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mayaree-darling · 6 months

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who's to say what's real or fake// Genshin SAGAU

from aree: impostor au but you actually are the impostor? but ofcourse theres a twist. I think i'll call this FakeGrace!Reader. This was just going to be a headcannon post but ended up a whole fic plot

warnings: themes that all come with the sagau tag (yandere, lots of religious talk, cult, etc.)

word count: 2k~

You end up on Teyvat and immediately the characters recognize you as their Creator; of course you're their Creator - you have the same face, name, and voice. You go through the ordeal of getting to know all the characters all over again and they in turn love you as the god they’ve been waiting for all this time.

You decide that well, this is the world and characters I spent blood, sweat, and tears building (even if it was behind a screen) so might as well help out and do what needs to be done. The people come to you for their problems and you find that they're not as difficult as when you were simply a player. Maybe a minor dispute here and there between the NPCs, but now the vision holders and the Archons ask for your thoughts on how to go about political matters concerning their nations. Even Snezhnaya has signed a peace treaty with the other nations as a show of good faith to the Creator (even if you know for a fact its a temporary one).

All has never been better.

Until another Creator appears in Teyvat, and this one bleeds gold the way their stories foretold. In a way you do not.

The vision holders are torn. Yes, you are an impostor, and they want to hate you for tricking them, but at the same time haven’t you only shown them love? Haven’t you been patient with them and understanding despite being thrown into a world you’re unfamiliar with?

But with careful coercion from the other god, they have to choose to follow their true Creator. You decide to take pity on them and step down from your position yourself, choosing to live with the Aranara who have gladly taken you under their wing (fake god you may be, you are still a friend of the forest, and the forest always remembers its friends).

The Archons tell their new Creator that you are no more. They pretend to not hear when the Creator says they should have brought your head with them, maybe just a bitter reaction for finding out that they have been serving an impostor all this time (the Archons are lying when they say they do not feel sickened at the idea of hurting you, and disgusted at this new God's words)

It soon becomes clear to the people of Teyvat that this new Creator is not you - none of the patience or kindness you had showed them. This new one thinks helping their people is below them, even laughs at some of their problems. They chuck their duties as a god to the vision holders and spend their days leisurely, wining and dining on the best food, expecting to be waited on hand and foot. And at first it was fine, the characters understood. Maybe their Creator was just enjoying the fruits of their labor for once (although in the back of their mind, they can't help but compare you - you who worked tirelessly to attend to everyone even when they’d almost beg you to take a break). The characters tell themselves that they just need to get used to this new god, their true Creator. It will all right itself in time. Even as the Creator acted more like a child by the day, calling for the punishment of characters for the simplest of things. It’s fine. It’s fine.

It didn't take long for their will to break.

The God of Wisdom is called as such for a reason. Nahida may be younger compared to the rest, but she is braver than most. She simply tried to impart a fraction of her wisdom, softly suggesting to the Creator to show mercy for their people who were gravely punished for things they did not do.

This Creator was not you. They did not have a drop of patience that you had, nor any love for their creations. Their god saw this as nothing but an act of treason. How dare a mere Archon tell them what to do? She dares to question who the Creator can and cannot punish?

The silence is deafening in the throne room as the Creator calls for the death of Lesser Lord Kusanali and the destruction of Sumeru. If it is mercy she asks for then it is the last thing she and her people will receive. The other Archons agree past gritted teeth, the sin of Khaenri’ah weighing heavy over their shoulders still.

Nahida had been banished to Sumeru before the order was given, so the Archons make their way to the Nation of Wisdom to tell her of her sentencing, hoping to beg her to ask the Creator for their forgiveness.

This can't be how it ends. Are they to spend their lives in fear of the god they so revered?

They enter a forest emitting divine energy in search of their friend, hearts heavy, but they found something else.

They found you. They found the Creator they loved once upon a time.

They seemed to have caught you mid-conversation with Nahida, and to their surprise (and resentment) the Tsaritsa; they can only assume that the god of Snezhnaya has informed you first of Nahida's fate. The Wanderer catches sight of them and stands in front of you in protection. You don't even bat an eye. You swallow hard and stand, Nahida's hand enveloped in yours, and the other gods would be lying if they say they did not feel jealousy strangling their lungs.

With a steady voice, you tell them that should they take one step against Nahida, you will meet them halfway. If they decide to send Sumeru to hell, they will have to go through you first. You will do everything you can to stop them, and if Sumeru falls then you fall with them.

They don't have to look at the others to make up their mind. There's a beat of silence but first it's Morax, and Beelzebul and Barbatos and then Focalor, and they are on their knees, heads bowed low.

It is only right to show respect to their god, after all. How could they be so blind?

Validation of their actions comes soon after as you let go of Nahida's hand and tell the Wanderer to stand aside. You do something that tyrant of a Creator that sits on a glass throne would never - you kneel before them and hold out your hand.

"Why are you all kneeling? Stand up. I am no longer your god. But I hope you will have me as a friend. Will that be alright?"

There are tears in their eyes as they let out stuttering laughter. Yes, this is their god. Their god with so much love and compassion and a heart that does nothing but bleed for them. A heart that does not ask for them to bleed.

You are their god. You are their true Creator. Golden blood be damned. All that gold has done nothing but blind them.

Eventually, you all end up on the forest floor. You accept the role of a friend as promised, and catch up with them. The Archons are almost in tears as you listen to their stories earnestly, squeezing their hands in sympathy as you listen to the pain they've been through under the rule of their so called Creator (they really should find a new title for you, the god that sits on your throne has sullied your rightful name). At one point they stop telling you stories of their mistreatment, unable to see your face be any sadder than it already was. They take to retelling your stories together, reminiscing better days - because is that not what they have done all this time? Think about the lovely you for every wrongdoing the other god had done in your name?

As you laugh and smile with them and their stories and their company, the idea burrows through their mind without your knowledge, taking root, and they refuse to let it go. Wouldn't it be so much better if it was always like this? Seeing your smiling face with them, a person that deserves to be called a god even more so than all of them combined. Knowing you were safe from harm, not having to defend yourself, especially from them under orders from a tyrant. Knowing you loved them the way they loved you.

It was all better with you.

When you weren't looking, the Archons gave each other knowing looks and curt nods in understanding.

You are their beloved Creator.

As a peaceful silence falls over you, they watch as you smile sadly, their hearts breaking to see such an expression on your face. In a soft voice, you apologize for not being able to do much to help them. When you lift your head, golden resolute eyes meet yours.

"You’ve done enough, Your Grace. Let us handle the rest."

You may have laughed at the old title, but the Archons are hell bent in returning it to you. Although it hurts them to say goodbye, they know it’s only for the moment. Soon, you will be with them. Back in your rightful throne, as you have always deserved.

Nahida is the youngest, and so they decide to spare her the carnage. The rest know she is no fool, they don't need to tell her what they had planned for her to know what happens next. She does not fully agree in the others' decision, yet she stays in Sumeru, promising to make sure you do not find out. Word travels fast to the other vision holders in the form of a breeze from Barbatos. Barely anyone had disagreed with the notion of removing the rejected god from the throne, and those who were hesitant at first changed their mind after hearing how you were ready to go down with Sumeru. Morax and the Tsaritsa lead the rebellion.

A god is only as powerful as the people who worship them. By the time the Archons arrived in the throne room, the Creator had no one to hide behind.

They made it a spectacle. They spin a tale for the people that the god they so worshiped was an impostor who had switched bodies with their rightful god, which explains the gold blood that should be yours. They say you were patiently waiting for them all to come back to you, to remove this impostor from your throne. You were ready to accept them all, they just needed to get rid of this filth that dared destroy your name. The Creator - no, the Impostor - is horrified when the people accept this story so easily, but they only have themselves to blame. Who cares what they have to say to defend themselves, although it’s not like they can anyway - how can they when their tongue was cut off?

