lip, glancing at the sole remaining croissant in her hand. "No complaints about where we'll go?"

Chat raised his hand. "Not even a peep."

That temple was on his list of places to visit soon, anyway. Why would he protest?

Ladybug hesitated for only a moment more, then smiled and dropped the force shield. "We’re going to Tibet. That place has to have some information on how to set the kwamis free. And before you say anything, I know our honeymoon should be about us getting closer and relaxing somewhere nice, but we’ve been doing that for the whole last year, travelling the world and—"

Chat wrapped his arms around Ladybug, silencing her with a kiss.

His precious lady. The love of his life. She felt divine in his arms. A tiny figure, but insanely strong. Beautiful inside and out. So talented and clever, she could replace him as the head of the state in no time.

He couldn’t care less. As long as she would still be by his side. As long as he could kiss her senseless—

"Ahem." A rude clearing of the throat ripped through their blissful bubble. "Other people are still present in the room. Just saying."

Chat placed one more kiss on Ladybug's lips, then added one more to her nose. Then, brought her hand with the croissant in it to his mouth and bit into the pastry, glancing at Carapace. "Does this count?"

Carapace nodded, laughing. "Sure. All’s fair in love and war. I’ll see you guys soon. Don’t be late!" He turned around and walked away.

Chat returned his attention to his fiancée.

She cradled his jaw in her hands and brought him in for another kiss. "Good job. I’m very proud of you."

"That’s my line. You’ve defeated me."

"I drew a tie. That is until you did that sweet talk thing you do."

"You love it when I do that."

She brushed her lips against his again, her breath hot on his mouth. "Yeah, I do."

Chat pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

She let him. For a few moments. Then, slightly pushed away. "We need to go."

Chat closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers, his voice hoarse and low. "Do we?"

"We do if you don’t want to disappoint your parents and half of the country."

"Only half?"

The sound of her giggle filled the space. A feather-light breeze glided against his skin, melting his bruises away with every sound that escaped her lips.

"Alight, alright," Ladybug offered with a smile. "The entire country can't wait to see their mysterious prince finally go public and on his wedding day, no less. Nervous?"

"Why would I be?" He buried his face in the crook of her neck and kissed her shoulder. "You'll be by my side."

***

"We have to redo the dress!"

"What?" Alya jumped out of her chair. "Why? I swear, he didn’t—"

"He did." Marinette walked to the mannequin dressed in her wedding gown. It wasn’t the best of her designs—the best, she’d saved for the grand finale—but it was decent enough to feel sad she wouldn’t be wearing it down the aisle. Even if only momentarily.

"Marinette, I swear, he didn’t—"

"He showed me a picture, with you and Maman looking out of the window in the background."

"That’s impossible." Alya blinked, then frowned. "There was some commotion—wait! It still makes no sense. We looked out there for only a few moments. He couldn’t have slipped in and out that fast. Unless he can now walk through walls…"

A corner of Marinette's mouth tugged in a smile. "No, no walking through walls yet, but Adrien is great at stealth and has years of practice at sneaking out around the palace."

"And now, because of him, you have to redo your dress again, right?"

"For the seventh time."

Alya pressed her lips together. "That pesky cat! I’ve had it with him! This challenge is ridiculous and completely unnecessary. We don’t have time for this. You have more important things to do than keep creating wedding dresses because someone is a literal cat and can get in and out of places undetected! Why did you even agree to this?"

Marinette suppressed a giggle. "Alya, I was the one who proposed this challenge, did you forget?"

Alya huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "He could’ve been nicer and let you win."

"And where is the fun in that?"

"Still—"

Marinette laughed, pulling Alya into a hug. "Come on, Als. This is fun! And you’ll see, I’ll win no matter what!"

Alya rolled her eyes, giving Marinette an exhausted look. "I don’t know what kinks you two picked up on your world trip but, please, leave me out of it from now on."

"Weren’t you the one who volunteered to safeguard my dresses yourself?"

If glares could kill, Alya would be a maid of honour without a bride today. Marinette laughed harder and tightened her hold on her best friend. "Thanks for helping me out, Als. You’re the best."

"I guess—"

"Alya!" Tikki flew out of Marinette’s hair and squeezed in between the two of them. "How is Paris’ most promising new investigative journalist’ this morning?"

