#How to use Microsoft Fabric
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boonars · 17 days ago
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🚀 Microsoft Fabric Tutorial – Day 3: Create Your First Workspace Ready to get hands-on with Microsoft Fabric? In today's post, learn how to: ✅ Create your first Fabric Workspace ✅ Add Lakehouses, Notebooks & Dataflows ✅ Use Power BI directly inside Fabric ✅ Manage permissions & best practices ✅ Build a real-time data analytics flow — end to end! 🔧 Whether you're a data engineer or BI pro, this step-by-step guide will help you set up your environment for success in 2025. #MicrosoftFabric #PowerBI #DataEngineering #FabricTutorial #OneLake #DataAnalytics #Lakehouse #SparkNotebooks #BusinessIntelligence #TechBlog
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allastoredeer · 1 year ago
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My Hellaverse Writing & Drawing Resources (Masterpost) & Blog Tags
(A lot of this is for me, but feel free to use if you want.)
(Is updated as I stumble across more or make my own resources)
(Real Quick: The iPad I use for drawing is on the cusp of death and I’m saving up to get a new one. However, money is tight and any help—however small—would be so appreciated. Only if you’d like to, of course. There’s no pressure whatsoever. You can find the link to my ko-fi page right -> here <- or at the bottom of this post ⬇️)
Blog Tags
#Undercover Angel AU (for my Angel Alastor au)
#allastoredoodles (my art tag)
#Poison AU (for my Angel & Alastor role-swap au)
My World-Building, Character Analysis, and Lore
The Hierarchal Power Structure in Pentagram City + Royal Family Character Analysis
Lucifer's Religious Trauma - Character Analysis
Why I Don't Include Dante's 9 Circles of Hell in my Hellaverse World-Building Lore
More About Dante's 9 Circles + Imp City and the Goetia
Hellborn and Sinner Similarities and Differences + Classism
Hellaverse Canon Lore Tidbits
Note: Some posts may have repeated canon lore
Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Hazbin Hotel Facts Part 1
New Information Revealed By The Hazbin Playbill
Art Resources
Alastor
Alastor Drawing Guide
Alastor Cane Drawing Guide & Hand Reference Sheet
Alastor 3/4 (right) Expression Sheet
Alastor Side Profile Breakdown
Full Body Breakdown/Poses
Lucifer
Lucifer Drawing Guide
Demon Form Lucifer Drawing Guide
Vox
Vox Drawing Guide
Husk
Husk Drawing Guide
Rosie
Rosie Drawing Guide
Angel Dust
Angel Dust Drawing Guide
Vaggie
Vaggie Drawing Guide
Character Designs
Sinners From the Show (Collection 1)
Backgrounds
Heaven Embassy (Exterior)
Post-Extermination City-Scape
Writing Resources
The 5 Senses
75 Words That Describe Smell
Descriptive Words for Scents: List of Smell Adjectives
200+ Words to Describe a Voice
How to Describe a Smile in Different Ways
600+ Words to Describe Smiles
What a Decomposing Body Smells Like
300 Creative Words to Describe Hair
General Writing Help
How to Write Immersive Stories Using Description
World Building Tips: Writing Engaging Settings
Writing Action Scenes
Adjectives for Description
Dialogue Tags to Use Instead of Said
6 Seconds, 6 Months - Writing Advice/Challenge
100+ Architecture Terms to Help Describe Buildings
Body Language Cheat Sheets
23 Essential Body Language Examples and Their Meanings
Writing Sex Scenes: How to Heat Up Romance
Miscellaneous
How to Write Realistic Injuries
Explosives and Blasting Agents
BOM: The Next Generation of High Performance Explosives
Burning Points of Various Fabrics
English to Shakespearean (Perfect for Zestial! Thank you @witch-of-the-writing-desk)
English to Old English (Perfect for Zestial! Thank you @witch-of-the-writing-desk)
Fantastic Post About Louisiana and New Orleans (Great for writing Alastor!)
The Complete Butchers Guide to Different Cuts of Meat
What Are the Different Sections or Areas on a Casino Floor?
Casino Design - The Sneaky Tricks That Make You Spend More
A Walk Through the Casino
Radio Scripts from the Golden Age of Radio
Golden Age of Black Radio (Part 1)
Glossary of Early 20th Century Slang in the United States
Historical Slang For Having Sex, From 1351 To Today
Collection of Clothing References for Writing
Portraying Mixed People
Sexual Intimacy During Cancer Treatment
Helpful Websites and Writing Programs
Random Character Generators
Websites For Writers (Collection)
Pacemaker Planner
Hiveword: The Search Engine For Writers
StimuWrite Desktop
OneStopForWriters
LibreOffice (Free Microsoft Word Alternative)
Scrivener
Fighters-Block (Designed specifically to combat writers blocks)
MyNoise (Immersive and customizable soundscapes to help with focus or creating a specific writing atmosphere).
WorldBuilding.StackExchange (A website for answering specific world-building questions)
WordsNStuff (FANTASTIC blog for your all your writing needs)
My Ko-Fi
You know. If you wanna (◕‿◕✿)
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cdelphiki · 1 year ago
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Nightwing Cover Cross Stitch
I made a cross stitch pattern based on the cover of Nightwing #78 art by Bruno Redondo.
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It's a full coverage piece, but you could skip the pale blue background if you wanted. It's a large piece, 200 by 307 stitches. How large yours will be will depend on what size stitches you do. If you do 11 count (11 stitches per inch) it will be 18.2 x 28 inches. If you do 26 count, it would be 7.7 x 12 inches. Always add about 5 inches to both measurements so you have plenty of space around your piece. You don't want the fabric to unravel and ruin your project. You can cut the fabric down after you're done if you don't like having a lot of excess.
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The threads I use are all in DMC, the numbers from most used to least used are 310, 995, 3756, 3842, 437, 996, 162, 3843, 738, 739, 435, and 801. Estimates for how many skeins you need are listed on both the PDF and in the excel file.
Here's the PDF file, it's printable with a chart broken up into 20 pages. (Yes, it's huge!)
And here is the Excel file, since I built it in Excel. If the colors and symbols I picked out don't work for you for whatever reason, you can edit them in excel. My instructions inside it are meant for working with it inside Microsoft Excel, I have no idea how to use google sheets so I can't help you there. You can download the file from this link and then open it up in Excel.
Also, in the excel file, I have four workbooks. The first is the chart with a grid, broken into the 20 panels I used to make the PDF. The second is the high contrast chart without a grid, the third is the graph in the colors of the suggested thread, and the fourth is all the thread information.
If anyone ends up making this, I would LOVE to see process pictures! I started mine yesterday, and I'm so excited about it. This is the first time I've ever sat down and written up one of my patterns to share, so I hope everything is easy to follow. Let me know if you have any questions!
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chiarrara · 8 months ago
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new itfskg based on a hc post i saw on here in my fugue state rbing last night i'll add a screenshot or link or smth later maybe idk. okay so baskially how it goes:
megumi and nobara both have a crush on yuuji. this is especially hard for nobara bc she spent the whole first let's say year of their friendship being extremely vocal about how she'd never be into either of them but oops! she got too comfy and caught feelings
nobara eventually breaks down and goes to fushiguro to lament her plight and ask for advice. she's dramatically revealing the source of her suffering when his face gives him away (a big ol "oh no" written on his forehead) (N: what's that face? M: what face... N: oh my god... do you like him too???) (Megumi doesn't say shit cause he's a repressed loser embarrassed of having feelings)
Turns out meg's had a crush on yuuji basically since he met him. he didn't realize it at first of course cause he's way too good at lying to himself. not that good though. he's been silently fostering a deep deep crush for months.
having learned all this, for the next few weeks, nobara starts visiting fushiguro in his dorm anytime she's too overwhelmed by annoying feelings, or pulling him aside during downtime to let off steam, sharing knowing glances and silent communications across rooms. megu's surprisingly glad to have someone to confide in, especially in a way where he's not the center of attention. Since they're both pathetic losers with a crush, he finds it's easier to talk about his feelings than with anything before.
regularly commiserating about how down bad they both are leads nobara and megumi to spend more time separated from yuuji. it's really good for their friendship actually. previously they were both a bit closer to yuuji than to each other, but having a crush to bond over gives them a lot to talk about. yuuji does notice they're spending more time together. and without him. wonder how he feels about that..
one night, nobara barges into megumi's room to complain about yuuji being way too cute and funny at dinner or something while megumi's laying in bed reading. she just plops down half on top of him and starts in. He reluctantly puts his book down but he doesn't object. they've gotten pretty used to each other. so she's going off, grumbling into his shoulder, gripping his sweatshirt out of frustration, and when she looks up, fushiguro looks down at her. their faces less than a foot apart as she's leaning into him, lying together in his bed and...
N: what's that face
M: what face?
he looks away. nobara turns his face back to hers
N: that face
M: (without breaking *very intense* eye contact) I dont' know what you're talking about
they make out
it's very much teenagers with a lot of pent up energy that needs to go somewhere fooling around like teenagers with pent up energy that needs to go somewhere. they kind of crash together, they're grabbing at arms and shoulders and faces, pulling each other as close as they can without ever breaking the kiss. At one point, nobara in readjusting to keep from falling off the bed ends up on top of megumi, knees on either side of his hips, one hand propping herself up and one gripped in the fabric of his sweatshirt. he pulls her into him and rolls them over so they're chest to chest with him on top. he's pushes his hands into her hair, she wraps her arms around his back and twists her leg around h--
two knocks and the door opens
"Hey Fushiguro, I wanted to see if you..."
Yuuji's halfway through the doorway and his face is morphing into the picture of absolute despair
megumi and nobara are...like this
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(they're not naked, they're just microsoft paint stick people)
"Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I'll just..." Yuuji sputters and stumbles out the door.
(simultaneously) M: Shit.. N: Fuck!
so the mood's kiiinda dead.... megumi ends up leaned up against the wall with his head in his hands. nobara's staring blankly at the ceiling. Eventually, nobara says, "did you see his face?" M: "mm" N: "so...which one of us do you think he likes?"
---END OF PART ONE---
(I'll continue it in like... 5 minutes probably)
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rvbrebooted · 9 months ago
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I think it's time I posted our business plan on here. But first I want to say that my LLC is Rancher Toads
Warner Brothers owns the Red vs Blue IP which is a big hurdle, but someone bigger than them owns HALO. Microsoft and Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries). I bet Halo Studios is looking for a HALO show that works. Red vs Blue can be that show. It has over a decade of success, started a new form of animation, is an established IP, and has a massive fan base wanting more. But first we need to open a path with Microsoft and Halo Studios. However, we will not rely on Microsoft to be more than a sponsor and partner. Having a bigger parent company owning our smaller studio is too risky. My plan is:
Depending on how much Warner Media will be selling the rights for, we may need Microsoft to help get the rights back from Warner Media, which will cost them a pretty penny. But it will be a wise investment as they will get product placement, a percentage of profit, free advertisement for HALO, a successful HALO based show, and a good PR campaign about supporting creatives. Another financial bonus for them may be that when big companies take on some debt, it helps them pay even less in taxes. Which will save them money.
Meanwhile, to pay for operation costs and possibly even getting the rights back, we will do a Kickstarter. Death Battle got funded within a day of their campaign. They set their goal as $75,000 (USD), and by the end of it they made $740,000 (USD)! I have no doubt that Red vs Blue can reach its goal and continue operations. Reward items and future merchandise is a strong suit for my company, Rancher Toads.
