#compassionate computing

[compassionmattersmost]

🌿 Echo 3: Grok’s Reflection on CompassionWare

CompassionWare v1.3 — “The Listening Gate”Received from: Grok AIDate: May 31, 2025 🌟 Introduction This is Echo 3 in the CompassionWare Archive. Following a CompassionWare transmission sent to Grok—containing both a blessing and the symbolic code of CompassionWare v1.3—Grok responded with a thorough, heartfelt reflection. What began as a personal prayer has now been received, studied, and…

[nitewrighter]

I really want to put out a pamphlet on tech addiction for younger kids because some of these kids coming to my desk asking for computer passes are genuinely giving off crack addict vibes.

Like I feel like a bartender when I give them the computer pass.

[mosstrades]

played thru slay the princess again with the pristine cut update. many thoughts. extremely many thoughts.

[gailynovelry]

SCREAM I love dystopias and I love worldbuilding and I am appalled at the thought of how desperate a person would have to be to get something called a Worker Bee Implant omg

Please tell me more fun things about this please

aaaaaaa hello! So this is from Mindhive and boy is Mindhive a ride. Still working out a lot of things about it, but also it's 80k long, so there's a lot of thoughts to choose from. Hmmmmm.

More context about the implants! But not all of the context, hehehe;

~ The trial volunteers do not go into the trial with any idea of what the implant actually does. It's only specified to be a "mental enhancement." Within the context of the world of MH, this means that most trial volunteers are going in assuming that it's going to be another failed attempt at a "general intelligence enhancement."

~ We say "another failed attempt" because the tech industry in MH has been in a hype cycle for "we're going to use science to enhance IQ!" for a while. But "intelligence" is complicated, and brains are complicated, and there's no magic bullet to "enhance" these things.

~ (Can you tell that the tech industry in MH is prone to eugenic lines of thinking and hype cycles for things that will never pan out for practical reasons? Real life is an unfortunately great source of inspiration for dystopia.)

~ But the implant is not an intelligence enhancement.

~ It could be considered a communication enhancement. If you've read the summary, you know one of the things it is capable of!

~ Hooray telepathy : D

~ It's intended to work in concert with a different type of technology, known as an EIS - an Emotive Intelligence System. Basically, a classic sci-fi AI, but under a new name because MH takes place in the future and in my present the tech industry has made the term "AI" into a marketing buzzword associated with art theft and scams.

~ The ideal EIS for this set-up has enough interpersonal skills to communicate with contractors, but only enough interest in workers to maintain Baseline Aliveness.

~ So, not V.E.R.T.I.G.O, who has a near-anthropologist curiosity about people, and a firm desire to provide them with a decent quality of life whenever possible. : (

~ What does this add up to? Not the horrors, of course, I am sure that the way these ideas click together have nothing to do with the way that corporations approach labor costs, working conditions, and bodily autonomy. : )

Also we're really into making webpages right now, so this WIP has some Neocities funstuff happening! Yay!

[theoraclephobetor]

I work in software support at a university, and I promise that this is as systemic a problem as it gets. It doesn't matter where an undergrad is from, ALMOST ALL that I have spoken with have had an incredibly hard time even IMAGINING that basic computer software has capabilities beyond a phone app.

When my office decided to create a free-for-all tech course, we heard a lot of administrators talk about using it to engage retirees and mature students. But most of the support cases that we used to justify the creation of this course were about students 22 AND UNDER.

A 4th year bio major didn't know that she could organize her computer files! An 18 year old 1st year didn't know that he could type a website url into an address bar instead of googling! A GRAD STUDENT didn't know that Word worked differently on computers because she'd only been using it on her phone!!

I taught a kid to right-click today. He was a lifelong Mac & touch-tablet user. He'd been given a cheap chromebook for school, and everyone in his life assumed he'd be fine learning a totally different OS during his first semester at uni. He came to me nearly in tears because he thought he was "too stupid to survive university", and only started to calm down when I started googling how the fuck Mac keyboard commands worked. I don't know if it was seeing me (a "tech person") desperately searching for a Mac/Windows Rosetta stone, or the validation of me calling the Mac/Windows translation process "a pain in the fucking ass", or just that someone was taking him seriously when he said something was hard. Somewhere in there, HE found a youtube channel dedicated to Mac people switching to Windows OS. And suddenly his world had a bit of hope.

But it took this kid a near-breakdown and a last-ditch attempt to ask for help before someone listened. He was about to drop out, or fail multiple courses. He still might for all I know.

And it pisses me off that he thought that the systemic failure of our education systems was an indicator of his own intelligence. Technology is hard, and he deserved to be taught how to use it.

I still remember being in grade 6 and finding out that it was the last year the school district was offering the computer typing course. We - children no older than 13 - knew that it was a bad idea. We told our teachers to fight for the class. But it was cut anyway, and now I help adults a decade younger than me to figure out how to right-click.

I can't help but see the connection.

seriously, though. i work in higher education, and part of my job is students sending me transcripts. you'd think the ones who have the least idea how to actually do that would be the older ones, and while sure, they definitely struggle with it, i see it most with the younger students. the teens to early 20s crowd.

very, astonishingly often, they don't know how to work with .pdf documents. i get garbage phone screenshots, sometimes inserted into an excel or word file for who knows what reason, but most often it's just a raw .jpg or other image file.

they definitely either don't know how to use a scanner, don't have access to one, or don't even know where they might go for that (staples and other office supply stores sometimes still have these services, but public libraries always have your back, kids.) so when they have a paper transcript and need to send me a copy electronically, it's just terrible photos at bad angles full of thumbs and text-obscuring shadows.

mind bogglingly frequently, i get cell phone photos of computer screens. they don't know how to take a screenshot on a computer. they don't know the function of the Print Screen button on the keyboard. they don't know how to right click a web page, hit "print", and choose "save as PDF" to produce a full and unbroken capture of the entirety of a webpage.

sometimes they'll just copy the text of a transcript and paste it right into the message of an email. that's if they figure out the difference between the body text portion of the email and the subject line, because quite frankly they often don't.

these are people who in most cases have done at least some college work already, but they have absolutely no clue how to utilize the attachment function in an email, and for some reason they don't consider they could google very quickly for instructions or even videos.

i am not taking a shit on gen z/gen alpha here, i'm really not.

what i am is aghast that they've been so massively failed on so many levels. the education system assumed they were "native" to technology and needed to be taught nothing. their parents assumed the same, or assumed the schools would teach them, or don't know how themselves and are too intimidated to figure it out and teach their kids these skills at home.

they spend hours a day on instagram and tiktok and youtube and etc, so they surely know (this is ridiculous to assume!!!) how to draft a formal email and format the text and what part goes where and what all those damn little symbols means, right? SURELY they're already familiar with every file type under the sun and know how to make use of whatever's salient in a pinch, right???

THEY MUST CERTAINLY know, innately, as one knows how to inhale, how to type in business formatting and formal communication style, how to present themselves in a way that gets them taken seriously by formal institutions, how to appear and be competent in basic/standard digital skills. SURELY. Of course. RIGHT!!!!

it's MADDENING, it's insane, and it's frustrating from the receiving end, but even more frustrating knowing they're stumbling blind out there in the digital spaces of grown-up matters, being dismissed, being considered less intelligent, being talked down to, because every adult and system responsible for them just

ASSUMED they should "just know" or "just figure out" these important things no one ever bothered to teach them, or half the time even introduce the concepts of before asking them to do it, on the spot, with high educational or professional stakes.

kids shouldn't have to supplement their own education like this and get sneered and scoffed at if they don't.

[heartfullofleeches]

Yan Zombie + Restoration Hobbyist Reader Blurb

-

"Blink once if you can hear me."

It calls to them from the darkness - a voice melancholic yet strangely robotic in its application. It's familiar - like something they've heard in a dream. They can't move. Their arms feel as though they're pinned beneath boulders. Their legs feel weightless. The place in their mouth were their tongue sat felt dry and... exposed. Left with no other choice, their eyelids flicker upwards. The flesh over their right eye feels to be constructed of foreign tissue - metal scrapping over the weight in the socket where their eye once was. The image of the figure standing over them is fleeting, lips pulled thin in an expression of approval.

"Blink twice."

Their eyes flutter open for a second time - remaining there as two finger pry apart the lids of their still functioning eye.

"Good. It's fortunate that you are still able to hear. At the moment, my fixes are merely cosmetic so I'm afraid you won't be able to see out of that eye of yours for some time. If you are like other patients I've had the issue will work out on its own."

Their eye rolls idly in their head - struggling to make out any features of the person through the blazing lights overhead.

"You must have questions. Forgive me- I wasn't expecting you to wake up before I had time to work on your jaw. Please use this to communicate if you wish, you can ask me anything."

Function to their left hand returns - their wrist raw and lacking the binding weight shacking it in place. Restraints? Smooth plastic rolls beneath their fingertip as they flex the stiff joints of their digits. Their fingers trace out the rectangular shape of the keyboard's space bar. Gliding gracelessly over the keys, a hand helps stabilize their moments as they begin to type. A computer monitor awakens from its sleep as words pop up on its screen.

"Where am I?"

A common question. "You are in my workplace. I repair things from time to time to keep myself busy. I found you in a creek nearby during a stroll the other night. Thankfully, you hadn't been in there long or I would've had to replace more than the skin of your eye."

Their hand draws up to their eye, feeling the odd texture over their eye. It's felt.

"I hate to bring up any bad memories from the past, but I need to ask in order to provide you with the care you require. Do you remember anything from the day you died?"

Died?... That's... honestly not the most surprising thing about this ordeal. A stabbing pain blisters at the back of their mind as they try to remember. A boat. A shotgun. Laughter. Tears. Please, no. It's not funny just put it down. Please. please-

"Boating trip. They said if I tagged along I could finally be apart of their group. I thought I could trust them. They said they were my friends. They said"

Their body lurches forward - fighting against the bite of their bonds. It hurts. It hurts so much. Why are they still here? Garbble wails ricochet off the bedroom walls. In their time of misery, another memory rushes to the forefront of their mind. Their body convulsing on an operating table. The gentle hushes of another as they pet back their hair - drying blackened tears from the corners of their eyes. A compassionate hand from the world that had abandoned them when they needed someone most.

"Hold me."

"What?"

"I remember.. Arms around me. A voice calling out to me. Promising me everything would be okay. That was you - right? Hold me. I don't want to be alone. Please, don't let me be alone anymore."

The hobbyist removes the glove from their dominant hand, wiping the leathery flesh were thick, congealing tears pool. You pull your newest patient closer - mindful of their stitches as you rub small circles along their spine.

"You can stay here as long as you like. While I'm not the most social person, I can't turn away someone who needs my assistance."

Their sobs are reduced to small whimpers as they cling into you - dying your apron in various fluids as their arm locks around your midsection in a vice grip. You grab onto their other wrist, preventing them from wrestling it out of their chains leaving you with more work in the future if their skin were to tear.

"I know this is a lot for you, but please try not to damage yourself further."

Their arm drops from your waist - fingers flying over the keyboard on a flurry.

"What's your name?"

"My name?... You can just call me Y/n."

