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zozo-01 · 1 month

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"maybe god does love you enough to save you. maybe they were god all along."

This fic is part of the 'Hot Boi Summer Springback' Event ran by the Skyside Discord and organized by the lovely @angelicaether!! Thank you Aether and everyone else for participating in the event and you can read all of their fics on this master list here!!

For this I heard one line from Sam about how he wanted Darlin' ever since he's met them, and of course I had to fucking run with it!! Mix in a little religious trauma and boom!! Fic has been made. :) Thank you to @lovelylonerliterature for being my beta reader and @autisticempathydaemon, @cashandprizes and @horrorscoupes for being my IRL Sam Collinses, hehehe. (Also Lo, the other religious trauma fic is coming. >:3)

CW: Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Religious Guilt, sam was raised southern baptist and it shows, darlin isn't catholic but they were also raised religiously, Self-Hatred, sam hates himself for being a vampire , Mentioned Alexis (Redacted ASMR), Mentioned Quinn (Redacted ASMR), only by names and action, Blood Mention, Blood Drinking, Disordered Eating, he is a vampire after all and he hates it, Mentioned Character Death, Referenced Character Death, Mentions of Minor Injuries, darlin is involved so of course there are injuries, sam is going through an existential crisis while darlin is just there teehee

click here for the ao3 link!!!

There were two types of blood to Samuel Collins. The ones he could barely tolerate and the ones he downright detested. It took a while for some of the former to graduate into the latter, but he doubted that he would ever be the kind of vampire that would savour the taste of blood. It was fuel, barely even food to him.

He chugged another blood bag, following it with a sip of his bourbon. The alcohol burned down the tangy aftertaste, making it slightly easier to digest it. For the first time in a decade, he found himself in an intense hunger, almost as bad as his bloodlust. He couldn't figure out what it was. He didn't feel extra stress, nor was he exerting his magic all that much. Whatever the case was, the result was him downing more blood than he did during his newborn years.

He sighed, staring at the empty bag and cup in his hands. He would wonder what he did to deserve all of this, but he's known the answer since he was younger and brighter. Throwing the bag into the trash, he poured himself a full glass of his bourbon and flopped onto his couch. Sam took a swing, hoping to get rid of the residual blood clinging to his throat.

He hated himself for the fact that he needed blood to survive, he was a healer for God's sake. Yet he hated himself for hating himself in the first place, stuck in a vicious cycle that would never end. There was nothing wrong with drinking blood, it's the same principle of humans eating meat. Sometimes, the lion has to eat the gazelle in order to survive. The circle of life. But Sam couldn't help but feel disgusted, filth finding its way from heart and tainting his body.

Guilt ate him alive, his old prejudices coming back to haunt him. He's met wonderful vampires, both before and after his turning. And he would never think of Vincent as a monster. But he couldn't help the little thoughts in his head that the fact that he was a vampire was wrong. He was just a monster, a feeder and a leech. (It's funny how his father's voice haunted him to this day.)

Sam never understood the difference between drinking the supposed blood of Christ and this, one was deemed holy and the other made him a heathen. If he drank blood from a holy source, then would his sins be washed away? Was there a chance that if he swallowed his pride and walked to the altar with a chalice in hand, would God, the Forgiving, forgive him?

The vampire forsaken God long after he was forsaken. It didn't stop Sam from making small prayers when times got rough, despite the fact that He wouldn't hear him. Some habits die hard, he knows that all too well.

He wondered how long it would take for him to make peace with his new lease on life. There was no chance of trying to go vegan, he'd exhausted every avenue of research in that direction. Meaning this was it. There was nothing more he could do to save his damned soul. He loathes Alexis a little more each day he goes without the sun kissing his skin like it used to.

Daddy always said that he was a dirty sinner at heart, his soul was stained from birth. It made sense that his physical body would match his sinning core. Alexis was just God's punishment for the monster that he was. Maybe if he spent more time on his hands and knees, he would have escaped his fate.

(That didn't explain them though. There was no way that He would send them his way. If Alexis was his punishment, then they were his salvation. Yet the only reason he could conceive as to why they came into his life was to punish him harder, teach him a lesson he's spent his life internalizing. He'd only pray that they won't get caught up in his hellish flames.)

It took two cups of bourbon and a whole lot of water for Sam to finally stop gagging at the blood. Funny how when he was younger, he would lick his bloody lips as a showing of strength and pride. He felt powerful when he consumed his blood. Now look at him, disdain was all that was left of the broken man sitting on the couch.

Time travel was the only answer to his problem, going back to the past to tell his younger self that Alexis wasn't worth it. The fun and wild thrill she gave wasn't worth the utter agony that would come his way. At the very least, he would tell himself to make it clearer to her that he didn't feel the same. But he didn't, and he got exactly what he deserved.

There's no use living in the past, he told himself out loud. What's done is done and all he could do was make do with the hand life has dealt him. Staring out the window, the millions of stars stared back at him with judgment. Fuck them, who gave them the right to cast their holy gaze to him. Not when they stood high up on their throne in heaven. They had no idea how hard it was to stay pure down on Earth. Lucky bastards must be thrilled to watch him suffer for their entertainment.

(Doesn't that sound familiar? I'm talking about you.)

His residual anger was enough to burn the forest surrounding his forced home, but he had to get it under control. There was time to rage and lament to the world, but tonight wasn't it, not when they would be coming by shortly.

The partnership he had with Darlin' was tentative, despite him already saving their sorry ass. Both of them were still trying to feel the other out, ready to pounce if the other showed signs of traitorous actions. Beyond that, he could tell that Darlin' was a good person with their heart in the right place. A bit of a bleeding heart, something he didn't expect at all, but it was a welcome surprise. If they met in different circumstances, then things may have been different.

If they had been born earlier, or him later, then they may have caught each other on the D.A.M.N. Campus. He'd stare at them, hopelessly enamoured with the shifter that stood maybe a few feet away. How could he not, they were absolutely beautiful. Prettier than the songbirds that would fly by or the sun's light that formed a halo on their head. His buddies would laugh at him, dying that the Samuel Collins, fuckboy extraordinaire, fell in love. But hell must have frozen over, for he was a fool just for them.

He would saunter towards them, his flirty tone immediately dismantled by their smile. Yet his awkwardness would endear them for some reason and they would let him court them, something no one thought he was capable of.

He would lead them back to his house, laying them on his bed and showing them how much he loved them-

Sam's mouth dried up and his fangs started to ache at the thought of their body under him. Goddamn it, he needed another damn blood bag. Trudging back to the kitchen, he drained another bag, not bothering with a cup as he drank straight from the bourbon bottle to wash down the taste.

This was getting ridiculous. Absolutely, fucking stupid. He couldn't turn into a fucking newborn every time he thought about them. He shouldn't even be thinking about them like that. It was wrong, and indecent, and robbed them of autonomy. He felt like an abomination for even daring to fantasize about them. He was nothing but a sinner and he couldn't taint their light.

That didn't stop his fangs from elongating at the thought of their blood anyway. He couldn't help it. They were just so damn bright and wonderful, he had no choice but to forget his own immoral heart. When bathing in the rays around Darlin', there was nothing to focus on but them. Their enchanting laugh and crude jokes burrowed their way deep into Sam's heart, and they wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

And their blood, don't even get him started. Unfortunately for his lust and hunger (he doesn't want to call it love right now), he's had the chance to smell their blood quite often. From large gaping wounds that he would heal to that stupid blood-soaked jacket that Darlin' refused to let go, he's sure he knows their scent as well as the priest knows his congregation. Something about how shifters have more magic in their blood compared to other empowered people, but he knew that wasn't the reason.

It was just because it was Darlin' and that they were incredible and wonderful. It was no secret that they were a vampire magnet, catching all of their attention whenever the two went out. His own blood would curl and rage would flow through his veins, jealousy taking reign of his wicked heart. But he couldn't blame any of them. Most vampires look for salvation in the people they bite, hoping the magic in their blood will be enough to save them.

But they had more potent blood, even more than the average shifter. It had to have been a blessing for them, their magic so powerful and their blood being a reflection of that. He could tell from the moment they bled all over their couch, and it made every vampire obsessed with having the taste of their blood. Their blood smelled like the blizzards they faced and he wondered if it tasted as cold as they smelled. Or maybe their blood was as warm as their sunshine self.

Clearly, he wasn't any better than the vampires who'd grab them and bare their fangs to force their blood into their mouths. He was utterly disgusting.

Sam watched the clock on top of the fireplace. (He stared at the judging eyes looking back at him.) They should be here sometime soon, knowing they'd arrive five minutes early because they're just so damn respectful of his time. It would be easier to hate, or at the very least control his fondness for them if they were a little terrible. They were an asshole and a little shit, but awful? Never in a million years.

He had to find a way to curb his craving for them, out of respect for them and to remind himself that he didn't deserve good things. How he got addicted to a drug before he took it was beyond him. But they were absolutely magical so he wouldn't put it past the realm of possibility.

Exactly when he expected, he heard their motorcycle park itself in front of the porch. The roaring engine woke the butterflies in his stomach, having to stop himself from zipping around the house in excitement.

A few relaxing breaths later, Sam deemed himself ready to face Darlin'. His bloodlust was in control and his heart calmed down from the earthquake it was. He stood in front of the door, waiting for Darlin' to finally knock on the door and bless him with their parents.

An eternity later, soft knocks filled the air and his cheeks started to hurt with a smile. Of course, he gave a couple of seconds before he opened the door, not wanting to look desperate for opening the door immediately.

Eyes meeting theirs, Sam lost his breath for a few minutes. The stars he cursed earlier shone brightly in their eyes, galaxies swirling into a beautiful kaleidoscope of divine essences. His heart picked up again, giving up on controlling it and instead hoping that Darlin' can't hear the pounding in his chest.

(Momentary silence filled his brain when tranced by their gaze. He doesn't know how the fuck they did it. The voices that filled his head, of the father he abandoned and the women who condemned him, all went quiet with their smile. Only their sweet voice and unintentional sweeter words remained in his brain. Rosaries were nothing but decorative garbage to him, but they were able to silence the demons in his head. Who needs a cross when their protection was all a man needs?)

A hand waving in front of his face tore him from his thoughts. "Hello? Earth to the Cowboy? Anyone home?" they joked with him, but there was that twinge of concern in their voice. Too caring for his wicked heart.

"Yeah, everythin's good here, darlin'," he reassured, nodding while moving to the side to let the wolf in. He had to hold his breath when they walked by him, their sweet scent entering his nose and driving himself. Had he been a weaker man, he would have pinned them right where they stood, but he'd had enough experience beating himself for his desires.

Sam went into the kitchen to get some water for them, knowing that it's probably been a while since they drank a cup of water. The way they chugged down the water was all the indication he needed.

With water in their body, Darlin' got to the root of why they were there. Quinn had been sending some of his lackeys after them, to stalk and intimidate them to go back to him. So far, their efforts hadn't amounted to anything, just some poor bastards who were promised a bump in pay if they were able to bring them to him. But recently, Quinn had been sending stronger mercenaries their way. Nothing they couldn't handle, but the escalation was definitely concerning, for who knew what his next steps would be.

If his mother was here, she would have told Sam to send Darlin' off with a rosary and prayer. That would be enough to keep evil spirits away, himself included. Unfortunately for him, they would balk at the idea of having something to protect them, which was the only thing that was stopping him from becoming their bodyguard.

He had more selfish intentions though, the rotten thing he was. If he spends more time with Darlin', then he can silence the voices permanently. Their heavenly light could cast out the darkness entrenched in his heart.

Once they were finished venting about this recent development, they slumped in their seat, exhausted from their constant vigilance. Truly, they didn't deserve any hardships in life. They were too good to deserve anything like this. Blessed with a kind heart and strong resolve, why would it dare be wasted on a desolate place such as this?

God loves you, but not enough to save you.

"I didn't know you were religious," their questioning tone brought him out of his thoughts. He found it silly that they would ask a question like that until he saw what they were looking at.

It was an old crucifix on top of his fireplace, golden in colour and with various coloured gems. On it were the eyes that have been judging him since he left Mont Blanc. It had been a gift from his mother before he ran away, her way of blessing him on his journey. But it served more as a reminder of how far he's fallen from the golden boy he was all those years back.

The eyes of Jesus bore into his soul, asking him what was the point of him dying for his sins if he still turned out to be a heathen.

Hand waving in front of his face, he remembered that Darlin' was in the room with him. The heat from the crucifix's eyes died down, maybe wondering if they would deal their final blow to him.

"Yeah- um, my momma gave it to me 'fore I left home," he started to explain, finding any way to skirt this conversation and meaningfully answer their question. "She was a Southern Baptist at heart, thought a cross could save a life." He smirked at that sentiment, clearly it didn't do anything to save him. He didn't give himself any chances.

Their gaze was transfixed on the crucifix to the point where they didn't even look back to face him. Maybe it was a similar likeness that was calling out to each other? Who could know with that one.

"It's beautiful," their hazed voice filled the room. He looked back at the crucifix, not finding anything notable about it. It was just a wooden thing with a dead man on it. Nothing holy to worship, just a sign of empty promises made toward forgiveness.

If anything, the wolf in front of them was more worthy of worship and prayer, because he knew that any pact made with them would be worth it. Why pray to the dead when the living is so much better?

A genuine curiosity about their interest made him ask the question, "you religious growin' up too?" They never gave off the vibe of being God-fearing, but some people hide it better than others. Or learn how to not shove it down peoples' throats.

"I was, not Catholic though," they answered while finally turning back to face him. "Wasn't Southern Baptist either," they added with a chuckle. His wolf was filled with interesting little factoids. He couldn't imagine his Darlin' on their knees praying, but they always had a hopeful outlook that it was hard not to think they didn't believe in the divine. He hummed in acknowledgement, going back and sitting silently next to them.

"If you don't mind me asking…" their voice trailed in hesitation, a tell-tale sign that they were looking for permission to continue speaking. He nodded, giving them the OK to finish their question. Their eyes went back to the crucifix with a questioning look in their eye. "Why keep it around if you're not super religious?"

Sam understood it was a valid question to ask, even if he had a complicated answer to it. Was he supposed to tell Darlin' that he kept the cross around as his failure? That if he shut up and lived the life of pain that his parents laid out for him, then he wouldn't have ended up as the monster he was now. He hated himself and there was no one better than God to keep judging him.

"Well…" he stalled, trying to find a suitable answer. "I keep it as a reminder of where I came from," he started, only to scoff. "And where I don't want to go back to." He'd rather go through his accident again than go back to that hellscape. "'Sides, it's nothin' but a piece of wood. Ain't nothin' magical to it."

There was a contemplative look on their face, finding a way to choose their next words without touching on any sensitive subjects. Their narrowed eyes could burn a hole in the floor they were staring at and he could only wonder about the thoughts firing off in their head. (Really, he wondered if they ever thought of him with this level of intensity.)

"Do you believe in God?" they asked with a quiet tone. Now that was a question that he didn't expect from them.

"I just told ya I was raised religious," he snarked, "I don't know what you're tryin' to say."

They rolled their eyes, flicking his arm in protest of the teasing. "You're such an asshole, leech," they laughed it off and Sam was sure that was the sound of the seven trumpets. What a beautiful way to die.

They went quiet again, their eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "You don't have to be religious to believe in God, ya know."

"Oh yeah? What 'bout you Darlin'? Do you believe in God?" he asked in retaliation, interested in what their answer would be. Part of him hoped that they didn't, that he was right in putting his faith in what he could see.

"I do," they said bluntly. It wasn't the answer he was hoping for, but he kept quiet to let them keep talking. "I was raised with the whole 'what's written with you is meant for you'. Basically, what God wants to happen will happen." They rest their head on Sam's shoulder and his arm instinctively wrapped around them. "I know most people don't like that idea, 'cuz it robs them of autonomy. But I don't know, I've always found it comforting. No matter how much bad shit happens to me, it won't be more than I can bear."

"And if it is too much for you to handle?" he questioned gently.

"Then God would write some comfort for me," they giggled. "I know it's stupid, but it's the little things that get me through the day." They yawned and made themselves comfortable on his shoulder. Sam could feel his heart pounding. "You still haven't answered my question."

He took one last look at Darlin', with their pretty face trying to fight off the exhaustion that caught up to them. He couldn't stop staring at their eyes. Sweet and forgiving, they were the eyes he wished would look at them whenever he went to church. They were what God's gaze was supposed to be, free from the hate and judgement he suffered from the congregation. Maybe if they were guiding him from the start, then none of this would have happened. They wouldn't allow any bad things to happen to him.

(Then again, if he was never turned then he wouldn't have met Darlin'. Or at least they would meet in a drastically different context. He wouldn't have the chance to fall in love with them. So maybe Darlin' was right that there was a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone. He just can't believe that he deserved that respite.)

Contemplation be damned, there was no point in thinking about the question when he already knew the answer. "Yeah, suppose I still believe in God, just found it on my own terms." They didn't need to know that they were the only God that he believed in. His mind already started building the shrines in their honour, wondering if they would ever be enough to share his love for them.

It was much easier than saying the words 'I love you'. He may never have the courage (or the right) to say those words.

"I'm glad… that you could tell me…" their voice teemed with yawns and sleep. He chuckled, of course Darlin' would push back on precious sleep in order to listen to his response. That simple action did more for him than any divine being he was forced to worship.

Gently as he could, knowing that Darlin' was a light sleeper, he picked them up and brought them to his spare bedroom. As much as he so wanted to bring them to his bed, that was a big step that neither of them were ready for. Hell, they haven't even hinted that it was something they would be interested in, and his heart wouldn't survive precious Darlin' sleeping in his bed. But it was ok, he would wait an eternity to be with them.

