PART SIXTY-FOUR
[Previous Part] [Beginning]
“What the fuck is that shit?!”
“The more important question is how?” Thalien cut in, staring at me in utter disbelief. “You’re well aware of what chain-lightning looks like.”
“But it’s not supposed to do that hand-to-hand bullshit,” Shay-Lee argued. “That shit goes from hand to whatever the fuck you want dead.” As she spoke, she pointed to her palm and flicked her finger outwards at an imaginary target. “Not bouncing between your fucking hands like a goddess-damned rubber ball in motion!”
“It’s the Acropolis,” Lanna said, and although her tone was to answer her husband, her expression asked me to confirm it and fill in the specifics.
“No, it’s me actually. But I’m more than just doing it. I see the source of the magic,” I explained. “It’s floating in the air all the time, like specks of dust, waiting to do whatever the mage or sorcerer requests of them.”
“That’s why you asked me what I saw,” Thalien said thoughtfully.
I nodded. “I wondered if all mages saw it like that, but you said no. Emphatically no,” I reminded him. “From what you said, you merely gesture or speak, and the magic happens … which is true for a given definition.”
“What do these dust dots look like?”
“As I explained to Tarq, they’re like a pinhole-sized dot, not unlike the grains of the Acropolis key, only smaller. Much, much smaller. And just like the key grains, they connect to others to create different patterns, like a deck of cards. If you divide it into four, you have the houses. If you only want the sevens, only four stick together. On their sides, they’re three inches long and barely visible. From above, they become two inches. Just by that explanation alone, the combinations are endless, but when you’re really describing something that can change shape like we’ve seen the key do, there are no limits to their capabilities.”
I gestured to my hand. “When Milo healed this, I watched the dust dots gather along the injury and pull it back together, somehow fusing the two sides to make it whole.”
“And how long have you known this?”
“Since the night we got to Tetorli. I scryed Polly by myself on that lookout and asked her how many other Shadow Emperors wielded the power that had been bestowed on me.”
“And you screamed most emphatically, ‘none’,” Milo said on my behalf. I nodded again resolutely.
“So what exactly are your limitations, magically speaking?” Lanna asked.
“I’m not sure I have any. Not only that, but I don’t need to incant or gesture or have ingredients to make things happen. I’m directly … linked … to the magic via this.” I rubbed my left shoulder.
“And Harmony already said that thing probably can’t be neutralised, even if it was cut off you…” Shay-Lee commented, scowling at my shoulder like it was the source of all her problems. In her head, it probably was.
“Those two days I was unconscious, it wasn’t because of the cold. Or at least, not totally,” I amended, because falling over half-frozen had undoubtedly been part of the issue at the time. “This…” —I rubbed my shoulder— “…is now everywhere. I felt it spread out inside me. Bonding with me. Honestly, I don’t think the brand itself matters anymore, except to let the people know who I am.” My hand moved to the back of my neck and up to scratch across the top of my scalp, indicating it had somehow travelled into my head … and through my limbs, all the way to my toes. “I’m not going to try and do anything I haven’t seen done or can’t envision happening because that is a disastrous line of thought.”
“What other things can you do, Uncle Em?”
I wasn’t interested in doing a show-and-tell, but if a couple more examples were enough to keep them happy, I stuck with the ones I knew. Curling my right hand into a cup, I formed a snowball-sized fireball. Ironically, I didn’t feel the heat because more dots had lined my hand like a protective glove.
It was amazing how much I had folded into the word ‘magic’ when common sense was right there in front of me. Fire was fire, and when it was said aloud, magic fire that didn’t burn the caster was just stupid.
I heard a gasp that was not part of our party and clenched my fist to extinguish it as everyone swung towards the sound. With a wall of trees at our back and Felipe and Gimweren’s people in front and on either side of us settling in for the night, there was no reason for anyone to be back there. At least, I had assumed so, given I’d put up a sound blister to keep this conversation private.
That meant our observer was right up against the protective barrier, just as Felipe had been last night. Except no one was there. It wasn’t snowing so hard that we couldn’t see three feet into the darkness, but by the time we snatched up our weapons and reached the protective wall, our visitor was long gone.
A dwarf couldn’t move that quietly, nor could they do so without leaving a trail in the fresh powder, which made our unwanted visitor a snow half-orc. We’d be tracking one lone snow half-orc with countless numbers of them around us while it was snowing.
Oh, this is going to be fun … not.
Thalien dismissed the protective dome that would’ve dumped the better part of a foot of snow on top of our camp (not to mention ruin my meal prep) if I didn’t throw another one up six inches inside his. The difference being mine was more like a cave, complete with an opening we could all rush through.
Only Thalien seemed to notice. Or maybe he was the only one who truly understood what I’d done. Magic in his eyes was uncompromising. Specific gestures and specific words moved a specific number of dust dots into a specific formation that couldn’t be modified. In contrast, I mentally commanded the individual dust dots to form whatever pattern I saw fit, including a protective barrier with an open doorway.
“Milo,” I called, for we wouldn’t get very far if we didn’t know what direction to head.
Milo was already pushing past Tarq, searching the ground. He quickly surmised the same thing I had and held out his hand, palm down. I’d seen him do this trick dozens of times before, but with my new insight, I saw the dots gather into designated sections on the ground and condense into six-inch footprints that turned a pale blue for everyone to see.
“It’s a kid,” I said before Milo could make the announcement, tossing my weapons belt back inside the campsite (since I hadn’t buckled it into place yet) and charging after our pint-sized runaway—a snow half-orc. Felipe would have a fit if he knew one of the kids had followed us after all, though it did beg the question of how they’d evaded two hundred snow half-orc warriors plus however many Felipe had following us from the shadows.
The frantic pace of their footsteps … the way they bounced off a tree, went down onto one knee, and scrambled up to run once more was proof of their panic. I wouldn’t add to that fear by drawing a sword on him. Worst case, I still had a dagger and a zot-shot tucked into my boots.
Tarq and I ran at full speed, assuming we were leaving Milo and the others to trail behind us (except Thalien and Lanna, who almost always remained with the camp due to the amount of magical gear we all carried. That stuff was expensive).
However, it was times like this that I was forced to remember I was approaching sixty, and we had kids less than half my age with us. Liab charged between us on all fours, running half as fast as us again and in my peripheral vision, I caught sight of our resident half-elf thief converging through the snow on our right.
Less than a minute later, I heard the thump of someone impacting the snow, followed quickly by Liab’s sharp, breathy grunts of victory. As we ran up on the scene, Liab was sitting on the ground with one of his long arms around the shoulders of our runaway child, his other hand cupped securely over his mouth. He had the boy sitting on the ground before him with his legs hooked over the kid’s thighs to keep them secured.
Shay-Lee was kneeling beside them, her dagger out but folded back along her wrist and forearm. Any wrong move on the boy’s part would have that dagger finding a new sheath in his throat. To my surprise, Harmony was on the other side of Liab, rubbing her hand across the child’s head while her other hand pulled a blanket from the shoulder tote she was almost ever without. Another reminder that the younger women were faster than Tarq and me when they wanted to be. I made a mental note to lecture them both about taking unnecessary risks, given we still knew nothing about this child and how danger came in all forms. There was a reason Tarq and I went first, followed closely by Milo.
Straight away, something felt wrong. The child’s deflation as he realised there was no escape was to be expected, but something else was way off. Back at Tetorli, the kids were playful and curious, only to be chased by their elders with smirks and snowballs. More stringent discipline was sometimes necessary, but this boy’s reaction was another level of defeat.
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he was ten, maybe eleven. I declared him male since he only wore a loincloth, though truthfully, it was hard to tell at that age. I wasn’t a specialist in the age development of half-orcs.
Apart from the loincloth, something else that struck me as odd. As soon as he saw me, his gaze went to my covered wrists and then dropped to the ground between us. His shoulders also curled forward as much as Liab would let them. I got the distinct impression he would roll all the way forward with his brow to the ground if he were released, and that was definitely not the way of the snow half-orcs.
And then it hit me.
The boy’s head had been shaved, and very short white bristles, more common amongst my soldiers, barely penetrated his pale grey scalp. Even the youngest child at Tetorli wore their hair long with some manner of weight tied into the end to familiarise them with the handy weapon they’d use as they got older.
Which meant the boy wasn’t from Tetorli or any other native snow half-orc settlement… and we were less than a day’s march from Cerro Nexo, only hours from Jinis Ridge.
I really didn’t like the picture I was putting together in my head.
The poor kid trembled when I came forward, took the blanket hem and lifted it to cover his head … and stopped with a wordless gasp when I saw the back of his head had been branded with a series of letters and numbers that went all the way into his skull. It wasn’t a square brand and had been rolled across the contours to go from ear to ear. And it was old.
Fuck me.
My stomach fell into my feet, and I felt all the blood drain from my face.
“What the fuck is that?” Shay-Lee demanded, which galvanized me into moving.
I took complete control of the blanket from Harmony and quickly covered his upper body, telling her to grab out a second one. We wouldn’t get back to camp without being discovered, but I wanted to limit the spread of this knowledge. Our saving grace was the camp was in the middle of being set up, and most eyes were busy doing other things.
Regular half-orcs were known for fits of rage that would make them both deadly and loud, and I had no idea how the snow half-orcs, their intelligent brethren, would handle this. I needed to be smart. I needed my army to stay smart and not get swept up in blind fury. I needed to return this boy to our campsite and bring Felipe in on our discovery. I would also need to change the arrangement of my protective barrier to hide the chief’s reaction from his people, who would be watching.
To quote our thief … shit just got real.
Tarq took Shay-Lee’s place and slid his hands between the boy’s shoulders and Liab’s chest. “Sit still, lad,” he said quietly, then lifted him just enough from Liab that Harmony could wrap his lower half in the second blanket, completely hiding him from view. Cradled in Tarq’s large arms, the boy’s general shape would only come across as humanoid, including an adult dwarf or a young human, which was just what I’d hoped for. Harmony stayed at their side with her hand on the blanket near the boy’s head, her presence keeping him calm.
And to ensure we didn’t have any curious observers, the rest of us formed a loose, defensive circle around them, with me at the front and Milo in the rear, and we made our way back to the campsite.
I knew snow half-orcs preferred the cold of the elements, but in this instance, he would just have to deal with the human conditions. I modified the dome to give it a milky pigmentation that would blend in with the snow but not allow anyone else to spy on us; at the same time, I closed the opening to give us complete privacy. There was little doubt word would get back to Felipe, but I wanted to question the boy while ensuring he had something to eat before I brought in the snow half-orc chief. Felipe was going to be emotional enough as it was without making things worse.
“The fact that you can change its composition after the spell’s conclusion defies all logic,” Thalien said, lifting his eyes to the structure around us.
I understood how it looked from his viewpoint. Magic cast was then set in place. Another spell could replace it only if more powerful magic were cast or the original was dispelled. Whereas for me, it was a matter of having the amassed dust dots make a quarter turn to the left, no different than barking out the same command to an assembled army.
“This is not the norm,” I reminded him. “We’re presently at war, which has changed our dynamics temporarily. Very temporarily. Once we’re out the other side of this, should we be permitted to live with what we know, it will still be your job to create nightly cover when the weather turns against us and mine to cook dinner for you and Lanna. Just as it always has been.”
I wasn’t sure if he believed me; honestly, we had more pressing issues anyway. I had Shay-Lee gather up my comforter and ball it on the ground at the farthest point from the fire against the tree line, and I had Tarq deposit him on it while I fossicked through my bag for my canteen and some beef jerky that would give the kid a much-needed dose of protein.
The boy never moved as Harmony gently tugged the blanket from his head. “You’re safe now,” she crooned as his eyes met hers briefly, then jerked away to the floor. Unfortunately, when I stepped in front of him and squatted down, he gasped and curled into the tightest possible ball with his face pressed into his knees, covering his head with both hands (but not the brand, leading me to assume he’d been taught never to hide his identity) and proceeded to wet himself. The acrid stench meant he was severely dehydrated, but that too was the least of our worries.
I sighed and silently passed Harmony the food and the drink, then shuffled back a few feet without rising to give her room to work.
He’d been nervous around Harmony, but the sight of me terrified him. I sat on the ground beside the fire and crossed my legs, giving him time to settle. It amused me immensely to watch Lanna’s nose screw up as she approached them from Harmony’s side to not frighten the boy any more than he already was. With a few mumbled words, she cast her cleansing spell that took care of the comforter and the blankets (and knowing Lanna, the boy himself). Then, she moved around in front of the boy and knelt, leaning forward to peek through a gap in his arms. “What’s your name, honey?”
“SHO-8-1-4-3,” the boy barely whispered.
The same letter and number combination burned into his head—literally. I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly, refusing to call him that. My brain immediately started playing with the combination, shifting emphasis and accents. Until he selected a new name for himself, we needed to call him one that brushed up against his designation for the sake of familiarity but still sounded like a name. I opened my eyes and used a stick to write it out on the ground. By turning the 8 into a B, and the 1 into an I, it became …
“…Shobi,” I said, lifting my eyes to everyone. My friends were looking at me. The boy hadn’t moved. “SHO-8-1-4-3, from now on, we’ll call you Shobi. Nod if you understand.”
It made me sick to fall back on this mentality of barking orders at a frightened kid and watching his head wiggle forward and back under his hands, but soft words of comfort wouldn’t cut it. The boy would never believe them from me. I reminded him too much of what he had escaped from, and humans hadn’t been kind to him in that place. Augustus Morales, you need to survive long enough for me to get my hands on you. Then, and only then, will you be made to pay in full for all this.
“Alright, Shobi. I need you to eat the food and drink the water my friend is trying to give you, and to do that, you need to sit up. So, sit up.” I barely infused my words with command, but Shobi shot up so fast his head and shoulders knocked against Lanna and Harmony, who were both bowed over him, trying to coax him out. He still wouldn’t look at me, but he searched for the supplies, shoving the first jerky stick so far down his throat that he gagged.
Harmony tightened her grip on the rest and gently fed them to him in small, bite-sized pieces, intermittent with swigs of water. Thalien passed Lanna a short length of fabric which she wrapped around Shobi’s head like a bandana, covering his slave brand. He gasped and tensed, his hand reaching to drag the material away. Harmony did her patented shushing croon that took much of the fight from him. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she whispered, feeding him another piece of jerky.
I watched their interaction, and knowing he was in safe hands, I twisted away from him and stood up to avoid frightening him. “Where are you going?” Tarq asked, also rising. I glanced over my shoulder to answer my friend but found the way the boy was staring at Tarq like he’d lost his mind much more interesting. It wasn’t hard to guess that he wasn’t used to an alternate race speaking that way to a human in authority.
“Word of our young friend would have reached Chief Felipe by now.” I used the honorific for the child’s sake, and sadly, he made no reaction to the title of his people’s leader. I wondered if he knew what chief even meant. “He might want to keep the boy close, or he might want to send him back to Tetorli with some of the fighters to keep him safe.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Tarq …”
“You’re about to tell the snow half-orc chief that our enemies have been enslaving his people without his knowledge or yours long enough to have a man-child with no clue of his heritage. If you think I’m not going to stand between you and him while he rages, you have clearly forgotten who you’re dealing with.”
I raked my fingers through my short hair and sighed. “Very well.”
Unfortunately, Felipe took it about as well as I had expected.
* * *
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PART SIXTY-FOUR
[Previous Part] [Beginning]
“What the fuck is that shit?!”
“The more important question is how?” Thalien cut in, staring at me in utter disbelief. “You’re well aware of what chain-lightning looks like.”