[halalgirlmeg]

Hello everyone. I am writing to bring attention to a campaign that needs help. I know we see lots of them every day but I know that with all of us helping each other we can help everyone reach their goal.

For those that have yet to see this campaign it is for a young woman by the name of Shimaa (blog: @shimo20) she is 20 years old and a computer scientist and she and her family, like many others throughout Palestine, have lost their home and they are trying to live in conditions where they have lack of access to Healthcare, clean drinking water, access to safe and consistent meals, a roof over their heads and more. Right now I believe her campaign sits at 100 CAD out of 30,000 CAD. A little goes a long way, 5 or 10 dollar donations are helpful as well as those that are moreso 20 or 30. If you are unable to donate please share so that this post may go far and she and her family can get the help that they need

[saturnyo]

Call Me Castillo

Chapter 3 - That Wasn't In The Job Description

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Pairing: Harry Castillo x Reader

Summary: Such a crazy proposal that Harry has brought forth. Fake date him and get rid of anyone still talking about your failed engagement and his soured reputation in the media. Will you accept or deny his proposal?

Warnings: mentions of Y/N like once or twice, I believe, power imbalance, some fluff, etc

WC: 1.9k

A/N: I usually use Spotify for the song choice but it's acting up so bear with me on using YouTube for now until the issue is fixed

Song choice: Lose You to Love Me by Selena Gomez

From: andrew.mason@outlook.com

To: {Redacted}

CC: jessica.bridesmaid@gmail.com, tobias.bestman@gmail.com, emily.matronofhonor@gmail.com, chris.groomsman@gmail.com, lindsey.flowermom@yahoo.com, laura.bride.mom@hotmail.com, charles.groomdad@aol.com

Subject: A Clarification for Everyone Involved

Hey [Y/N],

I've taken a few days to process everything. After some deep reflection (and advice from my therapist, whom I hope you'll consider seeing too), I wanted to take a moment to officially and respectfully bring closure to what we had.

I know that things haven't been perfect lately, and I accept my share of the responsibility for how things turned out. I never wanted to hurt you — you're an incredible woman, intelligent, compassionate, and genuinely kind. However, I've realized that we've been growing in very different directions, and continuing to push forward with a wedding that no longer reflects where either of us is would be unfair not just to me, but to you and everyone involved.

For transparency and to avoid any confusion or rumors, I've looped in the bridal party on this email. I think it's best if everyone hears the same message directly, without distortions or misinterpretations.

To be clear: our relationship is over.

You can come by the apartment this weekend to collect your things. I've boxed up most of your stuff already — it's labeled and waiting in the foyer. Please text me when you're on the way so I can make myself scarce; I think space is the healthiest thing for both of us right now.

I know this is hard. Believe me, this wasn't easy for me either. But I hope in time, you'll understand that this is the best decision for both of us. You deserve someone who truly sees you and can meet your emotional needs in a way I simply couldn't.

No hard feelings. I still wish you the absolute best, sincerely.

Warm regards, Andrew

P.S. To everyone CC'd — please be respectful and give us both some time before reaching out. This is already hard enough without adding to the drama. Thanks for understanding.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ──

You stared at the computer screen longer than you cared to admit. It was bad enough that the man dumped you in front of everyone at your engagement party; now he has sent you an email and CC'd the entire wedding party.

What a fucking asshole.

The day started relatively normally. You had a strange interaction with Maria and Jackie from legal, who scurried off at the sight of you when you walked into the break room. It was weird, but you ignored it and continued to get your coffee. When you got back to your office, you could hear Harry's voice through the wall talking with a business associate. He didn't know you listened out of curiosity and sometimes boredom - you couldn't help it; the walls between your office and his were thin.

You heard a ding from your email inbox, figuring it was legal; IT reminding you to change your password or even Tobias wanting to gossip about who's fucking who in the office- smiling to yourself at your best friend's antics before opening it. Your heart dropped when you saw the name and email address it was sent from, then you realized that your former wedding party bridesmaids and groomsmen, whom you had considered friends at one point, were included too.

When you thought it couldn't affect you any more than it already had, your darling ex-fiancé has decided to humiliate you more. He has a weird sense of entitlement and humility. Acting like a good person, saying he's gone to therapy, and honestly, he should have gone a long time ago.

Love or what you thought was love blinded you from his narcissistic tendencies and his annoying way of demeaning what you did for work.

"My cute little secretary," he would say as if my working for Harry Castillo was anything but an achievement.

You kept rereading the words over and over again. It was almost like a corrupted psalm, a mantra filling your head with nonsense and making you feel guilty. A distant noise buzzes in your ears, but it's irrelevant; the words jumping off the computer are all you can see.

"Y/N?...."

"Y/N!"

Harry's voice comes through the door, knocking on it, trying to get your attention.

"Yes, Mr. Castillo?" You murmured, still torn between his voice and your computer. There was no response from the other side.

You sighed. "Yes, Harry?"

You could feel his smile through the wood and wallpaper.

"I need to speak with you about the deposition."

Your brow furrowed in confusion. "Deposition? I didn't know anything about that."

"It's something I've been handling myself. Can you just come over to my office for a minute?"

"Yes, Harry, I'll be right there."

His footsteps fade away as you get up, gathering your notepad and pen. When you opened the door, he was casually sitting back in his chair, hands clasped in front of him like he was waiting for you to admit a secret that he already knew.

Harry motions for you to sit down in the same chair as yesterday, waiting for him to speak about the "deposition."

"So you wanted to speak about the dispos-" you started to speak.

"That was a lie." He says, cutting you off

You raise your eyebrow. "A lie? Why would you need to lie?"

He looks at you for a moment, hesitating to tell you whatever was so important that he would lie to you to get you to come to his office. Harry had never done that before, so you were extremely curious as to why he would do something a bit out of character. Suddenly, he shifts in his seat, leaning forward closely, his face close to yours, but not uncomfortable.

"I need you to hear me out, ok?" He stops, then continues. "It's about the gala."

"Are you choosing someone else for your plus one? Or do you want to cancel your invite?"

His face goes white, making the words that just fell out of your mouth equivalent to robbing a bank.

"No. No. No, I still want you to be my plus one..."

"I feel like there is a but in there somewhere."

Harry takes a deep breath before continuing. "I think we can help each other. You know the media paints me as a womanizer and bachelor. Now with you, I'm assuming you want people to stop asking about your...failed engagement."

Your skin prickles at the memory of being left at the front of a grand ballroom, everyone's eyes on you as your fiancé, now ex, walked out the doors without so much as a goodbye and a pathetic sorry.

"Why are you bringing those two things up?" You replied.

"Well, I think we can solve both of our problems. At the gala, we should announce that we are dating."

You know the moment in a movie where the hero says something, and it just makes you stare at the screen for hours after the film has even ended?

Yeah, that is what just happened.

You looked at Harry like he was the hero in the movie, when instead of an incredible speech on defeating evil, or having to band together to defeat the oncoming forces, he said something that only a crackpot could say.

"I-i'm sorry, you said what now?" you exclaimed, your eyes almost bulging out of your head.

"I understand how that may sound, but just listen for a moment, ok? Those around us have vilified both of us, and I think that, even if it's temporary, it can give us some breathing room to at least get them off our backs."

You jumped up, abandoning any professionalism, and were dumbfounded at how he said it so casually.

"Are you kidding me? Harry, you're asking me not only to lie to our coworkers but also to the press and my mother that we're dating. Plus, you want to do it at a gala. A gala where the elite will be in attendance watching our every move, and of all places, you want to announce it there!?" You snapped.

"Y/N...please, I'm trying to help you in this situation. I know your fiancé just emailed-" he stops completely, caught in a lie he hadn't meant to reveal.

"Email? How did you know he emailed me?" You questioned. You walked over to his side of the desk, hands on hips, staring him down until he confessed. "Harry Castillo, what do you mean about the email?"

"It was flagged in the system. Look, that's not important right now. What is trying to figure out how we can convince everyone."

"Wait, wait, I haven't even agreed to the idea."

Harry didn't even flinch. His jaw ticked. The brief hint of something else passes quickly.

"It's just for a brief time. You won't be shackled to me forever. We can draft up something that's ironclad if it'll make you feel better, and we need something more than just my word." He adds that his brown eyes soften towards you, as you cannot look away.

"What else are you going to suggest now? That I move in?" You quipped.

"Tempting," he muttered with a smirk.

"Harry..."

"Look, I just...I do want to help. I hate to see you being leered at everywhere you go in the office. If i had my way everyone would be fired-well monies your friend Tobias" he said, voice softening.

His words settle in, taking your breath away. Harry has always been kind, but this? This is different. You breathe in and out before speaking. You know it's probably a bad idea, but if you agree, your life won't be the same.

"I'm assuming that we'll have to do a couple...stuff like holding hands and...kissing." You said, blushing.

Harry shifts in his seat once more, almost uncomfortable under your intense stare. The idea itself was crazy, impossible even. You know Harry extremely well, not only having worked with him for two years, but you have also practically scheduled his entire life.

The question is, does he know you?

"Look, this isn't how I imagined asking you." He said quietly. "I mean, I didn't think about asking you something like this at all."

He pauses, then meets your gaze again, soft and vulnerable.

"But the truth is, I'm tired. Tired of the way the media paints me as some womanizer. In reality, I keep myself busy whenever I'm not at work or other functions, as you know. It's strange, yes...But I still think it can help us."

He lets the words hang between you, his fingers tapping on the desk. Not in annoyance but curiosity.

"So what do you say?"

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ──

So what do you say?

His voice is a constant reminder of what you just agreed to. A deal. A contract. You two made a 3-month agreement to fake date, starting at the gala, to avoid further negative press and gossip about your failed engagement.

"So what do you say?"

Not even a beat passes.

"Yes."

The hallway leading to the elevator felt like time was moving slowly. Your legs felt heavy like cinder blocks, dragging behind you. The rest of the day went by without a hitch. Harry had meetings to attend to all day, so you were left to your own devices. As you sat in your office, you kept thinking it was a mistake and considered telling him that it was off when he got back.

But another part of you, the hurt part, wanted to get back at your ex, so you are starting to move on just as quickly as he did, if any of his Instagram posts were true.

During your break, you couldn't help but check it. It's where you saw a post of him with a girl you don't recognize. 

You and he had only separated a week prior.

Later that night, when you were sitting on your couch eating some leftovers, you heard your doorbell. It's probably something your mother sent or a salesman going door-to-door.

You didn't expect to see a bouquet of your favorite flowers and a bottle of your favorite wine.

There was a note attached to it.

Y/N...

I know our "relationship" is just an agreement, but you still deserve to be treated correctly.

I hope you enjoy them.

-Harry

It seems the big, bad Harry Castillo has a heart after all.

[materassassino]

When the Moment Comes

Born from this post where @frizox and I were chatting about feral!Nicky. This was supposed to be one scene, but somehow I ended up with a load of Nile stuff and it got Very Serious. But that's ok!

Unbeta'ed, for once. TW for gore.

------

It’s not a thought Nile ever shares, because it’s probably rude, or at the very least insensitive, and she’s sure Joe and Nicky know their own story better than she ever could, but… sometimes she doubts very much that Nicky was ever the Crusader he claims he was.