Alya blinked, then a corner of her lips tingled in a smile. She pulled away from Marinette to pat Tikki’s little head. "You’re as sweet as the cookies you devour, you know that, right?"

Tikki grinned innocently, batting her big blue eyes at Alya. "Thank you."

"I brought you your favourites." Alya nodded toward the side table beside the wall. "Enjoy."

"You are the best!" Tikki grinned wider, flew to the plate of sweets, and without a second thought, stuffed a cookie the size of her head inside her mouth.

Alya’s attention returned to Marinette as she stepped away and placed her arms on her hips. "Back to you, Your Almost Highness. Now that you’re done with your ‘morning exercise’—"

"Is that what we’re calling it now?"

Alya threw her arms up. "If I want to save myself some sanity, I will not question why my fiancé forced both the groom and the bride into training first thing in the morning on the day of their wedding, so yes! We’re calling it ‘morning exercise’! Understood?"

"Yes, ma’am!" Marinette laughed. "But just in case you’re curious, Nino said that showing Adrien my progress was the best wedding gift he could’ve given him. Plus, something about his oath to beat him one day."

"Of course, it's about some stupid bet again. What else could it have been about?"

"But!" Marinette raised a finger. "To be fair, he spared us the full extent of his training for today. I didn’t even break a sweat."

"You’re still taking a shower," Alya grumbled. "Now, preferably. We have only a few hours left, so let’s get going. I’ll get you breakfast and the make-up team."

"Yes, ma’am!" Marinette saluted and headed to her bathroom. "By the way, where are Maman and Emilie?"

"The Queen said she had to see Adrien for a few minutes. Your mother went to save your father from some kind of emergency. I was told she should be back soon."

"Want to bet it’s his tie again?"

"Or his moustache."

Marinette giggled. Her father was a bit of an over-thinker and had an awfully clumsy set of hands on his chunky frame. If not for his wife, he’d be lost in quite a few areas of his life.

"Stop stalling, M!" Alya said, heading for the door. "I want you out in less than fifteen minutes. The time has started."

Marinette laughed and closed the door behind her. By the time she was done with her shower, she could already hear her mother and Emilie’s voices in the room, gushing about the wedding dress Marinette now couldn’t wear. Not that she had seriously ever considered that. Even so, it was a beautiful gown. One of the best she had yet created.

***

"You’re all alone? Where is everybody?"

Adrien couldn’t help a smile, turning to greet his mother. "Nino went to check up on something. Tom was called by Nathalie. Father welcoming the dignitaries."

"Oh, right." His mother walked closer to stand before him. "I should probably get there as well, but not before I tell you—" She paused, her eyes shining, filled with excitement. "You do not know what awaits you, darling. She’s beyond beautiful. A true queen. Please don’t forget to breathe when you see her."

"So you keep reminding me ever since we’ve come back." Adrien chuckled. He couldn’t blame his mother, though: he might be a mighty Chat Noir, but even he had to admit that when it came to Marinette, he was nothing but a lovesick puppy.

His mother smiled and reached for his tie and the lapels of his tuxedo, fixing them in place. "Look at you. All grown up and about to marry your Ladybug. Though, if I’m honest, I was surprised you came back from your trip still engaged. Somehow, I was sure you’d convince Marinette to elope."

"Oh, he considered that." Plagg smirked from the platter of cheese on a nearby desk.

Adrien quirked an eyebrow. "Only because you planted the idea in my head. But as I said, Marinette deserves more than a rushed ceremony with no one but us attending. She deserves as lavish a wedding as I can give her."

Her mother reached to fix his hair, her gaze gentle and warm. "You did fantastically."

"My Queen?" His father slipped into the room, prim and proper as ever. "It’s time to go." Shifting his gaze to Adrien, he slightly nodded. "Good luck out there. Don’t be nervous. Everything will be alright."

"Thanks." A corner of Adrien's lips slightly curved. His father still struggled with being affectionate, but there was progress. Mostly because of Marinette and her parents' influence.

"We’ll be up front to the right," Emilie said, reaching for her husband’s hand. "Good luck, sweetheart."

"Thank you."

Adrien couldn't stop smiling, watching his parents leave the room hand in hand. In a way, it felt almost surreal to have his mother back with them, healthy and bursting with life as always. Yet, on the other hand, it felt like nothing had ever happened. Like her miraculous was never stolen, like she had never been in a coma for months, like Lila and all the mess she'd caused had never existed… speaking of which!