“But it’s not supposed to do that hand-to-hand bullshit,” Shay-Lee argued. “That shit goes from hand to whatever the fuck you want dead.” As she spoke, she pointed to her palm and flicked her finger outwards at an imaginary target. “Not bouncing between your fucking hands like a goddess-damned rubber ball in motion!”
“It’s the Acropolis,” Lanna said, and although her tone was to answer her husband, her expression asked me to confirm it and fill in the specifics.
“No, it’s me actually. But I’m more than just doing it. I see the source of the magic,” I explained. “It’s floating in the air all the time, like specks of dust, waiting to do whatever the mage or sorcerer requests of them.”
“That’s why you asked me what I saw,” Thalien said thoughtfully.
I nodded. “I wondered if all mages saw it like that, but you said no. Emphatically no,” I reminded him. “From what you said, you merely gesture or speak, and the magic happens … which is true for a given definition.”
“What do these dust dots look like?”
“As I explained to Tarq, they’re like a pinhole-sized dot, not unlike the grains of the Acropolis key, only smaller. Much, much smaller. And just like the key grains, they connect to others to create different patterns, like a deck of cards. If you divide it into four, you have the houses. If you only want the sevens, only four stick together. On their sides, they’re three inches long and barely visible. From above, they become two inches. Just by that explanation alone, the combinations are endless, but when you’re really describing something that can change shape like we’ve seen the key do, there are no limits to their capabilities.”
I gestured to my hand. “When Milo healed this, I watched the dust dots gather along the injury and pull it back together, somehow fusing the two sides to make it whole.”
“And how long have you known this?”
“Since the night we got to Tetorli. I scryed Polly by myself on that lookout and asked her how many other Shadow Emperors wielded the power that had been bestowed on me.”
“And you screamed most emphatically, ‘none’,” Milo said on my behalf. I nodded again resolutely.
“So what exactly are your limitations, magically speaking?” Lanna asked.
“I’m not sure I have any. Not only that, but I don’t need to incant or gesture or have ingredients to make things happen. I’m directly … linked … to the magic via this.” I rubbed my left shoulder.
“And Harmony already said that thing probably can’t be neutralised, even if it was cut off you…” Shay-Lee commented, scowling at my shoulder like it was the source of all her problems. In her head, it probably was.
“Those two days I was unconscious, it wasn’t because of the cold. Or at least, not totally,” I amended, because falling over half-frozen had undoubtedly been part of the issue at the time. “This…” —I rubbed my shoulder— “…is now everywhere. I felt it spread out inside me. Bonding with me. Honestly, I don’t think the brand itself matters anymore, except to let the people know who I am.” My hand moved to the back of my neck and up to scratch across the top of my scalp, indicating it had somehow travelled into my head … and through my limbs, all the way to my toes. “I’m not going to try and do anything I haven’t seen done or can’t envision happening because that is a disastrous line of thought.”
“What other things can you do, Uncle Em?”
I wasn’t interested in doing a show-and-tell, but if a couple more examples were enough to keep them happy, I stuck with the ones I knew. Curling my right hand into a cup, I formed a snowball-sized fireball. Ironically, I didn’t feel the heat because more dots had lined my hand like a protective glove.
It was amazing how much I had folded into the word ‘magic’ when common sense was right there in front of me. Fire was fire, and when it was said aloud, magic fire that didn’t burn the caster was just stupid.
I heard a gasp that was not part of our party and clenched my fist to extinguish it as everyone swung towards the sound. With a wall of trees at our back and Felipe and Gimweren’s people in front and on either side of us settling in for the night, there was no reason for anyone to be back there. At least, I had assumed so, given I’d put up a sound blister to keep this conversation private.
That meant our observer was right up against the protective barrier, just as Felipe had been last night. Except no one was there. It wasn’t snowing so hard that we couldn’t see three feet into the darkness, but by the time we snatched up our weapons and reached the protective wall, our visitor was long gone.
A dwarf couldn’t move that quietly, nor could they do so without leaving a trail in the fresh powder, which made our unwanted visitor a snow half-orc. We’d be tracking one lone snow half-orc with countless numbers of them around us while it was snowing.
Oh, this is going to be fun … not.
Thalien dismissed the protective dome that would’ve dumped the better part of a foot of snow on top of our camp (not to mention ruin my meal prep) if I didn’t throw another one up six inches inside his. The difference being mine was more like a cave, complete with an opening we could all rush through.
Only Thalien seemed to notice. Or maybe he was the only one who truly understood what I’d done. Magic in his eyes was uncompromising. Specific gestures and specific words moved a specific number of dust dots into a specific formation that couldn’t be modified. In contrast, I mentally commanded the individual dust dots to form whatever pattern I saw fit, including a protective barrier with an open doorway.
“Milo,” I called, for we wouldn’t get very far if we didn’t know what direction to head.
Milo was already pushing past Tarq, searching the ground. He quickly surmised the same thing I had and held out his hand, palm down. I’d seen him do this trick dozens of times before, but with my new insight, I saw the dots gather into designated sections on the ground and condense into six-inch footprints that turned a pale blue for everyone to see.
“It’s a kid,” I said before Milo could make the announcement, tossing my weapons belt back inside the campsite (since I hadn’t buckled it into place yet) and charging after our pint-sized runaway—a snow half-orc. Felipe would have a fit if he knew one of the kids had followed us after all, though it did beg the question of how they’d evaded two hundred snow half-orc warriors plus however many Felipe had following us from the shadows.
The frantic pace of their footsteps … the way they bounced off a tree, went down onto one knee, and scrambled up to run once more was proof of their panic. I wouldn’t add to that fear by drawing a sword on him. Worst case, I still had a dagger and a zot-shot tucked into my boots.
Tarq and I ran at full speed, assuming we were leaving Milo and the others to trail behind us (except Thalien and Lanna, who almost always remained with the camp due to the amount of magical gear we all carried. That stuff was expensive).
However, it was times like this that I was forced to remember I was approaching sixty, and we had kids less than half my age with us. Liab charged between us on all fours, running half as fast as us again and in my peripheral vision, I caught sight of our resident half-elf thief converging through the snow on our right.
Less than a minute later, I heard the thump of someone impacting the snow, followed quickly by Liab’s sharp, breathy grunts of victory. As we ran up on the scene, Liab was sitting on the ground with one of his long arms around the shoulders of our runaway child, his other hand cupped securely over his mouth. He had the boy sitting on the ground before him with his legs hooked over the kid’s thighs to keep them secured.
Shay-Lee was kneeling beside them, her dagger out but folded back along her wrist and forearm. Any wrong move on the boy’s part would have that dagger finding a new sheath in his throat. To my surprise, Harmony was on the other side of Liab, rubbing her hand across the child’s head while her other hand pulled a blanket from the shoulder tote she was almost ever without. Another reminder that the younger women were faster than Tarq and me when they wanted to be. I made a mental note to lecture them both about taking unnecessary risks, given we still knew nothing about this child and how danger came in all forms. There was a reason Tarq and I went first, followed closely by Milo.
Straight away, something felt wrong. The child’s deflation as he realised there was no escape was to be expected, but something else was way off. Back at Tetorli, the kids were playful and curious, only to be chased by their elders with smirks and snowballs. More stringent discipline was sometimes necessary, but this boy’s reaction was another level of defeat.
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he was ten, maybe eleven. I declared him male since he only wore a loincloth, though truthfully, it was hard to tell at that age. I wasn’t a specialist in the age development of half-orcs.
Apart from the loincloth, something else that struck me as odd. As soon as he saw me, his gaze went to my covered wrists and then dropped to the ground between us. His shoulders also curled forward as much as Liab would let them. I got the distinct impression he would roll all the way forward with his brow to the ground if he were released, and that was definitely not the way of the snow half-orcs.
And then it hit me.
The boy’s head had been shaved, and very short white bristles, more common amongst my soldiers, barely penetrated his pale grey scalp. Even the youngest child at Tetorli wore their hair long with some manner of weight tied into the end to familiarise them with the handy weapon they’d use as they got older.
Which meant the boy wasn’t from Tetorli or any other native snow half-orc settlement… and we were less than a day’s march from Cerro Nexo, only hours from Jinis Ridge.
I really didn’t like the picture I was putting together in my head.
The poor kid trembled when I came forward, took the blanket hem and lifted it to cover his head … and stopped with a wordless gasp when I saw the back of his head had been branded with a series of letters and numbers that went all the way into his skull. It wasn’t a square brand and had been rolled across the contours to go from ear to ear. And it was old.
Fuck me.
My stomach fell into my feet, and I felt all the blood drain from my face.
“What the fuck is that?” Shay-Lee demanded, which galvanized me into moving.
I took complete control of the blanket from Harmony and quickly covered his upper body, telling her to grab out a second one. We wouldn’t get back to camp without being discovered, but I wanted to limit the spread of this knowledge. Our saving grace was the camp was in the middle of being set up, and most eyes were busy doing other things.
Regular half-orcs were known for fits of rage that would make them both deadly and loud, and I had no idea how the snow half-orcs, their intelligent brethren, would handle this. I needed to be smart. I needed my army to stay smart and not get swept up in blind fury. I needed to return this boy to our campsite and bring Felipe in on our discovery. I would also need to change the arrangement of my protective barrier to hide the chief’s reaction from his people, who would be watching.
To quote our thief … shit just got real.
Tarq took Shay-Lee’s place and slid his hands between the boy’s shoulders and Liab’s chest. “Sit still, lad,” he said quietly, then lifted him just enough from Liab that Harmony could wrap his lower half in the second blanket, completely hiding him from view. Cradled in Tarq’s large arms, the boy’s general shape would only come across as humanoid, including an adult dwarf or a young human, which was just what I’d hoped for. Harmony stayed at their side with her hand on the blanket near the boy’s head, her presence keeping him calm.
And to ensure we didn’t have any curious observers, the rest of us formed a loose, defensive circle around them, with me at the front and Milo in the rear, and we made our way back to the campsite.
I knew snow half-orcs preferred the cold of the elements, but in this instance, he would just have to deal with the human conditions. I modified the dome to give it a milky pigmentation that would blend in with the snow but not allow anyone else to spy on us; at the same time, I closed the opening to give us complete privacy. There was little doubt word would get back to Felipe, but I wanted to question the boy while ensuring he had something to eat before I brought in the snow half-orc chief. Felipe was going to be emotional enough as it was without making things worse.
“The fact that you can change its composition after the spell’s conclusion defies all logic,” Thalien said, lifting his eyes to the structure around us.
I understood how it looked from his viewpoint. Magic cast was then set in place. Another spell could replace it only if more powerful magic were cast or the original was dispelled. Whereas for me, it was a matter of having the amassed dust dots make a quarter turn to the left, no different than barking out the same command to an assembled army.
“This is not the norm,” I reminded him. “We’re presently at war, which has changed our dynamics temporarily. Very temporarily. Once we’re out the other side of this, should we be permitted to live with what we know, it will still be your job to create nightly cover when the weather turns against us and mine to cook dinner for you and Lanna. Just as it always has been.”
I wasn’t sure if he believed me; honestly, we had more pressing issues anyway. I had Shay-Lee gather up my comforter and ball it on the ground at the farthest point from the fire against the tree line, and I had Tarq deposit him on it while I fossicked through my bag for my canteen and some beef jerky that would give the kid a much-needed dose of protein.
The boy never moved as Harmony gently tugged the blanket from his head. “You’re safe now,” she crooned as his eyes met hers briefly, then jerked away to the floor. Unfortunately, when I stepped in front of him and squatted down, he gasped and curled into the tightest possible ball with his face pressed into his knees, covering his head with both hands (but not the brand, leading me to assume he’d been taught never to hide his identity) and proceeded to wet himself. The acrid stench meant he was severely dehydrated, but that too was the least of our worries.
I sighed and silently passed Harmony the food and the drink, then shuffled back a few feet without rising to give her room to work.
He’d been nervous around Harmony, but the sight of me terrified him. I sat on the ground beside the fire and crossed my legs, giving him time to settle. It amused me immensely to watch Lanna’s nose screw up as she approached them from Harmony’s side to not frighten the boy any more than he already was. With a few mumbled words, she cast her cleansing spell that took care of the comforter and the blankets (and knowing Lanna, the boy himself). Then, she moved around in front of the boy and knelt, leaning forward to peek through a gap in his arms. “What’s your name, honey?”
“SHO-8-1-4-3,” the boy barely whispered.
The same letter and number combination burned into his head—literally. I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly, refusing to call him that. My brain immediately started playing with the combination, shifting emphasis and accents. Until he selected a new name for himself, we needed to call him one that brushed up against his designation for the sake of familiarity but still sounded like a name. I opened my eyes and used a stick to write it out on the ground. By turning the 8 into a B, and the 1 into an I, it became …
“…Shobi,” I said, lifting my eyes to everyone. My friends were looking at me. The boy hadn’t moved. “SHO-8-1-4-3, from now on, we’ll call you Shobi. Nod if you understand.”
It made me sick to fall back on this mentality of barking orders at a frightened kid and watching his head wiggle forward and back under his hands, but soft words of comfort wouldn’t cut it. The boy would never believe them from me. I reminded him too much of what he had escaped from, and humans hadn’t been kind to him in that place. Augustus Morales, you need to survive long enough for me to get my hands on you. Then, and only then, will you be made to pay in full for all this.
“Alright, Shobi. I need you to eat the food and drink the water my friend is trying to give you, and to do that, you need to sit up. So, sit up.” I barely infused my words with command, but Shobi shot up so fast his head and shoulders knocked against Lanna and Harmony, who were both bowed over him, trying to coax him out. He still wouldn’t look at me, but he searched for the supplies, shoving the first jerky stick so far down his throat that he gagged.
Harmony tightened her grip on the rest and gently fed them to him in small, bite-sized pieces, intermittent with swigs of water. Thalien passed Lanna a short length of fabric which she wrapped around Shobi’s head like a bandana, covering his slave brand. He gasped and tensed, his hand reaching to drag the material away. Harmony did her patented shushing croon that took much of the fight from him. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she whispered, feeding him another piece of jerky.
I watched their interaction, and knowing he was in safe hands, I twisted away from him and stood up to avoid frightening him. “Where are you going?” Tarq asked, also rising. I glanced over my shoulder to answer my friend but found the way the boy was staring at Tarq like he’d lost his mind much more interesting. It wasn’t hard to guess that he wasn’t used to an alternate race speaking that way to a human in authority.
“Word of our young friend would have reached Chief Felipe by now.” I used the honorific for the child’s sake, and sadly, he made no reaction to the title of his people’s leader. I wondered if he knew what chief even meant. “He might want to keep the boy close, or he might want to send him back to Tetorli with some of the fighters to keep him safe.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Tarq …”
“You’re about to tell the snow half-orc chief that our enemies have been enslaving his people without his knowledge or yours long enough to have a man-child with no clue of his heritage. If you think I’m not going to stand between you and him while he rages, you have clearly forgotten who you’re dealing with.”
I raked my fingers through my short hair and sighed. “Very well.”
Unfortunately, Felipe took it about as well as I had expected.
* * *
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗 ))
For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
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HELP! I have a customer from Canada who ordered 2 custom products from my shop (they loved the product) I shipped their order May 21st and it was out for delivery May 25th and when I checked the shipment updates it’s still on hold! Now the courier emailed me informing me that they tried reaching out to the person everyday but they’re not responding and the package might get returned. I tried reaching out to the buyer as well but they haven’t respond to me. What should I do?