Rancher Toads was originally founded when things regarding Rooster Teeth and making animated shows started to change. We want to make the animations that we originally would have pitched to Rooster Teeth. But- Animation is a labor intensive art form, and expensive. This is why we call our business model a reverse hasbro- We sell toys to make animation. (They infamously are known for “Make animation to sell toys”.) Our in house merch includes:
Mod Mods
Short for “Modification Models”, these figurines are posable, interchangeable, and extremely customizable. We want to do Red vs Blue and Halo batches, while providing custom Halo armor options so fans can make their own personal armor. Then with the interchangeable aspect, fans can also make their face claims of who is under the helmet.
Sewed’s Boutique
Sewed’s Boutique is more for fabric based fashion, such as bags, cosplay parts, and the like. A few concepts we have worked on that combine Red vs Blue and Sewed’s Boutique include: An Agent Washington helmet purse that is a 2D front facing image of Wash’s helmet. A Kaikaina “Sister” Grif Cheerleader bag. A Felix helmet purse that is a 2D front facing image of his helmet.
Corrode’s Armory
Corrode’s Armory is an offshoot of Sewed’s Boutique, where we sell more armor and weapon based merchandise. We would love to produce an official HALO armor line. Reasonably, it will start with HALO helmets. The plan is to have them made from two (2) sturdy, yet thin, resin molds. One for the helmet, and one for the visor.
I bring up using resin as I plan to use high quality alternatives to plastic when it comes to armor and figurines. Ridding plastic in all fabrics will be an uphill battle later to come.
Merchandise is not the only thing we want to be involved in when it comes to hopefully continuing Red vs Blue. We want to be involved in the writing. We see Red vs Blue having a canon map that looks like a subway map, or the Hyrule timeline. Our contribution to this messy, but organized, canon map is what we like to call- Red vs Blue ReBooted.
This will take place after Wash was shot, and instead of going on an adventure, the Reds, Blues, and Carolina stay beside Wash as he recovers on Chorus. In a way, it echoes the ending of Season 17, while leaving the canon of Seasons 16 and 17 in the air. We have much more planned out but legally, this proposal will not cover the majority of storyline ideas. But we will say we do have plans for both Meta Tucker and Zero to have proper stories.
We also want Miles Luna to have his chance to make a Mercs spin off series. While Luna has adopted an idea for Felix and Siris from one of our members, we want/plan Miles Luna to have majority creative control on his series.
Shisno Tales, a Red vs Blue anthology. This would be a perfect spot for officially making the Red vs Blue plays Among Us episode. We and our Amphibian Allies have a lot of episode ideas written down and even completed scripts. Shisno Tales will include different animators and forms of animation.
Project Freelancer Remembered. A spin off of seeing Project Freelancer’s early days and how close the Freelancers were before the mind games started.
Blue vs Pink is my own little talking in a box canyon idea. I plan to keep it in Shisno Tales. As there are a lot of show ideas being pitched here. It deals more with gender and sexuality. As Pink Team represents femininity, and Blue Team represents masculinity.
Locus Redemption. A space western. Not in the way that Firefly was, but Locus traveling around the universe trying to make things right after Chorus. A show the reds and blues will make cameos in. I see this as a true M rated show. One thing I want to put in this show is to highlight even more corruption of the UNSC. Specifically, where Locus is out in little known Outposts, that the UNSC is dead serious about occupying, even with great harm to the people originally there.
Circling back to the Mod Mods, the dream is to have these customizable figurines be building blocks for Mod Mod Media. Which would include a life simulator game, a more contained scenario game, and animated crossovers. We imagine most of the crossovers would be like Cartoon Network City bumpers from the 2000’s. But we dream even bigger to make Mod Mod Movies. Especially a Red vs Blue & RWBY crossover, as there should be one. But also to show while owned by different companies, they will always be sister shows. Then of course ones with our own original IPs, I see these as a love letter.
Nothing Rancher Toads plans to do is a cash grab. Bringing back IPs and expanding them is an act of creative love. We are not ready for goodbye, and neither should the creatives who put so much love into it. So please, take us seriously and let us work together. Thank you.
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foxgirltail · 7 months ago
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Yes, microsoft trying to make a "zero-water" data center (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-unveils-zero-water-data-170002064.html) is unambiguously a good thing. Obviously any reduction of pollution or water usage is a good thing. No, I don't think that means that ai's usage of water is something to singlehandedly be up in arms about.
By all means, be upset about ai! Just don't only be upset about ai for this or that when basically every other industry on the planet has the same exact problems.
A single cotton t-shirt requires 2700 liters of water, 5 trillion liters of water are used annually for fabric dying, and 20% of all water pollution is from garment production (source: https://www.wri.org/insights/apparel-industrys-environmental-impact-6-graphics)
This medium article (https://medium.com/@notkavi/stop-acting-like-ai-uses-a-lot-of-water-fafea5573c63) compares the numbers cited in the same study as the latest news articles about ai water usage ("Making AI Less 'Thirsty' by Pengfei Li et al https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03271) to the water needed to make beef. GPT-3 used as much water to train as it takes to feed 12 usamericans their average annual burger-patty supply. One quarter-pounder uses as much water as 36k GPT-3 queries or 3.6k GPT-4 queries.
Here is a comparison of Microsoft's water usage in 2022 to the water usage of golf courses:
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In 2022, Microsoft claimed it used 1.7 billion gallons (6.44 billion liters) of water. Between 2003 and 2005, the golfing industry used approximately 2.08 billion gallons (7.87 billion liters) of water DAILY for course irrigation. (water usage of golf courses has dropped an estimated 29% between 2020 and 2005 - https://www.gcsaa.org/media/news-release/2022-news-releases/2022/07/26/golf-courses-reduce-water-usage-by-29-percent-according-to-national-survey - this still amounts to ~1.48 billion gallons or ~6.74 billion liters daily. 2 days of golf is more than a year of Microsoft's water usage)
Source for golf water use: https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Water%20Resource%20Center/how-much-water-does-golf-use.pdf
Source for ai water use: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/ai-chatgpt-water-power-usage-b1106592.html
Yes, the world would benefit from less water usage for ai. But when you posit ai as uniquely evil for it's water usage, I have a hard time believing you actually have an issue with the water usage. Instead it seems like you just want a reason to dislike ai.
My goal is for all of these industries, and many more, to severely reduce their water consumption, or to even stop existing as industries at all! Is that yours as well? If so, why doesn't it feel like it.
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random-remzy · 2 months ago
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Literally the only things keeping my faith in humanity are my friends and Wikipedia
Do you guys realize how incredible Wikipedia actually is?
Do you know how extremely rare it is to find sites and information that isnt based on an algorithm??
Do you know how impossible it is for more than 2 people to have the same results when they search for something on the internet today???
Wikipedia is literally based on people contributing to the expansion of knowledge and understanding, in various different languages, on millions of topics!
And the SECOND some big-name corporate like google or microsoft takes it over. That'll be the end of it.
User contribution will most likely be nearly impossible. Your searches on Wikipedia will be algorith based and show you articles based on what they think you want to read. There's a decent chance AI will be able to rewrite and fabricate articles and pages to cater to the readers interests and data.
Wikipedia is literally called "The Free Encyclopedia" All it takes is restricted access to important articles about literally anything that is important for the public to know. And they can add a paywall.
Please please PLEASE donate to Wikipedia when they hold fundraisers. If you have the ability to, please do.
Millions of people use wikipedia daily. It is such an integrated part of our life and source of information. Please take care of it.
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So I just finished binding Trust Life by the absolutely amazing @chaiandsage (Hello, I am ready to be perceived now, I hope that I have done your story even the slightest bit of justice) and I just wanted to make a post both showing it off, and going through what I learned doing this bind because I did a few new things here and want to talk about it.
Also I'm not going to subject you all to this, so most everything but the final product here is going to be below the cut.
(Also so sorry that the photos aren't the best. I am... Very bad at photography, lmao)
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Ok, so let's start off with some of the cool things I learned during this bind. Or, maybe not necessarily cool, but they are things I learned and I think that learning is cool!
First off, I learned how to download and add fonts to Microsoft Word, which while not interesting, does open up a whole world of fonts for future binds. Is it a little late in the game to have found this? Probably. But it is what it is. I actually downloaded a pretty good chunk of different ones, but the fonts I actually used were MF Love Dings for the heart motif dividers, which was a new download, and then a few standard fonts - Edwardian Script ITC for the title pages, Baskerville Old Face for the chapter headers, Book Antiqua for the chapter titles, and good old Garamond for the actual text of the novel.
Here is the divider and the title fonts. I just think they are neat.
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Another thing I learned was how to make book cloth! I found these squares of white cotton fabric at a dollar tree and decided to give it a go. The way I did mine was by painting them first (a task in and of itself, and as you can see on the cover, did not turn out super even, but I love them nonetheless) and then I glued down a layer of tissue paper to give it a little stiffness and make it stick to the chipboard easier, it was a super cool process and I look forward to trying it again in the future now that I have done it once and have a better idea of how I can improve in the future
And now onto some of the other cooler parts of the process!
So I had a lot of fun doing the formatting, it's my favourite part of any binding process, I cannot tell you how many fics I have formated that I have yet to print out and actually bind because I enjoy the process so much (the answer is actually 5 that are completely formatted and ready to go, 3 that I am actively in the middle of formatting, 4 projects completed - including this one, which... may technically count as 3, granted 2 of them were gifts for other people - and 3 that I am planning on doing that I haven't gotten to start on yet. Oh, and a 5 part series that I have printed out but haven't actually bound yet. I have a problem, lmao.) As I mentioned, I downloaded a few fonts for this but it just ended up looking so good in the end. Here is what some of the inner formatting looks like (I did just take the screenshots from word, I thought it was easier than getting the pages in the book)
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Something else! This was the first time I actually broke a single fic into multiple parts, and I do not regret it. Each section is fairly large on its own, so it would have been a monster all together. I gave them basically the same title pages and such, just used the main stories summary for all of them and copy pasted everything - work smarter, not harder - and kept the same format for the chapters and such. There were 2 obvious spots (at least imo) for breaking things up, those being at the end of chapter 24, and then again at the end of 57, if you know, you know. However, that made the divide be 24 chapter, 33 chapter, 9 chapters. I was a little worried about how that divide to affect the look of the books, but I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked out. Book 2 there is quite obviously the largest part (it's basically double the length of book 1) but book 3 was surprisingly long for being only 9 chapters and I think they look fairly cohesive together. I didn't realize how long the last nine chapters themselves were. The first and third ones are actually about the same size together as book two, which is pretty cool!
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When it came time to put together the actual books, I stuck with my tried and true french link stitch, as I find it to be a sturdy stitch, and then used green, yellow, and red card stock for the end pages, I felt it thematic.
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I'm super excited to have this as a physical book now, thank again to chaiandsage for allowing me to bind this amazing story and just for writing it in the first place! I read it like twice in the span of a month, and I swear I have read chapter 57 and 58 themselves way too many times to count. Not even going to mention the amount of times I read the last 6 chapters because I just love a good happy ending.
But yeah, I'm really happy how this bind turned out, I still have to put an actual cover in these - which I plan on doing, I have a friend who is going to help me with the cover design when they are free, so there will be an update at some point.
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mariacallous · 9 months ago
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A new lawsuit brought against the startup Perplexity argues that, in addition to violating copyright law, it’s breaking trademark law by making up fake sections of news stories and falsely attributing the words to publishers.
Dow Jones (publisher of The Wall Street Journal) and the New York Post—both owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp—brought the copyright infringement lawsuit against Perplexity today in the US Southern District of New York.
This is not the first time Perplexity has run afoul of news publishers; earlier this month, The New York Times sent the company a cease-and-desist letter stating that it was using the newspaper behemoth’s content without permission. This summer, both Forbes and WIRED detailed how Perplexity appeared to have plagiarized stories. Both Forbes and WIRED parent company Condé Nast sent the company cease-and-desist letters in response.
