Heart of god zach williams lyrics

Prefacing this by saying it’s mostly just a rant brought on by sales bin Piecznik saying he’d love to institute the death penalty for LGBTQ people and Alex being Alex.
I’m a bi male in a long term hetero relationship. So I vociferously support the LGBTQ community but have not always found my place within it outside of just simply calling myself an ally. And frankly that’s fine. I’m happy to do that.
Recently I went to a Hailey Kiyoko concert with an out, queer friend. And it was incredible. For those of you that don’t know she is a gay pop performer very influential in that scene. I wasn’t aware of her but if you like that type of music check her out, she’s a pretty great artist honestly.
But the concert was incredible. I found myself many times looking around at the couples in the audience vibing to the music and lyrics, waving pride flags, just being happy to have this space to appreciate this artist they love and the community as a whole. But every time I got brought back down to Earth seeing this and knowing how shitty it is for people like Alex, and DeSantis, and MTG, etc etc, to regularly say these people are disgusting and broken, and deserve the death penalty. Sure some pride events are over the top and not the best place to bring a family but that’s true for society in general. Can these people just fuck off please. I know they’re a dying breed but god it can’t happen fast enough

Clad in a worn cloak that concealed her features, Cornelia blended seamlessly into the bustling village crowd. The fabric whispered with every movement, a soft rustle against her skin as she navigated the narrow streets. The air was alive with the aroma of freshly baked bread, mingling with the scent of spices wafting from market stalls.
After procuring a bundle of garlic from the local market, the distinct scent of its earthy essence enveloped Cornelia's senses. Its pungency mingled with the vibrant tapestry of smells, drawing her further into the heart of the village. With purposeful steps, she made her way through the labyrinthine streets, seeking the hidden corners where the secrets of her craft could be uncovered.
The alleyway she ventured into concealed itself in shadow, an intimate sanctuary away from prying eyes. She brushed her finger against the rough brick walls as she walked deeper into the alley. Carefully, she extracted small glass jars from her satchel, their delicate clinks echoing in the stillness of the alley. Each jar captured the essence of a captured lizard, their gentle rustling and soft scales brushing against the glass as they adjusted to their temporary confines. Cornelia observed the ethereal dance of light on their vibrant scales, the sight creating a mesmerizing spectacle that seemed to hint at the creatures' otherworldly origins.
As her task neared completion, a hushed whimpering caught Cornelia's acute hearing, piercing through the ambient sounds of the alley. The muffled cries stirred her curiosity and compassion, grounding her in the present moment. The echoes of distress resonated with a palpable weight, urging her to investigate further. With a mixture of anticipation and concern, she followed the trail of whimpering, guided by an invisible thread that led her deeper into the shadows of the alleyway.
“Ugwy babbeh, momma gib’ fowebah sweepies!!!” scowled a fat, ugly fluffy with a distinct rhotacism, muted pink fur, and a stained green mane. Its harsh yet infant-like voice reverberated off the soot-covered walls, creating a dissonant symphony in the alley.
Cornelia's voice cut through the air like a whip cracking, her words carrying an authority that resonated with power and determination.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, street-rat!" she scowled back, her tone laced with both indignation and warning. An ethereal light, emanating from her cloak, bathed the alley in a soft, otherworldly glow, casting long, dancing shadows upon the cracked pavement.
"Smawty mommah beautiful! no gwiv biwth to ugwy babbeh!" the street-rat scowled again with its distinctive speech impediment. The creature turned to face Cornelia, its initial anger giving way to shock as its beady eyes widened in disbelief. The glow from Cornelia's cloak seemed to hold the street-rat captive, its mesmerizing radiance momentarily erasing the malice etched across its grotesque features.
“Hooman?” asked the street-rat, its voice trembling with a hint of hope amidst the chaos of its existence.
"Yes, a human," Cornelia affirmed, her tone firm yet laced with empathy.
The alley seemed to shrink around them, the dilapidated brick walls closing in as the tension mounted.
The street-rat's eyes widened with desperation, and in a flurry of movement, it scurried towards Cornelia, collapsing before her in a pitiful display of submission. Dust billowed around them, filling the air with a gritty haze, while the distant echo of passing footsteps underscored the urgency of their encounter.
“Nice wady, pweese take fwuffy wivh yu!” The street-rat's cries echoed through the desolate alley, its once-malicious tone transformed into a pitiful plea. Its snout nuzzled against Cornelia's leg, a feeble attempt at seeking solace and salvation.
“Fwuffy nu wan’ stay wivh ugwy babbehs!!!” the street-rat begged, its snout nuzzled against Cornelia's leg, a feeble attempt at seeking solace and salvation.
Cornelia, her heart heavy with the weight of the street-rat's anguish, carefully stepped over the pathetic creature, making her way toward the vulnerable baby lying at the end of the alley. Drawing closer, a chilling tableau of horror assaulted her senses. The metallic tang of blood hung in the air, intermingling with the sickly stench of decay. Before her eyes lay a grim testament to the darkest depths of despair. Foals with muted and stained bloodstained fur, their dull hues tainted with their own intestines, bore the scars of a brutal struggle. Bite marks marred their tender flesh, evidence of cannibalistic desperation, while trampled bodies bore witness to the unforgiving nature of this forsaken place.
As Cornelia knelt down to retrieve the fluffy, the air hung heavy with anticipation. The scent of damp concrete and decaying refuse mingled with the disgusting tang of blood, creating an atmosphere of unease. The dim light of the alleyway cast long, haunting shadows that danced along the walls.
But as Cornelia's hand closed around the trembling infant fluffy, a sudden, searing pain shot through her senses. A sharp SNAP echoed through the air, accompanied by the sickening sound of teeth sinking into flesh. Cornelia's cry of agony reverberated off the surrounding buildings, its raw intensity tinged with shock and disbelief.
The pink-furred mother street rat's jaws remained stubbornly clenched, its grip unyielding. Cornelia's vision blurred with tears, her vision shortly distorted by the excruciating pain. With a swift, instinctive motion, fueled by a mix of agony and surprise, Cornelia swung her injured hand in a wild arc, flinging the fluffy across the alley.
“What the?” Cornelia cried out. She has never encountered a fluffy that bites. Let alone, one that bites this hard. She swings her hand and threw the fluffy across the alley.
“MEANIE WADY! WHY TAKE UGWY BABBEH?” the street-rat's shrill voice pierced the air, its cries echoing like the wails of a frustrated toddler. The sound reverberated through the narrow passage, carrying a mix of confusion, anger, and sorrow. It blended with the backdrop of distant traffic, creating a dissonant symphony of chaos and distress.
“TAKE MUMMAH! KIWW UGWY BABBEH!” The street-rat frantically stomped the ground in uncontrolled rage. “nu wan’ meanie wady to take vewy ugwy babbeh!!!” the street-rat charged towards the witch.
As Cornelia clasped the fragile baby in her trembling hand, determination coursed through her veins, lending a renewed strength to her stance. The musty odor of the alleyway saturated the air with a pungent reminder of the harsh realities of this grim world.
But before she could fully process the unfolding situation, a searing pain shot through her leg like a lightning bolt. The sensation was akin to the piercing bite of a thousand needles, laced with the unmistakable pressure of a sharp object. Cornelia's scream reverberated through the alley, carrying her anguish and shock to the distant corners of the forgotten cityscape.
The street-rat's unicorn horn, a menacing weapon honed by the merciless streets, impaled Cornelia's left leg. The relentless strength behind the attack sent a blur of conflicting sensations—a symphony of pain, desperation, and disbelief —piercing through her body like shattered glass.
In the midst of her suffering, Cornelia became acutely aware of the grim reality that governed this alleyway. The countless deaths and constant struggle for survival had forged these street-rats into formidable adversaries. Their resilience and innate strength were evident in their very existence. It was a harsh lesson learned in an instant—the living street-rats were much stronger than one could ever anticipate.
As she fought to maintain her footing, Cornelia's vision swayed with a mixture of pain-induced dizziness and the swirling chaos of the alley. The scent of blood intermingled with the dank aroma of decay, enveloping her senses in a suffocating haze. The gritty texture of the alley's uneven pavement seemed to press against her fingertips, grounding her amidst the tumultuous storm of emotions.
Despite the excruciating torment and the formidable foe embedded in her leg, Cornelia clung to her resolve. With unwavering determination, she focused on protecting the fragile life in her arms, steeling herself for the challenges that lay ahead. The relentless struggle for survival in this unforgiving world had etched itself into her very being, and she was prepared to face its darkest truths head-on.
“Fwuffy stuck!!!” cried the street-rat, her voice trembling with desperation as she attempted to dislodge herself from Cornelia's lower leg. The sharp pain intensified, searing through Cornelia's flesh, eliciting a guttural cry of agony that reverberated through the alley.
In that moment, Cornelia's instincts kicked in, and with a surge of raw magical power, she conjured a blast wave of energy that pulsed through the air. The crackling energy engulfed the street-rat, propelling her forcefully into a nearby brick wall. The impact shattered the ancient masonry, and the street-rat lay there, her body bloodied and broken, her ability to move forever stolen.
“Fwuffy can’t move, hewp!” the street-rat whimpered, her words garbled and distorted by her injuries. The alleyway seemed to echo with her pain and despair.
Cornelia turned to leave the scene, a mix of relief and sorrow weighing upon her heart. But before she could vanish into the shadows, her eyes met the wide-eyed gaze of a villager who had witnessed her extraordinary display of magic. The villager's features contorted with shock, and his trembling voice pierced the air like a thunderclap, “Witch!”
“Witch!” The word reverberated through the alley, igniting a cacophony of shouts and gasps from the onlookers who had rushed to the scene. Their voices swirled with a mix of fear, awe, and accusation, intertwining with the faint scent of damp stone and the distant hum of city life.
Sensing the mounting danger, Cornelia slipped away, melding into the shadows like a ghost. All that remained was the street-rat, now broken and vulnerable, desperately calling out, her voice strained and pleading, “Nu take baby, nu take baby, pwease…”
“Fwuffy not know stweet-wats can make hoomans go ouchies” said Blue, her voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Her tiny hooves tapped softly on the wooden floor as he shifted in place, The air hung heavy with the scent of burning candles, casting a warm glow upon the room and bathing the scene in a gentle, flickering light..
“The alleyways are so full of death and destruction, only the strongest and most psychotic survive. I feel bad for them” replied Cornelia.
“Is like ogre life too, ogre warriors no longer live in peaceful lands, ogre fight to survive to ‘nother day” said Ygor, his voice, deep and resonant, bore the weight of sorrow.
The crackling fire in the hearth popped and hissed, casting shadows upon the walls, their movements mirroring the flickering emotions of the conversation.
“Well, we don’t have to face that depression anymore… Anyways, let’s eat!” Cornelia offered reassurance, her voice filled with conviction and a sense of determination.
The room seemed to come alive with the aroma of freshly prepared food; as if the very essence of the cast spell carried a tantalizing scent that made the Wendy and Blue’s mouths water. The tables gracefully glided towards them, their wooden legs creaking softly, while the dishes floated gently through the air, releasing a symphony of inviting aromas.
“I cooked meals using a spell the moment you and your fluffy arrived,” said Cornelia, her voice carrying a hint of pride. The room was filled with the tantalizing aromas of the freshly cooked meal. The scents of herbs, spices, and cooked ingredients mingled together in a mouth-watering symphony, infusing the air with the essence of culinary delight.
Ygor's gaze shifted to Cornelia, a newfound admiration gleaming in his eyes. Candlelight filled the room with a warm glow, casting a soft illumination on the scene, while the crackling fire in the hearth provided a comforting backdrop of pops and crackles paired with dancing shadows.
Cornelia's ability to cast multiple spells simultaneously was a testament to her skill and proficiency. Ygor could not help but be impressed by her effortless command over magic. There was a grace and elegance in her gestures, as if the very air around her responded to her every command. Despite the intricacy and complexity of the spells she had cast, there was no trace of fatigue or weariness on Cornelia's face. Her energy remained vibrant and radiant, her eyes sparkling with a sense of fulfilment and contentment. It was as if the act of magic itself invigorated her, filling her with a renewed sense of purpose.
Ygor's massive hand gripped the turkey leg, the savory aroma of roasted meat wafting up to his nose, mingling with the tantalizing scent of herbs and spices.
Amidst the anticipation, Cornelia, Wendy, and Blue bowed their heads in prayer, their hushed voices forming a gentle harmony that resonated through the room. The flickering candlelight cast an ethereal ambiance. The fragrant scent of burning candles intertwined with the aroma of the freshly cooked meal, infusing the air with a sense of reverence and gratitude.
Ygor paused, a deep respect shining in his eyes, as he respectfully placed the turkey leg back onto the plate. The flickering flames illuminated the scene, their golden glow casting a warm and comforting light. The air seemed to hum with a sacred energy, as if the very essence of their gratitude and prayers permeated every corner of the room.
“We pray before meals, we can now eat!” said Cornelia told Ygor when she finished praying.
“For ogres, pray and eating is same thing” replied Ygor.
“I remember,” Cornelia replied.
A touch of nostalgia as memories flooded Cornelia’s mind. She recalled the time spent among the ogres, their solemn devotion to the act of eating. Contrary to human myths, they were meticulous and mindful, making no mess as they communed with their god, Grunferth.
Cornelia delicately lifted a morsel from her plate, savoring the anticipation of the first bite. As she brought the food to her lips, a symphony of sensory delights unfolded within her. The succulent meat yielded to her teeth, releasing a burst of flavors that danced upon her palate. The crisp sound of Ygor's powerful jaws joining the feast resonated alongside the collective enjoyment, harmonizing with the heightened aroma of the meal that enveloped the space in a tantalizing embrace.
As Ygor took the final bite of his turkey leg, his ears pricked up, attuned to the faint but distinct sounds that drifted through the air. The cacophony of rolling wood, stone, and metal reached his senses, causing him to instinctively turn his gaze towards the window, his curiosity piqued.
"What did you hear?" Wendy inquired, her innocent eyes reflecting a touch of confusion.
But before Ygor could respond… KABOOM!!!

Realistically i have no clue what I’m doing here .
Emptiness spills out of me as i fill my head with these thoughts of going away
I speak out but the numbness from my mind makes the dull words cut my tongue like a blade
I pour out cries from my stomach nobody can hear with their ears but only with their hearts
I let off a vibe that can’t be matched because it attracts people and pushes them away all in one
I try my best but it is always unappreciated and forgotten
I yearn for love but realistically I’m not even ready for it
I pray to god asking him to fix me
I’m broken

I'm reading William H. Gass, In the Heart of the Heart of the Country, and in this essay, I come across these ideas, and I do not know what they mean.
Still, the ambition of the novel is not to give us access to the minds of the characters so that we might better glimpse their mental processes, understand their “thinking” separate from its necessary embodiment in language, but precisely to make a certain kind of language visible as a style. Gass’s prose doesn’t so much “reflect” his characters’ pre-verbal consciousness as itself create an artifice of consciousness that exists only as a phenomenon of language...

I’m 19, and I started praying a few years ago. Whenever I pray or make duaa for the night I never know what I’m supposed to think about. Granted I usually get distracted while thinking about/doing anything, but it’s hard for me to know what exactly I’m supposed to be thinking about.
I’m learning Arabic because it’s not my native language so I don’t know all of the translations of the prayers I make during prayer by heart yet. I always get distracted because I know the transliterations like the back of my hand so when I say them I’m always thinking about something random. Could be something I did that day, about someone, anything.
I’ve asked my mom a couple times and she always tells me “just think about God!”, but I have no idea what that means because we don’t know what Allah looks like.
I don’t know if my question fully makes sense, but what am I supposed to focus on? I feel guilty and not as in tune with my prayers when I inevitably start thinking about something else, but I’m not sure what I should be focused on while I pray.

Oh my God was this list hard to rank 😅 I took about I would say at least 15 hours of my time into this and all of that was just to rank them at a certain level without much to say. First off we have about 8 Tiers from F,D,C,B,A,S,SS, and Premium though I barely put much into their. Remember this is just an opinion so don't take too harshly if your favorite episode isn't high on my list. For some episodes I may not say much or anything since this was too long originally.
F Tier, these are my least favorite episodes and most likely I have a vendetta against them in some way that made it hard for me to like them

1. S2 Ep 8 Nebraska- I hate Lori and I think this episode expresses it, most definitely a vendetta. I didn't exactly like the stuff with Hershel and recovering though it was okay, but lori made some questionable decisions to go off on her own to look for Rick even though she should know he's fine seriously. She wrecks a car and then barely dies from a walker, mind you she is pregnant and shouldn't do these things easily my least favorite episode.
   
2. S10 Ep 21 Diverged- I honestly forget this episode so much since it has nothing truly interesting or important to the story
   
3. S7 Ep 6 Swear- this episode feels slow paced and dull due to oceanside being not seen well for me and I feel like Tara put on the best performance she could for it.
   
4. S8 Ep 2 The Damned- this episode to me was just a lot of action and in the walking dead I don't want that. We see a couple of characters die (including Francine 🪦 I absolutely loved her character and hate how she died here :[ mindless) Erics death started here, but it just wasn't impactful enough.
   
5. S3 Ep 11 I Ain't a Judas- Andrea is a boring character in the show and I hate her in this episode. The focus should've been on the prison honestly and maybe If she killed the Governor I would've understood her more.
   
6. S10 Ep 20 Splinter- if most of the episode was real I would've loved it, but they weren't...
   
7. S3 Ep 5 Say the Word- Andrea just isnt much good in this episode and Rick going crazy wasn't a fun idea to me.
   
8. S8 Ep 3 Monsters- aside from the one fight with Rick I really didn't care much for it again for the fighting and having Morales return and die felt out of place.
   
9. S2 Ep 2 Bloodletting- the group searching for Sophia was okay for a concept, but this episode was okay and went slow paced for me until the end.
   

D Tier, moving on these episodes were for me mostly just forgettable or boring so I won't say much except they weren't all bad

1. S1 Ep 3 Tell it to the frogs- first off S1 won't be all high because I'm ranking EVERY episode, but this one felt slow in pace more as well compared to the last two. Shane was a badass though.
   
2. S11 Ep 3 Hunted- Forgettable... Not much to say.
   
3. S5 Ep 11 The Distance- Forgot entirely this was an episode, after rewatch still don't like it except for Aaron.
   
4. S2 Ep 9 Trigger finger- It was a bit better than Nebraska, mostly cause of the Randel scenes.
   
5. S7 Ep 14 The Other Side- Sasha somewhat makes a noble decision.
   

163-162. S11 Episodes 22 following 21- 22 had the Warden being uninteresting as a villain and 21 was boring as can be which is why they sit besides each other.

1. S8 Ep 7 Time for After- I don't like the plans they have to deviate from Rick and him going to Jadis again feels like a horrible decision on his part.
   
2. S9 Ep 8 Evolution- The ambience is the best part, though I hated Jesus' s death as it felt like a bad sendoff.
   

C Tier, These are a bunch of boring and hard to follow episodes that have some highs that keep it out of former tiers.