INTJs, come join us!
Four ENFPs are here so far. (1 from the Phillippines, 1 from Sri Lanka, 1 from Singapore, and from USA).
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81441947129?pwd=SWNhTHRPODFpY3ltL245bDBHWUdsZz09
Meeting ID: 814 4194 7129
Passcode: 181017
Just paste the Zoom link into your browser and type in the passcode.
All MBTI types are invited, even just to lurk with their video off. The idea originated on ENFP, but now we are sharing the meeting with ENFP groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media.
Since it is a paid level of Zoom hosted on my account, the meeting can run past 40 minutes, and I chose three hours. Last time a few stayed for four hours.
You MUST sign up for a free Zoom account so that Zoom can authenticate your name with your email address in order to protect us from spammers. Your privacy is my top concern, and I myself will not see your email address.
There will be a brief waiting room while we let people in. If you do not see me initially or hear from me, it is because I am letting in other people from the waiting room.
There is no advance "registration" because otherwise I would see your email address, which I do not want to see. And with the paid level of the Zoom account that I got just for this meeting, we can only have 100 participants at once. First come, first serve at that time!!
About breakout rooms, if we decide to establish them, you can go back and forth between breakout rooms without needing permission from the hosts. Last time we didn't have any break-out rooms since the participation was small. We are limited to 50 breakout rooms.
There is no automatic muting when joining the meeting. Please have your audio background quiet when you sign on. I believe that you will be able to mute yourself and hide your face if you care to.
The only room that Zoom will record is the main room. I will post a link to this recording as soon as possible afterwards. Bear in mind that an attendee might privately record a breakout room on their own computer for unsavory purposes.