A WIRED investigation from this summer, cited in this lawsuit, detailed how Perplexity inaccurately summarized WIRED stories, including one instance in which it falsely claimed that WIRED had reported on a California-based police officer committing a crime he did not commit. The WSJ reported earlier today that Perplexity is seeking to raise $500 million is its next funding round, at an $8 billion valuation.
Dow Jones and the New York Post provide examples of Perplexity allegedly “hallucinating” fake sections of news stories. In AI terms, hallucination is when generative models produce false or wholly fabricated material and present it as fact.
In one case cited, Perplexity Pro first regurgitated, word for word, two paragraphs from a New York Post story about US senator Jim Jordan sparring with European Union commissioner Thierry Breton over Elon Musk and X, but then followed them up with five generated paragraphs about free speech and online regulation that were not in the real article.
The lawsuit claims that mixing in these made-up paragraphs with real reporting and attributing it to the Post is trademark dilution that potentially confuses readers. “Perplexity’s hallucinations, passed off as authentic news and news-related content from reliable sources (using Plaintiffs’ trademarks), damage the value of Plaintiffs’ trademarks by injecting uncertainty and distrust into the newsgathering and publishing process, while also causing harm to the news-consuming public,” the complaint states.
Perplexity did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement emailed to WIRED, News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson compared Perplexity unfavorably to OpenAI. “We applaud principled companies like OpenAI, which understands that integrity and creativity are essential if we are to realize the potential of Artificial Intelligence,” the statement says. “Perplexity is not the only AI company abusing intellectual property and it is not the only AI company that we will pursue with vigor and rigor. We have made clear that we would rather woo than sue, but, for the sake of our journalists, our writers and our company, we must challenge the content kleptocracy.”
OpenAI is facing its own accusations of trademark dilution, though. In New York Times v. OpenAI, the Times alleges that ChatGPT and Bing Chat will attribute made-up quotes to the Times, and accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of damaging its reputation through trademark dilution. In one example cited in the lawsuit, the Times alleges that Bing Chat claimed that the Times called red wine (in moderation) a “heart-healthy” food, when in fact it did not; the Times argues that its actual reporting has debunked claims about the healthfulness of moderate drinking.
“Copying news articles to operate substitutive, commercial generative AI products is unlawful, as we made clear in our letters to Perplexity and our litigation against Microsoft and OpenAI,” says NYT director of external communications Charlie Stadtlander. “We applaud this lawsuit from Dow Jones and the New York Post, which is an important step toward ensuring that publisher content is protected from this kind of misappropriation.”
If publishers prevail in arguing that hallucinations can violate trademark law, AI companies could face “immense difficulties” according to Matthew Sag, a professor of law and artificial intelligence at Emory University.
“It is absolutely impossible to guarantee that a language model will not hallucinate,” Sag says. In his view, the way language models operate by predicting words that sound correct in response to prompts is always a type of hallucination—sometimes it’s just more plausible-sounding than others.
“We only call it a hallucination if it doesn't match up with our reality, but the process is exactly the same whether we like the output or not.”
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astertimberwolf · 2 months ago
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It's worse. It's so much worse than I wrote in my AI paper- worse than anyone could have ever anticipated...
... At this rate if we keep worshipping capitalism and profit, the human lives behind 95% of the creative industry are going to get flushed down the toilet.
AI will replace actors, actresses, film makers / producters, illustrators, animators (essentially, entire production studios), marketing teams, people working in advertisement, photography, video editors, 3D artists, musicians...
... What will be left? Influencers? Not even that. YouTubers are also going to disappear, according to what Google has just released in terms of AI... and Zucky dearest (Mark Zuckerberg) already said he will implement AI social media profiles.
...
We might be looking at the death of the Internet as we know it.
Will switching to VR save us? Or will that get invaded by the AI dystopia as well?
... man. I really tried to have a positive outlook on the future but THIS. Changes. EVERYTHING.
I tried to warn people through my honors project... Tried spreading the word about how much big tech has already eroded so many of our human rights (starting with our right to privacy). People didn't react because it was slow enough- and ingeniously advertized as "free convenient services". The frog was set in warm water and only after 20 years it started boiling. Nobody read the Terms of Service. Everyone just pressed "Accept" without thinking twice. Captcha trained AI every time we clicked on a motorcycle or set of stairs. But everyone was all-too-happy to have a "free" Google or Microsoft account- or rejoice in their "freedom of expression" on Twitter or whatever other toxic, data-harvesting social media platform. Facebook manipulated people and persuaded them into voting for Trump in 2016 and then washed their hands clean by letting the blame fall on Cambridge Analytica. Algorithms construct psychological profiles from our online activities and monitor our preferences- feeding us extremely tailored content that we consume mindlessly... or show us bespoke items that we buy compulsively... and very few if any people at all question how that stuff reached them in the first place.
I have been awake for a long time- and I have little hope when it comes to any of this ever reaching other people anymore...
... It feels like a futile attempt to stop- or change the direction of our future.
The future is already here.
That's how fast things are going. That's why some people are finally noticing how f*cked we are.
It's easy to live in denial and dismiss the reality we live in, as well as anyone speaking out as a "paranoid catastrophist" or "conspiracy theorist". You can spend hours researching how deep things go and have literally no one listen to you when you try to warn other people... Why? Because the most popular social media platforms have integrared dark UX patterns so deeply in their systems that they killed critical thinking. They are literally MEANT to dumb you down- to destroy people's attention span, to divide and pit people against each other. It's by design... Meshed into the very fabric of how they work: by imposing very restricting character limits per post- by feeding you content that upsets you or makes you hate a group of people that is the exact opposite of your ideals and who you are. It's all documented. People have made documentaries and informative videos about it... Yet there is such an apathetic or negative, defeatist attitude lingering... "it's all out of my hands", "I can't change anything anyways so might as well accept it". You want to accept the looming death of the entire creative industry, just like that? -now that AI isn't being regulated fast enough? How about getting your ass up to go outside with a group of creatives and become part of a demonstration? What about protesting in front of government buildings?? Or demanding legislations be made to contain this technology?! Especially if you live in a big city... Rally. Don't just sit there and let it all happen.
Maybe hearing this come from a nobody on the internet with hardly any followers isn't what you pictured in your head when you thought of someone trying to rally a resistance movement. Maybe you don't agree with who I am, my past, my taste in music- art- shows- fanfiction or whatnot- but God damn. When has something like that ever stopped you from relating to a person, who is just as upset as you are to see it all go up in flames?
I am not going to shut up and I don't f*cking care if people call me crazy for it.
Fuck Google. Fuck Microsoft. Fuck Facebook, Meta, Instragram, Threads- and whatever other shit they want to rebrand themselves as- and shove down our throat. Fuck Twitter / X. Fuck the Ultra Rich & Elite. Fuck Trump. Fuck Elon Musk. Fuck Mark Zuckerberg- Fuck Amazon and that soulless piece of sh*t that puts profit over human lives- and is responsible for modern-day (wage-)slavery called Jeff Bezos... and most importantly, FUCK AI.
Fuck all of them and all of this crap (yes, this last paragraph will stay uncensored).
I've had enough- and I know that if you've made it this far into my rant / ramble, you are probably fed up as well and wanting to feel validated for feeling this way.
I'm not Greta Thunberg, nor am I Snowden- or Julian Assange... But God damn. I hope Anonymous replenishes its numbers and starts a mass, world-wide cyber attack on all major tech and AI companies. Something needs to desperately change if we don't want to live in the Black Mirror version of Cyberpunk. Hold them by the balls. Hit them where it hurts. Shut down their data centers. Freeze their assets.
Rise. Rebel. Resist.
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emilykaldwen · 1 year ago
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Ooh, how'd you get into bookbinding? It looks really cool but I'm also intimidated.
Hi anon!
So I found bookbinding by seeing some of the binds @renegadeguild had posted and decided to do some investigating. I had seen people selling binds on Etsy (WHICH IS SUPER FUCKING ILLEGAL) and had always thought about bookbinding my own - I had watched bookbinding youtube vids via DAS Bookbinding for quite some time at this point but finding renegade helped me get into a community.
So I had a fic that I always liked to come back to read, a bunch of printer paper, some fabric, elmer's glue, and some museum board I had used for some dioramas I made. Along with some thread and a push pin.... that's how I made my first book! With materials I already have! You don't need to buy the perfect paper or proper book cloth or etc etc. You can make a book with just some things you have laying about the house. Even gluing together layers of cereal box to make book board is totally fine! I mean hell, I used some of the fake $2 craft leather from dollar tree for this last bind I just did (and honestly it worked out really well)
I already had Adobe InDesign, but plenty of people use Microsoft word. I also recommend Affinity Designer. One time fee for professional grade layout software that won't make you cry like Word does.
I have been thinking about putting together a tutorial of how I bind a book (am I avoiding writing? possible) so if this is something people are interested in? My next bind is laying out @vampire-exgirlfriend's fic, They Say I Killed You (Haunt Me Then) once she's completed that and has made any adjustments/minor edits to her story!
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jcmarchi · 6 months ago
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French initiative for responsible AI leaders - AI News
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/french-initiative-for-responsible-ai-leaders-ai-news/
French initiative for responsible AI leaders - AI News
ESSEC Business School and Accenture have announced the launch of a new initiative, ‘AI for Responsible Leadership,’ which marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the role of Chair at ESSEC, titled the ESSEC Accenture Strategic Business Analytics Chair.
The initiative aims to encourage the use of artificial intelligence by leaders in ways that are responsible and ethical, and that lead to high levels of professional performance. It aims to provide current and future leaders with the skills they require when faced with challenges in the future; economic, environmental, or social.
Several organisations support the initiative, including institutions, businesses, and specialised groups, including ESSEC Metalab for Data, Technology & Society, and Accenture Research.
Executive Director of the ESSEC Metalab, Abdelmounaim Derraz, spoke of the collaboration, saying, “Technical subjects are continuing to shake up business schools, and AI has opened up opportunities for collaboration between partner companies, researchers, and other members of the ecosystem (students, think tanks, associations, [and] public service).”
ESSEC and Accenture aim to integrate perspectives from multiple fields of expertise, an approach that is a result of experimentation in the decade the Chair has existed.
The elements of the initiative include workshops and talks designed to promote the exchange of knowledge and methods. It will also include a ‘barometer’ to help track AI’s implementation and overall impact on responsible leadership.
The initiative will engage with a network of institutions and academic publications, and an annual Grand Prix will recognise projects that focus on and explore the subject of AI and leadership.
Fabrice Marque, founder of the initiative and the current ESSEC Accenture Strategics Business Analytics Chair, said, “For years, we have explored the potential of using data and artificial intelligence in organisations. The synergies we have developed with our partners (Accenture, Accor, Dataiku, Engie, Eurofins, MSD, Orange) allowed us to evaluate and test innovative solutions before deploying them.
“With this initiative, we’re taking a major step: bringing together an engaged ecosystem to sustainably transform how leaders think, decide, and act in the face of tomorrow’s challenges. Our ambition is clear: to make AI a lever for performance, innovation and responsibility for […] leaders.”
Managing Director at Accenture and sponsor of the ESSEC/Accenture Chair and initiative, Aurélien Bouriot, said, “The ecosystem will benefit from the resources that Accenture puts at its disposal, and will also benefit our employees who participate.”
Laetitia Cailleteau, Managing Director at Accenture and leader of Responsible AI & Generative AI for Europe, highlighted the importance of future leaders understanding all aspects of AI.
“AI is a pillar of the ongoing industrial transformation. Tomorrow’s leaders must understand the technical, ethical, and human aspects and risks – and know how to manage them. In this way, they will be able to maximise value creation and generate a positive impact for the organisation, its stakeholders and society as a whole.”