1. S2 Ep 1 What lies Ahead- I liked the RV scene with Andrea, but what follows is dull.
   
2. S11 Ep 4- The pope is somewhat average.
   
3. S7 Ep 12 Say Yes- The carnival was a nice scenery for TWD, but they had too many fake outs with the walker "shooting" at them and the deer fake out.
   
4. S9 Ep 7 Stradivarius- The Search for Eugene feels tiring to follow what's happening and I ended up watching the episodes once and never again because of it.
   
5. S2 Ep 4 Cherokee Rose- Watching the episode is fun because of the well, though I feel like it was stupid as an idea as the group should have more common sense before doing something dumb.
   
6. S2 Ep 3 Save The Last One- Shane was horrifying, but the rest was dull.
   
7. S8 Ep 14 Still gotta mean something- Rick felt unnecessarly cold hearted in this episode killing off the Saviors that helped him which I didn't like, though Jared got a well deserved death.
   
8. S4 Ep 9 After -It was okay watching Carl try to scavenge while Rick was injured and I liked the scene with his shoe being lost.
   
9. S7 Ep 5 Go Getters- the episode itself wasn't bad yet I never really enjoyed it too much aside from Maggie being a badass and the ending was pretty good.
   
10. S4 Ep 10 Inamtes- Inmates was a pretty well rounded episodes showing off some of the group which I liked seeing Tyreese the most.
    
11. S8 Ep 6 The King, The Widow, and Rick- the episode was pretty lackluster for me and I didn't really appeal to seeing the garbage people much in this or everyone going to attack the saviors which was a dumb move to do. Ezekiel was probably the most fun of the episode.
    
12. S3 Ep 16 Welcome to the Tombs- the finale for season 3 has always been horrible as it barely gives tension between the Governor and Ricks group, it just felt unfitting for a finale.
    
13. S11 Ep 8 For blood- it was a okay Mid Season finale to say the least (sorry, 1/3 season finale). I did like some of the parts in it with Maggie which is why it sits higher than others.
    
14. S5 Ep 7 Crossed- I thoroughly enjoyed the chase scene between the three officers and Ricks group, but that was about it.
    
15. S4 Ep 13 Alone- I liked watching the parts of the group split up, except for Maggie, Bob, and Sasha as they felt very uneventful to me. What makes this episode better had to be the part about Daryl and Beth with the ending of the introduction to Joe's group.
    
16. S7 Ep 10 New Best Friends- a lot of these parts I forgot about in this episode when it came to the Kingdom though after rewatching it I enjoyed those parts more than the Garbage people. I just honestly think Jadis's group is uninteresting and makes for no substance.
    
17. S10 Ep 15 The Tower- I sometimes forget about this episode and it's premise with Beta, but I think it holds up enough for a weird one and The stuff with princess was okay.
    
18. S9 Ep 3 Warning signs- I think the episode was okay, I just didn't like Season 9 A that much...
    

B tier, now we get to the episodes I could watch again in the past 6 months or binge through without skipping

1. S11 Ep 2 Acheron Part 2- this was close to being put into C tier since I really hated some parts about it like how they left Gage to die and still had to fight off dozens of walking regardless. The group in the first two episodes seem to switch off and on from good to bad.
   
2. S7 Ep 4 Service- for some reason people hate this episode and I can't see why except for the fact it mainly deals with Negan at Alexandria; in my opinion it was him and a couple other characters who saved season 7 and 8 for me.
   
3. S10 Ep 3 Ghosts- I forget the episode...
   
4. S10 Ep 7 Open Your Eyes- I thought the episode was fine as I don't hate Siddiq and all, though I liked and hated the ending as I loved the twist of Dante and hated that Siddiq had to die so early on.
   
5. S6 Ep 7 Heads Up- I didn't like the twist of Glenn and all, but I liked the suspicion with Carol and Morgan as well as the Ending being dramatic.
   
6. S8 Ep 11 Dead or Alive- it's not good to know when you remember an episode due to bad things. Daryl has been making more off decisions for the character and Tara seems to be completely Reckless now making me hate her moving forward.
   
7. S4 Ep 4 Indifference- The Scenes with Carol and Rick we're amusing with crude Humour as well as some more tense scenes in my opinion and I hated/liked when Rick told Carol she couldn't come back.
   
8. S3 Ep 6 Hounded- honestly I would've rather put this episode a little bit higher due to Merle (probably my favorite charcater which contributes to a lot of episodes being higher) being a badass while fighting Michonne and pulling out puns as well. The reason it doesn't get higher is still due to Rick and the phone situation being uneventful.
   
9. S11 Ep 9 No Other Way- Alden dies in this episode which I should've seen coming that sucks. The ending feels misleading a bit though everything else in the middle is pretty great.
   
10. S11 Ep 5 Out of the Ashes- literally the only reason I put this here was due to Lance so deal with it!
    
11. S4 Ep 11 Claimed- Rick had a pretty solid pair of scenes with the Claimers and I liked watching Glenn and Tara (Surprisingly).
    
12. S10 Ep 13 What We Become- I thought the flashbacks/hallucinations we're pretty good, but aside from that this episode was just mediocre.
    
13. S9 Ep 4 The Obliged- I liked watching Daryl and Rick fight each other over different views on how everything should be and the ending I thought was pretty suspenseful as well as the saviors and oceanside.
    
14. S11 Ep 15 Trust- Lance feels exactly like the Governor in some of these episodes which is what I like about him, and from here I start to enjoy Princess maybe because Mercer is around more xd.
    
15. S10 Ep 17 Home Sweet Home- I thought Maggie was a good enough concept for an episode with the reapers, though it didn't hit that hard watching again. It still Is most definitely better than the other 3 episodes of S10 part C but enough for A Tier.
    

A Tier, after this point complaints may start to stop, but that doesn't mean entirely. These episodes I enjoy watching over and over again with some good tension and comedy as well.

1. S1 Ep 5 Wildfire- For the episodes Jim was in I liked him and learning his backstory as well so this was a pretty fun episode.
   
2. S4 Ep 15 Us- the stuff with Abraham and their group was pretty wholesome to me and I liked Joe for the time being in here seeing how he is pretty fair to be honest giving things where they are due and trust to Daryl.
   
3. S6 Ep 11 Knots Untie- I somewhat feel like the episode drags due to there being too much at hilltop, but it is a new community so I can't truly argue. I remember enjoyably when Rick stopped the assassination attempt.
   
4. S8 Ep 9 Honor- the beginning with Carl I thought was good to showcase the events that unfolded before the decimation and Carl's death hit hard.
   
5. S5 Ep 4 Slabtown- I personally don't mind the hospital arc too much, yet it won't get all of it's episodes too high of course. I liked watching Noah and Beth converse and I thought this was a new era for the walking dead.
   
6. 10 Ep 1 Lines we Cross- the part with the Satellite was amusing to watch as it was a big change to see and I like that about the walking dead on occasions.
   
7. S9 Ep 6 Who are you now?- I liked learning of Luke's Group (you heard me, Luke's Group) and what they have been like learning of some of their past.
   
8. S10 Ep 8 The World Before- I liked mostly just watching two scenes, the beginning with Dante and Gabriel and Dante. I loved the fact no one even considered a Whisperer living amongst them and how he did some much devious stuff was mind boggling and amazing to watch. When Gabriel talks about forgiveness to Dante and kills him shows me how Gabriel has changed the past seasons.
   
9. S7 Ep 9 Rock in the Road- Rick gives off a good speech to Ezekiel and I liked seeing him and Morgan reunite again. The stuff with Gabriel wasn't too bad either.
   
10. S3 Ep 9 The Suicide King- the Governor finally seems to be starting to let things of him slip which I love to see. I also enjoyed watching Merle with Daryl as well too.
    
11. S11 Ep 11 Rouge element- I thought that the twist of Steph was pretty good and I don't mind the episode being a bit long and tedious for it's reveal.
    
12. S11 Ep 23 Family- I loved the fact Lydia got bit just because it shows us that people can still get bit and survive. It shows to me that in the finale no one could be truly safe even though Luke gets bit and still dies.
    
13. S11 Ep 17 Lockdown- Saving Sebastian was okay ig.
    
14. S8 Ep 10 The Lost and The Plunderers- Simon's character I think was made perfectly as he is a hotheaded person who is all about power and showing that off. Killing most of the Garbage people was terrifying to watch and showed how Negan could be more merciful than others.
    
15. S1 Ep 1 Days Gone Bye- I think for the pilot it did it's job well and showed off enough of what the show could be. Of course this doesn't mean it was all good but as pilots go it was pretty solid.
    
16. S11 Ep 1 Acheron Part 1- The only reason I put it this high was for the interrogation scenes especially when it came down to Ezekiel. Him and Mercer are honestly a great pair and I love his ending to the show as it's fitting.
    
17. S5 Ep 10 Them- after losing most of the group it seems like a fitting episode of despair and plays it perfectly.
    
18. S5 Ep 12 Remember- the first shown scenes of Alexandria was pretty good and I liked the interviews scene too. We also saw a lot of new character introductions.
    
19. S11 Ep 6 On The Inside- The ferals was a nice touch of horror that I never knew I could need. Making the people with the ferals Virgil and Connie made the most perfect sense as well.
    
20. S6 Ep 13 Not Tomorrow Yet- this episode shows off how our group is seeming to be the bad guys starting to kill people in their sleep. I like how Glenn and Heath have their first kills and show how they are changing.
    
21. S7 Ep 1 The day will come when you won't be- I like the title as it references Doctor Jenner, but for the episode I liked Negan and that's mostly it. Seeing two people die was horrible to me, but necessary and since I don't rank episodes for being bad due to deaths I can still rank them high.
    
22. S6 Ep 16 Last Day on Earth- Simon has a good introduction and I like them trying to get from point A to B, but what stands out to me most is probably Abraham and Eugene with his speech about him
    
23. S7 Ep 15 Something they need- Sasha was probably the highlight of the episode for me and I liked them and Negan's interactions. It Is a good effort to show that they aren't all monsters and I like seeing Eugene as well.
    
24. S3 Ep 7 When the Dead come knocking- Glenn and his interrogation with Merle was amazing and I liked seeing Glenn's true will shine.
    
25. S8 Ep 12 The Key- I don't like this episode much honestly if it wasn't for Negan and Ricks Speech as well as Simon and his deviousness.
    
26. S8 Ep 1 Mercy- the beginning I had to move up due to some good portions of it like Rick and Negan. I also liked the ending a lot even though I watched the trailer a lot and knew of Gabriel and Negan's interactions.
    
27. S9 Ep 1 a New Beginning- wow two series beginnings next to each other... Yeah it's weird but they weren't exactly S Tier Material. The beginning with them trying to get a horse accessory was great tension to watch and I already love Ricks Beard.
    
28. S10 Ep 18 Find me- okay so maybe I exaggerated My feeling towards Season 10 C a bit since I like some of the episodes a bit and others worse. The reason I put this here is mostly good plot lines and that was it.
    

Around here I wanted to say the reason for some episodes ranking higher is due to the fact the others are horrible and some of these have redeeming qualities. It's hard to put over 150 episodes ranked from horrible to greatness and know the points of interest.

1. S3 Ep 3 Walk With Me- Merle brings joy to me seeing him again and I love him from here on out. I like how the Governor seems to be innocent enough until the big reveal with the militia which is amazingly put.
   
2. S10 Ep 9 Squeeze- I hate Squeeze... There i said it. The cave sucks honestly and Id rather not watch it again because of that, but Negan is the only saving grace for this episode and if it wasn't for him I would never watch this episode again.
   
3. S8 Ep 13 Do Not Send Us Astray- Simon attacking the Hilltop was the most great action of this season that I never minded and it felt terrifying after Tobin's fate was sealed.
   
4. S3 Ep 12 Clear- I had to move it from S Tier, but nevertheless a great episode. Morgan's return was done perfectly and I felt like his character did a full 180 after this. Michonne and Carl's side story was also good.
   
5. S2 Ep 12 Better Anglels- Shane and Ricks final confrontation was amazingly executed and loved the difference from the Comics with Rick killing shane and Carl shooting his reanimated self; Shane and Randel was also good too.
   
6. S4 Ep 12 Still- Daryl and Beth make sense to pair together and I like seeing how we get a bit more back story to his character. They feel like the most perfect example to put for a mismatched pair.
   
7. S6 Ep Thank You- The journey with Glenn's group trying to get back was amusing to see even though the dumpster ending wasnt really the best, still horrible to see.
   
8. S10 Ep 4 Silence the Whisperers- Negan and Lydia have a good bond and I like how Negan defends her even though I hate how no one believes Lydia that Negan protected her.
   
9. S8 Ep 4 Some Guy- I still love watching Ezekiel and the Kingdom so I enjoy this episode and how he feels defeated the whole time. Jerry is the best bodyguard in my opinion as well as it is shown and Shivas death is heartbreaking.
   
10. S5 Ep 8 Coda- The reason I put this soo high was due to Rick and Bob. I did like the ending a bit even though I feel like Beth's death could've been avoided.
    
11. S3 Ep 14 Prey- originally this episode was C Tier for me, but I re-watched it and put it this high due to the Governor being a literal psycho and I love this side of him.
    
12. S11 Ep 20 What's been Lost- Lance felt underutilized as soon as he died, I really wished they could've made a difference with his exit on the show.
    
13. S8 Ep 8 How it's gotta be- Forgot about Natanias death.
    
14. S11 Ep 7 Promises Broken- Negan and Maggie had a good talk together about before.
    
15. S10 Ep 6 Bonds- Okay.. XD.
    
16. S6 Ep 10 The Next world- I thought the stuff with Rick, Daryl, and Jesus was goofy, but great.
    
17. S11 Ep 19 Varient- I do like the idea of evolving walkers though I feel like it was a bit late in the show.
    
18. S3 Ep 13 Arrow on the Doorstep- the meeting was just terrific to watch as the Governor is so sinister inside it with Milton and Hershel having a good talk as well with Martinez and Daryl having a good show off time. Merle and Glenn have some good times too.
    
19. S9 Ep 2 The Bridge- The log scene was amazing and Aaron had a good scene with the amputation.
    

S Tier, These episodes are some of my favorite to watch with a good glass of Tea and some snacks.

1. S7 Ep 7 Sing me a song- Negan and Carl were fun to watch as well as some more insight on the sanctuary as Daryl breaks free. Negan and Carl also Bond.
   
2. S10 Ep 10 Stalker- Daryl VS Alpha!!!
   
3. S11 Ep 16 Acts of God- Lance is very horrifying as to what his next move is and Leah's stuff was good.
   
4. S3 Ep 8 Made to suffer- it was a great Mid season finale as I enjoyed the fight with the Governor and Rick as well as the ending with Merle and Daryl.
   
5. S2 Ep 6 Secrets- Glenn has to deal with hiding multiple people's secrets and I feel like the comedy is pure gold here.
   
6. S1 Ep 2 Guts- The rooftops scenes were great as well as the parts where they wear guys to avoid the walkers, it always felt like a sense of panic in this episode.
   
7. S9 Ep 9 Adaptation- the introduction to Alpha was simple enough and I feel like it's a good episode.
   
8. S11 Ep 10 New Haunts
   
9. S11 Ep 12 The Lucky Ones- Carol finally feels a little bit like she's back to her old self in this community with Lance and their deals.
   
10. S4 Ep 1 30 days without and Accident- probably my second favorite of the beginning episodes as it demonstrates exactly how the group has got along since the recent events. Has a good story with the shopping market and the roof caving in was awesome.
    
11. S3 Ep 10 Home- this episode shows how Merle and Daryl are far apart which I can still keep watching Merle and be entertained as well as the fight scene at the end with the Governor being cocky as can be.
    
12. S9 Ep 16 The Storm- snow is a new but simple thing that I like along with Negan Earning trust with Michonne.
    
13. S10 Ep 2 We are the End of the World- Gamma saving Alpha is one of my favorite scenes of how it shows Alphas power towards the group and influence on it's people.
    
14. S6 Ep 8 Start to Finish- The walls coming down had an interesting story as well as many like the Wolf getting loose and Diana having a badass/amazing exit.
    
15. S9 Ep 11 Bounty- The Movie Theatre scene was pretty good as well as Alpha with and Lydia.
    
16. S5 Ep 2 Strangers- The uneasy feeling of Gabriel is pretty good to show the groups trust and I like how the ending is played out with the reveals.
    
17. S11 Ep 13 Warlords- The Complex is a pretty good place to see and I like seeing the evolution of Negan and Aaron.
    
18. S9 Ep 15 The Calm Before- The highlight is the end with the pikes though it made sense for the lesser characters. I hated seeing Henry and Enid die (Not with Tara).
    
19. S10 Ep 11 Morning Star- The start of the battle is ingenius with the tree sap fire scene and it makes for a suspenseful ending to the episode to come.
    
20. S9 Ep 5 What come After- The episode is meant to be a sendoff for Rick so I'll rank it about everything else instead. I did enjoy some of the sequences with Hershel and I loved seeing Shane again. He really puts perspective on some episodes like Season 5 which makes me enjoy watching those episodes more as well as Shane. Ricks exit was also done is a pretty good way.
    
21. S7 Ep 13 Bury me Here- I liked watching Morgan slowing go back into insanity which I believe is due to PTSD of some sort. The episode feels really well done and I like the ending to it with Richard Dying and Carol being told everything.
    
22. S9 Ep 12 Guardians- Alpha is great to watch in this episode and the way she kills the two whispering who challenge them is great!
    
23. S8 Ep 5 The Big scary U- the main focus is Negan and Gabriel which is an amazing talk between then two before settling their differences. I also like the unease at the sanctuary through betrayal.
    
24. S11 Ep 14 The Rotten core- the whole episode is one of If not my personal favorite to watch for the complex alone being a nice setting. I enjoy every bit of this episode as well as the side deal with Sebastian and how Mercer is revealed to be a pretty nice guy.
    
25. S5 Ep 15 Try- The whole episode feels like a decent into madness for Rick seeing everyone against him. I like how he goes into protective cop mode and try to defend the ones he lives as well as his speech at the end.
    
26. S11 Ep 18 A New Deal- The whole episode is average, but the ending just feels amazing to rewatch.
    
27. S2 Ep 11 Judge, Jury, Executioner- I personally like Dale a lot so I love this episode. It really shows how the group is starting to turn as they believe to do what is best for the group and not morals. Dales death is also very heartfelt to watch and showed off the walkers dangerousness.
    
28. S10 Ep 14 Look At The Flowers- Negan and Daryl make a good pair to watch though I enjoyed watching Beta and him struggling to get back on track after Alphas death and I love him so much more for this episode.
    
29. S5 Ep 5 Self Help- Daryl and Carol at the moments have some good episodes together so it's not surprise I'd love this episode. With Noah in the episode as well it feels like a amazing show of how the characters (Carol and Daryl) have changed morally.
    