I had to go to the grocery store today. Was running out of food for the dog, short on milk and just needed some things. I haven't been out for a month because of my step dad.
I can't trust my step dad. He will just sit and watch TV while I am gone. He has dementia and 85 years old. Not too long ago he went outside in the shed. He slipped and fell. I didn't know he was outside he never tells me. His son came by for dinner and found him while I was outside vaping. I did walk around looking for him but just in the wrong places. But anyway I got out today because my step sister in law came by for awhile to keep an eye on him.
I went to Weis grocery store. While I was shopping I was getting my cat her canned cat food. It was taking me awhile because looking for different food for her I didn't find. I look up and this older guy is just standing there waiting for me. I told this guy he should have said something and I moved out of the way. We got talking about our cats. He has like fifteen plus cats that he takes care of, I have one. But I have my cat for a reason I believe
First of all I have had two cats. My first cat was about 18 years ago. She was a black cat that my neighbors supposedly were taking care of. My neighbors back then, at least the guy, were jerks. The father laid out in the sun in his bikini bottom and didn't do anything all weekend. I felt sorry for his wife and kids. They always had cats running around outside. This black cat came to me one day and I found some food for her. She kept coming back. She became my best friend.
I went through some very hard times. I even thought of suicide. You know what kept me from doing it? My cat Midnight. Just seemed like everytime she came to me I had peace. I go out for a cigarette she would come to me without me calling her. She would come because she knew I needed her. A few times she was sitting right outside the door. When she passed away she was in my arms. She was like my best friend, an angel at that. I really do believe God sent her to be my friend.
Then about a couple weeks before she passed away she ended up getting under the porch. We had a board off because we had to do plumbing work under there years ago and Midnight liked going under there in the winter. Now we had to get her out so she didn't just die. When we did we kept her inside and took care of her. A few days after this calico cat, her name is Reese, walks up to me outside. She's rubbing my legs and meowing. She just followed me inside. I kept her in my room until Midnight passed on. Now she is all over and a climber. My mom passed on a year later from pancreatic cancer. A lot of other crap happened in that year and if God hadn't brought Reese before Midnight passed on I don't know where I would be today.
I believe everything happens for a reason and what we decide changes our future. That's why we need to make sure we stay on a good path and not a bad one. Personally I don't think we need to try to be perfect because that's impossible but use common sense. There is always a better way and having faith is what helps you to get there. Sometimes we just need a little help and we get a friend