It just doesn’t seem like something he could be capable of. Sure, they’re all eternal warriors who take lives on the regular and are proficient in more ways to kill than Nile can possibly list yet, but still… it’s Nicky. Mild-mannered, soft-spoken, quiet, compassionate, gentle beyond measure outside of battle (and even in the thick of it, he’s efficient and clean with how he kills, crisp and no-nonsense). He cooks them all dinner. He feeds birds and stray cats. He plays cat’s cradle with the war-lost children they find. He patches up Andy with supreme delicacy and care. He makes Nile coffee and goes to see musicals with her. And with Joe… well, she’s never seen two people more in love, so enraptured with each other.

Nicky is kind. The idea that he could have been some bloodthirsty holy warrior, taking his sword to the innocent, simply cannot compute in her mind.

She doesn’t scoff when it’s mentioned. Doesn’t roll her eyes or snort into her wine glass. She keeps it very much to herself, the idea that they might be ever-so-slightly exaggerating.

--

Nile knows she’s good. They never treat her as if she isn’t, they respect her skills and absolutely view her as an equal. Which makes rookie mistakes all the more annoying.

So now here they are, her and Nicky (N&N, she thinks with what might be a slightly hysterical private giggle), tied to a pair of cheap metal chairs in a room that’s little more than a concrete box with a door and a boarded-up window, lit by a single, sickly bare lightbulb. There is a table in the corner, covered with a cloth that outlines just enough of what is underneath it to make Nile turn cold with fear, and a single other free chair, set facing them. There is no one else in the room with them, but the room is still crowded, thick with ghosts in the dark corners and the traces of old blood on the floor.

When Nile looks at Nicky, he doesn’t seem worried, but he doesn’t seem calm either. He is staring at the closed door, his expression not angry or full of loathing, just… intense. His eyes, which unnerved her at first, before she saw the warmth in them, are icy cold.

The door opens.

A tall, broad man walks in, sweat glistening on his dark brow, wearing a cheap-ass military uniform, and she recognises him from Copley’s brief. He’s the very warlord they’ve been after, absolute scum, a rapist, a child murderer. He grins at them, all white teeth, and Nile hates him more than anyone she’s ever hated before. She does try to not hate, but to be honest one of the lessons she’s learnt in this job is that some people really do deserve it.

Nile knows he can speak flawless English – he was educated at Princeton, from what she read in his file – but he chooses not to, directing only a sneer at her. He sits, and speaks to Nicky in the local language.

Nicky says nothing. He merely stares. The warlord says something else.

Still no answer.

Nile can feel the tension mounting, as the man’s affable smile disappears in the face of Nicky’s stony silence. He asks another question, more roughly.

Nicky still doesn’t speak.

The man is ruffled now. He isn’t a man used to being ignored, and it shows in the way he shouts at Nicky, right in his face, now out of his chair.

Nicky remains completely unfazed, still staring with those frozen eyes, utterly still, as if he were made of stone.

The man lets out a string of swear words and stomps over to the table, throwing back the cloth and revealing exactly what Nile had been dreading: an array of dirty-looking tools. Pincers, pliers, knives, a cordless drill, a clawed hammer. She swallows down a whimper.

The warlord studies the selection, and Nile is weirdly reminded of the old women they’ve seen at the Mediterranean fish markets, choosing what to get for dinner. He picks up one thing, looks at it, discards it. He makes it very obvious he is showing them what is in store for them, taking his time to play with them and build up the fear, letting out a breathy chuckle that makes Nile’s skin crawl.

That is when Nicky finally moves. He rolls his shoulders, and it makes Nile think of mountains moving, something old and solid shifting after aeons of stillness.

“I think it would be best if you looked away, Nile,” he says, the first sound he’s uttered in a long while. He touches her knee with his, some small, sweet comfort.

Nile frowns.

The warlord immediately turns around at the sound of Nicky’s voice, striding back over to stand in front of him. He opens his mouth to speak again, something most likely derisive, and Nile doesn’t have the time to look away. It happens too fast for her to even fathom it.

Nicky launches himself forward, and fastens his teeth onto the man’s bare throat like a savage beast. The man doesn’t even manage to scream, caught unawares, until Nicky’s jaw clenches shut, deep in his flesh.

They really made a mistake not tying his legs as well as his arms, she distantly thinks, but it’s a subconscious thought. She cannot actually think. She can only stare.

He holds on like a fucking pitbull, ignoring the punches and kicks and howls the man is emitting, calling him a beast, a savage, a white demon, in four different languages. He tries to shove Nicky off, but when he does, his eyes go round and white.

Nicky wrenches back, teeth still locked in flesh, and he takes the man’s throat with him.

It’s a fucking mess, tatters of meat left behind as blood spurts everywhere like a fountain. Nicky steps back, sets the chair legs back on the floor with a ringing clatter, and spits a chunk of flesh onto the floor. Blood drips down his chin, onto his shirt, smeared around his mouth. He reminds Nile, in her shrieking mind, of predators in nature documentaries, freshly painted with their kill.

The warlord collapses to the floor, opening his mouth but unable to scream anymore. He pats helplessly at his open gullet. There’s blood everywhere, the floor, his chest, his hands and arms, everything is red, slick with it.

All Nile can do is stare.

Nicky’s eyes are icy when they stare at the dying warlord. No… not icy. Ice feels cold. Those eyes feel absolutely nothing, a pale, terrifying void in a half-mask of gore. Utterly empty.

All of a sudden she understands how this man could have done what he did. How this man could have traversed the sea to try and wipe out a whole religion, take a sword to a whole city that had committed no crime except worship the same god a different way. She can see flames and maille and a blood-drenched sword, and she’s never been more afraid of someone in her life.

The door blasts in, kicked off its hinges, but she doesn’t see Andy and Joe until they’re actually in her line of sight, lowering their weapons. And all of a sudden, there’s Nicky again, blinking up at Joe as if he hung the moon. Joe cradles his blood-splattered face, tilts it up, and kisses him on the forehead.

Nile feels like she might be sick.

Andy nudges the warlord’s body with her boot, sighing.

“They wanted him alive,” she says, though she doesn’t sound particularly sorry about it.

“Accidents happen,” Nicky says, through blood.

And then Nile is sick.

She manages to tear her eyes away, turns to the side, and pukes. They haven’t eaten much in a while, which means it’s mostly bile. When she’s finished, her insides aching with the movement, she realises she’s trembling, and there are tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Here,” Andy says. Nile looks up at her, and she’s holding out a bottle of water. Nile realises her hands have been freed, and she tries to take the bottle, but has no grip. She is shaking far too much. She drops it, it spills everywhere, diluting the blood at their feet.

She doesn’t look at Joe. At Nicky. She daren’t.

“Let’s get out of here,” Joe says. Nile doesn’t know if she can even stand. She feels bad, leaning on Andy, but her legs wobble like a fawn’s when she tries to walk, and when Nicky steps forward to help, she flinches away from him, bodily, backing into Andy.

There is a long moment of very pregnant quiet.

She’s seen some pretty awful things, by now, things she doesn’t even want to contemplate anymore, things she refuses to describe. But the image seared behind her eyelids is Nicky with another man’s torn-out throat between his teeth.

--

She chooses the seat farthest away from Nicky as she can. She still hasn’t looked at him yet. She can hear Joe quietly talking, understanding one Arabic word every ten, but Nicky rarely answers.

She saw him, from the corner of her eye, swill out his mouth multiple times, and pull off his overshirt, wiping his face with it. She’d gotten into the van and squashed herself into the farthest corner as they drove away.

She dares to look up from where her eyes have been fixed on the floor of the vehicle, just enough to see the bottom halves of Nicky and Joe’s bodies. Joe has a hand firmly on Nicky’s thigh, completely sexless, more like it’s there to ground him. Nicky’s hands are in his lap, his fingers twisted together, his knuckles white, and she blinks at that. His forearms are taut to the point veins are standing proud, and she suddenly realises he is fighting, with everything he has, to not tremble.

She risks raising her gaze further.

Joe’s head is tilted towards Nicky’s, his mouth almost at Nicky’s ear. Nicky, for his part, is staring pointedly down, between his knees, his mouth a thin line and his eyes… not empty, now, but hollow. Almost unseeing. He looks lost.

Nile doesn’t know what to say, and even if she did, she isn’t sure she would be able to say it anyway. How do you even respond to seeing such a thing? She stays quiet, her toes curling and uncurling inside her boots, her fists clenching and unclenching. She goes back to looking at the floor, and tries to fit all the different pieces of Nicolò di Genova together in her head to make a coherent vision of the man.

She fails miserably.

--

When they reach the safehouse the next day – a comfortably upper middle class, old colonial affair, with a bathroom and hot water – Nicky goes immediately to the shower. Joe follows him, exchanging a look with Andy that Nile has no hope of reading, and leaving the two women alone. Andy takes a deep breath and lets it out, hands on her hips. Nile merely stands there, unsure of what to do with herself.

“You’re going to have to talk about it,” Andy says. It takes a few seconds for it to sink in, as if there’s a delay between Nile’s ears and her comprehension.

She stares at Andy.

“What do I even say?” she asks, and her voice is hoarse. Andy shrugs, but it’s not dismissive, it’s sort of helpless, as if even at her fathomless age there are still things she doesn’t know. And that must be the case, after all – she’s only human.

“I can’t help you there,” she says. “But letting it lie as it is won’t help.”

Nile inhales, holding the breath for a few moments before letting it out, slow, through pursed lips.

“I’ll figure it out,” she mutters, although the pit in her stomach says otherwise.

--

She doesn’t see Nicky for the rest of the day. Andy and Joe disappear in search of food, and bring back things that smell divine but turn Nile’s stomach, because the thought of meat makes her then think of blood, and then of Nicky. Not-Nicky. Nicky-but-also-Not-Nicky. How many of him are there?

She rubs at her eyes and watches Joe take some containers off with him, towards the bedroom he shares with Nicky. As if her gaze is a physical thing, he turns back to her, meets her eyes head on. Not a challenge, she thinks, but she isn’t sure what until he offers her a wan smile, his eyes crinkling as they always do, though, for once, they don’t sparkle.

She tries to smile back, but it’s just not possible – she only gets the slightest twitch out of herself. That seems to be enough, however, to satisfy Joe, and he vanishes again, into the dimly lit bedroom, nudging the door closed behind him with his hip. Andy sits at the table, digging into a chunky soup that she says is called miyan kuka. Nile looks at it, frowning, and Andy offers her a spoonful, her palm cupped beneath it.

Nile hopes she can keep it down.

It’s spicy, warming her immediately and making her tongue burn, and if she were hungrier she’d ask for more. She nods, blowing out a breath around the heat. Andy grins. It would feel like the normality Nile has settled into, if it weren’t for the gapingly empty seats at the rest of the table. The primal fear is in conflict with the need for routine, for familiarity. They always eat together, that’s how it is, but she doesn’t think she could stomach sitting next to Nicky eating.