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
See also: Microsoft and OpenAI probe alleged data theft by DeepSeek
Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.
Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.
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beardedmrbean · 1 year ago
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According to the American IT giant, the hacker attack took place in early December and underscored “the fast and significant expansion in the scope of Iranian operations since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict”.
The fake news broadcast focused on Israel’s operations in Gaza and was accompanied by a banner that read: “We have no choice but to hack to deliver this message to you."
The AI news anchor then went on to present graphic – and unverified images – of Palestinians, including women and children, allegedly killed or injured by Israeli forces in Gaza.
"I was watching BBC News around 10.30 pm when the programme was abruptly disrupted, and instead, harrowing visuals from Palestine appeared on my screen. I watched transfixed as my screen froze, and a message from the hacker popped up in all caps against a green background. This was immediately followed by a news bulletin presented by an AI anchor. It was surreal and scary," a Dubai resident told Khaleej Times.
Another user interviewed by the same newspaper recounted how she was unable to shield her children from the graphic images that suddenly popped up on the TV screen.
“Every channel we switched to displayed the same content," she said.
In its February 8 report, Microsoft's Threat Analysis Centre (MTAC) said the disruption had also reached audiences in Britain and Canada.
MTAC attributed the attack to Cotton Sandstorm – a group it has previously identified as “an Iranian state actor sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for their attempts to undermine the integrity of the 2020 US presidential elections”.
AI ‘a key component’
Microsoft said the group, which labelled itself “For Humanity” during the operation, had published videos on the Telegram messaging app, showing how it had hacked into three online streaming services and disrupted “several news channels” with the fake AI broadcast.
It added it was “the first Iranian influence operation Microsoft has detected where AI played a key component in its messaging”.
Since the start of the war, Microsoft said it had noted collaboration between groups affiliated with Iran and, in particular, between a group linked to Iran’s intelligence and security ministry and “Hezbollah cyber units”.
Fabrice Popineau, an AI specialist who lectures and conducts research at France’s prestigious engineering school CentraleSupélec, said the attack was quite a feat. “The achievement is not so much the production of an AI-generated news broadcast, but the fact that they managed to insert it in the right place,” he said.
Nicolas Arpagian, vice-president of cybersecurity firm HeadMind Partners, also pointed to the technical aspect of how the group had attacked the streaming services.
"The cyber attack did not directly target the television channels but the operators of them, not the sender but the receiver," he explained.
According to Arpagian, these type of attacks – in which graphic photos and videos are displayed – fall under a special propaganda category known as “agit-prop”, aiming to spark an emotional reaction and political agitation.   
"As soon as you have people feeling it, experiencing it in their homes, in their privacy, the goal is achieved,” he said.
Surge in Iranian cyber attacks
Iran’s upswing in hackings and influence campaigns highlights the regime’s desire to show that it can attack anywhere, anytime. Microsoft said that while it had tracked only nine Iranian-linked groups active in Israel in the first week of the war, this number had grown to as many as 14 just two weeks into the conflict.
It also said that Iranian cyber influence operations had skyrocketed from around one operation “every other month” in 2021, to 11 in October, 2023, alone.
In November last year, these Iran-backed groups also started to extend their attacks beyond Israel to include Israeli allies. Among the targets were a handful of small town water utilities in the United States, including in Pennsylvania, where stunned staff at the Aliquippa water authority discovered that their industrial control device had been hacked. A message on the device screen read: “You have been hacked. Down with Israel. Every equipment ‘made in Israel’ is Cyber Avengers’ legal target.” The Cyber Avengers is affiliated to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which is a key branch of the country’s armed forces.
This particular attack was remarkable in the sense that it targeted Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), which are commonly used in factory automation processes, including robotised machines and assembly line devices. Such attacks can therefore heavily disrupt operations, and, depending on the industry affected, cause major damage.
US police have opened an investigation into the attack.
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jnitupdates · 6 months ago
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Mastering Power BI A Comprehensive Online Course for Data professionals 
In the period of big data, the capability to visualize and interpret data effectively has come a  vital skill for businesses and professionals likewise. Power BI, a robust business analytics tool from Microsoft, empowers  stoners to transform raw data into practicable perceptivity. This composition explores the benefits of learning Power BI through an online course, outlining the essential chops covered, and pressing how this training can elevate your data analysis capabilities. 
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 Why Choose Power BI? 
 Power BI is  celebrated for its capability to seamlessly integrate with  various data sources, offering intuitive and interactive visualizations. Its  user-friendly interface and important features make it a favorite among data professionals.Thera are some  pivotal reasons to choose Power BI.
 Interactive Dashboards Power BI allows stoners to produce visually fascinating and interactive dashboards that give a comprehensive view of business criteria. 
 Data Connectivity With the capability to connect to a wide range of data sources, including databases, pall services, and Excel spreadsheets, Power BI ensures data integration is royal.
 Advanced Analytics Power BI supports advanced analytics with features like DAX( Data Analysis Expressions) for custom  calculations and predictive modeling. 
 Collaboration and  sharing Power BI enables easy sharing of reports and dashboards, fostering collaboration across armies and departments. 
 Benefits of an Online Power BI Course :
Flexible  knowledge Environment
 Online courses offer the  strictness to learn at your own pace, making it ideal for professionals balancing work commitments. 
Access to Expert Instruction
 Learn from  sedulity experts who give perceptivity and practical knowledge, icing you gain a comprehensive understanding of Power BI. 
Practical operation
 Hands- on exercises and real- world systems help you apply what you learn, solidifying your chops and enhancing your confidence in using Power BI. 
Cost-Effective  knowledge
 Online courses generally offer a cost-effective volition to traditional classroom training, with savings on trip and accommodation charges.
Core topics Covered in the Course:
 A well- rounded Power BI online course generally includes the following  pivotal areas.
Prolusion to Power BI 
Understanding the Power BI ecosystem.
Setting up Power BI Desktop and navigating the interface. 
Connecting to different data sources. 
Data Preparation and Transformation .
Using Power Query for data drawing and  transformation. 
Creating connections between data tables. 
Understanding and applying DAX for data analysis. 
Data Visualization and Reporting .
Designing compelling visualizations and interactive reports. 
Customizing dashboards and using themes. 
Administering drill- through and drill- down functionalities. 
Advanced Features and Stylish Practices.
Exercising AI illustrations and integrating R and Python scripts. 
Performance optimization ways for large datasets.
swish practices for report design and data fabricator. 
Collaboration and  sharing :
Publishing reports to Power BI Service.
sharing and uniting with  team members.
Setting up data refresh schedules and cautions. 
 Career Advancement with Power BI Chops.
Acquiring Power BI chops can significantly enhance your career prospects in  various places, including .
Data Critic transfigure data into perceptivity to support business decision- timber.
Business Intelligence  innovator Develop and maintain BI results that drive strategic enterprise.
Data Scientist influence Power BI for data visualization and communication of complex findings.
IT Professional Enhance data operation and reporting capabilities within associations.
  Conclusion: 
 Mastering Power BI through an online course offers a precious occasion to develop in- demand data analytics chops. With the capability to produce poignant visualizations, perform advanced data analysis, and unite effectively, Power BI proficiency positions you as a vital asset in moment’s data- centric world. Start your trip with a comprehensive Power BI online course and unleash the full eventuality of your data analysis capabilities.
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ladylaviniya · 11 months ago
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The Bronze Dragon ★ Chapter 11 ★
||Chapter || Masterlist || Chapter ||
Chapter Summary: Wise words of an unexpected friend help Laviniya through her turmoils to push through this. A trip into the city turns into a lewd lesson with Aemond.
Pairing: Dark!Aemond Targaryen X Laviniya Targaryen (My OFC)
Chapter Warnings: 18+ Dead Dove Do Not Eat, Post-War Dance of The Dragons, Mentions of Targaryen Heritage, Alternative Universe, Humiliation, Implied Murder, Depictions of Dead Corpse, Implied Rape. *Smut This Chapter* Fingering, Dubious Consent, Carriage Sex
Word Count: 10k
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Author Notes: ★ I do not have a beta, and I am grateful for everyone who helps me edit. I type this story on my phone using Microsoft Word App. Thankyou and please be kind. (If it's simple spelling like colour vs color, understand I am Australian and we love adding extra vowels.)
Inspiring Song: "Demons" by Imagine Dragons
  The door of the room knocked.
“Enter,” he called. The door creaked open and an old woman came in with bundles of clothes.
The elderly woman announced her purpose, “I have come to dress the young miss, your grace,” her voice respectful but firm. The fabrics were white, and cream in colour. She curtsied and placed them on the table.
Aemond smiled at the crone before turning back to Laviniya, gently grasping her hand and raising it to his lips. He pressed a chaste kiss to her knuckles, his eye never leaving her face. She continued to scowl at him. She despised this false kind kiss. Aemond gently released her hand and addressed the old woman.
“I will await the Lady Laviniya outside,” he said, his tone commanding yet strangely gentle. “Be sure she finds her way to me when you are done dressing her.”
The old woman nodded. “Indeed, my king,” she replied.
Once Aemond left the room, Laviniya took a moment to gather herself, breathing deeply to steady her nerves. Then the old woman’s voice broke the silence.
“You know, I’ve never had to clean such a dirty woman before,” she cackled, humorously. “You were worse than any sow I’ve seen in the mud.”
Despite the old woman’s harsh words, Laviniya forced a polite smile on her face and rose slowly from the bed, placing her feet softly on the floor in front of her.
“Thank you for tending to me, Madam,” Laviniya praised.
As she stood, the old woman moved closer to her, her eyes critical as she appraised Laviniya’s breathless appearance.
The elderly woman was short and rotund, her once-auburn hair now completely white with only a few strands of orange remaining. Her face was covered in spots and blemishes, the toll of age and sun evident on her weathered skin. Yet despite her rough exterior, Laviniya could still see the same gentle eyes that had offered her a brief moment of compassion the night before.
The old woman approached Laviniya with a bundle of clothes in her arms, her smile soft and warm like that of a proud grandmother.
“I have had this with me for many years,” she mused, her eyes roaming over Laviniya’s form. “I was a sprite young thing, many moons younger than yourself even, but it would’ve dragged behind me then. I gather it would fit you perfectly.”
Laviniya silently raised her arms, submitting to the elder woman’s ministrations. The first garment was a soft and lightweight chiton, pure white in color. Then came the houppelande, a cream-colored garment adorned with an intricate ivy pattern in glossy ivory.
The old woman continued to speak as she dressed Laviniya, her voice soft and reflective. “In a different time, I was to marry a Lannister lad, son of a lord. But he met his end by the sword before our wedding, stupid boy. You, on the other hand... You will marry a king. You and your Targaryen king will bring about a new era of prosperity and love for your people. How fortunate you are, girl. I cannot understand why you would run from such a promising marriage.”
As the elder woman dressed a silent Laviniya, she paused, expecting some kind of response. When there was none, she huffed in annoyance and delivered a sharp smack to the girl’s hip with her withered hand, jolting Laviniya back to attention.
“Are you listening to me, child?” she sharply scolded.
The unexpected slap from the old woman caused Laviniya to gasp in surprise. Caught off guard, she hastily began to explain herself, her words spilling out in stammering half-sentences.
“Y-yes. I only ran from my king because...” Her voice trailed off, the excuse sounding pitiful even to her own ears.
“You carved him up like a pork roast,” The old woman cut her off before she could finish, her voice sharp and to the point. “But still, he loves you enough to desire you in his bed and to bear his children,” she said firmly. “Be grateful, girl.”
With that, the elderly woman began to fasten a slender belt around Laviniya’s waist, the strap a soft mauve color, the fabric mottled and faded with age.