Tw for incredibly homophobic parent
So I'm 19 and I'm desperately begging to transition. But my mother is convinced I'm ruining myself and her. She has told me that I'm doing this because I don't love her and that I've grown cold and cruel. That if I loved her I'd see how much this is hurting her and I'd stop. And it breaks me. She's also convinced that binders will be banned worldwide since they are harmful, as well as HRT. She believes that if I start T I will get cancer and die. She's hurting me and I can't take it anymore, she blames me for not loving her and being ungrateful, she tells me that the way I dress and look has ruined our family name and has torn her apart. That she will never support me and that she cannot bear to watch me destroy myself
Please give me advice

I created this secondary account to post here, as a lot of my friends follow my main account and I don't want them to know this. Sorry for the long post ;) Hi community, I (28M) am a software engineer with good educational background. I did my bachelors from tier 2 college and masters from tier 1 college in India. My net monthly savings (after taxes) is Rs. ~3 lakhs. I have almost ~70 lakhs in my portfolio. I am not showing off, please bear with me a little, this is important for what I am going to ask you guys further. I am 5'8'', average looking with an average build (71kg), not a gym guy but like walking and cycling. I have a descent social life, have a couple of good friends and a few female friends too. But, I was never been in any relationship before so, love marriage is out of the scenario for me. Coming back to the point for which this community is what all seek, the arrange marriage. Past 6 months my parents are trying to convince me for marriage, took me to 3 family meet ups too. I neither opposed nor agreed for it though, as I feel its correct age to get married and I am well settled in my "corporate life". Now, the problem is I am planing to leave my job soon and want to try for full time stock market trading. In the last 1 year, I built a huge interest in stock market, I also tried part time trading and was actually generating descent returns. I have not seen any major loss yet, as I do with very little quantity and manage my risks accordingly. My plan is to use 50 lakhs in trading and keep 20 lakhs in reserve for my expenses and future use purpose. Now, my question is whether I should leave my job or not. Or should I keep the job, get married and leave after sometime. In my community, marriage is extremely difficult if you are jobless. Given my background, I am pretty confident that even if I fail as a trader I can easily find a job and get back to my "corporate life". But explaining all this to a girl and her parents seems very difficult as stock market trading is considered gambling in India. I also do not want to hide all these things from the girl, as I feel it will be a cheating if I fix the match using my job and leave afterwards. I am in a constant dilemma of what to do and lost all the mental peace. Neither I am focusing on my job nor trading. Please suggest what should I do?

Hello!
I'm a 40 year old bloke living in Australia. I'm trying to fill my life with as many awesome people as possible. An ambitious feat that I may not be able to sustain, but I'm ready to give it a crack.
I bring to the table active listening, a lack of judgement or preconceived notions, and a general openness to folks from all walks of life.
About me, I'm a bureaucrat by day, am separated with three kids. In my free time I coach kids and adults sporting teams, I enjoy cooking, painting, and other creative activities. I'm quite active, and my Garmin tells me my fitness age is 20. Might be referring to my maturity though.
Feel free to reach out. I'll respond when I can, though timezones might get me!

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Getting Rid of Most of My Flavors, Part 46
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Starting Flavor Count: 2,434 (down from 2,972)
TASK OR TRASH - Each flavor gets assigned at least one task or it goes in the trash.
 

