#and they're meant to be a highly trained combatant

[robotsprinkles]

okay

I do like earthspark overall

but god I wish for once we could get a tf show (or just. anything) that doesn't do the "humans are better than Cybertronians at everything" bit.

In Earthspark's defense, it's not TFP.

MECH and Silas somehow being able to make an optimus clone and fight better than Optimus himself with it is idiotic on so many levels and I have no idea how they thought it was good writing.

(yeah sure Optimus has been fighting a war for four million years and 1v1s Megatron on the regular and knows the ins and outs of his body and has all the wisdom and knowledge and skill bestowed by the matrix but some jackass military prick who's at most got 50 years of combat experience controlling a second rate knockoff with what's basically an arcade control stick can kick his ass without trying)

okay before anyone gets pissy at me for saying Earthspark did the "humans are better than Cybertronians at everything" bit, I'm being mostly hyperbolic, and also: (this gets long and rambly so I'm putting it under a readmore")

I'm mostly saying Earthspark did the bit because GHOST and Mandroid were both unreasonably effective at defeating and capturing Cybertronians, on top of being able to mind control them.

(I really don't like humans being able to defeat Cybertronians on any consistent basis unless it's like. a motorcycle or minicon or micromaster getting hit by a bunch of HEAT rounds or 120mm sabot or a prolonged barrage of 20-30mm autocannon fire or specifically anti-Cybertronian weapons like inhibitors and mode locks and EM/EMP blasts and the like because then it just makes it seem like Cybertronian weaponry is on average about as effective as a nerf gun. but then you get the issue of "if humans have such effective anti-Cybertronian weapons that can incapacitate a Cybertronian in one shot why aren't the bots and cons using them instead of blasters that seem to do piss-all against anything that's not point blank")

I'm willing to give ES some leeway on the "can mind control Cybertronians despite that generally being something only people with powers or specific weapons for it can do (like Mindwipe and Bombshell and sometimes Soundwave and mnemosurgeons if you want to count them)" thing because GHOST did have Bombshell in custody and could prooobably have acquired cerebro-shells to study and experiment on. (though I don't remember if Mandroid ever had any time with Bombshell so. if he didn't then screw that, leeway lost). but also if cerebro-shells are as easy to reverse engineer as that you'd expect the Autobots to have already come up with a defense against them. Perpetual arms race and all that.

Personally, I'm not fond of humans being able to reverse-engineer Cybertronian tech and anatomy like it's nothing because I really don't care for the sci-fi trope of humans' thing being "we're so clever and smart and adaptive and so much better than all alien races at learning and improving". It's overdone and the positioning of humanity as special and/or unique that a lot of sci-fi does annoys the hell out of me

(Tangent time) as an example for why I think the "humans can reverse engineer any alien tech ever" trope is stupid and bad (sci-fi) writing: if an alien race had gravity manipulation tech that operated via graviton manipulation, (modern) humanity would flat out have no idea how it worked — even if this was a version modern humanity that universally accepted gravitons as real — unless they had the documentation from the aliens explaining that's how it worked, because "Unambiguous detection of individual gravitons, though not prohibited by any fundamental law, is impossible with any physically reasonable detector [...] a detector with the mass of Jupiter and 100% efficiency, placed in close orbit around a neutron star, would only be expected to observe one graviton every 10 years, even under the most favorable conditions. It would be impossible to discriminate these events from the background of neutrinos, since the dimensions of the required neutrino shield would ensure collapse into a black hole" (yes that's from wikipedia but it's also true (enough for the purposes of this dumb argument. if physicists want to tell me the ways this statement is wrong in any way please do I want to learn things)) (tangent over)

obviously Cybertronian anatomy doesn't function off anything similar to gravitons (in that canon has never said Cybertronian brains or sparks or anything contain or use unprovable or undetectable (to human) particles) (though you might be able to make an argument for Energon being something like that) (it generally seems human organisations' ability to detect Cybertronians is gained from Energon detecting tech given to them by Cybertronians so)

But. y'know. There's saying "1940s humanity could probably reverse engineer a Ferrari" and saying "13th century medieval Europe could definitely reverse engineer an F-35"

#random robot rambles #I'm pretty sure this is stupid crap that no one cares about and whatnot but I'm an idiot so #(yes it's a kid's show but pretty much every piece of tf media does this in some way) #for all my issues with AHM (which are many) at least the characters and their weaponry are properly powerful #I don't think I'll ever not like that one panel of the cons all standing unfazed by a squad of F-22s' 20mm cannonfire #yes I'm aware that me having these kinds of issues with this is because I have weird standards for verisimilitude to be maintained #for instance if a character dies or gets defeated because they did some stupid move (as in egregiously bad technique) for no reason #and they're meant to be a highly trained combatant #I instantly check out and start insulting the character for being an idiot #(examples of stupid moves in sword combat are unnecessary spin moves and blatant telegraphs like hammer blows and/or leading with the hands #or even elbows instead of with the blade) #(I'll forgive hand-leading and telegraphs a little in live action because it helps keep actors safe #but if it's animated then I don't)

[cooking-with-hailstones]

One day they will make a 3D Zelda with hair that doesn't mildly bug me.

I love Zelda, I love so many aspects of her character designs. She's such a cool character. But her hair consistently breaks my immersion in a way that many other characters just don't, so I am compiling a silly little list.

My credentials for this are the fact that I am a person with long hair who dabbles in hairstyling and I like doing my hair with braids and ribbons. I am also in theater, and purveyor of historical hairstyles.

This is a very unserious and rambling rant, so please bear with me! No shade and no harm meant. This is me having fun.

Alright, down to business.

CATEGORY 1: NO BUT SERIOUSLY, HOW THICK IS YOUR HAIR? OFFENDERS: BOTW/TOTK Zelda

That is a thicccc braid she's got there, but she simultaneously has long flowing hair (botw) that would need to be incorporated into the braid, OR her hair is shoulder length (totk) and you cannot physically make a braid that looks like that with hair that short. ALSO, the braid is very thick, starting from the crown of the head, while not incorporating any hair around it?

It looks like a fake braid headband (which is, I believe, what most cosplayers end up using). If you reeeally wanted to give her a headband, you could use a circlet or a ribbon.

Which brings me to...

CATEGORY 2: PHYSICS DEFYING RIBBONS OFFENDERS: SS Zelda and TP Zelda

I really do not understand this design choice at all. Ribbons are used to style hair in the real world all the time, but the only way I can conceivably see these ribbons staying in her hair is if they're made of velcro, or they're sticky. Either way, sounds painful. (Cosplayers how do you pull this off? I'm assuming glue?) Now, hair wrapping using string, ribbon or fabric is a common practice in many parts of the world, but you need strong tension, a full wrap around the hair, and these wraps usually begin at the scalp. An artist friend said that this was likely a way of getting around having to render braids. Which, fine, I am not an artist, but then why not just have those two locks of hair falling forward like normal? All you need to do is delete the ribbons. And if you insist on having that splash of colour, maybe you could give her some earrings or something?