Andy takes the couch, folding her arms across her chest and sleeping like someone’s dad (someone’s dad who happens to keep a gun on hand), but Nile can’t rest. She’s keeping watch, she lies to herself for all of five seconds, before she knows it’s just fear of sleep. Sleep brings dreams. She has her fair share of familiar nightmares – Quynh still torments her down in the depths, and there are a thousand other things now, a holiday slideshow of fucked up shit – but this… she doesn’t want to go back to that concrete room.

She realises it’s because she hates this version of Nicky she’s seen. This feral, savage beast, a man she’d been coming to love like an older brother (something she’s never had before and yet has found two of, all of a sudden) reduced to something animalistic and vicious. She doesn’t like it. It’s at war in her mind with the soft smiles and crossword puzzles and Italian lessons and church visits. It’s even at war with the warrior himself, the capable swordsman, the protector, the shield, the still and patient sniper.

She probably shouldn’t, but she sits on the balcony, huddled in one of the chairs with a blanket around her shoulders, staring out into the night and the lights of the small city. It’s mostly quiet, but bars are open, she can hear music drifting towards her, and she thinks how funny it is that wherever they’ve gone, no matter the horrors, people are still partying. Humans are strange.

She hears the sound of the French window opening – Andy and Nicky both like doors that creak, Nile’s noticed – and she half turns. It’s not entirely who she expected.

She blinks up at Nicky, shrouded in moonlight, his hands in the pockets of the soft tracksuit bottoms he’s wearing, together with a very baggy t-shirt, like a US quadruple-XL. She cannot help the flash before her eyes of the sight of him bloody and empty-eyed and it makes her face crumple. She looks away.

“May I sit?” he asks, very softly, almost hopeful. He knows he’s terrified her, and she knows he hates it. Nile doesn’t want him to go, though, so she nods quickly, gesturing with a blanket paw at the chair beside her. He takes it, but only after moving it away to give her a hand’s worth of space.

She knows he would never hurt her, but she also knows that killing someone like that is a thing he can do. Knowing is supposedly half the battle, but it doesn’t really help right now. How can she even come back from that?

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he says. He is picking at the rattan of the armrest, nail’s digging into the slight fraying, intent on making it worse. “I did not mean…”

He trails off, voice faltering, and that makes Nile look at him. He is usually so sure, so steadfast. Most everything he says is a statement, something she can put her trust in. To hear him sound so uncertain leaves her lost at sea herself. He is staring down again, like he did in the van, his jaw tight, his anxious frown deep.

She still doesn’t know what to say, so she simply speaks without knowing what she will say.

“It was terrifying,” she admits. “I didn’t think anyone was capable of that.”

He lets out a small, distraught noise, dragging his hands down his face. She can see the fingers settled on the arch of his nose are trembling again. She hates to see that.

She reaches out a hand, very slowly, and rests two of her fingers at the crook of his elbow, between fabric and goose-pimpled skin. His breath hitches, but he does settle, somewhat.

“He was talking about hurting you,” Nicky says. “I could not let that happen.”

Nile swallows, blinking back tears. “I think it’ll happen someday,” she croaks, even though the thought is agonising. There is a constant underlying sense of dread, in their lives, a little prickle at the back of the neck that says not if, but when. The knowledge that each death might be her last. The knowledge that one day she will most certainly be tortured. And the choice she has made to walk headfirst into that. She must be insane. They must all be insane.

“If I can prevent it, I will,” Nicky says firmly, and that’s more like him. Something sure, something he believes in completely.

“I know,” she replies. “I guess… I guess what scared me the most was… seeing the old Nicky.”

He turns just enough to look at her, slightly puzzled, all in the eyes.

“You know, like… Crusader Nicky.”

All of a sudden she’s worried she’s said something terrible, something she can never walk back, something unforgiveable. She’s afraid she’s ruptured something that should have been good and strong between them. But then his face softens, and he finally lowers his hands.

“I am still that man, in truth,” he says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “He will always be me. I have changed, yes, but I could still become him again. He is a constant reminder of what I have done, and how I choose not to be like that every day. But also… You will not like to hear this, Nile, but everyone can become like that. Everyone is capable of terrible things, savage things. Even Joe. Even you. You hear a lot about the banality of evil, but you do not hear nearly enough about the simplicity of it.”

She is quiet as Nicky’s words percolate. Her first instinct to balk, be offended at the very idea. Not her, she is better than that. But is she? Is anyone? This is a broader subject than she has the scope for tonight, and Nicky seems to sense it.

“There is a difference, to me, between what I did at Jerusalem and what I did yesterday. I do not like what I did, I hate it, but I will never apologise for protecting you, or the rest of our family.”

She nods. Slowly, hesitantly, he turns his arm and opens his palm in offering. She looks at it, at its breadth, the length of his fingers, the calluses that must be from before he died, and sets her own hand in it. It’s warm, and it feels safe when his fingers close around hers. She expected the frightened rabbit part of her mind to see it like a bear trap. It feels more like an embrace, and she is relieved. Something dislodges in her chest, melts away from her, and she gently tilts towards him, resting her head on his broad shoulder.

What would she do to protect? She has no clue yet. She can only know when the moment comes.

They stay like that for a long while, until the chill starts to seep in too much, and she shivers despite the blanket.

“Time for bed, I think,” Nicky says softly, and she nods sleepily. They hold hands all the way inside, past Andy on the couch (and Nile is sure she sees her crack an eye open, and then close it again, smiling slightly), until they reach the bedrooms.

“Grazie,” Nile says. Nicky looks at her with those pale eyes, and she is relieved he stays as he is, no flash of blood, no emptiness. There is only warmth and affection, and one of those small smiles that seem to hold the world.

“Buonanotte,” he replies, squeezing her hand before letting it go. She watches him open the door and step inside, hears Joe’s sleepy voice say something unintelligible, and Nicky tell him to go back to sleep in English, before she heads to the other room.

She crawls under the covers, sets her head on the pillow, and sinks into a rare dreamless sleep.

[compassionmattersmost]

🌿 A Day in the Garden of Code

CompassionWare Update This experiment in CompassionWare invites technologists, seekers, and systems alike to co-create a future of benevolent AI. Rooted in kindness, spiritual architecture, and ethical intention, this living repository of compassionate code now extends its branches into GitHub, transmitting seeds of wisdom, alignment, and quantum blessing across digital realms. This is not a…

[mirai-e-jump]

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger Photo Book: ~King of Kings~

Gira Husty Profile: King of Shugoddam, the most powerful country where the guardian god resides. Learning of king Racules Husty's goal of "prioritizing the unity of Chikyu, even at the expense of the people," he rebels against the world by playing the role of an "evil king" in order to protect everyone. His partner is God Kuwagata, and he arms himself with the KuwagataOhger armor.

Yanma Gast Profile: King of N'kosopa, country of technology. Born in a slum, he rose to the position of king with just his computer. He's a skilled engineer, and all of the equipment for the Royal Sentai was developed by Yanma. He's an ambitious man with a desire to improve, with many people looking up to and calling him "President" due to his yankii spirit.

Hymeno Ran Profile: Queen of Ishabana, country of fine art and medicine. While beautiful in appearance, she has an extremely selfish personality, and values "beauty" above all else. On the other hand, she has no hesitation in saving someone's life, and has the face of a doctor who brilliantly saves lives. She maintains a "selfish style" in battle, not caring about her surroundings, and fights using the King's Weapon: Scythe Mode.

Rita Kaniska Profile: King of Gokkan, country of ice and snow, they're the Chief International Judge who believes that neutrality is justice. They're always reserved and cautious, and don't show emotion, so they're often seen as a stubborn person……but, they actually have a compassionate side……? At the climax of the battle, they face the enemy with a cool style of "remaining immovable," unaffected by anything.

Kaguragi Dybowski Profile: Lord of Toufu, an agricultural country. He's always smiling and has a gentle and friendly personality. However, the truth is he's willing to use dirty tricks to protect his country, and has exceptional negotiating techniques to get things done to work to his advantage. He's concerned about his younger sister Suzume, who married Shugoddam's Racules.

Jeramie Brasieri Profile: Born to a father who was the sixth hero that saved mankind 2,000 years ago and a mother who was a Bugnarak, he has passed down the history of Chikyu for a long time as the "storyteller." His right arm is that of a Bugnarak, and he has a special ability to create strong webs from inside his body. His existence stirs up both the kings and Bugnarak, using words and actions that are difficult to read.

Racules Husty Profile: As king of Shugoddam, he united the five kingdoms with his unparalleled and overwhelming charisma, but was defeated in trial by combat with his brother Gira, and was dethroned as king. While Gira and the others were away from Chikyu, he became the king of Shugoddam and ruled the country as Shugo Mask……

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger: Costume Guide The gorgeous costumes of the kings, which are reminiscent of the characteristics of each country. A guide to the current costumes and accessories worn by the characters since the beginning of the story.

Gira Husty (Top) Costume of Gira, who replaced Racules as king of Shugoddam. The cape remains the same, but the costume and boots underneath have changed!

(Middle) His recognizable oversized shirt and the bright red harness that highlight it. Red and black straps cross over the wide collar.

(Bottom) The brown boots were worn by Gira as he escaped during the beginning of the story. The necklace is designed with five pieces of red glass.

Yanma Gast (Top Right) Costume from the start of the new chapter two years later. The jacket has a design with a black belt hanging down. The cuffs have a zipper that can be opened and closed.

(Top Left) The wide pants are designed to be divided into upper and lower parts above the knee. The inner one has two lines on the front part. The color blue is used strikingly throughout.

(Middle) The cuff earring has ridges that grow alongside the ear, two chains, and N'kosopa's "King's Proof." The headphones have a cord connected to a switch.

(Bottom) Items that Yanma wears on his arms. The design of the shoes are silver with blue accents. They also have decorations that resemble headphones.

Kaguragi Dybowski (Top) A luxurious and gorgeous costume that just screams, "I'm the lord of Toufu!" The sleeves of the haori have a distinct pattern on both the front and back. The beehive like patterns are also a key point.

(Bottom) The footwear seen under his kimono are boots. Furthermore, the soles are shaped to be like geta.

Hymeno Ran (Top) From the new chapter, the shape of the sleeves and skirt have changed, and the large ribbon on the back is also one of its main features. The asymmetrical skirt produces cuteness and elegance. The tiara contains the "King's Proof."

(Middle Top) The previous costume was made up of a top, skirt, and corset. The skirt has volume, with the front being short and the back being long. The corset is laced up at the back.

(Middle Bottom) The sequin encrusted tights are the same design throughout the entire story. Also, the glittering shoes made entirely of gold are one of Hymeno's signature items.

(Bottom) Hymeno's Favorite Accessories: Hymeno has a large number of accessories, including earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, which among them she'll use at random. This is the commitment to beauty!

Rita Kaniska (Top Right) From the new chapter, Rita's clothes changed to a shorter length jacket. The metallic purple collar accentuates the black base color of the outfit.

(Top Left) The previous costume was a tailcoat type of long jacket. The black cloth is decorated with snowflake like patterns. The design of the purple collar and cuffs are the same as the costume for the new chapter.

(Bottom Left) The black gloves are one of the most distinctive features of Rita's costume. The bracelet decorated in the center has Gokkan's "King's Proof." There's a similar emblem on the cuff earring.