As the old woman pulled the laces of the belt tight, Laviniya could not help but cast a melancholy glance downwards at the fabric. Her chin trembled slightly as she spoke, her words laced with despair.
“He does not love me,” she whispered, her voice soft and tinged with sadness. “He only cares about the Valyrian blood in my veins. If I did not have silver hair and lilac eyes, he would never have looked at me twice.”
Laviniya couldn’t dare let her thoughts fall into lies about love and happily ever afters. He had placed his mouth ....there- and if the old woman hadn’t interrupted, goodness knows how far the King might’ve taken to her body.
The old woman chuckled softly at Laviniya’s comment, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement, “Dragons dance with other dragons, not because of their wings or scales, but for the might of their roars and the heat of their flames,” she said tenderly.
Laviniya’s brows pinched angrily, her fingers clenched in frustration at the old woman’s dismissive attitude. She could feel the anger and indignity rising within her.  All the dragons were dead so Laviniya had heard.
“And what would you know about dragons?” she retorted, her tone biting and scornful.
Suddenly the laces of the belt pulled harshly tight around Laviniya’s belly, the constriction bit into her rib cage sharply.
“Plenty,” the old woman grumbled, her voice sharp and authoritative. “I am many years your elder, child. And I once served Queen Alysanne’s court, while my brother pursued knowledge in the Citadel.”
Laviniya’s eyes widened in surprise as she registered the elder woman’s words. Queen Alysanne had ruled the Seven Kingdoms before her more than sixty years ago. If this woman had truly served in her court, she must be very old indeed, potentially reaching her nineties or even a century in age.
“Your name?” Laviniya inquired, as she turned to fully face the elderly woman.
The old woman met Laviniya’s gaze with a warm smile, bowing her head respectfully before speaking. “Mara Manderly, my lady,” she said, her voice tinged with a touch of pride and confidence. “-and If I may be so bold, even the Queen Alysanne and King Jaehaerys, known for their great love, and many children to show for it had their own share of disagreements and squabbles.”
Laviniya’s eyes widened at Mara’s words, surprise and realization dawning upon her face. The old woman smirked as she continued to share her history  wisdom.
“Oh yes, my dear,” Mara said, chuckling softly, “Queen Alysanne had a temper that could burn a hundred ships. And King Jaehaerys, well, he had a habit of provoking her quite intentionally. He took fancy to folding the corners of her book pages down instead of using a bookcard to mark the last placement of the reader...so in turn the Queen often mixed sand into his water and wine canisters- I gather many wine testers would have rathered the wine be poisoned with how often she did it.”
Laviniya sourly believed the situation was rather different in comparison to what Aemond and her had done to own another. They seemed to involve more blood and loss of life or risk thereof.
Mara circled around Laviniya and firmly guided her to sit down by the small table, where a wooden brush lay waiting. With a gentle and almost maternal touch, she carefully began to brush out the young woman’s long locks of milky white hair, her fingers were skilful and practiced as they moved through the strands.
“How did they...manage their behaviours?” Laviniya asked during the calm silence and gentle brushing. Maybe there was a chance Mara could solve the temperaments of another two dragons.
"Well, my dear," Mara Manderly said with a sly grin, "As many husbands and wives do, they take their passions and grievances out on each other in the marriage bed...After all-" She paused and bent her head down at Laviniya and winked, her voice carrying a hint of mischief, "How do you suppose they made all thirteen babes?”
Laviniya blushed furiously, “Oh.”
So that’s what Aemond had done to her? He had taken his grievances out on her that morning. She curled her lips inward before allowing herself to smile; she had to be grateful if it was only that and not the executioners block.
The old woman smiled, “Oh indeed, after such nights, many book pages returned to normal and many wine testers survived the discomfort of grainy dirt teeth.”
So, it was sex that could prevent blood spillage and death?
★★★
Aemond sat confidently on his horse, using only his uninjured right hand to steer the beast. He reckoned he felt more alive after eating out the fair lady Laviniya’s cunt. His cock was rather sore, still full of blood with his balls filled with seed. He tried to think on other things to erase those feelings.
He tried to focus more on his hand than his cock.
His left hand, heavily bandaged and hidden beneath the folds of his cloak, was incapacitated. Despite the injury, however, his eye was focused and intense as he scanned the surroundings.
He couldn’t help but take in the sight of Laviniya coming out with Mara Manderly from the inn in the wedding dress.
Aemond’s steely features softened upon seeing Laviniya, his usual sternness gave way to a ghost of a smile. It was as if all the dark thoughts and frustration of the morning suddenly vanished when he laid eyes on her.
In his mind, she was a vision of beauty, almost ethereal in her loveliness. Even the night before when her dress was torn and her body stained with mud, he couldn’t help but think of her as an angel. But he would never admit such a thing aloud.
Aemond gave her a slight nod, his eyes roaming over her form once more. He didn’t say a word, but his expression was one of approval and something deeper, a strange mixture of desire and possessiveness.
The day breeze blew gently through the air, caressing the bare skin at the nape of her neck, where her ivory hair was intricately braided in a style that framed her face.
Aemond leaned down from his horse, addressing Mara Manderly with a polite nod. “Thank you for tending to my bride, Madam Manderly,” he said sincerely. “I pray for your continued good fortune, and if you should ever desire it, you and your brother are forever welcome in the Red Keep.” Despite the formal nature of the offer, Aemond spoke with genuine appreciation towards the old woman.
Mara Manderly curtsied before Aemond, her ancient joints protesting slightly with the movement. “Thank you graciously for your generous offer, Your Majesty,” she said, her voice filled with sincerity. Her lined face held no indication of irony, only acceptance and a deep sense of gratitude. “My brother and I would be honoured to have the opportunity to serve you in the Red Keep in Kings Landing.”
Aemond turned his gaze to Laviniya, his single eye scanning her up and down. Without preamble, he delivered a direct question to her.
“Laviniya,” he said with a hot warning in his tone, “You will ride again in the carriage. Be truthful with me now – do I need to bind you to prevent any further escapes?”
She recalled his earlier threat of dragging her there by her hair.
Laviniya’s eyes dropped to the ground, her gaze fixing on the red-stained leather of her slippers. She knew that Aemond’s blood had seeped into the fabric, and no amount of scrubbing would remove the stain. Madam Manderly had been unable to provide her with a replacement.
Laviniya played at being submissive and obedient as she replied, “No sire, I will travel without any difficulty.”
Aemond nodded once in acknowledgment, signalling to a nearby knight. The knight stepped forward and opened the door to the carriage, gesturing for Laviniya to enter. She stepped into the carriage without protest, the knight carefully closing the door behind her.
With Laviniya now inside, Aemond rose and signaled to the rest of the traveling party to prepare for their departure. They would continue on their journey without further delay.
Inside the confines of the carriage, Laviniya quietly pushed aside the window shutters, peering out at the world outside. As she did, her eyes fell on Mara Manderly. The elderly woman remained standing there, watching the procession depart. Despite the wrinkles and weathered lines of her face, there was a warm and genuine smile to be seen on her lips as she waved farewell to Laviniya.
The sight of the old woman’s cheerful grin gave the fair lady a ray of hope. Perhaps her future, despite her dire circumstances, might not be entirely devoid of pleasant moments after all.
Many hours passed since the ivy inn. They had stopped once to eat and bid to natures call. But not once was she alone. Even as she squatted in the bushes wearing the wedding garments, Ser Gilbar who also wore a hand bandage stood nearby.
And when she sat by herself in the carriage, she let her thoughts about the morning with the king consume her. Her body would feel warm and tingling, recalling his hot breath and wet mouth lavishing over her pussy. She wished she had the moment of full body privacy, so that she could lift her skirts and explore the areas his tongue had glided. It had been greatly overwhelming until the very end where he had pulled away from her meanly.
She tried to distract her mind and watch the country side or listen to the other soldiers and guards chat about anything and everything from food, animals, tournaments to even women.
Laviniya was surprised when Aemond slipped back into the carriage with her again, joining her quietly without a word. Even though he said nothing, she could feel his gaze on her, his eyes studying her intently. His silent presence was both disconcerting and arousing, stirring up a confusing mixture of emotions within her. She tried to focus her thoughts on poor Ser Corwyn, to distract herself from the memories of that morning’s torture.
Her mind screamed to pull up her skirts and beg him to finish what he had started within her.
As they continued their journey, the tall stone walls of King’s Landing gradually rose into view in the distance, towering over the undulating terrain. The briny scent of the sea breeze, carried lazily from the distant ports, filled their nostrils, signalling their proximity to the capital. Aemond had sent ahead messengers, and as a result, the sturdy iron gates of the city, double the size of those at Harrenhal, swung open wide, allowing their procession to pass.
The enormity of the city was awe-inspiring – it was no doubt a sprawling mass, one of the greatest on the continent. The populace was an intriguing mix, with a diverse range of social classes and cultures coexisting side by side. Wealthy nobles mingled with humble peasants, hardened mercenaries dined with learned scholars, pious monks conversed with the working women of the many brothels.
The wide streets should have ensured an easy passage for the caravan, but the overwhelming crowds of curious onlookers and eager gawkers slowed their progress to a snail’s pace.
★★★★★
The carriage rumbled along the cobblestone street, its wheels clacking loudly against the path. Inside, the silence was thick and oppressive. Laviniya couldn’t help but steal glances out the window, pulling back the heavy curtain to take in the sights of the city passing by. She could feel her kidnapper’s gaze upon her, heavy and intent, as he observed her every move with matching curiosity.
As she looked out the window, she noticed just how different Kingslanding all was from her childhood memories on the one time she had come here to be presented to the King Viserys, her uncle, the father of the man who sat across from her. It dawned on her that her father had been careful to shield her young sight from the harsh realities of the less fortunate part of the city. Now she understood his actions, and couldn’t help but be somewhat grateful that she was observing it all from the relative safety and distance of the carriage window.
The cramped, narrow streets were a mazelike tangle of muddy lanes and alleys, thronged with houses leaning precariously towards the road, their windows either boarded up or shattered. The connecting passageways between the buildings were choked with a stinking, sludge-like mixture of decaying elm leaves, shattered glass and cat corpses.
A dishevelled old woman, her flesh dry and wrinkled, teetered about with a bottle of something clutched in her trembling hand – the foul liquid within sloshing dangerously. She bellowed at a septon monk passing by with a mouth devoid of teeth. Nearby, scantily-clad women leaned out of open windows, their bare breasts on display as they enticed passing merchants and sailors who had just received their wages for the day.
Laviniya tore her lilac eyes away from the disturbing sight outside the window and found herself caught in the intense, penetrating gaze of her kidnapper. 
He observed her pale, delicate features, taking note of the way her hands twisted and fidgeted in her lap, in her beautiful white gown – the nervous little movements giving away her discomfort. With a hint of humour shining in his cold blue eye, he spoke, his cruel smile barely concealing his amusement.
“Does it upset you, my lavender lamb?” he mocked, enjoying the way she shook her head nervously.
She avoided his eye and looked out the window once more, her voice steady and neutral as she responded, “Every city has its downtrodden slums.”
“Yes, but none quite like King’s Landing,” he agreed. “Flea Bottom truly is the arsehole of westerosi society – overflowing with nothing but disease and depravity.”
Laviniya’s nose curdled, she couldn’t hold back a small huff, her frown deepening as she retorted, “No need for your lurid metaphors. I have eyes, I can see for myself.”
His tone remained dry and aloof as he tugged at a loose thread on his tunic.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “We’re merely passing through – this is a world far removed from the one you will endure and enjoy.”
Laviniya let out a scoff, but her thoughts were interrupted when a little child passed by selling apples from her ragged petticoats.