CATEGORY 3: THE DE-BUTCHIFICATION OFFENDERS: OOT Zelda, Tetra

So I have no issues with the respective hair of any of these characters. My qualm is the immediacy of the transition, and the resulting sudden new length. Because I guess Zelda has to be super femme and that means she has to have long flowing locks when she transforms out of her pirate outfit/masculine sheikah disguise, so no more short hair for you! (Also, you can't be cute and femme and have melanin, apparently?? But that's a whole other issue...)

(And despite my beef with the overly chonky braids, I must give kudos to totk Zelda for righting this injustice. #shorthairzeldarights)

HONOURABLE MENTION: I REFUSE TO BELIEVE YOU CAN FIGHT IN THESE CONDITIONS OFFENDER: AOC Impa

I just had to include this, because I otherwise love the design for Impa in AOC, but the way I feel about this hair is similar to how most of tumblr feels about boob plate armor. You mean to tell me that this highly trained, stealth and combat expert fighter would wear her hair this long and this loose, when she is often in melee situations where someone grabbing and pulling your hair could absolutely be deadly?? Nah. (She also suffers from the same "how is your hair so thicccc??" issue as AoC/BotW Zelda)

Anyways that concludes my very silly rant. I will again add the disclaimer that I know dick all about character design, I just know how to style my thigh length hair with ribbons and braids. If you disagree, or you have any that I missed, I welcome your thoughts!

#emily talks #rants #character design #hair #hairstyles #zelda #the legend of zelda #zelda character design #loz #tloz #botw #totk #wind waker #twilight princess #skyward sword #tetra #oot #ocarina of time #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

I need to focus on other things, I can't really draw the siblings' dynamic I'm desperate to showcase so have it tossed down bellow

-Hornet still calls Hollow by "Knight", as they have no name and she doesn't feel like it's her place to give them one. She also refers to them in it/its or they/them pronoun, kind of switches between the two

-Hollow's way of communication is body gestures and movement. They can write but it's been too long, they are somewhat relearning how to. They write in short sentences, not because they can't or don't want to communicate, it's their current headspace of just kind of existing normally that's new to them. They also eventually develop a sort of sign language of their own that only Hornet picks up on (at the time).

-Hornet is the one who introduced them to other bugs to see how they socialize, also being forced to do the same herself. She is not doing so well lol! Hollow, while not really knowing to pick up on social ques as well, is still doing better due to still carrying the basic training of being a knight (and polite towards bugs they were meant to "keep safe and serve")

-While she feels like took a lot on herself to help Hollow adapt, it's their interaction that sort of bounce off of each other and proving to be helpful to her as well. She still has a need to be protective of them in any situation, though, taking a lot of responsibility on herself while not needed and this can have a counter effect on Hollow, making them step away from her when she acts too much like that.

-Hollow doesn't like physical contact, not because they're afraid or not trusting enough because physical contact outside of combat is foreign to them. Hornet learned this (as shown in the comic) and is mainly allowing them to make the first step if she reach out (tugging on Hornet's cape to get her attention, a soft pat on the head as a thank you that they picked up from ~someone :)~ etc.)

-Hollow is recovering and learning but they are still highly trained, fully capable of taking enemies down. What they lack is a sense of drawing the line when to stop, not dealing with enemies who aren't void construct or high skilled like the great knights. They can gravely injure or kill someone very VERY fast and Hornet has to warn and stop them for not accidentally going too far

-They use World Sense to know and see things Hornet can, so randomly they would act a little out of it as if zoning out or mediating in the middle of doing something. Hornet doesn't usually disturb them when they do but she hates when they run off somewhere without her knowing if they decide to go investigate what they 'saw'

-The enemies Hornet tries to keep a secret are these strange bounty hunter bugs that are coming after for some reason *wink*. She thinks Hollow isn't aware but they are secretly keeping an eye out for her

-Hornet learned Hollow refuses to fully sleep rest the hard way (as in she tried all sort of assurances and methods to let them know they're safe but they would act in panic so she would stop trying or insisting)

Uh, I might add more in future self reblogs if I remember more, have this for now~

#hollow knight #hornet #hollow #stagnation end tag #I use to word these stuff a lot better but now I can't lol #maybe transparent bg wasn't a good choice but what ever #I just wanted to draw something since #I haven't in days but neither could I fully focus on drawing #because I had to take care off stuff and only work on the doodle when I had a chance in between

[howtofightwrite]

A follow up question to my "how to fight beasts" question. I am aware that hunting is quite different to fighting. I should have been more specific but I meant to ask about fighting beast in a hand-to-hand combat type scenario. An example being gladiators of the Roman Colosseum being forced to fight beasts like lions, tigers, and bears in an arena with conventional weapons like swords and spears. What is the gameplan?

In the real world, the game plan was, “don't do that.”

Something we've mentioned in the past was the way the Roman gladiatorial combat focused on fixed loadouts. However, there were specific non-gladiator, “support,” positions. One of these was the Venator.

Venatores were hunters, (this was also the name of a support role in the legion tasked with hunting animals for meat.) Their role in the arena was to stage hunts against wild animals. They would be armed with a selection of bows, spears, and javelins. They would then be sent out to slaughter the animals released into the arena.

It's important to understand, this was a completely different kind of presentation from the gladiatorial combat. Venatores were used as an exercise of imperial authority. They weren't put into the arena to, “fight,” animals, they were put into the arena to hunt and kill them.

In fact, the Venatores were so, “safe,” that multiple Emperors participated in their shows. This is how much of a non-threat the animals were; Emperors who wanted to be seen as skilled hunters, could use this as a safe way to publicly present themselves.

In some ways, the most analogous comparison would be to view the venatores as a circus act (without regard for animal cruelty.) (Venatores literally were circus performers, but the modern meaning is slightly different.)

On the other end of the spectrum was damnatio ad bestias. This was the only other group that, “fought,” animals in the arena, and, as the name suggests, it was a method of execution. You weren't expected to win a fist fight with a lion, and frankly, your odds when squaring up against any big cat while unarmed aren't particularly good. To make matters worse, the condemned were restrained or otherwise prevented from fighting back effectively. This was an execution, not a fight.

You skipped over it on your animal list, but wolves enjoyed a special deference in the arena. The arenas would take steps to avoid harming wolves whenever possible, due to their symbolic importance to Roman culture. At the same time, the arenas drove multiple species, including some varieties of lions and tigers to the brink of extinction. I don't think I've ever seen boars mentioned in the arena, though that could just be an oversight. Similarly, another notable omission from your list was the auroch, they're extinct today, but they were hunted in venatores performances. (The last living auroch was poached sometime in the 17thcentury, so in this case, the extinction was unrelated.)

Now, there's a legitimate question of whether this matters. This how the real arenas worked, but how is this relevant for you?

The answer there is to look at the intent of the arena, and skim over the economics.

The arena was an extension of the state. As much as the purpose was to provide entertainment to the lower class citizens, it was also a demonstration of imperial power. Within that context, having these highly trained fighters getting picked off by wild animals would have been, “ideologically catastrophic.” There already was a theme with gladiators, where the various types were representative of foes that Rome had conquered, but, the gladiators were still Roman fighters, and seeing them getting torn to pieces by hyenas would not have been a good look for The Empire.

