Elden ring face sliders male

i (21f) was recently having a conversation with a friend D (also 21f) about our mutual friend K (22m), who we have known for several months now.
i was telling her about the dynamic between K and i, to which she said it sounds like K might like me as more than a friend, and was curious as to what others thought.
for added context, I have a closer friendship with K due to being more free to hang out and willing to spend time with him more than D. K is from Norway and will be leaving the country I live in in early July of this year to return back home.
now here are the things that made her think that he might think of me as more than a friend.
for starters, he often lets me stay over at his place to sleep during the day if I get exhausted after work, as his residence is closer to my workplace than mine is. I'll go over there and sleep for a couple hours, then wake up and chill for a few more before going home.
this is where the "more than friends" things begin to come into play. he will ask me to wrestle with him (which I have a couple times and lost incredibly quickly due to our size difference, with him being 6'1 and I being 5'3) or he'll pick me up throw me around, often onto his bed while teasing me to eat more because I'm supposedly "light" in weight. whenever we do "fight" he likes to pin my legs and knees and tease me about how i won't be able to escape.
if I'm lying down on my stomach or back on his bed, he will occasionally just come over and collapse on top of me, explaining how he's bored and wants to be entertained. when I complain he's like a heavy weighted blanket, he'll laugh and tell me to deal with it as he scrolls on his phone, and we'll stay like like for like a half hour or so. whenever I tried to move to make myself more comfortable, he would grab my legs with his hands to stop me from moving so much.
the most recent thing he did was a couple days ago, when I was sitting up against his headboard. he climbed onto the bed without saying a word, grabbed a pillow, put it against my legs and leaned back on it, essentially using me as a chair of sorts with the pillow as a barrier between us. after about five minutes of this, he complained that his neck was tired and rested it back on my collarbone (? english isn't my first language, so bear with me) as he continued to scroll through his phone. occasionally he'd turn back his head to look at me and show me something, and his face would be so close with his hair tickling my neck, which would make me panic internally of sorts.
he's also said a couple times about how I need a boyfriend to keep me warm (as I get cold easily), his preferences and types (although it never goes anything above PG) and teases me for being "innocent" due to being inexperienced when it comes to dating and relationships. we also tend to tease each other a lot, and he has no problem in taking off his shirt and changing in front of me, often bragging to me about how he has "abs".
there's also been a few instances where we've been with friends and i've gotten intoxicated and he's let me use him as a pillow of sorts. apparently every time I would wake up, he would pat my hair and shush me to go back to sleep and would pretty much take care of me for most of the night until it was time for me to head home.
we tend to also message each other very often throughout the day, and call for hours on end several times a week. I know a lot about him, such as his past relationships and how he would never make the first move when it comes to a girl, as he is afraid of being accused of something he didn't do later on. he also calls me his closest and most favourite friend, which makes me think he only does just see me as one, but he also doesn't do this with our other female friends. he also often says how he wants a girlfriend, but also just wants to work on himself.
i cannot tell if this is normal behaviour between male and female friends, and want to know what others may think.
again, apologies if there are some things that don't make sense, as english isn't my first language, and if there was too much information. it's just that since my friend has suggested he could see me as something more, it's been on my mind a lot and has me analysing every interaction between us. this is also my first time posting on reddit, so again, apologies if this post is a little messy.
TLDR: friend thinks my male friend might think of me as more than just a friend due to things he does.
also posted on relationship_advice, but wanted to also post here in hopes to get more opinions

i (21f) was recently having a conversation with a friend D (also 21f) about our mutual friend K (22m), who we have known for several months now.
i was telling her about the dynamic between K and i, to which she said it sounds like K might like me as more than a friend, and was curious as to what others thought.
for added context, I have a closer friendship with K due to being more free to hang out and willing to spend time with him more than D. K is from Norway and will be leaving the country I live in in early July of this year to return back home.
now here are the things that made her think that he might think of me as more than a friend.
for starters, he often lets me stay over at his place to sleep during the day if I get exhausted after work, as his residence is closer to my workplace than mine is. I'll go over there and sleep for a couple hours, then wake up and chill for a few more before going home.
this is where the "more than friends" things begin to come into play. he will ask me to wrestle with him (which I have a couple times and lost incredibly quickly due to our size difference, with him being 6'1 and I being 5'3) or he'll pick me up throw me around, often onto his bed while teasing me to eat more because I'm supposedly "light" in weight. whenever we do "fight" he likes to pin my legs and knees and tease me about how i won't be able to escape.
if I'm lying down on my stomach or back on his bed, he will occasionally just come over and collapse on top of me, explaining how he's bored and wants to be entertained. when I complain he's like a heavy weighted blanket, he'll laugh and tell me to deal with it as he scrolls on his phone, and we'll stay like like for like a half hour or so. whenever I tried to move to make myself more comfortable, he would grab my legs with his hands to stop me from moving so much.
the most recent thing he did was a couple days ago, when I was sitting up against his headboard. he climbed onto the bed without saying a word, grabbed a pillow, put it against my legs and leaned back on it, essentially using me as a chair of sorts with the pillow as a barrier between us. after about five minutes of this, he complained that his neck was tired and rested it back on my collarbone (? english isn't my first language, so bear with me) as he continued to scroll through his phone. occasionally he'd turn back his head to look at me and show me something, and his face would be so close with his hair tickling my neck, which would make me panic internally of sorts.
he's also said a couple times about how I need a boyfriend to keep me warm (as I get cold easily), his preferences and types (although it never goes anything above PG) and teases me for being "innocent" due to being inexperienced when it comes to dating and relationships. we also tend to tease each other a lot, and he has no problem in taking off his shirt and changing in front of me, often bragging to me about how he has "abs".
there's also been a few instances where we've been with friends and i've gotten intoxicated and he's let me use him as a pillow of sorts. apparently every time I would wake up, he would pat my hair and shush me to go back to sleep and would pretty much take care of me for most of the night until it was time for me to head home.
we tend to also message each other very often throughout the day, and call for hours on end several times a week. I know a lot about him, such as his past relationships and how he would never make the first move when it comes to a girl, as he is afraid of being accused of something he didn't do later on. he also calls me his closest and most favourite friend, which makes me think he only does just see me as one, but he also doesn't do this with our other female friends. he also often says how he wants a girlfriend, but also just wants to work on himself.
i cannot tell if this is normal behaviour between male and female friends, and want to know what others may think.
again, apologies if there are some things that don't make sense, as english isn't my first language, and if there was too much information. it's just that since my friend has suggested he could see me as something more, it's been on my mind a lot and has me analysing every interaction between us. this is also my first time posting on reddit, so again, apologies if this post is a little messy.
TLDR: friend thinks my male friend might think of me as more than just a friend due to things he does.

Hi all, I made a throwaway so my bf or family won’t find this post. I’m struggling and have not opened up but to one person (who doesn’t know my bf personally) and I need external advice.
So to start, my (23F) boyfriend (23M) have officially been together since the later months of 2020 although we started talking and hooking up in the early months of 2020 (right before covid) At first (like literally from when we started seeing each other until about Feb 2021) it was perfect, no suspicions, it was all flowers and confetti for us (or so I thought) in Feb 2021 I found out he had been asking girls he had history with for nudes, had an onlyfans he was buying content on (he created this account WHILE together) and sending his noodle pics to sex workers on Twitter and OnlyFans. I went BALLISTIC and ransacked his phone (with his permission, although I know it still doesn’t make it right) Well, after finding everything (it took me from Feb 2021-October 2021 to access and cope with what I was finding) we decided to put it behind us with some new boundaries and continue to strengthen our relationship. The details of his cheating are too specific for him not to recognize this post. ANYWAY, we met at my first job (his 2nd or 3rd) and had a few friends in common. This is only important because I had a close male friend introduce us and when he was the only one who knew about us from the start. My bf (we’ll call him P) was close friends with G (close male friend) and had told me if I ever needed to vent about our relationship I was only allowed to tell G. So of course I told him everything. Some things happened with the job to where P and I quit and started a new job together. One night, G confesses feelings for me while drunk (he said he had always felt that way for our 2-3 year friendship) and I told him if he could forget it I would because I didn’t wanna mess up my relationship or my friendship. Well P went through my phone and found G’s messages and that’s when he started making me cut off everyone from my old job (G worked with us too) and anyone he didn’t like. Well, after blocking G and everyone, I was down to 2 friends from middle school. Besides that I thought I was happy, but now as we’re nearing our official 3 years (we hit our unofficial 3 years earlier this year) im starting to question all of his actions. He berates me for sleeping “so much” (and im actually on meds for depression, anxiety and a mental/hereditary disorder and theyre night time medications because they make me sleepy, hence the over sleeping) he also has tried to control what piercings and tattoos I want to get. Another big one is we wrestle a lot, I’ve always been a person to play wrestle, having grown up with boys only and having mainly male friends growing up. Well more constantly than I’m comfortable with he will “accidentally” use too much force in these “play fights”, for example, he once went in for a “playful” punch as I was moving my leg and he ended up nailing my shin so hard I started crying. He did console me and apologize profusely. He “playfully” slaps my face when I told him I don’t like it, I’ve just accepted him how he is. Not only do I have to hear it from him but while I was living with him (we lived together with his family for about 2.5 years) his grandma would always give me her 2 cents and then to top that off, apparently his parents were displeased with my behavior and told him and he told me. Now, where I’m asking for advice is, do I let this go or do I keep trying in this relationship? As of the past month, I’ve been living back at my mom’s and it gave me a clearer view on how his family and himself have treated me. My parents and brothers have all (each conversation with each parent and brother was separate but they all expressed the same concerns) spoken to me individually and voiced concerns that based on what they’ve seen and what I’ve told them, I deserve better or he needs to treat me better. After bringing this up to my best friend of 12 years told me she agrees with my family. I thought this was the man I was going to marry and build a life with, but now im not so sure… can anyone enlighten me with an unbiased opinion?
Also, our intimate life is more than excellent, our current emotions with each other have been nothing but pleasant, but with the past we’ve had, even though his cheating was in 2021 I still think about it sometimes. Do I save this or leave it where it lays?

Because if Diablo IV microtransactions are a good thing, then surely you must have been angry that Elden Ring didn’t have any?
If you weren’t- it seems you’re just trying to justify a series you like.