Sam watched them as they slept, eyeing the little details that they hid in their waking moments. Like how their eyebrows were so expressive, or the way their lip scar would stretch with their smile.

This was so very wrong. Watching them sleep, observing them so carefully, he was being a fucking creep for this. But he couldn't help but not look away. Darlin' was so reserved in their waking moments, and he wanted to see them at their most vulnerable. Even if he was tainting them with his corruption, leave him be! He deserves to be a remorseless, selfish thing once in a while. They were so endearing in their sleeping state, and he promised to always protect them in all of their glory. From their sweet eyes and beautiful body and split lip-

There was blood dripping from their face.

His mouth watered before the intoxicating scent hit his nose. Sam froze where he stood, torn between the want to lick the blood of his face and the need to leave. His heart versus his conscience. He had fed only an hour ago and of course, their blood was enough to make him starve again. His shaky hands wiped the blood from their face and then quickly cleaned it off with a napkin in his pocket, not even giving himself the chance to taste it.

He ran out of the room, locking the door behind him to keep them safe from him. His chest heaved with panic, heart racing a marathon. It wasn't fair that Darlin's blood had this much of an effect on them, but it wasn't their fault either. This was Sam's problem to deal with, and he'd be damned if he made his Darlin' feel guilty over something they had no control over.

Calming himself to a reasonable point, he made his way back to the kitchen. Sam opened up the damn fridge to grab another damn blood bag and a bottle of bourbon, sliding onto the floor and chugging it all over again. If only he was normal, then he would just slip into bed and cuddle his wolf, and not run out at the sight of something as simple as blood.

At this point, he's sure that Darlin' would never want him. They've told him little bits and pieces about their relationship with Quinn, and how absolutely vile he was to them. From biting them without their consent to pressuring them into taking care of him, it's no wonder that they would be a little hesitant to jump into another relationship with a vampire. He had his own gripes with Alexis. But Sam was coming to the awful realisation that he was more like Quinn than he thought.

Shame and disgust filled his throat once again. It wasn't fair that Darlin' was stuck with monster after monster, they deserved so much better than him. Yet he couldn't help the jealous bile that filled his mouth at the thought of Darlin' with another person. What an awful predicament.

He gazed back at the crucifix with judging eyes. Only they weren't as harsh this time. Still judging as ever, but this time there was a hint of… was it encouragement? That wasn't the right term, but it was as if they were nudging him on a certain path. If he was truly willing to repent and walk the path of salvation, then somehow Darlin' would be a part of that journey.

He let out a wistful laugh, finding it impossible that Darlin' would ever want to waste their time 'fixing' him. But there was a corner of his heart, one where a sliver of light made its presence known.

Maybe God does love you enough to save you. Maybe they were God all along.

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redacted fanfic #redacted sam #redacted darlin #IM GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS #TO MY FAVE COUPLE!!!!#hot boi summer springback #zo writes tingz #this is zo speaking

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deuynndoodles · 1 year

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[id: nine images featuring lines from a poem and digital, uncolored drawings of various legend of zelda characters.

"it's you. it's always been you in your stupid little hat. it's always been you and your stupid bleeding heart," says the poem. link from skyward sword clenches his fist, glaring off into the distance. his sailcloth pinned at the shoulders covers a cartoonish heart drawn on his chest.

"you're given a holy blade, sharpened with the souls of those who've held it before. you cant imagine turning it on anyone," says the poem. link from twilight princess holds the master sword up, a look of awe and shock on his face. midna hangs over his shoulder with a similar expression.

"secrets hide in every corner. it's only up to you to find them," says the poem. link from minish cap talks with a minish on the road, ezlo sitting up on his head. the minish says something excitedly, gesturing with her hand. link points a finger at himself, confused.

"you set out on an adventure," says the poem. link from wind waker uses said item, riding a humongous wave on the king of red lions.

"it's a story everyone knows—evil rises from the depths of the earth. a hero appears with golden light on his side. he wins, despite REDACTED," says the poem. zelda from breath of the wild splays her hand out, the triforce coming to life. guardians claw through the grass, just about to reach her. zelda is crying but determined.

"you lose. you may have won, but you still lost," says the poem. link from link's awakening drifts on a log in the ocean, ruins of a boat floating around him.

"if the one in your reflection isn't you, did you ever really shatter the mirror?" asks the poem. green link and blue link from four swords (adventures) stand over the remains of a shattered mirror. green balls his fists. their faces are not visible.

"is what they tell of the true tale?" asks the poem. link from ocarina of time, in his child form, is listening to navi whisper in his ear. navi is excited, tucking her hand around her mouth.

"you write your own story, everyone says. but what if fate already has one for you?" asks the poem. the master sword stands in its pedestal, framed by two silent princesses. end id]

its finally complete! i wrote this poem in december and ive been wanting to draw stuff to accompany it and its finally done. phew. im really proud of it <3

full poem, punctuated and paragraphed as intended, under the cut!

this is a story all too well told

a legend of zelda poem

it's you. it's always been you

in your stupid little green hat

it's always been you and your

stupid bleeding heart

you're given a holy blade

sharpened with the souls of those who've held it before

you can't imagine turning it on anyone.

secrets hide in every corner

it's only up to you to find them

you set out on an adventure.

it's a story everyone knows

evil rises from the depths of the earth

a hero appears with golden light on his side

he wins, despite REDACTED

you lose.

you may have won

but you still lost.

if the one in your reflection isn't you

did you ever really shatter the mirror?

is what they tell of

the true tale?

you write your own story,

everyone says

but what if fate already has one for you?

#doodles #loz #legend of zelda #PLS LIKE AND/OR RB I SPENT SOOO LONG ON THIS #if u rb any of my posts let it be this one

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astralscrivener · 3 months

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Hi baby!!! It’s me here with fanfiction game words! 🥰❤️❤️❤️

okay okay okay here are my words:

- intimate

- protectively/protective

- warmth

-giggle

Feel free to choose your favorites 🥰❤️❤️❤️

WEEEEEEEE THANK YOU LOVEY

intimate

i was honestly worried i wasn't gonna have this one but LO AND BEHOLD I FOUND ONE

for the as-yet-untitled oneshot for prompt o: opportunity in the abcs of klance series:

The Galra are their best bet. The Lions are a one-way ticket straight up the ladder, a promotion no soldier would turn down. But the Galra also won’t leave the universe’s greatest superweapon so damaged. Fixing the Lions will be high on their priority list. And who better to understand the intimate connection between Lion and Paladin than an original Paladin and Altean alchemist themselves?

protectively/protective

i did not have protectively/protective specifically, but i do have protect!!!!

from the as-yet-untitled oneshot for prompt t: trust in the abcs of klance series:

Lance’s spork scraped his plate. The screech filled the dining room, and the vibration of it traveled up Lance’s arm until it sat uncomfortably in his teeth. The others startled, raised their heads. Lance looked down and realized his knuckles were turning white. He couldn’t explain himself, if the others asked. What was he supposed to do, just admit out loud that he didn’t trust having Krolia here? Not after everything? That failing to protect Keith then, and still feeling like he was failing to protect him now, was eating him alive?

warmth

again, no "warmth" specifically, but i do have warm!

from [REDACTED] chapter 2 (light content warning for emetophobia):

Keith was no longer following at all. His heartbeat was suddenly loud in his ears, and the curdling thing in his stomach had made its way up to his throat. He must have made a noise, maybe turned green, because the next thing he knew, he was hunched over on his knees, the team surrounding him, several hands on his shoulders and back. Warm brown fingers pulled his hair out of his face.

giggle

astoundingly, there is no giggling going on in my dozen wips. everyone is having a miserable time forever and ever and ever. however i did find some laughs

from the hallura crush fic:

Allura blinks at him. “Um.” Then she remembers her whole purpose for coming here, and blinks again, and remembers that she is the face of the Coalition. This is nothing. The stakes of this whole thing are not higher than the war. She can do this. “Yes,” she finally answers. “I need advice.” There’s a startled snort from behind Lance. Lance’s uneasy smile twitches. “Advice? From me? You’re asking me for advice?” He laughs, high and unnatural. “That’s—did someone put you up to this? Is this a prank? Pidge asked you to say that, didn’t they?” “No,” Allura answers, fidgeting now with her fingers. “I—I want to talk to you. About…romance.”

fanfic wip guessing game! send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence paragraph that it appears in!

#thank you again love 🥰#almost put another snippet of [REDACTED] for giggle but. we can save that for later #eileen answers #sweetheart tag #my writing #ask meme #fic: ds (es)#vld

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chicago-geniza · 2 years

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Have once again discovered a very good Slavic-language poem about death through a laurel-wreathed, prestigious-publication-lauded poet who unfortunately did a hack job on it. Had only heard the poet’s name in passing because the uber-parsimonious uber-ironic aphoristic style of the new wave is something I can only really take in small doses. However this poem (Ewa Lipska’s ‘Study Death’ / ‘Ucz sie smierci’) packs a lot of layers into its language that the translator didn’t make an effort to relay at all? For example:

Ucz się śmierci. Na pamięć. Zgodnie z zasadami pisowni wyrazów martwych.

Pisz ją łącznie jak rzeczpospolita albo lwipyszczek.

So!

Translator has this as:

Study death. Learn it by heart. Following to the rules of spelling dead words.

Spell it together like commonwealth or toadflax.

Let’s do Fardibekt’s Reading Comprehension Corner! We can deduce from context that she is writing either in the PRL or right at its end, the late 80s/early 90s. ‘Dead expressions’ are those that “już dawno wyszły z obiegu,” i.e., spoken language, have fallen out of regular use. When we encounter them in philological studies, they tend to come with disclaimers about semantic ambiguity, “dwuznaczność,” two (or more) meanings. “Lacznie” is like, as a spelling rule, write it as a single word without a hyphen or a space. Rzeczpospolita written lacznie = republic (the Second Republic is Druga Rzeczpospolita); rzecz pospolita written separately is “ordinary thing.” [Ok - yes it’s commonwealth, and common/wealth does preserve the duality. I redact my earlier complaint. You can’t translate every nuance and there’s of course no way to render the matrix of constructs that is “X pospolity” in both taxonomy and ironic vernacular usage.] Now Lipska moves us from historical-political gravitas to the pastoral. First of all I don’t know why the translator chose “toadflax,” it’s a snapdragon in English, which works surprisingly well to convey the secondary meaning--lwie paszcza, lion’s mouth. The flower is so named because it resembles a lion’s mouth. Later on in the poem she plays with flowing inside of a single line--in two idioms--from the figurative to the concrete to the figurative again. Moreover she lays out her literary genealogy in the poetic form itself, this poem about death, specifically, from the Pokolenie Kolumbow back through the Awangarda Krakowska to Tadeusz Pieper.

The translator ALSO doesn’t notice that the poem begins and ends, like a fugue, with two colloquial expressions that she anchors into the space of the Polish past-present--”na pamięć / na żywo.” We are moving out of memory and into life.

#translation tag #NISHT REBAGELN

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f-117-nighthawk · 2 years

Text

*inhales* playlist update

Because this hasn’t had an update since Horizons, and new Les Friction dropped since then

You get the Full Thing this time because I cannot help myself (and everything ended up with at least one new song). Be warned: this is fucking LONG BOI

Dark Matter

This thing alone is almost five hours long now. It seems to add an hour every time I do one of these big updates lmao. Large portions of the explanations are taken from old versions of this, as parts of this have been set in stone, but I want everything together instead of recursive looping back onto itself

Your World Will Fail, Dark Matter, and Eater of Worlds are still exactly what they’ve always been: the beginning, and the end. Everything, and one thing.

(Your world will fail my love/It’s far beyond repair/Your world will fail my love/It is already there)

(Bring me your soul/Bring me your hate/In my name you will create/Bring me your fear/Bring me your pain/You will destroy in my name)

(Can’t imagine the violence/The rage and the love in my madness/I am the eater of worlds and I’m looking for someone to feed me)

No Remorse No Regrets is one of the new ones :D This is… the specific event. It is the crux that everything dominoes after. It is Zarkon, but also not. It’s directly part of…

(It won't remember so it won't forget/It knows no justice or regrets for the blood it lets/Believing nothing, it knows no pain/And it feels no remorse when it enters your brain)

Apocalypse 1992. Still about The Fall, still the turning point for the entire damn war. Still about poor Krolia. Still the Rogue One of DM, detailing the rise of [REDACTED] and the final hours before the destruction of everything sentient species knew beforehand.

(Fly high through apocalypse skies/Fight for the world we must save/Like tears of a unicorn lost in the rain/Chaos will triumph this day)

Apex is the final moments of Apocalypse 1992 from the Red Lion’s perspective, and connects nicely (just as in the albums lol) to the next UtA songs.

(Brother mountain/Now we sleep/For a thousand years/I will see you again/Something is coming/Coming for me)

You Keep What You Kill covers the slow degeneration of the Empire between The Fall and the Battle of Arus. The knowledge harshly taught by the Thuanial War is forgotten under the influence of Zarkon, Haggar, and [REDACTED]. Marzin and Galraasa quickly rise the ranks as the Empire’s left and right hands, like omens of destruction before them. The four are the ‘holy half-dead,’ the ones who shape the devouring of the universe before them.

(Defying dimensions/These ruthless creatures will steal your soul/Breaking away from the chains of mortality/They won’t be taken down/Bow now to the holy half dead/The master to death mongers calls)

Immutable is sort of a companion to a later song, in that it is very very much an Arknights song, but also very very much a DM song now. This one is about Kal’tsit, but it’s also now Krolia. It’s about Krolia’s thoughts as she joins the Blade, as she leaves Earth behind, as she makes her way in a world ten thousand years past what she knew before. About what it’s like to be left behind as the world moves on without you, and what she’ll do to keep her hope safe.

(She'll risk it for the lives/She's left behind/Hope's on the rise/But she's flying blind)

The Glory and the Scum is (most) of the reason why Krolia isn’t around until MGHM. Think Winter Soldier-ish. It’s also from Krolia’s perspective as she’s talking to Kolivan in a conversation I implied in Shatterpoint. Perhaps it shall see the light of day.

(Look at what we've done/Take a step back/Shake your head at what we have become/We're the glory and the scum)

The Seven Sisters is about Keith, mostly, connected to Closure via its influence on Child From the Stars (Lost in the Dark) and also to Memories of a Girl I Haven’t Met (considering it’s the source of half the chapter titles). My Thing for the Pleiades is out in full force in that last one

(I cast my hope upon The Pleiades/The Seven Sisters who would come for me/They’d fall to Earth to grant a child’s dream/But I’m still waiting)

Starlight is the Adashi song. Here, it’s the sad part, based around the time that the SFSS Genesis launches for Kerberos. It also is sort of about Shiro’s thoughts throughout the war as he watches ‘from distant skies’

(At night the earth will rise/And I’ll think of you each time I watch from distant skies/Whenever stars go down and galaxies ignite/I’ll think of you each time they wash me in their light/And I’ll fall in love with you again)

Waking Dream and Abyss are Awakenings. They’re specifically the Red Lion waking up on Sendak’s ship to her new Paladin, but also sort of the rest of the Lions as they find new Paladins for the first time since The Fall (and, also, an accidental hook to the end of Filaments just by virtue of being on the same UtA album…)

(Centuries like flowing streams as years go rushing by/Waiting in the dark for afterlife)

(Open my eyes in a daze/How long has it been? Am I so out of place?/Warmth I can no longer feel/My mountain is gone, I’m surrounded by steel/The strangest of structures arises ahead/Seems to be held up by nothing/Where have I gone, do I dream?/How can the stars be all I can see?)

Who Will Save You Now is about the Paladins in First Contact. It’s the video messages they send to their families, the warning that Something Is Out Here that they need to prepare for. It’s a declaration of protection for Earth, but a recognition that the Paladins may not be able to do what they say.

(I will not take from you and you will not owe/I will protect you from the fire below/It’s not in my mind/It’s here at my side/Go tell the world that I’m still alive)

It Has Begun is the Battle of the Sarnan Nebula (aka; Blackout)

(Even a well lit place, can hide salvation/A map to a one-man maze that never sees the sun/Where the lost are the heroes/And the thieves are left to drown…We will face the odds against us/And run into the fear we run from/It has begun)

And then of course The End of the Beginning. Which is, well, the eponymous fic. And don’t forget the String Theory connection! Fun fact: part of the last chapter leads directly into part of String Theory at the moment.

(Every night I die just a little/All this time, I’m caught in the middle/All your life, you fought with no winning/This is just the end of the beginning)

A Simple Plan is about anything but a simple plan. Lotor is making his secret bid for the construction of the Sinkline ships, but there’s one more thing he needs before it can come to fruition. Haggar has suspicions, and knows one thing that she needs to keep from both him and Voltron. Team Voltron is still struggling to fit into their new roles, especially with a Black Paladin who adamantly does not want to be Black Paladin, and is in desperate need of one thing to fix the last of the damage done during the Battle of the Sarnan Nebula.

(How long can we hold off ending?/How long can we pretend we’re ok?/No one goes on fighting it forever/I know I’m better this way)

Crown of Mine weaves in and out of A Simple Plan. It’s about said Black Paladin and how much he just does Not Vibe with any of this. Also hey fun fact if Genius is to be believed it’s literally about imposter syndrome! Good job with the lyrics then, Acacia Ridge, because guess what Keith has :D

In addition, the second of the Keith-centric Closure-inspired fics is… sort of a mess between A Simple Plan and Crown of Mine. But it is here

(I wish I could be the me that you see/But I'm too drawn to black and white/Don't be confused, spare me the excuses/It's not even worth the fight)

Outnumbered is the Siege of Naxzela/Breaking of the Naxzela Line, the one major victory the Coalition actually gets before Something Specific

(Outnumbered but we can't back down/It's us against the world, us against the world/Outnumbered but we can't back down/Ten to one, on the run/We will still overcome)

Bringing it Down is uh. You remember that episode where Olkarion gets attacked and Lance tries to communicate with Shiro in the meld? Yeah it’s like that

(Devouring me/Devouring me alive/There's something inside you that isn't right/Something that haunts your dreams/There's something that you have lost/And you're bringing it down/You're bringing it down, on top of us)

Shortly after is Memories of a Girl I Haven’t Met. Krolia content! And Every Time Our Earth Shakes is the end of it.