Adrien grabbed his cell phone and opened his messages. Today was the day! He should've at least gotten a message from—

"Adrien?" Nino peeked into the room. "You up for one more guest before we’ll have to go out?"

"Of course, he’s up for seeing me." Félix walked into the room with a smirk on his face. "Otherwise, why would he invite me to his wedding the day I’m getting released?"

"Félix!" Adrien grinned, giving his cousin a hug. "So happy to see you made it."

"I wouldn’t miss it for the world," Felix said, returning Adrien’s hug. Then he pulled Adrien away by his shoulders. "Mostly for the food, of course. I know you arranged better than an average meal plan for me at the prison—for which I’m infinitely grateful—but I miss a proper tea set and caviar."

"We’ve got those especially for you," Nino said.

"Thanks." Felix nodded, turning back to Adrien. "Now, be honest: who did you bribe to get me off so easily, and how much do I owe you?"

Adrien’s lips stretched in a grin. "I do not know what you’re talking about."

"Right," Félix deadpanned. "Lila got a life sentence in the strictest of prisons without a chance for parole for trying to overthrow the royal family, almost causing the Queen her life, not to mention attempting to control the King and almost killing the Crown Prince and his intended. I got a year and a half of imprisonment for my part in that ploy in one of the nicest prisons in the country. Pretty sure the size of that bribe was astronomical, and I'm now your slave until my last breath."

Nino snickered. "You can rest easy."

Plagg cackled. "Yeah. Easy."

Adrien chuckled and winked. "You don’t owe us anything, so don’t worry about it."

Felix glanced between the three of them. "You definitely did something, didn’t you?"

"All we did was to present the evidence of your innocence to the judge privately," Adrien said, putting his hand on Felix’s shoulder. "So don’t worry about it. You were tricked and controlled, and you still played a key role in us winning that fight. How could I let you rot in the prison?"

"But since we couldn’t exactly tell the judge that magic was involved," Nino added. "We—"

"We had fun!" Plagg laughed. "That judge will remember you forever!"

Felix groaned, pitching the bridge of his nose. "What did the three of you do?"

"The four of us," Nino proudly grinned, opening up his jacket and revealing a small turtle kwami sleeping in his inner pocket. "Meet Wayzz. He likes to sleep for a few hours after training."

"Your Highness?" His father’s secretary peeked into the room. "Everything’s ready. It’s time to go."

Three men in the room nodded and straightened simultaneously.

"Let’s go get you hitched." Nino put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. "You’ve waited long enough for this."

Felix smirked, huffing as they headed for the door. "Not as long as I have for some proper tea."

***

"Are you ready?" Her father offered her his elbow to wrap her hand around.

"I’ve been ready for a long time now," Marinette responded with a smile. She had been. Especially since her dream memories were unlocked.

"Which is why I was surprised you two came back from your trip without eloping." Tom chuckled.

"And rob our mothers of the perfect wedding they've been planning for this entire year?" Marinette raised an eyebrow. "I wish to live, Papa. I have dreams and goals to fulfil, not to mention three names ready for your grandkids I'm yet to bear."

The power of Tom’s smile lit up the room. "Little princes and princesses. My grandkids will be the most wonderful little people in the country. I will spoil them—"

Marinette smiled and tuned out her father’s excited babbling. He always got like this when possible grandkids were mentioned, and Marinette would be lying if she’d said she didn’t enjoy teasing her father from time to time. And while kids were certainly in their future, she and Adrien had a few things to tackle first. Things like visiting the ancient Tibetan temple they’d recently learned about to search for any clues that might aid them in their mission to free the kwamis.

"Get ready." Alya poked her side. "The music’s about to start. I’m sending the flower girl in first, then the ring bearer, me, and then you. Okay?"

Marinette nodded, taking a breath and one more look at her maid of honour and the pair of cute little kids in front of them: a flower girl and a ring bearer. She hoped her future children would be just as adorable. Though, with Adrien as their father, they might just be even more beautiful.

"You’ll always be my little princess," her father whispered, proudly beaming at her.

"Always." Marinette smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her Papa's cheek.

The door in front of them opened.

Music and brilliant light spilled from inside the venue. The smell of flowers floated past her.

The little girl went in first. Their ring bearer followed her right after. Then Alya slowly walked down the aisle. A few moments later, Marinette breathed in and took a step, with a smile on her lips and an idea in her head.