I (23f) have been dating my current boyfriend(20m) for about a year now. We started dating last year in July. Long post. Before I met my current boyfriend, let’s call him Andy, I used to do only fans it was a way for me to make money during covid but eventually I stopped doing it, I deleted my OF account about a year before Andy & I met but was still selling content to one or two clients who I had formed a friendship with. When Andy & I started getting serious I decided that I would stop selling content & just find a normal job because I could tell he was the type of guy who wasn’t too keen on it from prior conversations we had, so I never actually told him that I sell content. I had told my clients that I would be finishing soon & would do it one more time as like a “ closing down sale “They all agreed & bought one last round of content, I planned to completely stop and then tell Andy about what I used it, that obviously didn’t happen .. after a night out drinking I had left my phone unlocked on my bed & Andy proceeded to go through it, he saw the chats between me & a client & he took it as I was cheating on him & I was still sleeping with other guys, I explained the whole thing to him but I could see he was really hurt by it & didn’t really understand, keep in mind at this point we had only been dating for about 2 weeks maybe 3. I kept trying to tell him that it was just a job & I never meant for him to find out this way I could see how much it was affecting him so I tried everything in my power to try & gain his trust back & to try to fix the situation. I do realise I was wrong in this situation and it was up to me to try fix it, and that's what I thought I did. I have never really liked how he acts on social media and that was always something at the beginning of our relationship .. in about September we were laying in bed and he kept getting messages on Snapchat, I left it for about an hour of Andy and this Snapchat person talking till eventually I asked him whos he's talking to so much. He then said it was just some random girl on Snapchat that thinks he's cute and wanted to talk to him, I had a problem with this and asked him what the fuck? and how does he think that's okay? he said he's not flirting back with her so what's the big deal.. this turned into a huge fight and for the first time he threw the fact that I used to do only fans in my face. I knew it was bound to happen to I accepted it but still explained to him that I'm not okay with him talking to girls who are actively flirting with him especially if he's not going to tell them he has a girlfriend once again I thought we had resolved this issue. I then started to notice that he would like a lot of girls' posts and would comment under a lot of their posts commenting on their bodies and how they look. I again spoke to him about this and again he blamed him for doing it on the fact that I used to do only fans and again I just took it and tried to understand. I thought he and I were good until Jan of this year when I found out that he was talking to a lot of other girls as well as flirting with them and letting them flirt with him and was sending them topless photos of himself all the time as well as asking other creators if he can buy nudes from them. I was devastated when I found out and when I confronted him about it he again blamed me and the fact that I used to do only fans, at this point I had enough and told him he needs to stop blaming me for all the shitty things he does, I know I did a messed up thing by not telling him but he can't keep blaming me. This broke a lot of my trust in him as I had thought we had worked through those issues and had moved past them but clearly, we hadn't. He had been doing all of this all from September to November but I only found out in Jan. I had told him that he had broken my trust and that I would need some time to process all of it, and he promised me he would change & he realised how immature he was being. Over the next couple of months after Jan things seemed to be getting better but I did struggle to trust him which was causing even more issues between us but we were both determined to stay & make it work, I had full access to his phone and his socials and he had full access to mine... I thought we were doing fine until about 2 months ago when he had gotten a girl's number & saved it under a guys name, I asked him about it and at first he lied to me & said it was the girl's boyfriend's number then eventually told me it's actually her number that she was an old school friend but he just didn't want to to find out that he had gotten a girls number ( he had deleted all the girls off his phone a few months prior as a way to prove to me that he's serious about us, I didn't ask him to do this, he did it then told me about it afterwards )I was pissed, to say the least, now yes I'm crazy but I'm not completely crazy where I don't want him to talk to other girls. I just want him to be respectful of our relationship while talking to them, i was pissed about the fact that he lied straight to my face about it & again it turned into a fight about the fact that he did it because I don't trust him so he thought it would be better to just hide it from me. At this point, I was pretty over our relationship & over always being on edge because of him... We were in such a bad space I honestly didn't think we were going to last but we did & we spoke about it & things started getting better...
I recently found another girl that he had asked to buy nudes from on Snapchat in October and again I was pretty hurt, I brought this up to him & he said he doesn't understand why I'm so upset about it if it happened last year & we've already fought about it a few times, I explained to him that yes it happened long ago & yes we have fought about it but every time I find a new person he tried to get nudes from or that he flirted with it still hurts just the same, it's a thing of while I thought we were happy & in love, he was flirting with other girls.
Now we have spoken about this & i asked him why he did it so much & so often and he said he's never been in a serious relationship and he's always used to be having a backup girl if the relationship he's in doesn't work out but with me he doesn't have one & doesn't want one and it used to scare him so that's why he did it but as our relationship has grown he's realised he doesn't want a back up and I'm all he wants & that for a long time he struggled with the fact that I did onlyfans but that now he truly is over it & that he really struggled with the lifestyle I used to live ,I used to go out every weekend & I had a lot of male friends who have absolutely no respect for my relationship so In the beginning of our relationship Andy would always see my guy friends as his competition & as a threat so he saw it as he needs to have all these girls just incase I leave him for one of my friends ( I cut all my guy friends off pretty early on in our relationship but would still see them whenever we went out which also stopped being as frequent as we started getting more serious )
After everything that has happened, I don’t see Andy the same way I did... I don’t feel the same love for him as I did.. don’t get me wrong I still love him with my whole heart it just feels different... it feels tainted now... I feel like I can’t be as open & happy with him as I once was after him hurting me so badly.. & now I do understand that I messed up in the beginning but I tried to fix it.. he just used it as cover to do whatever he wanted... I’m now at a point where I don’t know if I want to be with him or not anymore , I do love him but I just don’t feel the same... I get annoyed with him so easily now, I prefer it when he’s at work because then I don’t have to be around him much... I have thought maybe he & I should go To counselling to try to overcome all of this but is that even worth it? He seems fine with me & still wants this relationship & recently has been putting in a lot more effort than he ever has before but I just don’t know if it’s too late & my heart has already moved on from him...
Please give me advice! I am very much in two minds about what to do because in every other aspect he is amazing, he's caring & calm with me and is patient with me when it comes to my mental health, my family loves him and he's amazing to my animals.. So for the most part is great I just don't know if the bad outweighs the good anymore

I am a male in my mid-20s and recently got into skin care involving my face (ie. moisturizers, cleansers). I am considering buying body lotion but the skin on my arms and legs are in good condition. Is body lotion a good investment with and long lasting benefits?
I just don’t want to end up wasting my money on a product that doesn’t really do me any justice so I’d love to hear what people have to say.

I am a male in my mid-20s and recently got into skin care involving my face (ie. moisturizers, cleansers). I am considering buying body lotion but the skin on my arms and legs are in good condition. Is body lotion a good investment with and long lasting benefits?
I just don’t want to end up wasting my money on a product that doesn’t really do me any justice so I’d love to hear what people have to say!

I am shaking as I am writing this. I tried to calm down by smoking a cigarette but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t collect my thoughts. I would consider myself an experienced explorer; I’ve only died a handful of times, and I’ve gotten used to the fear that this dreadful and godforsaken place brings. But this… This freaked me the f*ck out.
I had just finished the mission named “Kids Playground”, and retrieved a very interesting artifact that was simply called The Hoop. It was a glowing green color, similar the Neon artifact. It was a large ring that was broken into a few pieces, but it miraculously maintained its shape even though it was broken. I immediately took it back to the shop car in Vanno to get my sweet hunk of cash; 7000 dollars to be exact. It was beyond rewarding. Plus, I sold all of the other junk I found in Kolkhoz on my way there for an extra 3000. With the amount of money I got from the mission and the money I saved, I planned to repair my gear, buy some new accessories for my rifle, ammo, and then get some rest before my next day at work. It was a great day. At least, it was.
I bought some more armor piercing rounds for my rifle, and was refilling my magazines with them when I heard a very distinct sound. It was the most frightening sound I have ever heard in my time working for the UNPSC. I knew that whooshing sound like it was my name. I cursed under my breath, drew my gun, and then slowly made my way out of the shop train car. I peaked out of the entrance of the shop to see where the sound came from, and my suspicions were correct. Inside the hangar with me was a slider. A f*cking slider. It was staring me down, peering into my soul. I waited for it to materialize right in front of my face so I could shoot it from point blank, but it just stood there with its gaunt, white eyes meeting mine. And then, as swift as the wind, it vanished, the sound of its movement thundering around the hangar. I swept the entirety of Vanno, even checking the shooting range, and yet, no sight of the slider. I was completely alone.
I’m so confused. I’m so scared. I thought Vanno would be safe from all the entities and anomalies that the Radius had to offer. I ABSOLUTELY saw that slider with my own eyes. This was not a delusion or hallucination, and if it was, it was the most vivid hallucination I’ve had to date, but it felt so real. Too real. Did I actually see this? Did the slider follow me in from through the fog? Why didn’t Vanno’s security system see it? Why didn’t I hear it until just now? I’m smoking every last goddamn cigarette I have in my pack tonight. Fuck this place. Why do I even choose to keep going back into there when I can just hop that piece of sh*t fence and just die like the rest of them? If I’m not safe in Vanno, why should I keep living here?