It would been an expensive proposition. Training and maintaining a gladiator was not cheap. These were very expensive entertainers. This is part of why the gladiatorial combat to the death was extremely rare. A modern analogy would be to view gladiators a bit like professional wrestlers, including the part where successful gladiators were minor celebrities in their day. In the vast majority of situations, killing off a gladiator didn't make financial sense, and as a result, they were rarely, intentionally, killed in the arena.

Now, capturing, transporting, and storing wild animals was expensive, however for the arenas that was an expendable cost. One lion was about as much of a crowd pleaser as any other. This meant that there was no incentive to protect the animals (excluding in the specific case of wolves, mentioned earlier.)

So, there was no incentive to screw around. You wouldn't pair gladiators against animals, because if the gladiator was injured or killed, that was a significant financial loss, and would reflect poorly on The Empire. (You also couldn't match gladiators against animals on the technicality that, “gladiators,” specifically fought other gladiators. Again, that was the domain of the venatores.)

The Venatores didn't, 'fight,' animals, they slaughtered them.

When someone was put to death by animals in the arena, they weren't allowed to fight back. Again, think how weak it would make The Empire appear, if the condemned fought back successfully at their execution.

So, in the larger context of, “how would you fight an animal,” you wouldn't. Hunting, even by the venatores, is a radically different activity from fighting. You're not going to fight an animal, you're looking to kill them. So, while there is some similarity to efficient approaches to combat, none of that applies in the arena.

While the idea of dropping a pack of wild animals into the middle of an arena bout fits in some kind of romantic idea, it doesn't make a lot of sense on any level. Even on the subject of sheer spectacle, it's going to clutter the arena with visual noise that makes the main event, the fight between the gladiators, harder to follow.

Also, that last bit about damnatio ad bestiasis something to keep in mind about the use of gladiatorial combat to pick off characters. It creates a situation where your protagonists can (potentially, and if we're being honest with ourselves, probably will) seriously undermine the power of the state running the arena. If the goal was to kill them off, then letting them successfully fight back seriously undermines the illusion of power that the state possessed. (Even letting them resist at all is mildly damaging to that image.) It's a dramatic scenario, but it's actively detrimental to creating a powerful, oppressive nation. Even throwing someone into the arena against their will is pretty questionable if you step back and think about it, because you're basically saying, “I condemn you to a life as a sports star. Now fight this angry cat.”

-Starke

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#Starke answers #How to Fight Write #Writing advice #writing reference #writing tips #gladiators #history

[liebgotts-lovergirl]

Fire On Fire: Chapter 11

Gallery II Taglist Application II Symbol Guide

(Ch. 10) ... (Ch. 1)

Summary: Alix prepares for her next mission despite still being haunted by her last. WARNINGS: Death, Survivor's Guilt, Angst, a protective Joe, the usual war stuff Taglist: @softguarnere @latibvles @brassknucklespeirs @mccall-muffin @auroralightsthesky

Contemporary: September 15th, 1944. Aldbourne, England.

Unlike the rest of Easy, Alix hadn't gotten any free time in England. 

She hadn't seen Joe, Skip, Don, or any of Easy Company, save for Nixon, in about 2 months because she was practically living with the SOE. 

The British were in charge of the latest operation, meaning that Alix had to rely on the Strategic Operations Executive for all additional training and intel, much to her chagrin.

Rumors were swirling in the intelligence community that the SOE had been compromised but no one wanted to believe it.

One of the foremost Allied espionage organizations, compromised?

It was truly a harrowing thought.

Every time she was in an intelligence briefing or doing combat training, she couldn't help but wonder if her opponent was actually an enemy agent. There was almost no way to know until it was too late, like with Jean-Pierre.

You should've known.

It pounded like footfalls on pavement in her head.

You should've known.

You should've known.

He was a fucking kid, for Christ's sake, still a teenager, not even old enough to buy a drink back home in the States.

He liked playing chess and Benny Goodman records.

But he was an enemy spy.

He was the Milice and Gestapo Liaison.

He was the mole.

He had betrayed her friends.

And now he was dead.

The gunshots, the blood spatter, the dull thud of his body hitting the pew, those lifeless gray eyes staring into space...

She saw them every night in her sleep. Alix couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up rested.

Every day, she fought monsters and every night, they just came back in some twisted Sisyphean dance, and she'd wake up with her heart just about beating out of her chest.

Does it count as survivor's guilt if you're a murderer?

Are you still a murderer if it's your job to murder?

Alix didn't have the answers.

As the agency in charge of the next operation, British Intelligence had done their best to remedy the damage that Jean-Pierre had done to her operations but there was no telling if it would work. A fake obituary had been planted in the French and German press to kill off her old identity and erase any Gestapo suspicion of her escape from France. But that meant a new identity needed to take its place so she could continue her work, an identity that the SOE would be supplying...

"Adelina and Niccolò Duchamps?" Alix read, turning the forged passports over in her hands before looking up at the man standing at the opening of her tent. "We have a joint cover now? You've got to be joking." 

"Believe me, I wish I was," Lieutenant Nixon replied grimly as he entered from the night, nursing a flask full of what Alix guessed was his usual whiskey. 

"But they're sending me with you this time. Orders came in this morning."

"Why?" Alix crossed her arms, bristling at the insinuation. "I completed my mission just fine without you before. I think I'm well-past needing a babysitter."

HQ was constantly undermining her, like she hadn't been training for two whole years for exactly this type of solo mission.

What was the point of having highly-trained female operatives if they wouldn't let them into the field because they're female?

It was maddening.

"Trust me, I don't like it any better than you do but we don't have a choice."

He grimaced.

"You had Toulouse's support in France but we don't have that in Holland. It's heavily male-dominated and they won't take well to a female agent unless she's accompanied. HQ figures a brother/sister team is the best way to go."

 

"Well that's stupid," Alix remarked, putting her hands on her hips. "I was trained for fieldwork. They need to let me do my fucking job." 

"You're preaching to the choir, kid." Nixon replied dryly. "Not that it's much consolation but I tried to make the same argument to HQ earlier and they read me the fucking riot act so if you want to try, be my guest but don't cry to me when they pull you from the mission completely." 

Alix cocked an eyebrow.

"You really stuck up for me with HQ?" she asked, not quite believing her ears. "You told them I was ready to go into the field alone? Am I hearing this correctly?"

"And look, I'm already regretting it," Nixon deadpanned.

Alix rolled her eyes at him and sipped her third coffee of the day out of her godawful tin mug.

So her handler believed in her after all.

How about that, she thought. Better look up when I'm outside tomorrow morning. Might see some pigs flying next.

She would've killed for something stronger than coffee to steady her nerves but her handler had a strong No-Drinking-On-the-Job rule, which naturally seemed to only apply to her.

 

"Well I still don't like the joint cover idea," she groused doggedly and Nixon took another long swig from his flask before clinking it against her mug like they were exchanging cheers on New Years. 