Teyvat was silent as gold painted the streets of Liyue Harbor. Teyvat no longer cares for golden blood, not after all the blood and tears it had taken from its people. After all, a golden soul stands ready to take back their rightful place.

Your followers thought it had all been worth it - the pain, the hardships, the blood - to see you smile the first time you set foot outside Sumeru after what felt like years to them. And yet, despite the joyous occasion, you hesitantly turn to them and ask a question not even Irminsul would answer you.

"What happened to the Creator?"

You would be lying if you said the soft smiles each of them gave did not unnerve you as they all said the same thing, like a joke everyone knew all except you.

"We simply removed the Impostor from Your Grace's presence."

They are thankful that you are blinded by your love for them to see the gold shine on their hands. You do not ask about the shimmering streets either. Liyue was the city of gold after all, was it not?

For now, their biggest concern is your acceptance that they are your equal, but that can easily be fixed. You are their friend now, but someday you’ll be their god again. Slowly but surely. They will sit you back in your throne. They will kneel before you again. They will give you the reverence you so deserved.

It will all be yours.

You're their wonderful Creator, after all. Maybe not to you right now. But you always have been for them.

They’ll start from calling you Your Grace. You’d be too kind to tell them off over and over.

You always had been good at adapting.

You had gotten used to it then, you’ll get used to it again.

✨ Masterlist ✨

Taglist: 💛@anime-allover 💛@faeriessky 💛 @prksolon 💛 @dai-tsukki-desu

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine and belong to their respective creators. Their portrayal is merely my own interpretation of them and may not be accurate to their intended characterization. I stake no claim to the original works, only to the ideas and plot of the fictitious stories I’ve written them into.

#genshin impact sagau #self aware genshin au #sagau genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact reader insert #sagau x reader #genshin cult au #sagau

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brailsthesmolgurl · 1 month

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DAMNATION

A legend foretold that the princess' heart is the only way to save his people. What happens when he refuses to take her heart when he had foolishly fell in love with her? But, what if she wanted to give his people the life that they deserved? Warnings: Angst, No Comfort, Death of Character, Blood and Gore, you might let out a tear or two, there could be an alternate ending in a parallel universe. Slight Spoiler for Rafayel's lore.

"Rafayel, please, please, please let me help your people." She sniffled, eyes and nose a hue of red as she held onto the sleeves of the God of the Sea. They had been at this argument for days, and time is not exactly in Rafayel's favour. His people are dying, and her heart, is the only thing that could save his kind from extinction.

It has to be out of her own will, they said. And here he is, watching y/n with his eyes that had taken up a shade of dark purple. The lack of lighting within her chambers had given him a good camouflage for his frown. He got her, to surrender her heart by her own will. But, Rafayel could not do it.

His right hand reached up to wipe the tears falling down her cheeks and he spoke softly, as if to conjure up whatever willpower he had left within his system to convince her to stop talking about this. "My love, you know I could not bear to lose you. I know my people may be in pain and suffrage, but I also know that you deserve the world. With me."

"BUT I ALREADY SAID I CAN!" Y/n shouted, the grabbed the candle holder by her bedside table and threw it across the room, her tears are now flowing like streams down her cheeks. Rafayel held her as she collapsed into his arms, sobbing and curling into a ball. Her voice a hushed whisper as she spoke. "How is living here any better than being dead? I am constantly locked in my tower, I had only ever been out whenever you are around and I just can't find myself to live like this anymore."

Her sigh ached Rafayel's heart, it hurts him deeply to watch her cry and to watch her make such a decision for him, for his people. He was caught up in between, eyes wandering across her dark room as the last source of lighting was put out. The moonlight however, casted a silvery-bluish sheen into the room, making the overall room more gloomy than it already is.

Rafayel took in a deep breath, muttering something about 'there must be another way to this', and he used his long index finger to lift up her chin, so her eyes meet his. "My love, I want you to stay put right here. I will be back by dawn tomorrow and we shall make a final decision on this. Please, heed my advice and just stay here alright? I will be back for you, as always my quintessence."

He placed a kiss on her forehead, her cheek and lastly on her lips. Just like how he would always comfort her. Pulling back, he noticed the way her eyes struggled to open and with that, he slowly laid her back onto her bed, and tucked her in. She must be exhausted from the amount of crying she had for the night. Smoothing his hand over her silky brown hair, he presented a sad smile, eyes wavering while he looked at her for one last time for the night.

He had to make a choice, either it would be to sacrifice her or to sacrifice his people. Both bringing an equally heavy burden to his heart and soul. Call him a god, they said. But he is no longer one as he harbored such selfish thoughts to his own desire. Putting on his mask, he got off of the bed, stood at the window and then plunge down into the waters below.

...

It has been a few hours, and y/n rose from her bed, still groggy from her sleep. She looked out of her window to find her windows were widely opened, the moon shining brightly and she wondered to herself when did Rafayel left. It should be a couple of hours ago as the last thing she recalled was his lips on her face. And she recalled meeting him right after dinner time ended.

A whistling tune was heard from outside of her window, a tune so melodic that she was enchanted to approach her window sill. Her hands glided over the smooth stone slab and she peeked her head out before she was met with a boy in the waters below her towers. The scales on his body signified that he is a Lemurian, just like Rafayel.

"What are you doing here?" Y/n panicked, eyes darting all over her surroundings to scan for any witnesses around. You see, if Lemurians were caught, they would be pawned off to the wealthy, as it showcases the sign of one's wealth. And that was how Rafayel met y/n. But y/n knew that possessing a Lemurian would not grant her a new status nor the freedom she had longed for, hence, she freed him after they had promised to find each other again in the future.

"My name is Arvia---" Before he could even finish, he coughed, desperately holding onto his chest as he heaved for his breath. "I came to---" Another cough, one of his hand sprung out from the water to close his mouth, to silence his coughs as he did not want to draw any unwanted attention. As he withdrew his hand, y/n gasped. Crimson stain on his pale white hands, people on land may have identify it as lung infection, but she knew that Lemurians are leaning towards the grim reaper's will.

"Please, please my quintessence, I know My Highness would not let us near you." Blood trickled down the sides of his lips as he spoke. "But I plead you, as my mother has been in suffrage for the past few days, she could not speak anymore, let alone sing. All of my siblings are met with ill coughs, just like mine, carrying crimson taints. I beg of you, shall you have the means to save Lemuria, please meet us at the sea stacks as dawn strikes."

Another cough comes at the end of his sentence and she watched as he harshly pounded his chest, as if doing that would ease his cough better. "I'll be there!" Y/n responded without hesitation and her determined eyes were met with Arvia's aquamarine ones. The young merman wiped the blood off of his lips and he nodded his head before he dived back into the water, a hint of his tail peeking out as he swam back into the deep waters.

Y/n rushed back into her room and opened her wooden wardrobe, eyeing the gowns that she owns and picking one out that is made of the thinnest material possible. She wanted her movements to be stealthy and languid, hence the thin material would come to be more useful than a heavier drape. She changed into the white gown, and grabbed her fur coat to drape it over her small stature. Glancing at herself for the last time in the mirror situated next to her wardrobe, she felt a pang of sadness coarsing through her body.

She has chosen her own journey, she has decided on her own death. But it was all for the better right? One small sacrifice for the greater good. Staring at her own reflection, she realised her tears had streamed down her face. Why is she crying? She had no idea. But perhaps it has something to do with the ending of her life. No matter how convinced she is of her death being a greater sacrifice, she could never forgive herself for going against her lover's will.

She wiped off her tears and huffed. "This is it. My death shall come with a greater meaning. Rafayel would understand eventually." Before she could change her mind, she grabbed the rope Rafayel had made for her and she tossed it out of the window to climb down from her tower.

...

Perhaps the gown was not the best idea. Strong winds and thin gowns are not exactly complimentary to one another. Her fur coat however, ended mid waist so the length below her waist was bare to the wind's torture. It took her quite a while to arrive to the location that was appointed by the merman.