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Nalah affixed the massive shield to her back, the rectangular form large enough for him to fit behind while only needing to crouch slightly. It was mostly ironwood, but the sides and front were metal-plated, so it still weighed a considerable amount. Despite that, the thing’s bulk hardly seemed to be noticed by the blonde-furred female, likely due to the constant construction work she involved herself in. It paired oddly with the long pike she insisted on using, but he couldn’t deny that poking at things while hiding behind a mobile wall sounded like a good idea.
Jax was wearing his new armour, the bulky chest-piece a mirror of his blond-furred pack mate’s. Though he forwent the protection a buckler or likewise would offer, he doubled up on gear. Gauntlets, vambraces, pauldrons, and anything else he could wear to compliment the massive axe he had taken a liking to.
Where Nalah was fitted to look like an apocalypse survivor—her protections limited to her torso, forearms, and shield—the black-furred male resembled a giant, if underfunded, paladin. All he needed now was some religious imagery and a penchant for exalting the qualities of their god. Joseph almost nudged the guy to suggest it for kicks.
On second thought, he decided that Jax absolutely did not need a reason to start yelling about the Human-turned-religious-figure, because there was no way in hell he wouldn’t. There was no telling what he would choose to say, and the Grand Hunter was perfectly happy never knowing.
Having been with the male as long as he had, it would probably involve ‘taming’ females or something else that would leave him groaning for weeks, if not just contemplating another high-dive from the cliff.
Joseph fixed his own equipment, the ‘Wraith armour’ worn over his own thin iron breastplate. He wasn’t thrilled to wear the extra weight, but it beat being mauled by the thing they were heading out to kill. The trips so far had been tolerable, fog and overcast skies keeping the temperature in check, but he didn’t want to go out in this on a hotter day as Summer really kicked back in. He was sweaty enough without baking inside all this crap.
He adjusted the wolf-skull mask, the rest of the hunting party having gotten over the worst of the unease it gave them. Though they’d needed to rotate people out for the sake of fairness, this would be their eighth consecutive scouting. Using the information that Raine and Faye provided, they narrowed down a likely stomping grounds for the creature and were systematically clearing sectors. It might have been discouraging to keep looking after so long, but the occasional marking on trees and the odd moss-wolf corpse tipped them off that they were getting close. There was still another week’s worth of searching left if today wasn’t the day, but somehow he doubted they wouldn’t need that long.
All in all, they numbered six; larger parties were attempted, but their efforts at stealth quickly became pointless between so many trudging through the forest and stopping for breaks. There was a bit of a scare where one of Mi’low’s pack went missing, but the guy had just stopped to relieve himself. Since the discovery was made by someone else knocking him over in the process by mistake, they decided that keeping the number smaller made communication easier. And lowered the amount of grumbling about needing a bath.
Jax, Nalah, two security members, one of the hunters, and him. Sure, grabbing Tel or the Wraiths would have been a bit more useful for cohesion, but they were all busy with things, and he didn’t want to grind everything in the settlement to a halt for nothing if the search turned up empty again. They were more suited to taking out their fellow Lilhun than some monster in the woods, as much as he disliked the thought.
Scarlet was spending a lot of time with Violet and the new Atmo, Faye was spending much of her recovery with the moss-wolves and moss-pup, and Tel was in the process of helping Harrow shore up the few security members that were slated to become snipers. Kaslin was still learning chemistry with Toril, and Raine was helping whoever needed a hand, so that marked off all of his usual accompaniment. He could have taken more of his direct pack, but they all had important things to take care of as well.
Sahari was managing the pack and putting people where people needed to be put, Pan was working with Idee and Heralt to make a line of armour for the whole pack, and Mi’low was...well, Mi’low. He was pretty sure she was unofficially the master of the hunter’s lodge and spent most of her time keeping track of what came in and out of it, while also making sure that everyone got their fair share. It needed to be done with the settlement growing as much as it had, and it kept Mi’low busy enough to stymie the flow of complaints, so he wasn’t about to complain.
They double checked that they had everything that was needed; food, water, arrows, bolts, and some bags to store anything that the snares had caught on the way back. Four ranged and two melee weapons meant that they would be mostly using Jax and Nalah to soak hits if it came down to it, the others peppering it with projectiles. Given that Harrow was insistent on the bear-thing being resistant to anything they could use at a distance, they also carried spare weapons for the ranged users, just in case. Nodding, Joseph gestured to the group finishing up their preparations for the day’s trip.
“A moment, sir?” Scarlet called to him as she approached the gate, the Wraith flanked by Rose and Cobalt. The two Atmo were decked-out in their own armour, which appeared to be almost entirely metal, save for the palm lining the inside for comfort. Each of their six legs were adorned with broad shields, their bases capped off with a flat storage carriage. They looked like someone had a little too much fun testing how much the insects could effortlessly carry and had ended up with sapient hexapedal tanks.
“Only if you explain why those two would look more at home if they had cannons installed on their backs,” he quipped, an expression somewhere between surprised, amused, and plain dumbfounded plastered on his face. The blackish red-furred female smirked for a split-second before resuming her usual servile presentation.
“The young mistress had extended her request for these two to accompany you.”
Joseph tilted his head incredulously. “Violet told you to send them?”
Scarlet nodded, gesturing to the outfitted Atmo. “They have been under her tutelage for some time now, and wish to be of assistance.”
The Grand Hunter snapped his mouth closed when he was about to ask why his daughter would teach them anything that might be useful for fighting a deadly beast. Of course she did; It was one of the first things he did for her. It would have been weirder for her not to pass on what she knew after all the hours she spent either seeing him coach the others, or being coached herself. With the time she had under her belt, she was the local Atmo Close Quarters Combat specialist, and no one else understood how the modified boxing she learned worked with their bodies like she did.
He wore a hesitant expression, shifting his weight to his other leg. “Well, they’ve certainly geared up.”
“It is a product our smith is rather proud of,” the Wraith affirmed confidently.
He exhaled slowly. “Seems a bit much.”
She seemed to be expecting the remark, barely pausing to register what he said before responding. “Your kit wishes you safe, yet understands you would not allow her to accompany you. These two wish to be of assistance.”
To punctuate her point, the two nodded in agreement, walking forward and slinging some of the backpacks onto their carriages. It seemed ‘no’ wasn’t something they were going to accept after Violet had said her piece. He sighed, conceding that they wouldn’t slow the party down with everyone carrying so much weight in equipment, regardless of the bags. They took breaks frequently enough to accommodate the Atmo, so that wouldn’t hinder anything either.
“Fine,” he relented with a wave of his hand. “We’ll take them. Not like they’d hurt anyway. But–” He put a warning into his tone. “–they’re not playing the hero and getting themselves killed. This isn’t going to work if they think any of us dying is still a net positive, got it?”
The two Atmo mimed their understanding, Scarlet replying with a victorious smile. Joseph couldn’t help but bemusedly roll his eyes. The female had taken rather well to baby-sitting, and that seems to have extended to humouring the young Queen’s schemes now. It wasn’t an unwelcome addition to their little sojourn. At least they could haul back any larger game without it tacking hours onto the return trip.
He thanked Scarlet for her trouble before dismissing her, confirming with the group that everything was accounted for, and set off before it grew too late. He wasn’t looking to get caught out in the woods during the night. The Lilhuns might be fine, but he was pretty well blind unless the moon felt generous.
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Jax watched the two Atmo quietly follow on the sides of the group, their heavily armoured forms posing no issues with their naturally soundless movements in the forest. In the den, they would make moderate clacks and clicks as their chitinous legs contacted the ground, but the soft dirt and foliage stifled all but the smallest report of their travel. With Scarlet supervising alongside Violet, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the former Blade had influenced their movement with the goal in mind, though he had never paid much attention to how they walked before to compare.
He had to admit, having them carry the additional equipment was exceedingly useful. He had proposed having the group use the newly acquired platforms on their more arachnid-like abdomen to rest in shifts, but Joseph was quick to insist that the insects were of lesser stamina than even Lilhuns. The phrasing seemed like a comparative insult, but Jax had more than enough experience with the Human to know that he had simply spoken his mind. To him, everyone had sub-par stamina. Training had gone some way to remedy the discrepancy, but the Grand Hunter could still continue for longer than even the most well-conditioned of them.
The black-furred male rolled his shoulders, feeling the heft of his axe shift with the movement. It was an impressive size, the weight well-balanced and its edge sharp. He had once laid it to the ground out of curiosity and confirmed that it was about as tall as Pan from head to haft, though only if she stood to her full height. Regardless of its size, it was still lighter than the armour he chose to don.
Having only really worn leathers or a few sets of ironwood protections, the encumbering prominence of the iron equipment took getting used to. It wasn’t entirely restrictive, but did put a damper on any chances he had of sprinting from danger. That was fine, he supposed, since he was wearing it against a beast he had no experience with. It could very well outrun him regardless, and he would rather have the defences in either case.
Nalah seemed to be doing fine, the large barrier she kept on her back swaying slightly as she walked. She was unhindered by it, her movements barely affected by the bulk, which was reassuring. Joseph, however, seemed to be panting more than usual, the rolling cloud coverage easing as the sun progressively warmed the environment. The fog from earlier meant that it was rather humid, and that seemed to bore no well wishes for the male encased in dark leathers and thick plates. He had even flipped down his hood, the sweat beading on his skin adding a sheen to his visage.
“I liked this better when the sun didn’t exist,” the Human lamented quietly, just loud enough for Jax to hear. The black-furred male chuckled.
“It would be rather dark.”
Joseph glared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. “I just don’t rank ‘heavily armoured hike through the woods’ high up on my list of things I want to do regularly.”
“I believe that list would be occupied by your mates, no?” he ribbed playfully, a smirk arising when the Grand Hunter shunted his eyes closed in a grimace.
“I hate you.”
“I can see your smile underneath your displeasure, Joseph,” Jax quipped, nudging the male with his elbow, then giving an apologetic smile when his friend almost fell. Joseph sighed, waving Cobalt over and fetching a water-skin from the luggage that the insect was ferrying without breaking stride—though he needed to be careful not to get stepped on.
The Atmo always amused Jax. Be it their passive demeanour hidden by their towering stature, or his interactions with the den-kit, they never failed to be curious people. Having the two that accompanied Volta with them was an unexpected development, but he couldn’t claim to disapprove. If they had been imparted the methods of combat that Violet had cultivated, then there was little worry of them being harmed by naught but perhaps their current target. At least not until there was a better reference of its strength than the single encounter the first-years had so long ago.
At the time, it had smashed pillars and pierced flesh effortlessly, claws proving to be little more than tempting ministrations of tender touch to the thick hide. Jax only had some of the pack’s recount to base the experience off of, but was content to take their word for it. He was, ashamedly, preoccupied taking care of baser needs when the event transpired, so he was woefully unprepared for the eventual encounter. Still, he was afforded the best the settlement had to offer so that he might serve his duty of protecting the Grand Hunter. Harrow would never forgive him if only he returned.
His thoughts were disturbed by Joseph calling for a rest, Jax’s legs thankful for the break from supporting the unusual weight for so long. The Human dispensed rations and water for the pack, the Atmo waiting until everyone else was supplied before accepting their portion. They rested on their base directly, instead of curling their legs beneath them like Jax had become accustomed. Perhaps the armour impeded such, or they wished to remain mobile in the event such was required. Regardless, they blocked what little breeze there was, forcing the Grand Hunter to walk beyond them to enjoy it in the shade. It was short-lived however, as Rose quickly repositioned to stay between the pack and whatever lay beyond their protections.
It was a futile effort, it seemed, because it repeated again twice before Joseph groaned loudly and threw himself atop the carriage to lay back, his legs dangling at the knee. He seemed perfectly content with the unorthodox arrangement, snorting his amusement along with a muttered comment about a ‘taxi.’
The entertaining sight was marred by a distant yelp, snapping the group to attention. Jax and Joseph traded looks, subtle nods and gestures given to move out while remaining quiet. Ignoring his earlier complaints, the Grand Hunter flicked his hood up and donned the mask, drawing his crossbow and readying a bolt. The hunter of the pack mimicked the preparation, the two security members loosely nocking their arrows while Rose, Cobalt, Jax, and Nalah took point.
They proceeded quietly for far longer than the proximity of the noise would have suggested, but marks and gashes upon the trees implied a moving conflict. Thoughts of it being a lost cause quickly became moot as a closer growl and bark shattered the careful silence they had been maintaining.
Motioning for the pack to stop, Joseph waved Jax forward, Nalah approaching the other side. Using the large shield as additional cover, they peered around a particularly thick tree. Locked in combat were two moss-wolves, both attacking a truly massive grey creature.
Twice the Human’s height, half that in width. Four pillars as legs—the muscular trunks sinewy and defined—supported the disturbing hunched figure, the wide base tapering slightly into a thick and extended torso. A singular eye-stalk replaced the head, the ocular organ atop it pitch black and free of any indication of its focus. Four arms with deadly claws parried and sliced the two yellow beasts as they attempted to drive off the predator, a sickeningly large maw gaping to catch any attempts at a lunge. The mouth of the creature almost occupied the entirety of the available surface area upon its front, the jagged bone tools of manduction undulating with the promise of sustenance.
Joseph pulled them back, cursing under his breath as he tried to fight off the tension. From Nalah’s worried expression, it seemed his caution was rather potent, the other members of the group smelling his reaction as well.
“So, what’s the plan, Jax?” the Human whispered, his grip on the crossbow alternating with his fingers stretching across the trigger lest his fidgeting cause a misfire.
“I thought that, with your record, you would wish to tame it for the settlement,” Jax replied while thinking through a plan of action. He was glad that his friend trusted him, but he wished he had known the true scale of the beast prior. Joseph grit his teeth, turning to glance past the tree again with sarcasm pouring out of his response.
“Can’t quite see Winnie-the-woodchipper there playing great with kids.”
“You say that after adopting an Atmo as kit, Grand Hunter,” he returned, nodding to himself when a plan formed. The Human smiled, the banter easing the tension somewhat. “Rose, Cobalt, you two are the most well defended of us. Circle around and drive the beast this way. You should be capable of such without noise, yes?”