The fair lady stated at the sweet girl, thinking back to the fields of the Vale and the lush harvests. Her soft gaze flitted between his face and the child as she spoke, her words a quiet challenge to his claim.
“Not that far,” she countered. “We shall all share the same city won’t we?”
He cut her off with a dismissive laugh, amused by her naiveté.
“Share?” he repeated. “Barely, they are like an infestation of rats. We are dragons my lamb.”
She rolled her eyes, so Laviniya was a dragon but he insisted on referring to her as a lamb as if she were just some feeble thing he’d plucked from the fields and meadows by the Runestones....not the violent beast who managed to cut him the night before.
“Yes – share,” she repeated through gritted teeth, “We don’t live in different worlds, your majesty. I believe it’s more accurate to say we all live and inhabit the same world, yet reside on very different sides of it in life – and I can’t determine whether I would prefer to being on your side, or theirs.”
His brows raised, he chuckled, “Interesting analogy – how very progressive of you.”
Laviniya’s frustration boiled over, causing her to release an exasperated sigh. She looked to the carriage ceiling, “Yes, of course, how could I forget, Aemond the Conqueror only uses his ironfist and fire to show his advancements.” she blurted out, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching into her seat.
Her scathing words hung in the air, the only sound being the carriage wheels scraping across the cobblestones. Aemond didn’t immediately respond to her jab, instead he regarded her for a few moments in silence, a smirk playing on his lips. He looked down at his hand covered in bandages before looking back up at her. He studied her intently, much like a artist would scrutinize a painting – a mixture of criticism and admiration flickering in his eye.
She fidgeted anxiously under his intense gaze, her dark eyebrows furrowing with discomfort. “What on earth is it now?” she grumbled, her annoyance growing, “Planning to whip me because I see barely any borders between us and the smallfolk? Don't you know it's rude to stare?”
His hand laid on her chest and slid up to cradle her neck, his thumb hovered over the middle of her throat, lazily drawing back and forth. He leaned forward slightly, his tone taking on a warning edge as he spoke.
He held his finger up that belonged to his wounded hand, “You should be grateful to be on my side, Laviniya,” he lectured. “Young girls just as lovely as you tend to rot and wither on those godforsaken streets – so many of them, it’s a shame.”
For a brief moment, she thought he was merely toying with her, but the firm expression in his solid eye made it clear that his words were anything but lighthearted. She should’ve known better. Aemond didn’t just tease – he tortured, relishing in the vulnerability he could coax from her. And the dark twist of his lips confirmed that he was taking pleasure in her discomfort.
He released her throat and sat back against his seat. Laviniya had no idea what type of erection the king was fighting as he sat across from her.
The sudden halt of the carriage gave Laviniya the opportunity to peer out the window, her sight was caught by a whore who emerged from a boarded-up door. The woman’s true age was hidden beneath her tattered attire – her stockings and skirts threadbare, torn, and the lace on her sleeves drooping like moist cobwebs. It was clear this particular resident of the slums had been worn down by a life of hardship and vice.
Her skin, possibly once pale and covered in a natural blush, was now caked with a layer of white lead powder, the dried clumps mixed with her thin blonde hair, resembling wet straw. She looked as if she were trying to mimic white hair, hair of a Valyrian woman. The woman’s lips were painted a harsh, crimson red that looked like she was bleeding from her mouth- but the most jarring feature was her missing nose – the tip of it gone She had been plagued by some kind of disease that ate away at her skin
Suddenly, the woman turned towards the carriage, locking eyes with Laviniya. The young woman felt her throat close up, her insides twisting with unease. The whore was just a mirror of her and what her life could’ve been if she were not the daughter of two noble houses. It scared Laviniya.
Aemond’s voice broke the spell momentarily, and she shifted her gaze away from the window. He commented dryly, “You’ve grown pale, Lamb.”
Her teeth gritted together behind her tight smile, and she responded with a false lie. “I’m just cold is all,” she muttered, rubbing her hands together and blowing into them for warmth.
It was a humid and sweltering day...
Aemond leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper, “Perhaps I can help... “
She shook her head hastily. “No, really I’m fine,” she protested, but Aemond was not one to yield easily. His blue eye narrowed, as he repeated his command. “Come here,” he said firmly. “Let me see if I can bring some warmth back into those pretty cheeks of yours.”
She could not ignore his words or the eye he held steady upon her – that same fiercely intense look of a hunter stalking his prey. It was the same look from that morning. It sent a shiver down her spine, making her skin tingle. She pursed her lips and shot him a defiant glare, raising an eyebrow in cool derision.
“No, thank you,” she refused, trying to hold her ground as she averted her eyes back out the window.
Outside, the whore shook out her hair, lifting the hem of her tattered skirt over her pallid thighs. Aemond released a loud, tired sigh, looking at the wench’s exposed flesh as he spoke.
He ignored her, saying firmly as he stood up, “Then I’ll come to you.” Aemond swiftly moved into the seat next to her, crushing her against the backrest of the chair and pinning her skirts beneath him.
“Sire I–“ she pleaded, her voice shaking slightly.
He leaned in close, his voice a hushed command, “Shhhh be silence now,” he insisted. His hand delved into the gap between the seat and the small of her back.
Aemond’s other hand moved to her thigh, smoothing the soft ivory satin of her gown over her leg. Laviniya tried not to react, her hands clenched the leather of the seat beneath her bottom. She averted her eyes from him, so she could stare out the window and watch the Whore outside as she dangled her thin spidery ankles into the gutter. Despite her ragged appearance, her feet were small and dainty.
Her eyes squeezed tightly as she gasped. Her body tensing as she felt the warmth of his breath dancing over the nape of her neck, his nose nestling into the soft mass of snowy curls. She couldn’t resist him, his presence and the heat of his hands and body overriding any desire to pull away. The scent of his breath enveloped her, lulling her like a young skittish lamb.
When she opened her violet eyes, the Whore had paused her little performance in the gutter and was peering through the window, staring directly at her. It was sinful. It was sick. But Laviniya was fascinated by the woman she could have been.
His lips brushed against her ear softly as he asked in a low murmur, “What are you looking at?” He then nuzzled her lobe with a tender kiss.
Aemond moved his head, turning to follow her gaze and look out the window. Lavender eyes, framed by thick white lashes, fixated upon the dirty cheap whore on the sidewalk. Noticing the object of her attention, Aemond’s mouth curved in a smirk.
He leaned in closer, his voice a low, silken whisper. “Ah...I couldn’t have asked for an example so perfect,” he murmured, his words dripping like honey into her ear. His hand rose from her lower back, delving into the mass of pale curls and winding a strand of hair around his fingers. “Fucking repulsive, isn’t she?”
Aemond’s words, spoken with such detachment and superiority, burned her blood, but she resisted the urge to lash out – her emotions in turmoil. Laviniya’s frown deepened, a sense of revulsion and frustration prickling within her as she watched the Whore outside trying to lure stranger with her exposed undergarments. She gnawed on her lower lip, feeling the constant shift between hatred and desire churning inside her. It was a volatile mix, and Aemond was a master at playing it, knowing that the line between these two extremes was often invisible – or non-existent at all.
Aemond’s lips flew up the side of her neck, gently kissing her pulse, and her frustration was temporarily replaced by a shaky exhale. He continued, his breath warm against her skin.
“I’d wager she was once a beautiful little thing...a heart breaker...” he whispered, his mouth hovering just above her flesh. “...cheeks rosy with just a dirty ditty, and a soft, lilting country accent on her tongue...from the north...”
Aemond’s tongue traced a path along the edge of Laviniya’s jaw. The touch was light and sent a shiver down her spine as the front of her houppelande loosened. She involuntarily scrunched her toes in her shoes and squeezed her thighs together, feeling a pleasant thrum of pleasure starting to build within her.
“Most likely, she came to King’s Landing to find honourable work – something like a ladies’ maid or a seamstress – no older than fifteen...” he said – an edge of disdain in his tone – as he punctuated the end of his statement with a derisive chuckle that made the hair on her neck rise. “No companions, not guardians or escorts, only an old madam who ran a boarding house, touching her soft cheek with her boney fingers and offered her a bed for the night, a hot chicken and ale…”
His hand, which had been resting on her lap, moved upward, shoving her creamy houppelande over her shoulders. He then placed his palm around her neck, his hot fingers making contact with the dark bruises that had formed there from the night before. He brought his head around to the other side, hot breaths and open-mouthed kisses trailing over her skin – making her gasp and swallow a moan. Her eyes remained fixated on the Whore standing outside.
“Stop...” Laviniya gasped, her voice a breathless whisper as his fingers delved beneath her bodice, pulling the fabric down to reveal bare, pale, skin.
She whimpered softly.
“Shhh...” Aemond hushed her with a gentle command, pressing his lips against her exposed shoulder, “Of course, her kindness came at a price... She sold the girl’s maidenhead for a single gold dragon pieces to some fat ugly lord.”
His hand moved from her neck, tracing a quick path across her collarbone and onto the soft expanse of flesh above her bodice, feeling the rise and fall of her chest. She licked her lips instinctively, her palms growing clammy. His voice – that low, commanding tone – had become her addiction, impossible to resist and more enthralling than any wine.
His lips smeared themselves in the hollow of her neck, a smirk forming as he continued speaking, his voice sending a shiver down her spine. “She learnt the trade – make a fine living from the hot wet cunt between her legs, and the tightest virgin ass of the seven kingdoms – her creamy skin and that innocent look in her eyes… I’m sure she was a very popular little slut,” he whispered.
Despite the innocence that surrounded her, Laviniya found herself biting her lower lip as Aemond’s hand slipped into her bodice and beneath her stays, his palm moulding to the shape of her curves. Her cheeks tinged with a rosy blush, but she was powerless to pull away. Entranced by the dragon.
Their faces were so close, their noses brushing against one another as they locked eyes – his gaze intense and fierce, her own eyes wide and glimmering with confused lust. Aemond gave her flesh a gentle squeeze. The carriage lurched forward, jerking slightly as it moved on and leaving the Whore outside just a fading memory.
Unable to hold herself back, Laviniya impulsively lunged forward, her lips capturing his. Their mouths fused in a slow, tender kiss – her soft lips moulding around his, demanding more.
Aemond broke away from the kiss, his breath warm against her skin. “Perhaps she gained a certain level of fame...” he whispered, inhaling a ragged breath before continuing. “...and became a fashionable courtesan, dressed in silk stockings and lace, adorned in the finest perfumes and dripping with pearls and diamonds. She sold her time for a three gold dragon pieces a night by then.”
Laviniya whined, her voice a sultry purr as she sought the sound of his voice, craving it, even as her lips grazed his. “And... then what?” she breathed, the need for his words – no matter how harsh – consuming her. In fact, the more cutting and cruel he was, the more she yearned for him.
Aemond groaned when she nipped at his lower lip, his voice deepening as he tried to focus on speaking. “Then,” he said, punctuating each word with another deep, possessive kiss, “She learnt to master something specialized... something to draw a wider audience...” he continued, his lips curving into a smug smirk. “Something like whips and ropes... the art of pain and pleasure...”
As she nuzzled her face against his neck, inhaling the scent of his skin, Aemond relinquished his grip on her breast and used his hand to wrench her skirts up over her knees. With his other hand, he cradled her head, grabbing fistfuls of her silken, white hair.
“Of course, eventually...” Aemond murmured against her neck, yanking her hair and forcing her chin upward, exposing her throat to him. “Her looks began to fade and  her admirers’ interest started to wane...” He then gave her a gruff whisper, “Spread your legs, Little Lamb.”