(In this lonely place, bathed in silence and thoughts of you/I can’t see your face but I’m trying to envision you/So are you really out there? Are you awake with memories/Of a boy you haven’t met yet who’s wished upon the Pleiades?)

(Surrounded by lonely, bruised, and broken love/I've seen it and I won't be like everybody else/Wave after wave, no change in my faith/I'm here for you through high or low/And every time our Earth shakes, I'll fight through the pain/I'll die before I ever let you go)

Then, FINALLY, there is Legion. Featuring the Whispers, Voltron, and a few mullets. And the Druids making a dangerous mistake. and….robeasts?

(Fallen angels ripping through/The circuitry inside this suit/Of flesh and bone that's overthrown/No matter how hard you try/They keep waring deep inside/Where there's a star collapsing in your heart/There's something in your eyes/That's coming back to life)

And then. Hoh boy. The beast of beats. TRIALS (reimagine), Wrathful Cerulean Flame, Fools of Damnation, String Theory, and I Am the One. We’ve got [REDACTED], we’ve got [spoiler], we’ve got the first major turning point in the entire war, and the first revelation of the true nature of [REDACTED]. Hence the honor of being the separation point of my two main DM folders. TRIALS is the first part, the horrifying realization. Wrathful Cerulean Flame is an Arknights song and serves a very similar purpose as to when we get to see it with Amiya. Fools of Damnation and String Theory itself are from Shiro’s perspective. I Am the One is… an image song? I guess? That’s all I’ll say on that.

(Hear me from the bottom/Forged in regret, I'm the silversmith/Doomsday, you we had it coming/Marching the streets with an iron fist/Obey no more in silence/The steel in our hearts will be monuments/Today, they'll hear the violence/We'll rise from the dark like Lazarus)

(So follow me/And we'll burn the clouds away/And we'll burn the clouds away/Keep our demons all at bay/There will be an end someday/And I must lead the way)

(Fool, dance for me again/I am your destiny, mark my words/Don't you ever disagree/Fool, kneel for me again/I am your agony, walk my way/I will never set you free)

(You don’t believe in space/You don’t believe in light/You don’t believe that anything is well beyond your might/We walk across the sky and beneath the ocean floor/We’re never going anywhere we’ve never been before)

(I am the one/I am the architect to rule your fate)

House on Fire is the aftermath of String Theory, and a large vibe of We ARE Struggling Together! It’s about family, never letting go of something you care about, and the slow act of trusting.

(So I’ll just hold you like a hand grenade/You touch me like a razor blade/I wish there was some other way right now/Like a house on fire we’re up in flames/I’d burn here if that’s what it takes/To let you know I won’t let go of you)

Belgrade is the klance song! Belgrade also leads almost directly into…

(We pretend in the darkness/We pretend the night won’t steal our youth/Singing me the sweet songs of seduction/Let me be the fool, fool, fool/Who will live and die for you)

Here to Save You is about Sam. Mostly. It’s also about Pidge. And Zaivorge cannons.

(A slave for humankind/I made sure I would survive/To stay alive/Now it’s time to move on/When there’s nothing left to prove/I’m coming to get you)

Iron is the third Closure-inspired fic. It’s about Keith coming to terms with parts of himself, and learning how to use them to great effect. Also has a huge info dump about the Blade.

(You can’t live without the fire/It’s the heat that makes you strong/‘Cause you’re born to live/And fight it all the way/You can’t hide what lies inside you/It’s the only thing you know/You’re embracing that, never walk away)

Storm the Castle is very related to the next few, but only happens as a result of Iron. It’s the three Marmorait making a point.

(We will not be prisoners/In a kingdom taken hostage by her crown/But we will not abandon her/…Rise now, stand and fight/Take your freedom, claim your right/Rise now, stand and sing/Storm the castle, kill the king)

The second major turning point in the war is Monarch, Birthright, and Firewall. I really recommend reading the whole lyrics for Monarch. Monarch is here because Lotor is also the ‘singer’ of Birthright, and both songs are to a very specific high-level target of the Coalition. Firewall is a little different as it’s a Team Voltron song not a Lotor song, but happens because of the same thing the other two do. They’re all not exactly a direct result of Iron, but they wouldn’t happen how they do without it, and then [REDACTED] swings back into the fray and things learned in String Theory/the framing story for Through Apocalypse Skies hit in full force.

(I am not the person you remember from before/The one you patronized and stepped on, the one you hurt/And I have pulled the arrows, now my skin has become stone/No longer am I prisoner to your empty fucking words)

(The voices in my head have all begun to sing/(The voices in your head have all begun to sing)/And they sure as hell hope I am listening/(I sure as hell hope you are listening!))

(They come to your dreams with illusion/They come to bring shape to your mind/You know how to stop the intrusion/We all have to fight for our lives)

and then, The Day the Earth Collapsed

(How much time has been elapsed/Since the day the earth collapsed?)

Here Comes the Reign doesn’t come into full effect until several months after Birthright/Firewall, but starts with The Day the Earth Collapsed. It’s largely about Haggar and [REDACTED]

(You made something they can’t take away/Now bring the fire of the burning sun on everyone)

Supersonic is here… as a framework for what I like to call The Meme Battle. It’s generally about the increase in Coalition support and general winning as they go after warlords in the aftermath of Feyiv, culminating in I Need a Hero which is, of course, The Meme Battle.

Yes, it’s the Shrek version. It’s the Meme Battle.

(Supersonic, polyphonic, this is our war/Mustering the armies, marching faster than before)

(I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night/He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight)

Earthrise and But Tonight We Dance are the next big event. Earthrise very much is a Klance song, and BTWD isn’t exactly a klance song, but it’s here for them. On a diplomatic mission gone wrong, the Red and Blue Paladins of Voltron uncover a literally-buried government conspiracy, a rebel cell, and nearly die. A normal days work for the two of them. But they’ve really gotta stop having relationship milestones in the middle of a warzone.

Another reason it’s here is Tonight We Dance is a very aro song to me. “A language universal, but I speak not its tongue” hits hard. I felt like I needed a bit in here to remind listeners/readers that romance isn’t a language Keith speaks. And it becomes very explicit in this fic, just like Belgrade. It is, on the other hand, very much a language Lance speaks. Seriously, Earthrise is just Lance making heart eyes.

(I still fall for you like suns do for skies/Cerulean pouring in from your eyes/Just a hollow moon that you colorize/So powerful, I feel so small but so alive/Like watching the Earthrise)

(Tomorrow we might wake in servitude and silence/I will give you everything if only you would have me/Tomorrow we will sweat and toil/Our hands will quiver, caked with soil/Tomorrow we'll give it one last chance/But tonight we dance/But tonight we dance!)

But Tonight We Dance is the last of the Closure fics, which is why it’s here. Closure in general is a lot of Keith’s character development and some of the struggles he goes through to accept his place in the universe and the fact that yes, he does have people that care about him. The last fic is me shining a brighter light on Closure’s chorus and taking a ‘last goodbye’ as never needing to say it again

(I am the child from the stars/That got lost in the dark/Between heaven and hell/I am forced to live on/I am the cause when you sin/I am the demon you skin/But there is no more tears to beautify/This is my last goodbye)

Then we step back into the universe-level action with Soulbound and Disappear. Revelations from String Theory and Firewall swing back in with a vengeance on a joint Whispers-Voltron mission, leaving them reeling and Krolia questioning her very identity.

(Soulbound, endlessly forever/Locked between the darkness and the light/Don’t drown in the swarming, blackened rising/Hold on to humanity and fight)

(Stone heart, paired with empty eyes/That stared right through mine)

Something Wicked is. well.

(When all of the forces/Have been overrun/You’ll whisper, serpent tongue/What you fear you have become/Something wicked this way comes…)

About three months after that is My Darkest Hour and Faster Than Light. Haggar realizes something and goes searching for [something wicked], sending the Blade and the rest of the Coalition scrambling. These also lead directly, and I mean directly, into…

(When the sun comes crashing down/When the world is spinning round and round/I will face what must be my darkest hour)

(Once more we’re flying fast as light/Dark matter passing in the night/Pursued by a force we can’t outrun/As we hurtle towards a dying sun/We maneuver through the remnants of a moon/On the solar winds of supernovas/There is not a place to hide, the Matriarch is close behind/It’s plain to see she’s coming for us all)

Cosmic Vertigo and Other Worlds Than These. Together they are the second of two revelations in what, exactly, is [REDACTED]

(Banish me like burned down planets/Write my fate with sparkling lies/I am the universe; you're just one sky)

(Pull the wool out from your eyes/It won’t shade your frail belief/In the end we cannot hide/There are other worlds than these)

Godhunter is Team Voltron, well, hunting for gods, even as one of them disappears.

(She’s been watching for a century/With hatred, and with scorn/If you know the hunter’s coming/Then you hide or keep on running/'Cause she’s slain the gods before)

Trophy Hunter, Ember, and Redemption are the culmination of Godhunter. I’ve been thinking of them as akin to the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2, if that gives you an idea of what the hell they run into. They link up to Godhunter and Soulbound in subject matter, and lead directly into…

(You, you won’t escape me, I’ll rise from the deep/In this final moment, no words left to say/I can’t let you be when a life fades away/You, you won’t escape me ‘cause I’ll set you free)

(Dark matter falling from the sky/Dancing flames reflecting in your eyes as you watch them burn/Watching all your riches witches burn)

(Remember me not for the mess I’ve made/But who I could have been/Finally I’m going home)

World On Fire, This is a Call, The Reckoning, Game Ender, The Wind That Shapes the Land, and Louder Than Words. Yeah it got longer.

(World on fire with a smoking sun/Stops everything and everyone/Brace yourself for all will pay/Help is on the way)

(This is a call to action/This is a call to arms/All lives for one, together/There are no false alarms)

(I see your face, find peace of mind/Between the madness and the sadness and the fire burning/The end of war, the great divine/We’ll see the day of reckoning)

(We will rise as one/Stop what has begun/Bringing down the main offender/If you hear me now/Scream the words out loud/We will be our own defender)

(Search within/Uncover the will to win/Turn against the tide that washes o'er/Find the strength to fall and rise again/Open up the gates, unleash the force/I am the wind that shapes the land/Old as time and twice as strong/Oceans arise at my command/I alone can carry on)

(We have the force to fight/We have the blinding light/A war is more than heard/Coming in louder than words)

Surprise! We’re not done! World with No Sun is Haggar, at the end of all things.

(I wish I could give it all back/But it's tied to the moment that I took/I followed a most selfish path/Waiting on a world that can't see me/Waiting on a world that can't see me/Waiting on a world that wants no one/Waiting on a world with no sun)

Diving Bell is the Paladins at the end of all things, and the struggle to come to terms with everything.

And a shameless sequel hook ;)

(Wake me when the new day comes/Together we will ride the sun/The future is an empty gun/We fire onto them one-by-one)

Dystopian Fiction

This is the only one that doesn’t have anything new I think? So here’s everything in it pulled together

Dark Matter is on here because title track, but also it does end up with effects. Especially by the end… and of course the Thing that is Wrong With Earth.

(Don’t stop, don’t think/Move up, don’t blink now/On your knees pray for rain/Don’t breathe when you take your aim)

The Human Condition is the Éskhayklos manifesto. A warning of the end times. The condemnation of the parasites. The reveal of the only cure. The final extinction cycle. Also their new image song, as Cross the Line got moved.

(We have the cure for the disease/Locked down inside us/When all is dead, then we will see/We are the virus)

INFECTED is the Éskhayklos’s slow, well, infection of the Sol Federation, and their descent into full-blown terrorism. (And yes, I know the actual lyrics have ‘he’. Shhhhhh. It’s a STARSET song, it’s about a Shirogane, even if it’s sort of from Cascade’s POV)

(Here's a challenge for all mankind/The preacher man is warning of the end times/The weatherman agrees but she don't know/So she's got to go now)

Who Will Save You Now here is about Sam, and the aftermath of Here to Save You, in addition to its referenced role in the main playlist

(Alone with this vision/Alone and blind/Go tell the world I’m still alive)

Tunnelvision is Team Earth saying “no, fuck you Sanda and Torrent, we don’t care if we’re charged with treason people deserve to know”

(You took me for a fly/And fancied yourself a spider in a web of little lies/What a nice surprise/When the curtain’s pulled back, you can see the whole trap inside/And now the emperor has got no clothes/What a lovely show/When your cover’s blown, you’ll never know/'Cause you can’t see past your nose)

Codebreaker is Adam’s song! But here it’s also in conjunction with Cross the Line as the final Éskhayklos mission before...

(Codebreaker can’t you find/Can you read between the lines of code?/Tell me all that you know/How far down the hole does it all go)

(Cross the line, redefine, break away unbent, unafraid/Together we stand in the dark/Seeking the light and what is right, together we cross the line/Our journey will come to an end and then our human cause will be/Justified)

The Day the Earth Collapsed

(How much time has been elapsed/Since the day the earth collapsed?)

Dystopian Fiction is the title track for this part. With the events of The Day the Earth Collapsed, the Garrison and our heroes on Earth are at their lowest point. It really is a piece of dystopian fiction, between [spoiler] and [spoiler]. They’re fighting for something that, at that point, must seem like ‘superstition.’ And also: “Nobody can shoot me down, not just yet” is about Adam bc Fuck Canon. Even if he does, technically, get shot down.

(I’m a dead man/In the wasteland/I’m a soldier fighting for superstition/Under searchlights/In the long nights/We’ve been written like dystopian fiction)

World on Fire and The Reckoning are the two of their subset that make it over here, because they’re the two that happen before the result of This is a Call can come to fruition, and are more focused on our Earth heroes anyway.

(Sent by forces beyond salvation/There can be not one sensation)

(We’re all alone, walking in twilight/The night has been long and so many have fallen/Feel no remorse, light will be breaking/Our freedom is worth it all)

Endless War

Dark Matter is here because it always is, twining through everything else.

(Don’t stop, don’t think, don’t look back/You’re a bolt of lightning in the sky now/Don’t stop, don’t think, don’t look back/I’ve pulled you in, nowhere to hide now)

I Am the One links into Eater of Worlds as sort of the begining, sort of during Apocalypse 1992. Our Fifth General has her realization about [REDACTED] far, far before Team Voltron does, because she’s there in the thick of it during Through Apocalypse Skies. Inferno is here out of disgust on the second Fifth General’s part

(I am the one/I hold the dreams from fallen heroes)

(How do you keep your head high? Tell me what you see in the mirror/How can you stand the presence of the devil's eyes?)

(We are gods, we are monsters/We create to devour/Not for love but for power/What’s a life worth in the end?)

(From the caves beneath Dundee/Ancient hermit arrives/A messenger to the war in the stars/Korviliath is nigh!)

Ashes is also from the second Fifth General, a solemn promise to let her figure it out herself, and to guard the flame while she does.

(What will we do when the world it is ending/And time it is halted for friend and for foe?/Try to hold on to the time as it passes/I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes)

The Truth Beneath the Rose is her doing just that. Also… kinda connects to a song in the main playlist, but not very obviously.

(Blinded to see the cruelty of the beast/It is the darker side of me/The veil of my dreams deceived that I have seen/Forgive me for what I have been, forgive me my sins!)

Raise Your Banner is The Fifth General’s newfound resolve as she starts collecting allies against Zarkon’s empire.

(Wake up/I’m defying you, seeing right through you, once I believed in you/Wake up/Feel what’s coming deep within we all know)

Silver Moonlight is cracks forming in The Fifth General’s new set of alliances and her desperate and occasionally rash attempts to get them to believe in her goal. Not just the main one to take down the empire, but the one that will allow them to do that.

(I’m impatient, but it’s colors that I need/Too many shades of grey, I cannot breathe/The dreams I have ain’t tainted, I need you to believe/The only way to make them real, oh)

Endless War is the title track, connected to Catalyst, Holy Ground and I’d Rather Burn as a specific event but also sort of encompassing the Fifth General’s motivations throughout the series. She’s “hunting a miracle” that is also those colors from Silver Moonlight, and then the end of Endless War kicks in with Holy Ground, and the Fifth General’s final stand in I’d Rather Burn.

('Cause you’re fighting an endless war/Hunting a miracle/And when you reach out for the stars/They just cut you down/…/Is it worth dying for?/Or are you blinded by, blinded by it all?)

(So in a world of silent people/We dared to make a sound/Sometimes the fire has to take you/For you to burn them to the ground)

(You got inside my head, I want you out/'Cause I’ve been betrayed on holy ground)

(Won’t let you take my soul away/I’d rather go to the stake/I’d rather burn)

Empty Eyes is [long spoiler beep].

(I don’t know where I’m going/In search for answers/I don’t know who I’m fighting/I stand with empty eyes/You’re like a ghost within me/Who’s draining my life/It’s like my soul is see through/Right through my empty eyes)

Design Your Universe

okay this playlist is DM canon. But it’s not the DM canon we know and love. We will get to see at least part of it. Eventually.

Dark Matter, because it’s not DM without it

(So climb up and come clean/Move back the smoke screen/It's all here, it's all you/Get clear on the darker view)

Divide and Conquer explains where things changed from the DM canon we know and love. It’s about how a dictator, no matter their intentions, is never the correct choice.