***

His Princess.

His Lady.

His Marinette.

She was always beautiful, be it in an intricate ballgown or in her training gear. The blue of her eyes, the softness of her smile, even the crease between her eyebrows when she was mad at him—he loved it all. Her sleepy expression had a special place in his heart. Watching her gaze at a sunset never failed to make his heart skip a beat. The sparkle in her eyes when she'd gotten an idea or thought of a new design was one of his favourite sights to behold.

She was always beautiful. Adrien knew that.

This, however, was a vision Adrien couldn’t have been prepared for even if he’d tried.

She was walking—no; she was floating down the aisle with her father by her side. Her hair was impeccable, and her make-up perfectly complimented her beauty, but it was her dress that took his breath away.

Her wedding gown was changing as she walked.

To an untrained eye, it might have looked like a masterful trick of the designer, but Adrien knew better—Marinette was creating her dress on the go. With each step, the skirt of her gown was gaining layers upon layers of shimmering chiffon, adorned by a string of the finest of flowers at the bottom. Made of the most delicate of lace, the sleeves of her dress gradually, almost undetected to the eyes, wrapped tightly around her arms. The bodice gained embellishments that slowly spilled onto the skirt. The neckline changed its form behind her bouquet, slowly curving and opening up, stopping just at the right place to still be covering enough for a royal wedding but teasing the groom, nonetheless. Her veil seemed to grow longer as well as it spilled behind her, held only by a diamond tiara the Queen had gifted Marinette with.

The entire outfit shimmered and glowed. Like a delicate flower covered in morning dew. Or the tender feeling of a new love. Like the magic of creation she wielded in her hands.

Adrien swallowed. Hard.

He never stood a chance of winning their little bet. Somehow, it didn’t surprise or upset him. Over the last year, his Lady's handle on her magic improved so much she could kick his rear with ease. She created things on the fly without a second thought now. Could heal chronic diseases with a simple touch. She'd come a long way from croissants and chips, and she'd brought him along in her growth.

Her unbound kindness and unconditional love had set him free. From his father's control. His imprisonment at the palace. His own guilt and regrets that Lila's incident left him with. With Marinette by his side, Adrien knew he could do anything he set his mind to, and right now, he had to get through this wedding without bursting into tears of joy and happiness or stealing his bride away somewhere private or clinging to her like she was his everything, until the last of the guests would leave…

Well, maybe he could allow that last one bit a little. Only because she was so incredibly beautiful today, and he loved her more than life itself and he’d do it just a tiny bit, and only until she’d tell him to stop. Then he’d compose himself and behave. But until then…

He took a deep breath and took a few steps toward the pair. When Tom stopped, Adrien slightly bowed, unable to take his eyes off Marinette. Was he even breathing? His heart was certainly all over the place.

"Take good care of her," Tom said quietly, his voice faltering.

Adrien nodded and offered his hand to his bride. "I’ll protect her with my life."

Her smile bloomed, lighting up the venue and setting off the butterflies in his stomach. She stood on her tiptoes and gave her father a kiss on the cheek; then placed her hand into Adrien's. "And I you with mine."

He couldn’t help leaning forward and kissing his bride in front of everyone before the minister could say a single word.

Unorthodox. He didn’t care.

They weren’t a regular couple by any means.

From sharing their dreams to falling in love with each other twice. From having magic inside them to fighting for their lives against the villains. Their lives were anything but ordinary and if Adrien wanted to kiss his bride before any I Do-s were said, who could tell him he couldn’t do that?

Everyone present seemed to agree as the audience erupted in applause and shouts. There were whistles and giggling. Someone was taking pictures. It all didn’t matter because once Adrien pulled away, Marinette’s dazzled look was everything.

"I love you," she whispered, cupping his cheek.

"I love you too," Adrien echoed, taking her hand and leading her up to the altar to make promises of loving and cherishing each other, for better or for worse, in riches or in poverty, in sickness and in health, in all of their crazy adventures, in everything that was to come their way.

In this reality, and in their dreams.

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Read it on A03, WattPad, Fanfiction.net

#miraculous ladybug #ml au #ml fic #adrinette #ladynoir #love square #adrienette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #dreams of you

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usafphantom2 · 2 years ago

Text

SR-71 pilot explains why the F-15 radar couldn’t see the Blackbird during Eagle Bait sorties

‘One of the interesting discoveries from the Eagle Bait was that F-15s couldn’t even find us when everything was shut down and we told them exactly where we were,’ Dave Peters, SR-71 Blackbird pilot.