30. S6 Ep 13 The Same Boat- Carol has been shown to be ruthless, but this episode shows her true colors as how she doesn't want this to be her life anymore.
    
31. S5 Ep 13 Forget- the episode itself has many great minisodes it felt like which was fantastic.
    

50 and 49. S4 Ep 6 Live Bait and 7 Dead Weight- I put these both here due to the fact of me loving the equally. The 6th episode feels like a showcase of how the Governor gets broken entirely and starts to get built back up positively showing what could have been and for a time it feels beautiful to me. The 7th though shows how some things can mess with his mind and make him go back to being a psychopath that kills everyone he sees.

1. S8 Ep 16 Wraith- The ending to season 8 was pretty eventful for the battles begin as Eugene saved everyone's asses from a cool trick with the bullets. I am happy that Rick decided to save Negan and I love the episode except for the ending being off-putting with Maggie.
   
2. S6 Ep 9 No way Out- The Wolf has a pretty interesting end that I enjoyed to see and aside from the the entire eoisode is the best part. You never feel that sense of boring to it as the action is nonstop great.
   
3. S5 Ep 5 Now- I liked small bits and pieces of this episode mostly revolving around Diana and her role starting to change. If she survived I don't doubt I would've loved to see her go through more of an arc.
   
4. S7 Ep 11 Hostiles and Calamities- I can see the hate for this episode, though I love it myself. Eugene in my opinion is at his best here and I love watching him here with Negan and their interactions. It was also great how Dwight had framed the doctor.
   
5. S5 Ep 6 Consumed- Abraham was one of my favorite characters not just for jokes but for this episode. His backstory is heartbreaking to learn about and relatable. When he falls down after beating Eugene in defeat I can feel his pain with him.
   
6. S9 Ep 13 Chokepoint- Daryl VS Beta!!!
   

SS Tier, after this point there is no bad things that the episodes could have drag it's down. These ones are my person favorites.
Around this time I also realized that it seems my numbers on the side aren't matching so I'm fixing it from here so skip 42- 38. Idk what happened but I messed up somewhere and went to fix it but couldn't find the problem.

1. S2 Ep 13 Besides the Dying Fire- The walkers attacking the farm was a great scene just as much as the Democracy speech was from Rick, though Lori is horrible to Rick in this episode. Also Rick tells the group "we're all infected"
   
2. S4 Ep 2 Infected- I love the scene where Patrick reanimates and the morning fight they have in the prison. So much stuff happens at once. The ending was Great with Tyreese and. The pig scene was sad to watch.
   
3. S6 Ep 6 Always Accountable- One time when I like Sasha is this episode with Abraham. Where to begin; The Rocket launcher scene was great, Abraham is great with quips, Daryl with Dwight is a good scene and I love the ending as well.
   
4. S6 Ep 14 Twice as Far- The Denise speech wasnt too bad and the death was great. I enjoyed Abraham and Eugene; I think my favorite scenes was with Abraham and Eugene with another one of his speechs towards him which was funny and heartfelt.
   
5. S4 Ep 16 A- The best part is when Joe's group comes along and how Rick bites out his throat signifying that he and Shane are now alike. I also like when Rick and Daryl talk as well as Rick figuring out this olace kidnaps people.
   
6. S2 Ep 7 Pretty Much dead Already- Shane is what I love about this episode, he and Dale had a really funny encounter and I feel like Shane makes me laugh and be serious at the same time with each scenes. I also like how Rick is more accepting towards Hershel.
   
7. S10 Ep 16 A Certain Doom- Beta was good in this episode and had some great parts, but the fights wee great especially the scene with the Music. Betas death felt odd, but that doesn't lower the episode.
   
8. S4 Ep 14 The Grove- I mean do I really have to explain? Carol is a savage here and I love when they finally talk about Karen and Davids death here. Nothing in this episode is a low note.
   
9. S2 Ep 5 Chupacabra- I love everything about Daryl's scenes in this that show how he is a badass and capable of holding his own. Also love his Hallucinations.
   
10. S11 Ep 24 Rest In Peace- certainly wasn't the best finale, but I felt like it did well enough for the episode. It tied up most loose ends for the show given its runtime and I feel like it is fitting enough.
    
11. S2 Ep 10 18 Miles Out- my favorite of Season 2 has Shane and Rick have the best battle I have seen even more than The Governor and Rick or Negan and Rick. This battle utilizes both of their strengths and weaknesses with some things that have never been done in the show much more like using your blood to attract walkers to other places. It was an amazing episode all in all.
    
12. S1 Ep 6 TS-19- idk what it is but I love watching this episode over and over again and I love it the more I watch it. It is probably because I like Doctor Jenner a bit more in each watching of his tragic backstory with his wife.
    
13. S9 Ep 14 Scars- The flahsback was an amazing one that told us something vital to the story about how they don't trust people coming in anymore. What Daryl and especially Michonne went through is tragic.
    
14. S5 Ep 3 Four Walls a roof- this episode is perfect for a number of reasons like Bob and his antics or Savage Rick, this was a turning point for the walking dead and this is where Rick gets some of his roots.
    
15. S1 Ep 4 Vatos- even though I love TS-19 I love Vatos more. This is unique to some episodes where you see a group just like Ricks that is trying to survive and this is where we realize the world is bigger than we thought still.
    
16. S7 Ep 16 The first day of the rest of your Life- The battle was amazing and I feel like this was the best it was going to get for the coming seasons, but season 9 and 10 surprised me.
    
17. S10 Ep 5 What it always Is- Negan with the Kid is the highlight I think, I could've honestly seen this going farther, if it wasn't for the former savior. I feel like this was fitting for an entire episode of, but we diverged a bit.
    
18. S4 Ep 3 Isolation- Hershel and Tyreese are the highlights for me with Tyreese going berserk and Hershel being a kind soul. This is a staple episode for why Season 4 is amazing and why Hershel is what made season 4 great.
    
19. S6 Ep 4 Here's not Here- I love learning about Eastman and Morgan in this one off. I love how it is somewhat told in the first person narrative to the Wolf and how Morgan changed back to who he was. Eastman shows how he and Morgan are pretty similar and why he should be like him.
    
20. S5 Ep 14 Spend- aside from Francine being here to be used as eye candy for me I loved how some of Alexandria like and dislike rick's group here. I do hate Noah dying as I feel like he could've been so much more.
    
21. S10 19 One More- I love havng the episode based on Aaron and Gabriel as they have came a long way since their beginnings. When they have few an encounter with Mays I felt like this was a testimony to who they are as people. We see how they care for each other and how Mays fails to make a point of who they are until Gabriel Kills him showing he has gone farther away from the light.
    
22. S7 Ep 3 Cell- Daryl is locked up and he is now being treated like shit. This episode feels great cause of how it feels like he is trying to break Daryl. Dwight also has a great mission on how he mercy kills a savior and shows he isn't as bad as you may think.
    
23. S6 Ep 1 First time again- I do enjoy the setting of the episode how we see the diverge in Alexandria and who listens or hears Rick out. The episode is a great example for staring episodes... But not the best at it.
    
24. S5 Ep 9 What Happened and what's going On- I loved Tyreese's character so to see him die was horrible for me. His episodes I feel like was a good send off since it is a test to who he is as a person who is confounded about the world around him.
    
25. S3 Ep 4 Killer Within- this episode was played perfectly and I feel like is a good sendoff for other characters as well like how I hate Lori. She is made just a bit better from her sacrifice and thought T-Dog went out in a good way as well. The prisoners also had a good show for their trust.
    
26. S4 Ep 5 Interment- this is where Hershel's best episode is as he is the best Samaritan Alive in the apocalypse. At the end where Rick and Carl fend off the walkers inside the gates in a great bond and I love the whole episode.
    
27. S6 Ep 3 JSS- it is well rounded and has good action as well as a lot of tension and suspense with Carol showing off her capabilities and Morgan with his philosophy.
    

Finally we cracked the top ten and into Premium Episodes. If you've made it this far you are are persistent as me... Well probably less since this took a long ass time but still. These are the episodes whee I cherish them and can watch more than once a month.

1. S8 Ep 15 Worth- Worth has what I want in an episode; good characters and story/plot. Eugene's parts are made more important seeing how he needed to stay at the sanctuary to save Alexandria and the other communities. I loved even more Dwight's part where I have without doubt the most suspense with him and Negan. Simon also had the most best arc death as it felt complete.
   
2. S5 Ep 16 Conquer- the episode has a lot of action and the ending was the pivet. I love the speech he has and how Diana let's Rick be in charge now was a sort of cliffhanging ending that signify's perfection.
   
3. S5 Ep 1 No sanctuary- both Season 5's beginning and finale are amazing and the way Rick and his group take down Terminus in one episode is amazing as they fight there way out and the scene with Judith was great. Morgan was just a sprinkle of wholesomeness to see.
   
4. S10 Ep 12 Walk With Us- The Episode had just enough action, good deaths and character interactions to make it here. First of the battle at hilltop was amazing. The second best thing was Earl and I feel very sad every time I watch this episode at his part. Then the best thing is the end with Alpha and Negan.
   
5. S3 Ep 1 Seed- The best beginning to a season it shows how the group has changed since Rick and the prison is a great example. The tombs are a great scenery and the ending was perfect for a cliffhanger as well as Conquer.
   
6. S3 Ep 2 Sick- the prisoner episode was pretty good to watch as a group of prisoners try to take on walkers. While some are good others would rather be assertive. Rick has definitely changed since season 2 and the group is played great here and much more human like.
   
7. S7 Ep 2 Well- what helps this episode is the last episode before it having a dark tone. This instead has a more uplifting one with the king and with Carol and Morgan being a great pair. The Kingdom seems to be a good community and seeing how Carol tries to smooth talk the king and how he tells whays her bullshit is an amazing scene.
   
8. S10 Ep 22 Heres Negan- We realize he was a kinda lousy husband that wasn't really too good to becoming a really supportive husband who cares deeply for his wife Lucille. The story before showed a lot of Negan and how he is and I love Lucille as a character from this episode trying to do whats best for Negan.
   
9. S4 Ep 8 Too Far gone- Honestly this IS the best episode, but I am bias so I had to put my own personal favorite above it not to say this isn't right behind it easily. Too far gone is what feels like a season finale but isn't. The Governors first encounter should've been this and I'm glad we got to see it unfold great. Rick has a great speech in it about not being too far gone yet and the Governor killing Hershel to start the best battle of the series. The Governors death feels fitting and the ending was sad and amazing.
   

Before I get to this last one I wanted to say a thank you in advance to whomever reads this as I really had a hard time making this and spending a lot of time to do this isn't easy. And remember this last episode is my very own person opinion entirely and in no way is it the best of the series definitively, without any furthermore, lets end this.

1. Season 3 Episode 15 This Sorrowful Life- Now what makes this episode so great to me? Well I'm totally biased towards the actor and the character in the show Merle Dixon. I could watch Merle all day which is what they episode feels like with the perfect duo of Michonne and Merle on their way to the governor. It has some of the most perfect comedy in the episode as well as having the best sacrifice redemption arc and ending. This episode made me laugh, smile, cry and more. There will never be a time when I ever change my opinion about this episode in existence.

Again another huge thanks to everyone and I hope this will satisfy everyones needs... Now I'ma go watch S3 Ep 15 Legit.

I had a dream. I was with friends that I didn't recognize, in a room I had never been in. A simple bedroom with a four poster bed pushed into a corner. A dresser across the room with pictures I couldn't make out. A tv hanging from the wall above it playing a movie we weren't paying attention to. There were five of us, I can't remember their faces except one. A girl with dark hair and dark eyes. She was mesmerizing. Her hair flowed across her shoulders framing her face perfectly. Her smile was slightly lopsided but seemed to only enhance her beauty. She laughed at a joke someone had said, none of their words made sense to me as i sat on the bed in front of them smiling and talking animatedly about the unknown topic
As we laughed her head rested on my shoulder and I fell into her lap, trying to get oxygen into my lungs. The others left to get something in the other room. We both began to sit up after finally catching our breath. Our eyes locked halfway. Our faces, so close together yet so far away. A slight smile slowly peaked its way onto her face. The emotions I felt towards her in that moment were indescribable. The overwhelming feeling of love. The need to be near her. The beating of my own heart could be heard by anyone.
I felt as if time had stopped as I stared at what could have only been created by God himself.The world around me seemed to melt away as we drew closer. The moment our lips touched I felt as if I had been sent straight to heaven. The feeling of pure bliss, no other moment in my life could be comparable. She pulled me closer until I was laying on her chest, staring into the windows of her soul. I felt so content and safe in that moment as if this was where I was created to be. It was as if she was a part of me. I felt that if I moved it would be like losing an arm, a feeling that I would never be whole again. The air arround her seemed to pull me in as if i had never breathed before and was drinking in as much if her as i could. Everything in that moment felt as if it was made for us. I continued to enjoy everything, sneaking small kisses here and there, cracking jokes in between. The feeling of selfless love for this person was permeating through my entire body as everything faded away...

For example, I do a haram thing and want to repent from it since death can happen anytime but even during my repentance and promising I won't do it again deep down I still want to and plan on doing it again as I can repent later and just do it as a cycle almost. I know this isn't right but I still wanted to know if my tawbah would still be accepted, since I still want to cleanse some portion of my heart before doing the sin again which would only blacken it way more from not repenting at all though.
Will also reciting Subhan Allah wa Bihamdiht 100 times or Surah Yusuf and other Surahs or Duas also forgive major sins or only minor? There is a hadith that mentions it will forgive your sins even if they are the foam of the sea. Sahih al-Bukhari 6405
I know this is not really right and sounds like I am exploiting God but I just wanted to know. Because sometimes I feel like there is also no point of repenting thing especially if I don't feel so guilty and feel like I have to force myself to feel guilty and cry to have it repented even though deep down I don't really feel that guilty and either I do make a promise or don't because I feel like it would be a false promise.

It's 2:04 and I want sleep but I'm so hurt I can't stand it anymore. I went to a party for a close friend of Mines but it made me realize I have so many issues. I barely turned 19 but I just want someone to hug me and care for me. I feel so desperate to want a parental figure to care for me and tell me they love me why did God make me feel so unlovable what did I do to deserve this. Even if God isn't real or not why did some higher being put me in such a bad environment. Why did God give me a mother who never gave me love never once told me she loved me or even showed it. All the things she's done to me and no mother should do I'm hurt and I just want a mom and dad. My father told me he's surprised he seen me make it this far(as in living) because he knew I struggled with depression all my life. (Iwas barely a junior in high school when he told me this) he never supported me through anything and doesn't seem to care. When I graduated they didn't show up none showed up only my sister and my nephew. Think the reason that made me have this breakdown was when my friend mentioned I was the peacemaker of my family and it hit me. I'm the youngest but why me I want someone to care as much as I do for my family. I'm jealous but I can't be. Everyone tells me I have this bored look to me everyone has told me I'm lazy or act lazy everyone has told me the same thing. I know I'm not I'm not I've worked so hard to be here just to live wake up go to work and act like everything is okay to act friendly with customers. But my self worth there's nothing in that jar nothing and I believe what everyone tells me. I feel so unlovable I feel like I'm not enough I'm not giving enough I'm not doing anything to push forward in life and yet I feel like I'm rotting away. Doesn't help that my family has a bunch of mental health problems (mom forsure has undiagnosed BPD for ex.) Doesn't help that I'm starting to think I have it too because the signs have been there since childhood and I feel like I'm going to turn like my mom and it scares me. I'm all over because I have no one to talk to about this even If I tell my sister there's only so much she can do. I'm bad luck with love and in life even if I attract love it's 100% bad.Yes I almost got into a relationship with a 26y old he waited to say he liked me when i turned 19(he met me when I was 18 but still). The final cherry on top is the brain fog for 2 years now I steal feel that felling and its the worst I feel tired even if I got 8 -10 hours of sleep. I forget so many things it makes me feel even more useless. Sometimes I wonder if I'll find love and met someone who's nice and treats me with respect. I just want them here now I want to be someone to hug me with kindness and love but why aren't they here. I feel so lonely the love I want is probably to much of a problem that cupid refuses to give it to me because he knows im not ready. I don't know anymore I just don't know what to do or say I feel stagnant about my life I'm question my identity again because I've walked on egg shells my entire life and tried to be someone I'm not. What did I do for me to not to get treated with love and not receive it. I'm tired now it's 2:56 I need sleep but I have so many things in my mind but my eyes hurt from crying while typing this down. I'm going to wake up in a few hours and make fun of myself for writing this all down but deep down in my stupid sarcastic,"peacemaker",nice and cold hearted heart I know it's true what I said. Sometimes I wish I can be vocal about my feelings towards people sometimes I wish I just caved in and brought down theses stupid walls I put up. I'll never know anything

Struggling or failing? It's time to own it. Nice guys hide their flaws, trying to put on a false impression of who they are in order to impress others. We don't do that. We're up-front and honest with the fact that we're sinners and failures. James 5:16 compels us to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another. 1 John 1:9 goes even a step further and makes confession a cornerstone of the Gospel - acknowledging that we are insufficient on our own. So, where are you failing? What do you need to confess?
To do this, it would be helpful to get to know how you're doing in a variety of areas. To that end, just as God is triune, he created us with three core parts of our being: our physical bodies, our heart/mind, and our spirit/soul. Try to cover all three. Use the questions in each category as inspiration, but roll with whatever you need to put out there.
PHYSICAL: How are you doing with lifting? Losing weight? Where's your body fat %? What have you been eating lately? How about your porn/alcohol/drug/cigarette/whatever use? Are you employing kino on your wife properly? Are you going too far with your girlfriend? How's your fashion sense? Are you still lounging around the house in gym shorts and using your ratty flip flops when you go out? How are you spending your time? How's your income doing? Your body is God's temple: are you reflecting that appropriately? For married men: how's your sex life?
MENTAL/EMOTIONAL: How have you been doing reading and learning new things? How's your frame? Do you still struggle with living up to someone else's expectations? Have you mastered Agree & Amplify? Amused Mastery? Negative Inquiry? STFU? Your DNGAF attitude? Are you failing fitness or comfort tests? How are you leading your wife/girlfriend this week? Do you feel pressure from any sources to do something or to act/not act a certain way? Are you depressed or lonely? Are you secure in your heart/mind that God's will is good, even if it's not what you want?
SPIRITUAL: How are you doing on the 7 basics? Rank yourself:

• Assurance of Salvation
• Quiet Time/Devotional
• Bible Study
• Scripture Memory
• Prayer
• Evangelism
• Fellowship

MISSION: Have you solidified your mission - and does it have eternal consequences or does it only affect this world? Does your mission extend beyond the home? Do you have someone discipling you? Are you discipling anyone else? Have you talked with your non-Christian friends about Christ recently? Are there parts of the Bible you're just not understanding? How are things going with your church or small group?
Again, these are all things just to get you thinking. Share where you're really struggling. We may give you some encouragement. We may kick you in the butt and tell you to get to work. Or we may leave you to meditate on your comment yourself. How we respond to your comment and update isn't the point. What matters is that you put it out there so you have a milestone to look back on next week - something where you can ask yourself: have I improved or not?