(Seek the mastermind/The one who’s always right/We’re searching now and endlessly to set us free/Seek the mastermind (Seek the mastermind)/There’s no one you will find)

Martyr of the Free World is a very specific piece of that change from main canon, the martyr of the Blade equivalent, while Black Smoke Assimilation is what she leaves behind

(If you gun down the messenger/You guarantee that she will be made/Into a saint/A martyr of the free word)

(Out of reach/I planted you, the seed/You're learning to believe/That you're the one that changes everything, everything)

Cosmic Vertigo is here for the same reason as in the main playlist

(Just enjoy it while it lasts/Cling not to the broken past)

The Land of Unicorns is Gloryhammer finally making a comeback, and Team Voltron meeting up with, well, Team Voltron.

(Ride far away, cross the mighty River Tay/Over mountains into the unknown/Follow your heart, let it guide you through the dark/To the Land of Unicorns)

Return to Me is another fight over the Black Lion, but the players aren’t who you think, which is the final goal of Storm the Castle

(Return what you have taken from me/Rightfully mine, I will not allow this, thief/Think you know this weapon in your hands?/You are a fool, I am his only command)

(We will not be prisoners/In a kingdom taken hostage by her crown)

Unleashed is from the perspective of The Matriarch, for once, showing a little about how this version of her was not particularly willing

(Where was I meant to be?/I feel I’m lost in a dream/Long for the day I can be myself/Free)

Hootsforce is mostly here bc it’s fun. But it’s also about a final battle.

(Fight for the king, for the hammer and the ring/Fight for the ancient story)

Design Your Universe, as the title track of this one, is all about how a simple change can change the world. It’s also uh…. pretty literal

(We can’t undo what we have done/So show us now what we’ve become/Confront us with our viciousness/And our weakness/We can’t evade our destiny/So show responsibility/For we all surely have a sense/Of our consciousness)

Filaments

Filaments! It has become utter chaos in here since last time. So much it requires a companion playlist. Oh yeah did I mention there’s a fifth playlist now?

Dark Matter is here because, well. A) Title track, B) yes, it still has effects. It’s the overarching theme, after all. Filaments sort of has a subtitle itself, which is ‘The Undoing,’ after the other part of the lyric that the subtitle of the main playlist comes from. It’s about undoing a past mistake (that wasn’t obviously a mistake until much later) and reconciling the events of Your World Will Fail.

(I am the keeper/I am the secret/I am the answer/I am the end)

Filaments is the title track of this part. It’s… a little hard to explain without giving away the entire plot but it’s about the connections between different parts of the universe, and some fall-out of Cosmic Vertigo and Louder Than Words.

(These glowing filaments/Conducting this enchanting/Sarcophagus that’s holding us)

Starlight is, again, Adashi song, and this time the happy part

(Don’t leave me lost here forever/I need your starlight and pull me through/Bring me back to you)

Carry Me Home is its eponymous fic.

(Carry me home to the morning light/carry me home before you wave me goodbye/Oh, carry me home…)

Know that stuff in Carry Me Home about “The record skip that only [Keith and Krolia] can remember”? Yeah, Prognosis is a huge step to figuring that out. And then it’s time to go into The Breach.

(How long is the body beholden?/How long 'til we run out of road?/Deep down in the black of the ocean/Fading from the glow)

(Follow me/Follow me now once more into the breach/Can you see?/Can you see how this is the way to destiny?)

The timey-wimey ball gets tossed around more in Blackstar. Partially due to [REDACTED] and a certain terrorist’s reemergence, but also due to Prognosis-related stuff

(They'll let you try/To reverse everything/Don't waste your time/Sing Hallelujah 'cause you can't change anything)

Eon straight up plays Calvinball with the timey-wimey ball and gets the Paladins stuck in a groundhog-day situation, and the only way out? Isn’t good.

(If time's a song, I won't wait for its reprise/I am done wishing farewells and goodbyes)

There’s some nebulous chaos in here, more timey-wimey shenanigans, but also guess what comes back? Something Wicked

(And it clawed/Back in the world again/Here for a new revenge/An enemy I can't condemn)

Okay, here’s where it becomes so chaotic it requires two playlists. The Art of War is Cascade finally showing his true colors, and the Sol Federation not having a good time. (And the Coalition is going to get dragged down with them) But the consequences…

(I can remember all the days of violence/I can remember all the days they fought for rights/When men united all by fear and interest/I mustered them with hopeful promises I've broken)

The Future is Now, No Remorse No Regrets, and Trespasser sort of take place during that, sort of after, while Team Volton is trying to figure out what happened to their Black Paladin, why, exactly, their sensors are so incredibly broken, and where the fuck Krolia went. Meanwhile Keith is having an argument with himself.

(They said there was no way/But they forgot the black hole in the sky/Yesterday is nothing/I have half a life to rewrite)

(Lies but never a liar/Takes but never a thief/Leaves with only a cross to bear/What it gives is yours to keep)

(Where's my heart?/I want to feel whole again or nothing at all/Where's my soul?/Because I'm not myself)

Centigrade is the beginning of the end, and [spoiler] realizing just what is going on.

(What did you hope to find adrift and lost in time?/Is this the end ready to begin?/It's time to escape the fate of destruction, excavating within until salvation/No longer pretend the future's a lie from a past you cannot hide)

A Theater of Dimensions is. Well. You’ll see. It’s a little hard to pick a lyric from AToD, I'll say that much.

(I’ve seen our freedom in the mist of time/The old signs I’ll follow and the day of relief will be yours and mine)

Redemption is the end of an argument, and much the same as the last place it was. It is such a quiet thing, to fall… far more terrible is to admit it.

(To know that your days are numbered/To know that your time is short/Death is what gives life meaning/So who will you be at the end of the road)

And then there’s Afterlife. Fitting to end on a UtA song, after everything, especially since The Immortal has repeatedly throughout DM been a metaphor for Voltron. Also fitting that it’s this one, considering the parallels between the end of The Immortal’s story and Filaments

(But with such power, think how you could rule/Hold to your promise to watch over those in despair/Why would you choose to serve when you could be master of all?/Be true to your honor and fight for a world that is fair!/Out of shadow, out of darkness, welcome to the light/As the day shines boldly over night/Follow me to finally be who you are inside/Open wide, embrace the afterlife)

Oh yeah. Here’s the other half

For Who I Could Have Been

Your world will fail my love, it’s far beyond repair…

Dark Matter and Filaments, but of course

(Tear down hollows/Take back eternity)

(A prisoner of time and space/Construct we can't escape/A fleeting moment alive)

The Art of Bargaining is the aftermath of The Art of War. It is… an argument, for lack of a better term. No Remorse No Regrets and Widowmaker are the results, and where Team Voltron begins to lose. Lose the plot, lose the war, lose… themselves. God will shield his eyes because he is not there.

(I might be guilty but can a person change/I'll say it like I mean it but believe it, that's insane/You're only making this harder/I'll make you an offer/An offer you can't refuse)

(The one I loved/Is the one I see/And what I'd give is not enough to bring her back to me)

(Rise above the shadows putting forth your hands/God will shield his eyes in spite of all your prayers and he will not hear/Your hands, stained of blood/What have we become from a smoking gun?/What have we become)

Centigrade is Team Voltron attempting to fix the mess. Unfortunately, that might not be possible, given what they’re missing. After all, Your World WIll Fail

(Burn and incinerate/Dark matter you contain/Forging a new life/Erasing what you used to be)

(Your world will fail my love/It's far beyond repair/Your world will fail/If you are alive you must run for your life)

So they fall back to The Future is Now, which slams almost directly into Theater of Dimensions.

(They said there was no way/But they forgot the black hole in the sky/Yesterday is nothing/I have half a life to rewrite)

(I’ve seen our freedom in the mist of time/The old signs I’ll follow and the day of relief will be yours and mine)

Redemption is the end of an argument, and much the same as the last place it was. It is such a quiet thing, to fall… far more terrible is to admit it.

(To know that your days are numbered/To know that your time is short/Death is what gives life meaning/So who will you be at the end of the road?)

Elysium and Endlessness are the final things needed to fix everything.

(Sailing beyond the astral field/Wide eyes accept the light no mortal eye has seen/Rapture/Hear the angels sing/Craving for something more beyond the open door/Resembling something like a dream/Is this what it means to be free?)

(Soon, beyond the fields you've come to know/You will join the silent flow/Follow me, I am the spark/At the end of everything/Tip the reaper to ensure/The blade is sharp/As soon we'll go/Follow me into the dark/To the birth of everything)

They are An End, Once and For All. But also the birth of everything. There is a bit of truth to every myth, and a lie to every story. One cannot live without the Other. Saviors, conquerors, heroes, villains, who can tell the difference, in the end? The world cycles on without them.

#i am dark matter; your road to ruin #dm playlists

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thehill-rpg · 2 months

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Episode 1: The Hill

Printers warring, contact numbers hurled across the room like insults, folders being slapped down; the buzz of the office was as it always was come Monday morning. Journalists who detested early mornings, or working all together, acted like there was nowhere else they’d rather be, and bosses, tenser than usual, found themselves in what looked like a heated debate: no doubt over a story they’d missed or a scandal in legal that someone would get chewed out about. However, they kept drawing everyone’s eye that morning, in the way they stood, clustered closely together, talking in hushed, urgent whispers.

The smell of fresh coffee, mixed with the phones ringing off the hook and the clamor of people as they wove in and out of each other. People unaccustomed to the atmosphere might consider it mere madness. Loud wasn’t even the right word. It was raucous.

At a desk, front and center of the lion's dens, sat Violet Shard. Political Senior Journalist.

She could feel her head pounding. The bar last night may have been one step too far.

Squinting, she peered at the blazing computer screen, scrolling as written information rolled as fast as she could read. A woman’s blacked out name appeared multiple times throughout the email, her source name redacted. It was one of the most important things to Violet: that her sources could trust that she’d keep their identity safe–if she didn’t keep her word, was she any better than the politicians she brought down? Her fingers moved over the keyboard with rapid fervor, even with the fog clouding the edges of her mind. She hadn’t even had a chance to read the morning paper when she’d dashed out of bed.

Almost late.

She shouldn’t have done the last five shots. Even at the age of forty-five, Violet Shard had never shied away from a party. Especially one that had gotten her access and close to new electives. What had meant to be an early night had turned into one full of spilled dirty secrets.

But those were shelved, at least for now, to which she began typing back quickly, checking over her shoulder.

Friend, I think we should meet for another tennis match. The last one was a success. Only by playing another match will one realize its full potential. Can you confirm when you’re free? Violet.

Pressing send, she exited quickly. Code was better than saying too much.

With the article on Congress Whitlock and Congress Harris now out in the world, there was only a matter of time before it came back to bite them in the ass. There was no way they could let something that blasphemous stay out in the world like that. Which Violet was aware meant one of two things: one, they’d pay for them to take it down, which she prayed they’d never agree to? Or they silenced them, burying them under the law. Which, by the look of their cluster, might be exactly what was happening.

The article had been titled: Congress or Corruption? The people vs. Whitlock & Harris.

Once Violet had published the article, prime time on a Friday evening. Well, it had been up in arms across all journals, blogs and news sites across the states, leaking into media around the world by the following day. Discussing the purchasing and profiteering of war in neighboring countries was what American’s liked to believe as a myth in their country. But it was those men that they put their belief and power into that were disgracing this once very great country. Guns, food, medicine: essentials, hiked up in price so those in lower socio income lives would suffer, while the rich would profit.

It was an age old tale, and Violet Shard was done being a bystander.

On top of the current infamy and praise leaking through her inbox, there was a new bill being passed next week that she had to get on top of, as well as arranging a phone call with her source to go over any further information. With the increased monitoring from hackers and the government, conversations with her sources, or discussions were now limited over emails. She wasn’t a conspiracy theorist, well, not exactly. Hers pertained to what she knew: politics, people and the dirt that lined the streets of Washington, D.C. But it meant she was alert and aware.

And in her line of work, being aware meant she was one step ahead.

Violet had never been a fool to what was going on right beneath their noses: scandal, lies and corruption. Rampant, hidden, and embedded in every part of this godforsaken city.

“Shard, I need that report in twenty minutes,” Rick, an intern tasked with proof reading everything, called from her left.

“Bet you fifteen bucks I can get it done in ten.” She yelled back, a grin flashing across her mouth.

“Shard’s making bets, Eric.” Another intern to someone else. How she’d ever remember their names, she didn’t fucking know. But for now, she’d call him bouffant because, kid, that hairstyle went out years ago. Why was no one telling him?

“I’d bet more, but we all know Rick still asks his mother for pocket money,” Violet grinned.

If the room had been loud before, the hollering that followed had others turning heads.

“You got yourself a deal.” Rick clapped, those surrounding clapped, egging them on further.

It was a quick reminder of why she loved the job so much, why she’d always felt such a deep connection to this room in particular. Journalists might have been cut-throat, and willing to climb over just about anyone to get that next story, but at the end of the day – there was a sense of sibling rivalry here. Even if you felt bummed because you missed out on a prime slot. Secretly, they were happy for the person who got the story.

In nine minutes, and thirty-six seconds, not a sweat broken, Violet pressed send on the email, the sound of a gentle swoosh and the report was at Rick’s desk. From the corner of her eye, she saw him still, like a mouse caught in a trap. Slowly, turning in her chair to face him, her arms folded over her chest in that smug ease.

“Mother–” Rick started, staring at his computer in disbelief.

“I wiped your bet clean off the table, in under ten minutes–” Violet was interrupted mid-sentence.

The room went silent.

“Ms Shard.” A crisp male voice spoke from behind her.

That voice, she quickly realized, came from no one she knew. Brows drawing together in confusion, she felt the hairs begin to rise on the back of her neck. That loud, familiar clamor of the office had quieted down to a dull murmur. It was in that slow turn, catching each pair of gleaning eyes in the office, that she realized whoever was behind her wasn’t someone she would want to see.

It wasn’t corporate, and it sure as hell wasn’t the press, which meant…

Of-fucking-course.

Congressman Whitlock and Congressman Harris had finally had enough of the constant press at their heels after they’d published the deal. She’d expected flack for it, but this? Four police officers, dressed to the nines, stood in their imposing, statuesque bull-shit power tripping stance, cuffs out like she was a serial killer they’d tracked down after a month’s long manhunt.

Hands found her hips instantly, splashing that Shard Facade.

Bravo, she internally commended their theatrics, she was in her right mind to start clapping.

“Boys,” Violet cooed, a false pout pulling at her lip. “Are we really going to do this? It’s a Monday morning and I’ve got a hangover from one too many tequila shots.” She knew they would, it wasn’t the first time she’d had scrapes with the law, especially in her earlier years. She wouldn’t have been a great journalist if she didn’t, but the fact they’d gone for the throat so quickly?

It meant they were scared. And scared people made mistakes.

“Ms Shard, you’re under arrest for excessive defamation and harassment.” Cop one stated, unfortunate looking with a comb-over that screamed…do you ever want to get laid?

“Harassment?” Violet scoffed, a snort slipping out. “Oh, you’ve gotta’ be kidding me. Isn’t this America? Land of the free? Freedom of Speech? I’m not physically attacking people, I’m highlighting corruption. But I guess the MPD wouldn’t know anything about that, right?”

“Please, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” Using his hand in a circular motion. “turn around, place your hands behind your back, miss, we’d prefer to do this the easy way.” As opposed to the hard way, she thought, eyes sliding to all the onlookers.

“Fine. Fine.” The more she struggled, the worse she’d look.

Turning, hands behind her back with only a smidgen of embarrassment coloring her cheeks, it clicked when she found all the managers watching her with that same expression. Pity. They’d known. In all honesty, Violet wasn’t sure whether to feel betrayed that they hadn’t given her a heads up, or thankful that they might’ve been trying to find a solution.

Either way, being arrested never looked good for their image, and what was a business without a great image.

“You have the right to remain silent.” The usual spiel began, but she attempted to drown it out as she felt the cold metal clasp around the soft of her wrist. “Anything you say will and can be used against you in a court of law.” It was like everyone she’d ever heard on those bad cop shows that her mother had loved so much when she was growing up. “You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. You have a right to a lawyer, ”

“Yeah, I know. Can someone call Jason and tell him I was arrested…again.” Chucking a glance over her shoulder, catching the Interns who looked the most genuinely concerned than those she’d worked with for years.. “Rick, pick up my jobs?”

“Yeah, course.”

Where the fuck was Ajay?

“Oh, and Rick?” Violet called, as the cops began walking her towards the elevator.

“Yeah?” He called, standing on his tiptoes like that might add to his height.

“You owe me fifteen bucks.”