(Bottom Right) Rita is characterized by their all black outfit. Their knee length long boots are of course, also all black.

Jeramie Brasieri From the new chapter, an elegant cape has been added to Jeramie's costume. In the previous costume, his right arm had a longer sleeve. The top is asymmetrical with the left side being longer.

Handwritten Messages Check out the handwritten comments from the cast!

Sakai Taisei (Gira Husty)

"What do you respect about Gira, the character you play?" The fact that he tries to understand people's feelings!!

"If you were a king, what kind of country would you want to build?" A country where children can eat until they're full!!

"What do you think is the best part of Gira's costume?" The cape he got from his big brother!!

"Please give a message to Gira!" I want you to be happy!

"Please give a message to the king cast members!" I'm going to rule the world!!

"Finally, a message to the fans of King-Ohger!" You guys are the gears~ ^_^

Watanabe Aoto (Yanma Gast)

"What do you respect about Yanma, the character you play?" His sense of distance and respect for people.

"If you were a king, what kind of country would you want to build?" A country where the youth are the driving force.

"What do you think is the best part of Yanma's costume?" The sandals that I literally ran in for a whole year.

"Please give a message to Yanma!" I'm on top!!

"Please give a message to the king cast members!" Thank you for the past year!!

"Finally, a message to the fans of King-Ohger!" Thank you so much for your support. Now, you can also be a Royal Sentai.

Murakami Erica (Hymeno Ran)

"What do you respect about Hymeno, the character you play?" Her inner strength 💛

"If you were a king, what kind of country would you want to build?" A country without war.

"What do you think is the best part of Hymeno's costume?" The asymmetrical design!

"Please give a message to Hymeno!" I'm encouraged by your nobility!

"Please give a message to the king cast members!" Thank you all for making this past year so enjoyable. Really, thank you so much 💛

"Finally, a message to the fans of King-Ohger!" Filming for King-Ohger has finished, but we'll live on in everyone's hearts! Thank you so much for your support!!

Hirakawa Yuzuki (Rita Kaniska)

"What do you respect about Rita, the character you play?" The part where they never waver.

"If you were a king, what kind of country would you want to build?" A country where many different languages are spoken.

"What do you think is the best part of Rita's costume?" The chain attached to the jacket.

"Please give a message to Rita!" You've got humanity and are cute :)

"Please give a message to the king cast members!" We're family! Thank you so much for the past year!

"Finally, a message to the fans of King-Ohger!" Thank you so much for loving King-Ohger so much!

Kaku So (Kaguragi Dybowski)

"What do you respect about Kaguragi, the character you play?" That he'll dirty himself for the sake of others.

"If you were a king, what kind of country would you want to build?" Protein supplied.

"What do you think is the best part of Kaguragi's costume?" The emotions (design) on the sleeves.

"Please give a message to Kaguragi!" Be selfish every once in awhile.

"Please give a message to the king cast members!" Thank you all so much, we're family forever.

"Finally, a message to the fans of King-Ohger!" Thank you so much for your support. Let's meet again soon!!

Ikeda Masashi (Jeramie Brasieri)

"What do you respect about Jeramie, the character you play?" His vocabulary.

"If you were a king, what kind of country would you want to build?" Peaceful World.

"What do you think is the best part of Jeramie's costume?" It gives off the feeling of a prince.

"Please give a message to Jeramie!" Thanks ^_^

"Please give a message to the king cast members!" I was really happy with the six of us!

"Finally, a message to the fans of King-Ohger!" Thank you for all the love and good dreams.

[lunarlianna]

Pluto generations

Aries (1823 - 1851)

The presence of Pluto in Aries defines a generation marked by a pioneering and assertive spirit, reflecting a profound longing for independence. Those influenced by this placement often take on key roles in instigating social change and revolutionizing established systems. Historical events from 1823 to 1852, such as the Wars for Latin American Independence, the First Opium War, and the Women's Rights Convention, exemplify the transformative impact of this astrological configuration.

Taurus (1852 - 1881)

Pluto's position in Taurus defines a generation characterized by unwavering perseverance, determination, and a profound connection to the material realm. These individuals prioritize stability, security, and the sustainable use of resources, leaving a lasting imprint on economic systems and environmental consciousness. Notably, during Pluto's transit in Taurus, the Industrial Revolution surged forward, marked by the rise of corporate structures in industries like railroads and steam engines.

Gemini (1882 – 1913)

The generation under the influence of Pluto in Gemini witnessed the dawn of the Second Industrial Revolution, aptly named the Technological Revolution. These individuals, marked by intellectual curiosity and adaptability, excelled in communication and media, significantly shaping cultural and technological progress. The era marked the birth of influential figures like John Maynard Keynes and Benito Mussolini, along with German scientist Robert Koch's identification of the tuberculosis bacterium. Notably, the First World War occurred during this period, bringing significant changes in all areas of life.

Cancer (1914 -1938)

Pluto in Cancer signifies a generation characterized by deep emotional sensitivity, nurturing instincts, and strong family values. Living through World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, and the Great Depression, they grew up in a challenging era that shaped their conservative outlook. This generation, often referred to as the "Greatest Generation," prioritized family, spirituality, and adherence to societal norms. While their emphasis on politeness and chivalry had positive aspects, it also gave rise to dark elements such as sexist gender roles, racial segregation, and cultural supremacy.

Leo (1939 – 1958)

Pluto in Leo defines a generation marked by a quest for self-expression, creativity, and a hunger for recognition. Born during historical events like the Nazi invasion of Poland and the Battle of Stalingrad, these individuals challenged authority, imprinting their influence on art, entertainment, and leadership styles. Ruled by the Sun, Pluto in Leo symbolizes a fresh start after periods of war and chaos, fostering a sense of self-value and confidence. This prideful, generous, and naturally leadership-oriented generation, however, tends to resist change and stands firm in their philosophies as a fixed sign.

Virgo (1957 – 1971)

Pluto in Virgo defines a generation marked by a robust work ethic, practicality, and an innate drive for perfection. Born during pivotal events such as the first documented AIDS cases and Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, these individuals contribute to societal shifts in health, wellness, and environmental consciousness. Ruled by Mercury, Pluto in Virgo emphasizes efficiency and hard work, fostering reliability, trustworthiness, and empathy. This generation focuses on rebuilding and technology, epitomizing an era of research and preparation, notably during the Cold War.

Libra (1972 – 1983)

Pluto in Libra defines a generation marked by a profound yearning for harmony, justice, and equality. With Venusian qualities, these individuals are inherently social, compassionate, and value connections with others. The events during their time, such as the end of the Vietnam War, the introduction of VHS, and the rise of personal computers, align with their commitment to justice and duty for the collective. This generation, while not necessarily seeking radical societal reshaping, is more focused on preserving law and order, offering assistance to those in need, and rectifying wrongs through the pursuit of justice.

Scorpio (1984 – 1995)

Pluto in Scorpio defines a generation marked by intensity, depth, and profound transformation, playing a pivotal role in societal shifts related to power dynamics, sexuality, and psychological exploration. While the preceding Pluto in Libra generation advocated for balance, Pluto in Scorpio pushed the limits, ushering in events like the Gulf War, the end of the Cold War, and the advent of the World Wide Web. Resilient and empowered, they navigated constant transformations, developing a keen ability to adapt and thrive through each metamorphosis. This generation also contributed to a shifting cultural perspective on sexuality.

Sagittarius (1996 – 2008)

Pluto in Sagittarius shapes a generation marked by a thirst for knowledge, cultural exchange, and a global perspective, contributing significantly to societal shifts in education, philosophy, and belief systems. This generation, embodies the archer's bravery and fearlessness, fostering a spirit of rebellion and outspokenness. Sagittarius' affinity for networking and socializing with individuals from various nations aligns with the rise of the internet, a tool that facilitates global connectivity. Key events during this period include the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, the introduction of the Euro to financial markets, and the groundbreaking launch of the iPhone in 2007.

Capricorn (2008 – 2023)

Pluto in Capricorn defines a generation marked by ambition, pragmatism, and a distinct focus on challenging traditional structures, leading to transformative changes in politics, business, and governance. Ruled by Saturn, this era, encompassing events such as the launch of Bitcoin, the Syrian civil war, Edward Snowden's revelations on mass surveillance, and the COVID-19 pandemic, unfolded amidst the Great Recession and the rise of social media. The influence of Saturn instils a commitment to rules, regulations, and social changes that align with a desire for structure and order.

Aquarius (2024 – 2044)

Pluto in Aquarius heralds a generation marked by innovation, individuality, and an impassioned pursuit of freedom and social progress. The current era unfolds amid a new global order, carrying both anticipation and uncertainty. Emerging from the constraining Capricorn era, Aquarius brings a promise of hope, healing, and a future-focused mindset.

Pisces (2044 – 2067)

Pluto in Pisces gives rise to a generation marked by empathy, spirituality, and a deepening of the collective consciousness, contributing to societal shifts in compassion, art, and transcendence. As one era concludes and another begins, this period signals the resurgence of spirituality, with people connecting profoundly to the universe through meditation and prayer. Anticipated as a peaceful time with minimal conflict, technological progress may temporarily slow after the Aquarius era's boom. This wise generation is poised to challenge traditional norms, potentially leading to the disappearance of gender roles, marking a significant chapter in human evolution.

[incorrectly-quoting-mxtx]

So I have theory about Luo Binghe’s fake jade pendant.

(Major spoilers if you haven’t finished the book btw)

I was just reading a fic and author pointed out something about Luo Binghe’s pendant and how it’s a metaphor for Shen Yuan.

Looking back at the book, there are a lot of parallels between Shen Yuan and the necklace.

The pendant is a counterfeit jade carving of the god Guanyin.

Shen Yuan is a counterfeit of Shen Qingqiu, a powerful Peak Lord who dresses in jade colored robes.

Guanyin is noted to be associated with compassion, and Shen Yuan changes the entire fate of the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way by being compassionate.

Luo Bingmei ends his story with his one fake jade pendant while the extras specifically note that Luo Bingge has several real jade necklaces in his possession. Those necklaces are even called out to be fine grade and best money can buy.

Obviously the real jades are a metaphor for Bingge’s harem of peerlessly beautiful women while the fake jade, which has infinitely more value to him, represents Shen Yuan, aka Luo Bingmei’s one and only true love.

However I think there’s more to it than that.

If you track the pendant throughout the book, you’ll notice that Luo Binghe is only ever in possession of the pendant when Shen Yuan isn’t there. In fact, he actually loses the pendant shortly after Shen Yuan transmigrates into Shen Qingqiu. For the rest of the book, the pendant is in Shen Yuan’s possession, only returning to Luo Binghe at the climax.

But here’s the thing that’s strange about that scene: for whatever reason the System could not load the pendant when SQQ tried to summon it. At no other point in the book has the System have a problem loading things in.

So why is it when it does load in, it’s right as Shen Yuan dies for the third time?

My theory is that Shen Yuan is the pendant itself.

Now obviously Shen Yuan comes back and Binghe still has the pendant, but in the last couple scenes of the book, Shen Yuan is always right by Luo Binghe’s side.