The huge rock sat in the middle of the sea, unwavering as the waves crashed against it. The sky was dark but along the silhouttes, there was hints of an orangy-yellow shade, a sign that dawn is approaching. Y/n took off her footwear and laid them onto the sand, and she took off her coat to lay it next to her footwear. The wind batted against her whole body even more harshly, making her shiver and tremble as she made her way into the waters.

As the sun started to rise even more, she noticed a few heads emerged from the further ends of the vast ocean, as if watching her as she made her way towards the rock. Arvia then bobbed his head out of the waters and he spoke. "You came, my quintessence. Come, take your seat on the rock." He looked ghastly, eyes sunken in and scales fading of its usual bright colours. He held out his hand and guided y/n up towards the rock.

Another merman surfaced from the depths of the ocean and y/n recognised this merman. He was always stuck to Rafayel's hip when she met Rafayel for the first couple of times. She never got to know of his name but she assumed that he plays an important role in guiding and supervising Rafayel's actions. "I believe we had met for a few times, when I was on land with My Highness. My name is Amund and I was summoned by my people to perform the sacrificial ritual on you."

His eyes glinted a sheen of red as he spoke to her. Was this the guy that Rafayel had warned her about? 'My people are of gentle nature, but I am afraid one shall lead them all towards perdition.' Rafayel's voice rung in her head. "Do you, my quintessence, know the risk of such sacrificial ritual?" Amund questioned her, eyes raking over her body in an uncomfortable manner.

"I will be able to save Lemuria right?" She responded, eyes filled with hope. "Will I?" She second guessed herself and Amund said nothing but nodded. He raised his hand to beckon to his fellow Lemurians and some of them started approaching her. "Wait, what is happening?"

"As long as my quintessence is at will to give us the God of Sea's heart, we will ensure that the sacrificial ritual is done with the utmost care and respect you deserve." A dagger appeared in Amund's hand. Silver dagger with red crystals adorning it's hilt, it definitely does look like a ceremonial dagger.

"Are you going to drown me first? Rafayel told me that as long as I am willing to give out my heart, then I could be drowned prior to the ceremony. Is it not?" She remembered Rafayel told her some details about how the ceremony takes place but given she was not drowned yet, she was curious if there was a different course of ceremonial action. "My quintessence, as I mentioned earlier, you deserve the utmost care and respect for your sacrifice for the people of Lemuria." He held up the dagger and gave a look towards the other mermans that were surrounding her. "Make sure she stays still throughout the ceremony." The mermans then grabbed her arms and legs and they stretched her limply across the rock. Y/n however, knew that she could not back up anymore at this point.

But, what she did not know was that this so-called ceremony was nothing more than a mere revenge to be taken upon Rafayel. The god who chose to leave his people to pursue his love with a mere mundane. Amund, does not approve of this relationship and neither does he want that to ever happen again. He wants to watch Rafayel suffer like how his people did.

"Stay still my quintessence, this would hurt." Without another word, Amund stabbed the dagger into her collarbone and y/n screamed in pain, tears started flowing from her face but she could not move as she was held down tightly. The pain did not stopped as the dagger dragged from her collarbone to the sides of her breasts. Her screams never falter just like her blood that never stopped flowing, staining the rock and eventually dripped into the ocean.

...

Rafayel had returned to her chambers but she was nowhere to be found. "Y/N? Y/N?" He called out to her name quietly as he walked towards her bed. Flipping the sheets, he was only met with the sight of her pillow stacked together to form a silhouette of her. He turned around and noticed the wardrobe that was sprung open, and her satin lounging attire tousled into a ball on the hardwood floorings. Confused, he looked over to the window sill and his guesses were right, she had escaped from her tower.

Without hesitation, the God of the Sea jumped out of the window and plunged right into the waters, not even caring if that had caused a huge splash to alert the guards as he had no time left to spare. He had to rescue her.

Earlier on, when Rafayel had left her chambers, he went back to Lemuria to speak with Amund. When he arrived at Armund's door, Arvia came out of the house, eyes widened when he was face-to-face with the lilac-haired God. "Your highness." Arvia half bowed and went along his way. Swimming past Rafayel and off into the weeds that were littered around the towns of Lemuria.

"What was Arvia doing here?" Rafayel asked as he closed the door to Amund's abode and finally meeting Amund's eye.

"His family was in dire need of some pearl essence. His mother's throat was ruined and his siblings are all ridden with coughs that drains their blood." Amund responded as he placed vials and bottles of medicine back onto the shelves. The clinking and clanking of the vials and bottles are the only sounds filling the silence before he continued. "Your Highness, you cannot delay any further. Our people are dying. And they desperately need the heart."

"Amund, listen." Rafayel spoke in a stern tone, hands running through his lilac strands as he looked frustrated. "I can't bring myself to do it. I just can't." The vial containing the pearl essence floated out of Amund's grasp and he looked at Rafayel with widened eyes. There comes the shouting, "You would rather watch Lemuria wilt just to save a woman that you have feelings for?! How dare you say that?! What do you think the people of Lemuria would have thought, that their one and only hope has decided to betray them all for the sake of a mere mortal?!"

Rafayel winced at Amund's booming voice, although he looked saddened with the situation at hand, his voice maintained the same as his posture, still and calm. "There shall be another way to change fate. I will do whatever I can to save my people but without the cost of losing my beloved bride. The decision is final." He turned to leave but stopped, whipped his head back and he warned. "Anyone who acted against my orders shall die upon my hand."

...

The waves batted against the shores, feigning a scene where the water desperately wants to come onto the shore. Just like how the mermans once dreamed of wanting to walk on land and having to dive back into the waters based on their own will. But they were bound, bound to the waters as coming onto land would not impose any leverage for them.

Rafayel ran across the beach, eyes searching every inch of land and water to find his beloved. The sun is rising and the pastel skies no longer gave Rafayel a sense of comfort but it added onto his paranoia, assumptions of the worst case scenario constantly teasing their way into his mind.

His heart suddenly hurt like someone had shot him with a canon ball and he fell in his steps, clutching onto his chest as he struggled to breathe. Not long after when he regained his breath, something felt different in him. Something felt like a--- a beating heart. Rafayel gasped at the feeling as it further confirmed his nightmare.

He ran as fast as his mundane legs could carry him down the shore and passing a cliff, he witnessed a figure, sprawled out on a rock limply, and he screamed. "Y/N!"

He trudged the waters and climbed up the rock, not even caring that the barnacles had sliced off pieces of his sole. He did not care at all as the scene in front of him would trigger bloodshed afterwards. Y/n laid on the rock, eyes closed, but blood trailed from her eyes, nostrils, and ears, staining her once beautiful white dress into a bright crimson red. Her chest bared a gaping hole exactly where the heart was supposed to be situated.

Rafayel reached out his shaky hands to touch her cheeks and in that moment, he got a brief flashback of her last moments. Her screams echoed through his mind, but none of her screams mouthed the word 'STOP'. Amund was there, alongside with a couple of other mermans that were holding her down. Amund was slicing into her skin, carelessly opening up a big hole on the left side of her chest just to retrieve the heart from her.

Rafayel's tears streamed when the flashback showed y/n stopped screaming and twitching when Amund grabbed the heart out of her body, holding it high up in the air as if it was some trophy earned. And just like that, the flashback ended and Rafayel was snapped back into reality, with her body laid right in his arms. He whimpered, but no sounds were emitted from his throat, his cries were silenced by the throbbing pain within his heart.

Watching her pale and faceless expression, Rafayel held her face close to his neck, getting his body stained with her blood like how he would always get paint stained on his clothes whenever he was painting portraits of her. But this time, he did not want the stain to be washed off. He did not want it to fade either, as it would remind him of the pain his own people had brought upon him.

"Why?" He asked the air, as you would no longer be the one to reply to him. "Why would they do this to you?" His voice a hushed whisper as the ocean started to rage. "Why couldn't they at least make it painless for you?" He was referring to the drowning that should have taken place prior to the ceremony of removing her heart. It would have hurt way lesser than this, it would have been more comforting, it would have lessen the bloodshed that would be committed by Rafayel.