(Any sentences or phrases wrapped with brackets "[ ]" are designated as inner monologue!)
Thank you to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this wonderful literary universe!
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Memory transcription subject: Lemva, Venlil Archeologist
Date [standardized human time]: July 13, 2165
The attendant, Harold, had told me that there would be another passenger boarding shortly several minutes ago, and since then I couldn't keep still wondering who I was going to meet.As I sat on the couch, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation that Harold had just started with the other passenger. As I heard a new voice respond to Harold’s greeting my heart started beating faster. Wait, the voice sounded familiar…
My heart rate quickened as footsteps came closer down the hallway.A man wearing a black suit and indigo tie came walking around the corner and my heart fluttered a little as I looked up at his face.
“Lemva?”
“James?” I squeaked as I said his name. I jumped up off the couch and ran toward him, throwing my arms around him and nearly knocking him over. “Lemva!”
Looking up at him, I realized what I had just done, backing off slightly embarrassed. “James! I haven’t seen you in so long, what have you been up to?”
“Looking into ancient history, studying declassified documents, bringing back ancient history, that sorta thing.” James kneeled slightly and looked at me with a wide smile, I’d missed that smile so much. He opened his mouth to speak. “I wasn’t expecting to see you on this flight. It’s very good to see you!” “It’s good to see you too! So you’re one of the others that the UN’s invitation spoke of.” “It seems that way, yeah.” He chuckled slightly.
“I see you two are getting along well! I don’t even have to introduce you.” I realized Harold had been standing there watching the interaction the whole time. I straightened myself out, even more embarrassed than before. Harold chuckled. “Alright you two, we’re going to be taking off shortly. I’ll be in the cabin along with the captain. If you need me, press these buttons.” He handed us both a device with a singular blue button labeled “call”.
The man turned around and headed through the door leading to the cockpit. Leaving us alone. We both sat on a couch. James spoke, “So, do you know anything about the job being offered?” “I was going to ask you the same thing.” “Hmm, well we’re going to be in for a long flight, may as well catch up on some things.”
Me and James had known each other since we attended MIK, and had a lot of history. We met in the college’s history club, and quickly became friends. We both had a passion for learning about things that most others had forgotten, and theorizing about what life was like in ancient times. He didn’t know it but I had a huge crush on him at the time.
We stayed in contact long after we both got our doctorates, despite the large distances between us. Eventually James suddenly stopped contacting me, I never understood why. I had worried that it was something I did, that I had pushed him away. Then, after a while, he faded from memory, only existing in the back of my mind. I needed to know why. But not now, this was too soon.
“I know I already asked what you’ve been up to since we last spoke, but still. Discovered anything new?”
“Yeah, I got my hands on some recently declassified Fed info and artifacts around 8 months back. Studied them and found out they were ancient Gojid pottery, inscriptions described some sort of fertility god? Found some other inscriptions describing the site of an ancient Gojid city on The Cradle and got in contact with a dig team to go search there. Hit the motherlode and-” He spoke so enthusiastically about his findings. Just seeing him so happy about his work made me bloom, but thankfully he didn’t notice as he kept talking, waving his hands to emphasize his words. “-trying to find a museum that has the room for all of them.”
“Wow, that’s a lot more than what I’ve been doing.” “Really? Lemva hasn’t done anything interesting lately? I find that hard to believe.” James took on an amused expression. “Yes, really. I’ve been on vacation with my family for a little while, that’s all. It had been a while since I’d seen them.”
I could see his smile visibly lessen, he shifted his eyes, seeming to be deep in thought. Had I said something wrong? “Hey, are you okay?” I asked. “Yeah, I’m fine. Your mention of family brought back some… memories.” A singular tear formed below his left eye, before he looked away. I didn’t want to push, despite his failed attempt at hiding his sadness. “Oh, we can change the subject if you want.”
He wiped his eyes and shuddered, before straightening himself out. “No, it’s ok. You should probably know anyway. It’s part of the reason I haven’t talked to you in so long.” I was hoping to get some answers but now I didn’t know if I wanted to if it was making him this upset.
“A- alright, go ahead. You can stop at any time if you want to.” “Before I start I want to say how sorry I am for ghosting you.” He closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply. A somber expression filled his face as he opened his eyes. “Okay. You know my parents right? Bill and Angene?” “Yeah?” “A couple years back, I was doing a small job for a little town on Nishtal. Not much pay but that didn’t matter. This was during the time when the anti-human movement was in full effect.”
My heart stopped, I immediately knew where this was going.
“I wasn’t worried for them cause they were on Earth. I thought they would be away from the violence because the rioters would be too scared to be among so many ‘predators.’” His voice dripped with malice as he spat out the last word. He was always treated… differently from other people. Even so long after the war, “predator” hate was still common. He kept speaking. “Clearly I was wrong, or maybe one of those fucking rioters hated us too much to care about their own safety.” I only now noticed that he had been shaking as he spoke, but he suddenly stopped. He looked defeated, on the verge of a breakdown. “They were just bringing home groceries, that’s all. They were friendly and happy and polite and all they were doing was bringing home some things for dinner. But because they had committed the SIN of being born with forward facing eyes everyone hated them.” “On the phone the next day, I was told that my parents had been stabbed to death when walking home. I had to attend their funeral several days later, and that night the police took me in to meet their murderer. It took every ounce of energy that I could muster to not turn their disgusting little face to orange mulch.”
If anyone else had looked at James’ face at that moment, they would have seen nothing but a rabid animal looking for something to rip apart, but I didn’t see that. I saw a man that just wanted his parents back, a man that wished the world didn’t hate him. James crumpled over and started sobbing violently, and without thinking I got up and gave him the biggest hug my small arms could allow. He wrapped his muscular arms around me and buried his head into my wool, his sobs shaking my whole body. I stroked the back of his head in an attempt to comfort him, and tried doing those shushing sounds that human mothers do to calm down their children but ended up making a strange sputtering sound instead. I heard the sounds of giggling interspersed with the sobbing, leading into a fit of coughing from James. He lifted his face from my shoulder and stared into my eyes, still dripping tears but starting to smile now. He rested his chin back on my shoulder, and I gladly let him.
“I’ve missed you Lemva, you have no idea just how much I’ve missed you. I’m so sorry I left so quickly, I’m so sorry.” “I’ve missed you too James, and you don’t need to apologize, I understand. Why don’t we go drink some water and get some sleep, okay?” The man on my shoulder croaked out a hoarse “Okay” before slowly pulling himself off of me. We both got up and walked into the kitchen to grab some water. James chugged down several glasses before he was satisfied. We made our way to our separate bedrooms before saying goodnight to each other and closing our doors. I pulled the warm blankets over myself and laid my head down, exhausted from the short but intense emotional interaction. As thoughts floated through my mind, I drifted off into a deep sleep.
<<>>
I awoke to a familiar sensation, it felt as if I was standing in a shallow pool of oil. My eyes were met with black for as far as the eye could see, a seemingly endless floor of tar, and a distant orb of light. This sight had become less eerie and more frustrating the more times I had seen it. [Not this again…] I had been having this dream nearly every night for the past 3 weeks, ever since I had received the invitation from the UN. It was always the same. Endless void, endless black oil, a light always seeming within reach but always too far to catch. I decided to play along with the dream and walk towards the light, the faster I go through with this charade the faster I can wake up and talk to James again. My footsteps echoed into infinity as I waded through the sticky oil, the sensation was awful. I stopped and thought for a moment. [Know what? Fuck it, might as well do something different this time.] I turned around and walked away from the orb of light that had been taunting me for 3 weeks straight. As I walked, I could feel the texture beneath my paws slowly change. I looked down to notice that the tar floor I had grown accustomed to was now an endless field of silver sand. My paws were still sticky from the tar and were now covered with sand, great. As I stared down at the ground beneath me, it slowly started glowing brighter and brighter until it hurt my eyes. It was reflecting something.
I looked up to try to find the source of the light and stared in shock at the sight before me, despite the pain in my eyes. I could not turn away. [By the creator…]
Filling the darkness above me was a white dwarf, its brilliance seeming to burn away the darkness surrounding it. Burning streams of plasma buffeted sand in the distance, leaving only glass. I could feel it watching me, judging me. The air around me swirled and roared, picking up fragments of glass and flinging it against my face as I stood in awe. Clouds of silver shards swirled forever around me, scraping away my wool and flesh but I did not move. I could not turn away. The star seemed to fall toward me. I could not turn away. Instantly, the fury of the wind around me calmed, dropping mountains of the glittering sand onto the ground. The sands whispered to me, filling my mind with a single message.
“Find us. We await.”
<<>>
Date [standardized human time]: July 15, 2165
I stood alongside James near the airlock, we were finally here. It had been two days since I and James had boarded the ship, and we were finally on an approach to Aafa’s spaceport. I felt excited theorizing what job the UN had for us, but couldn’t help but notice a feeling of dread in the back of my mind. Aafa was the capital of the Federation before the UN Coalition began their occupation, and as a result there would probably be more xenophobia on the streets. Hopefully we wouldn’t have to stick around long enough to see it.
“Attention passengers, we are now breaking through the atmosphere, brace yourself on a nearby hand-rail or other stationary object until further notice.”
Me and James grasped the hand-rails tightly as the ship jostled through the turbulent atmosphere, the surface outside the airlock view-port slowly grew larger and larger as we descended. A beautiful city came into view as the clouds’ obfuscation subsided. I had been to Aafa twice in my life before and every time I saw its grand cities I felt a sense of wonder. I could feel the ship level out and slow down, we were almost docked. I felt a small jolt as the landing gear gently touched down on the landing pad.
Harold’s voice came through the PA system. “Alright you two, we’ve landed. I’ll be with you shortly to show you to your escort group.” James and I looked at eachother, I could see a glint of worry in his eyes. Though whether he was worried about the reactions of Aafa’s inhabitants or worried about his first impressions with such important UN personnel, I could not tell.
I heard the cabin door open far behind us and heard Harold’s footsteps make their way toward the airlock where we stood in wait. He stepped past us and took a position at the airlock door.“Welcome to Aafa.” Harold pressed a button and the blast-door slid open with a pneumatic hiss. “Follow me.” We walked down the ramp and onto the hangar bay floor. As my eyes wandered around the large room I noticed how much better kept this spaceport, or at least this hangar, was than the port on Venlil Prime or Earth. Harold took us through a door and into the main hall for this level.
As we made our way to the nearest elevator a kolshian man walked toward us, his gait taking on a menacing feel as he drew closer. When he saw me he smirked. “You sure you wanna keep walking with these predators, little lady? You’d be a lot safer with me instead of them.” I was astounded by how blatant this man was with his opinions. I tried to respond calmly to the man but couldn’t hide my offense. “No thank you, I’m perfectly fine walking with these “predators” thank you. Speak your xenophobia to someone who cares to listen.” The kolshian’s smirk disappeared as he walked toward me faster. Harold’s arm shot out in front of me, blocking the man from getting any closer, the chipper smile he usually displayed was gone from his face. “Please leave sir, we have things to attend to.” The kolshian’s angry expression intensified. “I’m not taking orders from any damn predator.” I could see the man pulling out an object from behind his back. Before I could react, I heard a sickening crunch as Harold’s fist connected with the kolshian’s face, and the man tumbled to the ground. I heard a sound as the knife we were about to be stabbed with clattered to the ground, the tentacle he had been using to wield it clutching his bleeding face. Harold in a swift motion kicked away the knife and put the kolshian in a choke hold while a group of UN security officers rushed over. Two officers cuffed the bleeding kolshian and another walked up to Harold most likely to ask for an explanation.
Harold put back on his usual cheerful expression as he turned to speak to us.“You two head down to the first floor, your escort group and the other 2 invitees will be waiting in the main lobby, they should be pretty obvious to spot. I’ll catch up soon but I have to explain the situation with security.” I turned to look at James as we hurried to the elevator. I could tell he was angry, but he had a glint of satisfaction in his eyes, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little similar. James scrolled down the list of floors on the screen and selected the number 1. The Aafa spaceport was easily the largest structure I had ever seen, I guess there wasn’t enough room for 400 buttons. As the elevator descended, James spoke.
“Hey Lem, you ok?” “Yeah, my heart’s beating pretty fast though. Who knows what would have happened if Harold wasn’t with us.” “Yeah, did you see how fast he handled that? Guy must be a veteran or something.” The idea brought a question to the surface of my mind that I had been pondering since I first received my invitation. “Yeah… I’ve been wondering why we’ve been treated so well ever since we got aboard the ship. I mean, we’re just a couple historians, why spend so much on the ship and all the protection? What could this job possibly be?” As I spoke, James stared past the transparent wall of the elevator and into the city skyline, he seemed to be deep in thought. “Yeah I’ve been thinking about that too… I don’t think we’ll have to theorize for much longer though, just a short drive and we can ask whoever invited us.”
My attention was brought back to reality as a DING sounded from the doorway, indicating that we were at the ground floor. The doors slid open silently and revealed a veritable swarm of people walking through the main hallway loop, several people of different species squeezed into the elevator we were just in as we walked out. James and I followed the signage on the walls for several minutes and entered into the main lobby, where we could see a group of humans with a Gojid in the middle. The humans wore black suits and sunglasses, I could also barely make out earpieces and microphones hidden among their clothing. They reminded me of the secret agents in the human spy movies I enjoyed watching. They must be our escort group.
We approached the menacing humans and they turned to look at us. Before I could speak up I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Harold catching up with us. “Sorry for leaving you alone for a bit. I’ll talk with your escorts.” Harold walked up to the closest escort and flashed a badge at them, turning around once the mysterious man nodded. The escort spoke something into his earpiece but I couldn’t quite make it out. “Well, I’d best be going to sort out matters with the captain. I’ll meet up with you later.” Harold handed us off to the mysterious entourage and walked back into the crowd.
One of the bodyguards spoke up. “Follow me and don’t stray off course, we’ll be taking you to the senate building.” As our guards escorted us to our vehicle, I spoke to the gojid accompanying us. “Hi, my name is Lemva, this is James. Are you one of the other people invited by the UN?” The gojid spoke up in a soft voice. “Yeah, though for what reason I do not know why. My name is Cayek by the way, nice to meet you. Do you mind if we get some introductions out of the way before we arrive at the senate building?” James responded first and stretched out his arm for a handshake. It took a second for Cayek to reciprocate. “Sure! As Lemva told you, my name is James. I was born on Earth and currently live on Venlil Prime. I’m a historian and got my doctorate at MIK, where I met Lemva. We’ve known each other quite a while. I like coffee and hate the ocean.” “Oh cool, I attended there too! Got my doctorate in linguistics. When did you attend?” “Sent in an application in 2140, as soon as it opened. Got accepted around a month later.” “Nice, that was around when I joined too. We must not have crossed paths often. Though your face does seem vaguely familiar.” Cayek looked at me and I began speaking. “My name’s Lemva, though I already said that. I attended MIK with James. Went there to get a doctorate in archeology. Was born on Venlil Prime and I’ve moved too many times to count, but my latest home is on Earth.”
I noticed that we had reached our ride. Our vehicle was a black limousine, it looked slightly larger than others I had seen, perhaps it was armored? One of the guards escorting us, who I could only assume was the one in charge, opened the side door and we all crawled inside. Cayek, James, and I settled in our seats and the guard closed our doors before entering through a door closer to the front to sit facing us. The guard sat unnaturally still, staring directly at us as the vehicle drew out of the underground parking area, making me feel uneasy. I looked over at James and Cayek, they seemed just as uncomfortable as I. The ride to the Senate building was silent.
I watched the buildings glide past us as we drove down Main, toward the Capitol. The large dome shaped building grew larger as we crept closer. Nervousness invaded my mind as I wondered what the task we had been chosen for was. Why did the UN spend so much to get us here? What’s with all the security? Why us? We had reached our destination. The limousine passed through several security gates and slowed to a halt at the entrance of the grand building. The guard that had been staring at us spoke, “We’ve arrived, please exit the vehicle and follow me. As you enter the building you’ll undergo several security checks to make sure you don’t have any weapons or banned items. Don’t worry, this is all standard procedure.” Two guards who had been waiting to the side of the entrance walked over to the car and opened the side doors, allowing us to crawl out. Though it had only been a 5 minute car ride, it felt like I had been stuck in that cramped vehicle for hours.
We walked toward the entrance of the titanic building, a large podium with a hologram of the Coalition logo orbiting an artistic depiction of our sector of the galaxy stood just before the doors. The first time I had gone to Aafa as a child, the podium had supported a large statue of Chief Nikonus, the president of the Federation at the time of the war. Good riddance. Our group stepped past the threshold of the senate building and submitted for the security checks that our escort had told us about. As soon as we were cleared, we were led to one of several large doors, it looked like an oversized elevator. Inside was a holographic display of the building showing us our current position, along with a small keypad to the side. I braced myself for the elevator to start ascending as our escort input some numbers into the pad but nearly fell over when it unexpectedly started moving sideways. James chuckled amusedly and I looked at him with a mock pouty face, my tail flicking in slight annoyance. Our escort tried to wipe a tiny smirk off his face as he helped me back to my feet. “We had these installed after a couple instances of people passing out trying to navigate around. Most Coalition species don’t have the amount of endurance humans do and this building is quite large.”
Several moments later the tram came to a halt and the doors slid open. The escort chaperoned us down a short hallway with a decently sized wooden door at the end. I braced myself for whoever would be behind it. Impressions were of utmost importance when meeting government officials. However, I was not prepared for who I would see as the door swung open.
Is that an Arxur?
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The maw of the moss-wolf chomped down on the treat, its partner patiently waiting its turn, an eye trained on the Human providing the sustenance. Joseph reached into the pouch, counting out what he had left and mentally setting a few aside for the raven-like birds that Scarlet had trained to bother him.
Well, ‘bother’ might be a strong word. They would whistle at him and wait for food. Upon getting their hard sought quarry, they would return to share it with the rest. Surprisingly cooperative, all things considered. Scarlet had apparently been getting them to associate certain short melodies with members of the pack, allowing her to send the avians after whoever she wanted for more snacks.
If they didn’t get any, then they would yell something not dissimilar to a caw until either food was procured, or they grew bored. Given that they had taken to humouring Violet in her attempts to be a mobile perch, that usually took a while.
It drove Nalah nuts, which seemed to be part of the reason the blond-furred female was included in the ritual at all. Harrow was apparently the favourite target of the nuisance when she was outside the base, but he couldn’t say why.
The tell-tale scratching had been somewhat muted since the shift in medium, but Violet’s writing was always something he kept an ear out for, his daughter presenting her tablet excitedly. [It blinked!]
He turned his head to the cow-looking thing, the unwavering stare held until he gave up. “I swear you guys are just messing with me.”
“Or we merely enjoy your suffering,” Sahari suggested with a smirk, the black-furred female standing taller than him for a moment as she stretched her legs out. Settling into a height that was level with him, she attempted to offer the wolves food. Receiving a fearful retreat instead, the black-furred female frowned, the two canines shifting in their enclosure to be closer to Joseph and Violet. “They still seem to distrust any but yourselves.”
He shrugged, taking the scrap from her and giving it to the young Atmo to pass along, her chittering laugh when the wolves accepted the morsel breaking the soft sound of trickling rain outside the barn. “Faye was the one who started this. I guess they treat her like an alpha of sorts, and seeing her bow to the two of us so often told them that she’s lower on the pole. That’s my guess, anyway.”
“That is….rather intelligent of them, if so,” Sahari commented pensively.
The Grand Hunter tipped his head in agreement. If anything, it was an understatement. The six-legged canines were remarkably receptive to taming, though he couldn’t say how much of that was due to Faye taking to his suggestion so seriously. He had only offered it as a passing thought, but she had set to it like their god had mandated it.
He fought back a sigh at the reminder of his placement in the whole thing, his foot kicking the ground to adjust the new sandals he was wearing until Pan finished proper shoes.
One day, he was a divorcee flirting with random women on a cruise ship so that the rejection validated his own self-esteem issues. The next, he was a guy in charge of a settlement nearing one hundred people and had become a manifestation of religion condensed into the form of some random moron.
He snorted at a morbid thought. How would Emma react to his ‘rise to fame?’ His acquisition of more than they had ever thought for themselves back on Earth?
Owning a territory? They could only manage a nice apartment that could fit several times over inside the base. Friends? Hell, he had a group of people who have helped him through some of the worst the planet had to offer. Kids...well, nothing could replace Violet. He doubted Emma would see it the same way, though.
A paw enclosed his shoulder, dragging his mind from more sombre thoughts. It had been quite a while since everything fell through and he had moved on, but it still stung every now and again.
“What ails your mind, Joseph?” Sahari asked with a concerned inflection. He looked over at her, a smile becoming easier after a moment.
“Just wondering how my ex-wife would react to seeing what I’ve turned into. What she’d say to all of this,” he admitted honestly with a wide gesture to everything. She patted his back, a small pride in her gaze.
“You continue to heal, Grand Hunter, but you are still scarred. Your previous mate would curse her decisions were she to see what you have accomplished.”
He snorted, a wide dry grin breaking out. “I’d love to see her face going back with two alien wives and this sweetheart as a daughter,” he teased, giving Violet a thorough rub on the head. She purred, chittering between breaths as she fought off the rough affection playfully while keeping her blades tucked for safety.
The black-furred female tilted her head and shifted her weight to her other foot. “You’ve mentioned that there is a specific procedure for binding the lives of your people, no?”
He blinked, his mind flickering to the two rings he had prepared, yet held some modicum of expectation around before he whipped them out. Not least of all was the foreign sensation of doing it again twice, nor finding an appropriate time to do it. It was hard to pick a picturesque moment when each day was paperwork, punching people in the face during spars, and orchestrating the well-being of such a large group. Given that the closest thing he could get to a romantic occasion was laying down on the grass while Nalah barked orders at the construction crews in the distance, he didn’t feel like it was ever a good time to ask. It was even harder picturing himself doing it to the two of them, as if it cheapened the gesture in some way.
Then there was the part of himself that feared rejection—as stupid as it sounded. They could deny the alien practice, not share the same sentiment, or any number of disagreements that would render him kneeling like an idiot. As unlikely as it was, it could even be too great a commitment for them, the implication of their entire lives being pledged solely to him being a crushing weight, rather than a promise of mutual loving dedication.
Sure, now they were speaking as if it was the case, but the circumstances as they were lent themselves to it being a product of necessity. Who was to say that it would remain the same once they got off this rock and—hopefully—in touch with their own people again. Would they still feel the same way with an entire species back on the table as possible romantic partners? Would he still be enough?
“Joseph,” Sahari called out with worry and irritation in equal parts. “You are making me anxious.”
“Hm? Oh, sorry,” he apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he was reminded that more than one person could be afflicted by his emotional state. She placed a paw to her hip.
“Are the proceedings really such a means for strife?”
“Ah, no, it’s just…” He averted his eyes, offering Violet a token smile when she seemed to be concerned about him. He inhaled deeply. “It’s just…I have reservations about it.”
She raised a brow. “I need not a bond to know you care for them deeply enough to toss your life to the Void for them.”
His weak smile faltered further. “Well, yeah. They mean everything to me, but I cant help but remember how things went last time, I guess. There’s a million and one ways it could go up in smoke, and I…” He fell quiet for a moment, Violet pressing herself into his side in an attempt to cheer him up. He rested a hand against her back, the texture comforting in a way. “I want it to be an important moment in our lives, rather than some disposable token that they accept without thinking much. It’s not like they’re swimming in potential romantic partners here, so it feels like they’d be agreeing for lack of options.”
She stared at him with a hesitant expression, her cheek pinched between her teeth and eyes narrowed in thought. “Pan would sooner end her own life than be separated from you, and Tel would end any who so much as suggested such,” she stated finally. “To you, the mark upon your flesh is but a sting that fades. To them, it is their declaration that they have found their reason to live. A declaration that is shown to all others of our people the moment they draw near. Though Pan lacks the means to impart her own, she is rather pleased that another is able to in her stead and treats it as her own for all intents.”
She grabbed him roughly by the arm, pulling him into her breast as she stood to her full height, a surprised yelp stifled by soft clothing and fur.
“Unfortunately for you, openly voiced or not, we all feel as such. Though you bear not the mark of everyone in the den, I assure you that to be removed from you would leave us lesser, regardless of bond.”
He shut his mouth at the last addition. There was a weight behind knowing that people were likely to simply give up on living if you were away for too long. It put the relationship in front of a loaded gun for both parties. They couldn’t afford to break it off from him because existing would become a living hell, and he couldn’t change his mind for any reason because it would be the same as killing them.
What kind of marriage was one built upon such fragile pillars? How could they be happy when every fight was tempered by the threat of the end of everything? What about Sahari? Could she ever pursue her own life with Nalah when she had the bond shackling her to him? How long until that became a stinging poison, rotting away the veins and arteries of her psyche? How long until death became preferable to being around him?
A strong impact to his stomach winded him, though the unnoticed hyperventilating left him little to eject as he fell to his knees. Violet clicked in surprise, the wolves backing away at the unexpected violence.
He coughed, sputtering spittle as he fought the urge to evacuate his breakfast. A pained glance up revealed Sahari still clutching a fist, her expression just as hurt.
“You hear my words and twist them, Joseph,” she chastised softly, crouching to look at him better. “We pledged our lives to you. Not because we had no choice, but because we believed you to be our future. From that moment on, our desire was to remain with you.” Her voice grew weak, almost pleading. She placed her forehead to his, the contact an intimate touch. “Your experiences may suggest our bond a prison, but for us, it is an ambrosia for our soul. It completes us like no equal. Jax and Harrow care for you immensely, Nalah and myself owe you everything that we are, and your mates will fight the Hunt Mother herself if it would mean even one more sun with you.”
He found himself speechless, wading through the emotions behind her words a syllable at a time. The feeling of Violet pressing into his back in an embrace stung as much as soothed, his mind rejecting the idea, yet so desperate to accept it.
“Do not desecrate our affections because you had been scorned by one who did not see within you that which we covet,” she implored sombrely, raw emotion oozing through the confines of speech. “Though you doubt it, none would know how much value you place in the ‘mark’ of your people more than your mates. If merely thinking about the unlikely event that they refuse tortures you so deeply, than the elation they would share with you when they agree would likely see Pan unable to contain herself for many suns after.”
He stayed on his knees, the warmth surrounding him from both sides seeping within and thawing the frozen excuses he held onto to prevent exposing himself to potential rejection. Every step of the way since he had met them, it had made him fearful of losing their company. At first, the thought of being left alone to brave the planet was too much to bear, but he would try. Now? Now he felt like he understood where the minds of those bonded Lilhuns had been. Even considering being away from his new loved ones pulled at a primal part of himself, each tug stronger than the last, each suggestion fanning the flames barricaded behind morals—the depths he would trudge to see it never come to pass.
Sahari nuzzled into his neck for a moment before parting, a somewhat satisfied smile given towards the emotionally fragile Human they had taken to depending on. He returned his own, though it was tinted with a bit of embarrassment.
Violet stepped back to allow him room to stand, the extended joint of her blade asking to be held like he did with her adoptive mother. His expression softening, he did as requested, lightly rubbing the smooth surface with his thumb. It soothed a part of him to be holding his daughter’s ‘hand’ while they watched the wolves slowly approach the front of their enclosure again, now that the momentary intensity had faded.
With a self-deprecating roll of his eyes, he nodded, promising himself to follow through with his small wish the next time the chance revealed itself. It didn’t need to be perfect, but it would be nice if it was at least private. The dull ache in his stomach would be a reminder not to second guess himself anyway.
The wolves yipped, ignoring Sahari as they moved towards the other corner. Joseph glanced at where they were focused, his curious gaze replaced by surprise, then shock.
Raine supported Faye over her shoulder, the deep gold-furred female’s breath short as she rested her weight over her brown-furred counterpart, their black leather coats dripping water onto the floor as it wrapped tightly around them, concealing their armour. A steady trickle of blood flowed from a long gash on Faye’s leg, her free arm clutching across her breast to keep her coat closed.
Without waiting for either to speak, he ran to pick up the Wraith, slinging her across his shoulders and tearing off to the base. He could barely hear Sahari over the rain and his own blood pounding through his ears, his heart hammering in his chest. Though they had established something of a clinic for minor injuries that were sustained constantly, his singular focus was getting Faye into the medbay.
Pack members cleared the way, some jumping to the side as he barrelled through the sparely populated routes between home and workplace. More than one tripped over themselves in shock, the Human never having a reason to go at a full sprint before. He was slower than a Lilhun like this, but he could make it the full distance before them. He didn’t need to slow down.
Harrow pushed open the doors to the hub, her distant expression as she examined thin ironwood tablets perking, his rapid heavy footfalls telling of his arrival before she had the chance to see him. Her eyes lit up, her brows furrowed, and a hurried pull of the door kept it open for him, all in sequence. He didn’t have the spare breath to explain or thank her.
The orange-furred female bolted across the hub, slamming into the crash-bar installed into the facilities wing entrance to force it open, only barely outpacing the Grand Hunter in his rush. She staggered to her feet behind him, rushing to collect herself and assisting in tearing the pants off of the injured female when Joseph laid her on the bed.
Modesty being the least of his concerns, he braced an arm across her pelvis to stop her hips from bucking as Harrow wiped off any dried blood to see the extent of the damage on her thigh.
“What happened?”
He tightened his hold on Faye as his friend tentatively spread the wound to check for debris. “Don’t know. Didn’t ask. Saw her bleeding, rushed her here,” he answered through deep breaths, each strike of his adrenaline-fuelled heart pressing against his lung capacity.
Harrow frowned, grabbing some sterile water to pour over the wound and picking out a stray splinter of wood that looked to be from her missing leg armour. Faye let out a small whine, but didn’t have it in her to talk yet, signs of exhaustion and pain unfocusing her eyes.
The Head of Technology—and current medical expert in the room—pursed her lips against her muzzle. “We need to stitch it. It’s too big for just healroot.”
Joseph nodded, easing his weight off the Wraith and wiping his sweat from his brow. “Pan!”
Noticing the urgency in his voice, he could hear her throw the door to the sewing room wide open and jog to the medbay, her wide eyes steeling as she assessed the situation.
“Idee with you?”
She nodded, ears turned perfectly towards him.
“One of you boil off some palm string, the other sterilize the thinnest quill you can get away stitching a wound closed with. I don’t care who, but we need one of you to close this up.” He glanced at Harrow. “Grab some alcohol. I keep a bit in the closet in my room, next to the old crossbow prototypes. We need to flush this out and kill off anything that might have gotten in.”
The orange-furred female tipped an ear in confusion as Pan took off to do as he asked. “I thought you didn’t have medical-”
“I’ve been around enough workplace injuries, okay? Go!”
His shout jolted her into action, a few steps required to gain traction as she ran out the door. Applying solid pressure to the wound with one hand, he used the other to lightly tap Faye’s cheek.
“Faye? Faye, you with me?”
Her eyes languidly turned to him, slow blinks and meaningless mouthing ceased, a soft smile forming under her pained expression. “Hello, sir.”
He exhaled a relieved huff. “Welcome home, Faye. What happened?”
She seemed confused by his question, glancing down to her leg after a few seconds. With widened eyes, she struggled to sit up, Joseph forcibly pressing her to the bed.
“Stay.”
All resistance disappeared in an instant, her body complying despite the obvious urgency. He hardened his expression.
“What happened?”
She breathed deeper a few times before speaking. Each word was hesitant, as if the memory was hazy and diluted, though he couldn’t tell if it was due to blood loss or exhaustion. “A large grey beast…teeth, large mouth...attacked wolves...”
His brow knitted, Faye’s coat moving. A small whine came from her again…no. Not her.
A small yellow canine head freed itself from the confines of black leather, a weak keening produced from a tiny moss-wolf. Faye looked at him guiltily, a pleading look in her eyes given as she composed herself.
“It lost its parents…”
His protest died in his voice, a distant memory of a wolf being torn in two came to mind. The time before they had even moved to the pod, let alone met the Lilhuns, him and Violet checking snares shortly after his ankle had healed. A time so long ago, yet remained with him under the surface.
“You saved this little guy, huh?” he asked gently, wincing in tandem with her own when he leaned heavier on the massive gash in her thigh. She nodded, averting her eyes. “Did you get the ‘beast?’”
Faye shook her head. “Raine lured it away, but it still remains.”
“That’s fine. You’re back, that’s all that matters right now.”
Harrow bumped into the doorway, failing to shed all of her speed as she returned from fetching a smaller container that Joseph kept in case the rest of the pack burned through their stores of alcohol. Her eyes flicked to the wolf pup before disregarding it to hand him the ethanol. He lifted his hand, Harrow pouring some water to wash off the blood. Volta would be busy later, it seemed.
Gesturing for the orange-furred female to hold the leg down, he poured the alcohol into the wound, grimacing at Faye’s pained gasp. They didn’t have anything for her to bite into, but that would be a future consideration.
Pan and Idee entered the medbay, the former moving like a machine with purpose while the visiting seamstress took a moment to size up the situation. The Paw fetched a tray from the shelf, laying out several strings of softened palm and a few thin quills, threading one and passing it to Idee. The light brown-furred female accepted it, Harrow making room as she stood next to Joseph.
Pan handed him a tough leather strip as wide as his palm. Seems like she saw the problem before he did.
“Open up,” he prodded, placing the leather between Faye’s teeth. “This is going to fucking suck. We don’t have anything to numb you, so you need to stay as still as possible, okay? I’ll be here the whole time.”
The Wraith nodded, staring at him for a moment before closing her eyes in acceptance, her grip on the pup firming.
“Want me to take the wolf?”
She lightly shook her head, him exhaling hesitantly in response. Idee readied herself, looking to him for confirmation, Pan holding Faye’s ankle flat to the bed.
“You’re good,” he responded, pressing an arm to Faye’s chest and hips to hold her down.
The deep gold-furred female managed a quiet muffled groan of pain as the quill pierced her flesh.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
He entered the hub, dropping himself on the couch and ignoring the sweat on his brow. He had only just managed to get the blood off of his hands after Idee finished, but it was still staining his clothing. Pan was off to rinse it out of her fur while Faye slept off her exhaustion. As far as they could tell, she had avoided any infection thanks to Raine half-dragging the female back to them as quickly as she did. The wolf pup was staying with her for now, since—even in her sleep—she refused to let it go. The little guy didn’t seem to be complaining, so they just left it where it was comfortable. Ferra would be by later to check it out, apparently, and he didn’t see a reason to complain; she was their animal expert.
Scarlet offered him some tea, the warm liquid whetting his pallet that had since dried. Sahari had checked on them during the process, leaving to keep anyone who had questions in the loop. Given that half the damn pack either saw or heard about the Grand Hunter running like a bat out of hell, pretty much everyone was worried. Either about some urgent threat that might befall them, or about one of the quiet servants they had grown used to seeing around.
Looked like the Wraiths had taken to offering small services and assistance to people who needed it when they didn’t have anything better to do, so the pack was curious about what had happened. It was a small blessing that the usual armour they wore when ‘on duty’ was covered by the cloaks, otherwise he would have more questions coming that he didn’t want answered.
Raine stood a few paces in front of him, her bowed posture holding a hint of fear under his unwavering stare. He waited for whoever else was going to show up for the report, Tel and Pan insisting that they be involved. Harrow followed behind the two entering from the facilities wing, either because she had gotten wrapped up in the whole thing, or because she wanted to be included.
Pan sat to his left, Tel taking a place behind him to remain standing. Harrow surprised him, her recently elusive presence firmly displaced as she dropped onto the couch to his right, her tail curling around his calf—not that she seemed to notice.
Given that both Tel and Pan trapped a limb or two with their tails regularly, he didn’t stop to put thought into it, the encapsulating appendage crossing him as a common occurrence.
“I don’t know how accurate it was, since she’s still pretty out of it, but Faye said one of those grey bear-deathtraps attacked some wolves before she stepped in to save the pup,” he opened, glancing at Scarlet. The almost black red-furred female was maintaining a surprisingly commanding presence, her attention laser-focused on Raine. The brown-furred Wraith kept her gaze fixed to the floor, too ashamed or nervous to move it.
“I apologize for her error in her stead,” she announced, the slightest of grip in her folded paws digging her claws into her skin. “The fault is also mine for not preventing her misstep. I will accept any punishment for our mistake.”
He exhaled heavily. “I’m not mad that you guys had an original thought, Raine. I’m worried about those iron-maiden-looking fucks being around again, and I’m concerned about you getting hurt.”
“Of course, sir. Forgive me for the arrogance of assuming your priorities.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, Pan squeezing his thigh in support. Tel rested her head on his, the weight somehow comforting despite the grin at his annoyance. “We can talk about not getting yourselves killed later. Are you injured at all?”
Raine’s ear twitched. “No, sir. I am whole.”
“Good,” he sighed, nodding lightly. “That’s good. Faye’s patched up for now, but she’ll be under observation to keep on top of any possible infection. How did the ‘mission’ go?”
The Wraith perked up a bit, the conversation moving away from her perceived failure. She produced a satchel, pulling a rather thick stack of tablets from it and passing them to Scarlet, the latter ferrying them to Harrow. He thought it was an odd choice, but the orange-furred female started giving him an abbreviated translation of the text.
Line after line of transactions. What was offered and received, any debts and who owed them, as well as small notes about what should be brought next time. It was a comprehensive copy of the ledger that the trading caravan kept. His brows raised at the sheer density of information, and for them getting it from something he was only partially sure existed.
“You managed to get this much?” he asked in disbelief. “Jesus. Were you caught?”
Raine shook her head. “If we were to be seen by them, we would be nothing more than a stain against our Blademaster.”
Compliment or boasting, doing this much was damn impressive. Especially with just the two of them.
“Shit. Well, good fucking job, I guess,” he managed, still reeling a bit from the unintended scope of the task. Harrow continued to dig through the report, though stopped voicing it aloud. Joseph turned his attention back to the Wraith. “Anything else of note? Rumours?”
The Wraith grew pensive. “Though we returned partially through their return trip to Grand Hunter Pernel, we did overhear some conversations. There were discussions of other packs simply no longer occupying their settlements.”
He leaned forward in his seat, dislodging Tel as his elbows rested against his knees. “What do you mean?”
“Some of their usual trade locations were purportedly burned down, others merely abandoned. A few were apparently littered with corpses,” she explained more steadily. “From what we could gather, the reason they came to trade with our settlement at all is that the others along the way were in such states. It seems they intended to restock and head back out immediately to accommodate the loss in trading partners.”
He bit his lip as he thought about it, letting himself fall back against the couch.
“What do you guys think of it?” he asked with a glance to his mates. Pan seemed to be mirroring his own apprehension openly, while Tel kept a more serious expression.
“I believe there is something larger happening,” Tel concluded, taking a few seconds before returning to using him as a headrest. Pan nodded her agreement, but didn’t have much to add to it otherwise.
“It would explain how desperate they were for food,” he mused aloud, raising a brow when Harrow shifted to lean against him, one foot placed on the edge of the seat forcing the posture. “Any details of interest, Harrow?”
The orange-furred female jolted, only just stopping from moving her foot back to the floor before committing to using him as a backrest. She turned back-on fully, stretching her legs over the remainder of the seat and placing tablets she had finished with on her lap.
“It didn’t take very long for the methods you sold to propagate,” she responded, holding up a few of the tablets before laying them in their own pile. “Looks like Pernel has been spreading it around by buying some from places that have bows and snares to sell where they don’t.”
“Supply and demand, or arming people with the tools that would help them survive?”
“Hard to trade with the dead,” Harrow commented dryly, starting a new pile. He nodded in exaggerated fashion.
“What about the Atmo?”
She tapped the small stack she just started. “I’m trying to separate these by inventory type. Give me a bit.”
Deciding to trust the woman in charge of managing this kind of thing while she was on the ship, he glanced back to Raine, the female easily mistaken for a statue if not for the subtle sway of her breathing. “The grey-bear-thing. How far away is it?”
“Too close,” she responded firmly. “We did not get a chance to verify their numbers, but there was evidence of at least that singular beast making our territory its hunting ground.”
“Fuck,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “We’re going to need to hunt that thing down.”
Pan looked worried at the prospect, Harrow stiffened in her sorting. The Wraiths were the only ones who seemed completely at ease with the suggestion, Tel not so much as twitching. Harrow laid down the tablets she had yet to categorize, her gaze aimed at her lap.
“Joe, don’t think that taking one out is easy.”
“We have ranged weapons and more than a few people who can use them,” he pointed out with a breath. “Ideally, we go as a larger hunting party and take the damn thing down through sheer volume of fire.”
“Their skin is tough,” Harrow replied with a shake of her head, her ears pivoting back towards him. “I don’t know if our bows could pierce it as easily as we might like.”
He furrowed his brow. “So, what? Let it close in until it eats everything and starves us out? Until it thinks we look tasty?”
“I don’t know. I’m just saying that this won’t be as simple as firing a few arrows and patting ourselves on the back for a job well done.”
Joseph felt the stiffness of his brow start to hurt from how tight they were knitted. A deep breath centred his thoughts. “We’ll arrange an armoured hunting party soon. Better to take it down before it becomes an issue.”
The orange-furred female nodded, quickly leafing through the remaining tablets and only pulling two more out for the pile she indicated earlier.
“Here,” she said, tapping the stack. “These are records for trading Atmo.”
He suppressed the sigh when he genuinely tried to read the mess they called a language. “How many? Who bought them?”
She hesitated, reforming the copy of the ledger—sans the relevant tablets—and placing it on the floor. The remainder in paw, she held them up over her shoulder, Tel accepting it and going over the contents with an interested tilt of her head.
“From what I can see here, Pernel traded two hundred.”
“Two…” he squeaked, his eyes wide. “Two hundred?”
She nodded, pacing around the couch to stop in front of Pan. “It seems others heard of his willingness to barter for them. He accepted quite a few deals before selling them off again.”
“To who?”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The door to the ship closed with a hiss, Willin shaking his head at Nav’s questioning gaze. “Nothing.”
Tech removed her CARDs, storing them in the weapons locker before shrugging off her AMR to place in its own unit. “Nothing living, anyway.”
“That bad?” Nav asked, deflating after yet another failed attempt to contact a settlement. The dark green-furred male stored his rifle, seating it into its receptacle with a click.
“Tell Comms to add another eighty to the count.”
“Four hundred eighty-two,” the purple-furred female supplied as she walked past Nav to enter the ship proper. Willin followed after, hanging his pistol holster on the side of his chair as he dropped into it.
“Thirty were covered in wounds, twenty or so were executed, twenty-five looked to have died of accumulated trauma, and the rest were found with singular cuts to the throat.”
“Not quite,” Tech remarked, interfacing with the systems. “Only eight of the ‘executed’ seem to have been done up close.”
“Sniper?” Comms asked as he entered the room, nodding his greetings and taking a seat at his station. Nav crossed their arms and leaned against the doorway as Tech Ops ran some numbers on her screen.
“Wounds are consistent with Anti Material Rifles, and debris suggest they took the ‘material’ part into consideration with their shots. There were a few holes in the buildings that didn’t quite get removed by the fires.”
“Covering evidence?” Willin mused aloud, receiving a thoughtful shake of her head.
“No, I don’t think so. My guess is that the buildings were already on fire when they did it, based on the splinters around the exit holes.”
Comms’ eyes widened in surprise. “Shooting through a burning building? That is rather impressive.”
“Blades?” Nav suggested. “Avalon is required to act against those who break the treaty, no?”
“Maybe,” Tech allowed tentatively. “If it was them, then that would explain the lack of targets.”
Willin scratched at his ear, furrowing his brow as Comms ran another scan for any communications being made. Though a few suns had passed since they had unwittingly agreed to involve themselves in what was likely the first case of war that this planet had ever seen, nothing was being sent anywhere. Regardless, the male kept the scans regular, just in case.
Nav switched the foot they were resting on. “Why not just dispose of everyone breaking the treaty?”
“Maybe they did,” Comms commented, turning back to the conversation as the program ran in the background. “Blades typically function under strict conditions. If they removed anyone who was commanding the hostile action, then they did as required of them. The moment the attack stopped, they completed the terms of the treaty.”
“Or if the Grand Hunter here surrendered and allowed their pack to be subsumed,” Willin proposed, the others glancing at him in curiosity. He waved a paw dismissively. “If everyone in the conflict becomes a single pack, then any fighting from those who still disagree with it is now an internal dispute, thus outside of the purview of the Blades. Check the notes on Grand Hunter Toril and High Hunter Bratik.”
Tech’s eyes unfocused for a moment as she accessed the system. “Avalon is forbidden from interfering with internal politics. Toril was sheltered by Bratik. Since Bratik was from outside of Toril’s pack, it counted as acting against their right to manage their own affairs. Hasen was given a perfect reason to take over, and it forced Grand Hunter Trill to exile the both of them to adhere.” She looked around the room aimlessly as she thought, her eyes snapping to Willin when he spoke.
“And a perfect loop-hole to exploit. Toril loses his supporters, Trill loses a member of his command structure, and Hasen rises in power while leaving Avalon to grit their teeth.” He shook his head, both impressed and disgusted. “Once he attacks another pack, he just forces a vassalage and subsequently executes the new High Hunter for whatever reason he wants. The Blades can’t act on a technicality.”
“So Grand Hunter Pernel….”
Willin nodded at Comms' unfinished question. “In the count.”
“There was a bit of a weird holding area,” Tech added after a moment. “Seemed like somewhere to hold livestock, but even then, it was a bit big. I’m not sure what used to be there, but tracks suggest carts left with whatever it was not long before everything went down, so probably a trade caravan.”
“Well, at least someone made it out,” Nav sighed, pushing off the wall to resume their station. “Where are we going next?”
Willin toyed with the odd silver tablet in his paw, the two unrecognizable scripts curious and alien. “The only pack left before we see what all the fuss is about. Let’s pay a visit to Grand Huntress Sunundra. Hopefully she knows something we don’t.”
Next
A/N: Been a while since we’ve had a proper A/N, huh. Welp, here’s this one. Patreon is currently set to ‘per post’ because i made the account ages ago. Waiting on support to help me switch it to monthly, then I’ll post the Silva render i have. RR is at 30k views and 100 followers.
Figured I’d ask how you guys are liking this arc, hows Willin’s team coming across, etc.
Final note: I’m thinking about rewriting the first ‘book’ so i can get it edited and published! Problem: i have no fucking clue where to cut book 1, and editors are expensive. Where should book 1 end? All i know is that I’d prob end up adding extra chapters to it, as well as lengthening the OG chaps. RR is a ‘touch-up’, not a final product, so those don’t count!