CAPELLA Honeydew Melon

Update. I gave CAP Honeydew Melon one chance to stick around, a recipe called “Melon Blow Pop.” Before trying it, I wondered what made this recipe a "blow pop" considering there aren't any gum flavors, but something about the way these flavors combine does give it a very interesting bubblegum-y aspect in addition to the candy melon and apple. And the candy apple-melon is great. Unfortunately, I also get a slight perfumy-type off note from the recipe. Specifically, a baby scent perfume. You know, whatever it is that makes baby stuff like baby lotion, baby oil, baby powder all have that same baby scent. I hate that, so CAP Honeydew Melon is history. TRASH 1
 

FLAVOUR ART

 
Royal
Accidentally passed over this one last time. I found it to be a kind of warm and spicy tobacco; with a spice note or notes similar to cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger, but not specifically or distinctly any of those. Also found it odd that despite having no menthol taste or cooling it kind of hits me right in the same spot that menthol does.
I purchased this flavor to make Chem Twista Lime - cigarette with a pinch of lime - and will continue to use it for that. TASK 1 But, I can’t find anything else that I want to do with it.
 
Shade
I don’t know what this is, but it’s not tobacco. It tastes like dirty cooked fruit sweetness, like just part of cooked dark berries or stewed prunes, just the sweetness from them and not their distinct aromas, mixed with something earthy and pushing dirty tobacco but not authentically tobacco. But, it does taste like it would be a good ingredient to use in a fruity tobacco, like you would need a tobacco, and a fruit, but this could be a bridge ingredient.
Already plan to mix CBV’s Cherry Oak Tobacco that uses it. Will also try his Southern Lights recipe for a bourbon-vanilla tobacco that uses it TASK 2, and the very solid looking Bob’s Bacco. TASK 3 I just wished the new ATF showed steep times because I’m not sure how long to steep these. Anyone have a guess? Three weeks sound about right?
 
Soho
I don’t consider this tobacco flavor. It’s more like... Dirty Trail Mix, but in the best possible way.
Slightly dirty roasted nut crust? It’s an odd, complex, flavor that’s oddly weak for FA (8% is not unusual for a mix) with something lightly tobacco-ish, kind of toasty, in there somewhere along with a lot of other stuff - some roasted nuttiness, something like a graham cracker-type or pie crust bakery, a bit of caramel or brown-sugar like sweetness but not too sweet, maybe some raisin-y type sweetness as well. Dry, yet smooth. It’s not a rich flavor but it has plenty of dry bakery-like body.
No, I’m not throwing away FA Soho. I need it for 1-2-3 Burley TASK 4 and it’s used in about 10 recipes I’m planning to try.
Adding to that - I can’t wait to try Pistachio Brulee - Soho. It’s a lot of TFA Pistachio and not a lot of FA Soho for a “comforting warm deep dessert tobacco,” but I still think it’s going to be terrific. TASK 5
Will also add Maga for the simplicity - it’s just FA Soho, FLV Mild Tobacco, and FLV Vanilla tobacco. TASK 6
And because I’m feeling brave, Arcanite, a weird-looking recipe that mixes Soho with Meringue, White Peach, and TFA Dragonfruit. TASK 7
 
Sour Wizard
Held off on ever trying this for a long time because I’d already been burnt by too many supposedly sour things to get excited about FA coming out with Sour Wizard. Anyway, it doesn’t really taste sour, not like sour candy tastes sour, not at 2% anyway, but it definitely has a noticeably tart “pop” to it, more so than the others. Very bright. Other sour additives don’t have much fruitiness but this one does have a very slight green apple kind of taste to it. Top heavy with a dead finish but the sour-ish flavor does carry just a little deeper than just being right on top. The usual suspect acids might be the main ingredients, but FA definitely did more than just put malic and/or citric acid in a bottle with PG, and it shows. Unfortunately, I could not find a single recipe using it that I both felt inclined to mix and had all the ingredients to mix. TRASH 2
 
Spearmint
Aka, “White Winter.” Tastes like the disembodied spirit of weak spearmint gum. Not much body or sweetness. No leafy green stuff. Not extra methol-ed up.
I’m pretty sure I would be fine without it but there is just one recipe I want to try first, just to make sure.
Spearing Mint, Creamy Concoction is one. Although FA and TFA Spearmints aren’t the mints I’d choose for the job, I’m really interested in this “slight spearmint note with sweetened heavy cream” profile, and the sweetened heavy cream part looks great. TASK 8
 
Stark Apple
Sweet red apple, fairly accurately tastes like a red delicious apple or apple juice. I think red delicious is actually the least delicious of apples, but if you don’t, or you need that as a component, this offers it. I guess some people say it tastes more like a yellow apple but I always associate those with having more of a “ripe,” kinda sweaty taste. FA Stark Apple is quite sweet, with a deep natural sweetness, not a ton of flavor, but the flavor that’s there is on point. No tartness or crispness - not very fresh tasting. Sweet and timid enough that I would use it to sweeten a mix of other fruits without worrying much about it getting in the way. Not dry, but not really juicy. Very smooth, does not add any throat hit. Some body, with that mild flavor on top and a medium thick sweeter base, not too thin.
I really liked Strap-On Aid when I tried it six years ago, let’s see if I still do. TASK 9
There are a bunch of apple bacco recipes and at least a handful of them use FA Stark Apple. The one that looks most appealing to me is this Starkonja’s Head, mostly because it has serious, grown-up tobaccos in there and not just RY4 Double and Soho. TASK 10
 
Strawberry (Red Touch)
Fairly weak for FA. I call it the astronaut strawberry, not that I’ve ever had one, but it’s what I imagine eating a freeze-dried strawberry would be like. It tastes natural, with that subtle earthy note that brings some realism to the party, but unnaturally dry. Not juicy at all. Top notes are mild, slightly tart, and the finish is weak but there’s a solid middle that tastes like a semi-sweet ripe strawberry only without any juice. It’s not the best standalone strawberry by far, but it is a great tool. Seems to work really well as part of a strawberry layer to make sweet candy strawberries taste more natural and fill out the middle more, despite not working so well by itself. Cranking it up too high that earthy note starts to get a little grassy, like freeze-drying that strawberry leaves and all.
No, I do not agree with those who say it smells like farts, and no, I’m not throwing away part of the original Strap-On and many of the Strap-On variants. t’s in more than half a dozen things on my to-mix list.
I also need it for Lychee Blossom, which is a fantastic lychee recipe that I love. TASK 11
And I want to try Strawberry Whirl which is described as “layered strawberry jam, light fluffy cream on a whirl cookie.” It had me at OoO Strawberry Jam. TASK 12
StrawMelon Melee because I love cantaloupe and strawberry together and this looks like a great new cantaloupe-strawberry mix. TASK 13
Custard’s Last Stand because I’m very interested in how that WF Sugar Cone fits in there. TASK 14
Daveberry Cheesecake because it’s named after me! TASK 15
Yuno because it looks like a great strawberry milk and I’m really interested in the combination of WF Macadamia Nut and OoO Cream Milky Undertone it uses. TASK 16
 
Strawberry Green
That’s what it tastes like, underripe strawberry. Very green like you can taste the chlorophyll, and pretty tart, but very clearly a strawberry, and has some syrupy sweetness. It tastes like a small amount of it could do amazing things with other strawberries, like making them taste brighter and more refreshing, maybe making a flat sweet candyish strawberry taste more like the real thing.
Pretty excited to try things with this one, already have a couple planned. Mike’s Peach, Strawberry and Vanilla looks like a winner, too. I’m really interested in the combination of WF Strawberry Gummy Candy and FA Strawberry Green for the strawberry and even more interested in the combination of FA Peach White and SSA Nectarines for the peach. TASK 17
 
Summer Clouds
I’m not sure who started calling it FA Dryer Sheets, but I can confirm that is an accurate description. It’s supposed to be peach and rose, it think, but I get a hint of peach and a whole lot of dryer sheets. TRASH 3
 