#first episode: the hill #writer: admin donna #feat. violet shard #recurring feat. eric dobson #recurring feat. ricky greaves #location: the hill

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bitcofun · 2 years

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What is "genuine yield," and why is everybody in DeFi discussing it? Tim Craig unloads the area's most current buzzword. Key Takeaways " Real yield" describes DeFi procedure charges that go to token holders. Several Ethereum procedures use "genuine yield" today. There's a great factor the pattern has actually captured on, however there are drawbacks. A closer take a look at the "genuine yield" buzzword. What Is "Real Yield"? There's a brand-new buzzword making the rounds in crypto this month, however if you're not deep in the trenches of decentralized financing and yield farming, you might not have actually heard it. The expression "genuine yield" has rapidly end up being the brand-new requirement for what's hot and what's not, and the procedures providing it are getting the lion's share of attention from DeFi degens. What does genuine yield even suggest, and why do individuals like it so much? Let's have a look. Put merely, genuine yield is where a DeFi procedure records a little charge from its users and reroutes it to its token holders. What materializes yield various from previous kinds of yield farming is that this DeFi "dividend" is paid in a possession outside the procedure's control, such as ETH or USDC, instead of in its own native token. This makes the yield "genuine" as its worth isn't being pumped up away by extreme emissions of the procedure's native token. Several procedures use genuine yields in the existing DeFi market, with more introducing day by day. Leveraged trading platforms such as GMX and MUX Protocol, meta governance procedure Redacted Cartel, pure yield platform Umami Finance, and even the up-and-coming Ethereum facilities procedure Manifold Finance all use yields paid completely or partially in ETH or USDC. While genuine yield seems like a significant enhancement over previous efforts at sustainable DeFi tokenomics, it's essential to comprehend the drawbacks of such a method, too. The expression genuine yield has rapidly end up being a method for procedures to indicate to prospective users that they ought to transfer their tokens due to the fact that what they can make is genuine, i.e., much better than their rivals, even if that's not always the case. For example, a procedure can market a double-digit genuine yield paying in ETH for staking its native token while at the very same time utilizing native token emissions to attract the liquidity that makes the double-digit APY possible in the very first location. In this scenario, users will often be watered down by the quantity of tokens that headed out to draw in that ETH genuine yield. Another indicate think about is that if a procedure is distributing all its earnings to token holders, it can't utilize that cash to grow itself. As Redacted Cartel co-founder 0xSami puts it, " If you are not discovering natural adoption without rewards, it is a terrible concept to lose consciousness the cash you might utilize to money the R&D [research study and advancement] of discovering PMF [item market fit] out to token holders. Like the peacock, flaunting your colours excessive will injure the DAO as the peacock quickly ends up being a victim to prey out in the wild." I'm not stating to prevent the procedures using these benefits; there are excellent reasons that a lot of them are so popular. Now that genuine yield has actually ended up being a popular buzzword, less meticulous procedures will attempt to craft the greatest possible genuine yields to draw in users and liquidity, even if it results in a net unfavorable for token holders and harms the procedure's durability. Thanks for reading, everybody. Till next time. Disclosure: At the time of composing this piece, the author owned ETH, MCB, BTRFLY, and a number of other cryptocurrencies. New Ethereum Token Could Replace Yield-Bearing DeFi Assets News Apr. 6, 2022 A brand-new Ethereum token basic called ERC-4626 might assist resolve composability problems in DeFi and make yield-bearing tokens more safe.

Meet ERC-4626 DeFi locals might quickly require to acquaint themselves ... Yield Farmers Are Migrating to Polygon Polygon uses a comparable yield farming experience to Ethereum mainnet at a portion of the expense. Secret metrics reveal that DeFi power users are beginning to move to the network ... DeFi Project Spotlight: Vesper Finance, the Yield Aggregator Built for ... Vesper Finance is a yield aggregator providing an available, safe, and conservative experience for DeFi newbies and organizations. It intends to supply a suite of yield-generating items that enable users ... Read More

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baekhvuns · 2 years

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Queen of spoilers we wouldn't mind you telling us everything about Bodyguard, we'll still read it anyway, just saying 👀

Omg I forgot about Lu Han, what is he even up to right now? I watched some of the early episodes, especially the ones with my lady Dilraba, but Yuqi, Xukun and [redacted] had some cute and funny moments together, so I liked watching them.

It's a song with Beomgyu, Soobin and Taehyun I was shook too, only proves I'm bad at distinguishing their vocals 😬 I know Yeonjun's, Beomgyu's and Soobin's sometimes. Ahhhh taste, Ghosting is so nice MORE DREAM POP IN KPOP PLEASE!

Omg fave songs??? I have so many bestie, especially for bgs, so maybe I'll list some of the ggs, well I love The Boys and Gee (I used to like Gee ironically but I think I legit love it lol) by SNSD, Fire by 2ne1, Nobody by Wonder Girls, BEG Abracadabra (shout out to Seonghwa now give us a full cover baby) - the classics. I have so many 2nd gen gg fave tracks I can't remember honestly, back in the day I used to listen to girl groups mostly. But the ones I play the most are: GI-dle OMG, Lion, Hwaa, Twice Cry For Me, Espresso, Last Waltz, Can't Stop Me, Mamamoo Hip, Pristin V Get It and Pristin Black Widow, Stayc So Bad, Apink Dumhdurum, Weki Meki Cool, CLC's Hobgoblin and Helicopter, Exid DDD, Itzy Not Shy, Wannabe and Loco, 4Minute Crazy, Nature Girls, Dreamcatcher Boca and Scream, Purple Kiss Zombie and Ponzona, Everglow La Di Da, Dun Dun, First, Pirate... and many many more. Btw do you know Pixy? My girls served another creepy and witchy come back 🥰 And shout out to Sunmi's Gashina and Heroine, some of my fave kpop songs ever <3333

Turmeric milk noooo... but like warm milk?! 🤚🏻 I've heard of it, but nooooo, same with milk and honey.

Well I don't know I'm not gonna write the AU myself 😭

YEAH just stare at all the products and give up, exactly. Not sure if I would go for any specific hairstyle, I just need some of the hair goneeee. My hair is wavy and all over the place so it's a bit difficult to have a nice haircut without styling it </3

My god two helpless simps, I would like to see it, especially the way Y/N warms up to Seonghwa against her will.

I wanted to send you the second tweet LITERALLY ME AS A FANSITE idydjudjdndnsjs it's like the camera person showing Seonghwa's crotch during Wonderland - focusing on the priorities I see

Hehe first thing I saw in the morning

Also 😭😭😭😭 he's so aiqyqhwgshhahshs

Us at a fan sign I'm sure

I started watching mew Hwang In Yeop drama, he's out of high school but romancing his professor instead and I'm... conflicted, love noona romance but 🥴 it's called Why Her? - DV 💖

hi hello!! bestie i answered this ask fully but it logged me out 😭😭

Queen of spoilers we wouldn't mind you telling us everything about Bodyguard, we'll still read it anyway, just saying 👀

LMFAOOOO PLS I REVEAL THE ENTIRE FIC IF I SAY ONE MORE WORD 😭😭😭😭 I BECOME BAEKHYUN WHEN IT COMES TO SPOILERS

luhan’s so pretty i miss his presence 😭😭😭😭 ,, i think hes more focused on acting now but still does music on the side like his earlier songs were chefs kisses like medals and catch me when i fall t E A R S,,,, OH MY GOD DILRABAAAAA I USED TO SHIP HIM AND HER JVCJC THEY HAD SUCH NICE CHEMISTRY omg xukun’s so hot,, he reminds me of this enhyphen (???) member sunghoon- omg did u watch the chinese ver of wanna one where lay judged?? RLY ONE OF THE BEST BGS

YESS MORE DREAM POP IDK WHY GROUPDS DONT DO THEM OFTEN ITS A RLY UNDERRATED GENRE 😭😭😭😭 like they do it sometimes but when they do its an ultimate classic so good, currently writing a petition for groups to do this more,, ateez better holding them on gunpoint

BESTIEEEE THE BOYS IS SOOO GOOD I USED TO WATCH EVERY GROUP COVER IT ON REPEAT,,, PLSS PRISTINS GET IT >>>>>>> what a taste bestie immaculate taste BRO EVERGLOWS DUNDUN ALBUM IS SO GOOD??? NO LIE IS SO GOOD & PLAYER >>>>> i know pixy!! warched them while waiitng for ateez to get on their inkigayo stuff and THEIR PRESENCE IS TRULY CAPTIVATING THO IDK MOST THEIR SONGS 😭😭😭😭 heroine >>> gashina,,, heroine is such a nostalgic sound i wish she did more songs like that 😭😭😭😭

Turmeric milk noooo... but like warm milk?! 🤚🏻 I've heard of it, but nooooo, same with milk and honey.

MILK AND HONEY????// 😭😭😭😭 turmeric milk is disgusting esp bc it got flakes in it too -100% never rec

Well I don't know I'm not gonna write the AU myself 😭

IN THE DREAMS !!! manifesting it for u <3

YEAHHHH 😭😭😭😭 nAURRRRR THAT MUST BE HARD TO DEAL WITH,, i once went for a haircut, idk what she did but she rly slimmed my hair and its never grown back to its original self,, my mom still curses the hairstyler to this day fbsdb

My god two helpless simps, I would like to see it, especially the way Y/N warms up to Seonghwa against her will.

EXACTLYYYY HELPLESS SIMPS 😭😭😭😭 yn would ABSOLUTELY HATE WARMING UP TO HIM 😭😭😭😭 and he,,,, he might like it <3333

I wanted to send you the second tweet LITERALLY ME AS A FANSITE idydjudjdndnsjs it's like the camera person showing Seonghwa's crotch during Wonderland - focusing on the priorities I see

LMFAOOOOOO JCVASJCBAH STOP DO U RMR THE YUNHO ONE WHERE HIS DIGNITY WAS BLURRED 😭😭😭😭 I WONDER IF HE KNOWS BC IF I WERE HIM ID BE PROUD BUT ALSO EMBARRASSED 😭😭😭😭

Hehe first thing I saw in the morning

HIS FACE CARD NEVER DECLINES, NEVER GOD I JUST WANNA SEE HIS MOTHER BC MISS MAAM GIRLIE AUNTY WHAT HAPPENED

Also 😭😭😭😭 he's so aiqyqhwgshhahshs

LMFAOO HES GOTTA STOP IM OVER THE EDGE WITH DELULUISM

Us at a fan sign I'm sure

1000% WE BOTH GET DIFF COLOURED ONES AND MIX AND MATCH AND BOOM FANSIGN 😭😭😭😭 no but i hope atinys do it 😭😭😭😭

I started watching mew Hwang In Yeop drama, he's out of high school but romancing his professor instead and I'm... conflicted, love noona romance but 🥴 it's called Why Her? - DV 💖

BESTIE I SAW THIS aND IS IT GOOD???? my brother watches it and its all he can talk about 😭😭😭😭 HEY NOONA ROMANCE BUT TEACHER???? j-jail???

bestie two quizzes,,, one ,,,, two

#✉️ : ask #dv 💖 anon

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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Google's short-lived data-advantage

There's a lot of ways to think about the movement to tame Big Tech, but one of the more useful divisions to explore is the "Night of the Comet" people versus the "Don't Believe the Criti-Hype" people.

This is a division over the value of the data that Google, Facebook and other large tech firms have amassed over the years - data on their users, sure, but also data on the advertisers and publishers they serve with their ad-tech platforms.

Big Tech companies and their investors are really bullish on the value of this commercial data-advantage: they say that spying on us - the users - lets them manipulate our opinions and activities so that we buy or believe the things their advertisers pay them to push.

More quietly, their investors believe that the data-advantage extends to publishers and advertisers, a deep storehouse of data that makes it effectively impossible for anyone else to do the precision targeted that Big Tech manages, which is why they have such fat margins.

Night of the Comet tech criticism accepts these claims at face value: Big Tech's advantage, they claim, comes from having amassed this insurmountable data-advantage that allows it to both predict and shape what we - and therefore advertisers and publishers - will do.

The implication of this is that traditional antitrust remedies - breakups, say - won't be merely ineffective; they'll be terrifyingly harmful.

If Googbook invented a mind-control ray to sell your nephew fidget-spinners, then breaking them up will only make it easier for Robert Mercer to hijack that mind-control ray to turn your uncle into a Qanon racist.

Googbook's data-advantage, in other words, is like a planet-killing comet heading towards the Earth. If we break that comet up, it will turn into a killing rain of meteors that shower onto every part of the globe - we can't break up the comet, we have to *steer* it.

In this version of tech criticism, the answer is to leave Big Tech intact, but turn it into a utility, or some other highly regulated entity, bound by rules that limit its use of that mind-control system.

Bringing Big Tech to heel by deputizing it to serve as an arm of the state (and perhaps a national champion in the new Cold War with China), like the Bell System prior to the AT&T breakup in '82.

On the other side, you have the Don't Believe the Criti-Hype school. Lee Vinsel coined the term "Criti-Hype" to describe a kind of criticism that actually hypes its subject - say, by repeating Big Tech's self-serving claims.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/02/euthanize-rentiers/#dont-believe-the-hype

These claims aren't just self-serving, they're also highly dubious. Everyone who's ever claimed to be able to read - or control - our minds was lying (to themselves, or to everyone else, or both).

The "psychometrics" that all this behavior-modification depends on is - to quote *Nature* - a "scant science." From Big Five Personality Types to microexpression/sentiment analysis, we're deep into the realm of irreproducible results and junk science.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03880-4

The Criti-Hype school posits that the supernormal returns to capital for Big Tech aren't driven by awesome ad-tech capabilities, but rather, by monopoly (buying or crushing all competitors) and the fraud it enables (the industry has nowhere else to go).

That is, Big Tech makes money the same way hedge-fund managers make their own stunning returns: by cheating so they get paid whether or not they're any good at their jobs. The mere existence of a profitable industry is not proof that the industry is run by competent people.

And to be clear, there is a *lot* of fraud in ad-tech. Tim Hwang calls it a "Subprime Attention Crisis," where the ads are fake, the clicks are fake, the publishers' inventory is fake, the whole thing *riddled* with fraud.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#wannamakers-ghost

As Aram Zucker-Scharff wrote, "The numbers are fake, the metrics are bullshit, the agencies responsible for enforcing good practices are knowing bullshitters profiting off the fake numbers and none of the models make sense at scale of actual human users."

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/04/how-to-truth/#adfraud

It's a "bezzle" - a con whose mark hasn't twigged to the ruse...yet.

And while the Night of the Comet side relies on the irreproducible claims of self-proclaimed Svengalis, the Criti-Hype side has an increasingly corpus of cold, hard facts about the bezzle's operation.

Take last November's "Why Google Dominates Advertising Markets," Dina Srinivasan's superb and detailed dissection of Google's crooked ad-markets, in which they steal from advertisers and publishers by rigging the bids on both sides of the exchange.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/20/sovkitsch/#adtech

Srinivasan proves you don't need mind-control rays to explain how Big G makes fantastic returns from the ad-tech market. That prospect is further explored in the UK Competition and Markets Authority's 437-page report on "Online platforms and digital advertising" (Jul '20):

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fa557668fa8f5788db46efc/Final_report_Digital_ALT_TEXT.pdf

Here's where it starts to get *really* interesting. In May 2020, Yale's Fiona Scott Morton and Omidyar's David Dinielli used preliminary CMA data to publish their "Roadmap for a Digital Advertising Monopolization Case Against Google."

https://omidyar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Roadmap-for-a-Case-Against-Google.pdf

Morton and Dinelli zero in on the actual mechanism of Google's data-advantage, the thing it commands a lion's share of, which advertisers genuinely prize: location data. If I know you're around the corner from my cafe, I might spend a *lot* to show you an ad for my pasties.

This location data advantage is undeniable, but man, it has a short half-life. Thing is, I might spend a lot of money to show you an ad for my coffee shop when you're around the corner, but once you've moved on, you can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. You're dead to me.

This short half-life tells us that we're not living the Night of the Comet nightmare scenario. Break up Google, starve it of location data, and within *hours* most of its location targeting advantage is gone...forever.

As the antitrust cases against Google proceed, more and more of these technical exposes of rigged markets emerge, showing us how monopoly and fraud are at the heart of the data-advantage, and how contingent, time-bound and fragile that advantage really is.

The latest is the bizarrely named "Project Bernanke," a formerly secret ripoff that was exposed when Google forgot to redact a document it filed in its Texas antitrust case:

https://twitter.com/KhushitaVasant/status/1379955848118726659

Google used data from recent ad-auctions to help advertisers shade their bids for ad-placements, exploiting the information asymmetry so the ads it brokered won the auctions, ensuring that rivals ad-brokerages were frozen out.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/googles-secretive-project-bernanke-reportedly-093732134.html

Though Google insists that this was just an industry practice, the leaked document reveals that Google kept this a secret from publishers. Its internal presentations claim that they made $230m in 2013 alone from this practice.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/googles-secret-project-bernanke-revealed-in-texas-antitrust-case-11618097760

All together, this constitutes a highly specific account of how a data-advantage worked - and what its weak-point is. Project Bernanke was not grounded in longitudinal market data from ad-sales - it exploited *recent* data to deliver a $230m+/year advantage.

The multisided market - a multisided bezzle - exploits the monopolist's data advantage to harm readers, publishers and advertisers, not by predicting and shaping their behavior by bypassing their critical faculties with spooky, advanced psychometrics.

The bezzle requires fresh data - it's a flywheel that uses the monopolist's god's-eye-view to freeze out competitors and entrap publishers and advertisers to get more data to rig the market to entrap the publishers and the advertisers.

It's not a comet. It's a monopoly. It's not terrifying supergeniuses using machine learning to turn us into clicking zombies: it's garden-variety monopolists using anticompetitive, underhanded, dishonest and (probably) illegal tactics to maintain their monopoly.

Bust the trust, ban the conduct, and the data-advantage evaporates with the half-life of that extremely time-bound data. The criti-hype that says that the data-advantage is a deadly, unstoppable comet is just Google's own sales-patter, flipped on its head.

Don't believe the criti-hype.