"I will always, always wait for you my love. No matter how long it takes." He stood up, with her still in his arms, and he looked out into the horizon, staring into the waves that would soon remind his people of his identity of being the God of the Sea. The dark clouds started to close in, accompanied with lightning strikes that fears the men at seas. Rafayel held her lifeless body, clinging onto whatever warmth that was left from her body before he mustered up the courage to say this. His eyes turned from the usual blueish-purplish shade to a dark set of purple pupils. "I shall bring damnation to my people as how they had brought damnation to me."

Sequel here: Retribution

Parallel Universe Ending is up! Read through Retribution and you shall find the link for the parallel not-so-angsty ending!

And there you go my darlings, I wanna watch that tear drop :)

I think I will come out with an alternate not-so-angsty ending if i feel like it sometime in the near future. Lemme know what you guys think hehe <3. If any of you fancy for any requests of similar calliber or even new ideas, drop me a dm :>

#love and deepspace x reader #love and deepspace #rafayel love and deepspace #rafayel angst #rafayel lnds

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contemplatingoutlander · 5 months

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Why are U.S. courts afraid of the 14th Amendment? Because it’s radical.

"The 14th Amendment has once again proven too bold for the judges empowered to interpret it. Political forces are at play again, this time fearful of a backlash if Trump is removed from the ballot. As this case makes its way through the appellate process and, most likely, to the Supreme Court, it should be understood in the context of how the timidity and unwillingness of judges to acquiesce to the judgment of the 14th Amendment’s framers effectively derailed our democracy’s promise after Reconstruction and until the mid-20th century. We must ensure that it does not do the same in the 21st."

--Sherrilyn Ifill, visiting professor, Harvard Law School

This is an important article about why the 14th Amendment was written and why judges are afraid to use it to ban Trump from running for office. Consequently, this is a gift🎁link so people can read the entire article even if they don't subscribe to The Washington Post.

Below are some excerpts.

Judge Sarah B. Wallace’s decision that Trump engaged in insurrection but is nevertheless qualified to run for office is emblematic of the often outright resistance courts have shown to the 14th Amendment’s guarantees and protections. This instance applies to Section 3, which bars any participant in a rebellion against the government of the United States from holding public office. But almost from its inception, all the amendment’s radical provisions have inspired fear and timidity in jurists of every stripe. I use the word “radical” deliberately. The 14th Amendment was conceived of and pushed by the “Radical Republicans” in Congress after the Civil War. They were so named because of their commitment to eradicating slavery and its vestiges from American political life. A number had been abolitionists, and all had seen the threat that white supremacist ideology and the spirit of insurrection posed to the survival of the United States as a republic. Although the South had been soundly defeated on the battlefield, the belief among most Southerners that insurrection was a worthy and noble cause, and that Black people — even if no longer enslaved — were meant to be subjugated to the demands of Whites, was still firmly held. The 14th Amendment was meant to protect Black people against that belief, and the nation against insurrection, which was understood to constitute an ongoing threat to the future of our country. Frederick Douglass, the formerly enslaved abolitionist who rose to become one of the most prominent voices of the Reconstruction period, had no illusions about the persistence of the “malignant spirit” of the “traitors.” He predicted that it would be passed “from sire to son.” It “will not die out in a year,” he foretold, “it will not die out in an age.” [color emphasis added]

I encourage you to read the full article, which goes into detail about how the US judicial system has been afraid to actually adhere to both the spirit and letter of the 14th Amendment, and in so doing has done a major disservice to Black Americans for well over a century, and to our nation as a whole.

#14th amendment #section 3 #us judicial system #insurrectionists barred from holding political office #trump #racism #sherrilyn ifill #the new york times #gift link

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thereaperwatchesme · 1 year

Text

You were sent a protector to guide you through a foretold disaster when you were young. Now, you’re an adult, no disaster has appeared and you’re ready to live your life without the careful eyes of your “shadow”. However, his presence is most welcome as you need him more than ever.

The disaster has come your way.

Getting ready to hide away from the catastrophe, you’re suddenly found by a ragtag group of Onlookers, who attempt to protect others from your…protector. You’ve come to find out that you’re meant to be sacrificed to save the world from the tragedy yet to come.

Faced with this truth, you join forces with the formidable team and learn more about your role on Earth and the role of your protector. But you can’t help but wonder if you were able to save the world in another way that doesn’t involve your demise. Maybe with the help of your protector…

The Grim Reaper.

| Customize your own character: choose your gender, pronouns, sexuality, and appearance.

| Meet and possibly romance five RO’s, two of which are gender-selectable.

| Discover who you are, or what you were meant to be.

| Shake things up and drive the story. Be determined and a leader, or go with the flow and stay passive.

| Would you sacrifice yourself like the Prophecy foretold, or be in charge of your new destiny and do things your way?

MARSHALL TAYLOR (AKA MARS)

male; he/him

Mars is the leader of a group of friends named the “Onlookers.” He’s able to see the Grim Reaper and tries to prevent any deaths occurring by the Reaper’s hand. Impassive and harsh, he tries to keep you safe by protecting you at all times. Who knew that his body-guarding skills would blossom into a new love?

(Mars has tan skin, dark brown hair that's faded at the sides, gray eyes, and slight stubble on his face)

SABLE CLARK

male; he/him

Sable is the brains of the Onlookers; he designs the tech and gear for the group when it’s time to help people and capture lost souls taken by the Reaper. Usually shy and reserved, he opens up to you more than his friends. Will you two stick together?

(Sable has bright, red hair, green eyes, and wears thick-rimmed glasses. He’s lanky and pale with a small amount of freckles)

MARIANA TAYLOR

female; she/her

Mariana is the twin sister of Mars, but they have two different attitudes. She’s more friendly, but she continues to hold you at arm's length. The mastermind of the group, she cleverly creates the methods to achieve their goals. But what will she plan if her goal is now you?

(Mariana has dark brown, curly hair and tan skin. She has gray eyes and a bright smile)

PARKER CHO

gender-selectable (male, female, non-binary)

Parker is the jokester of the group, but mostly a gifted fighter. They are a warrior of sorts; fighting monsters or souls that they come across just to protect you all. They flirt with you constantly, but they have no means to start a relationship. But will they feel obligated when you’re in danger and it’s their last chance?

(Parker is of Korean descent, and they have pale skin and dark brown eyes. They’re very well muscled, and has black hair that’s curled on top of their head)

J (Justine, Justin, Justice)

gender-selectable (female, male, nonbinary)

J was your childhood friend until you moved across the country. But now you’re back, and you two are catching up. But you didn’t know that you would be pulling them into the craziness that’s happening in your life. But you mean everything to them, so they’ll do whatever to help.

(J has blonde hair and a average build with glistening, blue eyes)

DEMO

Asks are always welcome, and if you want to check out my main IF, the @ is below:

@everythingisblue-if

Patreon: ⬇️

#interactive fiction #if #blog #the reaper watches me #mars #sable #Parker #mariana #j #supernatural #modern #reaper #grim reaper

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theresattrpgforthat · 2 days

Note

Thanks so much for doing all this, I love what you do for enjoyers of ttrpgs!!

What I'm looking for is epistolary or long-distance, asynchronous games for multiple players. I know you've done lists of 2-player games that people can play in their own time (writing letters or journal entries back and forth, stating your actions in a message then waiting for the other player, etc) but I was wondering if there were any I could play with 3 or more players with different timezones & schedules at once.

Genre and playstyle are flexible, we love trying new mechanics! I've struggled to find games to fit this myself, so I hope you can have a little more luck. You're awesome for taking these requests and finding so many different games for people!

THEME: Asynch & Epistolary for 3 or More.

Hello friend! First of all, I’m going to send you to my Epistolary (Part 3) post because that was specifically for 3 or more players, as well as my first epistolary post because there were a number there that could also be played with a number of people.