Tiramisu
There’s a really nice ladyfinger cookie buried in here, and accurate cocoa notes, but unfortunately nothing resembling mascarpone flavor or richness, and even more unfortunately, it’s all soaked in, not liqueur-spiked espresso like it’s supposed to be, but booze-free coffee brewed by a skunk who had recently sprayed skunk spray and burned some popcorn in the same kitchen where he made the coffee. TRASH 4
 
Torrone
As best I can tell it’s actually accurate to a certain type of Italian nougat that contains lemon zest, almonds, pistachios, vanilla, sugar, honey, and egg whites. I’ve never had that, but it pretty much tastes like what I imagine all of that stuff mixed together might taste like. It’s sweet and creamy and nutty and lemony all at the same time. I’m not personally a huge fan of this mostly because the lemon feels weird in there and it seems a bit busy, for a single flavor, but it’s not terrible. It’s a little on the thin side, but just a little; there’s still enough body there to pull off a sugary creamy texture. The nuts aren’t distinctly almondy or pistachio tasting and more of a generic nuttiness.
Need it for Stag Night, also interested in trying The Key To Happiness, described as “a nice piece of store bought key lime pie like you find in the freezer section of your local grocery store. TASK 18
 
Up
This one is so odd. It’s coffee, cream, and... cereal? I don’t know why there’s a bakery flavor in there. It’s coffee forward and that coffee is not terrible, it’s kind of burnt but not dark, like a light roast coffee that’s been on a warmer too long or at too high a temp. There’s a little milky cream that makes an appearance and then there’s some bakery that is, for whatever reason, supposed to be a cereal. I guess it’s cereal? It’s kinda dry and gritty, almost graham cracker like. It finishes on that note and I’m not sure what you’re supposed do with that other than use this to add a coffee note to a bakery recipe, or get really creative. No skunk spray or burnt popcorn or anything like that, so above average for a coffee flavor, but also nothing I want to mix that uses it. TRASH 5
 
Vanilla Bourbon
Thin, natural-ish and darker but not quite spicy vanilla. Really very plain to my taste, Rick calls it warm and a little floral. I’m not getting any warmth or floralness, it tastes more like an attempt at vanilla bean that doesn’t quite get there but is more of a bold natural vanilla than a lot of other offerings. There's a richness or depth to the vanilla flavor, but not to the concentrate itself, it’s actually rather thin, it will most likely will not add the perception of creaminess or thickness that many vanilla flavors do.
Three or four things I’ve planned to mix use it. Here’s two more: Premium Vanilla Custard - obvious from looking at it that it’s going to be delicious. I see you, OoO Marshmallow. TASK 19
And Shunsui Kyoraku. I’m scared of the WF Egg Yolk in there, but not too scared to give it a try. TASK 20
 
Vanilla Cookie
tTis is a very vanilla cookie. Loads of baked in kinda bright but not overly bright vanilla taste. Also, pretty buttery. There’s a nice cookie there in the middle of that butter and vanilla. Without steeping, the cookie is just a little too sharp (nutty, overcooked, pyrazine) for my taste, but it vapes smooth overall with all that vanilla and butter. If it had just a little less pyrazine sharp overcooked nuttiness (and I’m told it does have less of that with a longer steep than the five or six days I gave it before sampling 2.5%), it could get fairly close to a Golden Oreo type of thing.
I already have at least 10 recipes I’m going to make that use it, but also:
3 2 1 Stroopwaffel I don’t know how accurate that will be, but I love VT Honeycomb and looking forward to seeing how SSA Crisp Waffle and FA Vanilla Cookie mix with it. TASK 21
And Makoto Shishio, because I love the idea of an “oreo waffle with cream filling." TASK 22
 
Vanilla Ice Cream
Milky, plain base, not custardy at all - more like gelato. Darker vanilla. I don’t love it, simply as a matter of personal preference and liking a richer style of ice cream, but there’s nothing wrong with it. I’ve got at least recipes in line that use it, and here’s one more that stood out: Lemon Gelato. Looks refreshing and satisfying. TASK 23
 
Vanilla Tahity
This is every bit as much an almond flavor as a vanilla flavor, I get more almond than vanilla. It even has a bit of a cherry-ish note to it the way some almond flavors do. It’s like sweet almond-vanilla-cherry, or amaretto and marzipan. It’s a bit dry, but there’s fluffy marshmallow-like body to it, and it’s not dry enough to be unpleasant. I actually kind of enjoy vaping this as a single flavor. The hint of cherry is similar to the hint of cherry in amaretto, not a medicinal plastic cherry. The vanilla is very bright and artificial, like the vanilla in a vanilla coke, not a coke with vanilla syrup added like at a soda shop or Sonic, but just the vanilla from a can of vanilla coke.
Already planning to keep it long enough to mix one custard recipe that uses it, now I have two more things to try:
This recipe for Vanilla Crescent Cookies looks wonderful. TASK 24
And I’m really interested in the combination of VT Creaming Soda and WF Cotton Candy Jelly Bean in this Blue Balls recipe for blue raz and vanilla hard candy, even if I think FA Vanilla Tahity was probably not the best vanilla for the job. TASK 25
 
Vienna Cream
Absolutely requires a steep, not just to come into itself, but to not be disgusting. It’s weird how much better this gets after steeping for just about 4 days. Freshly mixed, it tastes like someone tried to make spiked eggnog and substituted nail polish remover for rum. After a short steep, it tastes like a very sweet, light dairy cream, on the thin side of creams but still very much a cream. with a bit of bright vanilla and an interesting sort of ice cream-like crispness to it. Very smooth, clean tasting. Have found it sometimes works when other creams don’t, just takes a little patience.
I need it for four of my all-time favorite recipes, Mango Beauregarde, Notorious, Vurve’s Vanilla Almond Milk, and Vanilla Cronut.
Gotta try The Worlds End, too. It looks like too much TFA DX PB for the profile - banana nut bread with chocolate sauce - but looks delicious, regardless. TASK 26
 
New Flavor Count: 2,429
 
Just a short one this time, to get back in the groove. I went on vacation, brought COVID back as a souvenir, and have had a bunch of work to catch up on because of all that. Will finish off the Flavour Art next week.

2 please 🙏
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Hello everyone. Come join us!
Four ENFPs are here so far. (1 from the Phillippines, 1 from Sri Lanka, 1 from Singapore, and from USA).
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81441947129?pwd=SWNhTHRPODFpY3ltL245bDBHWUdsZz09
Meeting ID: 814 4194 7129
Passcode: 181017
Just paste the Zoom link into your browser and type in the passcode.
All MBTI types are invited, even just to lurk with their video off. The idea originated on ENFP, but now we are sharing the meeting with ENFP groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media.
Since it is a paid level of Zoom hosted on my account, the meeting can run past 40 minutes, and I chose three hours. Last time a few stayed for four hours.
You MUST sign up for a free Zoom account so that Zoom can authenticate your name with your email address in order to protect us from spammers. Your privacy is my top concern, and I myself will not see your email address.
There will be a brief waiting room while we let people in. If you do not see me initially or hear from me, it is because I am letting in other people from the waiting room.
There is no advance "registration" because otherwise I would see your email address, which I do not want to see. And with the paid level of the Zoom account that I got just for this meeting, we can only have 100 participants at once. First come, first serve at that time!!
About breakout rooms, if we decide to establish them, you can go back and forth between breakout rooms without needing permission from the hosts. Last time we didn't have any break-out rooms since the participation was small. We are limited to 50 breakout rooms.
There is no automatic muting when joining the meeting. Please have your audio background quiet when you sign on. I believe that you will be able to mute yourself and hide your face if you care to.
The only room that Zoom will record is the main room. I will post a link to this recording as soon as possible afterwards. Bear in mind that an attendee might privately record a breakout room on their own computer for unsavory purposes.