The two insects nodded, emptying their luggage behind a tree so as not to lose any of it before disappearing into the trees. The slight glimmer of their iron armour was the only indication of their position through the dense forest. Jax hoped that the beast was not particularly curious about the dimly pulsing glare, nor finished with its current altercation in time to impede the pair.
Satisfied with their progress, he motioned for the two security members to scale a tree and gain a superior vantage point. Their weapons would be able to maintain a more rapid pace of sustained fire at longer ranges. Joseph and the hunter were instructed to hide behind trees nearby, though the Human would need to remain grounded as his lack of claws made scaling the large flora difficult with his equipment.
Finally, Nalah and he positioned themselves much closer, in order to flank the creature as it fled the Atmo and occupy it long enough for the others to bleed it out, if not outright dispose of it.
With the forms of the Atmo peeking through the brush opposite them, Jax raised his axe to signal the start.
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Joseph felt the hammering in his chest, his heart preparing him to fight for his life against the walking abomination that easily outclassed the only other predator that he had experience with. Sure, the moss-wolves were easy to take down once you had equipment and a plan, but that thing screamed danger.
He watched Jax and Nalah set up behind thick trees, their goal being for Jax to hopefully disable a leg or two with the war-axe while Nalah occupied it with the shield. As the two strongest members of his little family, he trusted both to do their job.
As a clusterfuck of animal and torture device, he had no faith in the creature playing along.
Swallowing his hesitation, he adjusted his grip on the crossbow again, mentally tallying his shots and cursing himself for not researching explosives. Sure, Toril didn’t want to be involved in that kind of weapon, but at the moment, the tailless white-furred male could suck it up and make one anyway. Joseph would give his left nut to see how quickly the chemist would make weapons of mass destruction just to annihilate whatever that thing called home.
Jax raised his axe, glinting the sunlight of it towards the Atmo. Receiving the start signal, the two clicked and loosed a deafening screech, the Human’s ears ringing even from this distance.
The beast seemed unperturbed by the noise, though the lack of visible ears may have had something to do with the lacklustre effect. Regardless, it did notice the two armour-clad insects charging at it, and smartly decided to extradite itself from the area. The moss-wolves, however, didn’t quite get the memo, mistaking the advancing assistance as yet another foe to defend themselves from.
He had to say, Violet taught the two well. They flashed their blades out in the same flicker jab that he had shown his daughter, and with an unceremonious squelch, the two bisected canines landed in four pieces, a vibrant green ichor now staining the weapon-like appendages of the Atmo. Undeterred by their first act of violence—as far as he was aware, anyway—they continued herding the beast.
It wasn’t as fast as they might have feared, its quadrupedal gait hindered by its proportions, but it was still quick enough to be damn intimidating. Its arms acted as a counter balance, constantly adjusting this way and that just to keep it stable. That thing was clearly never meant for sprinting, all its mobility being given to the overactive maw that pulsated with the exertion.
He readied his crossbow, the shaking in his hands not ruining his aim against such a large target. He eyeballed the distance between the creature and the ambush point, forcibly moving his finger off the trigger so that he didn’t fire early.
Closer. Come on. Almost.
Now.
Jax wound up like a particularly enthusiastic lumberjack, putting his full body into the rotation. The massive axe swung like a horizontal pendulum striking home with all the finality of a clock tolling midnight. It bit into the front leg of the beast, only sinking a few inches before momentum nearly wretched the weapon from the black-furred male. Luckily, the force and timing was enough to trip it, the creature crashing to the forest floor with a deafening roar of pain.
They could hurt it. That made him feel better.
His relief evaporated as the beast swiftly recovered, hauling itself from the ground faster than he thought possible, but his archers took it for an unspoken signal. Arrows and bolts peppered its thick hide, to no effect—it shrugged off the projectiles like they were nothing more than pine needles, none sinking far enough to gain notable purchase.
Jax hefted his axe for another strike, careful not to over-commit this time. Nalah prodded the beast wherever she could with her pike, the melee weapon sliced and skewered just past the surface of the hide, though not enough to do more than marr. It was, however, enough to gain the attention of the target, the creature swinging two of its four arms to rake across the shield that the blond-furred female held. The iron plating across the front let out an unearthly shriek as claws ripped and crumpled the metal.
Well, fuck.
Nalah was quick to react, treating the shield less as an immovable barrier and more like a slight distance buffer, dodging in and out of range to steal jabs with the polearm. The security members nocked another volley, picking different targets than before. An arrow bounced harmlessly off the black orb of an eye, another finding purchase in what passed for gums in its mouth.
The hint was received; aim for the mouth. Thankfully, that was a large target. Less thankfully, it realized that flashing its teeth was detrimental to its health, slamming the maw closed.
Jax managed another swing, this time into one of the rear legs. It wasn’t as effective as the first strike, but it did warrant a sweeping double back-fist from the creature, scoring Jax’s armour with shallow claw marks as he jumped backwards. Joseph let out a breath as he fired his second shot, only just narrowly missing the sliver of a gap between razor teeth that the enraged attack afforded. It couldn’t keep its mouth shut forever, each frenzied swipe pulling its form enough for glimpses of softer flesh within to appear. The hunter dropped from their tree, darting across to reposition for a wider angle to capitalize on. The creature noticed, lunging forward to eviscerate the easier target.
Joseph blinked as two armoured figures jumped in front of the Lilhun, raising their blades in a tight guard to block the four arms grabbing for a quick meal. The beast recoiled with a thunderous screech, two of its appendages sporting deep gashes that fountained blood, while the others managed to impact above the edged outside of the blades. Rose and Cobalt pressed forward, buying time and space for the hunter to collect themselves and scale up another perch. Taking advantage of its pain, two new arrows ripped through the air, smacking into exposed inner flesh. Two new protrusions joined the first in the mouth, one landing next to the existing projectile, while the other cleared the gateway of serration, driving deeply inside of it.
More flicker jabs and extended straights pushed and cut the beast as it tried to gain distance from the two that wounded it, every retaliatory strike earning it another gash in its grey hide.. Unencumbered by the constant barrage, Nalah thrust into its legs more vigorously, her body leaning into each attack to gain every inch of penetration she could into the muscle and thick hide.
Jax used the chance to score another chopping blow, doubling down on a previous wound to a back leg—striking bone this time, based on the unholy wail the beast uttered. Joseph raised his crossbow to land another shot into its mouth, but the beast flailed wildly to fend off the ambush.
Rose managed to block, Jax lunged backwards, Nalah deflected most of it with what remained of her shield, but Cobalt was caught by a strike, taking the hit to its torso. The Atmo flew backwards, rolling when it landed, the carriage and assorted armoured plates trailing behind it. Rose shifted instantly, covering the direction that their companion had been sent while Jax and Nalah focused on pulling the beast away from the downed combatant.
Joseph’s eyes flicked to the Atmo, waging an internal battle on whether helping the insect would be better or worse for the situation as a whole. He didn’t want to lighten up their assault if it would just mean more injuries, but Cobalt could be in dire need for a patch job. It was hard to tell from where he was.
Cursing, he bolted from his spot, firing off one last round into the gaping maw before clipping the crossbow onto his armour and sliding on his knees in front of Cobalt, healroot hastily retrieved from his pocket.
He paused, sighing in relief when none of the armour bore more than deep gashes, the carapace underneath unblemished by the attack. Cobalt clicked lightly, dazed, but otherwise seeming unhurt. Unlearned in the physiology relevant, he ushered the Atmo to remain out of the fight for fear of concussion or something similar. They could look at the insect back at the base to be sure later.
“Joseph!”
His head spun around at both Jax and Nalah screaming his name, a massive clawed hand sweeping at him—the monster's approach unnoticed while he focused on Cobalt. Lacking a better option, he lunged forward towards the underside of the beast to dodge the swipe, crashing to his shoulder on the dirt below.
The creature raised a leg above Joseph, pounding the earth scant inches from his head as he rolled sideways. Ignoring the kicked up dirt, he brought his fist to the underside of the beast, flicking the release on his bracer.
Blood spouted from the newly formed wound, the blade breaking at the mechanism as the massive animal lurched in pain, Joseph rolling out of the way of another attempted trampling. He scrambled to his feet, feeling the wind of another strike narrowly missing him.
Yeah, that would probably kill him.
Luckily, the injuries renewed the desire to flee in the monstrosity, the group of attackers proving too dangerous to continue challenging. It stumbled away from them, sparing Cobalt from its panicked trudging. Jax and Nalah started to run towards him, worry evident in their eyes, but he barked for them to finish it, redirecting the two to keep the pressure going. He didn’t want to mention the pain in the arm from where the bracer hitched. It didn’t feel broken, and thus was irrelevant.
Pressure applied, the grey beast picked a random direction free of opponents to escape, ignorant of the waiting security. When it was too close for them to shoot into its mouth at a decent angle, they slung the bows over their shoulders and drew the swords they had been afforded, patiently waiting with the blades turned down.
It passed below them, the two Lilhuns dropping from the branches to put their full weight into the plunging blades. Both landed on the large target, one sword sinking deep into a shoulder, while the other managed to pierce one of its hip joints. The beast spun haphazardly to dislodge the ‘new’ threats, both security members kicking off and finding new trees to set up in.
Whatever damage was actually done, it had lost the use of an arm, and its gait shifted awkwardly as the blade lodged in its hip worked more harm with each shambling step.. Emboldened, Jax picked up the pace, struggling to position himself with the amount of metal he wore. Ducking another swipe of its claws, he saw his chance and swung, pivoting with his axe as a counter weight. For the third time, his axe blade found the wound in its leg, adding a sickening crunch as the bone snapped from the impact.
The creature swung wildly, forced to favour its two remaining good legs, and the only other leg that could still support at least some of its weight. It was unstable now, the hunched figure swaying while unmoving. Unable to run, it decided to go down with as many of them as it could.
Rose caught up with the attack, drawing attention from the comparatively squishy Nalah as the blond-furred female deflected a wayward swing with her shield. The once iron-plated ironwood now sporting little more than jagged scraps of metal atop its silver wooden structure, a series of deep gouges marring the surface. Two lunging thrusts with the pike bit flesh, drawing new blood from the beast.
Joseph loaded his crossbow, getting off two bolts, but not managing to keep it steady enough to hit anything of use, his arm faltering under the weight of the weapon. Cursing, he decided to flank the beast and try his luck with the other bracer. If nothing else, the force in which the blade deployed was enough to pierce the thick hide, and the others were doing a good job of distracting it.
The red armoured Atmo let loose a series of directed swings, the fifth severing an arm in motion, the flying appendage forcing Nalah to raise her shield to block the unorthodox projectile. The female was sent sprawling from the weight of the impact, but the beast was too busy voicing its agony to take advantage of it. Jax worked another two chops into the broad legs, but neither managed to incapacitate it any more, and the prolonged exertion was slowing his reflexes.
As if cued into his waning energy, the beast flung Jax with another strike, the hunter of the group sinking a bolt deep into the cavernous flesh of its mouth to prevent an attempt at following up.
Joseph roared, desperate to finish it off before the creature could do the same to his downed pack. He sprinted at the monster's back and slid underneath it with as much speed as he could muster. Throwing his fist into the passing undercarriage, he let the deployed blade leave a long gash in its wake.
The grey monster lost its ability to stand, torn tendons, blood loss, and inflicted injuries taking their toll. The Grand Hunter kicked off his knees to fling himself out of the way of the collapsing figure, grimacing as the remaining bracer proved unable to support the abuse he had put it through. He looked back at the beast, the flailing body failing to right itself as teeth did little more than gouge dirt, its back exposed. Rose approached, raising their blades together and plunging it through the body over and over until it stopped moving.
Exhausted, the Atmo dropped where it was, breathing heavily. Joseph’s instinct to yell their victory was delayed as he hurried over to Jax and Nalah to confirm he didn't need to bring back bad news. Nalah seemed fine, if a bit sore from hitting the dirt and rolling, while Jax just asked to lay down when he heard that everything was over. Cobalt came over to the group, the armour that had come off collected atop the carriage it had managed to loosely affix to its base.
It was light, a chuckle originating from the Human as he slumped to the ground against a tree, but soon the entire group was roaring with laughter as victory settled in their minds. The two security members helped the hunter begin disassembling the beast, their contribution to the fight leaving them with more energy than the rest. They hadn’t been slacking off, that much was certain. The number of arrows jammed into the maw of the thing would have guaranteed a few extra seconds of survival and chances to escape if one of them had been forcibly tossed into there, and it had caused enough pause for the rest of them to get in a few hits up close.
Joseph rested across from Jax and Nalah, letting his heart rate slow from the rapid pace it had been pinned to since the start of the conflict. His arm continued its protests, but from the amount of movement he still had, he guessed that he had just strained the elbow. A few days taking it easy should straighten that right up.
Once the active members were about half way through processing the creature for hide and meat, Cobalt approached him, a mimed request for assistance putting their armour back on being redirected to Nalah since he doubted he could lift the damn pieces without hurting himself at the moment. She obliged, getting the blue Atmo back in full attire, though it took a while.
Rose stood first, stopping over to allow the hunter to place collected bits and pieces onto the carriage before securing it with whatever they could make due. A security member gathered the moss-wolf corpses for a similar treatment. Waste not, want not, he supposed.
Rose ended up carrying most of their spoils. When he was about to ask why, he, Jax, and Nalah were dragged to Cobalt and hefted onto the carriage. A series of confused questions revealed that the rest wanted to head back before it started getting dark, and it was pretty obvious who was the most exhausted of them. Lacking the will or energy to argue it, he flopped back on the Atmo as the trees passed them by, Nalah resting her legs across him as her head sat on Jax’s lap. The black-furred male didn’t so much as smirk, so it was clear he had pushed himself too far to quip about the arrangement as he laid down.
“The next time you wish to exhaust me this much, Joseph,” the Head of Security started after a long while of silence, tiredness in his voice, “I would prefer it to involve my mate and a bed.”
The Human snorted, closing his eyes and enjoying the lack of walking as the surprisingly stable Atmo carried the three of them. “Fuck off, Jax.”
“Of course, Grand Hunter.”
Next
A/N: Patreon is fixed!... aka new one cuz problems with the last. Check it out to support the story, get AI character art every now and then, or even preview sections of chapters as i write them! (aka, before kieve gets to fix them :D)

