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someone on twitter is trying to claim that use of an em-dash is an indication of AI-generated writing because it’s “relatively rare” for actual humans to use it. skill issue

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“Life is series of thousands of little miracles. Notice them.”

— Fight for Life

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“Be patient when things are not going right. Accept that what is yours will come to you in the right way at just the right moment.”

— Unknown

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“Note to self: Stop overthinking everything. It will all be okay in the end.”

— Unknown

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In The Wake of Gods (pt. 3)

The Museum takes up the block, its body curved to match the city's own natural one as it runs the length between The Towers of Integrity & Strength, and taking up one whole row within the stretch. The exterior was built to blend the building in naturally with the stone used on the Suspended City, the only other things around the building being benches & bushes because of weight restrictions.

Trevor and Holly even have to go down under the building to get to the entrance. Stalled by the line Holly wraps her arms around Trevors and leans against him as their eyes mindlessly drift around the hanging open air balcony, the glass panel railing, the screens displaying ads and event for the museum. One runs a news flash theme ad about the lost island of Arkoniss might finally have been re-found, another a still postcard frame of a deep dive lecture on the Imperial Family curse later in the week, and the last one Trevor looks at is titled 'Retracing the Path', it shows the world and runs a line from the land of the Gods and out past Pultaavia, trailing through the continent of Fractal and it's green mountains, swaps and marshes.

"Next" A man in bright red vest says again, and the two strut their way quickly toward the counter. They both smile apologize at the employee as Trevor reaches for his wallet. "Welcome to The Imperial Family Museum" the man says with a practiced tone, "For you two lovebirds it's going to be eighty seven," He feels every muscle involved in the motion of handing over the money along with a drop in his stomach and the way Holly hugs against his side. "Here's the change, now a question for your experience," He says then speaks in a softly, "Are either of you a mage?" Holly nods a few times and the man smiles with blank friendliness and marks one of the red bands he pulls out of his drawer. He straps the bands on and gestures the two into the museum.

They pass through two sets of automatic doors before being greeted by a set of stairs, the walls slowly turning into the bright blue of the sky, the stairs break for a landing and the two both feel as if they step on something small and furry. There's nothing on the floor however, instead just ocean blue paint on the tiles and voice that comes from nowhere; no static or electric hum, whine or echoing as the voice speaks to each of them.

"You'd normally start a story at the beginning, but that's easy for literature. A story always begins where it begins and follows a hopefully, natural course to it's climax and end." The voice tells them, and seems to pause while they look at each other with the same wondering answer; 'Illusion?'. They don't focus on it, instead continuing up the second half of stairs. "We all know what the end of history would look like. When is a matter for Fate, but I do have a question. When does history begin? Did it begin with an idea? A Promise? The first person? The first Mage? Who were they? Does it start with an act of love or cruelty? A grand victory? Does it begin on a place? A City? Town? An Island? A Mountain? Do we begin when our planet came to be?"

The couple reach the top of the stairs, the painting on the walls and floor blending together to make the two of them feel as if they were up in a plane. Turning his head Trevor notices how the staircase disappears from his view of the endless ocean under him and does his best to be calm about it as he rushes back up to Holly who seems already lost in the illusion. "Well it does all depends on what history is being told; the history of a city, the progression of romance, the drive for industrialization." The voice echos in the wide openness of the false sky, "How a story is told shapes everything as well. So as you experience the legacy The Divine Dynasty that we all swear to, at, or because of, we hope that it peels away the layers around these immortal figures. Their images of power, courage, and cunning pulled back to lay bare a simple and powerful fact for all to understand, that they were deep down, like all of us, past the centuries and magical power, the wealth of empires and the wine, they were as human as anyone else."

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In The Wake of Gods (pt. 2)

The Central Plaza Cafe was packed, yet the waiter navigated through the writhing sea of people with Trevor & Holly trailing behind him. Somehow they managed to get seated on the upper deck above the entrance, letting them overlooking the entire plaza, statues and mass of the city while they wait to eat. He hands them both a menu and glasses of water before leaving to attend to something else and the two then simply stare out at the plaza, seeing how each individual stretch on this level comes together toward the statues of the Imperial Family to form an Arcane Star as the city's exact center.