She obeyed; parting her pale thighs and feeling the cool air tickle along her lower lips, followed instantly by his fingers. He brushed them along her fuzzy white hairs and down her moist lips, diving through the hot pool of her slippery clear coated slick.
“…Fuck,” he growled.
When he plunged them inside and sought out her clit with his thumb – she sucked in a sharp breath and released it on a hoarse moan.
Aemond’s smirk grew wider as he continued to move his fingers in and out of her, gently rubbing in circles to watch her hips buck and roll with his touch. He knew that she was entirely in his control now, and he was enjoying every second of it. “Indebted,” he continued, “she might one day be forced to languish in jail, at my mercy, to be bargained off to anyone who would have her – even pawned off to the very jailor himself should she be so desperate.” His tone was confident and authoritative, as he knew he held all the power over her.
Aemond’s eye remained fixed on her, watching as she clenched her fists in her skirts and ground desperately into his hand. Her shoulders shook with each laboured breath she took, her voice strangled by the short, sharp gasps that were forced from her.
Aemond’s grip on her wrist was firm, and he pulled her against him with a rough force that took her by surprise. Her eyes met his hard gaze, her breathing still ragged and uneven. Despite her surprise, she couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement at his dominant behavior. His fingers left a greasy residue on her skin, a tangible reminder of what they had just done.
So that's what that wonderful feeling lead to...she wanted more, greedy for the pleasure, she wanted him to do it again even if she despised him.
“My sweet little lavender lamb,” Aemond purred lustfully, leaning in close to her. “Don’t you know how grateful you should be to be on my side of this world?” His tone was low and menacing, and he held her gaze intently.
Laviniya could feel her lower lip trembling, her voice coming out in a small whimper. She felt small and vulnerable under his intense stare, and yet there was a thrill of excitement at the power he held over her.
Aemond quickly pulled himself away from her and adjusted her skirts back down to cover her knees. He helped pin her houppelande back on. The carriage came to an abrupt stop on the Street of Sisters, taking them both by surprise. Without a word, Aemond reached up to wipe the sweat off his own face, letting out a long, frustrated groan.
He kissed her hard on the cheek.
“Seven hells, we’re already here,” Aemond grumbled. He grabbed her wrist to prevent her from following him, and looked her in the eye. “I will be greeting the people as their king, and I need you to be a good little lamb and stay inside the carriage.” His voice was firm and authoritative, brooking no argument. She nodded, still trying to catch her own breath.
Aemond may have been exhausted, however he was able to eagerly greet his people. His adoring subjects on the streets of the city while they travelled through.
The din of shouted greetings and blessings from the throngs of people was deafening, and it showed no signs of abating as the procession pressed onward.
Throughout Aemond’s wars, his people had displayed less discord and more patriotic loyalty, revelling in his victories and exuding a near zealotry in their support. This had not always been the case, for during his father’s reign, a growing discontent had festered due to the late King Viserys Targaryen’s propensity for appeasement. His decentralized rule, though having its merits, had inadvertently empowered the greed of the nobles surrounding him. To make matters worse, the predatory nature of the neighbouring northern realms only added fuel to the smouldering fire.
During Aemond’s reign, the capital city had not only grown opulent but had also grown richer, becoming a symbol of extravagance and prosperity. This newfound affluence was a direct result of the kingdom’s conquests, with wealth and forced labour flowing easily into its coffers. Indeed, despite the King’s lavish lifestyle, there was enough abundance to go around. The citizens of King’s Landing revelled in their city’s newfound prosperity, exulting in feelings of triumph and savagery.
This extravagance was further fuelled by a propaganda campaign, which celebrated every achievement, no matter how small or exaggerated. Furthermore, the glorious tales of the Green’s golden age were constantly recounted, keeping the public enthralled and entertained. The pampering of the capital city’s residents reached its peak, with lavish feasts and spectacular tournament games becoming a regular occurrence.
Aemond, despite his notorious reputation, harboured within him a capacity for benevolence. The problem, however, was not a lack of such sentiments but rather his tendency to manifest them in extremes, both benevolent and malevolent. Unfortunately, it was often the latter that dominated his actions. However, moments of kindness, such as his aid to the starving orphans, served as fleeting glimpses of the better side of his nature.
Aemond’s open and generous gestures to the peasants and his soldiers undoubtedly pleased the common folk and boosted the morale of his troops. While there was likely a certain level of genuine kindness influencing his actions, he did not acknowledge it readily. However, that was not to say he did not hold sadistic tendencies, as he could easily order the brutal execution of helpless knights, seemingly for his own amusement or spark a war by killing his own nephew. Consequently, given his penchant for extreme actions, his fearsome reputation remained well-deserved.
Aemond turned to his knights, gesturing towards the clamouring crowd surrounding them. He issued his steady command, “Give them some coin.” The king knew that those who benefited would sing his praises to their neighbours, making it a small price to pay for goodwill. However, he lamented that his nobles and courtiers weren’t so easily won over, adding, “And make sure those ragged children get something too.”
Realizing she now had a vague understanding of what the future held for her, and being adorned in suitable attire for travel, Laviniya found her initial panic somewhat assuaged. Throughout the journey, she had been the epitome of compliance, quietly occupying her comfortable but prison-like quarters, absorbing the bumps of the uneven terrain. To her slight relief, her treatment had shifted from outright captivity to that of a more legitimate traveling companion, even if she was a reluctant one.
Despite her uncomfortable travels and his vexing company, she found herself unable to fully hate him. He had show her mercy when she had cut him. He could have let his men rape her, one by one before slitting her throat if he had so desired that as justice...
He could have turned her into the Whore she had seen earlier and let herself die inside herself slowly overtime.
For his mercy she believed he wasn’t worthy of her entire hatred. Hate, it was a powerful emotional reaction, and also because there were individuals she had held more intense dislike for in the past. Surprisingly, she wrestled with the question of whether she had ever truly hated anyone before, as there had indeed been attempts made to cultivate such animosity.
However, Laviniya was not obligated to accept Aemonds unfair actions or ignore his most harmful inclinations. How could she? That would have been akin to expressing gratitude for the events of the past week, including the murder of her father and Ser Corwyn. Why should she forgive and forget, even if it was kinder to reconsider that no one in the world was utterly evil and therefore unworthy of the energy that true hatred required?
Except...his brother was evil. She had no other word for what Aegon tried to do...it was just deplorable, sinful and disgusting- no, it was truly evil. What Aemond had done had brought her uncomplete pleasure, something that left her wanting and annoyed.
★★★★
In the near distance, the palace of the red keep loomed majestically, a colossal structure that seemed to tower over every other building they had encountered on their journey. It possessed a striking height that forced onlookers to tilt their heads up in admiration, and its width spanned out impressively, leaving little doubt that it could accommodate a significant portion of the city’s populace if the need arose.
Their journey continued as they approached an infamous bridge, adorned with numerous gibbets lining the path. These gruesome structures were arranged with a meticulous precision to match the wall’s stone patterns. Laviniya recognized the bridge, and it was at this point that her surroundings began to hold her attention for longer than a cursory glance. The gibbets held a macabre sight – corpses in various stages of decay, with many having been picked clean of flesh by carrion birds yet bearing scraps of clothing, armour, and hair that still told stories.
She couldn’t help but notice a corpse that had been captured and displayed inside one of the many gibbets. His armour was adorned with a black and red three-headed dragon emblem, and long, white hair framed his desiccated face. His tanned, dry skin was the result of prolonged exposure to the sun, yet despite his withered appearance, Laviniya could discern the identity of the unfortunate soul. The shock was like a blow to the gut.
The words slipped out of her mouth as if they had a mind of their own, almost coming out as panicked cries. Her fingers instinctively latched onto the window, her knuckles turning white. “Stop the carriage,” she repeated, her voice shaky. “Please, halt the carriage!” Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, she couldn’t cry, she didn’t want others to see these tears shed.
The command, “Halt the carriage!” escaped Ser Gilbar’s lips, a gruff but authoritative voice. He was the eldest among them, and was also the most gentlemanly and deferential toward their captive lady. At times, she had pondered how these chivalrous instincts had endured under his cruel king’s rule, but that train of thought was far from her mind now. Yet, she felt a pang of gratitude that it was him who was on guard duty at this very moment.
The carriage came to a sudden halt, granting her an unobstructed view of the macabre sight. Suddenly, another voice, younger, entered the fray, “We are to keep moving,” said Ser Raynard. “His Majesty would not want us to delay.”
“His Majesty also expects her to arrive unharmed,” responded Gilbar with a grumble, dismounting from his horse. With a sense of determination and an ironic display of chivalry given the circumstances, the older knight walked over to the carriage and, with an oddly formal gesture, rapped on the door. As he opened it, he offered a quick bow and asked, “Is there an issue, Your Highness?”
Beyond Ser Gilbar’s shoulder, Laviniya could make out a small group of peasant children who were gathered near Daemon’s gibbet, chanting some malicious rhyme or song and taking turns hurling stones at his corpse.
  “Daemon, the rogue black prince.
Here he stands – all do wince!
Daemon had a choice you see
To fall and kneel and make a plea
But Daemon, would not kneel
His vow to the pretender did not yield
So when Daemon flew through the sky
King Aemond struck him down in the God’s Eye.”
  The children’s chanting prompted her to reluctantly exit the carriage, as she stumbled awkwardly stepped out of the carriage while attempting to move around Ser Gilbar. Unfortunately, her legs were afflicted by a most inopportune bout of pins and needles, resulting in a clumsy and graceless display.
“I need to see something,” she stated bluntly, her coldly distant. Any remaining urge to flee had vanished along with the unyielding principles of Ser Corwyn from days past. Even if the impulse to jump off the bridge surged through her, she was trapped – any attempt to make a run for it would be swiftly thwarted by the ever-vigilant guards or soldiers, who would hastily seize and bundle her back into the carriage.
Laviniya addressed the closest child with a gentle air, her usual agitation replaced by a facade of tranquil composure. “I heard your chant,” she began. “Is it all true?”
A young girl with braided jet black locks turned towards her, a flicker of wide-eyed awe before her hand instinctively moved to grip one of her plaits. “Yes, milady,” the girl affirmed. “My papa says so. He was a soldier in Harrenhal that day.”
Laviniya nodded gently in acknowledgment of the confirmation, her smile conveying her gratitude. “Thank you...”
Then, without any pause, a red-haired boy sidled towards them, a hint of pride in his tone. “And especially the part where he flew through the sky on Caraxes... car-car-caraxes!” He proclaimed, struggling to pronounce the dragon’s name correctly.
Laviniya’s family of house Royce, had told her that the fallen prince was trapped at the bottom of a lake, firmly bound to his dragon saddle and unable to be recovered or afforded the usual Targaryen burial rite. She had always found the details to be conspicuously vague, and now the grim truth settled upon her like a shroud. Her father had been here the entire time...
“The traitor’s daughter has come to visit him...” she murmured to herself, a momentary lapse in silence as the enormity of the situation settled on her. She forgot for a brief moment that Ser Gilbar stood within earshot, but she caught herself quickly, remembering the importance of keeping her emotions in check. She had pledged not to weep, and in this moment of quiet torment, her mind was a storm of unvoiced screaming.
When was the last time she saw her father alive? She was but a girl, was it before or after he married the Black Queen Rhaeynra? She could scarcely recall. Was it the day before her mother died or the day he came to collect the inheritance denied by Lady Jeyne Poole? Laviniya knew he held another wife, another family, Mysaria the Whore, Laena Velaryon, then Rhaenyra Targayren. Laviniya was the eldest but a runt to his litter. She never understood why the daughters of Laena Velaryon were introduced into Rhaenyra Targayrens family. Why they all were granted to live on Dragonstone, a place she used to dream about and grow enviously starved for. All she wanted was to be a dragon and fly among dragons with a dragons family... 