Recently, I created a post delving into the topic of male child sexual abuse in India which garnered a positive response from the readers on India, some of whom shared their own experiences through the comments on the original post. I'd like to provide some additional insights into the topic of sexual harassment against men in this country.
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Although women are often the focus of discussions on this topic, men also face sexual harassment in significant numbers in India as highlighted by the The Economic Times-Synovate Survey:
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In an interesting new trend, a substantial 38% of the respondents agreed that in today’s workplaces, even men are as vulnerable to sexual harassment as women. In Hyderabad and Mumbai, 55% of the respondents agreed to this point. Many of the corporates and PSUs ET spoke to agree to this new trend and point out that many male employees do not come out in the open and file complaints because they feel they will not be believed, considering India’s social beliefs. They usually seek a transfer to get out of the situation or find a new job.

And, in contradiction to prevailing notions, it's not just men who sexually harass; the survey found that female perpetrators of workplace sexual harassment were as prevalent as male ones.
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Some more indications:
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During Ungender’s brainchild ‘Project Jagruk’, a sensitization and awareness drive regarding the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 conducted in Police Stations of South Delhi, many Police personnel wished to know if the act to applied to men as well. Many male victims of sexual harassment had approached them with complaints. When these police personnel were told that the act specifically applied only to women, they wished to know when men would also be protected from sexual harassment.

(https://www.ungender.in/why-india-inc-needs-to-protect-men-against-sexual-harassment-at-workplaces-in-india-case-for-gender-neutral-policies)
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This article on The Hindu depicts several instances of sexual harassment faced by men including stalking, sexual harassment at workplace and sexual assault.
An account of a cyberstalking incident faced by Vijay Nair.
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In India, the issue of sexual harassment against men is customarily overlooked, with a lack of public awareness and recognition of male vulnerability. Moreover, the absence of comprehensive legal frameworks contributes to the culture of silence surrounding male victimhood:
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The issue is so entirely neglected in men that even our legal system is obsolete of laws protecting men from sexual harassment. The sexual assault laws of our country have been devised such as that they clearly state their existence exclusively for women. The sections 354, 509, and 376 of the Indian Penal Code which deal with sexual assault, namely, outraging the modesty of a woman, eve teasing and committing rape of a woman, all assume that men cannot be subjected to these crimes. The Vishakha guidelines which aims to prevent sexual harassment in work places are also just limited to women.
“According to the Indian law, modesty, if at all, exists only in women,” says ex-IPS officer Uday Sahai on the issue of male sexual harassment. “The only form in which a wrong sexual advancement on a man is recognized as an offence is as sodomy under the 377 section of the IPC. Apart from that there is no law to punish a person for molesting a man,” he further explains.

(https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sexual-harassment-of-male-a-reality-but-remains-a-taboo)
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Some factors that discourage men from speaking up about their encounters:
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The fear of not being taken seriously is not the only reason which prevents men from reporting sexual harassment cases. The fear that a female perpetrator may, in fact, use sexual harassment laws to wrongly implicate the male victim (by alleging that it was the man who sexually harassed her) has led many male victims of sexual harassment to not formally complain.
. . .
The idea that a woman can sexually harass a man is still considered inconceivable in the Indian society. What makes it even more difficult for men to speak about such incidents openly is the tendency of others to perceive male victims of sexual harassment as "feminine" or "weak". The disbelief surrounding sexual harassment of men by women in India can also be attributed to the absence of data/statistics on this issue. This, in turn, becomes a vicious cycle where the fear of being disbelieved may cause a male victim of sexual harassment to not report such incidents, leading to further lack of statistics in such matters.

(https://www.firstpost.com/india/vijay-nair-sexual-harassment-case-rising-incidents-against-men-emphasise-need-for-gender-neutral-laws-in-india-3452286.html)
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In 2016, the University Grants Commission issued regulations stating that sexual harassment is a gender-neutral issue, recognizing that male students are equally susceptible to various forms of sexual harassment, just like their female and transgender counterparts. Although this is only applicable to institutions of higher education, it's still a positive development. Additionally, Wipro Technologies and Infosys in Bangalore have gender-neutral complaint committees. It's also worth noting that around 77 countries have already embraced gender-neutral laws. Given the international progress, it's long overdue for India to follow suit.

John was bored one night and decided to get to work on something. He didn't know what exactly to do, so he decided to write a story since writing was one of his hobbies. However, John was so bored that he didn't even know what to write about, so that's when he gave up and went right back to bed staring at his vinyl record copy of The Best of Bread resting on his turntable. He was too lazy to at least make an attempt to drop the needle on the record and listen to some music. Instead, he just stared at the ceiling desperately wanting to do something great, but lacking the energy and motivation to do so; he needed some kind of incentive... John suddenly jolted not realizing that he had dosed off, so he decided to call it a night and close his eyes for good till morning. It was 12:37am...
Twisting, turning, and mumbling, John finally woke up not feeling too well, but it was only 2:00am. He stumbled to the bathroom like a blind drunk man to pee and wash his face. He was cold and shivering like a worried puppy trying to shake off the unpleasant dream that he woke from. After he washes his hands, he stares at himself in the mirror recalling the dream he just had...
A white middle aged man was mowing a lawn. The lawn looked like a small version of John's childhood home in Jonesborough Tennessee. The man was wearing a beige straw hat and had a smirk on his face while constantly wiping his sweat. There was no one else around, just the man mowing the lawn. There was something cold and unwelcoming about the lawn mowing man's presence. He never made eye contact with John, yet John felt as though he was looking at him. "But how?" John whispered to himself... The more John wondered that question to himself, the more hostile the presence of the lawnmowing man became. Still, the man never batted an eye at John, but gave the feeling as though he knew everything about John and was watching him like a Hawk... The lawn mowing man's smirk grew larger, more sweat began to pour from his face as he violently swatted his hands across his sunburnt forehead... Suddenly the ambience became louder and louder which resembled a chaotic orchestral crescendo and...
John suddenly snaps back to reality while still gazing at himself in the mirror; he smirks and tries to laugh the dream away, but there was just something so unsettling about the dream that words just couldn't describe. John desperately wanted to forget about the dream and was too scared to go back to bed fearing that the dream may reappear. He gets back in bed and stares at the ceiling once again but accidentally doses off...
John finally sleeps well until morning when he wakes up to briefly eat some cereal and then gets back in bed realizing he doesn't work on Saturdays... It was dark and raining, but no thunder or lighting, just rain. John hears the sound of a lawnmower revving. It comes in and out of audible range. He rolls out of bed like lazy lion and peeks out of the window only to see the lawnmowing man once again. This time however, the lawnmowing man waves with a normal looking smile on his face while politely hollering, "Hi John! How are ya?"
John suddenly springs upward on his bed like a petrified deer unable to move and process what's going on! "Oh crap, it's 2:00pm!" John says to himself feeling like the end of the world is at hand. John's mind slowly starts to wake up as he begins to relax remembering that he doesn't work on Saturdays. But nothing seemed to be able to ease him away from that dreadful dream. Nothing he did could shake that feeling off, it was almost as though the dream really did happen in some unearthly dimension or realm that the human spirit goes to while slumbering... But there it was again, the sound of the lawnmower slowly going in and out of audible range... John chuckles realizing that the active lawnmowing team outside was the reason he dreamed of a lawnmower in his dream... But what about the first dream? he thought to himself...
It was a beautiful sunny day and John wanted to take advantage of the day while also hoping to forget about the unpleasant dream he had. He ate a quick meal and dressed himself for an adventure to the grocery store. He had to pee before leaving, so he went to the bathroom to take care of business... While washing his hands, he stares at himself in the mirror and chuckles again trying to convince himself that it was just a normal dream. "It was literally just a dream about a man mowing the lawn, I mean how is that scary?" he said. "I mean, maybe I was feeling a little sick and that's why such a normal dream felt so terrifying. Oh well, it's normal. Let's go get some groceries and ice cream so that I can focus on that story I want to try to write this time tonight!"
John hits the road in his silver 2012 Mustang leaving nothing but dust and bad bad dreams behind. As he's driving through a suburban area, he notices a man in a beige straw hat mowing their lawn... John chuckles and says, "Haha, see? Totally normal!" John finally arrives at the local grocery store... John parks his Mustang when the sky suddenly turns grey as rush of pale clouds dim the skies. The grocery store looked rather ghostly and depressing. There were many old looking cars that resembled a 2002 Toyota Camry, some with rusting canopies and dirty hubcaps. Out in the distance of the lot, there was a lawnmowing team truck branded with a decal that read Straw Hat Lawncare...
John made his way into the the grocery store and felt a bitter welcome from everyone inside. Nobody glanced at John. Everyone in the store looked like depressed fish passing by each other. There was a Hispanic family talking Spanish. The father was wearing a green jersey and the mother was sporting a pink sweater with grey sweatpants. Their kids were following along while randomly touching items. John was Hispanic as well, but felt no connection around this family. That's when John started to notice that nobody made eye contact with him, even when he said "excuse me" to reach for something. Not the employees, not the local sheriff, not the old lady looking at flowers, nobody... Not that John wanted to be looked at or noticed, but there was something odd about this, almost as if everybody was purposefully told not to make any kind of contact with him. It was a feeling that was hard to explain.
John quickly grabs some groceries to rush over to checkout to test if the cashier would at least say hello or something. But to John's disappointment, the cashier did not even greet John when he set his items down on the checkout countertop. The conveyor belt squeaks every time it moves; it's movement seems so lifeless, just like the cashier... Still, no eye contact whatsoever, not even if he tried to make conversation. The cashier just looked down the whole time. John started to panic inside, something just didn't feel right. It's not all in my head! John thought to himself... John grabs his groceries and heads for the exit when he notices a dirty looking man wearing beige straw hat smoking a cigarette. This man happened to be the only person that glanced at John, but it wasn't a pleasant glance. The man had a grim look on his face... John started to get the feeling that everybody was on to him, and that even the people who were ignoring him were actually very aware of his presence.
John was a good guy, not a saint, but a good-hearted person. He's never caused any harm to anyone and has always been a respectful gentlemen. But why? Why does it feel like these people hate me for no reason? John thought to himself again. Although John was physically being ignored, he got the feeling that everybody was actually looking at him... John quickly paces towards his Mustang. His heart throbbing, muscles tightening, jaw clenching, head aching; John starts his car and glances around. He looks out his right window and sees the dull grocery store. He looks straight ahead and sees the lawnmowing team truck. He looks to his left and sees a man with a beige straw hat right next to the window. The man knocks looking like he was begging for money. John being good hearted lowers the window but the man speaks before John could do anything, "Your back tire is flat!" The man kept repeating the same phrase over and over as if having a flat tire was bad luck. The man reeked of whiskey and tabaco, he had no front teeth and looked like he was wired on methamphetamine or something. "Come on out here and look!" the man exclaimed. "That tire's lookin bad man, you gotta get that fixed. You got one of them spares?" "Yeah, I got a spare." John said. "I got this, don't worry about me." "OF COURSE I'm gon worry bout you brother, that's what we do round here!"
The man starts telling a story about his brother Phil who had a flat tire because he was being shot at by some thugs. The man's story seems to go on forever and John starts to tune out. John glances out in the distance over the man's shoulder; the man's voice begins to get muddled as John focuses on someone getting out of the lawnmowing team truck in the distance. His heart starts to race when he sees another man with a beige straw hat stepping out of the car, except this time, John felt a very hostile vibration. The man in the distance puffed a cloud of smoke when he quickly glanced towards John's way with an evil look on his face... John looks behind and sees another man with a beige straw hat just like the one from his dream. Oddly enough, this man waved and shouted, "Hello! Need some help?"
John's heart started to pound and he almost felt like fainting. Maybe it's just my anxiety. "I've got to go!" John told the whiskey breathed man and cranked on his Mustang. He peeled out of the parking lot like a rabbit fearing for it's life. He could still hear the whiskey breathed man crying, "Hey man! I just wanted to help!" The whiskey breathed man kept crying, "I just wanted to help man! I JUST WANTED TO HELP!!" Tears rolling down his face, down his now sad face, "I just wanted to help you DOOD!! Why? WHY this gotta happen to me man? WHY! Why man? Come on! I JUST WANTED TO HELP!! I just wanted to help! Ahh!! AHHH!!!"
John finally arrived back home and hurried out of his car into his house... Suddenly everything was quiet... Too quiet... Finally, peace. I just have to rest and forget about that dream I had. It's ok, that whiskey breathed man was just really high on meth, he didn't hurt me. I was just really freaked out, that's all. I hope that man will be alright. I feel kind of bad, I didn't want to leave him there all alone. He looked like he was a hurting man, could've used a little company. No, what am I thinking? He was just high. Why should I trust some random meth-head like that? Awe, he's alright. He's cool... I'm tired now, I'm just going to relax and see if I can start that story! Yeah, that'll cheer me up! It's just life, weird stuff happens! But what about... No, forget it... But why was I seeing men with beige straw hats all day like the man in my dream? Nah, I'm overthinking, it was just a hot sunny day today, duh... But what about all of those grim looking people at the store? I felt like they were on to me, like they were all in on it. Oh crap! Maybe they know about my dream! No way, that's not possible... But what if dreams really are connected to real-life? I mean, it's part of life after all... Nah, that's too weird, it's all in my head...
Suddenly, the sound of a 4-stroke engine starts revving... Grass? At this time? It's late evening. John crawls over to his window and sees a man in a beige straw hat cutting the neighbors lawn... "Ahh!!" John jolts upwards biting his nails. He crawls back to his bed and tries to once again justify what's happening... Suddenly, he smells cigarette smoke. "What's that smell?" he says... He slowly glances at a dirty light blue uniform and before he could make out what it is, a raspy voice 'declares, "WE"RE WATCHING YOU..." Another voice says, "WE'RE LOOKING AT YOU, HAPPY NOW?" Another voice answers that one, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO DALE JERK! AH HAHA!" "YEAH, YOU'RE SO MEAN FOR LEAVING HIM BEHIND!" "DALE ERA UN BUEN HOMBRE..." Said a Spanish voice...
John slowly looked up and saw an extremely pale faced version of the cashier from the grocery store and still not making eye contact, but three inches away from John saying, "Hi honey, how are ya?" and then repeats the phrase over again, "I SAID HOW ARE YA HONEY? WHAT, CAT GOTCHA TONGUE? WELL I'LL FEED IT TO MUH CATS WHEN I GET HOME THEN! BET CHU DON'T HAVE THE DECENCY TO HELP OUT DALE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF FOOD, DO YA?" She kept shouting at John three inches away while still not making eye contact. "SO? HOW YA DOING HONEY? FIND EVERYTHING YA NEED? HAHAHAHA! YOU SU................
John wakes up again... It's 2:00am. Everything is quiet. Desperately trying to forget the bad dreams and the strange day at the grocery store, he finally decides to drop the needle on the Best of Bread vinyl record. The music is soothing. He begins to drift into slumber once again.
John sleeps in and wakes up at 2:00pm on Sunday, he doesn't work on Sunday's either. John realizes he never got the groceries that he actually needed, so he makes his way to the grocery store once again. on another sunny day. He pulls into the parking lot, but this time they sky stays sunny and blue. The lawn mowing team truck is gone. John makes his way inside the grocery store. This time, a jolly old man greets him as he walks in. "How are you doing young man?" Says the old man. "Fine, thank you." John replies. Today, everybody was acknowledging John and making him feel welcome. Lots of smiles and hellos. There was even another Hispanic family who smiled at John while crossing paths. Even the children seemed happy. Hmm, too suspicious. It's almost like they're watching me and know what happened yesterday.
John grabbed all the items he needed and headed for checkout. He approached the counter and was greeted by the same cashier from last time. This time she actually speaks to John... "Hey honey, how are ya?" Says the cashier with a cute smile. "Great, how are you? John replies. "Oh honey, I had such a busy day yesterday! First I had to go see my doctor because of my back pain, then my car ran out of gas and I had to tell my hubby to help me out. Then he starts going off on me about how these lawn mowing guys woke him up at 5 in the mornin' and I told him, honey, they just doin' they job. Oh honey, today is much better, it's a beautiful day and my back feels better." Something about this doesn't seem right... She knows... She knows and she's playing around with me... Everybody is... No, I'm just being paranoid. Forget it, today is a great day!
John makes his way back to his mustang with a kart full of groceries... "HEY DOOD!!" suddenly screams the whiskey breathed man from behind. "Whoa man, you scared me!" Says John. "Oh I'm sorry man, didn't mean to startle ya.. Hey, I noticed you got a spare tire now. Good job buddy! Hey listen man, I'm feeling happy today a.. a.. and I just want to give you my hat!" John looks at the beige straw hat... "Are you sure?" John asks. "Yeah man, go on and take it, it's time I let go of somethings in life. I'm trying to start a new life man and stay away from theses drugs out here man. You go on an take it, it has good luck man!" John accepts and takes the hat. The man smiles. John smiles. "Hey I'll see ya later DOOD!"
It's 12:37am and John is staring at the beige straw hat that the whiskey breathed man gave him... John lugged out his vintage 1970's typewriter and was finally in the mood to write. He knew what he wanted to start with, but just right before he was about to type the letter L with his ring finger, the sound of a 4-stroke engine starts revving...
​
​
WERE LOOKING AT YOU. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. HOW YA DOING HONEY?

