#gilded gambit

[stuck-in-gambit-send-help]

sometimes I miss playing Gambit

then I remember I traded my sanity to gild Dredgen 8 times and I'm not sure I could stop myself from doing it again if I go back there /j

[skinnyravs]

It’s the time again! Gilded Dredgen completed! This time it’s x13

[valaenatargaryensdragon]

The Queen's Gambit

pairing: Fanon!Viserys Targaryen x Female OC

summary: Vanesha Lannister will not rest until she reaches her goal.

Word count: 1,7K

Warnings: Smut, P in V, squirting

Masterlist 1

Masterlist 2

The Red Keep stood tall, its imposing towers casting shadows over the city of King's Landing. Within its walls, a game of power and ambition unfolded, and at the center of it all was Vanesha Lannister.

She was a woman of intelligence and cunning, possessing a beauty that could captivate even the most resolute of men. But her true strength lay in her ability to identify weaknesses and exploit them. Viserys I Targaryen, the King of Westeros, was her latest prey.

As Vanesha walked through the gilded corridors of the Red Keep, her mind churned with calculated thoughts. She knew of Viserys' insatiable desire for sons, heirs to carry on the Targaryen legacy. It was a vulnerability she intended to exploit to the fullest.

In the candlelit chambers, she found Viserys engrossed in his own thoughts. His brow furrowed as he stared at a map of Westeros, contemplating the future of his dynasty. He looked up as Vanesha entered, and for a moment, his expression softened.

"Vanesha," he said, his voice laced with a longing he could barely conceal. "You look as radiant as ever."

Vanesha smiled, a calculated glint in her sapphire eyes. She moved closer to him, her movements graceful and deliberate. "My lord, I've been thinking," she began, her voice a velvet whisper. "Have you noticed how few daughters my family has produced over the years? It's always sons, strong sons to carry the name of Lannister."

Viserys, ever the dreamer of male heirs, nodded eagerly. "Yes, I've heard the tales. The Lannisters are blessed with sons, while the Targaryens..."

Vanesha's hand gently touched his arm, a subtle caress that sent a shiver down Viserys' spine. "It's a trait that runs in my blood, my lord. And I would be honored to provide you with the sons you so dearly desire."

Viserys' eyes widened, his vulnerability laid bare. It was a promise he had longed to hear, and Vanesha knew she had him ensnared. The courtship began, a dance of seduction and manipulation, and Viserys was utterly captivated.

Years passed, and Vanesha became Viserys' confidante and advisor. Her beauty remained undiminished, even after childbirth, as she presented him with not one, but three sons. The King was besotted, his every decision influenced by the woman who had fulfilled his dreams.

In the shadows of the Red Keep, Vanesha Lannister's ambition thrived, and Viserys I Targaryen remained a willing puppet, unaware of the strings that bound him to her will.

"Gods yes" Vanesha's head fell back, pure pleasure coursing through her body. She wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever.

"Viserys please" Vanesha moaned out loud. her thighs burned from the position. Viserys smirked watching her bounce on his cock, she looked like a goddess, his cock so deep inside of her, filling her.

"Take it" Viserys ordered, grunting as he pushed his hips up to meet her thrusts. Vanesha felt her whole body beginning to tremble with the orgasm coursing through her fighting to come forward.

"So close" She cried. her arms wrapped around his neck yelping when he moved. Her whines made his heart thump as he pulled out of her hole.

"Whore" Viserys smirked. he manhandled her body to move her to kneel on the bed. He pushed her down on her hands before entering her again.

"Viserys!" She squeaked, desperate to cum again. Viserys' hips snapped forward into her, burying his entire length inside. He felt delicious, so deep inside of her. He had already pulled an orgasm from her earlier with his lips merely suckling on her breast, emptying them helping her with the ache from not breast feeding their newest addition, Jahaerys, their son was being fed by the wet nurse while Vanesha finished her queenly duties.

"Yes, you like to be filled up, don't you?" Viserys asked. He never felt anymore power than he did with his cock deep inside of her cunt.

"Yes fill me up, give me a child" Vanesha whined, she pushed her hips back wanting him deeper. One of her hands sneaked in between her thighs, rubbing her pearl furiously.

"Cumming" She warned, Viserys picked up his pace. Vanesha's eyes rolled back with pure pleasure. She gasped when he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her back.