“Thus the P’lishtim were humbled, so that they no longer entered Israel’s territory; and the hand of Adonai was against the P’lishtim as long as Sh’mu’el lived.”-1 Samuel 7:13
Recall the God pattern of deliverance we’ve been witnessing ever since the beginning of the book of Judges.
First, Israel is faithful.
Then Israel falls into apostasy.
Then Israel is oppressed by the enemy.
Then Israel cries out for help and repents.
Finally, Israel is delivered.
This is the cycle of deliverance we see over and over and over and over and over again.
I’m telling you this because I want you to be aware of the stage Israel is in right now…
Following the victory over the Philistines at Mitzpah, Israel is currently in the “faithful” stage of the deliverance cycle.
Which means for the time being, the Israelites will experience a period of peace and harmony with the Lord.
Now take a look at verse 13 which I copied and pasted above.
It says the shalom over Israel lasted as long as Samuel lived.
But how long was that?
Historically, we know that was well into the reign of King Saul.
Because Samuel died only a few years before Saul was killed.
Now there’s a huge takeaway here I don’t want you to miss.
In the beginning of his reign, Saul will experience a series of military victories.
Now although those victories will be credited to Saul…
Here’s the thing.
They happened NOT because of Saul…
They happened because God was protecting Israel on behalf of the righteous Samuel.
Got it?
We know this is true because soon after Samuel died, Israel once again fell into idolatry and oppression.
The takeaway here is that on account of one righteous man, God will offer blessings, protection and redemption….
And if you think about it, that is the very HEART of the gospel.
For the sake of one man called Yeshua, the Lord offers salvation to all of mankind.
Of course, we have to accept that one man…
But the fact that mankind has the option to receive God’s salvation on behalf of one person is amazing grace indeed!
See you all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