Recently, I created a post delving into the topic of male child sexual abuse in India which garnered a positive response from the readers on India, some of whom shared their own experiences through the comments on the original post. I'd like to provide some additional insights into the topic of sexual harassment against men in this country.
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Although women are often the focus of discussions on this topic, men also face sexual harassment in significant numbers in India as highlighted by the The Economic Times-Synovate Survey:
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In an interesting new trend, a substantial 38% of the respondents agreed that in today’s workplaces, even men are as vulnerable to sexual harassment as women. In Hyderabad and Mumbai, 55% of the respondents agreed to this point. Many of the corporates and PSUs ET spoke to agree to this new trend and point out that many male employees do not come out in the open and file complaints because they feel they will not be believed, considering India’s social beliefs. They usually seek a transfer to get out of the situation or find a new job.

And, in contradiction to prevailing notions, it's not just men who sexually harass; the survey found that female perpetrators of workplace sexual harassment were as prevalent as male ones.
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Some more indications:
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During Ungender’s brainchild ‘Project Jagruk’, a sensitization and awareness drive regarding the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 conducted in Police Stations of South Delhi, many Police personnel wished to know if the act to applied to men as well. Many male victims of sexual harassment had approached them with complaints. When these police personnel were told that the act specifically applied only to women, they wished to know when men would also be protected from sexual harassment.

(https://www.ungender.in/why-india-inc-needs-to-protect-men-against-sexual-harassment-at-workplaces-in-india-case-for-gender-neutral-policies)
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This article on The Hindu depicts several instances of sexual harassment faced by men including stalking, sexual harassment at workplace and sexual assault.
An account of a cyberstalking incident faced by Vijay Nair.
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In India, the issue of sexual harassment against men is customarily overlooked, with a lack of public awareness and recognition of male vulnerability. Moreover, the absence of comprehensive legal frameworks contributes to the culture of silence surrounding male victimhood:
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The issue is so entirely neglected in men that even our legal system is obsolete of laws protecting men from sexual harassment. The sexual assault laws of our country have been devised such as that they clearly state their existence exclusively for women. The sections 354, 509, and 376 of the Indian Penal Code which deal with sexual assault, namely, outraging the modesty of a woman, eve teasing and committing rape of a woman, all assume that men cannot be subjected to these crimes. The Vishakha guidelines which aims to prevent sexual harassment in work places are also just limited to women.
“According to the Indian law, modesty, if at all, exists only in women,” says ex-IPS officer Uday Sahai on the issue of male sexual harassment. “The only form in which a wrong sexual advancement on a man is recognized as an offence is as sodomy under the 377 section of the IPC. Apart from that there is no law to punish a person for molesting a man,” he further explains.

(https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sexual-harassment-of-male-a-reality-but-remains-a-taboo)
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Some factors that discourage men from speaking up about their encounters:
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The fear of not being taken seriously is not the only reason which prevents men from reporting sexual harassment cases. The fear that a female perpetrator may, in fact, use sexual harassment laws to wrongly implicate the male victim (by alleging that it was the man who sexually harassed her) has led many male victims of sexual harassment to not formally complain.
. . .
The idea that a woman can sexually harass a man is still considered inconceivable in the Indian society. What makes it even more difficult for men to speak about such incidents openly is the tendency of others to perceive male victims of sexual harassment as "feminine" or "weak". The disbelief surrounding sexual harassment of men by women in India can also be attributed to the absence of data/statistics on this issue. This, in turn, becomes a vicious cycle where the fear of being disbelieved may cause a male victim of sexual harassment to not report such incidents, leading to further lack of statistics in such matters.

(https://www.firstpost.com/india/vijay-nair-sexual-harassment-case-rising-incidents-against-men-emphasise-need-for-gender-neutral-laws-in-india-3452286.html)
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In 2016, the University Grants Commission issued regulations stating that sexual harassment is a gender-neutral issue, recognizing that male students are equally susceptible to various forms of sexual harassment, just like their female and transgender counterparts. Although this is only applicable to institutions of higher education, it's still a positive development. Additionally, Wipro Technologies and Infosys in Bangalore have gender-neutral complaint committees. It's also worth noting that around 77 countries have already embraced gender-neutral laws. Given the international progress, it's long overdue for India to follow suit.

As the automotive industry faces tighter emission regulations and a shift towards cleaner alternatives, diesel cars have faced some scrutiny. However, in countries like India, diesel cars remain popular, particularly in the SUV segment. To ensure the longevity and optimal performance of your diesel vehicle, it is important to follow certain guidelines. In this article, we will provide five key tips on how to drive and maintain a diesel car effectively.

Refuel with Caution:

Driving on low fuel is a practice that should be avoided, regardless of whether you have a petrol or diesel car. With diesel cars, it is even more crucial due to their unique characteristics. Diesel acts as a lubricant for critical engine components, and running on low fuel levels can lead to increased friction and potential damage. Moreover, inadequate fuel levels may cause the fuel pump to draw air instead of diesel, harming the engine. To ensure the health of your diesel car, always drive with a sufficient level of fuel in the tank.

Allow the Engine to Warm Up:

Regardless of the type of car, cold revving can be detrimental to the engine. It is essential to give your diesel engine some time to warm up before pushing it. Cold revving can lead to premature wear and tear of critical components such as pistons, piston rings, valves, and cylinders. By allowing the engine to warm up, you give the oil time to circulate and provide proper lubrication, ensuring better long-term performance and durability.

Optimal RPM Range:

Driving at low RPM (revolutions per minute) in high gears, commonly known as lugging, can cause significant damage to the engine and transmission. This practice places excessive pressure on the engine, resulting in premature wear and reduced longevity. Always adhere to the recommended RPM range provided by the manufacturer. Shifting gears appropriately will ensure smooth performance and extend the lifespan of your diesel car.

Maintain a Clean Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF):

The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) plays a vital role in reducing harmful emissions from your diesel vehicle. It is important to keep the DPF clean through regular maintenance and servicing. Over time, the DPF can accumulate soot and particulate matter, leading to a loss in power, performance, and fuel efficiency. Neglecting the cleanliness of the DPF can have long-term consequences on the engine. Therefore, it is essential to schedule periodic inspections and cleaning to keep your diesel car in optimal condition.

Pay Attention to Exhaust Smoke:

Ignoring the presence of smoke from your diesel car's exhaust can be a costly mistake. While it is normal for some vapor to be emitted during cold weather conditions, excessive smoke in regular conditions indicates a problem with the powertrain. Dark smoke may indicate issues such as excessive fuel consumption, faulty injectors, or engine-related problems. White smoke often suggests coolant leakage, while blue smoke can be a sign of oil burning. If you notice any abnormal smoke from your exhaust, it is recommended to have your vehicle inspected by a professional.

Conclusion

Diesel cars continue to hold a significant market share in India, especially in the SUV segment. To ensure the longevity, performance, and efficiency of your diesel vehicle, it is crucial to follow these five key tips. By driving with an adequate fuel level, allowing the engine to warm up, maintaining the optimal RPM range, keeping the DPF clean, and paying attention to exhaust smoke, you can maximize the lifespan and reliability of your diesel car. Remember, a well-maintained diesel car can provide you with a smooth and enjoyable driving experience for years to come.
Also Read : The DIY Guide: How to Change Your Car Battery and Save Money on Maintenance

The following events happened on this day in history!