The SR-71, unofficially known as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft.

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71 Blackbird. It is the fastest aircraft propelled by air-breathing engines. The Blackbird’s performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.

The Blackbird was designed to operate at extreme velocities and altitudes: in fact, from 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour. Thus, achieving a radar lock on it was extremely difficult for any hostile fighter.

Nevertheless, according to former Blackbird driver Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (Ret.), tells in his book The Complete Book of the SR-71 Blackbird: The Illustrated Profile of Every Aircraft, Crew, and Breakthrough of the World’s Fastest Stealth Jet, there were two fighters that could achieve (simulated) SR-71 kills, but only under certain conditions. “Don [Don Emmons was Graham Reconnaissance System Officer or RSO, the Blackbird back seater] and I, as well as many other crewmembers, had flown numerous ‘Tomcat Chase’ and ‘Eagle Bait’ sorties against our best fighters – the Navy’s F-14s and the Air Force’s F-15s. We flew the SR-71 to provide the fighters practice at finding, tracking, locking on, intercepting, and simulated firing of their sophisticated F-14 Phoenix missiles and the F-15’s Sparrow missiles at a high altitude, high speed target. The Tomcat Chase missions were flown over the Pacific Ocean and Eagle Bait missions in the Nellis AFB training area, north of Las Vegas, Nevada.”

SR-71 print

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. SR-71A Blackbird 61-7972 “Skunkworks”

Graham continues. “To maximize scarce, high altitude/high-speed intercept practice for the fighters against the SR-71, we stacked the deck in their favor to avoid a multitude of missed intercepts, and consequently, wasted time. The intercepts were conducted in a very controlled environment, favoring a successful outcome by the fighters. […] Even under these highly controlled flying conditions, the F-14s and F-15s had extreme difficulty achieving a satisfactory SR-71 kill.”

American fighter pilots were able to lock on the SR-71 only after the Blackbird crew turned off their defensive countermeasures.

It was just about impossible to achieve a lock on the SR-71 unless she was injured.

SR-71 pilot Dave Peters adds some interesting and hilarious details.

‘One of the interesting discoveries from those missions, especially the Eagle Bait, was that they couldn’t even find us when everything was shut down and we told them exactly where we were. It was then realized that the F-15 had a speed gate on their radar at 1500 kts. We were casually warping along from 1850 to 2000. So, for them, we didn’t exist. We flew them fairly regularly from about 82 and they were still doing them after I retired in 86. We flew the Eagle Bait with the F-15s and Tomcat Chase with the F-14s. The 14s could find us but they couldn’t do anything until we modified and gave them times, route of flight, speed and altitude beforehand so they could have a pre-planned setup. The 15s didn’t do that well for quite some time.

Kadena F-15C

‘Another mission we flew that was interesting was to come in over the California coast at speed and altitude to give the air traffic controllers an idea of what they would see on a space shuttle approach.

‘There was some animosity at first with both the Eagles and the Tomcats because they kept accusing us of not showing up. It was fun in the vain as the LA speed story, except it’s true, because we were on the same frequency with them and could listen to all the bitching because we didn’t show up. They got a little huffy because nobody told them we weren’t coming.’

Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Facebook Pages Habubrats SR-71 and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder for awesome Blackbird’s photos and stories.

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

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bunkershotgolf · 2 years ago

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Adams Golf’s Idea–Direct to Customer

By ED TRAVIS

The selling of golf clubs and balls is a predictable process, at least for the major manufacturers. Though each spends millions for endorsement by professional tour stars marketing plans usually place emphasis on where the company feels they have an advantage—for example, Callaway Golf’s Paradym drivers or Acushnet Company’s Titleist golf balls.

A key for the big manufacturers to pushing club and ball sales is establishing relationships with the so-called green grass shops found at every golf course and run by a PGA Professionals plus off-course vendors especially big box multiple location retailers while promoting online sales through their own websites and sites run by independents.

Adams Golf, which had all but disappeared after TaylorMade’s purchase in 2012 for $70 million, is taking a different route to re-establish itself with golfers. They have introduced a club family under the Idea brand name which is being sold DTC only from its website…no green-grass, no big box, no brick and mortar.