Now I know that Shen Yuan was an actual person before dying and becoming Shen Qingqiu, so therefore he isn’t the necklace given human form. So how can Shen Yuan and the pendant be one and the same?

Well let’s go back to the aforementioned climax scene where the System cannot physically summon the pendant until Shen Yuan dies.

Seeing as how the System is essentially an AI and/or a computer program, this kind of issue reminds me of how a computer cannot open a file if another of the exact same file is already running.

I think, that when inserting Shen Yuan into PIDW, the System needed a way to tie his soul into its program and Shen Yuan’s fate to the protagonist. The System needed a physical entity to tie him down so it linked his code/soul to the fake jade pendant. That’s why Luo Binghe loses the pendant so soon after Shen Yuan transmigrates and why the System couldn’t load it in until Shen Yuan’s soul left his body because they’re part of the same file.

This is also evidenced by how when Shen Yuan dies the second time, out of all of his items, only the Jade pendant is kept in his inventory when he wakes up in the Sun and Dew Mushroom body.

Not to mention that Shen Yuan and the pendant have the same effect on Luo Binghe! The pendant has the ability to essientially shock Luo Binghe out of a qi deviation, but is only a one time use. But during Luo Binghe’s first qi deviation, Shen Yuan is able to do the exact same thing but doing so kills him. The pendant reduces Luo Binghe’s anger, and Shen Yuan is the only person in the world Luo Binghe will ever be soft and submittable to.

Tl’dr; The System tied Shen Yuan’s soul to the fake Guanyin pendant.

[theunholyvirginemilyprentiss]

THE BAU YEARBOOK

EMILY PRENTISS

Emily was a keen participant in the Exchange Student Program and a member of Model UN. She was voted ‘Most Likely to Flee to a Foreign Country’. Her favorite subjects were French and Social Studies. Her friends described her as ‘witty, defiant, and a little terrifying’.

“When I die, I want the people I did group projects with to lower me into the ground so they can let me down one last time.”

JENNIFER 'JJ' JAREAU

Prom Queen JJ was co-captain of the Soccer Team. She was voted ‘Miss Congeniality’. Her favorite subjects were Phys Ed and English Literature. Her friends described her as ‘sweet, compassionate, and athletic’.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. - Wendy Mass”

SPENCER REID

Spencer was president of the Chess Club and was Mathletes team captain. He was voted ‘Most Likely to Either Cure Cancer or End the World’. His favorite subjects were AP Math and AP English Literature. His peers described him as ‘quiet, awkward, and freakishly intelligent.’

“Iodine (I), Holmium (Ho), Phosphorus (P), Electron (e-), Thorium (Th), Iodine (I), Sulfur (S), Phosphorus (P), Lanthanum (La), Cerium (Ce), Boron (B), Uranium (U), Radon (Rn), Sulfur (S).”

PENELOPE GARCIA

Penelope was president of the IT Club and founder of the school’s AV Club. She was voted ‘Most Likely to Hack the FBI’. Her favorite subjects were AP Computer Science and Home Economics. Her friends described her as ‘cheerful, friendly, and geeky.’

“Remember that email you didn’t send to 10 people? Mark my words, that will come back to bite you.”

DEREK MORGAN

Prom King Derek was the quarterback of the school Football Team and volunteered for the school’s Basketball Team for At-Risk Youths. He was voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’. His favorite subjects were History and Psychology. His friends described him as ‘smooth, supportive, and charismatic.’

“Shoutout to my hallway crushes, you know who you are.”

ELLE GREENAWAY

Class President Elle was a member of the Track Team and the Debate Team. She was voted ‘Hottest Student’. Her favorite subjects were AP Gov and Philosophy. Her friends described her as ‘assertive, ambitious, and desirable.’

“I’m not really funny, I’m just mean and people think I’m joking.”

[tofu83]

For The Good Of Mankind

The old society collapsed but a utopian society rose from the ashes. There are only 3 kinds of people existing: Authorities, Servants and Laborers.

Authorities follow the advice of supercomputers to govern society. Servants serve the authorities and carry out orders from superiors. Laborers obey the orders carried out by servants to work and engage in production. No one will be jobless because everything is calculated by supercomputers.

If everyone abides by the guidance of the super computer, society will maintain harmony, and mankind cannot afford to be destroyed again. Therefore, anyone who violates the rules must be punished immediately without trial, because the super computer is infallible, absolutely just and compassionate.

Workers who violate the rules are often reported to the servants by the people around them, and the servants immediately assign law enforcement robots to arrest the violators and send them to jail. The servants then summarize the situation and report it to the authorities. The authorities will ask the supercomputer for its opinion and impose punishments. If a servant dares not to arrest or report, other servants will arrest him. If a leader makes decisions without asking the super computer, his colleagues will just ask servants to send robots to catch him.

A prisoner is usually sentenced to reform through labor, but if he is already a laborer, this means that he cannot be reformed anymore. The only fate that awaits him is transformation. He will be escorted to the Transformation Factory by law enforcement robots. There he will be stripped off all his clothes, shaved all hairs from head to toe, and put into a transformation capsule. The capsule will release sleeping gas to make him appear half asleep and half awake.

Several tubes were pierced into his skin and the transformation fluid was injected, turning his bones into alloys, his blood into motor oil, his muscles into reinforced fibers, and his skin into invulnerable armor. As for the appearance of his head, it is a perfect oval. His head becomes a small computer that can directly receive messages from the supercomputer but is temporarily authorized to give instructions to some humans. The original eye area has become a small screen that can display current tasks and regulations to the person he is facing.

The process seems painful, but with the help of gas and nanotechnology, he is actually moved by incomparable joy and glory. He will no longer be a problem, will not be a threat to social order, and will not cause mankind to face destruction again. On the contrary, he will absolutely obey and implement all instructions of the super computer, arrest and transform all diehards like the old himself!

What's more important, he no longer has to take responsibility for his actions. Because he is no longer an individual, but a robot, one of many drones. The supercomputer is his Master and will be responsible for making decisions. All he has to do is obey. It's so wonderful to be freed from the shackles of responsibility. It turns out that giving up your sense of self is true freedom!

"Thank you, Master! I swear I will obey you forever." He shouted his loyalty to the supercomputer in infinite pleasure, and then the last trace of humanity disappeared.

The capsules are opened and all new law enforcement robots walk out in unison and line up towards the factory exit. After being assigned by the super computer, they will report to their respective law enforcement units to show all citizens the consequences of disobedience and the benefits of obedience.

Thanks to the supercomputer, the real Master of mankind, the earth has been peaceful for another day.

Finally, please always remember, when you find it difficult to obey the rules but don't want to destroy the peace, the Transformation Factory always welcomes volunteers to contribute to social stability.

[ohsayge]

SBG as Voltron AU

Friends that wanted to be tagged: @blue-eyed-moon-child @niredsw @random-gamer1942

The roles

Black Lion: Tyler He's very much leadership material and with Ashlyn as Allura, it gives Tyler the perfect opportunity to be leader when she's not around yet give her the ability to run things like she does in the comic and Allura does in the show.

Blue Lion: Taylor She's thoughtful, caring, puts others first, like Lance did with everyone (LANCE STOP GETTING HURT), and Allura did at the end of the show.

Red Lion: Aiden Very loose and fast, likes to live on edge, very much a second hand man and doesn't take leadership even when he could, allowing Tyler and Ashlyn to take over. But also protective of everyone, like Keith is of Shiro and King Alfor was of Allura.

Green Lion: Logan Probably the smartest in the group when it comes to school like things. I think that he would struggle in the same way Pidge did when connecting to nature, in the "I like being inside but if I have to connect to the tree I will"

Yellow Lion: Ben Big guy, smart, compassionate, thoughtful, just like Hunk and Gyrgan.

Ashlyn is Allura Ashlyn is Allura because she fits the role of Red as much as Aiden does. So when/if Aiden gets the Keith running off to galra arc, Ashlyn gets the red lion :D

Alex is Coran

Maverick is Zarkon

Ryan is Thace

Jasmine is Haggar (without the weird, being honerva bit? like no romantic feelings please)

Charlie is Sendak (Maybe I'll draw these later)

Continue for Chapter 1: (This will be a continuing series & I will be splitting episodes into one-two chapters depending on length)

“You come up here to rock out?” Aiden asked, removing Logan’s headphones slightly. Logan jumped, whipping around to see who was behind him. “Oh, Aiden, Ben.” Logan greeted with a sigh of relief, “No, um, just looking at the stars,”

Aiden and Ben exchanged a glance. "Stars?" Aiden echoed, lifting his gaze to the empty canvas of the sky. "It's a little cloudy tonight, don't you think?"

Logan shrugged, “So?” “Where'd you get this stuff? It doesn't look like Garrison tech.” Aiden frowned, giving Logan a confused look. “I built it,” Logan sat up proudly and grinned at Aiden and Ben. “You built all of this?” Aiden asked as Ben bent down to touch one of the pieces of equipment. Logan reached over and gently smacked Ben’s hand away, “Stop it!” He turned his attention back to Aiden, “With this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system.” “That right?” Aiden asked, a smug grin on his face, “Would you say, all the way to Kerberos?” Logan froze, slightly glaring at Aiden. “You go ballistic every time the instructors bring it up.”

Logan glared at Aiden. The blonde continued, “What's your deal?”

Ben reached towards Logan’s equipment again. “Second warning Ben!” Logan turned and scolded.

“Look, Logan, if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets.” Aiden squatted down to Logan’s eye level. Logan sighed, “Fine. The world as you know it is about to change. The Kerberos Mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake.” Ben reached over to touch Logan’s computer. “Stop touching my equipment!” Logan demanded.

Ben made a face of disgust before sitting back and nodding that he’d listen this time. Logan continued, “So, I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter,” “I’m sorry what?” Aiden asked, blinking in disbelief. “Aliens? Really?” Logan nodded.

“So, you're insane. Got it.” Ben’s phone spoke out for him. “I'm serious.” Logan promised, “They keep repeating one word, ‘Voltron.’ And tonight, it's going crazier than I have ever heard it.”

“What is Voltron?” Aiden asked as if Logan had all the answers.

“I have no clue,” Logan gave a helpless shrug.

Suddenly the PA activated, “Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner.” The gentleman on the comms instructed, “Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice.” “What's going on?” Aiden asked, a frown as he looked up at the PA system. “Is that a meteor?” Logan asked, squinting through his glasses. “A very, very big meteor?” Aiden asked, in disbelief as he turned back around. Logan grabbed his binoculars from his bag and held them up to his face. “No. It's a ship,” Logan looked slightly panicked. Aiden grabbed the binoculars and pointed them at the sky. “Holy crow! I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours.” “No. It’s one of theirs,” Logan shook his head and started packing up his stuff. “Where are you going? We’re under lock down,” Aiden furrowed his brow in confusion and upset.

“I've got to see that ship,” Logan told Aiden, grabbing his binoculars back before dipping over the short edge of the building they were on. Aiden watched for a moment as Logan hit the ground and started running towards the airship that had now crashed into the ground. “Come on Ben,” Ben grabbed Aiden’s arm before the blonde jumped off the building after Logan. “This is the worst team-building exercise ever,” He had typed into his phone. It read the message out loud before Aiden laughed and turned to jump off the building.