"Join the club."

∆∆━━━━∆∆━━━∆∆━━━∆∆

Contemporary: September 17th, 1944. Membury Airfield, England.

Alix could hear Bill from halfway across the airfield, arriving at the moral of a colorful story he'd been telling some spellbound replacements, presumably to keep them from getting too nervous before the jump. 

"And that, kiddies," he said sagely. "is why you never piss off an Italian woman, 'specially when she's from Philly." 

"You talking about me again, Guarnere?" she teased as she approached the cluster. "Starting a fan club or something?"

"Well, speak of the she-devil!" Bill exclaimed with his usual welcoming grin, clapping her on the back like an old friend. "Where ya been, Pyro? Joe's been real lonely! Ain't that right, Lieb?"  

"Nah, hardly noticed." 

Alix's heart leapt at the familiar rasp. One of the taller replacements shifted to the side and there was Joe, her Joe, standing just behind him, the gold flecks in his eyes catching the sunlight as he looked at her. 

They didn't even need words; the way his face had brightened upon seeing her said it all, but he spoke anyway.

"Hiya gorgeous," he remarked, his usual smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Long time, no see." 

God, I missed you, Alix thought.

"Sorry, do I know you?" she teased and Joe broke into a grin, tugging her into his arms for a hug. 

"By now? You'd fuckin' better." 

Snaking his arm around her waist proudly, Joe stayed attached to her side the whole time preparations for the jump were taking place.

Neither of them voiced it but Alix knew in the pit of her stomach that they were both afraid. 

Soon, forces beyond their control would rip them apart and every parting held the risk of a more permanent goodbye.

Spies operating radios in the field had a life expectancy of 6 weeks. It was only a matter of time before she got caught, they both knew that.

And caught, for a spy, almost always meant torture and death.

Their love was very much on borrowed time.

∆∆━━━━∆∆━━━∆∆━━━∆∆

As usual, Joe insisted on checking her chutes before his own and when he found that her reserve was damaged, he just about lost it. 

"Who the fuck rigged this?" he demanded, momentarily separating himself from her to interrogate a couple unfortunate PRs who happened to be passing by. 

She could hear the shaking rage in Joe's rising voice, threatening the Parachute Riggers with every conceivable danger he could think of as he pushed for the name of the person who'd unknowingly endangered the life of someone he cared for. 

Alix shook her head, a little embarrassed and a lot amused. 

She didn't think she would've ended up using the faulty reserve anyway because her primary was fine but she still pitied the person who'd packed it whenever the infuriated Joe got ahold of him. 

Meandering away from the argument over her damaged chute, Alix wove her way through the crowd as she searched for her two best friends, squinting in the sunlight as she scanned for the recognizably bright red hair of Don Malarkey. 

Locating Don was a sure-fire way to locate Skip as well because in all the time she'd known them, she'd never seen them apart. 

The three of them had been attached at the hip since they'd met at the White Rose several months earlier when a bored Alix had accidentally talked her way into a drinking contest with the two of them, eventually resulting in the trio stumbling outside into an alleyway and violently throwing up their dinners onto the bricks and bushes nearby.

Out of the goodness of his heart (and perhaps out of sheer exasperation), Skip had eventually declared a Three-Way Tie but even all those months later, both Don and Alix each remained insistent that they were the true winner. 

It didn't feel right being away from them, Alix thought as she surveyed the crowd. She missed her favorite dumbasses. 

Stopping a passing trooper at the edge of the larger crowd, she was about to inquire if he'd seen the pair when a yank on a strand of her hair and a loud "Ahem!" answered her question before it was even asked.

"Scuse me, trooper," a voice from behind said, trying and failing to adopt a gruff, businesslike tone. "But your hair's not in regs."  

"Gonna have to take a knife to it, I guess!" another voice chimed in, brimming with laughter. 

"Do it and die, you two," Alix threatened jokingly, turning around to see the grinning faces of Skip Muck and Don Malarkey standing just behind her. 

"Thought that was you, Pyro," Skip beamed, giving his friend a bear hug. "Either that or one of the fellas got real comfortable with hair curlers all of a sudden!" 

"'S good to have you back," Malarkey added as he joined the impromptu group hug. "We missed ya!"

"I missed you guys too," Alix replied with a grin. "Hope I didn't miss out on anything too fun while I was gone. SOE briefings are a nightmare!"

"Oh yeah, you missed a swell time," Skip snarked with a friendly nudge of her shoulder. "Nothing like sitting around, twiddling our thumbs while there's a war on. Does wonders for morale."

"Yeah, I bet," Alix quipped. 

She was about to ask Skip if he and Faye had decided on a song for their first dance yet when the loud rumbling of a nearby Jeep interrupted.

All three of their heads perked up at the same time as it passed, each bearing a similar expression of consternation and horror as they realized who was inside it. 

"What is he doing here?" Alix hissed and Malarkey blanched at the sight.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered just as Sobel approached them, with the same vicious smugness as he’d had so many months before, like a hungry snake staring down its dinner.

“Well, if it isn’t Muck, Malarkey, and Martinelli," he sneered, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "Our Three fucking Musketeers."

Unpleasant memories of 5 mile runs and digging ditches flashed through Alix's mind like a film reel of her most miserable moments and it took all her strength not to haul off and punch Sobel right in his stupid fucking face, consequences be damned. 

"Sir." She saluted but glared at him as she spat the word, wanting him to know just how it burnt like acid to have to address him as a superior. 

But he looked straight past her as though she wasn't even there. 

"Malarkey," he barked and Alix could feel Don's shoulders sag in defeat. 

"Sorry Mal," Alix whispered out of the corner of her mouth and she could see Skip slipping away as well, a half-apologetic, half-amused expression on his face. 

“What’s that all about?” Alix asked as the pair ducked their way out of earshot. 

“Oh Mal and Moore stole a bike for a while,” Skip answered as casually as one talks about the weather.

“They took it for a spin or two…maybe three... Anyway, Sobel’s pissed about it, as you can see.”

“Damn Skipper, sounds like I missed more than I thought.” 

∆∆━━━━∆∆━━━∆∆━━━∆∆

Like magic, Joe reappeared beside her just before she was due to leave.

“Took care of the fuckin’ moron who packed your chute, Zees,” he remarked, handing her a new pack. 

“This one oughta work as your spare.” 

"Not bad, Romeo," Skip commented as he helped Alix attach it. "Hope you didn't scare the poor kid too bad though. We need all the manpower we can get." 

"Nah," Joe replied with a wry smirk. "Didn’t scare him too bad. Just enough. Shouldn't be packing chutes if he can't pack 'em right anyway."  

Skip and Joe were still conversing but once she was properly outfitted, Alix couldn't help but tune them out, releasing a shaky sigh. 

Soon she would be jumping into Occupied Holland and during the day, no less. 

They would be completely exposed, in broad daylight: a spy's worst nightmare. 

All it would take was one trigger-happy sadist in a gray uniform to end the lives of herself and everyone she cared about. 