Of course, smaller, niche-focused makers sell online but often offer only a limited selection, perhaps just putters or balls. None of the major brands have opted to enter the market with a separate brand and then sell only DTC. For example, Callaway has the Big Bertha family and Tour Edge Golf the Hot Launch line, but neither is sold solely over the Internet.

To add to the attractiveness Adams/TaylorMade has decided to price the Idea clubs at the lower end of the current price spectrum with shaft selection limited to a single stock model though options of steel or graphite are offered in the irons. An Adams Idea driver, a fairway wood, two hybrids and seven irons may be purchased for just about $1500 while the latest from parent TaylorMade, a Stealth 2 driver, one fairway wood and two hybrids lists cost approximately the same amount and that doesn’t include the Stealth irons which could be another $1000. Adams ships at no cost for orders over $99.

An interesting business plan, TaylorMade creating in-house competition. Not unheard of in retail but always to be approached with a complete understanding of how the main, money-making brand will be affected when faced with a lower priced rival offering presumably the same quality though it could be argued performance may be significantly different. The company certainly believes that for a generation of consumers familiar with online purchasing, golf clubs on the web without a potentially intimidating store visit is worth the investment.

Adams Golf was started by Barney Adams in 1991 and his Tight Lies hybrid design changed hybrids forever with its innovative Tri-Sole that helped average players get the ball out of most any lie, long grass or even sand.

The Idea line can boast some of the latest design features and though they may not be as sophisticated as the TaylorMade Stealth still are attractive for use by new golfers and those returning to the game. For example, the draw-bias Idea driver has a carbon fiber crown, an adjustable hosel and sole slot while the cavity back irons are a hollow body construction with a variable thickness face.

In other words, many of the same talking points as any of the major makers competing clubs. The question is can TaylorMade revive Adams Golf with this one-of approach or will Adams slip back into obscurity.

#golf #new #EdTravis

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nightingaelic · 4 years ago

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Fallout new vegas companions taking the courier's place in lonesome road (+ cut companions if that's cool with u) (thanks!!)

The problem with trying to adapt Lonesome Road to another character's experience is that so much of its story hinges on the courier's missing past and the former Frumentarius' struggle to make them understand what happened, why it caused a shockwave across multiple lives, locations and generations, and whether to avenge or let go of the harm that was unknowingly done to the Divide. So if you bring the companions into the mix instead of Courier Six, you either have a long-running story of mistaken identity (a hilarious concept, Ulysses being absolutely positive that the companion is the one who wrecked his dream home while they have no idea who this angry, verbose man is), or a drastically different history for the companions themselves. I say let's give that second option a shot, it seems fun and headcanon-y.

Arcade Gannon: While I don't think Arcade would be directly responsible for the destruction of the Divide, I think he would pale at hearing Ulysses' message searching for Enclave agents and would set out to confront the angry courier on behalf of his hidden family. The Enclave remnants are already hunted by the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel, and the last thing they need is to be chased out of yet another home over something they didn't personally do. He'd accept ED-E's help wholeheartedly and consider turning back every time he ran into marked men or tunnelers, but his own resolve to save his loved ones would urge him to persevere. I think his determination would intrigue Ulysses, enough to engage the young research scientist in conversation if he arrived at the end of the road in one piece, and the courier might even let go of his vendetta if Arcade revealed that he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart rather than a sense of duty. Arcade would cancel the nuke launch, but would seriously consider blowing up the Legion.

Craig Boone: We know the NCR and Legion were fighting over the Divide before the ICBMs leveled the area. But what if that was by design, rather than by accident? Maybe Boone has more skeletons in his closet than just Bitter Springs, and he was part of a strike team that used old Enclave technology to surprise the Legion forces and seal off an access route, a decision based on math and made by men who had never met the people of Hopeville and Ashton that they sentenced to death. It's yet another weight on the sniper's conscience, and yet another debt he feels obligated to pay, so when Ulysses' call goes out, he answers. The usual dangers of the Divide wouldn't slow him down, but the turbulent weather would irritate him to no end. Upon arrival at the temple, Boone wouldn't mince words because he already knows he's guilty of the charge and he knows Ulysses used to walk for the Legion. If he survived the encounter, Boone would take the opportunity to rain the same destruction down on Caesar's troops.