#pluralistic

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ask-mortarion-the-death-lord · 2 years

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Outside of 40k, im a bit of a fire emblem fan and Its been a few years since fire emblem: three houses came out. However, its been relatively popular since and a warriors spinoff for it is set to come out fairly soon. SO, since fire emblem three houses has school houses as part of its setting, fuck it primarchs based on garreg mach officers academy houses/fodlan nationalities

lion el'johnson: blue lions/faerghus. come on, as the house and nation big on knights and chivalry its a natural fit for mr knights and chivalry el'johnson himself. additional info: noble, talent in swords lances authority and riding

REDACTED

fulgrim: golden deer/leicester. initially i thought the black eagles was a natural fit, but on reflection the golden deer and leicester probably work better in terms of fulgrims history. fulgrim was found by depressed miners and helped turn around a dying planet thanks to a head for logistics and management. thus him being from the mercantile and less centralized leicester makes more sense to me, though he would still be obsessed with luxury and culture, in this specific case adrestian culture, fashion and luxury. additional info: commoner, talent in swords bows and authority

perturabo: blue lions/faerghus. seeing where i place rogal the house and nation that has the more tense/combative relation to rogals own house/nation makes the most sense, hence perturabo being in the blue lions. hed probably have some relation to house rowe as well so that he could spend all day laughing at rogal well he fortifies castle arianrhod from attack. additional info: noble, talent in axes bows and heavy armor

jaghatai khan: golden deer/leicester. unfortunately theres not really a steppe group in three houses that jaghatai could neatly fit into, but three houses comes in clutch for me here with almyra a persian empire inspired country that has a lot of contact with leicester and even nearly conquered all of fodlan before a multi country coalition pushed them back out to the border, and now the almyrans make a game of testing a big all wall border fortification set in leicester. so, jaghatais related to the almyran empire but he lives in leicester, maybe a small group of ethnic almyrans continuing to live in fodlan idk. additional info: commoner, talent in swords bows and riding

lemen russ: blue lions/faerghus. sometimes the obvious choice is just right, fenrir is cold and faerghus is cold. therefore, faerghus a good fit for lemen. that said as opposed to being a noble or commoner in the traditional sense, id probably lean towards lemen being of sreng descent as sreng is described as being run by barbarian tribes and its lost a lot of land to faerghus over the years. alternatively he lived in sreng for a while before a noble of faerghus adopted him idk. additional info: commoner, talent in axes lances and brawling

rogal dorn: black eagles/adrestia. well like lemen rogals grew up on a very cold place rogal also makes a point about emphasizing his connection to terra and the imperial fists are even regarded as 'terras legion/chapter', and since adrestia is effectively the terra of fodlan in its own way, a center of culture and historical power thats slipped into stagnancy as it makes an embarrassment of itself but still remains fabulously wealthy and elitist. also it was between peter turbo and randal dan being put into adrestia and i decided rogal just made more sense. additional info: noble, talent in swords lances and authority

konrad curze: black eagles/adrestia. for mr batman the question really does come down to which nation is the most involved in intrigue that'd probably result in a lil murder batman stalking extravagant streets brutally murdering people. adrestias the prime choice in that regarded given how much shit people get up to in there, so konrad gets to be even more murder batman with dead parents probably. additional info: noble, talent in swords bows and brawling

sanguinius: blue lions/faerghus. sanguinius was difficult to place honestly, as well adrestia would be the arguably more obvious choice it didnt also feel right given that an important aspect of sanguiniuses identity is the harsh enviorment he grew up in yet he remained an honorable as primarchs go fellow. thus i settled on faerghus which has harsher climates in general then the other nations and places a lot of weight on honor and chivalry as guiding principles. hed probably have lived closer to the sreng region which is noted has having some desert attached to it oddly enough which better fits the idea of baal anyways. additional info: commoner, talent in swords lances authority and flying

ferrus manus: blue lions/faerghus. difficult to figure out a place for him, i thought maybe going for leicester would have been the best choice for easy fulgrim friendship but that can still pretty easily happen if ferrus happens to be from faerghus. especially if the mercantile fulgrims family is seeking to buy good faerghus weapons from ferruses blacksmith family. additional info: commoner, axes brawling and heavy armor

REDACTED

angron: black eagles/adrestia. i forget if colosseums are ever mentioned in three houses proper, but they and former/escaped gladiators as playable characters are a staple for the series that angron can fit most nicely into. in this case angron would be a former gladiator that got 'generously' rescued from his situation by a wealthy adrestian noble through adoption, an adoptive father that angron cant help but despise of course. additional info: commoner talent in sword axes and brawling

roboute guilliman: black eagles/adrestia. roboute could theoretically go anywhere but i narrowed it down to adrestia as it has the heaviest actual roman vibes of the three nations though in part largely comparatively. additional info: noble, talent in swords brawling and authority

mortarion: golden deer/leicester. mortarion definitely doesn't fit in the adrestian context given how adrestia is mired in tradition, nobility and social conventions. faerghus might work in terms of climate and topography, but again knights and chivalry just aren'ts morts style. in the end leicester felt like the best fit, in its more internally competitive mercantile nature, it still has plenty of mountains for mort to brood over and ironically theres more of an emphasis on poisons and its like in leicester then in the other nations. additional info: noble, talent in axes lances and reason[black magic]

magnus the red: black eagles/adrestia. as adrestia is considered to be the magical power house of fodlan it makes sense to place magnus in the house correlating to magic central [ironically adrestia doesn't actually have a school of magic]. additionally well its never seen in game id give him half morfis heritage as well, as morfis is supposedly even more magical and importantly has a lot of desert from what little is known. additional info: commoner, talent in lances bows and reason

horus lupercal: black eagles/adrestia. seeing as so much of horuses identity is tied up in being the golden boy of the empire, it almost feels mandatory to lump him into the only empire on fodlan and id argue its still a good fit for him as adrestian identity is in part based heavily on pride and old glories. additional info: noble, talent in swords axes brawling authority and heavy armor

lorgar: black eagles/adrestia. another theoretical placement anywhere, but seeing as adrestia is basically the origin of church faith in fodlan and is currently having trouble with cooled church relations it felt naturally appropriate for lorgar who would have a lot of connection to church elements. additional info: commoner, talent in axes faith [white magic] and authority

vulkan: golden deer/leicester. a difficult placement cause geographically the only really volcanic/fire related location in fodlan is ailell "the valley of torment". decided on leicester and the golden deer though as vulkan being a 'friend of the people' fits pretty easily into leicesters less stratified society and he can still live near ailell. additional info: commoner, talent in swords lances axes and heavy armor

corvus corax: black eagles/adrestia. a character that doesn't really have a place to fit into the context of three houses unfortunately, meaning im not exactly confident on this one. i decided on adrestia for corvus ultimately because it just felt right and adrestia had more background to it that left room for the kind of rebel fighter coruvs grew up as in it before becoming a bit of a boot licker as it were. additional info: commoner, talent in brawling faith and flying

alpharius omegon: golden deer/leicester. master of deception himself/themselves[?], alphariuses origins history and even character are pretty unclear generally but i do feel leicester fits him better as a nation thats a little bit more open and internally hectic itself that might birth someone so tight fisted and close chested as alpharius. plus it gives him ground to get into conflict with roboute the sly boy. additional info: noble[?], talent in lances bows and authority

#warhammer 40k #warhammer40k #fire emblem

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curiosity-killed · 3 years

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"wish you'd write a fic thing" it's VLD cause I don't know anyone in your new interests ;_; buuutt, a fake summary for a fic I wish you'd write (or that I think you'd have fun writing): Ambush predators lay in wait for their prey to come to them. Some use venom; one sting and the fight is over. For others, it's endurance. Run and run, prey can't rest because the hunter is always on the horizon, always closing in. The universe is big, but is it big enough to escape? The lions are hungry.

send me a summary for a fic you wish i’d write and i’ll write a tidbit

“Alteans have always been diplomats,” Allura says with a smile that warms her eyes and hides the sharp points of her teeth, “spreading peace throughout the universe.”

Shiro’s eyebrows twitch briefly, something flickering in his eyes. It shows up here and there, most often after a fight, when they’re all still running a little high on adrenaline and the beyond-body thrum of being something bigger, something other: a sharpness that slips dark and watchful in his gaze.

“I bet Voltron makes peace hard to resist,” he says, dry, and Allura cants her head a little, as if questioning or hurt by the implication.

“Of course planets were eager to join the alliance with Voltron,” she says, “but Voltron has always been beyond politics. The lions were made to protect everyone, not just those who joined our side.”

Her tone is one of gentle admonishment, soft and a little disappointed. Shiro’s lips thin, but he looks away and doesn’t say anything. His gaze skates down and to the left, as if listening to someone, before he straightens into easy, blank repose. Pidge watches, picking at her thumbnail.

Peace is always political, she wants to say but doesn’t. The words press against the backs of her teeth, caged by frustrating necessity. Amusement skitters up her veins, foreign and metallic. It’s not hers, doesn’t come from the same place as the irritation and skepticism that’s lodged in her chest. This dances sour on the back of her tongue, ozone and copper, the thin threads of the universe coiled into a toadstone in her throat. Peace and politics; antidote and poison—the lines have grown blurred recently, until they’re all the same faceted glass only viewed from a different angle.

At the Garrison, they always talked about peace. Exploration, discovery, first contact—all funded by the military’s open wallet. She remembers railing against Dad about it once, when he was working on a contract he couldn’t tell them about. He’d been pulling long days, coming home after she was supposed to be in bed, and brushing aside her questions with assurances that his work was too boring for a clever kid like her.

She’d started researching contracts open at the Garrison, following the lines of black redactions and grand euphemism to a weapon, the longest-reaching of its kind. With that kind of technology, they could sit in Garrison headquarters and pinpoint targets as far off as Jupiter’s moons, to say nothing of any potential enemy on Earth.

She’d yelled then, chewing him out for being a hypocrite, holding a hand over his own eyes as he accepted money that dripped blood down his hands. How could he talk about peace when he was making a gun for them to hold at the heads of every nation, every adult and child on earth and across the solar system?

He’d pulled off his glasses, a rare show of frustration and fatigue, and rubbed at his eye like he was warding off a headache.

“Katie,” he’d said, patient still even as the hint of sharpness slipped in, “we don’t always get a perfect choice. Sometimes, you have to work with people you don’t agree with for the greater good.”

She’d still been fuming when she went to bed that night, but now, Pidge looks at Allura’s soft eyes and feels the curl of amusement around her wrist and she wishes she could apologize. The greater good had seemed so straightforward back then, the right path the clearest of them all. Now, metal teeth prick at the back of her neck, and she can no longer tell if they’re the frontline of freedom in the galaxy or the first sacrifices to an ancient and hungry war.

Death is a kind of peace, after all.

im sorry did you say sentient eldritch cosmic beings and also space colonialism or—

#ljahdks ty!!! this was very fun #it's been a while!#fic summary ask game #demenior #asked & answered

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ashley-slashley · 3 years

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4, 12, 15 and 16 for the film ask game you reblogged 👀

Thank you so much! I love doing ask games!

4) A film you could watch on repeat for the rest of your life?

I'm chosing one per franchise

Beauty and the Beast

Pink Floyd The Wall

Apocalypse Now Redux

Evil Dead II (sorry Evil Dead 1 Ash, even though I [REDACTED])

My Fair Lady

Star Trek II

12) A movie that holds a special place in your heart?

Like the previous one, I'm not chosing 1, but I'll give one movie per genre I like, and no overlapping, this isn’t the oscars where Disney can strike out in every category (probably because they pay off the academy)

Science Fiction - Star Trek IV (I would have chose Star Trek II, but I just feel like it's right for me to choose the more absurd and chaotic of the original Star Trek movies lol)

Disney (they're basically their own genre) - Beauty and the Beast

Horror - Evil Dead

Musical - My Fair Lady

Romance - Roman Holiday

Drama - Apocalypse Now Redux

Biographical - Pink Floyd The Wall

15) A film everyone loves but you hate?

There's quite a few, but I genuinely don’t get the hype of Lion King. I beg to differ on The Princess and the Frog dvd cover that the music is the best since Lion King, but I think they should have put Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tarzan, Hercules, and Hunchback of Notre Dame. Not to sound like an asshole, but Lion King never impressed me. Yeah Mufasa dying was a turning point, but I wasn't really affected by it. Also, Be Prepared and just Scar and his evil folks are Nothing compared to Ramses II, the high priests, and Playing With The Big Boys from Prince of Egypt. I'd also like to give a big shout out to Disney for over saturating its merchandising budget with Lion King and over shadowing its other movies from the first renaissance. I know it's unfair to compare species, but Gaston, Frollo, Jafar, Clayton, Radcliffe, and Shan Yu are way more vile than Scar. All Scar wants is to kill his brother and nephew to secure his right to the throne, monarchies do that all the time, why is it different here? As you can tell, Lion King wasn't my cup of tea growing up, and I doubt it ever will be, even though I've already went through losing my dad

16) A film you love but everyone else hates?

Only movies to come to mind are

Beauty and the Beast (2017) - it was a good stand alone movie, y'all are just hooked on nostalgia

Citizen Kane - I've only heard Boomers, Gen X, and pretentious movie snobs say they love it

(insert all Mel Brooks movies here) - History of the World Part I and Robin Hood Men In Tights are underrated, that doesn't mean I don't love Spaceballs

I can't think of any other movies lol

#the shitposter replies

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annoyingdonutfan · 4 years

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Chapter one: Grandpa’s place (Magic in cream)

My grandfather told me tales of fae, and fairytales of creatures not human. These creatures would visit his little parlor on Maplewood once and awhile. He told me of the young fae who sat at his parlor and ordered milkshakes and sundaes all by his lonesome. He told me of the young merman who sat at his barstool with a sundae and would cry about the other young kids and how they treated him. He told a story of the young willow the wisp who was feared and told he was cursed. He told me of the lion cub who used to never smile except when he was alone with my grandfather, and an ice cream cone in hand. He told me of the faraway prince who would be incredibly nervous when my grandfather would hand him something, but the worry would wipe off when he had a few bites. He told me of the young beauty that no one understood, but my grandfather could understand and talk with him for hours. He told me of the young protege who only ordered the strawberry sundae, but as soon as his mother was gone, grandfather gave him something else. Grandfather told me of the birdman who handled his will and any problem in court for him, who ordered a malt when he came in to chat with my grandfather.

As I got older I forgot and brushed off these tales, though I never could shake the magic I felt when I heard the tales, or when I visited my grandfather. But he’s been dead three years now, and he left his parlor to me. I never went back, until now that is. I’ve wanted to go back for so long now, but I haven’t. I’ve been too busy, or not emotionally ready to. But then I’ve decided to come back now that I’ve quit my job, I’m moving back to Grandpa’s city, much to the warnings of my family. I’m going back. I bought myself a train ticket, and today’s the day. Grandpa, I promise I’ll start anew, just like you wanted me too. I promise I will uphold your magic.

It’s 9:30 at night currently, I have my grandfather’s old suitcase in hand. It’s the one thing I had left of him other than his old ice cream shop.

“Now arriving in Metatropolis outskirts, Metatropolis outskirts now boarding.”

This is my stop, the doors open, and I walk out the sliding doors. No one else is on the platform, no big surprise there. It’s late at night and not many people come to the outskirts of Metropolis. I set up maps on my phone and follow the directions to the Night Raven Law firm, it’s run by an old friend of my grandfather. The owner, Dire Crowely has the keys to the old ice cream shoppe.

“AHAHA, you must be young Yuu [redacted]! I remember your grandfather gushing about how lovely you were!” An oddly dressed man greets me outside of the office.

“I believe this key belongs to you? I’m quite happy you decided to come to our city after so many years! If you ever need any legal advice, please, do not hesitate to call me.”

He hands me a business card and the key for the parlor, then I head to Maplewood avenue.

I see the old parlor in front of me. It’s run down now, the paint peeling and chipping. But it’s still as magical as I remember it. Wait, there is a man who looks to be about my age standing in front of the building. He turns around, oh Lordy he’s tall.

“Hmmm may I help you”

I shake my head, the key in my hand trembling. Why is he here. As if hearing my thoughts he replies.

“I miss the owner of this old place, he was quiet kind to me as a child, as many were not, many still are not.” He runs his hand through his hair, “I’m quite sad that he’s been gone for three years, but that is neither here nor there, have a good night small one”

I look on as the man with jet black hair walks out into the next street and heads off. That was weird, he seemed nice though. If he knew my grandfather maybe he could be one of my customers!!! Wait no stop Yuu, you don’t even know if you want to even keep the building. I unlock the door. The lights are still in working condition, I set my suite case down and take off my coat, setting it on the nearest table.

“Mroaw?”

What was that?

“Mrrrrrrow”

A cat? I look back out the door into the street. There it is!

I rush out to pick up the poor thing, it’s scrawny and has a collar, it says “Grim.” The poor cat looks terrible with scars covering its body. I start to pet it’s head while bringing it back into the shop. A low content rumble comes from the cat. I look it over. Grim looks like it’s ears have been died blue. This cat has been abused. My stomach turns. There’s no clinic open this late. And I don’t have anything to give it. I haven’t even eaten yet. I search online for a local delivery place I can get food at, while Grim sniffs around. I find a small resultant called the Mostro Lounge. They accept take out orders late into the night. I ordered some stir fry from them. When the food arrives I set a plate full of meat for Grim on the floor. He sniffs it first before eating. He seems to be enjoying it, though I know take out is probably not great for cats, it’s the best I can do this late at night.

I look around the old ice cream shop. I really don’t want to sell it but… I need the money. But this is Grandpas place am I really go to let it go? I rember the strange man, he had found memories of this place. Maybe I could make people memories here to.

“Grandpa, your magic lives on I guess” I chuckle.