She tried to keep her face impartial but Joe could feel her unease and lightly brushed his arm against hers, leaning into her just enough that she could feel the weight of him next to her. 

I love you, Ziskeit, the gesture said. I'm right here.

Alix did the same and gave him a wan smile in return.

I know. I love you too. 

∆∆━━━━∆∆━━━∆∆━━━∆∆

The jump into the Netherlands wasn’t too bad, all things considered. The air had a pleasant autumn feel, the sky an endless stretch of soft pastel blue instead of a bitter rain, and for once, nobody was shooting at them on their way down. 

Alix, Lieutenant Nixon, and a small cluster of pathfinders had left England and dropped in hours before the rest of the Airborne arrived. It would be easier to connect with the Dutch Resistance without worrying about crowds of paratroopers causing unnecessary attention.

The dense blanket of low-clinging Dutch clouds made it near impossible to tell where they were dropping, so when the time came, it seemed like everyone was simply giving it their best guess. 

Alix landed a little harder than she'd planned to, smacking the side of her hip against the ground with a thud, but she recovered quickly.

After freeing herself of her parachute and stumbling to her feet– which was not an easy task in civilian clothing– Alix jogged to catch up with Lieutenant Nixon, who was already several strides ahead of her. 

"You’re clear on the mission, targets, and cover story, correct?” he asked as she approached, his Italian almost as flawless as her own. “Because if you have any last minute questions, now is the time.”

Alix took a moment to ponder, running though everything she’d read in the past couple days, before asking, 

“If we’re supposed to be the children of a Swiss-Italian socialite, then why did the SOE change our father’s surname to French? It was De Rossi before, wasn’t it?” 

“It was,” Nixon agreed. “But they wanted to give us an out. So they made the mother’s maiden name De Rossi and made her married name Duchamps instead. There’s a lot of anti-Italian sentiment going around in Resistance groups lately due to the Italian Campaign and we don’t need any friction. This way, we can switch as needed.”

Alix inspected her false identification papers one final time before tucking them back into the waistband of her trousers with a simple nod. 

“Fair enough.” 

As the pair approached the outskirts of the city, rustic farmhouses and rows upon rows of brick townhouses stood before them, a sea of orange flags marking each one like bright traffic cones. 

“You ready?” Nixon asked out of the corner of his mouth as they both scoured the urban landscape for their Resistance contact.

Alix snorted. 

"Ready as I'll ever be." 

#here have some Market Garden buildup lol #FireOnFire #FOFChapters #mywork #Band of Brothers fandom #BoB #Band of Brothers #Band of Brothers fanfiction #HBO War #HBO War fandom #Joe Liebgott x OC #Joe Liebgott #Joe Liebgott x reader #Joe Liebgott imagine #Joe Liebgott imagines #Band of Brothers imagines #Band of Brothers headcanons #band of brothers oc #lewis nixon #Skip Muck #Don Malarkey #espionage thriller #pining #mutual pining #conflicted #angst

[mwolf0epsilon]

Sponge doesn't get to meet their grandchildren...

It isn't surprising really. The beginning of their life was one of turmoil, constant stress, isolation from their batchmates, and unavoidable loss. The medical position was forced onto them because they had steady hands and the capacity to focus, but they had never really wanted to be a medic and they made a near fatal mistake in their very first major operation. They had earned a name through a bloody error.

Deployment was absolute hell. The sinkhole had consumed the remainder of their innocence just as greedily as it had consumed their closest brother. They couldn't save anyone from the squad they'd been accompanying, and their hesitance nearly got Kix killed as well. Sponge learned lessons the hard way and ended up jaded and unwilling to grow close to many people. Their closest friend for many years had been a barghest.

Sponge doesn't get to meet their grandchildren.

It's a tragedy really, especially when they loved the idea of getting to hear the pitter-patter of little feet running around the farmstead again. They missed the light little taps, the joyous sounds of childhood, the sweet little songs from games their ade used to play together when they were still little.

Their little ones aren't so little anymore, they're all grown up and capable people. Mentored under several highly trained clones and warriors of various clans. Sponge themself had taught them all they needed to know about medicine, Lichtenberg had taught them about survival in hostile conditions, the Guard Remnant in turn had taught them everything they knew about street-smarts and hand to hand combat, and even the few Mandalorians that had somehow managed to gain Sponge's fickle trust had been there to teach them about the versatility of a well stocked arsenal. All of them had made out of the Spongelings true crafty survivors.

But even if their ade were more than ready to face the perils of the galaxy, Sponge never was the sort to let harm come to those they loved. So when the slavers came marching towards the farmstead, they knew what they had to do...

Saying goodbye without saying goodbye was a painful affair. The fire and smoke made talking difficult, and Sponge knew that all seconds were precious if their children and brothers were to survive. Lich was hurt and Penguin wasn't faring much better. Both were being carried by two of Sponge's ade each. This meant they were four blasters short to keep their hides covered. Safety was 30 minutes away on foot. Gadget could cut it to 10 with her armour fully prepped, but someone had to keep the slavers busy. That someone was a grouchy medic with a set of old and battered Phase II clone armour, as well as a good old dose of triggered parental instincts.

Sponge promised they'd be seeing them soon once they reached their uncle Dogma's house. Sponge hated that their last words to their ade were nothing but an empty promise.

They don't even get to watch their children retreat. The blaster bolts are flying, the smoke and ash are blinding, and they know without a doubt that the only way to win is to go out with a bang. They have help of course... Beautiful had always been nothing if not a loyal barghest, and she had refused to leave them. Her presence is a comfort as they run around, leading the slavers to the one thing that will turn the tides of this battle. Sponge hopes that one day Gadget and Sucata will forgive them for destroying their workshop but, considering what volatile chemicals are in there, they'd very likely understand...

The slavers take the bait. One shot is all it takes. Sponge, Beautiful, the men and women that came looking to make a pretty credit out of their children, the farmstead... They're all no more. A charred crater and burnt corpses are all that's left.

Sponge doesn't get to meet their grandchildren... But it is because of their love and devotion to their family that there even are any grandchildren to begin with.

They don't get to meet them, but when the Spongelings add their and Beau's bodies to the growing graveyard that started as their uncle Fox's resting grounds, they make sure to visit every year with trinkets and flowers they knew that their buir would have loved. And then when they have children of their own, they visit the grave-sight and tell their ade all about the selfless medic that saved their lives and took them in as their own. Loved them as their own.

Sponge doesn't get to meet their grandchildren, but their grandchildren love them all the same.

#star wars #the clone wars #clone ocs #clone medic sponge #beautiful the barghest #the spongelings #Sponge's death is the only time they don't freeze under pressure and I think that adds to their tale of atonement for past sins

[cheyannemallasusa]

Common Misconceptions About Bioregenerative Aesthetics - A List by Cheyanne Mallas

Regenerative aesthetics is an emerging subfield of regenerative medicine, and for effective treatments, clear definitions and goals must be set forth.

These innovative treatments allow patients to embark on a rejuvenation journey that supports the body's natural regenerative abilities, but there are often misunderstandings surrounding these revolutionary treatments. We've collected the most frequently held misconceptions.