But don't worry, there's more!

Angels of the Railway Stations, by Speak the Sky.

There’s only so much you can do alone, but you’re not alone. There’s only so much that can be done with any one meeting, but life is more than one meeting. As you go through the stages of Arrival, Stopover, and Departure, take notes of everything in the form of a letter to be sent on with the train when it leaves the station. These letters should give your fellow angels more context to help the traveller in need along the way. They’re also your only way to communicate with your colleagues and comrades.

Angels of the Railway Stations is an epistolary game for 2+ players in which you play a liminal community of lonely angels. Help lonely travellers in a world undergoing a great upheaval, then write about what you see and do to pass it on to the next angel down the line.

All of the rules for this game can fit on one page, and require you to rely on other players to determine what each of your passengers need and help them get to where they need to go - on time. Angels of the Railway Station references a game called Black Engines, which does not actually exist, which means that many parts of this game will require your play group to fill in the blanks. That being said, I think Angels of the Railway Station has plenty of potential when it comes to telling emotional stories.

Intersecting Orbits, by Ell Schulman.

For as long as there have been Orbiters, there has been the Interference. Spikes in data that have no business being there, garbled words, ghosts in the machinery. Few people believe truly in the existence of the Interference as an entity.The Interference does not care what they believe.

The planet below is alive. There are deep oceans and high mountains and biomes we do not have names for. There are plants and animals that do not conform to systems we know.

There are people who look up at the stars and wonder who else is out there.There is so much to explore.

Intersecting Orbits is a game for three players, two of whom play Orbiters sending messages back and forth and one of whom plays the Interference who intercepts those messages and removes words from them.

Using a deck of cards, the two Orbiters will try to communicate to each-other about something that is going on. Meanwhile, the Interference uses 2d6 to determine how many words of the message they can remove. You can probably use this method either by sending letters to each-other, or by writing e-mails or sending texts, so I think this game is definitely flexible in terms of how quickly you want to send messages to each-other, and how long you want the game to run.

Chronicle, by a.fell.

The world is coming to an end. It has been foretold, and so it shall be. We cannot stop it; we only wait, and observe, and recall.

This is a game to create a chronicle of a world, and to find the world again in the last seconds of its life. The game is different depending on which path you choose to take.

You will not play together. You might not play at the same time, or in the same place. You might not even know each other before you play this game.

When you play The Chronicler, you will play alone, across time, across worlds. There is foretelling that an end is coming. You are here to ensure that your life, your people, and your world, survive. The Witnesses will find your artifacts an unknowable amount of time later. They will observe, they will wonder, they will remember their own lives, and they will know you. The world they know is empty, and soon they, too, will be gone. But they will carry these moments with them.

Chronicle uses a tarot deck (or something similar) as an oracle, and requires some form of map for the Chronicler to add to. The Chronicler will draw from this deck to create the events, artifacts and messages from this world. Most of the Chronicler’s work is done by the time the Witnesses come into play, who will travel across the map, pick up artifacts left behind by the Chronicler, and use their own oracle decks to recall personal memories. Eventually, a cataclysm will fall, and the game will end.

Leaving Cambridge, by Nora Katz.

You were together once, a lifetime ago, in a place called Cambridge. It was a place you held dear—a place that you called home, even if just for a moment. But something strange or sinister happened, and now you are all gone, dispersed across countries, continents, and maybe even worlds. There are stories untold and things unsaid. This is your chance to say them.

“Leaving Cambridge” is an intimate, asynchronous storytelling game that takes place through letters exchanged between a group of people who have parted ways. Over the course of a real-life calendar year, a group of players write letters to each other, piecing together what happened to them, trying to reconcile their checkered pasts with their current realities. As the letters arrive, this group of people will come to understand each other, and themselves, with more clarity—and, most likely, more questions.

Leaving Cambridge is a setting-agnostic game, so you can set it at any time period and any technology level, as long as it is possible that all of the players at some point went to Cambridge together.. What remains true is that you were once friends, but you have since grown apart. You will draw from a deck of cards, with red cards reflecting memories you share and black cards representing your emotions. Writing will happen over four seasons, with an inciting reason for you to get back in touch with each-other, and generative prompts that encourage your characters to reveal pieces of themselves the longer that they write.

I’d Also Recommend…

When I Lived Here, by a grumpy little critter.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #dnd #asks #epistolary games #indie ttrpg

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trevorendeavors · 1 year

Text

HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE

Now pass the phone to me.

GUYS.

There is no way these parallels are a coincidence.

I am 99% sure that Dana Terrace was referencing Kirby when making the Collector. For context, I've not seen For the Future yet, so please no spoilers beyond the trailer. I haven't seen anything other than Luz's palisman, that one thirty second clip from the owl club, and an irrelevant screenshot of Hunter.

Also plz don't spoil FTF in the comments or reblogs :(

That said,

TW: Discussion of Cults

Canonically,

Kirby:

god or godlike being

heavily associated with stars. As in, Hoshii no Kaabi (Kirby of the Stars)

ambiguous gender (referred to as he in American translations, gender neutral pronouns in Japanese)

rides on a star

The Collector:

god or godlike being

heavily associated with stars. "Child of the stars"

ambiguous gender, canonically a he/they

rides on a star

Still not convinced? Well I believe there was a specific game Dana was referencing: (MAJOR KIRBY SPOILERS AHEAD)

In Kirby star Allies, Kirby gains the ability to turn enemies into friends by launching friend hearts on them.

It’s an ability unlocked by a botched resurrection/rebirth of a dead god accidentally granting Kirby that ability.

No seriously, that's how it happens.

Here's a short summary for those not familiar with the Kirby franchise.

Basically, cult leader Lord Hyness and his closest followers once managed to stop an out-of-control being named Galacta Knight (shown below)

However, the people eventually began to fear LH and his ilk, so they preemptively tried to seal them away and erase their existence from history (rude). LH and his people survived and managed to obtain a vessel containing their Dark Lord (basically, an egg that housed a god or godlike being) Cult leader Lord Hyness then attempted to resurrect the god Void Termina.

But the ceremony went horrible wrong, shattering the vessel into friend hearts and dark hearts that were scattered to the stars. One such friend heart landed on Kirby, granting him the ability to quote-un-quote, "befriend" his enemies...

...

... by which I mean brainwash smaller enemies into doing his biddies while exorcising dark-heart-possessed individuals by beating the shit out of them until they were no longer usable vessels for possession. I'm not even kidding, this is actually canon.

Eventually, Kirby, with his amassed allies, confronts Belos, Hyness, who has this to say:

We are the masters of a power driven to the far reaches of the universe, and we have but one desire! Can one such as you possibly fathom how dearly we have clung to this dream across the aeons? How could you! You couldn't! Never ever ever! We who once faced those who were in such fear of our power that they sealed us away and banished us to the edge of the galaxy! US! As if THAT loveliness wasn't enough, they tried to erase our very existence from history! RUDE! Only through our magic were we able to overcome their science and achieve great prosperity! We alone were responsible for stopping that repulsive nightmare of a galactic crisis, yet this is how you repay us! This won't stand! It won't be forgiven! It won't be forgotten! Never ever EVER! Those who called us mad, are you listening? You left us at the edge of the galaxy to be forgotten, then went along your merry way, probably living somewhere pretty and peaceful! But know this! Your future is a farce! You have none! We, masters of a matter most dark, vow to be restored, as foretold in the book of legend, which everyone thought was just a fairy tale! It WASN'T! We have already obtained the vessel that contains our Dark Lord, and he will soon awaken and shower us in compassion! Look! The vessel of our Dark Lord is filling up even as we speak! Now the time for his greatness to enter our world has come! Welcome to a new history! A new age! The age of awesome! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARK LORD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Grace us, Gloriously Dark Looooooord!

And when cornered, he drains the life source of his closest followers, his priestesses, and uses them as fucking battering rams.