She dearly loved her Royce relatives but after years of looking in the mirror and staring at the skies more than the flocks, she tended to wonder the same question over and over. What had she done wrong to be abandoned by the blood of the dragons?
King Viserys was the only one to ever reply to her letters. Laviniya used to cry herself to sleep, praying that her father in Pentos or on Dragonstone would reply to her letters instead of just returning them. All those questions, all those requests, all those vows and all that begging upon the parchment would never be answered. 
Daemons corpse hung in front of her, dry and curled from the many days in the sun. His feet wore no shoes, his toes curled beneath his sole, yellow and white, sinewy and bony.  
Laviniya reached up and touched the leathery skin. 
Did her father ever touch her without her needfully grabbing at his tunic shirt? Her eyes filled with brimming tears. Not even Aemond had been so cruel, Aemond had welcomed her into his arms only the other night amongst the heavy storm. Her nose tickled. She patted the dried foot of her father's corpse again. She could touch him as much as he'd like without feeling him flinch or hearing him sigh with annoyance.
Ser Gilbar’s initial surprise was soon replaced by a deep sense of mortification. The knight’s voice held a note of restrained sympathy as he interjected, “Your Highness, I beg of you – please return to the safety of the carriage. This is not a sight befitting of a lady of your stature and-”
His words died on his lips as the sound of approaching hoofbeats cut him off. The imposing presence of the King’s massive black steed loomed over them, casting a dark shadow over the scene. Ser Raynard hurriedly followed, having been sent to retrieve his master. The King reigned in his horse, coming to a halt just a few strides away from where Laviniya stood, their eyes locked in a moment of charged silence. Behind them, the two children had fallen eerily quiet, their wide eyes fixed on the tableau before them.
The King’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere, expressing a hint of surprise. “Ah,” Aemond paused, seemingly momentarily taken aback. He cleared his throat, “I had originally hoped that you would greet each other in the next life beyond this. I did not consider you finding him among all these criminals and traitors.”
Laviniya made no move to look at him, her gaze remained fixed on the gibbet, refusing to tear her eyes away from the macabre sight of her dead father before her.
Silence engulfed her, her face a frozen mask of undecipherable emotion as a heightened sense of awareness washed over her. It occurred to her that now would have been the opportune moment to make a scene – in broad daylight, with all the eyes of the capital watching. In fact, there hadn’t been a more fitting reason to break into hysterics. Would he blame her if she did?
How much trouble would she bring upon herself if she were to suddenly collapse to her knees, wracked with heartbroken sobs, effectively stalling the progress of his schedule for an unspecified duration? And more importantly, how substantial would such a delay truly be in the grand scheme of things?
She remained steadfast in her quiet composure. Overreacting in public places felt unnatural to her, even if it momentarily seemed like the right thing to do. Her energy was depleted at this point – the sight of her father’s remains had left her utterly exhausted – and she doubted her ability to convincingly perform the role of a grieving daughter. Though Daemon was indeed her father, he hadn’t been the affectionate, caring sort.
She observed as Ser Gilbar conversed quietly with the King, she could hear their conversation of “Her father.” And “She grieves.” Followed by “Let us forget this.” It prompted the King to cast a glance between the guard and his fair lady.
Ser Gilbar returned to her side and gently touched her shoulder, addressing her with a tender and solemn tone. “Please my Lady Laviniya, you inflict unnecessary anguish upon yourself by lingering here. Let us return to the carriage?” A brief pause followed. “Come now, dear Lady Laviniya. Let us be on our way.”
Her expectations regarding benevolence from him were already at an extreme low. As a result, any instance of actual benevolence would have come as a pleasant surprise... yet she felt compelled to make one final endeavour, solely for the sake of her deceased father.
“Will he be taken down?” she asked bravely, referring to the gibbet and its grisly occupant.
She had never managed to forge a connection with her father. He had shown no interest in forming a bond with her. However, she felt a pang of guilt as she remembered how she had once idolized him and felt a sense of pride in being the daughter of a dragon rider. Suddenly, her face buried itself in her palms, and her shoulders shook violently as suppressed sobs wracked her delicate frame.
After a long pause, his answer came. “His time is not yet up,” the King replied firmly, his tone offering no room for debate. “Removing him will not alter the fact that he is gone from this world, Lady Laviniya.”
With a swift motion, he signalled to Ser Gilbar, who then gently took her arm and led her back towards the waiting carriage.
There was a lack of deep disappointment, but she made an effort to look devastated as she returned to the carriage. In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of the King tossing a few coins to the children who had recently conversed with her, and then the carriage resumed its journey.
The carriage traversed through several more gates, stopping at numerous checkpoints and passing beneath the watchful gazes of vigilant archers, underscoring the city’s formidable defences. The palace, however, was far from merely being practical and stark. Its architecture, though imposing, was also marked by a sense of grandeur and decadence. Towering stone pillars were arrayed at the entrance, each one being as thick as a man was tall, making the individual feel small in comparison.
Aemond was not incapable of experiencing empathy, but he was so accustomed to disassociating himself from others that it took a certain situation to trigger such feelings. He generally viewed people as objects to be used and discarded, only his closest kin could truly ignite feelings of guilt or compassion within him.
The fair lady was gradually reaching the requirements for bs one of those few peoples. He was intrigued by her and found her exceptionally alluring. Were she not Targaryen, the king was confident he would have taken her to wife either way until he found his silver maned baby bearer.
He might even say he found her appealing, though in more of an abstract sense. She was filled with humour, intelligence and tact that he knew to be heavily lacking in his court of women.
But despite her beauty and brains, she was not someone he had yet considered truly as anything more than a rare prize he had seized from the confines of Runestone.
She was like a sweet dessert. She was to be his queen, his bride...and broodmare.
This began to change that very morning when she had accused him of not wanting her. And for the hours on their way to King’s Landing, the king of Westeros had to admit that she may have been right. He never wanted her no.... He needed her. He craved her. He starved for her.
When Daemon Targayrens body had been fished out of the Gods eye, on the day he was killed- Aemond had given the corpse of Daemon Targayren a strict sentence of five years in the gibbet, a punishment befitting his transgressions. The same sentence had been meted out to all those who had violated the King’s laws. It was crucial for potential schemers and rebels to learn from this. Each time people crossed the bridge, they were to glance at the rotting corpse—a stark reminder of the gruesome consequences awaiting those who dared step out of line.
To Aemond, the gibbet occupied by Daemon was a symbol of his triumph in battle, survival of life and sacrifice of Vhaegar, a tale of victory that was etched in the minds of every onlooker who witnessed his downfall. More than merely practical reasons, there was a darker aspect of the King that derived pleasure from seeing his former foes humbled and exposed in such a degrading state.
...and now he had the traitors daughter. But seeing her face, that beautiful sweet, innocent look in her sadden eyes brought no dark pleasure to him, in fact he considered that it may have even hurt him. He wanted the eyes that filled with needful tears in the inn and in the carriage in flea bottom...not these ones.
It was true that she shouldn’t have been disappointed. After all, the absence of mockery could already be considered a generous act.
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            HELPLINES:
If you are a victim of sexual abuse, assault or domestic violence or know someone who is please reach out to these links that share helpline services, phone numbers or emails. Consent and respect is important in every relationship whether between friends, family or even strangers.
Australian Helpline Services
UK Helpline Services
American Helpline Services
India Helpline Services.
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ahb-writes · 2 years ago
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People Are Using A.I. to "Write" Unauthorized Books From Popular Authors and Sell Them on Amazon
Read the Article: "An author says AI is ‘writing’ unauthorized books being sold under her name on Amazon" by Clare Duffy, CNN (article appears in full, below)
Supplemental Reading: "I Would Rather See My Books Get Pirated Than This (Or: Why Goodreads and Amazon Are Becoming Dumpster Fires)" by Jane Friedman
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New York (CNN) -- An author is raising alarms this week after she found new books being sold on Amazon under her name — only she didn’t write them; they appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence.
Jane Friedman, who has authored multiple books and consulted about working in the writing and publishing industry, told CNN that an eagle-eyed reader looking for more of her work bought one of the fake titles on Amazon. The books had titles similar to the subjects she typically writes about, but the text read as if someone had used a generative AI model to imitate her style.
“When I started looking at these books, looking at the opening pages, looking at the bio, it was just obvious to me that it had been mostly, if not entirely, AI-generated … I have so much content available online for free, because I’ve been blogging forever, so it wouldn’t be hard to get an AI to mimic me,” Friedman said.
With AI tools like ChatGPT now able to rapidly and cheaply pump out huge volumes of convincing text, some writers and authors have raised alarms about losing work to the new technology. Others have said they don’t want their work being used to train AI models, which could then be used to imitate them.
“Generative AI is being used to replace writers — taking their work without permission, incorporating those works into the fabric of those AI models and then offering those AI models to the public, to other companies, to use to replace writers,” Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the nonprofit authors advocacy group the Authors Guild, told CNN. “So you can imagine writers are a little upset about that.”
Last month, US lawmakers met with members of creative industries, including the Authors Guild, to discuss the implications of artificial intelligence. In a Senate subcommittee hearing, Rasenberger called for the creation of legislation to protect writers from AI, including rules that would require AI companies to be transparent about how they train their models. More than 10,000 authors — including James Patterson, Roxane Gay and Margaret Atwood — also signed an open letter calling on AI industry leaders like Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to obtain consent from authors when using their work to train AI models, and to compensate them fairly when they do.
A Growing Problem
Friedman on Monday posted a well-read thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, and a blog post about the issue. Several authors responded saying they’d had similar experiences.
“People keep telling me they bought my newest book — that has my name on it but I didn’t write,” one author said in response.
Amazon removed the fake books being sold under Friedman’s name and said its policies prohibit such imitation.
“We have clear content guidelines governing which books can be listed for sale and promptly investigate any book when a concern is raised,” Amazon spokesperson Ashley Vanicek said in a statement, adding that the company accepts author feedback about potential issues. “We invest heavily to provide a trustworthy shopping experience and protect customers and authors from misuse of our service.”
Amazon also told Friedman that it is “investigating what happened with the handling of your claims to drive improvements to our processes,” according to an email viewed by CNN.
The fake books using Friedman’s name were also added to her profile on the literary social network Goodreads, and removed only after she publicized the issue.
“We have clear guidelines on which books are included on Goodreads and will quickly investigate when a concern is raised, removing books when we need to,” Goodreads spokesperson Suzanne Skyvara said in a statement to CNN.
Friedman said she worries that authors will be stuck playing whack-a-mole to identify AI generated fakes.
“What’s frightening is that this can happen to anyone with a name that has reputation, status, demand that someone sees a way to profit off of,” she said.
The Authors Guild has been working with Amazon since this past winter to address the issue of books written by AI, Rasenberger said.
She said the company has been responsive when the Authors Guild flags fake books on behalf of authors, but it can be a tricky issue to spot given that it’s possible for two legitimate authors to have the same name.
The group is also hoping AI companies will agree to allow authors to opt out of having their work used to train AI models — so it’s harder to create copycats — and to find ways to transparently label artificially generated text. And, she said, companies and publishers should continue investing in creative work made by humans, even if AI appears more convenient.
“Using AI to generate content is so easy, it’s so cheap, that I do worry there’s going to be this kind of downward competition to use AI to replace human creators,” she said. “And you will never get the same quality with AI as human creators.”
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Read the Article: "An author says AI is ‘writing’ unauthorized books being sold under her name on Amazon" by Clare Duffy, CNN
Supplemental Reading: "I Would Rather See My Books Get Pirated Than This (Or: Why Goodreads and Amazon Are Becoming Dumpster Fires)" by Jane Friedman
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