1. Aesthetic Treatments Are Painful

Cheyanne Mallas highlights that humanity's pursuit of youthful skin has long been a pursuit. Ancient Egyptian royalty used masks crafted from highly acidic crocodile dung and river mud; Victorian ladies used mercury and arsenic to lighten their complexions. Modern medical spas offer advanced treatments designed to boost beauty while supporting the body's regenerative abilities; such regenerative technologies offer promising futures for cosmetic and anti-aging treatments.

While aesthetic treatments may cause some discomfort, they're generally painless when performed at a reputable med spa with licensed practitioners who care about client comfort.

Many treatments are non-invasive, making them the perfect option for seeking cosmetic results without surgery. One such non-invasive solution is dermal filler treatment, designed to address root causes of aging by stimulating collagen production for long-lasting effects and safe for all genders and ages - making it an excellent way for anyone who wishes to look younger without resorting to more drastic measures like facelifts or other invasive surgeries.

2. Aesthetic Treatments Are Only for Older People

Society lauds youth, leading many people to assume aesthetic treatments are solely meant for older individuals looking to combat signs of aging. Though this may be one reason they seek these procedures, aesthetic procedures can benefit people of all ages by improving skin conditions or augmenting natural beauty. By informing clients of the benefits of these procedures, they can make them feel confident at every age or stage in life.

Cheyanne Mallas PA highlights that aesthetic treatments can address numerous cosmetic concerns, from wrinkle reduction and skin rejuvenation to revitalizing its regenerative abilities. Combining injectables, skin revitalization treatments, and non-surgical facelifts with comprehensive results that make clients look younger and radiant, aesthetic treatments can make an impressive, impactful statement about how aesthetically pleasing aesthetically pleasing they can be.

Noting the specific needs and preferences of individual clients is also crucial; for instance, pregnant and breastfeeding women may not be suitable candidates for particular treatments, and clients taking certain medications or having health conditions should receive a medical risk evaluation before being treated. Therefore, educating yourself on the latest aesthetic treatments available and their associated safety and efficacy will allow you to build trusting relationships with clients while keeping them returning!

3. Aesthetic Treatments Are Not Safe

Cheyanne Mallas California emphasizes that regenerative aesthetics has rapidly become a global trend in recent years. This innovative form of aesthetic treatment harnesses your body's natural regenerative abilities to combat signs of aging and restore volume loss - ultimately producing a more authentic and healthy version of yourself that represents who you are.

Although most treatments carry some risk, they should be safe they should be safe when administered by trained, licensed practitioners. Therefore, physicians must educate their patients about potential side effects and help them find treatments that fit their lifestyle needs and preferences.

Survey results demonstrate that many aesthetic-conscious individuals experience barriers to seeking aesthetic treatments that lie outside their control, such as fear of needles or pain, safety concerns, and worry that procedures will produce unnatural looks. While cost was also cited as a top barrier by survey physicians and respondents (as was cost), more controllable factors like these were given more weight (Figure 9).

According to Cheyanne Mallas, aesthetic treatments may not be inexpensive, but they have never been more accessible to the general public. Furthermore, aesthetic therapies have never been supported with scientific evidence of their efficacy and safety, especially when combined with medical skin care. Studies have demonstrated how stimulating skin with lasers such as Halo Pro and microneedling increases natural peptide production while improving overall skin health, eliminating precancerous lesions, and decreasing their likelihood of returning in future years.

4. Aesthetic Treatments Are Not Effective

Bioregenerative aesthetics has generated much excitement as a trend in modern medicine due to clients looking for quick, non-invasive procedures to see typical signs of aging without using scalpels or other invasive tools.

Human bodies possess incredible healing capabilities. Regenerative medicine and aesthetics rely heavily on this process as it utilizes stem cell interactions with specific signaling peptide messengers to restore damaged or degraded structures or cells through repair mechanisms such as regeneration.   

Aesthetic treatments should not be seen as conforming to society's beauty standards or seeking validation from others; instead, they give individuals the power to make choices that align with their personal goals and preferences for a more wholesome sense of self.

Many individuals seeking aesthetic treatments do not seek them solely out of vanity; they do it to feel more confident about themselves and their appearance. Although this is an admirable goal, it is still wise to be wary of overdoing it when it comes to aesthetic procedures; being aware of their risks is the key, and working with a skilled practitioner can ensure subtle yet natural-looking results.

As with elective aesthetic treatments, it is wise to wait before proceeding if you suffer from any health condition or feel poorly overall, Cheyanne Mallas highlighted. Doing so puts you at greater risk for complications or reactions that could prove dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

#cheyanne mallas

[reviewsthatburn]

SQUIRE is the third book of Kel's quartet, covering her time as a squire (as the title implies). It wraps up storylines related to Joren's bullying when Kel was a page and Lalasa's kidnapping. We also finally get an answer as to her mysterious benefactor's identity. Her practice at tilting continues with more practice and some tournaments. There is a completely new storyline related to Kel's time with the King's Own as Lord Raoul's squire, as well as her care of a griffin (which is both introduced and resolved). The end sets up some things to be addressed in the next book, including but not confined to war with Scanra. 

The worldbuilding leans into a details of the tournaments and the role of the King's Own, folding in Kel's lessons on tactics and strategy from her knight-master. There are references to things learned in previous books and other series set within Tortall, which help give a feeling of depth for those who have read those earlier stories. It's a character-focused story, with references to what Kel is learning and how she's thinking about the information, punctuated by action scenes when she's in training or combat.

Full Review at link.

#BookReviews #Fantasy #Highly Recommended #protector of the small #tortall #tamora pierce #keladry of mindelan

[narbevoguel]

So, what do you guys think of the playable dorks?

Personally, I was neutral on whether they'd be separate characters, or a duo character, but to be honest, I'm really glad it turned out to be the latter, I was going to feel guilty if I had to choose one over the other, they're not meant to be separated, and we know it, lol. (I was also going to feel really sad if one of them turned out to be objectively inferior when compared to the other, so that fear is out of the window).

But I wonder what their moveset is going to be like. I like to think maybe their ability will be to swap between each other and the combos will change depending who's on the lead (sorta how Revali's combos change depending on whether he's on foot or midair). After all, I highly doubt Purah is just going to be there, following Robbie around only to press a single button and do nothing else.

In the trailer we see her hold the Sheikah Slate, while Zelda is either in her training garb thing, or focusing on learning how to use the Master Cycle replica (similar to the art of wave 1, with Zelda riding that thing and Purah holding the Slate). That could mean her moveset is going to focus on modules unique to her that she revamped or created. But then again, it could mean nothing and just some story plot where Zelda stops being a selfish punk and lets her have the slate for a while, since Purah doesn't seem to be holding it while Robbie does combat.

Either way, she could be there only to boss Robbie around while she does little to nothing, and he does all the hard work anyway. Just look at these beautiful sprinting animations, lol. That's sorta their dynamic, and I'm perfectly fine with that, too. I'm just really happy to be able to control them on the battlefield. But what do you guys think?