This Novel is the best novel talking about the Human condition.
The Human condition simply means the Human experience, and when condition is mentioned it always implies a way to describe a Human Mind and the way a human life is
Although we as humans are different from each other but if you look deeply we aren't so different, but we are way different from animals in the way that we can see ourselves from an outside perspective
aging, life, sickness, emotions, happiness, misery, thoughts, volitions, actions, desires, aversions, fears, sufferings, hope, love, trust, forgiveness, hate...
Victory, defeat, losing loved ones, winning, rich, poor, old, young, discussions, fights, respect, tragedy, romance, revenge...
The Book deals with the human condition in an extremely unique way, one of the mottos of the novel is the Pursuit of Freedom and the Pursuit of the Beyond
Fang yuan the main character is a person who was has lived 500 years in his first life, he has lived through the vicissicitudes of life, he rode the waves of life, he was berated and suffered his entire life, he was extremely poor at some point then became rich then lost his fortune again, he has seen weakness, he has seen strength, he has seen victory, he has seen defeat, he has lived through everything a person can live, he has traveled for a long time and wandered thus his maturity
He suffers through hundred of years of suffering, this of course completely changes him, he ends becoming evil, a demon, tho he is emotionless and only does what needs to be done to achieve his goal
What is his goal? Is it women? Money? Glory? Revenge?
None of that
One Goal
Eternal Life.
An impossible goal which no one has ever achieved, even the pinnacle of human existences always died after hundreds of thousands of years, this is because of the Heavens, the creator of the universes who limits longevity
When the story begins, we meet fang yuan about to be killed
He doesnt shout, he doesnt cry, he remains expressionless and at peace despite being covered in his own blood, he recites a beautiful poem showing how short life is and how unreal it all seems
“The sun sets above the blue mountain, the autumn moon with the wind of spring. The morning is fine like hair and night is like snow, whether you succeed or fail when you look back there’s nothing left.”
Fang yuan then uses his Newly refined spring autumn cicada and suicides using his body and cultivation accumulation to Rewind Time and return to the Past
He will never give up on his goal of immortality but however he isnt sure wheter it would work
The Spring autumn cicada which he has refined and use to travel in time is a cicada which enters the river of time, a river which contains Time itself and swims the waves of time to return to the past
It works! Fang yuan returns 500 years in the past to his youth
Armed with his wisdom and ruthlesness, he swears that this time he will achieve Eternal life
Fang yuan is ruthless to everyone especially to himself, he will cut his ear if needed, he will scheme, rob, play political games
The story takes a slow approach and the first 100 chaptets are a prologue
But the Author uses that time to Build the world, the Best worldbuilding I have ever experienced, its so immersive and one amazing other thing, Completely Analyse Society, Fang yuan is against Organisations because the moment you are in you are entangled in its web, indeed he sees how an organisation brainwashes people to serve it while the higherups profit off people
But not just that he sees that Leaders themselves also are entangled, since they cannot break these rules, its like the rules becomes the actual thing that binds everyone
Fang yuan never breaks rules but he sees through them and never lets anything stop him
The story is standard villain
But the more you read the more exquisite it becomes until it becomes a Fucking Genius Story, the Best Ever, no joke.
Fang yuan fights insane enemies
Go through catastrophy after catastrophy and is unmoved by the world
Some of his poems are the best I have ever read and its such an artistic yet cruel tale
Fang yuan is Relentless, he will never give up, this guy is a madman, devil, whatever it takes he will pay it full price upfront!
He gets out of the Most Catastrophical situations with Pure Genius
He is the smartest most scheming character ever written no joke
And the Climaxes of Each Arc is Just Pure Divinity, no joke.
As for the Human condition, Throughout the Story we see how Fang yuan fights Fate
In this Story, Fate is Something Tangible and Physical
Its a Spider that puts its webs Everywhere and controls all beings
Except Fang yuan since he is a transmigrator
Heaven's will which is like the Self of the Heavens always stands in his path and tries to kill him by the middle of the story
But Fang yuan is Relentless, even seeing the Approach of his Death, He fights! Never gives up and faces Everything
This Story of Fang yuan fighting Against Fate, God and the Entire Universe.
At some point, the Entire World rallies to Kill him
At a point where the Fate war Starts
Half of hamanity wants to protect Fate because it helped humanity rise
While the other half fights to Get out of its shackles and get Human Freedom
Fang yuan alone doesn't give a fuck!
He wants to Kill Fate for Himself! For him to be able to attain Eternal Life!
This is the Genius of Fang yuan
He dies multiple times and returns in time but there are a lot of conditions which have to be met and arent always met
So he always has to use his power and genius to Overcome all Obstacles
As for his Poems, i will just let you read this in one of the most climactic scenes in which Fang yuan is at an Absolute Dead-end, nothing can save him
"Fang yuan alone kept moving forward relentlessly,
I had once screamed, gradually, I lost my voice.
I had once cried, gradually, I lost my tears.
I had once grieved, gradually, I became able to withstand everything.
I had once rejoiced, gradually, I became unmoved by the world.
And Now!
All I have left is an expressionless face, Only Perseverance remains in my heart!
This is my own - an insignificant character - Fang yuan's Perseverence!"
His Enemies sometimes have even better poems, his enemies are also made of pure genius and always put insane challenges to Fang yuan
Yet Fang yuan is relentless, even while losing, even in the presence of Death, he's perseverance and fearlesness remain immovable!
Honestly, the Peak Novel Ever Written. Period.

My daughter (17) is about to apply to university. We are proud that she is getting good grades and has the ambition to go to university, however since we are a traditional family and we uphold christian values, we thought that the course she has chosen is too masculine (Engineering) and perhaps she should choose a course more suited to her, like English or History, and since she likes sciences perhaps, she could do nursing or midwifery.
Me and my husband sat down to have a conversation with her about this, and whilst she would be study, she should stay at home, not halls. She begrudgingly accept the latter, but she is remining stubborn about her course choice. We told her it would be too much for her to compete with men, in a masculine dominating course and perhaps these other options would be better. If she did get a job in engineering, it's quite demanding and she wouldn't be able to have a family and maintain a husband and fulfill household duties.
we have her best interest at heart, but she lashed out at us, telling us we were bad parent for not letting her follow her dream course. My husband says since he is paying for her university, we will not not financially support her if she continues like this. She argued that her brother got to do the course he wanted, and my husband payed for it. I tried to explain to her that the course he picked (Product Design) was more suited to him.
At church, I mentioned the situation to a church elder (female), and she suggested it might be unfair to prevent our daughter from following the path she has laid out for herself, we just need to support her not condemn her, and some girls are more tomboy-ish. But we are scared this path she is following will lead into a life of sin.
AITA?
EDIT -
I believe that some of you think I'm against engineering but I'm not. I was looking at whether it would be suitable for my daughter to be both in the public and demanding masculine sphere of society, and the private feminine sphere.
UPDATE -
thank you for all your opinions. I know this might be a bit quick, but fortunately me and my daughter have come to a compromise, she says she will do Psychology. Its a science, so thank god it's not the masculine element she likes, and it upholds the feminine nature she needs