Looking to spend an evening a week chatting with friendly redditors? Hammersmith Hang Out is for you.
So what happens at this meetup?
Each week this meet up is held in a pub - we all sit around a table and generally chat about anything we can think of.. that's pretty much all there is to it! There are usually a few who will get dinner from the Thai restaurant at the pub. We get people aged from 18 to in their 60s, but the majority are 24-40. You can turn up at any time, people usually start leaving between 9 and closing, there are nearly always plenty left at closing time (last orders - 11). Currently we are averaging 15-25 people turning up.
Do you talk about reddit and memes all evening?
No! reddit is hardly ever mentioned, there are no laptops in sight and we've had plenty of people who have not used reddit.
Can I come along?
Of course - that is why it is posted on LSC each week, the meet up is very newbie friendly - we have people new to LSC join us regularly. If you're very very shy don't hesitate to message/text/call me ahead of the pub and let me know, I'll do what I can to get you chatting away with everyone as if you've been every week.
What if I don't want alcohol?
No problem! The pub also serves various soft drinks, fruit juices, tea, coffee and water. We have non-drinkers often.
Since after the above people still asked...
I'm ********* is it OK if I come along?
We have had men, women, transgender, British, foreign (even a northerner or two), gay, straight, drinkers, non-drinkers, smokers, non-smokers, religious and non-religious
In fact, the only people who wouldn't be welcome are those under 18 or anyone who is not able to conduct themselves appropriately in an adult social situation.
Initial meetup.
Location/Time: Latymers, W6 8BS / People often start turning up from 19:00ish but can be as early as 18:30. I'll get there for 19:00-19.30.
Pic here to force the preview image
Our tables are reserved, we start on the circular tables close to the entrance and we might spill over onto the table(s) nearby.
The first table will either be outside or at the front to the right of the door. (also, there will be Reddit on the reserved signs And hopefully Snoo)
There's a (usually quiet) optional Whatsapp group for the meetup - message me via chat for an invite link. (whatsapp group is pretty much only me posting this link each week and trying to get people to actually respond.. So no benefit of being in it if you're not showing up).

I'm a solo dad and I'm definitely having trouble decoding whats normal and what isn't. My son is now 27 months old and is expressively delayed. He has about 5 consistent words. He jargons all of the rest of the time. He is most definitely speech delayed. However his receptive according to the many evals done by E.I and private speech therapists is on track. He understands commands in both English and spanish..some of his behaviors however have me concerned otherwise.
Concerns:

• When he becomes frustrated he bites, hits, and pushes other kids at daycare, he does this at home with me too..not as frequent but he's done it before.
  
• Loves to open closets and hide in them. I've been told this is normal play but it's worth mentioning anyway
  
• Sometimes stands on his toes and walks on them briefly. He walks flat 96% of the time.
  
• Shy and reserved upon meeting new people, stays very close to me and almost freezes. Then once he warms up he becomes very very...comfortable. Pulls a 360.
  
• Is quite hyper. I mean he's always on the go...
  

Positives:

• When he's happy, he's quite social with both adults and kids. Likes to hug kids, give them things, loves to chase them and play with them
  
• Plays appropriate with toys. Does have pretend play skills..enjoys imagination toys the most.
  
• Passed the MCHAT at both 18 and 24 months
  
• Passed his two hearing tests done by the ENT
  
• Immitates a ton of physical expressions and play
  
• Good eye contact, eating habits, sleeps well
  
• Has a ton of gestures and always has. He communicates through gestures or makes up his own sign language
  
• Very relatable and has strong joint attention as per his therapists who have commented.
  
• Recognizes lots of people, items, body parts etc. Overall receptive language skills seem miles ahead of his receptive language skills.
  

We're seeing a speech pathologist on Monday. Following up with an ENT on Friday. Finally, seeing Early Intervention for the 5th time on Saturday..he never seems to qualify. I'm so beyond stressed and frustrated..can anyone from experience chime in here? Could something else be wrong? I can't believe he still isn't talking..it's so defeating.

• concerned solo dad.

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1) tapu Sena demanding for scooty/bike 2) popu ki actually me Baal Viva ho chuka hai aur uski biwi badla lene aayi 3) tapu Sena koi drug case me phas jaye aur police unhe adult ki tarah treat Kare naki bacho jesa 4) ik it's stupid but I want ki gokuldham wale koi serious mystery case solve Kare 5) tapu Sena ke koi member ko job nahi mil rahi aur iss chakar me wo kiss scam me phas jaye.
And last one is not an arc but I think if ashit bhai is not willing to quit the show they do a timeskip now tapu Sena are working in their respective places and facing problem that an actual adult faces, and all the adults are old now and they all gather at garden and enjoy talking with eachother and all (just like young old group )

I wanna share what I did to get rid of these f**kers cause it was a really dark period of my life and the fact that anyone could be going through that hell right now is just too much for me to bear.
First of all before you do a treatment wash all the clothes you plan on wearing and tumble dry them or hang them up, this includes bedding and don't touch them for even a second for 2-3 days before treatment and anything that you're not gonna wear bag it up. Always wear socks if you have carpet don't go bare foot. You're also gonna wanna get a bug bomb and set them off the day of your treatment (they need to have permethrin in them) and set them off anywhere where you might have sat bareskinned. For me I just set them off in my living room and bedroom. after 1st treatment you need to repeat this whole process a second time 1 week later and do all the preparations again 2-3 days before your second treatment, maybe minus the bug bombs but I was especially careful so I did it again.
Don't touch anyone and even if you and your partner both have scabies do not engage in sexual contact and do no touch each other. This is why I kept getting reinfected.
When you do you treatment, try and get multiple permethrin tubes under the same prescription because it's expensive, but more importantly I found that one tube was not enough. I'd recommend using two whole tubes for each treatment this is what I did and I didn't start to see results until I started doing this. 1 treatment to kill all the mites, and then do it again a week later to kill all the eggs. 4 tubes total, 2 per treatment. don't forget it and use the whole two tubes and make sure you put it EVERYWHERE, including sphincter and genital areas and under toe and finger nails.
I'd recommend getting a really good excema cream because this stuff really destroys your skin and can actually make scabies symptoms show up when they're actually gone. I used E45 but it's really expensive, if you can't afford that Aldi (in US and UK and most of Europe) does a really good cocoa butter that really helped me. And if you experience any burning sensations get something with Aloe Vera in it. I'd really recommend the lip therapy lip balm by Vaseline it's brilliant you can also get Aloe Vera gel in dollar stores another thing that's really good is tea tree oil. Specifically the oil it provides instant relief from burning sensations at least in my experience.
Definitely take antihistamines because they illeviate a lot of the allergic reactions your body has to the dead mites in your skin, they leave all kinds of things in there, like urine and feces and this helps expel all that.
If you notice any little bumps after treatment this does no mean you still have scabies. Listen up cause this is the most important step. YOU NEED TO WAIT!!! You need to wait atleast 2 weeks after your second treatment before you do another one. if your rash hasn't improved in that time you might still have mites. But over the course of the 2 weeks if the treatment worked you'll have little bumps that come and go and your rashes will clear up, redness in bites will fade to white. And you'll start being itchy everywhere as apposed to just problem areas but this is because of the permethrin cream not the scabies. That stuff is literally a pesticide, which ideally we are not supposed to put on the skin. Anyway I took a massive leap of faith and decided to stop doing treatments and 5 weeks later and I have fully recovered. My skin is clear as a babies, so I don't know how long I was continuing treatments even though I was completely fine.
Lastly, unfortunately I couldnt afford to partake in this step but if you're still paranoid and anxious after your second treatment go to a dermatologist and give a skin sample and make sure those little s**ts are gone. If you can't afford that, go for a check up at the doctor it's not that expensive and it really helped me to feel better mentally.
I'm happy to answer any questions you might have I really hope this helps someone! Good luck I'm praying for all of you!