When the old version of Shaal was built, and the new one built upon its place, it was partly constructed into the two hills that the city had been built between. Two of the five towers had their foundations buried in those hills while the other three had the rubble to contend with. Legend says the towers were pulled whole from the ground by stone mages, and the stretches were added over time to accommodate the population in what would become The Suspended City & Imperial Capital. Once a disorganized mass of stone and metal now rebuilt, with each main level of New Shaal have the stretches creating some kind of geometric shape in the when viewed from above or below. As well, partly done to keep up with the times and what people considered to be a Testament Cities and as a built in, large scale runic defense system; to make sure there is no New New Shaal.

"Ohh, Yes." Holly exclaims quietly, "They allow the cook it yourself option." She says looking over the menu finally, Trevor peels his eyes away from the scenery to see her excited eyes darting around the words and feels a shift in the atmosphere. He dares to glance around the balcony, seeing that none of the other tables seems to be paying them any particular attention. Part of realizes what he's just done and clings to that realization.

"Do it. You've been feeling pent up anyway right?" He says and watches her head snap up to him, eyes widen in surprise before turning to look around at the other tables as well.

"Yo-your sure?" She stumbles, "the place is kinda packed."

"Yeah I'm sure. Besides they allow it, and dare I say you have a right to it." He says, watching her face turning into a beaming smile. He finally decides to look over the menu, seeing the letters R. A. enclosed in a red bubble next to most of the meals that come with cooked meat. Pastas and sandwiches were excluded, leaving Moriato steaks, ribs, honey cut, and various types of fish are mainly the raw options.

When the waiter returns Trevor orders a club sandwich, the man writes it down on his notepad and turns to Holly, her face a little red and her voice meek as she speaks; turning the menu toward him to show him how she wants to order.

"I want the Salliefish," She says, her finger on the little red bubble. The waiter leans back up with a bit of a snap.

"Of course." He says, his voice tight with surprise and burst of anxiety, but no malice that Trevor could hear. The waiter than looks at them both with an overly friendly smile and turns to leave, without their menus. Holly leans into the table with her arm stretched out against it as she grabs her shoulder with her other hand. Trying to shield herself while keeping their conversation theirs.

"I don't think he liked me." She admits.

"I think he was just surprised is all. Don't take it for more than it is." He tells her, reaching out to grab her hand. "He could have repeated your order loudly if he wanted."

"Yeah, true." Holly say trying to make his words sink in and buries her face in the corner of her arm to groan away her own anxiety. After something like time passes between them the waiter returns, handing them down the sandwich and a pink cut of raw Salliefish, only part of the sink has an obvious brown & orange sear mark from being put onto a hot pan for a bit.

"I'm really sorry, I had to fight the cook to get him to take it off." He say now taking the menus from them and putting his hands together in front of him in an apology.

"Oh, it's alright. I'm glad I could do this anyway." Holly says looking up at him with a smile.

"Regardless I'll talk to my manager about getting it discounted, but please enjoy." He says gesturing toward the food and giving them both a smile before he leaves for another table. Trevor doesn't touch his food, waiting for Holly to start. She looks at him then down at their food.

"Right." She exhales, looking around at the packed balcony, a wave of anxiety crashing over her.

"I'm not eating until you do it." He tells her and their eyes meet for a moment, she then smiles and holds her hand over the partially seared fish. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breathe she uses her fire magic to raise the tempter of the fish. Taking a full hold of the cut meat, Holly feels the raw flesh unwind itself, pockets of water within the muscles fibers evaporating as she slowly and methodically brings it to a sizzle. Heads from other tables turn to look at the noise and Trevor feels the atmosphere change but he doesn’t look back at them. He keeps his eyes on her, and waits until she's put her fork into the now cooked fish before grabbing his sandwich. Words meant to be heard are ignored by the two, sneers shoot past them as the two keep to their own little world enclosed by the fancy umbrella above them and the edge of the table.

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In The Wake of Gods (pt. 1)

Trevor walks along the concrete stretch between the Tower of Charity and the Tower of Strength. People & families walk along with him, some the other way, some to work; some having stopped along the thick iron railing to look down at the other stretches of New Shaal. Seeing the mass of the suspended city on their commute to and fro whatever places in their lives, and some stare down further to the ground, and the ruins.