It was a subtle thing, the way the people looked up at me as I led my Sorcerers out.
Hushed whispers, voices echoing the same thought, the same idea, the same truth. "That's Ruuk Stingtail, he's the Bold who will lead Kurtulmak's Empire."
I pretended not to notice, it was too soon for people to just start calling out to me as their future ruler, yet when I spoke with authority, their eyes widened as it seemed it validated everything they believed.
The word 'Imperator' was whispered, so when I finished fixing one of our farmers' tools, and he said, "Thank you, Imperator." I simply looked at him and spoke.
"I am not worthy to rule."
It always worked, their eyes always grew wider as their respect for me grew.
The Clerics of both Temples were working together to spread the news of the vision, and what I had learned. This led to the understanding that if both of us were working together, the situation must be dangerous.
I passed by Tudru, he was wearing the enchanted armor our Emperor had made. "Imperator." He said, his caused gasps, a member of the Council had recognized my authority. I nonetheless said, "I've said before, if the people want someone to rule, it can't be me."
"The people want you." He said. "My Fighters are at the ready, Imperator."
I of course kept up my facade of refusal, always saying it loudly, publicly, but always visibly suppressing a smile, always making sure my serious expression brightened before I visibly pushed that brief moment of satisfaction away to remind them, "No, I am unworthy."
By the end of the first day, everyone in the city was aware of the danger, the people were busting their asses to get ready.
The second day, the people were more vocal, finding strength to say my title with more conviction, to bow their heads as I passed, dregs of uncertainty entered my voice as I repeated my refusal to lead.
A cadre of Sorcerers approached me, all of them relatively new.
"Imperator." They said clearly. "Seeing how you work to help our people, we wanted to help you any way we can, and... Well, we Awoke because of that. Direct us as you see fit."
There were fifteen of them, and when I directed them to seek our our God for guidance, they did so. As they walked away, as if in afterthought, I said, "And don't call me that!"
When I asked my Emperor about the Sorcerers, he said, "They asked about the collars, I told them that was only for those who endangered the Warren. As long as they serve their Imperator faithfully, they will not be bound so."
"Do you think I'll need a new outfit?" I asked jokingly.
"No." He said, smirking.
The third day, the Council gathered to address the Warren, the people were restless, many eyes were on me, rather than Tallyn.
"We have enough rations set aside for last us a week-" Tallyn started.
"Let the Imperator speak!" A voice yapped out.
Tallyn's eyes widened, he looked at me.
"I keep telling them, I'm not-"
That was when the riot broke out, voices clamored for me to take command, voices shouted that the Council was ineffectual, that a real leader was needed. The Paladins tried and failed to calm everyone down.
"SILENCE!" I roared, my voice amplified by the device Rekka had designed. All eyes were on me. "Release the Paladins." I said. The Paladins were released. "I have said time and time again, it is not my place to rule. Why do you insist on this?"
The voices blended together in a mass of sound, but I could hear things on occasion. "You are the only one who has the knowledge to lead!" "Even though you say that, we see you are honored, and want to rule!" "We all know you are the real power behind the Council!"
Now was the moment of truth. I raised my hand, and they quieted. "Only-" I said, my voice calm, yet commanding. "-if it is truly what the Warren wants, and my fellow Councilors agree." I looked at them, my allies knew what part they needed to play.
Kalith immediately stepped forward and knelt. "I have sworn time and time again, and yet you said not to, so I shall do it once more. I swear myself to you, Imperator, and the Empire of our God."
Kuvli walked forward next and knelt. "I owe my Barbarians this much, on their behalf, we swear to serve you, Imperator, and our Emperor, Kurtulmak."
Tudru approached and knelt. "I cannot ignore the will of the Warren." He said. "I swear my life to your Empire, Imperator."
Followed by Nakk, who simply said, "My Rogues are yours, Imperator."
Rekka appeared to hesitate before she approached and knelt. "It is the will of the Warren, Imperator Ruuk." She said.
Tatla was the first of the Temple of Bahamut's allies to defect. She gave Galax an apologetic look before she, took, approached and knelt. "There is no fighting against the people. I swear fealty, my Imperator."
This left Merti, Galax, and Tallyn. Galax approached first of the three. "And what, may I ask, will come of my Temple?" He asked.
The crowd roared, calling him disrespectful, some calling for his death, for the death of Bahamut's faithful.
"ENOUGH!" I snarled, before things could get out of hand. "Bahamut and my Master have had an agreement since before you were aware, this agreement was and still is the root of our alliance." I held my hand out. "I know you will not kneel before another God willingly, so I ask, as the alternative is losing our first and greatest Cleric, who is beholden to a God I still respect, will your Temple stand beside us as citizens of this inevitable Empire? Will you lend your wisdom, so we find the right path forward?"
"Answer me one thing, Ruuk Stingtail." He said. "Was there ever a moment you hesitated before claiming this title?"
"The title was thrust upon me." I replied honestly. "Refusal as this point would simply lead to unnecessary death. If I am to lead, let it be with peace."
He took my hand. "If I kneel, it is before Bahamut." He spoke.
"Then may Bahamut bless this day, that you do not need to."
I looked at Tallyn and Merti, they both approached, paused when they noticed the other moving, then approached together. Merti knelt.
"I swear, Imperator." She said.
Tallyn looked at Galax, then he drew his sword. I held my hand up before the crowd could begin screaming.
"If your desire is my death, brother, make it quick." I said.
Tallyn stabbed his sword into the stage and knelt. "Before Bahamut, my God, I swear fealty to your Empire so long as you follow the tenets of the Temple, for I swear to you, if you walk the path of a tyrant, I will slay you where you stand."
I smiled. "I will hold you to that, brother." I replied. "Very well, I accept the title of Imperator, and promised to lead everyone to the best of my ability."
The cheers were far more glorious than I could have anticipated, the Level I gained as a result only made it sweeter, as did the spell that I gained, that would allow me to transform anyone I chose into something else.
I wondered, briefly, how the enemies would react if I turned one of their own into a Kobold, and made him believe he was surrounded by enemies?
"As my first act as Imperator." I said, addressing the Warren. "The Council will remain in place." Everyone was surprised. "What? Why throw away skilled leaders? Their expertise will ensure the continued prosperity of our Empire. Tudru, as the one with the most military experience out of all of us, I am naming you my general. You will be in charge of establishing a formal military hierarchy, make sure any and all soldiers are willing volunteers. I expect nothing but the best."
"Yes, Imperator." He saluted by putting his fist to his heart.
"I like that, that will be our salute." I said. "Galax, as the High Priest of the God of Justice, I want you to codify our way of life into a formal list of laws. We may have already lived by them, but if there ever comes a time when we have visitors, they must have those laws easily accessible."
"I will do so under the guidance of Bahamut." He answered.
"To that effect, I am making this a formal order. Do whatever is necessary to achieve the level needed to bring back our dead." He nodded
"Tallyn, you will be in charge of locating any and all potential Paladins. I want all prospective servants of our Gods to be educated in both the teachings of Bahamut and Kurtulmak, If they are incapable of becoming either a Cleric or Paladin, ensure if they still wish to serve, that they have a place in the Temple of their choosing."
"I will do this." He said, saluting me. I smiled, he didn't even hesitate.
"Merti, Tatla, you both will continue your prior duties. I want sustainable industry to be the rule of law in this Empire, on which note, Nakk, if there comes a time that we are able to reach beyond our borders, I want you to ensure any trade or commerce that is necessary will be done correctly."
"Yes, Imperator." He replied, saluting.
"Kuvli, you will be Tudru's direct subordinate. I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything you can do that wouldn't be redundant."
"Absolutely no problem, Imperator. I prefer it that way." He replied, grinning.
"Rekka." She jumped startled by my addressing her. "I want your Artificers grouped based on their competences. Armor and weapons will be managed by armorers and weaponsmiths. Infrastructure will be managed by the appropriate people, magic items will be enchanted by any enchanters... Do what is necessary to ensure all of our bases are covered."
"Yes, Imperator." She saluted as well.
"Kalith, I still have no fucking idea how your magic works." I admitted.
He laughed. "If you have no command, I will defer to our Emperor." He said.
I nodded. "Sorcerer Goss. Approach the stage."
Goss approached, he looked terrified. "As our most competent Sorcerer, aside from myself, you will take my place on the Council."
"O-of course, Imperator!" He stammered.
I faced the crowd, all 70000 of them.
"Tomorrow." I said. "Each and every one of you will go into the mines, and you will enter the fortress our God and Emperor has built with his own two hands. I will remain behind with him, with Galax joining us. The day after, we may confront another God, one who might want us all dead. When we survive, those of us who can fight will ensure nobody ever dares to attack us again."
I paused, briefly considering how to finish before settling on simply saluting and saying, "For the glory of our God and Emperor!"
I smiled as my subjects cheered at my words.
I let my Council address them, made it clear that their word was second only to mine, and that they had my authority. The gathering proceeded as originally expected.
The rest of the day was spent getting things ready for the transition of power, we would need a flag, a symbol for our nation, names were thrown about- unsurprisingly Darastrixthurhi was tossed about, which I unilaterally decreed would be our name.
The next morning, my Emperor stepped out, the people were silent as he stood before them, with me stood beside him.
"My loyal subjects." He spoke. "Bathaldraynori di Darastrixthurhi. Ours is the Empire that was once promised, the Empire that was cruelly destroyed. Tomorrow, my ancient and hated foe is likely to come, and it is likely he will seek to recreate that cruel and tasteless prank of his- the genocide of our people."
His voice remained calm, even though his face twisted with hatred and malice. "Tomorrow, in honor of my Imperator, I shall meet him with compromise. I shall never forgive him, not for what he has done. Tomorrow, I will prove that a broken system cannot be salvaged by playing by its rules. Meditate on this, as you head below, to the safety I provide and promise. Today, I wield strength I did not on that day. Not one of you will die."
Our people, our subjects, walked into the mines carrying only what they needed, while Kurtulmak and Galax walked with me south, to the gates that separated us from the world.
I felt the high caliber bullet strike me, felt my bone break before Galax healed me. No other shots came, at least until they brought out the rocket launcher. The rocket launched and flew toward us, one magic missile later, and it was destroyed mid-flight.
"Bring forth your commander." My Emperor spoke. "So long as you do not fire upon us, they will not be harmed.
There was a loud ruckus on the other side, shortly before a man in military fatigues strode toward us, a shotgun in hand. He stopped five feet away from us, aimed his gun at us, and said, "One wrong move, and I'll shoot." His voice was the same as the gruff voice I had heard. A patch on his fatigues read 'Mendoza'.
"My name is Kurtulmak." My Emperor spoke. Mendoza tensed. "This is Ruuk, my Imperator, and first of my faithful." I saluted. "And this is Galax, first Cleric of Bahamut, King of the Metallic Dragons, Justicemaker, and so on."
"Why are you here?" Mendoza asked.
"To tell you that by the end of tomorrow, your entire garrison will be dead." My Emperor spoke. Mendoza pulled the trigger, my Emperor caught the blast with his hand and dropped the lead pellets onto the ground. "I am aware you seek to bring my nemesis here, that you intend for him to recreate the injustice he delivered unto my people. Understand, when I overcome him, my Empire will march upon your nation, those who do not kneel in recognition of our authority will be executed, and it will only be the leniency of Bahamut if they breathe again. Ruuk, our parting gift."
I nodded. "Slemon thirku rekisix bathaldraynor tairais."
The moment the words were uttered, he immediately shrank, his gear melding into his body, until he was just a Kobold like us. He let out a terrified screech.
"What did you do to me!?" He screeched.
"The only way you will survive is if you enter our town and accept this gift." Kurtulmak replied. "Otherwise, can you trust your soldiers to keep you alive?"
I could hear the horrified muttering above. We turned around and walked away.
"That was cruel and unnecessary." Galax said.
"Of course." I replied. "But it is deserved for the anguish we have been through."
I looked back, the gate had closed, and their commander was sealed inside, begging to be let out, "Don't leave me in here with these monsters!" He screeched.
I wondered what would happen first: Would they shoot him, or would they figure out what I did?
​
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The No 1 truth about humans: They are stupid.
Krill was waiting in the docking bay, watching as his new medical equipment was wheeled up the ramp. Sunny stood next to him, holding a data pad and checking off the shipping manifest as it was wheeled on.
Conn floated a few feet away from them, ribbons on his back billowing and churning slowly in the air currents.
He was currently occupied staring down at the screen of his handheld.
Ever since the captain had gotten him that game, he hadn't stopped playing.
It was a nice break from his usual acerbic, nosy nature.
The last line of medical equipment was being loaded up the ramp, when Conn suddenly looked up from his game. He stared into nothing for a second and then signed:
”Oh boi…”
He turned his head towards the interior doors and signed something again, which was quickly translated by his automated gloves,
"Prepare yourselves."
"Prepare ourselves? For what?"
The question didn't hang on the air for very long, before the sounds of human exuberance reached them from down the hall.
Sunny shook her head and Krill sighed, and the three of them braced themselves as the commander rolled onto deck with his heelies, skidding to a stop and running towards the line of boxes,
"Is it here!? Did you get it!?"
"Get what?"
Sunny muttered, he snatched the data pad from her hand, scrolling through the checked boxes.
"Hey! What are you-"
"Ah ha! There it is!"
He began laughing and giggling maniacally, running over to a line of already checked boxes, hopping up and down in place and rubbing his hands together.
The three aliens exchanged a worried glance. Sunny sighed,
"What did you do?”
The man waved a hand at her, as one of the cargo workers opened a box for him,
"What did I do? What did I do? I will tell you what I did! I just made this ship officially the most awesome ship in the fleet."
”Oh god I’m here long enough to know that can’t be good…”
Krill muttered, while Sunny asked:
"And how exactly did you do that?"
"I thought we were already the most awesome ship in the fleet?"
The commander was seconds from squealing with delight, as the man cracked open the crate and let the sides fall to the deck.
There were a few boxes in there, but the commander didn't seem to care about most of them, grabbing a single big box from the pile and hauling it onto the floor, where he could get a better look,
"Gah, its heavy, that's good."
Krill frowned,
"I'm not going to like this, am I?"
The commander continued to grin,
"Nope, you're gonna hate it, and that's how I know it's going to be great."
Krill sighed. Sunny stepped forward as the man frantically ripped open the box, like a man possessed.
The crate opened and the man was now laughing maniacally,
"Yes! Yes! Yes! MUHAHAHAHA!"
Krill and the others wandered over, glancing down into the box.
Conn sighed, a sound he had specifically programmed into his gloves.
Sunny tilted her head,
"What is it?”
The human reached inside, grabbed a thick, pamphlet with one hand and tossed it out of the way.
Krill was forced to duck to the side as the book went flying past his head and skidded across the floor.
He glanced over and saw the words.
JETPACK OPERATIONS MANUAL
**"NO! Oh no! no! No! No! ADAM NO!”
"ADAM YES! Yes in every way!"
The commander said, tearing into the foam packaging that held the unit inside.
When he finally pulled it out, he grunted with its weight and sat back on the cold metal floor, cradling it against his knees to get a better look,
"Ah, just look at it! Look at it! Ahhhhh! Best day ever!"
"No, you send that right back to where it came from!"
Krill was saying,
"I have a hard enough time getting you to keep your feet on the ground. I will not let you do this stupid, reckless-"
Sunny picked the manual off the ground with one of her smaller hands, while the main pair of hands was crossed in disdain in front of her torso.
"Adam don't you think you should read the instructions first?”
The human was standing now and had the jetpack propped on the side of a crate, threading his arms through the upper harness.
”What part of “I can fly anything” don't you get?”
"So you've flown one before?”
"No, of course not… but how hard can it be!?”
Krill shook his head,
"Commander you will not be flying that, not unless you have full body protection, and that means a HELMET as well."
Sunny crossed her other set of arms,
"I have to agree with the doctor this time."
He glanced over at them and wilted slightly,
"Ok, Ok yes mom let me go get my knee and elbow pads."
"Full body armor or no deal."
”Buut…”
”Adam!?”
"Fine!"
He groaned but sighed, whining under his breath the whole way while running quickly out of the room.
Sunny and Krill exchanged a look,
"Should we just hide it?"
Conn floated down to sit on one of the crates,
"I kind of want to see him break his neck."
Sunny glowered over at Conn, but the freaky alien just grinned at her, his large black eyes menacing against his milky white skin.
She flipped the manual open,
"Someone at least better read this before he gets himself hurt."
"You think he’d care to know how it worked before he tries it..."
"Adam may love science fiction, but that doesn't make him a scientist. I've seen him struggle to put a pen back together after taking it apart…"
Sunny muttered, walking over to the jetpack to set it up before the commander came back.
She almost thought about just not setting it up He wouldn't get off the ground without reading the manual, but he had been so excited that she hardly had the heart to ruin this for him.
He returned a good thirty minutes later, wearing a space suit helmet tucked under one arm.
"You know what, this was actually a good idea Krill."
"It was, so you finally saw the logic of-"
"Because I just realized, if we paint this rig up, I can look like buzz lightyear. Think about it a little green, purple and white and I can be a space ranger. It will be the most epic cosplay you have ever seen.”
”…”
”And I can order more of them with the rest of the company funds to turn the marines into a squad of kick-ass Mandalorians! It’s going to be great!”
"You wasted company funds on a jetpack!?"
"Nope my money. However, if I can find a reason to requisition some, you better bet that I will, Now hand it over."
"Helmet first."
Krill said sternly. The man rolled his eyes,
"Ok fine."
He slid the helmet on, and it locked into place,
"So many possibilities guys! I could be Iron man! Or also mandalorian!"
”…”
”Note to self: find some cool A.I. like Jarvis to get the full iron man feeling.
He mumbled to himself, while Sunny once again crossed her lower set of arms over her chest, while using the other two to read the manual,
"I seem to recall that the first time Iron man tried to use his, he ended up slamming into a wall…”
The commander folded the straps on the jetpack into their place, instead using a different mechanism to attach the jetpack to the back of the space suit.
A few of the marines walked into the room, along with Doctor Katie.
"Yo is that a jetpack!?"
Called one of the marines.
"You bet your ass it is."
He turned in a circle,
”Do you guys like it?"
"Damn!"
”Dope!”
”Fricking awesome!”
Someone whistled.
"Don't encourage him!!!?"
Krill snarled.
The marines stepped back.
"Yeah yeah, whatever, ok let's get this party started."
The commander marched towards the door, and the rest of the group struggled to keep up.
Dr Katie nervously fell into step beside Krill,
"He's going to get hurt isn't he…”
"Yeah... Bring a stretcher and a C-collar would you?"
He muttered, Dr. Katie nodded and ran off.
Commander Vir stepped out onto the ramp,
"Ok... now... Uh... how do I get it to work?"
Sunny raised an eyebrow form behind the manual,
"So now you need my help? I am not entirely sure I want to tell you how to use it."
"You don't tell me I will just look up a video."
She sighed,
"It should have connected when you attached it to your suit. You can choose to use the hand controls on your gloves. So first-"
"Oh, sweet."
He pressed one of the glove controls, and there was a sharp clicking sound as the jet pack wings clicked open locking into place,
"Oh HELL YEAH! Even better! Someone get me green and white paint asap!"
"Adam calm down."
"So what does this button do?"
"Adam-"
There was a sharp whir and whine as the engine started up.
"Oh yeah!"
"Ok we are done. If you can't slow down and listen to the instructions, then we are going to have to confiscate that…"
Sunny reached forward, intending to grab him, but he danced away.
"So, If that was open, and that was start, than this must be up…”
"ADAM!?”
Sunny lunged forward, just as the human's thumb triggered the throttle.
She dived right past where he had been standing, and the human rocketed up into the air, feet and arms flailing.
"Shit! Adam!"
Krill frantically turned on his comm,
"Katie, get the medical team down here NOW!!!”
The bright streak of light passed out of sight as the engine continued to steadily rocket upwards, and for a moment it seemed as if he would at least be fine.
That was until he figured out the controls and suddenly started to spin and turn wildly his body thrown back and forth like a ragdoll.
"Shit, shit, shit."
Conn was laughing behind her,
She turned on him,
"Shut up and help."
Conn waved a hand,
"He's fine. He's having the time of his life."
Sunny turned back to look up, watching as the bright spot turned, arched downwards and began plummeting towards the ground.
He was growing bigger and bigger in their vision.
"Any second now."
Conn said,
Sunny's eyes widened in horror.
”ANY SECOND WHAT!?”
"He'll figure out how to pull up, any moment now."
They could see individual limbs again.
"Yeeeep aaaaany moment now."
The assembled humans began to scream.
”Aaaaaaaany moment…”
They all watched as he came closer and closer to the ground…
At the last moment he flung himself sideways, going parallel to the ground. He shot past them, and for a second Sunny thought she could hear screaming, though the roaring sound of the engine was too loud.
He was heading straight towards a loading crane.
He was about to hit it, when he threw himself sideways, spinning in the air, his wing almost clipping an armored vehicle.
He was thrown up and sideways, his arms pinwheeling as he arched in a parabola over the landing field.
All the humans working in the docking bay had stopped to stare upwards at the spectacle, a few had their phones out.
Sunny ran out trying to see where he had gone.
Dr. Katie rushed out onto the ramp with the medical team close behind,
"What the ever loving fuck!?"
She exclaimed,
"Why did you let him do that!?”
"I didn't think he would be THAT stupid!"
Sunny yelled back.
The bright white spot did another arch and then spun and then did a loop.
Conn floated forward,
"He thinks he's got the hang of it... Though... I have some serious questions about his ability to slow down...”
The group of them stared skyward, as he continued to roll, tumble and do loops.
"I am going to kill him."
Sunny snarled,
"If he doesn’t kill himself."
Krill sighed. Sunny glowered at him,
"Because you seem so concerned!”
"Didn't you hear? I am in a constant state of panic, like the hulk is with anger, but... Lame."
The little white dot arched towards the ground.
"Oh shit, here it comes."
Conn said covering his face – not that it would help.
Sunny, tried to look away, watching as the light dimmed, slowed.
She glanced up, watching as commander Vir descended from the sky, his hands held out awkwardly to either side, like a tightrope walker, one foot down and one foot slightly up.
He was about ten feet above the ground, when the engine suddenly cut.
Sunny yelled in surprise, the rest of the group jumped forward.
He landed fine, at first, then he stumbled forward, arms flailing, tripped and plowed face first into the concrete.
Sunny and the group ran forward to where he was lying on the pavement.
"Adam, Adam are you ok!”
It was then –to Sunny's great annoyance– that she heard the human laughing.
He rolled over onto his side and pulled off his helmet, which had small scratches across the paint of the face.
He was sweaty, red in the face, but grinning like an idiot,
"Holy shit, did you see that? THAT was awesome!
"You could have died!"
"Yeah yeah, sure whatever, but also did you SEE that!”
Sunny felt a surge of anger flare up in her chest,
"THAT IS IT!"
She reached over and slammed her finger against the release button for the jetpack.
"Hey!?"
It fell away, and she shoved it into the arms of the closest marine, without even looking who it was.
"Hide this somewhere, or throw it away, I don't care."
"Wait, Sunny, but I..."
She grabbed him angrily by the hand and hauled him to his feet, marching across the tarmac with him stumbling behind her.
He turned back to look towards the jetpack, pulling against her.
”Noo but my jetpack… Jettie I love you, please don’t go! YOU CANT STOP OUR LOVE!”
In frustration she turned, bent down and tipped him over one shoulder, pinning his legs with her two right arms.
"Sunny!? Hey!? What are you doing!?"
"I am sick and tired of your shit, Adam!"
She marched up the ramp, as the rest of the humans looked on either bemused, or amused.
"Seriously Sunny!?"
He tried to struggle, but she only adjusted his weight.
"You aren't leaving your quarters for a week!"
"You're grounding ME!?"
"Literally!"
She snarled.
"You aren't my mother!”
"Oh yeah, but I can call her."
He suddenly got silent and his eyes narrowed,
”You wouldn't dare..."
"Don't think I won't."
His face went pale,
"Look Sunny, we can talk about this. You don't have to call her. Come on you know me. I knew exactly what I was doing. Remember. Pilot. I fly stuff all the time."
"You almost died."
"Almost being the key term."
She snarled, feet slamming against the deck and she pushed through the cargo bay and out the doors, her anger heard for minutes after they were out of sight.
The rest of the humans had a good laugh over the whole thing, though Krill was not impressed, and neither was Dr. Katie.
Humans were immensely stupid, stupid and reckless. They had no sense of self preservation, and some of them seemed hell bent on dying early though they never seemed to manage it.
Unfortunately for Sunny, she had handed the jetpack to Ramirez, who now definitely planned on buying one for himself, and, as Adam's human friend, planned on keeping it safe for him until he returned.
Maybe taking it out for a spin while he was away?
Because humans are stupid like that…
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Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
The title of this chapter is awesome!
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The No 1 truth about humans: They are stupid.
Krill was waiting in the docking bay, watching as his new medical equipment was wheeled up the ramp. Sunny stood next to him, holding a data pad and checking off the shipping manifest as it was wheeled on.
Conn floated a few feet away from them, ribbons on his back billowing and churning slowly in the air currents.
He was currently occupied staring down at the screen of his handheld.
Ever since the captain had gotten him that game, he hadn't stopped playing.
It was a nice break from his usual acerbic, nosy nature.
The last line of medical equipment was being loaded up the ramp, when Conn suddenly looked up from his game. He stared into nothing for a second and then signed:
”Oh boi…”
He turned his head towards the interior doors and signed something again, which was quickly translated by his automated gloves,
"Prepare yourselves."
"Prepare ourselves? For what?"
The question didn't hang on the air for very long, before the sounds of human exuberance reached them from down the hall.
Sunny shook her head and Krill sighed, and the three of them braced themselves as the commander rolled onto deck with his heelies, skidding to a stop and running towards the line of boxes,
"Is it here!? Did you get it!?"
"Get what?"
Sunny muttered, he snatched the data pad from her hand, scrolling through the checked boxes.
"Hey! What are you-"
"Ah ha! There it is!"
He began laughing and giggling maniacally, running over to a line of already checked boxes, hopping up and down in place and rubbing his hands together.
The three aliens exchanged a worried glance. Sunny sighed,
"What did you do?”
The man waved a hand at her, as one of the cargo workers opened a box for him,
"What did I do? What did I do? I will tell you what I did! I just made this ship officially the most awesome ship in the fleet."
”Oh god I’m here long enough to know that can’t be good…”
Krill muttered, while Sunny asked:
"And how exactly did you do that?"
"I thought we were already the most awesome ship in the fleet?"
The commander was seconds from squealing with delight, as the man cracked open the crate and let the sides fall to the deck.
There were a few boxes in there, but the commander didn't seem to care about most of them, grabbing a single big box from the pile and hauling it onto the floor, where he could get a better look,
"Gah, its heavy, that's good."
Krill frowned,
"I'm not going to like this, am I?"
The commander continued to grin,
"Nope, you're gonna hate it, and that's how I know it's going to be great."
Krill sighed. Sunny stepped forward as the man frantically ripped open the box, like a man possessed.
The crate opened and the man was now laughing maniacally,
"Yes! Yes! Yes! MUHAHAHAHA!"
Krill and the others wandered over, glancing down into the box.
Conn sighed, a sound he had specifically programmed into his gloves.
Sunny tilted her head,
"What is it?”
The human reached inside, grabbed a thick, pamphlet with one hand and tossed it out of the way.
Krill was forced to duck to the side as the book went flying past his head and skidded across the floor.
He glanced over and saw the words.
JETPACK OPERATIONS MANUAL
"NO! Oh no! no! No! No! ADAM NO!”
"ADAM YES! Yes in every way!"
The commander said, tearing into the foam packaging that held the unit inside.
When he finally pulled it out, he grunted with its weight and sat back on the cold metal floor, cradling it against his knees to get a better look,
"Ah, just look at it! Look at it! Ahhhhh! Best day ever!"
"No, you send that right back to where it came from!"
Krill was saying,
"I have a hard enough time getting you to keep your feet on the ground. I will not let you do this stupid, reckless-"
Sunny picked the manual off the ground with one of her smaller hands, while the main pair of hands was crossed in disdain in front of her torso.
"Adam don't you think you should read the instructions first?”
The human was standing now and had the jetpack propped on the side of a crate, threading his arms through the upper harness.
”What part of “I can fly anything” don't you get?”
"So you've flown one before?”
"No, of course not… but how hard can it be!?”
Krill shook his head,
"Commander you will not be flying that, not unless you have full body protection, and that means a HELMET as well."
Sunny crossed her other set of arms,
"I have to agree with the doctor this time."
He glanced over at them and wilted slightly,
"Ok, Ok yes mom let me go get my knee and elbow pads."
"Full body armor or no deal."
”Buut…”
”Adam!?”
"Fine!"
He groaned but sighed, whining under his breath the whole way while running quickly out of the room.
Sunny and Krill exchanged a look,
"Should we just hide it?"
Conn floated down to sit on one of the crates,
"I kind of want to see him break his neck."
Sunny glowered over at Conn, but the freaky alien just grinned at her, his large black eyes menacing against his milky white skin.
She flipped the manual open,
"Someone at least better read this before he gets himself hurt."
"You think he’d care to know how it worked before he tries it..."
"Adam may love science fiction, but that doesn't make him a scientist. I've seen him struggle to put a pen back together after taking it apart…"
Sunny muttered, walking over to the jetpack to set it up before the commander came back.
She almost thought about just not setting it up He wouldn't get off the ground without reading the manual, but he had been so excited that she hardly had the heart to ruin this for him.
He returned a good thirty minutes later, wearing a space suit helmet tucked under one arm.
"You know what, this was actually a good idea Krill."
"It was, so you finally saw the logic of-"
"Because I just realized, if we paint this rig up, I can look like buzz lightyear. Think about it a little green, purple and white and I can be a space ranger. It will be the most epic cosplay you have ever seen.”
”…”
”And I can order more of them with the rest of the company funds to turn the marines into a squad of kick-ass Mandalorians! It’s going to be great!”
"You wasted company funds on a jetpack!?"
"Nope my money. However, if I can find a reason to requisition some, you better bet that I will, Now hand it over."
"Helmet first."
Krill said sternly. The man rolled his eyes,
"Ok fine."
He slid the helmet on, and it locked into place,
"So many possibilities guys! I could be Iron man! Or also mandalorian!"
”…”
”Note to self: find some cool A.I. like Jarvis to get the full iron man feeling.
He mumbled to himself, while Sunny once again crossed her lower set of arms over her chest, while using the other two to read the manual,
"I seem to recall that the first time Iron man tried to use his, he ended up slamming into a wall…”
The commander folded the straps on the jetpack into their place, instead using a different mechanism to attach the jetpack to the back of the space suit.
A few of the marines walked into the room, along with Doctor Katie.
"Yo is that a jetpack!?"
Called one of the marines.
"You bet your ass it is."
He turned in a circle,
”Do you guys like it?"
"Damn!"
”Dope!”
”Fricking awesome!”
Someone whistled.
"Don't encourage him!!!?"
Krill snarled.
The marines stepped back.
"Yeah yeah, whatever, ok let's get this party started."
The commander marched towards the door, and the rest of the group struggled to keep up.
Dr Katie nervously fell into step beside Krill,
"He's going to get hurt isn't he…”
"Yeah... Bring a stretcher and a C-collar would you?"
He muttered, Dr. Katie nodded and ran off.
Commander Vir stepped out onto the ramp,
"Ok... now... Uh... how do I get it to work?"
Sunny raised an eyebrow form behind the manual,
"So now you need my help? I am not entirely sure I want to tell you how to use it."
"You don't tell me I will just look up a video."
She sighed,
"It should have connected when you attached it to your suit. You can choose to use the hand controls on your gloves. So first-"
"Oh, sweet."
He pressed one of the glove controls, and there was a sharp clicking sound as the jet pack wings clicked open locking into place,
"Oh HELL YEAH! Even better! Someone get me green and white paint asap!"
"Adam calm down."
"So what does this button do?"
"Adam-"
There was a sharp whir and whine as the engine started up.
"Oh yeah!"
"Ok we are done. If you can't slow down and listen to the instructions, then we are going to have to confiscate that…"
Sunny reached forward, intending to grab him, but he danced away.
"So, If that was open, and that was start, than this must be up…”
"ADAM!?”
Sunny lunged forward, just as the human's thumb triggered the throttle.
She dived right past where he had been standing, and the human rocketed up into the air, feet and arms flailing.
"Shit! Adam!"
Krill frantically turned on his comm,
"Katie, get the medical team down here NOW!!!”
The bright streak of light passed out of sight as the engine continued to steadily rocket upwards, and for a moment it seemed as if he would at least be fine.
That was until he figured out the controls and suddenly started to spin and turn wildly his body thrown back and forth like a ragdoll.
"Shit, shit, shit."
Conn was laughing behind her,
She turned on him,
"Shut up and help."
Conn waved a hand,
"He's fine. He's having the time of his life."
Sunny turned back to look up, watching as the bright spot turned, arched downwards and began plummeting towards the ground.
He was growing bigger and bigger in their vision.
"Any second now."
Conn said,
Sunny's eyes widened in horror.
”ANY SECOND WHAT!?”
"He'll figure out how to pull up, any moment now."
They could see individual limbs again.
"Yeeeep aaaaany moment now."
The assembled humans began to scream.
”Aaaaaaaany moment…”
They all watched as he came closer and closer to the ground…
At the last moment he flung himself sideways, going parallel to the ground. He shot past them, and for a second Sunny thought she could hear screaming, though the roaring sound of the engine was too loud.
He was heading straight towards a loading crane.
He was about to hit it, when he threw himself sideways, spinning in the air, his wing almost clipping an armored vehicle.
He was thrown up and sideways, his arms pinwheeling as he arched in a parabola over the landing field.
All the humans working in the docking bay had stopped to stare upwards at the spectacle, a few had their phones out.
Sunny ran out trying to see where he had gone.
Dr. Katie rushed out onto the ramp with the medical team close behind,
"What the ever loving fuck!?"
She exclaimed,
"Why did you let him do that!?”
"I didn't think he would be THAT stupid!"
Sunny yelled back.
The bright white spot did another arch and then spun and then did a loop.
Conn floated forward,
"He thinks he's got the hang of it... Though... I have some serious questions about his ability to slow down...”
The group of them stared skyward, as he continued to roll, tumble and do loops.
"I am going to kill him."
Sunny snarled,
"If he doesn’t kill himself."
Krill sighed. Sunny glowered at him,
"Because you seem so concerned!”
"Didn't you hear? I am in a constant state of panic, like the hulk is with anger, but... Lame."
The little white dot arched towards the ground.
"Oh shit, here it comes."
Conn said covering his face – not that it would help.
Sunny, tried to look away, watching as the light dimmed, slowed.
She glanced up, watching as commander Vir descended from the sky, his hands held out awkwardly to either side, like a tightrope walker, one foot down and one foot slightly up.
He was about ten feet above the ground, when the engine suddenly cut.
Sunny yelled in surprise, the rest of the group jumped forward.
He landed fine, at first, then he stumbled forward, arms flailing, tripped and plowed face first into the concrete.
Sunny and the group ran forward to where he was lying on the pavement.
"Adam, Adam are you ok!”
It was then –to Sunny's great annoyance– that she heard the human laughing.
He rolled over onto his side and pulled off his helmet, which had small scratches across the paint of the face.
He was sweaty, red in the face, but grinning like an idiot,
"Holy shit, did you see that? THAT was awesome!
"You could have died!"
"Yeah yeah, sure whatever, but also did you SEE that!”
Sunny felt a surge of anger flare up in her chest,
"THAT IS IT!"
She reached over and slammed her finger against the release button for the jetpack.
"Hey!?"
It fell away, and she shoved it into the arms of the closest marine, without even looking who it was.
"Hide this somewhere, or throw it away, I don't care."
"Wait, Sunny, but I..."
She grabbed him angrily by the hand and hauled him to his feet, marching across the tarmac with him stumbling behind her.
He turned back to look towards the jetpack, pulling against her.
”Noo but my jetpack… Jettie I love you, please don’t go! YOU CANT STOP OUR LOVE!”
In frustration she turned, bent down and tipped him over one shoulder, pinning his legs with her two right arms.
"Sunny!? Hey!? What are you doing!?"
"I am sick and tired of your shit, Adam!"
She marched up the ramp, as the rest of the humans looked on either bemused, or amused.
"Seriously Sunny!?"
He tried to struggle, but she only adjusted his weight.
"You aren't leaving your quarters for a week!"
"You're grounding ME!?"
"Literally!"
She snarled.
"You aren't my mother!”
"Oh yeah, but I can call her."
He suddenly got silent and his eyes narrowed,
”You wouldn't dare..."
"Don't think I won't."
His face went pale,
"Look Sunny, we can talk about this. You don't have to call her. Come on you know me. I knew exactly what I was doing. Remember. Pilot. I fly stuff all the time."
"You almost died."
"Almost being the key term."
She snarled, feet slamming against the deck and she pushed through the cargo bay and out the doors, her anger heard for minutes after they were out of sight.
The rest of the humans had a good laugh over the whole thing, though Krill was not impressed, and neither was Dr. Katie.
Humans were immensely stupid, stupid and reckless. They had no sense of self preservation, and some of them seemed hell bent on dying early though they never seemed to manage it.
Unfortunately for Sunny, she had handed the jetpack to Ramirez, who now definitely planned on buying one for himself, and, as Adam's human friend, planned on keeping it safe for him until he returned.
Maybe taking it out for a spin while he was away?
Because humans are stupid like that…
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