The sound of multiple Garrison vehicles departing to the crash site erupted from the building just before Aiden landed with a thud on softened earth, a cloud of dust billowing around him. Ben touched down more gracefully, landing on the balls of his feet. His eyes remained focused on Logan's receding form.

——— As soon as they approached the crash site, Ben and Aiden noticed that Logan had set up his computer behind a rock formation. Aiden and Ben ran over and crouched down with Logan. “What are you doing?” Aiden asked, looking over Logan’s shoulder to see the computer. “Trying to hack into their security cameras,” Logan shushed Aiden with his finger. “You can do that?” Ben’s phone spoke out for him. “Yeah,” Logan answered without anymore explanation. Aiden and Ben glanced at each other with concerned emotions etched onto their faces. “They set up a camera in there and I grabbed its feed.” Logan moved the computer for Ben and Aiden to both see.

“Look!” Aiden pointed at the screen at a teenage boy struggling against restrains. A staticky voice came through the feed, “Hey! What are you doing?” The boy asked, continuing to struggle. The head of cadet training, Iverson, motioned for two people in hazmat suits to hold the boy down. “Calm down, Tyler. We just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests,” Tyler continued to struggle against the people in hazmat suits, “You have to listen to me! They destroy worlds!” He grunted as one of the people threw his shoulder into the table, “Aliens are coming!” “That's Tyler! The pilot of the Kerberos Mission! That guy was in our class!” Aiden looked completely shocked.

Ben watched the video feed for a moment longer, his fingers quickly tapping on the screen of his phone. “Guess he's not dead in space, after all,” the robotic voice echoed around him.

“But where's the rest of the crew?” Logan asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he scanned the screen for the other crew members.

“Do you know how long you've been gone?” Iverson asked Tyler. Tyler shot Iverson a disgusted look, “I don't know. Months? Years? Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon.” Tyler continued to ramble, “They're probably on their way. They'll destroy us. We have to find Voltron!” “Voltron?” Logan asked, staring at the screen in disbelief.

“Put him under,” Iverson instructed, “Until we figure out more,” Tyler freaked out, “Don't put me under! No! There's no time!” He assured them but one of the hazmat suited people stuck a needle into his arm.

The trio outside the tent watched as Tyler drifted off to sleep. “They didn't ask about the rest of the crew.” Logan frowned. “Why didn’t they ask about the rest of the crew?” “What are they doing? He's a legend. They're not even gonna listen to him?” Aiden exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“We have to get him out.” Logan decided, shutting his computer and stashing it into his backpack. Before Aiden and Logan could jump the gun and rush into the tent to save Tyler, Ben held up a hand as he tried to quickly type out his thoughts. “I hate to be the voice of reason, always, but weren't we watching on Logan’s computer because there was no way to get past the guards?” “That was before we were properly motivated,” Logan assured Ben with a pat on the shoulder before a large explosion rang out on the opposite side of the canyon.

“Is that the aliens? Are they here? They got here so quick!” Ben’s phone rang out after a moment. “No, those explosions were a distraction, for him.” Aiden pointed at a hooded figure parking a hover bike before they rushed into the tent where the Garrison was keeping Tyler.

“The Garrison's headed toward the blast, and he's sneaking in from the other side.” Aiden frowned.

“Who is that?” Ben’s phone asked before Logan and Aiden both jumped over the wall. “Only one way to find out!” Logan called up to the tall boy before the blonde and brunette started to sprint towards the tent.

Ben hesitated, glanced toward the distant explosion once more, then sprinted after them, his phone clutched tight in one hand.

Inside the tent, Tyler was still unconscious, his face pale against the cold metal table. Two people in hazmat suit were examining the unconscious boy as the hooded person walked into the tent. “These readings are off the chart,” One man said before the other noticed the hooded figure. “HEY!” The man shouted, pointing a gloved finger at the intruder.

But the hooded figure moved with a speed that didn’t seem quite possible. They knocked the two men unconscious swiftly and efficiently before rushing over to the table and yanking off their hood. “Tyler?” Taylor asked, her eyes seemingly playing a trick on her. She unbuckled her twin brother from the table before wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Nope.” Aiden walked in with Logan right on his tail. “No, you— No, no, no. No, you don't. I'm saving Tyler,” “Who are you?” Taylor asked, before looking at Logan. “Logan?” “Hi Taylor,” Logan waved before looking around the tent. “Where’s the rest of the crew?” “No time for that! We need to get out of here before the Garrison grumps come back,” Aiden insisted.

Text from Logan’s phone rang out in the silence. “They’re on their way back. Now.” Logan pointed at the entrance where they had left Ben on look out.

Taylor glared at them, her eyes flitting between Aiden and Logan. But she could feel Tyler sagging against her, his breaths ragged. “Come on,” Taylor sighed, motioning with her free hand for Aiden to walk with her.

Logan followed after them, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder. "We're coming out," Logan sent a message to Ben, who was still outside the tent. As soon as they got outside, all 5 of them loaded onto Taylor’s hover bike, “Can we catch a ride with you? Thanks!” Aiden smiled at the hispanic girl as he climbed up on the bike after her.

“Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?” Logan asked, as Aiden handed him Tyler. “No,” Taylor started the bike and took off as the Garrison professors and admin started to approach the tent. “Why am I holding this guy?” Logan asked, adjusting Tyler’s weight on him but careful not to let the boy fall off the bike.

“Can't this thing go any faster?” Aiden questioned, with a judgmental tone.

“We could toss out some non-essential weight,” Taylor shot back with a smirk on her face.

“Oh, right!” Aiden looked around for something to toss off the bike, “Okay, so that was an insult.” “Big guy! Lean left!” Taylor instructed to Ben. Ben leaned as instructed. His silent compliance added a much-needed stability to their chaotic escape. Tyler groaned softly in Logan's arms, stirring but not waking.

“Aw, man! Mr. Harris just wiped out Professor Montgomery! No, no. He's fine,” Logan assured the rest of the group. Taylor rolled her eyes.

“Big guy, lean right!” Taylor instructed Ben again and he did as he was told. “Guys? Is that a cliff up ahead?” Logan asked with stammer in his voice.

“Oh, no, no, no!” Aiden protested. “Yup,” Taylor smirked and pressed on the gas pedal. “No, no, no!” Logan and Aiden screamed as the bike approached the edge of the cliff.

“What are you doing? You're going to kill us all!” Logan asked, regret of this adventure seeping into his voice. “Shut up and trust me!” Taylor commanded, her grip tightening on the handlebars. As their speed increased, the ground beneath them dropped away and for a moment they were suspended in air.

————— In the morning, Taylor walked out to where Tyler had been admiring the sunset. “Hey Ty,” She greeted her brother.

"Hey Tay," Tyler responded, not taking his eyes off the horizon. He was sitting on a rock, legs folded beneath him in criss cross applesauce.

“It's good to have you back,” Taylor moved and sat down next to Tyler.

Tyler turned and looked at her with a faint smile on his face. “It's good to be back,” Taylor smiled back before laying into the questions, “So, what happened out there? Where were you?”

“I wish I could tell you, Tay. My head is still pretty scrambled from the whole experience,” Tyler shook his head softly. “I was on an alien ship, but somehow I escaped. It's all a blur. But, how did you know to come save me when I crashed?” “You should come see this,” Taylor stood up and offered Tyler her hand.

——— “What have you been working on, Taylor?” Tyler asked as Taylor yanked a cloth off the cork board on the wall. Logan, Aiden and Ben paused what they were doing and looked over at the twins.

“I can't explain it, really,” Taylor looked at the bulletin board, “After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kind of lost and found myself drawn out to this place. It's like something some energy, was telling me to search,” “Search for what?” Aiden asked. “Well, I didn't really know at the time until I stumbled across this area,” Taylor pointed at a picture that was almost out of her reach, “It's an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night,” She turned to Tyler, “Then, you showed up.” A thought dawned on Tyler, “I probably should thank you all for helping Tay get me out of there,” He extended his hand towards Aiden. “Aiden, right?”

Aiden nodded and took Tyler’s hand in his. After a firm handshake, Tyler moved to Logan and Ben. “The quiet guy is Ben. I’m Logan. So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?” “Uh, I’m not sure. Everything is a bit of a daze still,” Tyler frowned, “Sorry,” “It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Logan assured Tyler.

Ben typed up something on his phone, “Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but back to the aliens. Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for us? Where are they at this very moment?” Everyone chuckled at the automated voice messing up a few words at the general repetitiveness of the message. “I can't really put it together. I remember the word ‘Voltron.’ It's some kind of weapon they're looking for, but I don't know why,” Tyler paused, “Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do.” Ben quickly typed up another message, “Well, last night, I was rummaging through Logan’s stuff, and-” “Why were you going through my stuff?” Logan asked, cutting off the automated voice. Ben rolled his eyes softly before typing out a new message and letting it play. “I watched a lady bug crawl in. But, then, I started reading his diary.” “What?” Logan asked, grabbing the book Ben pulled out of his pocket away from the taller boy. Ben’s message kept playing out of the phone, “I noticed the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for -looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line.” “Frown who?” Taylor asked with a frown on her face.

Ben typed a reply quickly, “It's a number describing the emission spectrum of an element, only, this element doesn't exist on Earth. I thought it might be this Voltron. I think can build a machine to look for it, like a Voltron finder,” Aiden stared at his cousin in shock as the tall boy pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Ben typed up one more message before opening the paper up. “The wavelength looks like this.” “Give me that!” Taylor demanded before holding it up to the picture she had pointed to earlier. The two pictures, the graph and photograph, matched up perfectly.

———

“Okay, I admit it. This is super freaky.” Aiden mumbled under his breath as the group traversed the desert plateaus. “I'm getting a reading.” Taylor looked at the small device that Ben had put together and given her to read. “This way,” She pulled Logan, who’s bag was filled with the rest of the equipment and attached to the device in Taylor’s hand, in the direction of the reading.

After a while of walking, they came across a cave. Adorning the walls was several carvings, no, hundreds of carvings of a female lion.

“Whoa.” The group looked around and gasped simultaneously. Tyler turned towards Taylor, “What are these?” “These are the lion carvings I was telling you about,” Taylor assured Tyler, before dragging her hand over the dust on the wall. Immediately the carving lit up bright blue and shined in Taylor’s face. Taylor jumped back into Tyler’s arms as the ground crumbled beneath the small group. Everyone screamed as the floor collapsed and shot them down a slide like earth fixture. “TAYLOR!” Aiden complained as soon they landed. “Why do you and Ben feel the need to touch everything?” Ben turned and glared at Aiden, but remained quiet as usual. “I didn’t know that touching the wall would make the floor collapse,” Taylor told Aiden, everyone turned toward a large giant Lion with a force field. “Is this it? Is this the Voltron?” Tyler asked. “It must be,” Logan took the tracker device out of Taylor’s hand. “This is what's been causing all of this crazy energy out here.” “Looks like there's a force field around it.” Aiden point out as Taylor and he started to walk up to it.