Oh and btw they're all conscious when this happens. If you listen closely, you can actually hear their grunts of pain when they hit the ground.

When that fails, he forces the god-resurrection to fruition by tossing in the priestesses' bodies and his own into the alter, bringing foooooRTH!!!

VOID TERMINA.

A morally neutral being who also uses the same tactics as Kirby to defeat his enemies (except somehow Void doing it makes it evil or something *shrug*). Oh, and Void's implied to be born from the same material as Kirby (or vice versa).

Upon Void's defeat, it's said he may be reborn in another form and perhaps someday... a friend.

AND THEN THERE'S THE OWL HOUSE

In which The Collector, a god or godlike being, was sealed away by a Titan (probably because of their destructive, reckless nature - idk for sure I haven't seen the episode). As an act of revenge, the Collector made a deal with the inhabitants of the titan trapper witches: he would grant them (or more specifically Bill - not GF Bill btw) power in exchange for slaughtering the Titans. The blood of the last Titan (King) would then be used to revive The Collector from his prison.

Then along comes a scrunkly dunkly old human who winds up trapped on the Boiling Isles, a realm populated by witches and demons living atop a carcus. Convinced of the inherently evil nature of the inhabitants, he deceives them into aiding him in their own execution.

In order to pull this off, he enlists the help of The Collector. In exchange for promising to release them, The Collector teaches Belos magic "stronger than anybody's." That is, the Draining Spell.

Belos then professes himself to be able to commune with the dead Titan (the Boiling Isles itself) and thus convinces them to brand themselves with the sigils that would serve as their metaphorical nooses.

The draining spell works, but Belos breaks his promise by using up the last of the Titan's Blood to (attempt to) travel home, only to thwarted by Luz, who traps him in the draining spell.

Meanwhile, King makes a deal with the now-betrayed Collector: stop the draining spell in exchange for their freedom and a game of "Owl House." The Collector agrees, and King follows through on his promise. Well, part of it anyway. He frees the Collector, they stop the spell, but he attempts to escape with Luz to the human realm. The Collector stops this; Luz, her friends, and unfortunately Belos manage to escape to the human realm.

There, Belos goes around possessing and consuming various woodland creatures until he has enough sustenance to possess Hunter, one of his former second-in-commands.

This ultimately fails, which leads to him fleeing back to the Boiling Isles, where For the Future begins.

NOW LET'S TALLY UP OUR PARALLELS

WE GOT:

Horrifically misguided religious leader? Check.

Masked at some point? Yep.

Drains their closest followers and uses their bodies for their own gain? Yep.

Particularly brutally betrays their second in command?

OH YEAH.

Winds up sucked into that very spell themselves? Sorta.

Hyness intentionally sacrifices himself to the spell in order to resurrect Void Termina, whereas Belos is tricked by Luz into getting drained by the spell.

Not to mention we got the fuckin uhhhhh GODLIKE BEING WHO MIND CONTROLS FORCIBLY BEFRIENDS PEOPLE

This could be Void or Kirby paralleling the Collector depending on how you read it. However, Void and Kirby are definitely two sides of the same coin, and if my interpretation is correct, I believe The Collector is meant to be a parallel of BOTH. Neither good nor evil: simply raw power put in the hands of a child too young to comprehend or manage it.

Now I'll admit, TOH doesn't follow the KSA story tit for tat. I believe that Titan-trappers take the role of the people who sealed away the eldritch power. The placement of Galacta Knight vs the Titan as who fits in what role is harder determine.

Despite this, there are definitely some pretty solid inspirations.

The aesthetic of FTF very clearly draws inspiration from KSA. Hell, KSA was originally released in 2018, around the time Dana was developing the series. It's very likely she drew inspiration from this video game, if not played it herself. There are simply too many parallels to count.

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upwards-descent · 10 months

Text

Redemption

(Good guy TotK Ganondorf AU)

Link watched the clouds leisurely glide past the Temple of Time. It stood like some stalwart soldier over the floating island, a beacon that made him feel as safe as it did uneasy. His head had been hurting since he came to and as he skidded down the beaten path, he couldn't help but grimace.

"I'm sorry," The ghostly image of Rauru sat nearby, his chin propped up in his palm. It was weird to witness, seeing that it was now Link's own hand. Or was it? He winced as his head throbbed. "I wish I had more answers for you but so much time has flown by. I'm... Mainly passing on messages now."

"I don't even understand what that means, you're being esoteric," Link snapped back but there was no true heat in his words, only pain. His arm hurt, too, and the ping between his bicep and temple felt like his nerves were being juggled around. "Either you do know or you don't know where Zelda is, I don't really care about anything else at this point."

Rauru's melancholy sigh was the only answer he needed.

At least the Constructs were pleasant, the non-hostile ones at least. They reminded Link of the old Guardian technology, when they weren't corrupt with Malice. Sweet Hylia, he'd barely rested across five years and now here he was once more, Hyrule in peril, Zelda lost, and a piece of himself missing.

"There's someone awaiting you at the Temple." Rauru reappeared, an arm slung around a tree.

"Yes, you told me."

"No..." His voice went quiet, eyes narrowing. "Someone else. Someone... Different. Keep your guard up and your wits about you."

Link had half a mind to flip the spectre off but felt it'd be going too far. He was tired, his body ached, and the frustration he felt within himself writhed burning heat in his chest. Instead, he forged onward.

There was in fact someone waiting for him.

He was a large man with long flowing red hair, dressed in garb Link recognized as some Gerudo style. What appeared to be a sword was lain out at his knees and the Hylian understood it was a position of submission, of surrender. Regardless, he unsheathed the weighty stick slung across his back and approached with confidence.

"And who the hell are you?" Link demanded, stopping at the top of the ruined staircase. The air up here was somewhat warm at least, in the light of the sun. "I've been told to watch out which really doesn't give me... A lot..."

His grip tightened and he held his weapon in a more threatening manner. Some spark of recognition tugged a scowl at his lips.

"You look familiar. Like that... Corpse we found under the castle," Link growled. He leveled the stick at the man's head. "Who are you? Answer me before I let action speak instead."

The man looked up at him and the Hylian nearly flinched. Though Link himself rarely wore his emotions openly, simply as an aspect of his personality, he was pretty good at reading other people instead. There was a great sadness on the man's face that drew in his heavy brows and touched at his frown.

"... I am Ganondorf, leader of the Gerudo," His voice wasn't as deep as Link expected given how large he was but he spoke with some degree of command that couldn't be ignored. "I... I only ask you hear my story first. After that, it's your call whether or not to slay me. I wouldn't exactly blame you for lashing out."

"Watch yourself," Rauru stood nearby, probably unseen by the strange Gerudo man. "This man, as I know him, is the greatest threat against Hyrule in our entire history."

Link held back the urge to heave a loud sigh. He was so tired. Still holding up his weapon, he gave a casual sort of flourish to urge his words further.

"Long ago, when the gods were nearer to the ground below," Ganondorf began. He sat up straighter but the sadness never left his eyes. "I was a chosen leader of prophecy. As had been foretold in my people's history, a male Gerudo is born only once every 100 years and is expected to lead. I was... Or at least, I tried to be what my kin deserved," Link questioned if Rauru was visible as the Gerudo seemed to glance forlornly in his vague direction. "I lead with pride and a steady hand. I listened to the complaints, the concerns, and dedicated every bit of energy I had to bettering our situation. The desert can be cruel but... It's our home."

"I've never heard of a male Gerudo," Link interjected, eyes narrowing. "And trust me, I'm closer to them than you'd think."

"The Gerudo... Persist?" The first glimmer of life lit up Ganondorf's eyes. "I see. Unfortunately, it's because of me that the legend is no longer spoken, or at least I can assume," Link watched as a broad hand kneaded at his chest above his heart. "See, there's a second prophecy I have unfortunately found myself tangled in. I can sense it's one that effects you, too."

The Hylian quickly glanced over at Rauru's ghostly image and he had the gall to shrug.