Lily Bowen: There are about 119 years of Lily's life as a super mutant that are unaccounted-for, and we know she suffers from schizophrenia like many other nightkin. Perhaps it was Lily who discovered the Enclave package and unwittingly left it in the home of America's missiles: Perhaps it was Leo. I'm inclined to think it was Leo, who was probably searching for a cache of Stealth Boys in the old military installations across the desert, and who simply didn't care when a new hole in the earth opened up behind him. Lily, on the other hand, cares deeply, and would set out after Ulysses in the interest of making amends where she could. More so than any other companion, I think Lily would be disturbed by the tunnelers and would go out of her way to crush them wherever they popped up. The marked men would earn her sympathy and she would do her best to knock them out without killing them. After doing the same to Ulysses, Lily would cancel the launch and weep over the subsequent loss of ED-E. She would likely bring the little eyebot back to the Mojave and search for a way to fix it.

Raul Alfonso Tejada: We already know that Raul goes to extreme lengths to avenge the people he cares about, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to mix his backstory into the story of the Divide. Following the murder of Claudia in Tucson/Two Sun, Raul chased Dirty Dave and his brothers across Arizona and into the town of Ashton before killing them. Unbeknownst to him, Dirty Dave had a package with him that could speak to the nuclear missile silos hidden in the Divide, and the earth crumbled behind the vaquero as he made his way back home. Though he'd heard of the devastation, Raul didn't put two and two together until Ulysses sent out his summons, and because he didn't have anything planned that week, the old mechanic decided to answer the call. He would put up with Ulysses' messages like a good sport until he encountered the man in the temple, where he would refuse to fight until the two talked things out like civil people. I think Ulysses would be surprised at the revelation that the ghoul he had cast as a villain was following his own quest for vengeance and unaware of the package, and would come away somewhat amused by the situation. They would most likely team up to fight off the marked men, and Raul would cancel the launch and take a wrench to the machines to prevent any more "misunderstandings."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: Let's say one of Cass' caravans delivered a package back in the day. Let's say that package accidentally buried the caravan crew and an entire community along with it. Let's say Cass knows, and that's one of the reasons she drinks. While Courier Six walks the Divide out of curiosity about their missing past, I think Cass would do it as a form of penance in and of itself, with a little desire for self-destruction thrown into the mix. The journey would start out as a bender fueled by self-loathing and the fanciful notion of giving her missing caravan a proper funeral, and by the time Cass runs out of whiskey she's already halfway through the Cave of the Abaddon and punching holes through the tunnelers with her shotgun. She would largely ignore Ulysses' cryptic messages and holotapes, but she'd grow fond of the little eyebot that took a shine to her and would tear after it once the mysterious courier repossessed it. Following the final battle, Cass would cancel the launch, but only at the very last second, just to revel in the fleeting feeling of control.

Veronica Santangelo: I just can't see Veronica knowingly or unknowingly waking up a nuclear arsenal with a careless application of tech, but I can totally see her stumbling upon the aftermath of something her old mentor is responsible for. Father Elijah already has a tenuous grasp on the consequences of his own actions, and we know that the prototype tech that controls the Divide's weather is a Big MT project. Maybe Elijah paid Hopeville a visit to check it out and took his investigation a little too far when he discovered the nukes. This would explain Ulysses' directions to the old man to find the Sierra Madre, sealing his doom inside the casino. But where does that leave Ulysses? Along comes Veronica, following her mentor's trail of destruction, and the courier can't help but guide her along the path, show her the meaning of the wreckage and the danger of pre-war technology when left to the discretion of those with old-world values, like the Brotherhood. Along that line, I think Ulysses would try to test her like he does Courier Six, and would schedule a launch to see what she does. Veronica would cancel the launch and resolve to never tell her brothers and sisters in Steel about the secrets of the Divide. She might dump some water on the consoles for good measure. More importantly, I think she might finally realize that the unchanging family she clings to can only die out, or go down the same path that Elijah did.

ED-E: Given that ED-E is a robot, I think Ulysses would be hell-bent on finding whoever sent the little guy rather than consider that the eyebot saw a package with Enclave markings on it, picked it up of its own accord, and deposited it wherever it next encountered old American symbols. Through its communication with the other eyebots in the Divide, I think ED-E would get the picture about the courier's quest for the responsible party and play dumb for as long as possible. The other ED-E would help conceal the mistake to save its new friend, but Ulysses isn't stupid and would eventually figure it out. But how do you effectively punish a robot? Maybe he would set the nukes to target the Divide again, to send any remaining eyebots to the scrapyard for good, but it's a long shot. If he did, ED-E would cancel the launch, but would join its override system capabilities to its counterpart's and use the combined decryption power to ensure that both eyebots make it through the ordeal unharmed.