#twisted wonderland #malleus draconia #dire crowley #Grim #first writting a multychapter fic #please give me advice #thank you for reading #my work #my writting #donut posts

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unblot · 4 years

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@tsukimyo: there's a piece of paper rolled up & tied with an emerald ribbon just sitting on the table in diasomnia's lounge. anyone can open it to take a look at it, though just by this alone, it shows the lion prince's boldness. it's addressed to a certain lizard monster however & the contents are written in neat, slanted handwriting: missing your sweet [redacted with invisible ink magic]. when are you coming over? ;)

it’s not exactly easy to startle the prince of thorns, malleus isn’t really prone to being scared or even being uneasy. however when malleus comes across the letter now unrolled piece of paper ( as unfortunately someone had managed to read it before malleus did. he fears to think who might’ve come across it earlier ) & reads its full contents he is startled.

he’s startled both by the colorful language of the letter & by the knowledge that one of his dorm members managed to read this before he did. malleus can’t tell whether to be irritated by this inconsiderateness of such a move or to be endeared by the boldness of it. eventually malleus settles into a somewhat middle ground between the two

malleus stows away the ribbon into his pocket for safekeeping, the letter still clenched in his hand as he transports himself out of his dorm & right into leona’s dorm room. as expected the lion prince is lounging atop his bed, for once not asleep as his gaze immediately finds malleus’. to the fae’s growing irritation & endearment leona smirks. before malleus utters so much as a greeting he hurls the paper towards the other, it landing smack dab in the lion’s face. ❛ next time if you wish to summon me do so without airing our dirty laundry for my entire dorm. make a repeat of this & you’ll be sorely punished. ❜

#asks.#tsukimyo #for only in the furious flames of your eyes has my coldblooded heart known warmth ( tsukimyo / malleona. )#interactions: malleus.#suggestive //#I HATE THEM SO FUCKING MUCH #also obvs he's joking about being punished but in an annoyed sexy way lol

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everyaccentthesame · 4 years

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Preparation for running Tyranny of dragons: The Cult of the Dragon, reimagined

[DO NOT READ AHEAD IF JOINING MY GAME, SPOILERS AHEAD]

The Cult of the Chromatic Dragon

Cult factions were created by [Redacted] to bind together the Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat and allied organisations, into his new Cult of the Chromatic dragon, and minimise frictions between factions. Essentially creating a sub-cult for each aspect of dragon-kind, [Redacted] was merciless in separating out individual cells and giving individuals appropriate roles. He has encouraged competition between cults, including subterfuge, assassination and even cases of armed conflict, knowing it cements loyalty to one’s own faction, which, in a way, cements the faith in the Cult of the Chromatic Dragon.

The concept of each Cult faction was created during the Council of Tiamat’s Ascension, where their individual roles were laid out and structures created. During this council the Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat and multiple other smaller dragon-worshipping organisations were forcefully merged then split apart into five new wholes. The council is also notable for having a death toll equal to a small war, as any objections were overruled with extreme prejudice by the new masters of the draconic cults.

There are, however, lingering remnants of the old guard- followers of the scaly way of the cult of the dragon that disagree with the Cult’s new direction, including many of the oldest and most influential members of the Cult of the dragon. In addition, the wearing of purple has been retained as a common way of declaring who is in command across the cult, and many Wearers of Purple prefer to pursue personal ambitions over the wider cult’s goals.

The Red Hand

The largest and most military minded of the sub-cults and also the most obsessed with wealth, the Red Hand was founded to be the strong right hand of the cult, its largest and most powerful force, reflecting the attributes of the red chromatic dragon. The Red Hand revels in assaulting heavily defended targets with significant concentrations of wealth, using overwhelming force and savagely efficient tactics and strategies. They are not content until they’ve taken anything of any conceivable value from a target, including slaves and prisoners. Their might is currently concentrated to the south and east of the sword coast, with forces ready to react when great force is needed. Much of their activity is self-directed, set on training and enlarging their forces through recruitment of humans and goblinoids, as well as creating a large slave-army out of those it deems unfit for membership.

The force is composed of the Cult of the Dragons more conventional forces, including those new recruits deemed of a suitable mien, minor elements of the church of Tiamat that favoured red dragons above all others and significant elements of the remnants of the Red Hand of Doom, a Tiamat worshipping Hobgoblin horde defeated many years ago. This section of the cult spends much of its time drilling and training, working to synthesise cult, hobgoblin and draconic tactics. The Hand even has a number of notoriously arrogant red dragons on retainer, which they work with to perfect how they will fight together in a significant conflict.

The Red Hand only recruits those they deem to have the correct attitude and skills in battle. Professional soldiers, knights, mercenaries and disciplined warriors are all welcomed with open arms. They also recruit those that seem to have potential to be a great warrior, but lack the training. Of those they capture in raids the Red Hand has created an army of fighting slave-soldiers. These slaves are promised a place in the Red Hand and a chance to gain proper weapons and armours if they prove themselves skilled and bloodthirsty in battle, and death if they refuse to fight the Hand’s enemies. Few refuse an offer of promotion to the cult proper, as the conditions the fighting slaves are kept in are atrocious and require constant activity and marching to keep the slaves physically and mentally exhausted. Those that are promoted are encouraged to quickly forget their old lives and to be grateful to the cult for letting them escape the slave-armies. Thus the ranks of the Red Hand have grown full of skilled, fanatical and desperate warriors.

Because of their draconic allies, the cult has a wellspring of Kobold labour that replenishes rapidly. They despise these weak dragonlings, but make great use of their subservience, having them take care of basic errands and menial tasks. The cult also has a huge number of goblin tribes forced into its service, recruited by the hobgoblin elements of the Red Hand, which are mostly kept corralled in a separate area whenever the Red Hand is encamped. Neither of these forces is considered part of the Red Hand, but they are considered expendable auxiliaries, and are herded into battle when it is tactically expedient to do so. They are considered just equal to the fighting-slave forces of the cult, and greater than the slaves that perform non-combat functions for the cult. To the Red Hand, a warrior, no matter how lowly, is always superior in rank to a civilian.

The Red hand favours strength and despises weakness and believes conflict and flame can separate the strong and the weak. Those looking to prove themselves ritualistically burn their bodies as displays of devotion, and for those the dragon god favours, when these burns heal they may develop a layer of scales or other draconic features over them. Some particularly deranged and power-hungry cultists toss themselves head-first into pyres to receive blessings- those few that survive these experiences usually are crippled for life, but some are blessed, becoming creatures akin to half-dragons or dragonborn. Most cultists of Dragonfang rank or above have some form of burn on their bodies, and those of higher ranks have more burn scars and draconic features.

The Red hand has been taking territory in Vaasa, Damara and lands around the moonsea, and holding it. They prefer not raid, only conquer or raze, and either way they ensure their targets of looted of all wealth. Another, smaller part of the red hand is present in Mughorm, recruiting from a populace that already venerates dragons, and preparing to be part of the push into Tymanther, where they hope to convert many of the ‘misguided dragon-kin’. Some more independent Red Hand warbands have taken up raiding, working with other cult cells to provide their military expertise and strong sword-hands in taking hard targets, often in exchange for the lions share of the loot. Finally, a contingent of the Red hand, under the command of Draegloth Bladelord, have been placed in charge of security and the final defence of the Well of Dragons, made up of some of their their mightiest fighters and an adult red dragon, Skylkyth.

The Red Hand believe firmly in expansion through conquest, a result of the fusion of the credo of red chromatic and hobgoblin philosophy. They view the subjugation of populaces as a holy act, and many have almost heretically strong ties with Banites. When they defeat an enemy armed force, they give the survivors a choice: join or die. Those that choose to join are forced to kill their erstwhile compatriots to prove their loyalty, and quickly pushed into ‘taking the flame’ and other rites- any hesitation or refusal is punishable by execution, either immediate or on the pyre, until they have proven their loyalty well enough. When the Red hand needs to take resources, they take slaves as well. They then divide these poor souls into the elderly/disabled, children, and those of fighting age. The elderly are tasked with performing labour, those unable to do so are killed. The children are either sold or raised to venerate dragons as cultists. Those able to fight are given an option- join the ranks of the cult or be sold/killed.

The Wyrmspeaker that rules the sub-cult is [Redacted] himself, though he rarely deigns to manage the day-to-day affairs, given both his proclaimed lordship of the entire Cult of the Chromatic Dragon and mysterious duties that see him disappear with his inner circle for months or years at a time. Indeed, [Redacted]’s prolonged absence from the realms has left the various, the Wearers of purple for the Red Hand have taken it upon themselves to take more initiative to achieve their own ends. The most senior Wearer of Purple among their number, Severin, is attempting to usurp control over much of the Red Hand, though

The Azure Wing

The Azure Wing are not the largest faction, but they are powerful in the cult, being the most skilled and able in the breeding and creation of dragonspawn, and in the changing of humanoids into more draconic forms. Many of the wizards associated with the Cult of the Dragon were directed to join this cult, though many of them, especially the Necromancers, resent this imposition. Many members of the church of Tiamat, including powerful Clerics, have joined the cult, bringing their experience of manipulating dragonspawn The Azure Wing is only just having breakthroughs in many areas in the breeding and creation of the spawn, partially due to infighting and the reluctance of many members to engage in this new path. In addition, the cult has succeeded in attracting many members who have draconic heritage, granting them special treatment as they have come to appreciate and venerate the draconic form more and more.

Gradually the Azure Wing is gathering an army of Dragonspawn and Undead, keeping their powerful creations hidden away from prying eyes in isolated laboratories and seemingly abandoned fortresses. Thought their current experiments have peaked at the creation of draconic-flesh golems and drakes, new access to dragon eggs, granted by the Dragon masks and the new Wyrmspeaker for the cult, has greatly improved the speed at which their research progresses. The ultimate goal of the cult is to create the dragonspawn of old, mighty beasts that are spawned from Dragon Eggs, especially the fabled Godslayers, and speed up their growth through magical means to allow them to participate in the final battles of the cult.

Dragonspawn are draconic monstrosities created according to Tiamat’s design out of dragon eggs corrupted by dark magic and her malevolent will. They range from gargantuan monstrosities to tiny spies, from mindless monsters to cunning intelligent creatures, but all are built for battle. The methods to create these creatures are obscure and hidden by ritual and superstition, but all require dragon eggs, corrupted by profane rituals. For this reason, many Dragons are opposed to the creatures creation, and only through the power of the dragon masks has this secret been kept hidden. The cults experiments in creating dragonspawn have not just been limited to creating novel life- many cultists have taken to submitting themselves to modification, seeking to integrate the draconic with their body through dark magic and surgery. Worse still, some sects have found it to be easier to mutate and corrupt living humanoids into draconic creatures and will use prisoners for that purpose.

Because so many of the powerful necromancers joined the Wing, the Wing now lays claim to the loyalty of many of the Dracoliches that the cult once created, including those that were brought under the direct control of cult cells. [Redacted] has collected the phylacteries of many of these Dracoliches, personally destroying several to intimidate the others into obedience. Many rankle at this imposition, and would gleefully betray the cult, and only reluctantly follow orders under the threat of their phylacteries being destroyed. Still, given [Redacted]s absence from the realms, some are refusing orders outright, working to locate their Phylacteries, which they know must be stored somewhere on this Plane, and would work with adventurers to return them. Still others remain loyal to, or at least under the sway of their necromantic transformers, the old wizards of the Cult of the Dragon. Some of these wizards are full devotees to the new cause, while others are wistful for the return of Sammaster and the old ways.

The Azure Wing has been taking part in the raiding of the Sword Coast, as well as in the southern lands, taking the opportunity to put their creations to the test, and have been responsible for many atrocities. The Cult’s central base of operations, and the residing place of the Blue Wyrmspeaker, Galvan and their mask, is Castle Perilous, where they assisted the Red hand in clearing out forces of Bahamut from Damara and Vaasa. Here they have revived ancient spawning pools and reservoirs of necromantic magic, allowing them to progress with dark experiments, often on the terrified citizens of Vaasa and Damara.

They have a presence in the Dracolichdom of Threskel where a cell has been working with the ruling undead drake, Alasklerbanbastos, who was originally made into a Dracolich by the cult of the Dragon. Alasklerbanbastos’s support has been wavering however- he does not entirely believe Tiamat would favour undead dragons like himself, and fears being displaced from power in favour of a living dragon. He sees a great threat coming from Tchazzar, the ancient red draconic ruler of Chessenta. Though Tchazzar is a chosen of Tiamat, he has long preferred to nurture his own cult and claim godhood, but it is little secret that both the Red hand and the Jade Fang have sent agents and emissaries to convince him to lend the might of his forces and his own considerable combat ability. Alaskerbanbastos fears that Tchazzar is being offered rulership over the entire southlands in exchange for his aid and has agreed to commit fully to the cult if Tchazzar is prevented from joining, or even better, destroyed. The Azure wing has agreed, and works to bolster these efforts, knowing that if Alaskerbanbastos joins through their efforts, they will rise greatly in the esteem of the cult, even if their actions hurt the cult as a whole.

To the chagrin of the Jade Fang, the Azure Wing has been credited with the recruitment of allies form the Red Wizards of Thay. While the Jade Fang’s representatives attempted to infiltrate the courts of Szass Tam, the Wyrmspeaker of the Azure Wing, Galvan his contacts to establish a rapport with rebellious cells of Red Wizards, led by Rath Modar, his cousin. The contribution of the Red Wizards magic to the Cults activity has been a great boon and made up for setbacks the cult suffered in its failure to crack the secret of creating Dragonspawn in the early stages of their work.

Galvan the Blue Wyrmspeaker is an Archmage who favours schools of necromancy and lightning evocation, an interest he picked up during his education on the creation of Flesh Golems. An aged human whose life has been extended by multiple forms of magic yet has resisted the temptation of lichdom. He was old when Sammaster returned to the realms in the 1300s and has come to see Sammasters failure with the Dracorage Mythal as a divine event, as without the Dracorage, dragonkind would once again come to rule. He views Sammaster as ultimately misguided, but necessary for the completion of the prophecies found in the chronicle of years to come. He is unsure of the wisdom of summoning Tiamat to the world, but relishes a chance to practise his art and is terrified of [Redacted] , for he knows the full consequences of wielding the hand of Vecna. Galvan was the one to introduce the Red Wizards with the cult and innovate the mass-production of undead and dragonspawn for the cult, and is thus high in the Cults esteem, though slow progress in the creation of Dragonspawn has marred his reputation somewhat. Galvan’s age has given him great patience, and he knows he is close to creating something… magnificent.

The Jade Fang

The Jade Fang perhaps has the fewest competent warriors, monsters or magic-users in the wider cult, but of all its compatriots, it wields the widest influence on the realms. The fang is responsible for almost all non-hostile dealings with the wider world, charged with representing the cult in person and manipulating matters from afar. The current members of the Fang have been recruited from diverse backgrounds, most anyone with charisma or wider influence in the realms. This includes merchants, nobles, dignitaries, diplomats, bards and more. Entrance into the Fang is often made out to be akin to an elite club or society, and comes with significant benefits, courtesy of the cult. Indeed, many join the Jade Fang not knowing of its involvement with the wider Cult of the Chromatic Dragon until it is too late, by which point the cult knows too much about them and has too much dirt on them for them to ever escape.

Jade Fang cultists are often the nicest and most outwardly amenable members of the cult. Many hide a vicious streak, but some are genuinely nice people, who just happen to believe that the reign of dragons over the world is both inevitable and desirable. Others are simply in the Fang for the connections and influence membership can bring. Cultists will often attempt to retain their outward humanoid appearance in order to improve their diplomatic relations with others, but a common cult rite is to encourage members to build up a resistance to poisons and venoms through regular imbibing of small amounts, and because of this many cultists often appear sickly, pale and wan. The draconic changes these acts cause on their bodies are often incredibly subtle and hidden, though on occasion a more obvious mutation will occur, in which case an agent must either abandon their position or conceal it, perhaps covering it as an injury. Blessings of Jade Fang cultists can include increased perception, glibness of tongue and the development of retractable, venomous fangs.

The Jade fang coordinates the mercantile interests and finances of the wider cult. While all parts of the cult are expected to supply themselves, the Fang can provide resources and wealth to other sub-cults when needed, though it rarely does so freely, except under the command of [Redacted] . The Fang uses all forms of underhanded tactics and the resources of other sub-cults to ensure that its merchants always get the best deal, and that rivals always seem to suffer unfortunate accidents, whether to cargo, or to their persons. A great many wealthy noble houses and merchants have the Fang to thank for their recent successes as it has brought to bear all the old influence of the Cult of the Dragon.

Similarly, the Fang has been entrusted with securing powerful allies amongst the kingdoms and cities of the civilized peoples, where their most trusted agents bump shoulders with kings, queens and archmages. There has been less success on this front- the truly powerful of the Realms do not need the Cults help, but a rare few have been manipulated or converted to pledge allegiance to the cult. No monarchs have yet pledged, but success has been made in Cormyr to set up the succession of a ruler that will allow the Cult free movement through their land (allowing the red hand to reach the Well of Dragons without having to cross through the Anauroch desert or facing the armies of Cormyr) and refuse to commit forces against them. When the time comes, representatives of the cult that go to proclaim the Cults goals and demand the surrender of the cities and kingdoms of the realms will be of the Jade Fang, and many compete for this position.

The greatest success to date has been gaining the allegiance of the Eldreth Velthuraa, the achievement of which elevated the current Wyrmspeaker, Neronvain, to his position. The Eldreth Velthuraa have been led to believe that Tiamat will cleanse the Realms of all non-draconic humanoids, but that Evermeet will be preserved, and have been promised that the elves will be allowed to settle the lands alongside the dragons as equals. The Eldreth Velthuraa are no fools, and realize that they will be wiped out too, but believe that Evermeet can survive the Dragon Queen and her servants long enough for them to enact the Dracorage Mythal once again and introduce a new age of elven supremacy.