• 06/08/1985 - Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling - Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling S1985E159
  
• 06/08/1985 - Mid-South Wrestling - Mid-South Wrestling S1985E23
  
• 06/08/1987 - Prime Time Wrestling - Prime Time Wrestling S1987E23
  
• 06/08/1988 - Clash of the Champions - Clash of the Champions 2 S1988E2
  
• 06/08/1993 - ECW Hardcore TV - ECW Hardcore TV S1993E10
  
• 06/08/1996 - Superstars - Superstars S1996E23
  
• 06/08/1997 - King of the Ring - King of the Ring 1997 S1997E1
  
• 06/08/1998 - Raw - Raw S1998E23
  
• 06/08/1998 - WCW Monday Nitro - WCW Monday Nitro S1998E23
  
• 06/08/2000 - SmackDown - SmackDown S2000E23
  
• 06/08/2002 - WWE Confidential - Controversy for the Tough Enough II winners S2002E3
  
• 06/08/2002 - Velocity - Velocity S2002E3
  
• 06/08/2007 - SmackDown - SmackDown S2007E23
  
• 06/08/2009 - Raw - Raw S2009E23
  
• 06/08/2010 - WWE NXT - WWE NXT S2010E1
  
• 06/08/2012 - SmackDown - SmackDown S2012E23
  
• 06/08/2015 - Raw - Raw S2015E23
  
• 06/08/2015 - Raw - Raw Pre-Show
  
• 06/08/2015 - The WWE List - Trending Divas S1E1
  
• 06/08/2015 - Raw - Paige sets the record straight: Exclusive
  
• 06/08/2015 - Raw - Zack Ryder talks The Big O and WWE Tough Enough
  
• 06/08/2016 - Main Event - Main Event S2016E23
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - WWE NXT TakeOver: The End... S2016E25
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - WWE NXT TakeOver: The End...Pre-Show
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE Breaking Ground - Breaking Ground: Reloaded S1E11
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE Main Event - WWE Main Event S2016E23
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Was NXT TakeOver: The End... Asukas greatest chal
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Big E predicts Samoa Joe vs. Finn B lor: WWE.com
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Who does Seth Rollins pick: Joe or B lor?: WWE.co
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - The Revival on their historic victory over America
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE Top 10 - Top 10 Raw Moments: June 7, 2016 S2016E68
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Cesaro gives his prediction for tonights Steel Ca
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Kevin Owens makes a shocking prediction for TakeOv
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Nakamuras actions speak louder than Aries words:
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Samoa Joe is willing to sacrifice it all for the N
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - American Alpha are visibly shaken after being atta
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Andrade Cien Almas on his NXT debut: WWE.com Exc
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - NXT TakeOver: The End... was a hard pill to swallo
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE NXT - Neville on when he will return to action: WWE.com
  
• 06/08/2016 - WWE Now - John Cena Meets The Avengers S2016E10
  
• 06/08/2017 - Main Event - Main Event S2017E23
  
• 06/08/2017 - WWE Main Event - WWE Main Event S2017E23
  
• 06/08/2017 - Event - Mark Andrews goes after Pete Dunnes WWE UK Title
  
• 06/08/2017 - WWE Now - Paul Heyman Reacts to Samoa Joes Raw Beatdown S2017E49
  
• 06/08/2018 - Something Else to Wrestle With Bruce Prichard - WWECW S1E8
  
• 06/08/2018 - This Week in WWE - June 8, 2018 S2018E23
  
• 06/08/2018 - WWE List This! - 7 Superstars Who Broke Their Face in the Ring S2018E21
  
• 06/08/2018 - WWE Now - Velveteen Dream Mocks Ricochets Indie Origins S2018E126
  
• 06/08/2018 - WWE Network Pick of the Week - Bruce Prichard weighs in on WWE taking over ECW S2018E22
  
• 06/08/2019 - WWE Top 10 - One-man Wrecking Crews S2019E90
  
• 06/08/2020 - WWE Playlist - The Summer of The Nexus S2020E50
  
• 06/08/2020 - WWE Now - Full NXT TakeOver: In Your House Results 2020
  
• 06/08/2020 - WWE Now - 6 things to know before tonight s Monday Night Raw S2020E97
  
• 06/08/2020 - Raw Talk - June 8, 2020 S2020E23
  
• 06/08/2020 - Raw - Raw S2020E23
  
• 06/08/2020 - Raw - Exclusive: Apollo Crews is ready for Andrade
  
• 06/08/2020 - Raw - Exclusive: Charlotte Flair can t be topped
  
• 06/08/2020 - The New Day: Feel the Power - A Conversation About Racial Injustice S2020E23
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE Top 10 - Top 10 Raw Moments: June 7, 2021 2021
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE NXT - WWE NXT S2021E25
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE NXT - Exclusive: The Way brawl with Dunne & Lorcan
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE NXT - Cameron Grimes Million Dollar Dream
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE NXT - Adam Cole vows to take back the NXT Title
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE NXT - Exclusive: Raquel Gonzalez fed up with Ember Moon
  
• 06/08/2021 - WWE NXT - Exclusive: William Regal is at a loss for words
  
• 06/08/2021 - Raw - Exclusive: New Day on shaking up RK-Bro s momentum
  
• 06/08/2022 - WWEs The Bump - June 8, 2022 S2022E29
  
• 06/08/2022 - WWE Top 10 - Top 10 NXT 2.0 Moments: June 7, 2022 2022
  

What event was your favorite in this list?

Noonian Soong is the scientist who created Data in his own image, giving Data his own face. Later on in other shows we see other ancestors/relations, all who have the exact same face. I think this is more than just distant relatives looking mostly alike, I think that all of them are clones of Adam Soong.
Adam Soong (introduced in ST Picard, season 2) is a male human geneticist living in the 21st century who's researched focused around human cloning. At the time of the show he's already an old man, and there's no evidence of him having ever been married or had any children. There's even a line where he says during an argument with Kore (his artificially created daughter) that "Anyone can procreate!" which hints that he finds the traditional family life and birth method or reproduction repugnant. Given his line of research and success with Kore, it stands to reason that after she left he created a clone to continue on his legacy.
My theory is that Adam Soong not only created a clone "son," but also left a command embedded in the clone's subconscious to create for itself another clone offspring and raise it like a son to continue on his work, and so on ad infinitum. It explains perfectly that not only are all of Soong's male decedents also scientists who continue essentially the same research, but why all of them are virtually identical to Adam Soong.

• Adam Soong (21st Century) (PIC) - Geneticist, creates the first augments ("Project: Khan")
• Arik Soong (22nd Century) (ENT) - Geneticist, creates human Augments, begins cybernetic research
• Noonian Soong (24th Century) (TNG) - Cyberneticist, created Data
• Altan Soong (24th Century) (PIC) - Cyberneticist, creates androids/artificial humans