"Oh," Ganondorf's eyes widened. "I can sense the power within you, but you... Do you know of the Triforce?"

"Only because Zelda has a passion for history," Link let down his guard for a moment, brows knitting in confusion. "It's a big artifact, holy light, gifted to humanity by the ancient goddesses or something like that. I've... Seen her use a power that looked incredibly similar before but..."

"These are strange times indeed," Ganondorf muttered before refocusing. "Regardless. I have to assume that she and I and probably you are the three destined champions chosen by the Triforce, and by extension the gods. It's... A whole other history for another day but all you need to know is that the branch that effects me has been corrupted. Before any of our times, when the universe was young, an ancient evil--"

"Listen, if you're pleading for your life right now," Link cut him off by adjusting his stance, holding up his weapon with confidence once more. "I don't think a whole library's worth of storytelling is gonna convince me either way. Can you give me the short version?"

"Yes, of course," Ganondorf seemed bewildered but shook it off and continued. "I've essentially been cursed. That... Corpse was in fact me but it also wasn't me. As I grew into a man and matured, a powerful evil was sewn into my very soul. I was slowly taken over, used like a puppet by the shadows, until only my subconscious was my own. My thoughts, my words, my actions; perverted by this great evil."

Link felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when Rauru pulled an odd expression, like some great revelation was dawning on him.

"Though it was my hand that threatened Hyrule long ago, it wasn't by my will," Ganondorf frowned and huffed. "However, as I was imprisoned for millennia, the powerful magic of the Zonai--"

"Me," Rauru mumbled, as if that made anything clear. "He's... Referring to me."

"--The spell acted like a slow exorcism. That corpse is made of pure evil, mimicking my appearance," The Gerudo laid a hand over his heart in earnest. "I've been cleansed and... Now I have to make things right."

Suddenly, he shifted and Link dared to take a step forward, tightening his grip on the wooden club. Instead, Ganondorf laid his palms flat on the ground and touched his forehead to the pale stone beneath him.

"Spare me, don't, I only ask that you use me so I may pay for my sins," He begged, his voice thick with emotion. "I've watched through eyes clouded by hate, powerless, as innocent people were slain, as the world was torn asunder. Use me and let me correct these wrongs. Use me and we shall prevail to slay the true evil that's been left behind."

#idk why i made the poll a week long the results seem pretty final as is lmao #ganlink #totk ganondorf #totk link #in preparation of this i made a link personality guide on my personal characterization of the four links i had in that poll #it'll be interesting to see how it compares to others #scribbles

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asforetoldsobelow-comic · 4 months

Text

As Foretold, So Below, chapter 1, Suenfield's Son, page 14

[FIRST]•[PREVIOUS]•[NEXT]

[START FROM THE BEGINNING!]

#afsb #afsb update #dnd 5e #as foretold so below #comic #asfb update #AND SO THE PLOT HOOK #sorry for the delay! Holidays and yesterday was Finn's birthday #hope everyone has a smashing 2024

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fluffytriceratops · 4 months

Text

only one - the hobbit. (prologue)

notes: hello! i have decided to post the prologue for a hobbit fanfic i am writing called 'only one'. i don't want to post the entire book on here (tumblr) so i will be posting the prologue on here and if you wish to read the rest you can find the book on wattpad and ao3! links below. only one is a reader insert with multiple love interests to choose from. you may choose between thorin, kili, and fili. the choice is yours to make! there will be multiple chapters with each throughout. enjoy! :D

warnings: brief mentions of death.

wattpad link here.

ao3 link here.

---

❝𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭.❞

━

"You promise to look after her?"

Gandalf's blue eyes softened as he looked down towards Luunah. The witch stared up at him with a pleading gaze. Gripping onto her hands nervously.

"Of course." He drew his attention towards the child, playing in the gardens just outside. He watched as the little girl chased after a purple butterfly. A bubble of laughter rising out of her mouth.

His gut warned him of something. Twisting with a feeling of unease.

"I need to hear you say it, Mithrandir." Luunah whispered, back facing him this time.

Gandalf studied her with a look of confusion. "I promise." He finally uttered after a few moments of silence. "Luunah.. what is it that you aren't telling me? Where did this come from?"

Said female stiffened at the sound of her name. "I cannot bare it much longer..."

"Bare what?" He asked, stepping forward and resting a hand atop her shoulder. Luunah let out a shaky breath, biting her tongue to contain her sobs. "The misery she is going to endure." She breathed, turning to face the grey bearded wizard once more. "It has been foretold by destiny... there is nothing to be done... my time is at it's near."

Gandalf's bushy eyebrows furrowed. "..Are you certain of this?"

Luunah nodded, biting down on her lower lip. "I have seen it.. I don't have much time left here on Middle Earth. I need you to watch after her when I'm gone."

A sad smile slid onto his lips and he once again grasped her shoulder. Giving it a tender squeeze. "Y/n will be in good hands. Even after you're gone."

"Thank you, old friend."

Luunah turned to gaze at her daughter from out of the window of their cottage. Making sure to study every square inch of her and commit them to memory. She wanted to remember as much of her as she could. "She is burdened with glorious purpose." She whispered, coiling a lock of her silver hair around her finger.

"If only I could protect her from the anguish of her future."

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ghostpajamas · 2 months

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Tell us about naval mines ghost

okay :D

naval mines, specifically moored contact mines are such a charming shape. a metal balloon with poison barbs, something perfectly suited to its environment and role. i was so scared of them as a kid (the finding nemo scene, of course), and though i dont experience submechanophobia, i still find it eerie to see a photo of a bomb floating in murky water -

- anchor far enough below that it fades from view, but its existence apparent in the way the bomb is stationary.

i love the concept of tragedy, how a character's downfall can be foretold by their genre. the second they appear on stage, their death is written in the stars. how they can struggle against it - how even if it ends, what they did held meaning.

how a bomb's death and purpose are one and the same.

the moored contact mine is a vessel of loneliness. were it conscious, i imagine it would think of its existence as a longing for a kiss, to end its isolation. if it lasted long enough to fall in love with the ship that will strike it one day, it may hope to be defective or have broken over time, to spare the death of its love.

or even; how to die together, for a bomb, would be the greatest form of mutual understanding one can attain.

I'm afraid i don't know much about naval mines. i read about them a lot (and look at pictures of them. and watch detonation videos.) but I haven't retained much information about the mines themselves, besides the basic anatomy and what they do. at least not remembering makes it fun to read about them again and again.

#ghostpost #ask

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rapid-artwork · 8 days

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After honing my cartoon-ing skills a bit further, I've moved on to making some new characters for a secret project. Studying the Cartoon Network™ style has paid off.

Names subject to chance, but for now let's meet Charlie and Penny.

Charlie (Lee to his friends, Charlie to his teachers, Charles to his parents whenever he is in trouble.) He is the ultimate big brother. He just turned 13 and is convinced that he is the coolest person to ever exist. He even has his own Palm Pilot Handi-Man™ 20X6! He definitely didn't steal it from his dad's office, so don't even ask!

His RCA-Lyra Portable Music Player™ is filled to capacity with all the hottest MP3s. (Literally just the Kingdom Hearts OST and nothing else.) He knows all the cheat codes to every Sega Dreamcast game, and just last week he got to see his first PG-13 movie! (Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World, he hasn't seen the first one and probably isn't aware it exists.) He was very brave and only cried a few times!

He spent all of his allowance on a pair of ripped jeans but his mom made him sew patches on the knees so his legs wouldn't get cold.

He can and will die for Penny at the drop of hat.

Penny: (Short for Penelope, but she tells everybody that it's short for "Dollar", exactly 99 cents short. She's very proud of that joke and tells it everybody.)

She is the ultimate little sister. She is 10 years old and is very nervous about what happens when you are too old to count your age on your fingers. She loves playing with her dolls, and listening to her favorite death metal band, 𝕲𝕺𝕺𝕱𝖄 𝕺𝕮𝕿𝕺𝕭𝕰𝕽 (Goofy October; the most intense PG rated death metal band in all of Canada.)