Rex: This good boy would never even consider entering the Divide. Seriously, what dog in their right mind would go in there? What cyberdog? No thank you. Still, the idea of a dog being responsible for the nukes and Ulysses continuing to hold a grudge is beyond funny. Maybe Rex was part of a mission for the Legion when he still belonged to Caesar, part of the group that leveled the Divide on behalf of the Bull. Maybe that's why Antony says he was "lost in battle," and maybe he's the only surviving member of that squad. I don't see why Ulysses would hang around the Divide waiting for the dog to look upon the hell he'd wrought, and he would more than likely seek the canine out himself as soon as he heard about the King's new pet. From there, the story turns into Courier Six investigating an assassination attempt on a goddamned dog, and the events of Lonesome Road play out pretty much the same way they were written - plus plenty of asides about how Ulysses is going to way too much effort over a creature that can't comprehend what nukes are.

Benny Gecko: Few people know that Yes Man was actually one of two securitrons that Benny managed to incapacitate and reprogram, and while the head of the Chairmen hid his favorite in the Tops for safekeeping, he sent the other out into the world for some recon and experimentation. Imagine his surprise when Yes Man was able to remotely hack into a nuclear missile silo and wipe out a budding trade community. And who would've thought that test run was going to come back to bite him in the ass, right after he was sprung from the Legion camp? I think Benny would do everything in his power to avoid entering the Divide, but I also think Ulysses would have little patience for him and would actively force the disgraced city boy into walking the Courier's Mile by blocking any other path out of the Mojave. Benny would form an attachment to ED-E, similar to Yes Man, but would complain the whole way and confront his tormenter with little remorse. He would also nuke both the NCR and the Legion if he came away alive, probably with some snarky one-liner about "letting the chips fall where they may."

Vulpes Inculta: Vulpes already has a few scorched-earth badges on his Pioneer Scouts belt (Nipton, Camp Searchlight, etc.), so eliminating the Divide is just another tactic in the grand strategy playing out between the Bull and the Bear. All he needed to do was leave a certain package in town, and the problem basically solved itself. Unfortunately, that deserter of his wasn't buried under the wreckage, and now Caesar has ordered him to assassinate the renegade. The fool keeps announcing his whereabouts every few hours or so, making tracking an easy task, but by the third time he feels eyes on the back of his neck and turns to find nothing there, Vulpes can't help but wonder whether the student has surpassed the teacher. The final showdown of Frumentarii would be something for the ages, a clash of philosophies and loyalties with plenty of verbal sparring between the bullets. If he survived the encounter with Ulysses, Vulpes would definitely nuke the NCR.

Ulysses: This cut companion can't very well face off against himself, can he? Unless... he was the courier who accidentally brought the Enclave detonator that sealed the Divide's doom. Given the weight of this grief, I think Ulysses would similarly force himself to walk the length of the Divide, take in the utter destruction that his own actions had wrought, and reflect on the meaning of one man changing the course of history. When it came down to the final room, the final decision, our disillusioned courier would activate the launch as a way of testing himself, testing his own resolve. Like Cass, he would stare at the machines shuddering to life around him until the very last moment, before shutting the system down for good, smiling under his breathing mask and walking away forever.

Victor: The robot cowboy doesn't really know what the angry man on the eyebot keeps talking about. He certainly doesn't remember delivering a package to a place called Hopeville or Ashton. Why would he? Mr. House is very good about covering his tracks, particularly when it comes to eliminating business rivals. Really, it could have been any old securitron. Nevertheless, Victor rolls merrily along in search of the courier who summoned his master, letting his own optics passively take in the devastated wasteland left behind by bombs that launched 200 years too late. Because of his robotic nature, I think it'd be a lot easier for Ulysses to get the drop on Victor and disable him at the temple, then wait until House sent another envoy or came himself. House would probably lose interest as soon as he got his data, which I don't think would stall Ulysses much: Once he figured out the Strip's owner isn't coming, he'd find some way to get inside the Lucky 38. If, however, Victor prevailed in the final struggle, he would nuke both the NCR and the Legion on behalf of Mr. House.

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