Recruiting at a street level is one of the most important duties entrusted to the Fang, and while less grand in scale than its mercantile efforts or its diplomatic forays, without it the cult would be a fraction of its current size. Recruiters, as in all cults, look for the downtrodden and destitute, and offer them a chance to part of something greater, to experience real power, and to gain prestige and status beyond which society currently affords them. In a realm wracked by the Sundering and a great many evils and injustices, their tactics have been incredibly successful, though the real challenge is turning the recruits into proper cultists, while keeping any activity secret from local authorities or organisations that oppose cult activity.

While the Jade Fang does have some operatives skilled in the arts of combat, they have the least of any sub-cult. They retain their status and prevent the other sub-cults pushing them around not only through their control of the flow of recruits and gold, but also through the fact they are in charge of hiring most of the cult’s mercenary agents. While most of these are hard-scrabble mercenary companies looking for the next payday, some of the things the Jade Fang treats with are more Fiendish in nature, hiring Devils and occasionally Yugoloths to work with them. Indeed, the Jade Fang’s Wyrmspeaker, Neronvain, treats with many Greater devils working to remove Tiamat from the nine-hells.

Alongside the Sable eye, the Jade Fang must constantly oppose and avoid the agents of the ‘goodly’ factions of the realms, as well as other churches, though it tries to do so in a more ‘hearts and minds’ kind of way, avoiding direct conflict. On occasion the Jade Fang will require agents to engage in assassination and spying, usually against targets that the Sable Eye cannot reach through stealth, but they prefer not to- such actions risk compromising their Agents cover. The Jade Fang has come into increasing conflict with the agents of the Harpers and Lords alliance as they increasingly come to manipulate the courts of the great and powerful.

The leader of the cult, Neronvain, is the son of king Melendrach and this status still grants him significant respect and admittance to elf-friendly courts across the realms. He currently resides deep in the misty forest, organising cult activities and raiding against elven settlements. In these raids he uses only non-elf agents and is using them to drum up support for the Eldreth Velthuura, while also advocating for them in court. He uses a network of ancient elven teleportation circles and his trusty griffon mount to travel rapidly across the realms and is famous for being both overly enthusiastic and controversial. Seen as a naïve idealist, as well as a hedonist, by many, he is in fact incredibly manipulative, charming and has been using the resources given to him by his new allies to great effect in stirring discord and conflict amongst those that would oppose the cult of the dragon.

The Sable Eye

The Sable eye has been tasked with keeping order in the wider cult and ensuring that its enemies and erstwhile allies are prevented from learning of its existence or growing too powerful. It is also tasked with orchestrating campaigns of terror and fomenting strife through famine and pestilence. It is composed of those agents of the old Cult of the Dragon and the Church of Tiamat more suited to the subtle arts of spying, assassination, interrogation and intimidation. Entrance into the Eye is unusual in that it usually occurs horizontally, with an invitation to a member of another sub-cult that displays desirable talents, fanaticism and loyalty. Recruitment is often laced with significant incentives, such as increased authority, wealth, access to magical items and less arduous duties. Those recruited directly into the sub-cult are always those that chose to join the wider cult voluntarily and are undergo severe vetting to ensure their loyalty and weed out any spies or potential traitors. All in all, the Sable Eye is the most difficult Sub-Cult to join, but possibly the one that grants the greatest degree of freedom and power from the outset.

Members of the Sable Eye, as a result of the stringent recruitment methods, tend to be proud and of the attitude that they are superior to the members of other sub-cults. They also tend to be highly skilled in their chosen area of expertise and dedicated to the wider cult’s goals. The Sable Eye revere acid as a tool of cleansing, and believe it reveals purity, and will ritualistically daub their bodies in just enough to irritate their flesh. Though painful, this process, accompanied by the correct rites, eventually creates patches of acid-resistant black scales that absorb light and hide motion from the eyes. In addition, many are granted mutation of more esoteric form- those that risk daubing their eyes with acid may go blind, or they may be granted greatly superior vision in the darkness, their eyes turned to cat-like pupils, those that suspend their extremities in vats of acid might be granted painful transformations into claws or simply lose them, some may even be granted wings.

Of the two main duties of the Sable Eye, the one that it is known and feared for within the cult is its work policing the other sub-cults. It has explicit permission from [Redacted] to spy upon the other sub-cults and a duty to report any traitors in the ranks, and even has the power to eliminate those within the cult that it deems subversive, though any assassination against a target of Dragonwing or above must be approved by a Wyrmspeaker. In addition, the Sable Eye is important for ensuring that other sub-cults cleave to the overall will of the Cult of the Dragon, and do not let petty vendettas and rivalries get in the way of achieving the overall goal of the cult.

Members of the Sable eye will join the raiding parties or task groups from other sub-cults and act as a constant reminder of the watchful eye of the greater cult. In addition, they will act as advisors and specialists in subterfuge to these groups, ensuring that the cults activities don’t garner too much unwanted attention from the wider world, an important activity as the cult ramps up its operations. If too much ire from other factions is drawn at this early stage of cult activity, then the cult will be unable to assemble the resources to complete its plans. They are also favoured inquisitors and interrogators amongst the cult, combining their expertise with inflicting pain, a terrifying mien and a trained skill at questioning to quickly extract information the cult needs, or to uncover any traitorous acts from amongst the ranks.

The other main activities for which the Sable Eye is responsible are theft, spying and assassination, jobs for which their agents are highly suited. The theft of powerful magical artefacts is an important goal of the cult, as many will be useful in their ultimate goals or in achieving secondary goals. They typically seek objects of great power and importance, with wider abilities than just offensive power.

The Sable Eye also works with the Jade Fang to work with, or eliminate, criminal organisations such as the Xanathar guild, thieves’ guilds, or guilds of assassins. They have come into conflict with these organisations just as often as they have managed to arrange cooperation, however, and certain parties are increasingly alarmed by the increasing presence of the cult in the criminal underworld. They have recently begun to engage in wider criminal enterprise to help fund their increased scope of activity and to provide tribute to the wider Cult, ranging from protection racketeering to fraud to engaging in the trade of illicit substances to piracy.

The Sable Eye has found itself in increasing conflict with the shadowy Zentarim and the Harpers network. The Zentarim have had multiple items stolen from them and are growing increasingly concerned about the Sable Eye’s influence in the criminal underworld, including alliances made with the Xanathar guild, an old enemy of the Zentarim, with the aid of the Jade Fang. Their agents are now beginning to wage a subtle, hidden war, outside of the public eye, as the Zentarim increasingly begins to interfere with the operations of the wider Cult. Though the Zentarim and the other factions of the Sword Coast are not natural allies, they nevertheless have a common purpose in this matter, and some limited cooperation has been achieved.

The Wyrmspeaker of the Sable Eye is Rezmir, a black half-dragon, who is a skilled combatant, assassin, and practitioner of shadow magics. She has become extremely personally involved in the transport of the cults looted treasure across the sword coast, taking charge of ensuring that it reaches its destination without piquing the interest of factions opposing the cult. She is also highly aware that members of the cult may try to steal from the hoard being transported, so has the agents of the Sable eye ready to clamp down on any theft being perpetrated- by the other factions, of course.

The Ivory Claw

Of all the sub-cults of Cult of the Chromatic dragon, the Ivory Claw is seemingly the most disorganised, and the most apparently fanatical and barbaric. It forms the expendable muscle of the cult, the base mass of swarming bodies sent to overwhelm and intimidate the Sword Coast, the scouts and skirmishers, scavengers and raiders. They gladly induct recruits from all walks of life, no matter their prior skillset, allegiances or outlook- anyone willing to join enthusiastically with their worship of Tiamat is accepted, no questions asked. The claw will recruit from any race or species, but the majority of its recruits come from human communities. Recruiters of the Jade Fang also send recruits that are too fanatical and unskilled to be useful elsewhere to this sub-cult, including many powerful warriors deemed too chaotic and unmanageable for the Red Hand. Furthermore, most that approach agents of the cult actively looking to join the cult are directed to join the Ivory Claw, as it is both widespread and willing to accept anyone who wishes to praise Tiamat. Despite this, the Ivory Claw remains only the second largest sub-cult, after the Red Hand, as its strength is constantly being expended on ceaseless raiding and acts of brutal devotion, activities which have increased exponentially in recent years. Nevertheless, it is perhaps the most quickly replenishing and vigorous, and its agents will be those which opponents of the cult will face most in open combat until the Red Hand receives orders to march on the Sword Coast.

The Ivory Claw likes to portray itself as a welcoming family of faith and community, that offers purpose to those that join (at least to potential recruits, to its victims it is little more than a pack of slavering barbaric raiders), though it is clear to anyone joining that this ‘family’ has a very cruel and vicious streak. Each new recruit is inducted into a ‘warrior band’, a tribe-like group of warriors led by a Dragonfang. This band sleeps together, eats together and fights together. It expects every member to welcome a new recruit, and will provide them with new clothes, weapons and (very) brief training in how to use them. After this the generosity of the cult quickly ends, with the recruit being granted few rights or privileges, left at the edges of the campfire, as the more experienced cultists laugh and carouse amongst themselves. The new member is expected to join in the cult as it engages in its ritualistic acts of worship, before being thrust to the frontlines of the next raid. If they survive their first ‘blooding’ their status in the band improves, and they begin to be allowed to join the band proper, granted limited privileges over unblooded recruits and a small portion of loot- though nothing more valuable than a silver piece.

All this time the Dragonfang or one of their four lieutenant Dragonwings will be observing the new recruit, as well as any other recent inductees, ensuring that they integrate well into the group and begin to earn their place, and that they display no signs of disloyalty or subterfuge. Any suspected spies are dealt with brutally and immediately. A cultist that survives five successful raids, in which they manage to achieve at least one kill (slaughtering civilians is fine), or otherwise comport themselves with ferocity and fanaticism, will get promoted through the ranks to become a Dragonclaw- an eponymous ‘ivory claw’, and is inducted in the arts of draconic magic. New Dragonclaws are apportioned a greater share of loot and may even take slaves for themselves on raids.

From here, a Dragonclaw must prove itself in the eyes of the Dragonfang in command of the band- those that show sufficient skill and devotion are further promoted to Dragonwing, usually upon the death or promotion of another Dragonwing. A Dragonclaw is welcome to challenge a Dragonwing to a duel for their position as well, though this rarely ends well for the Dragonclaw, as the duel is to the death and Dragonwings are skilled and magically empowered combatants. Ascension to the rank of Dragonfang occurs when a Dragonwing challenges and defeats the current Dragonfang of a warband, and then is granted full authority of the position when the band is next visited by a Dragonsoul, or on rare occasions, the Wyrmspeaker.

The Ivory Claw, though it seems simple and barbaric, actually implements a large number of highly effective tools to turn new recruits into frothing fanatics, loyal only to the Claw and Tiamat. These strategies were devised by [Redacted] ’s lieutenants and a number of veteran recruiter and organisers from the old Cult of the Dragon and Church of Tiamat. The creation of the warrior bands, as described above, is but one of the tactics used by the cult to indoctrinate their followers, making a follower feel isolated when separated from their newfound ‘family’, and only complete when working within their band. Each band is too small, with perhaps 50-100 or so members, to effectively rebel, and the leaders of each band are incentivized to seek to join the ranks of the Dragonsouls.

Mandatory participation in vile rituals of sacrifice and torture leads the cultists to feel they have crossed a line and can never return to normal civilized society. The leadership of the Claw distributes psychogenic and hallucinogenic drugs that make cultists feel both elated and truly spiritually aware and savage during religious ritual and before combat, leading to the cultists anticipating and demanding both, as well as creating an addictive tie to the cult. The nature of the drugs is a deliberately kept secret in order to ensure that the cultists can never fulfil their addiction without the help of the cult and their warband. Cultists are encouraged to engage in sexual and brief but fierce emotional relationships with other cultists, in order to tie them even more emotionally to the cult. Contact with family members and friends from one’s old life is forbidden, with the exception of those that may be open to recruitment.

It is commonly said that there is no leaving the Ivory Claw but through death, by both the Claw’s members and its foes alike. If a member of the sub-cult attempts to flee the band, the entire group will drop what it’s doing and hunt them down, and entire villages have been raised for harbouring a single fugitive ex-Claw. Cultists are encouraged to hate theses ‘traitors’, and whenever a band suffers set-backs, it is often blamed on hidden spies and traitors in their midst.

The Claw is often deployed to support other bands of cultists and will often be recruited by Wearers of Purple to accompany them on missions for the Cult. They are often treated as little more than expendable fodder, but the bands follow slavishly nevertheless, fanatical in their worship of dragons, Tiamat and the Cult of the Chromatic dragon. Otherwise, the Ivory Claw is left to reave and raid as directed by their local Dragonsoul and wearers of purple, typically in areas that are away from major population centres but contain many isolated populations of humanoids. Some accompany Jade Fang diplomatic expeditions to treat with ‘barbaric’ tribes in the far north and other lands, as both security and to impress those tribespeople with the cults’ similar way of life.

The leadership of the Claw has an entirely different mien from the cult at large. Chosen for a completely different set of characteristics, those of Dragonsoul and Wearer of Purple rank are usually proficient warriors, but also circumspect and manipulative social climbers and leaders. Contrary to the beliefs of most of the Claw’s cultists, they often are promoted from outside the organisation, taken from sub-cults such as the Jade Fang or Sable Eye, and a great many are members of the old guard of the Cult of the Dragon, or agents introduced by [Redacted] himself. These leaders have a better grasp of strategy and work to ensure the brutal fanaticism and savagery of the cult is directed where it is most valuable, while also letting bands remain mostly self-sufficient and independent. The leaders treat with each other in comfortable safe houses in isolate regions of Faerun, where they live lives of luxury while protected by an elite caste of fanatically loyal berserkers, culled from the ranks of the Claw. From these places they organise raiding, recruitment and coordination with the wider cult.

The current Wyrmspeaker, Varram the White, is a dwarf that was once a Battlerager, and integrated many of that cult of warriors’ doctrines and tribalistic worldviews into the Ivory Claw’s indoctrination techniques. He considers himself more of a philosopher and researcher of people than a cultist and will often spend long periods observing the behaviour of prisoners and cultists when put into cruel and unusual circumstances. Nevertheless, he is prone to fall into rages when provoked, struggling to deal with the anger issues that originally led him down the path of the Battlerage, linked to the death of his wife and child at the hands of bandits. He uses these rages in a constructive manner, however, to understand what might provoke his followers into similar states of mind when required. This led him to create a creed of dragon-touched berserkers dedicated to Tiamat within the Ivory Claw, which can fall into great but controlled rages and serve as bodyguards for many of the more senior members of the claw, and as shock troops for the cult. This achievement led to his elevation to the position of Wyrmspeaker of the Ivory Claw, but he has been struggling to manage the position and maintain control over the sub-cult.

The success of the Ivory Claws methods of indoctrination and recruitment has led to other cults to adopt many of their practices. The ranking structure of ‘Dragonclaw’ to ‘Dragonsoul’ has widely been adopted as a way of designating rank and cult secrets to cultists. The Sable Eye, the Jade fang and the Azure Wing have their own ‘warbands’ of cultists that take in recruits in a manner akin to the Ivory Claw

Wearers of Purple

Without central organisation, the 5 ‘Heads’ of the cult would be little more than a squabbling group of loosely affiliated factions. Recognising this problem, [Redacted] co-opted the wearers of purple from the Cult of the Dragon and made them into a special caste within the Wider Cult. These individuals have authority and power invested in them to demand obedience from any member of the cult, aside from other Wearers of Purple and the Wyrmspeakers. The Wyrmspeakers have the authority to appoint normal cult members to the rank of Wearer of Purple, but to do so requires a special ritual, where the prospective member is granted access to the innermost mysteries of the Cult of the Chromatic dragon.

A Wearer of Purple therefore often leads specific cult activities that require a multifaceted approach beyond which individual sub-cults could provide, such as finding long-lost magical artefacts, coordinating raiding activities, gathering and moving resources or organising assaults against powerful targets. One Wearer of Purple cannot overrule another from a different sub-cult, so most groups of each sub-cult of any importance are assigned a wearer of purple to oversee operations and command any auxiliaries from other sub-cults. When Wearers of Purple in the same sub-cult disagree, the most senior (whomever received initiation as a wearer of purple first) is granted authority, but only while they are present.

Each Wearer of Purple is (usually) associated with a specific colour of chromatic dragon and sub-cult and is given a title loosely based on the colour of dragon they favour. For example: Tallis the White, Langdegrosa Cyanwrath, Alson the Argent.

The Wyrmspeakers

The Wyrmspeakers are wearers of Purple that have been placed at the head of each of the Cult of the Chromatic Dragons. Charged with ultimate authority over their own faction, and charged with ensuring that the ultimate goals of the Cult are achieved, they are promoted based on the merit of achievement, and the leaders of the Jade Fang, Ivory Claw and the Sable Eye have been replaced multiple times as their Wyrmspeakers have fallen out of favour for one slight or another. Only the Red hand (whose Wyrmspeaker is [Redacted] ) and the Azure Wing have retained their Wyrmspeaker since the Chromatic Council.

Dragons

Given the Cult of the Chromatic Dragons focus on serving dragonkind, most drakes in their service do so voluntarily, out of lust for power, promises of wealth or sheer boredom. Some serve out of coercion, as the Cult has stolen their eggs, mate, or some other emotionally valuable item to them, but such practise is frowned upon by the cultists. Most of the factions of the Cult prefer to associate with those dragons of the hue that their faction is associated with and make great promises and bribes to acquire their services on raids. As the power of the cult has increased, so has the number of Dragons pledging loyalty to it. Some metallic dragons have even sided with the cult, mostly out of the belief that they could use the renewed rule of dragons to improve the lot of the smallfolk, though some have joined out of fear as well. The former are often unaware of the cults ultimate plans, while the latter are.

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