This is the official end of the first Volume. Next week will begin Volume 2!
After a lot of progress on my story, I'm making changes to my Patreon and instead of reading 3 chapters ahead, you'll get access to 5.
Elijah Commission
Azeline Commission
The Little Menace
Worship Her
If you want to read 5 chapters ahead, check out my Patreon!
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Bennett was dead asleep in his hammock when he was roused by hushed whispers and the sound of activity echoed throughout the room, seemingly amplified by its cramped space.
“Ben.” A voice called out.
As the engineer slowly opened a singular eye, he found himself struggling to make sense of the situation. A figure was just a few meters away from him, rifling through a bag when they turned around and faced him. However, Bennetts groggy state prevented him from fully discerning who or what was responsible for the disruption.
“Ben, wake up.” The voice called out one more time.
Scowling in irritation, Bennett chose to ignore the voice and flipped over, burying his face into the hammock's fabric. He was determined to get back to sleep, even as the voice grew more insistent and the room's activity continued.
“Ben, wake the fuck up!” The voice finally yelled.
Suddenly, Bennett found himself suspended in the air, his groggy state replaced with fear and anxiety as he was forcefully yanked out of his hammock. He tried to process what was happening, but before he could comprehend the situation, he felt the cold embrace of the hardwood floor.
THUD
“Argh! Fuck!” The Engineer groaned as he slowly lifted himself up off the ground. "You goddamn asshole!" Bennett snapped, his voice hoarse from the mixture of pain and anger.
Standing over Bennett with a cackling Fairy on his shoulder, Elijah decided he wasn’t going to wait for the stubborn man to get up on his own. "It's time to get up," Elijah said, turning around to continue sifting through his bag. "We got a lot of shit to do before we leave, and I can't afford to have you sleeping in."
Bennett’s glare shifted between his captain and his sadistic partner. "Fine, fine. I'm up," he grumbled, rubbing his sore back. He knew Elijah was right, but that didn't make the sudden wake-up call any less infuriating. Yana, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying Bennett's misery, her laughter ringing in his ears.
THUD
Pulling out his remaining Bioscanner, Elijah began running diagnostics on the device, ensuring it was in working order for when he delivered it to Salvanius. It was a trade that he was loathing, but it was a trade he would make 1000 times if given the chance to get the rest of their equipment back. Even if they only managed to find a quarter of their property, that was still a lot better than having nothing at all.
As the Bioscanner's display indicated the device was functioning optimally, Elijah let out a small depressed sigh and slid it into his pocket. "Alright, let's get this over with," he said, opening the door and stepping out into the dimly lit corridor. Bennett followed, still grumbling under his breath about the hostile work environment while shifting his stink eye at both Yana and Elijah.
THUD
“GOD DAMNIT!!” Bennett yelled, rubbing his head after hitting the top of the door frame.
He had completely forgotten how cramped everything was on this wooden death trap and how he had to crouch throughout the entire interior. Frustration and annoyance etched on his face, Bennett muttered a string of curses under his breath as he adjusted his posture to avoid the low ceilings and narrow passageways.
“Midgets…” The Engineer sneered as he heard Elijah snicker father up ahead.
It only took a few moments for Elijah and Bennett to reach the deck, and there they observed Rhea efficiently issuing orders to the ship's sailors. Her authoritative voice rang out over the hustle and bustle of the ship’s crew, who were quickly scurrying about, securing ropes and checking supplies. What really caught their attention, though, was Rhea was finally out of her armor.
Adorned in a faded white linen long-sleeved shirt, Rhea left her chest straps slightly undone, revealing a hint of her modest, but alluring cleavage. The Knight Captain’s slim, athletic figure was displayed in stark contrast to the thick padding underneath the metal armor she normally wore. To accentuate her figure, the tight brown linen pants she wore hugged her humbly, but satisfyingly shapely curves and seamlessly tucked into her leather boots. The outfit, deceptively sultry, effortlessly exuded a sense of casual confidence and undeniable charm.
Turning her head slight, the Knight Captain finally noticed the two Humans and acknowledged them with a nod. “Good morning Sir Elijah, Sir Bennett and…” She made a difficult face when her eyes locked onto Yana.
“Your Honor will do!” The Fairy said in a chipper voice, crossing her legs. “I am both a Goddess and a confirmed Eternal Judge of the Fae courts!”
Rhea’s expression turned sour for a moment, but decided it was best not to engage any further with the mischievous Vanir. "Very well, good morning Your Honor," Rhea replied, forcing a polite smile. "We're running a bit late, but we should be ready to set sail in just a few hours.”
Elijah raised an eyebrow at the small fairy at the mention of being a confirmed judge, but shifted his attention back towards Rhea and nodded in understanding. "We'll be ready whenever you are," he said with his eyes traveling up her entire figure attire before refocusing on her face. "Just give us the signal when it's time to set sail." .
“I’m assuming the northern woman is still asleep?” The Knight Captain asked, tilting her head curiously.
Seeing her long elf ears bounce up and down seemed to be the final straw for Elijah, as an unbidden and almost adolescent fascination welled up within him. He blinked a few times, trying to regain his composure before replying. "Uh, yeah, she’s still asleep," Elijah finally responded, exhaling deeply. "We’ve been up for almost 36 hours, so I think it's best to let her rest for a while longer." he replied, trying to maintain a professional demeanor despite the lingering fascination with her elf ears.
Bennett narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he regarded his captain with a disgusted look. "Can you control yourself?" he asked with a judgmental tone.
Also noticing Elijah’s basically ogling her, Rhea couldn't help but laugh at the exchange while running a hand through her hair. "I'm glad to see at least someone finds me attractive," she said, her cheeks tinted with a slight blush. Elijah cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of dignity as he shifted his gaze away from her.
"Ah... My apologies, Lady Rhea, but I was caught off guard," Elijah said, giving her a genuine smile. "I wasn’t prepared for the famed Knight Captain to be so beautiful out of her armor. It's a pleasant surprise, to say the least."
Rhea found herself momentarily speechless as her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red. She wasn't used to receiving compliments, let alone being called beautiful by someone as striking as Elijah. A small, bashful smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she looked down to hide her embarrassment. "Well… I, um… Thank you, Sir Elijah.” she managed to say, her voice uncharacteristically timid. “I appreciate the kind words."
Noticing the usually confident and stern Knight Captain was completely flustered, Elijah knew she was on the backfoot and went for blood. “You’re more than welcome Lady Rhea,” he responded, bowing his head. “I was just saying it how I see it—”
"Yana, zap him!" Bennett ordered, sensing that Elijah was about to push his luck too far.
The mischievous fairy didn't hesitate, and with a magical pop, she immediately shifted forms, transforming the fiery inferno atop her head into a flowing teal, wind that cascaded past her shoulders. After her transformation, a maniacal grin spread across her face as she clutched two fistfuls of Elijah's hair.
“AHH FUCK!” Elijah yelped in pain.
A light chuckle escaped Rhea's lips as she watched the scene play out before her, momentarily pushing aside her embarrassment and wariness of the group. Their playful antics, though unprofessional, stirred a sense of lighthearted camaraderie she hadn't experienced in years. The thrill of exploring the unknown alongside trusted friends had been lost to her ever since she joined Salvanius' Order. The organization's rigid structure and hierarchy had dampened her once-adventurous spirit, and witnessing Elijah's crew sparked a touch of envy within her.
Yana, still grinning mischievously, finally released her grip on Elijah's hair. The man, now fuming with anger, made a hasty attempt to snatch her out of the air, but the nimble fairy easily dodged his grasp, giggling all the while.
"I'm going to kill the both of you!" Elijah yelled, glaring at both Yana and Bennett. His frustration only caused more laughter from the fairy and an amused smirk from Bennett, who crossed his arms and leaned back against the railing.
"Come now, Sir Elijah, there's no need for violence," Rhea interjected while covering her mouth in a poor attempt to hide her own laughter. "I'm sure you can find it in your heart to forgive their little prank.” She continued, adjusting her hair that was flowing in the wind. “We’re going to spend a few long days sailing if we’re going to catch up with them, after all.”
Glancing back at her crew, Rhea's face returned to its usual stern expression when she noticed the sailors gawking and whispering amongst themselves. It was evident that her momentary display of mirth had taken them by surprise, as they rarely saw their Knight Captain in such a lighthearted state.
"What in the name of Tylas are you all gawking at!?" She roared, placing her hands firmly on her hips “GET BACK TO WORK!”
Rhea's eyes narrowed as the scrambling crew members hastily returned to their tasks, their faces pale with fear. The ship's atmosphere instantly shifted back to its usual disciplined state as the sailors focused on their duties, aware that their Knight Captain's gaze was upon them.
Elijah let out an annoyed sigh in the realization that he was probably never going to catch that little psychopath and shifted his gaze to Bennett. “I’m gonna get you.” He hissed hatefully. “Mark my words, you piece of shit.” However, Bennett merely smirked in response, clearly unfazed by his captain's threats.
Just as Elijah was about to ask the Knight Captain about the whereabouts of her liege, the man himself appeared on deck. Salvanius came sauntering up the planks that connected the ship to the docks, his imposing figure drawing the attention of everyone present.
"It's quite rare to hear you so jovial, Rhea," the Demigod remarked, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Rhea, slightly taken aback by her liege's observation, straightened her posture and cleared her throat.
"My apologies, your grace," she replied respectfully, attempting to regain her usual composure. "I shall see to it that this Cog is ready to depart, post haste."
Salvanius waved a dismissive hand, his expression softening slightly. "There's no need to apologize, Rhea. It's good to see you enjoying yourself, even if just for a moment. However, you are correct; our guest would most likely appreciate departing as soon as possible."
With that, Rhea nodded and began barking orders to her crew, ensuring that everything was in order for their imminent departure.
Turning to his guests, Salvanius addressed them with an air of authority. "I assume you two have the magical tool..." He paused, recalling the events that transpired the previous day. "I mean, the tool. Is it ready?"
The two Human’s exchanged glances before Elijah stepped forward, pulling out the bioscanner from his pocket. "You’re not going to be able to understand it, but I’ve configured it in a way where you can still get a lot of functionality without having to read." he explained, holding the device out for Salvanius to see.
Time flew as Elijah went into an in depth explanation of the bioscanner's functions and features. He walked Salvanius through everything all the way from disease diagnosis to health monitoring and treatments. With each new feature the human listed seemed to make Salvanius’ jaw drop lower and lower until he found himself looking like a fool.
"And finally, if a red tube with a bolt of lightning ever just starts flashing, all you have to do is flip it over so these panels face the star and just wait," Elijah explained, pointing at the bright orb in the morning sky as he showed the Demigod the solar panels. "It's designed to recharge itself using starlight, so you'll never have to worry about finding a power source."
Salvanius' eyes widened even further, if that were possible. "Astounding," he breathed, clearly impressed. "And you’re just willing to give this to me…?"
“Eh.” Elijah shrugged dismissively. “I have augments- I mean I can already do most of that stuff other than a few things, so it’s mainly just redundant fail safe incase I’m away or dead.”
A complicated expression spread across Salvanius' face as Elijah mentioned that the device was merely a redundancy measure in case of his absence. Suddenly the prospect of having this man as a retainer became much, MUCH more appealing. However, his thoughts were soon interrupted when the Vanir made its appearance by landing squarely on Elijah’s shoulder while glaring daggers at the Demigod.
Salvanius met Yana's gaze and sighed, dispelling the intrusive and dishonorable thoughts of taking these Artificers for himself.
“I understand.” The demigod said, turning his focus back to Elijah. “The Holy Dominion will not forget this grace you’ve bestowed upon us.” He gave a grateful nod before spinning around and heading towards the dock.
However, he soon came to a halt as his eyes fell upon a group of women arguing with his knights at the ramp leading to the ship. The women seemed intent on gaining access to the ship, their arms laden with various items, including several sizable platters of food.
“W-Wait! I-I was instructed to board!” A slim and fearful redhead said, holding a large burlap sack.
Something felt… Off about her.
It was almost as if Salvanius could recognize the woman, even though he was fairly certain he hadn't met her before. Then again, he had met a great number of people in this damned village, but his instincts kept nudging him to take a closer look. But his thoughts were interrupted when he recognized the Beastkin woman and the gaggle of Ferfolk slaves next to her.
"What do ye mean we ain't allowed entry!? I gotta deliver me gratitude before it's too late!" the dog-like woman bellowed, her voice full of frustration and urgency.
An amused huff left Salvanius’ mouth before looking over his shoulder. “I do believe you have guests.” The Demigod said before making his way down the plank.
“Let them through.” He said to his knights, waving his hand dismissively as he walked past the group.
The knights obeyed without hesitation and stepped aside allowing the gaggle of women to board the ship. "Thank ye, yer grace," The dog-like woman bowed deeply before her and the Ferfolk ran up the ramp.
As Elijah approached at the edge of the ship , confusion spread across his face as Mara suddenly appeared with her renowned tubers in hand. The woman stopped a good distance away, staring intently at the man, attempting to gauge his reaction and determine whether he would be receptive to her presence. Seeing he was just staring at her impassively, Mara gathered her courage, and stepped forward with a warm smile.
"I... I wanted to give ye this as a token of me gratitude…” She said shyly. “Ye know, for everything ye done for us."
Elijah's eyes flicked between Mara and the tubers, his confusion slowly melting away into a wry smile as he flicked his hand in a beckoning motion. The action caused Mara’s Shyness to completely dissipate as she bounded forward and handed him the tubers with enthusiasm. "You really didn't have to, but thank you," Elijah said, accepting the gift.
Mara beamed at his response, clearly relieved. "It's the least I could do!” She said, with her tail wagging vigorously. “I couldn’t bear the thought of not makin’ amends with ye.”
Turning around, Elijah handed this plate of tubers to the salivating Engineer and watched as Yana bolted off his shoulder in an attempt to attack the pile of food. Shaking his head, Elijah turned back to Mara and the group of women with a bemused expression. "Hopefully they’ll leave me some," he commented.
“Ye can always come back and get more.” Mara replied with a coy. “I’ll let ye have all the service ye want.”
A chuckle escaped Elijah’s mouth as he ran a hand through his hair. "I might just take you up on that," he said with a smirk. "Your food isn’t the only thing I’m going to miss."
Mara's cheeks flushed deeply at Elijah's reply, her tail wagging even faster as she tried to play it cool. "Well, I'll be sure to make myself available whenever ye are in need of some company," she replied, propping up her supple chest.
Elijah couldn't help but let his eyes wander for a moment before meeting Mara's gaze again, a lopsided grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'll… keep that in mind as long as you promise not to try to get me killed again." he replied with a goofy tone that made the dog-girl giggle.
“So all I need to do is spread my legs if I’m ever in need of your forgiveness?” Azelines voice rang out from behind him as the blond Elf woman emerged from the ship still rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes.
With a mouth full of fried tubers, Bennett decided to chime in. “I told him his dick is going to eventually get him killed.” He said, beckoning the Ferfolks to place the other platters on a nearby box.
Bringing a hand up to press against his eyes, Elijah let out an annoyed groan before turning his attention towards the two. “Why do you have to make this weird?” He asked in exasperation. "It’s all about sincerity.”
Bennett snickered, shoving another tuber into his mouth. "Ah yes. You hear that Aze?” He continued in a mocking tone while elbowing Azeline in the ribs. “You need to put more effort in your apologies!"
Azeline smirked, her teasing nature starting to leak out. "Is that so? I guess I’ll make sure any future apologies come with… an appropriate amount of sincerity and effort." She said, striking a pose that was more satirical than seductive.
“Jesus Christ…” Elijah muttered under his breath while his two crewmates broke out into laughter. “I hate both of you.”
The laughter continued after successfully eliciting an annoyed response from their beleaguered captain. However, a quiet seemed to take over the deck as everyone's attention shifted towards the approaching Knight Captain. "So that's the type of man you are, Sir Eli-jah" Rhea remarked with a raised eyebrow. "I'll bear that in mind when you try to charm me with your honeyed words."
“Oh god damnit…” Elijah facepalmed and dragged his hand down his face as another roar of laughter erupted from everyone in the group.
Rhea’s hand was covering her mouth as she tried to suppress a chuckle. “A-Anyways…” She chortled. “We should be ready to sail any moment now, so make sure you’re all prepared for departure.” The woman said, walking off in the direction of the Helm while her shoulders shook in mirth.
Elijah just stood there for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Where the hell is Auri?” He asked no one in particular, his frustration starting to show.
“A-Ahh… H-Hello.”
Recognizing the voice, Elijah looked up to see a petite woman with bright red hair looking up at him expectantly while holding onto a large burlap sack. Glad to see that he at least didn’t have to go hunting for the dainty woman, Elijah let loose a heavy breath of relief. “Alright, I’ll go tell Lady Rhea-” He tried to say, but Auri interrupted him.
Auri squirmed nervously before asking, "Umm… Should I be worried that you also have designs on me?"
“Oh for fucks sake!” Elijah threw his arms up and let them slap against his thighs in frustration as the rest of the crew barked in laughter. "Let’s just go already!”
Yana however, completely ignored the incessant bickering and Instead, she hungrily finished off one of the smaller platters of tubers and chomped down on the last tiny morsel on the wooden plate. Sighing Contentedly, the Fairy’s gaze fell upon Mara and her small group of Ferfolks as they said their goodbyes and disappeared from view. In their place was the other, more fidgety whelping that always looked at her servants with gleeful eyes. The man was far weaker than the other, but at least he seemed somewhat reverent towards Eli and Ben.
In their stead, the more fidgety whelping appeared, the one who always seemed to look at Ben and Eli with eager eyes. Although this man seemed far weaker than his sibling, he at least displayed a measure of reverence towards her servants.
Turning her head up towards the clear blue sky, Yana placed a hand on her tiny belly and sighed contentedly. She couldn't wait to see what other delightful mortal delicacies or fanciful experiences she would get to experience in the future.
​
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