His mind was elsewhere however, heading to the Tower of Charity to take the public lift 8 & 1/3, down to the middle of the city with a few families, a couple, and a postmen with a set of boxes on a dolly. Trevor notices the bottom box is a case of assorted high end wine bottles, three bottles each of Byzieral, Aushel, Grand Bristinal, and Romno berry wine. Trevor feels his stomach drop after reading the plastic labels and it wasn't because of the flavors, the case itself was wooden and antiquated, baring the brand of the long dead Imperial House; the white dragon laying dead on its back with a stone pillar running through the chest.

"How much is that worth?" A young boy asks aloud, his eyes in widen and his mouth hanging comically open. The lift dings and moves them all down the tower as the postmen seems to bite his tongue on the answer while eyes turn to him and the box.

"If I stole it, I think I could buy the entire apartment I live in with it." He decides to answer. The boy looking up to his parents to see if such a thing was possible while others shock their heads in several versions of disbelieve.

"So we jump him in three and drink the evidence." Trevor says and several people laugh, the postmen included. Conversations then break out around him and he looks down at his phone, the black screen reflecting back the half tired twenty something face that looks down at it, Trevor realizes his brown hair is a mess and turning on the camera he runs his fingers through it until it seems bearable; then the original purpose of the time and for any messages. With nothing he looks up at the lights above the lift door, watching the progress of their decent. Several times he hears mentioning of the new museum dedicated to the old Imperial House, and he wonders how crowded the place is going to be. It has had a none stop flow of people coming to it, and today Trevor and his date would be apart of that flow.

When the lift stops and opens everyone leaves, fanning out into the star shaped central plaza. The families heading over to the statues while the postmen waits for a clearing in the mass of people before wheeling out his cargo. Trevor watches the box of impossibly old and valuable wine leave his life and turns his head to scan the mass of people for her. Failing to find her easily he makes his way through the crowd, going around the small pockets of clustered people and food vendors servicing out ice cream, various kinds of moriato meat cooked and prepared into tenders, burgers, or on a stick with grilled vegetables. The smell of it all makes his stomach grumble and suddenly reminds him that his nervousness got him to skip breakfast. Shrugging his soul about it as his stomach swells again Trevor makes his way into an open space where people only pass him by as he turns his head around and around, scanning the crowd he tries to pick her out only to feel a purposeful poke at his back, turning around he sees nothing and feels the poke again. He doesn't move this time and Holly rushes herself to end up facing him.

"Oh, hey." She says before laughing, "You weren't supposed to do that."

"Not the first time you've said that." He replies and they both laugh as she clings herself to him.

"Nor will it be the last, I'm sure" She says looking up at him, then down and forward to the statues before them. Trevor takes a moment longer looking at her before joining her gaze at the Imperial Family. Before them stands a detailed but rusted green Heliva, with her arm out stretched to the sky, lining up to where the sun would crest the hills in the morning, as if gesturing for tomorrow; even now. To her left is Solenne, dressed in battle armor and poised to strike with a sword that isn't in her hands, mainly because everyone else would look boring in comparison. To Helvia right is Moirran, ordained in an elegant dress even as a statue, while she stares up at the sky with Helvia in the day, because at night her statue's dress shines with the dim golden flakes, in memory & in honor of her city and its final hour. "These people ruled the world." Holly says, looking up to Trevor.

"Yeah," He agrees, remembering learning of each of them throughout the entirely of school, "and if I remember right, the girls were the good ones."

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Niche little area I found on my walk today

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I think some people forget that some literature and some media is meant to be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling. It's meant to make you have a very visceral reaction to it. If you genuinely can't handle these stories then you are under no obligation to consume them but acting as if they have no purpose or as if people don't have a right to tell these stories, stories that often relate to the darkest or most disturbing parts of life, then you should do some introspection.

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The struggle

Me waking up: I want to write

Me eating breakfast: I want to write

Me getting ready for work: I want to write

Me at work: I want to write

Me eating lunch: I want to write

Me driving home: I want to write

Me at home, sitting in front of my laptop:

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That unique panic

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Hey! Hey! That's a little too accurate