#legend of zelda #age of calamity dlc #age of calamity robbie #age of calamity purah #age of calamity #botw aoc #breath of the wild #loz aoc #loz botw #young purah #aoc purah #aoc robbie #young robbie #I can't believe Robbie went Loader on us lol

[foxyninjabear]

Extra AHT Lore - Shadowbyte Army Divisions!

Hey everyone! I have a little something to show ya!

As you can probably tell by the heading of this post, I have extra lore to share with you regarding A Hacker's Tale! Specifically, on the separate divisions of the Shadowbyte Army. Recently I was trying to get over some writer's block, so I decided I would make some logos for each division, and sprinkle in some extra info for you all!

Now, let's get to it!

~~~~~

Infantry

First up on the list, we have the Infantry Division! This is the largest division in the entire Army, and rightfully so. Soldiers part of Infantry are sent on almost all missions, and are meant to be right on the front lines. They are some of the most well-rounded soldiers the Army has, due to their training in both armed and unarmed combat, as well as their wide variety of hacking abilities. New recruits are often sent here once their training is complete (if not to the Medical Division) to either stay in the Infantry ranks, or show their potential to be transferred to another division.

Medical

Next we have the Medical Division! People apart of it have a crucial role of missions, offering medical assistance when needed. Although they primarily use hacks to do their healing, soldiers also are given an extensive amount of medical training, getting more complicated as they advance through the ranks. New recruits are sometimes sent here once their training is complete (if not to the Infantry Division) to either stay in the Medical ranks, or show their potential to be transferred to another division.

Science

Double double, toil and trouble! Next up is the Science Division! This division is one of the few that doesn't send its members into combat. Instead, these guys focus primarily on research, experimenting, and things of the like. They work closely with the Medical and Engineering Divisions, developing new and improved items for them to use. For example, they might research and develop more potent potions for the Medical Division, or stronger materials for the Engineering Division to make weapons with. As more code is generated over time in the form of Updates, and new items, materials, and/or creatures are generated in Worlds, the Science Division is researching them as fast as possible.

Engineering

Grab your wrenches and hammers, folks, cuz we're now onto the Engineering Division! These guys are the Shadowbyte Army's main source of weaponry and equipment, from the smallest sword to the most powerful mech. They are skilled in redstone, craftsmanship, and operating machinery. They work closely with the Science Division, getting new and stronger materials in exchange for more advanced research equipment. The Engineering Division also goes hand in hand with the Medical Division, primarily with the development of cybernetics. When sent out into the fray of battle, they primarily operate weaponized mechs, but can also fill in the role of a standard soldier well.

Cyber

Time to go over what is probably one of the most underrated divisions in the Army; the Cyber Division! These guys focus primarily on three different things. First off, they're some of the best informants the Army has, and they can dig up any dirt on anyone from anywhere at anytime. Secondly, they're highly skilled at altering a World's code, making the most powerful Cyber soldiers lethal in combat (if their hacks are used correctly), as well as being very useful when it comes to infiltrating Worlds and getting past firewalls and firms of malware. Last, but not least, the Cyber Division specializes in creating new types of hacks. Every so often, they'll release a new hack for the Shadowbyte Army to use, and usually improve the Army's functionality in some way.

Logistics

This division's role may not be as intense or combat focused as the rest, but it's no less important. Say hello to the Logistics Division! These guys control the flow of raw materials, finances, and supplies that go in and out of each of the Army's bases and locations that they occupy. They also work closely with the Command Division to determine where soldiers will be stationed.

Special Ops

Of course, I couldn't go through this lost without going over my personal favorite of the eight divisions! Yes, everyone, it's the Special Ops Division! The soldiers assigned to this division are the best of the best, in terms of combat and stealth. They're assigned the most dangerous and important missions, from stopping the spread of deadly malware and glitches spreading from World to World, to taking down the most corrupt organizations and governments that threaten the lives of the innocent, Special Ops soldiers do it all. They are considered to be the crown jewel of the Army by many, for their skill, valor, and bravery.

Command

Finally, we have the top dogs of the Shadowbyte Army... The Command Division! The purpose of these guys is pretty straightforward; they command which soldiers are sent out on what missions, and when they are deployed. This is by far the smallest division in the entire Army, but rightfully so. Not many soldiers have the potential to command a large amount of soldiers with minimal problems, and deal with the politics that come with it. At the very top of the entire Command Division is none other than Ecryptos himself, the man who started it all years prior to the present time in the story.

~~~~~

And that's the last of them, folks! Hope you all enjoyed this not-so-little tidbit of extra lore for the storyline! It may not be essential to the story itself, but I'm happy to share it with you all nonetheless xD

If you have any questions or are confused at some of the information I've put in, feel free to comment or send me an ask!

#a hacker's tale #logo showcase #logos #Shadowbyte Army #hermitcraft #reference

[nekokats]

@batmanrogues

just like you hate the current portrayal of the riddler, talia fans also hate the current talia because even tho she has always been morally grey, she's never been a rapist or a child abuser. and the way that she's been turned into one, and that out of all the female batman villains it's only talia who receives this terrible treatment, proves that talia's current portrayal is permeated with racism and misogyny. harley killed children, ivy also raped men, and catwoman forced herself on batman, yet all of that is retconned and now they are all portrayed either as heroes or anti heroes.

on the one hand, it's good that dc erased these terrible things from canon, because these villains became somewhat relatable (just think about how ivy is now embraced by fans as a dangerous, environmentalist, lesbian icon who is always ready to kill a man instead of an eco terrorist rapist, or harley as a mentally ill, goofy but dangerous bi icon who broke free from her abuser instead of being nasty, oppressed, homocidal mrs joker, or even selina being the sexy, cunning, elusive thief as well as a feminist, bisexual icon instead of being an over sexualized, lustful, tease whose greatest accomplishment was being batman's occasional arm candy), but on the other hand, dc has recently started to portray these awesome female villains as mary sues who are not capable of actual evil or selfish acts, enjoying violence or betraying the ones they're closed to when it serves their interests. instead of them being morally grey, complex characters who are more than capable of doing bad things, now, they are all just hero wannabes. except, of course, talia because she is shamelessly and continuously villanized either to give angst to damian/batman, or to prop up other characters like selina (batman's other major love interest) in tom king's batman or bruce's parenting skills in basically every comic that features both bruce and talia. i don't know but i guess the fact that dc can't make their actual heroines appaeling to the readership so that they have to turn their villains into heroes (like with the gcs) says a lot about how mediocre the writers are that dc hires. or that they can't write a compelling hero or story without villanizing other characters to the point of them becoming unrecognizable (e.g. talia, eddie).