They were only together a few months when they were teenagers but I know my boyfriend loved her for years even though she broke his heart. He confided to me that since he had his heart broken he has the impression of being unable to love as intensely as he experienced this love in high school. It broke my heart to hear that since it means he will never love me more than he loved her. We've been together for almost two years and it's going very well, he confided to me that he has never been so emotionally close with someone than me, he often reminds me how important I am for him and how much he loves me etc etc... And I believe him.. I know he loves me but I always wonder how I compare to her, his first love. She is still in his life and are relatively close friends, they have known each other for more than 10 years and are part of the same group of friends and share several common passions. Today he was at an event with some friends - including this girl. He told me on the phone a funny anecdote that happened at this event and he mentioned the name of this girl since they were together during the events. Since then I can't control my sadness. Of course, I didn't let any of my sadness be conveyed over the phone, but God knows how much it shook me. I feel ridiculous feeling sad and jealous because of nothing. All my insecurities and doubts related to our relationship overwhelm me. All my insecurities and doubts about our relationship overwhelm me. I would so much like to feel nothing when he mentions her name. I know that no one is at fault in this story and that my jealousy is linked to my self-confidence and my insecurities. Is what I feel normal? Do you know how to remedy this situation?
TL;DR : I get very sad every time my bf talks about his first love because they are still close friends and he told me he was never able to love someone as much as he loved her. How do I overcome my insecurities related to her ?