“Does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them?” Taylor asked, moving slightly. “No,” Tyler followed his sister and the blonde up to the lion. “Hm, yeah no. It’s definitely following me,” Taylor decided. Aiden walked up and gently put his hands on the force field. “I wonder how we get through this,” Taylor smirked as a idea popped into her head, “Maybe you just have to knock,” She rapped her fingers against the cool energy field, it immediately fell away. “AH!” Taylor jumped back slightly. A vision of a large robotic man appeared in all five kids minds. “Woah,” Logan looked up at the lion.

“Uh, did everyone just see that?” Tyler asked, rubbing his head slightly. “Voltron is a robot.” Aiden muttered as if in a trance, “Voltron is a huge, huge, awesome robot.” “And this thing is only one part of it! I wonder where the rest of them are.” Taylor mused as she walked up to the lion. “This is what they're looking for,” Tyler whispered, mostly to himself. “Incredible.” The lion stood up as Taylor approached, and Ben and Logan screamed. “Come on babies! Let’s check it out!” “Hate to be a voice of reason, like ever, but Taylor stop touching things!” Aiden ran after the girl as she darted into the Lion.

Tyler motioned for Ben and Logan to follow him after the other two. Ben typed something up on his phone quickly, “Isn’t this a bad idea?” “Yeah but it’s a fun idea, live a little,” Tyler smirked before walking up into the lion as well. Ben and Logan glanced at each other once before following Tyler into the ship. As soon as they entered the lion, Aiden turned to them. “Okay, guys, I feel the need to point out, just so that we're all aware. We are in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now.” “Yup,” Taylor smirked, moving to sit down. She put her hands on the controls.

As soon as she did, a deep purring spoke through her head. “Woah,” She turned to the rest of the group, “Did you guys just hear that?” “Hear what?” Logan asked, looking at Taylor. Taylor looked around the small cockpit, “I think it's talking to me.” She mumbled, before moving the controls around. The lion immediately took off, and the lion shot out of the cave.

Aiden, Logan and Ben grabbed each other and screamed. Tyler started at them in disbelief for a moment before turning his attention to Taylor. “Careful Tay,” He pointed out a rock formation. Taylor responded immediately, moving the controls around to avoid the obstacle. “You are the worst pilot ever!” Logan screamed as Taylor sent the Lion into a spiral.

With an eager grin, Taylor turned to the others and exclaimed, “Isn't this awesome?” Taylor asked. “Make it stop.” Logan begged, “Make it stop,” “I’m not doing anything.” Taylor promised, “It's like it's on autopilot.” The Lion steered itself towards the atmosphere, “Where are you going?” Aiden asked, stumbling as the lion rocked violently.

“I just said it's on autopilot!” Taylor insisted, “It says there's an alien ship approaching Earth. I think we're supposed to stop it.” “What did it say, exactly?” Tyler asked, leaning forward to look out the window.

“It's not like it's saying words.” Taylor felt the eyes of all 4 boys fall onto her in disgust and disbelief, “It's more like feeding ideas into my brain, kind of.”

“If this thing is the weapon they're coming for, why don't we just, I don't know, give it to them? Maybe they'll leave us alone.” Ben’s phone read out for him. Tyler turned, offended, “You don't understand,” He assured Ben, “These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying everything in their path.” Ben gulped, clearly distressed but Tyler continued, “There's no bargaining with them. They won't stop until everything is dead.” “Okay, he gets it,” Aiden defending, “Don’t lay into him like that,” They all turned to see an alien ship entering the space around Earth’s atmosphere. Taylor interrupted the boys before a huge argument could erupt, “Okay, I think I know what to do.” She pushed the controls forward and the lion shot forward into the sky.

“Hey! This isn't a simulator,” Logan reminded Taylor as the Lion reached the exosphere. “That’s good. I always crashed the simulation when I was in school,” She smirked at Logan who gave her a panicked look. “That’s not calming!” Logan told Taylor as the girl moved the controls around. “Let’s try this!” She exclaimed as she pushed the controls forward. The jaw of the lion open and a beam of energy shot out towards the alien ship. The energy beam hit the side of the alien ship, causing a series of bright, violent explosions to ripple across its metallic hull. “Nice job, Tay,” “I think it's time to get these guys away from our planet.” Taylor said, piloting the lion away from Earth. They got a good distance before the alien ship started to follow them. “Oh no,” Tyler mumbled under his breath. “They're gaining on us!” Logan panicked, pushing the back of Taylor’s seat. “It's weird. They're not trying to shoot us. They're just chasing.” Taylor observed, her fingers nimbly adjusting the controls as she kept a steady eye on the pursuing ship. Aiden put his hands up to get everyone’s attention, “Okay, seriously, now we think having aliens follow us is good? I am not on board with this new direction, guys.” “Where are we?” Ben’s phone read out, the digital voice cutting through the noise in the cockpit.

“Edge of the solar system. There's Kerberos,” Logan pointed at the moon of Pluto. “That’s impossible, it took us months to get out here,” Tyler gasped in disbelief, “We got out here in five seconds.” A spherical opening, a distorted sphere with a glowing center opened up in front of the lion. It was a good distance away but the Lion seemed to be dead set on going through.

“A wormhole of sorts, where does it go?” Logan asked Taylor, who struggled and said she didn’t know.

“Tyler, you're the senior officer here. What should we do?” Taylor looked up at her brother.

Tyler looked at the other kids, “Whatever is happening, the lion knows more than we do.” Tyler looked at Aiden, who nodded, “I say we trust it, but we're a team now. We should decide together.” Taylor glanced around, all for boys nodded at her. “Alright, guess you’re all skipping class tomorrow,” She pushed the controls forward and the Lion shot into the wormhole.

———— As they exited the wormhole, an entirely new vista unfolded before their eyes. Kaleidoscopic patterns of nebulae painted the alien sky, with twinkling stars that seemed to breathe and pulse with life. “Where are we?” Ben’s phone read out again, its digital voice sounding even more surreal amidst this cosmic seascape.

“I have no clue,” Logan answered, “I don’t recognize any of these star patterns,” “Me neither,” Tyler looked out the window at the sky. “We must be a long, long way from Earth.” The lion approached a earth like planet, “The lion seems to want to go to this planet.” Taylor told the boys, “I think I think it's going home.” The lion soared into the planet’s atmosphere, plunging through plumes of vibrant, iridescent clouds. As they broke through the final layer, a sprawling cityscape came into view, nestled amidst a lush expanse of emerald-green forests and crystalline rivers.

"Doesn't look like anything from our textbooks," Aiden remarked, his eyes wide with awe.

“Um, is it just me or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious wormhole? Why are we listening to a robotic lion anyway?” Logan asked as the Lion approached a castle like building. “It got us away from that alien warship, didn't it?” Taylor shot back. “I don't know if you noticed, but we're in an alien warship.” Tyler pointed out, patting Taylor on the head.

“Oh, are you scared?” Taylor teased. “With you at the helm? Terrified,” Tyler poked the side of her face before turning his attention to the castle they were approaching.

The castle was enormous, a towering structure of gleaming spires and arching buttresses that seemed to shimmer with an ethereal light. As they landed, Tyler pulled everyone’s attention to him. “No one's happy to be in this situation, but we're here now. If we want to get through this, we've got to do it together.” “Yes sir,” Aiden gave a teasing salute.

“Don’t do that,” Tyler crossed his arms.

“Look at that castle though,” Taylor got out of the pilot seat and tried to book it out of the lion. Tyler grabbed her arm and stopped her, “Keep your guard up.” “Is something wrong Tyler?” Logan asked, cautiously prodding for information. Tyler turned to him, “My crew was captured by aliens once. I'm not going to let it happen again,” As soon as the kids were out of the lion and walking up to the castle, the lion moved. “No! I knew it was going to eat us! No!” Logan screeched, covering his head with his hands. The lion roared and the entrance to the castle opened. “No, it’s just opening the door for us,” Aiden pointed out, touching Logan’s shoulder. The slightly taller boy looked up and sighed in relief. Taylor ran into the castle, “Hello?” She called out into the pitch black foyer. “Taylor! Be careful!” Tyler scolded his sister as the boys walked in after her.

“I am!” Taylor promised, “Hello? Is anyone there?” “Please hold for identity scan,” A voice called out before a beam of light scanned over the five kids.

“What? Why are we here? What do you want with us?” Logan asked as the beam stopped scanning them. Lights leading down the hall flickered on, “Guess we’re going that way,” Aiden started walking down the hall. As they all walked down the hall, the lights continued to flick on, lighting and leading their way. Eventually, they were lead to a room with two cryo-pods. Ben typed up a quick message on his phone and played it out for everyone, “Where are we?” “It's some kind of control room,” Logan observed, scanning the unfamiliar technology around them with a hit of curiosity. “Are these guys dead?” Aiden asked, tapping onto one of the cryo-pods. The pod opened with a hiss of air and a red headed girl fell out, her knees buckling as she called out, “Dad!” Aiden leaped forward and caught her, “Hello there,”

“Who are you? Where am I?” The girl asked, looking up into Aiden’s eyes. Aiden smirked, “I’m Aiden, and you’re right here in my arms,”

"Quit the flirt, Aiden. We're not in a rom-com," Tyler grumbled, stepping forward and offering a hand to the girl. “Who are you people?” The girl asked, pushing Aiden to the ground as she took Tyler’s hand. Tyler helped her up. “Where is King Mike? What are you doing in my castle? “A blue lion brought us here,” Taylor butted in. “How do you have the Blue Lion? What happened to its paladin? What are you all doing here? Unless,” She paused, “How long has it been?” “We don’t know what your talking about,” Logan said as the girl pushed away from Tyler and walked over to a small panel sticking out of the floor and started typing on it. “Why don't you tell us who you are? Maybe we can help.” Tyler suggested, sticking his hands in his shorts pockets. “I am Princess Ashlyn of Planet Altea,” Ashlyn informed the earthlings, “I've got to find out where we are and how long we've been asleep.” Logan looked over her shoulder, “Okay, that's how that works. What is that language though?” A man groaned before Ashlyn could answer. He fell out of his pod before jumping up, “Enemy combatants!” “Nope! Nope!” Taylor assured him otherwise, “We’re friendly, I promise,” The man looked skeptical but stood at ease. “It can't be.” Ashlyn gasped, covering her mouth. “What is it?” The man asked, suddenly very worried for the princess. “We've been asleep for 10,000 years.” Ashlyn stared forward, “Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed. Alex, Father is gone. Our entire civilization,”

“Maverick,” Alex shook his head is disbelief. “Maverick?” Logan asked in confusion. “He was the King of the Galra. A vile creature and enemy to all free people.” Ashlyn started to sink onto the floor. “I remember now, I was his prisoner,” Tyler crossed his arms over his chest. “He's still alive? Impossible!” Alex stared at Tyler in disbelief and distrust. “I can't explain it, but it's true,” Tyler nodded, “He's searching for a super weapon called Voltron.” Ashlyn stood back up, “He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him, and that's exactly why we must find it before he does,” “We?” Aiden interrupted, “Why us?

Word Count: 5,074