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Since the Great Wars of the last century, and the colossal religious schisms and radical new faith movements during that time, recent days seem calm by comparison. A balance of power has emerged, and none of the Great Powers have much interest in rocking the boat. But instabilities remain, faith makes it difficult to see past our differences, ethnic shifts and immigration trouble governments and peoples, and a few isolated states shift grumpily and consider their options.Europe is divided between three major powers. The Holy Roman Empire (which fits Voltaire's description far more aptly these days), the Swedish-Polish-Lithuanian Commonweal...

Chapter 2 It's Raining Men "Hurled headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky" (Paradise Lost 1:45) Gregor staggered back, escaping Olivia's hand."What the hell?!" he shouted, staring up at the sky.  What had once been your usual kind of black-blue late-night sky was now a bright red, like a goddam fire engine, a little more orange at the top and a little more burgundy at the horizon.  The clouds that had appeared before Death spoke were gone, and so too were whatever stars had managed to appear despite the city's light pollution.  It was nothing but a solid gradient of electric candy-apple red.Suddenly lights appeared—bright, white-hot cores ...

A/N: Yup! Here’s another one! Though, I think this one may be a little more realistic than the last one. The last one was just a weird idea I had, but then again, aren’t all of my stories that? Well, here goes! Edit: Please read the description first to avoid any unwanted confusion!He wasn’t sure why they always met up again, time after time. He remembered first seeing her in (what is now) Germany. That’s as far back as he cares to remember, so maybe they had met even before that. She was such a good child to her parents. Her only disobedience was reading books that looked like they had been buried at one point. He only watched at first – ...

“A lot of people say they don’t understand the film, and what that means is just that they have a set definition of how a story is supposed to be told. When the story betrays their anticipations, they complain. – Hayao Miyazaki ” Japanese animation, more commonly known as “Anime” stands as a cultural phenomenon that is both praised and reviled. Differing vastly from both Western cinema and animation through its visual style and narratological elements, many Western audiences are left bewildered by its “Otherness ”. Although it is sometimes perceived as the “Japanese version of the American Saturday morning [children’s] cartoon ”, anime’s c...

Season 1, Episode 4 Mineral Deposit "All I'm saying, Cap," Alara followed Aaron into the galley, "Is that I don't like that cryopod on board." "I already told you, feel free to try and throw it out the nearest airlock," Aaron snatched a bowl and allowed the dispenser to fill it with a dull grey slop, "Of course, you'll have to get past a Barriq warrior and a Shifter thief first." "Couldn't you talk to them?" Alara inquired, straddling the chair across from Aaron as he sat, "They have to know that if the Selesian ever gets loose, she will kill us all." "I'm sure they know it," Aaron agreed, spooning some of the sludge into his mouth, "But I...

---Chapter 6 // Morning Ascension---The light of the morning sun illuminated the forest, lending an unearthly glow to the leaves and branches in the canopy. Gaul rolled over in his bed, fighting for that last minute of tranquility before he woke. The melodic sound of wind chimes could be heard outside his window."Ugh... I guess I should get up."Stretching his arms over his head languidly, Gaul sat up and started to pull his boots on."Oh! I completely forgot about the hot springs! I'm finally home again."Kicking off his boots, Gaul instead donned a rich blue robe and a pair of sandals. Gaul stepped out of his room, walking past the guest be...

The Land of Canyons and Silk: As you recover from your trip through one of the many Gates of the session and acclimatize to your new surroundings, remember the number two rule of the seasoned SBURB Touristraveler – always look around you when entering a new place. It's a big session out there, and you can never be too careful. Now…See the dim multicolored light shining through the rippling silk fabrics overhead? Smell the clear scent of the breeze along with a slight earthy tone from the sand that whips along it? Hear the faint rustle of curtains and the the sigh of wind blowing over earthen walls? Feel the steady warmness of the perpetual...

03/10/18: Come And See It didn’t come in the way you might have expected. There was no horned demon, nor was there a man of wealth and taste. Instead, standing at the door of her bedroom, his arm outstretched, was a pale woman in a white dress, highlighted by a glowing white aura. She looked the part of the stereotypical angel. “Hello, Gazlene,” she said softly, “I am the Devil.” Gaz blinked, tilting her head. “You don’t look like it,” she said, crossing her arms. “Looks can be deceiving,” replied the Devil. “What do you want?” demanded Gaz. “I think the better question is, what do you want?” The Devil smiled. “Gazlene, I’ve made a littl...

Please don’t be scared of me.  I’m not dangerous, just big… is what Ailette wanted to tell the two-leg woman who stood there watching her warily, but she knew it wasn’t true.  Especially not as she was now, beached and bleeding.  She slapped the tip of her tail in the water with a loud smack to try and drive the tiny creature off and out of the lagoon.  The so-called sea serpent had gone too far this time.  Her curiosity had been too much to abstain from and she had once again made the mistake of getting too close to a whaling vessel.  And this one had been ready for her.  Ailette groaned as she once again tried to pull the harpoon out of ...

Tarnished Planet Chapter One:Tragedy, Befallen The Innocent (SenkouHakuZero)A blazing sun eons away, the very one we call our own, casts down rays of bright orange luminescence on a very barren landscape. Centered among the makings of rocky canyon is a former industrial highway just as cracked and ravaged as the very sparse buildings that surround it. Silence is abundant other then the sound of a crying gale as no living soul would call home to this place.Then, off in the horizon to the far north, a black armored figure begins to emerge walking along this deserted road from. Harsh and sudden winds clash aganist the lone person but does not...