She has a bad relationship with the local dentist because she refuses to stop chewing on the cool rocks she finds in the woods behind her school. She has destroyed multiple retainers with great prejudice and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Literally everyone loves Penny and finds it impossible to say a bad word about her no matter how hard they try. Every single person in town is terrified of what might happen if she gets too sad. It is foretold in the ancient scriptures that if Penny cries for more than 60 seconds the entire world comes to a violent end.

These two are gonna be protagonists in a fun little video game I'm pitching. It will be very weird.

In process sketches I made in designing their character below the cut:

Charlie had Johnny Bravo energy from the beginning. It was pivotal that he wasn't just "cool" but specifically what a 13 year old THINKS is "cool"

Penny's design was nearly perfect from the get-go, but I had to get the hair just right. She feels like a mix of every single KND character and I like that.

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firekit21 · 1 year

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Life Series AU

Wrote some lore about the life series characters as Gods with Witchcraft SMP in mind. It got out of hand, and now I have a 1.4k story below.

As everyone knows, from the oldest, crankiest elder to the youngest, brightest toddler, magic is a part of this world as surely as Winter melts into Spring.

We can see it in people, like the illusionist who passed by the town with the circus group. In the wild, we can see it flitting between the trees, lighting up the world. It is in the ground, seeping up when it is called.

But we haven’t always had magic. Once, the only ones to possess it were the Gods.

Seventeen of them, each with a different domain. They lived in harmony, watching over the world., creating and destroying as they saw fit. Anytime they wished to meet, they met around the Watching Crystal. None of them knew what it was, only that if any of them died, it would store their powers and souls. Of course, they had varying ways of interaction with mortals. For instance, the Sky God liked to reveal himself to humans in the hope that they would worship him. He was a fickle god, that one. Or the God of Fire, who played deadly games with life-changing prizes.

Among them was the Starborne. He had perhaps the strangest and least explainable gift. He was the first prophet. Though he often advocated for humans to get a taste of divine magic, he was usually overruled.

One day, he had a vision. The Scarlet Witch, the harbinger of death, was standing in a clearing, ichor dripping from her scythes.

Now, the Scarlet Witch was an enigma to most of the others, almost never turning up to the meetings the other sixteen called. She was a grim woman who often laughed at the suffering of those around her. She was hard to get alone with, so most of the other Gods shunned her, with only three exceptions. The God of Emotions, also known as the patron of bakers, was sympathetic to her. The Lady of Time was her partner in chaos. And the Starborne was her closest friend, her confidant. If anyone was going to be on her side, he would.

When the Starborne received this vision of things to come, he naturally became scared. His trusted ally, who had a reputation for being unhinged, was going to kill another God. So he did what he always did, and sketched out what he had seen to flesh out all the important details.

The Sky God had been in a silly, goofy mood, so he decided he was going to snoop around. His first target: a certain prophet. He walked into the room where all the visions were gathered. And lo and behold: in the center of the pictures of prophecies, was the recently sketched vision, the one that foretold the death of at least one God.

This scared the Sky God. He had never liked the Scarlet Witch. She was always a little too chaotic, a little too bloody for his liking. So, he decided to make sure this prophecy wouldn’t come true. He called a meeting with as many Gods as he could. Under the light of the Watching Crystal, he wove the tale of what was to come. Seeing as the Scarlet Witch had not been invited, and the Starborne had not made an appearance, she had no warning of the prophecy. After gathering five of his most trusted friends, he went after her.

It was a close fight. It is said that the famous scar over the Scarlet Witch’s eye was made during that battle. None of the Gods that fought were weak. But the Scarlet Witch was Death itself, ready to collect a divine life at long last. The Canary, the god of luck, was the first to fall. Two more of them were slain before the Sky God called for a retreat that ultimately failed. The Queen of Shadows was cut down, and her husband followed soon after. The final attacker, the God of Chaos, died of his injuries soon after.

After that, she disappeared for a few years. Alone in a forest in the North, she had a lot of time to think, to reflect. She knew that if a God died, their powers would be stored in the Watching Crystal. And the seventeen - well, eleven now - of them were far from orderly. If there were fewer of them, they could rule more effectively. Besides, they could probably find a way to access the powers of the Gods who were deemed unfit through the Crystal. So she watched and waited for someone to find her. Death is patient, after all.

The other Gods were scared. The Scarlet Witch was one of the most formidable among them, and would not listen to anything they had to say. So, they decided to try and flush her out of hiding by using her best friend. Some of them wanted the Starborne dead, because their friends and loved ones were gone. Others wanted to use him as a hostage. So they went to his board of visions, where all of his visions were recorded. He would be there, after all. The Lady of Time tried to stall the others, back them down. But the desperation and fear had caught up to them, and they forced past her.

They went into the room he used, covered with notes and pictures and scattered papers. On the table in the center, they saw a picture. It was a mid action shot of the Starborne exploding in a rush of light. It is said that he was smiling. There was neither hide nor hair of him anywhere. So, they moved back to the search for the threat. And, one or two expeditions were successful. But they did not consider that anyone they sent was liable to death themselves.

The God of Illusions powers of persuasion couldn’t save him when he needed them the most. The God of Emotions was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and couldn’t back down his former friend. Then came three more deaths. Then the Scarlet Witch emerged from hiding to cut down two more.

Finally, the Lady of Time had enough. There were only four Gods left. Knowing that the Starborne would not be helpful in a fight, even if they could find him and convince him to help kill his best friend, the Lady banded together with the Runemaster to end the threat at last.

The Runemaster used his powers of Listening to find the Scarlet Witch. They both tracked her down to the forest where she had spent so much time. The three of them fought. It was a hard, bitter battle. In the end, ichor dripping from her scythes, the Scarlet Witch claimed a hard-earned victory.

She celebrated her success. There would be no more chaos now that it was just her. There would be no more wars, no more extortion of the mortals by any Gods. The only divine force would be Death, which would take without remorse.

Then she remembered that she was not alone. There was still one more God. And she knew just where to find him.

Nobody knows what would have happened if the Starborne had backed down. Maybe they would have ruled side by side. Maybe he would have been killed for lack of loyalty.

But when the Scarlet Witch went to the Watching Crystal to meet with the only being that could compare to her. The inside of the Crystal pulsed with moving lights, like the souls trapped inside were still alive, waiting to be released.

The Scarlet Witch went in there, sure she’d win again. But she was not up against a soul that wished to remain in this world. The Starborne believed that neither of them deserved life. He had been a coward who ran away instead of helping his friends, and their blood still stained the Witch’s red cloak. So he smiled as he activated his secret power. When he wished to die, he would explode, taking everything in the nearby radius down with him.

The Watching Crystal shattered, then fell down, down, down. The pieces scattered all across the lands, seeping magic into the earth. The magic of the Gods started to exhibit itself in nearby mortals, the first magic users.

But Gods do not die that easily, some say. There are whispers that they could be reborn, into mortal bodies like ours. We may be walking among them right now.

Of course, those are just myths. Nobody is that optimistic or pessimistic to believe in such tales. The Gods are dead. We all go to Death, even the Reaper herself.

Nobody knows why we do not have prophets. Maybe the Starborne decided not to pass down his gift, knowing the burden it placed upon the holder. But to this day, the magic of Death, necromancy, has been shunned from all parts of society. And in honor of the catalyst of this whole mess, we call ourselves witches.

So, if you ever see magic, remember how it got here and who it came from. Because every good thing has a price. This one was paid in divine blood.

#double life smp #trafficblr #life series #pearlescentmoon #scott smajor #zombiecleo #tangotek #smallishbeans #ldshadowlady #grian #goodtimeswithscar #inthelittlewood #solidaritygaming #witchcraft smp #bigbstatz #bigbst4tz2 #these are the people mentioned by name

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