so when you say that talia is capable of rape or killing her son, then you basically deny everything that talia was meant to be for when she was created in order to justify the mediocre writing dc delivers to its audience. and while i agree that it is a good thing that some of the aspects or depictions of some villains' older selves disappeared from canon, you cannot just retcon a character into a completely different one. talia was created to be batman's love interest but also to save his ass from time to time, mostly from her own father, ra's. and one of talia's most important characteristic derives from this conflict of being torn between her love for bruce and her love for her father, which is what has always made her an anti hero, sometimes siding with her father, while other times helping bruce. now, the current talia is none of these things. she's not an anti hero, she doesn't love bruce (nor damian) but is only obsessed with what batman symbolizes, and she's isn't exactly fond of ra's either. she was raised to be an assassin and is highly trained in both combat and science, yet, she apparently can't even win a sword fight against catwoman, nor does she impose an actual threat to the world or anyone's life. unlike ra's she doesn't have any agency, nor any reasonable motive why she does her evil misdeeds. ra's is essentially an eco terrorist who wants to make the world a better place by all means, while talia's just evil so batman and damian could have an evil ex and an evil mother. she's basically a plot device and a completely different character now who might as well be called monica and it wouldn't make a difference because she's that unrecognizable. it's like if dc turned catwoman into an animal abuser coming from a wealthy background. or ivy into the CEO of an oil company. well, no fucking way. dc is not allowed to do that to an established character with a rich history.

so while i don't want to see these characters turned into heroes, i also don't want dc to turn them into irredeemable (and in talia's case useless) villains. and the fact that they just can't seem to get any of these morally grey female characters right is to be blamed on the writers and the company's managment, and not on the characters.

#talia al ghul #gotham city sirens #batman #batman rogues #i wanted to send it as an ask but it is obviously too long for that #dc villains

[leucinxandorath]

It was late afternoon; just a couple hours from nightfall.

After Asinn departed, Leucin spent the rest of the day planning his next move. He calculated how he would do it. Tapping into his Nathrazim powers, from his dreadlord binding, he would transform himself as a human and just... walk in. A bold move, sure, but there was no other way he yet saw fit to get into the alliance quarter.

To help with this disguise, he would wear a hooded cloak. This was no easy task, however. Tapping into such dark power was incredibly dangerous as it could give the opportunity of his bind to seize control over his physical form. And that could mean death, as he would be cut down on the spot. He only needed to get through the guards.

Was it worth it, though? To tap deep into his demonic power just to bypass a few guards? It sounded more like an unnecessary risk, the more he thought out it. Unleashing this power in combat, in the most extreme cases, was always a viable option and practiced through training and meditation; not for something like this. Another option had to be chosen.

Catching his eye, were two Kal'dorei Demon hunters near the enchantment shop looking over some scrolls for purchase. Perhaps they could help?

Wearing the hooded cloak, he made his way to them, "Evening brother, sister." He said. They turned to him, looking at him with a questionable gaze. They both wore Illidari armor, which gave Leucin the hope that they were still neutral amongst the factions. The male only nodded to him.

"What do you want, brother?" The female Illidari asked with a pause before saying the word brother.

"I come to you as Illidari," he replied showing the Illidari sigil in his hand, "I hope this squabble of a war has not tainted our relationships, from a once common cause?"

They stared at the sigil. A badge of loyalty, still carried by those who choose to remain with the identity as being only of the Illidari. They looked to him now.

"Many have chosen their sides," the male bitterly said, "and many more forget their origin. I cannot speak for my sister, but I will help you."

"This one time," she included, "then we go about our own business."

Leucin nodded and explained the situation to them. He gave details about the defector and why he was there, along with his new plan to say that he was actually a demon in disguise, but needed to get passed the guards in order to do so.

"So you've resorted to being a blade for hire?" The male asked, "Seems petty, for work."

"Let's just say, I'm doing a favor for an old friend. And that is it." He replied.

"Fine, let's go."

They led him to the entry of the Alliance quarter. Two guards were monitoring the entry, randomly selecting people for questioning as to why they are entering the quarter. Spotting the Hunters, they crossed their spears.

"Demon Hunters. State your business."

"Our business is our own," growled the woman, "and our business pertains to that of the Illidari."

"Your kind always bring trouble when things are calm," the other guard glared, "and there is never a day where nothing happens, with you people."

The male stepped to the guard, staring down at him with such intensity, it could be mistaken for pure rage, "Then we'll go and you can explain why you let a demon slip through your post and have access to the city portals."

The guard looked at him, then to his partner, then back at him. He had a sense of fear in his eyes and intimidation from the Hunter bearing over him and he certainly didn't want to be blamed for stopping them from going after a demon. After a moment, he uncrossed his spear from the other, in which the other guard did the same, and cleared his throat.

"...You may pass." He said hesitantly.

All three moved through the corridor, Leucin, ensuring his hood didnt expose him, and entered the square of the quarter.

"Now, where are they?"

"The second floor."

They moved to and up the stairwell to the second floor. They then approached the only door with guards and stood before them as if they were ready to break through. Using his spectral sight, Leucin peered through the door to see two elves: a male and female, a man, and two guards sitting at a table having a conversation. He could only see the back of the male's head with his brown hair, but the girl was recognizable. Nearly identical to Alis'synthara, but with freckles splashed across her face. This has to be it.

"They're inside." He muttered.

"Let us in at once," the female hunter said to the guards, "you are harboring a demon."

"No way, Hunter." The guard said, "The Legion war is already over, you can't just push and shove your way around anymore; I highly doubt there's a demon in there."

He mocked at the word "demon."

She growled in annoyance and just decided to slam the man against the wall, with her partner immediately doing the same to the second. Leucin removed his cloak and kicked in the door, shattering the wood as the hinges were meant for the opposite way. Barging into the room of shocked faces, the three proceeded to beat down the guards and the man talking to the elves to where they finally succumbed to it and they secured the room.

"What is this!" The elf yelled holding the girl tight, "How dare you come in here and-"

He was immediately punched in the throat by Leucin.

"Shutup," he said looking at him, "hmph, you do look like an asshole."

He fell to his knees, gasping for air. The woman frantically went to his side to see if he was ok and yelled at Leucin and the others as to why they were doing this.

"Hurry up," the hunters said, "only a matter of time before more show up."

He stuffed the girl's mouth with a cloth rag and then placed a sack over her head, blinding her. The male elf soon stood. Trying to regain himself, and before he could speak, Leucin grabbed him by the hair and with a sweep his glaive severed his head off clean. It was placed in a separate sack. He nodded to the others.

"Thanks for the help." He said as he grabbed the girl, who gave a muffled resistance.

"Our aid is done. Now get out of here, we'll deal with the clean up."

He would escape with the girl and the severed head. Through a window, and leaped up to the rooftops, so that he can easily maneuver back to the Horde side portal room to go through the Silvermoon portal.

Once he was back in the city, and back inside Alis'synthara's home, he passed off both her daughter and the defector's head to her guards who she directed to conduct the retrieval.

"She'll be fine; she'll get over him soon. As promised," she said gesturing to a wooden box filled with gold, "two hundred thousand gold. Thank you for doing this; you've done a great service to the city of Silvermoon. To the Sin'dorei."

She went to reach for his cheek, but was snatched by his clawed hand as he looked at her intensely.

"Do not forget the other part of your... reward."

She gave a soft snicker, "But of course."

And soon led him upstairs.