"Viserys" She moaned, her back falling on his chubby belly. Her head rested back on his shoulder giving him access to kiss up and down her neck. He pushed her hand away and took over rubbing her clit.

She wiggled in his arm with overstimulation, he was adamant on making her cum having heard that when a woman cums there are higher chances to conceive. After the orgasm he gave her from suckling on her breasts he moved down to suckle on the same clit he was rubbing like a mad man, she made him a mad man and he was happy with it.

"Shit" She wailed hoarsly, her whole body falling forward, the knot in her stomach snapping making her gush around Viserys' cock. Viserys watched proudly as his wife's body trembled under him but refusing to push his cock out, her hips moving back unconsciously keeping him inside.

Vanesha shivered as Viserys ran his hands up and down her side to comfort her. She moved back on her hands and looked back over her shoulder at Viserys with a dazed smile. Viserys grinned in return and resumed the movement of his hips.

"I shall make sure your womb is filled to the brim with my seed tonight" Viserys declared. One of his hands moved onto her lower belly and pressed down on it. Vanesha gasped deliciously eating the pleasure he gave. She was ready to give him a millions sons.

"Don't stop" She begged, she was desperate. Viserys picked up his pace feeling his balls tighten, he was close.

"Fill me with your royal seed" Vanesha begged. She was going to give him more children, she was going to choke him with them, she was going to rule him with them.

Viserys' head fell back, her soaked pussy was just right, he has never felt this kind of pleasure before. He wanted to devour her if possible. His thick finger rand down till they reached down between her legs pinching her pearl again.

Vanesha's cried echoed off the the walls losing herself to the pleasure. Each touch made her skin light up on fire. Viserys collected her wetness and moved his hand up to her face. Vanesha opened her mouth welcoming his fingers into her mouth, moaning loudly when she tasted herself on his fingers.

"Good breeding mare" Viserys praised. Vanesha almost fainted right then and there at his words. She sucked his fingers as if they were his cock.

"Viserys" Vanesha moaned around his fingers. He pushed her tongue down, moaning when she swirled it around his fingers.

"Fucking hell, will fill you up with another son" He gasped quickening his thrusts. Vanesha thrashed in between his arms. he pulled out his fingers from her mouth with a pop. Vanesha cried now moans on full volume with nothing blocking them from coming out of her mouth.

She thrashed and cried and pushed back and forward, her orgasm was like fire, her back arched like the one of a cat as she squirted. Viserys pushed his cock inside of her as deep as possible making sure to shoot his seed as deep inside of her as possible, not to waste a singular drop even when he walls resisted him, even when her liquids tried to push him out.

The birth of their fourth son, Aeryn, marked another significant moment in Vanesha Lannister's plan for power and influence within House Targaryen. She had already achieved the unimaginable - securing her position as the mother of four sons, each of them a potential heir to the Iron Throne.

As Aeryn's cries echoed through the halls of the Red Keep, Vanesha held the newborn close, her mind racing with thoughts of the future. She had successfully given Viserys the sons he so desired, and now her attention turned to the next phase of her ambitious scheme.

In the privacy of their chambers, she broached the topic with the king, her voice gentle yet persuasive. "My love," she began, "I cannot help but think of the future of our sons. Aegon, our eldest, is a true heir in every sense. Strong and capable, he embodies the qualities of a future king."

Viserys, who had longed for male heirs, listened intently. "You speak the truth, Vanesha. Aegon is a fine boy, and I'm proud to call him my son."

Encouraged by his response, Vanesha continued, her words carefully chosen. "Rhaenyra is a remarkable girl, but it's well known that sons are favored in the realm. Aegon should be our heir, my love. It's the best way to secure the future of House Targaryen."

Viserys hesitated, torn between tradition and the desires of his heart. "Rhaenyra is my daughter," he replied, his voice filled with paternal affection.

Vanesha placed a reassuring hand on his arm, her eyes filled with concern. "I understand your love for her, my king. But we must consider the stability of the realm. Aegon is the strongest choice, and he would have the support of many lords and allies."

Viserys contemplated her words, his gaze fixed on the newborn Aeryn. He had always dreamed of strong sons to carry on the Targaryen legacy, and now he had them. The idea of naming Aegon as his heir, instead of Rhaenyra, held a certain appeal.

Vanesha continued to work her persuasive charm, planting the seeds of doubt in Viserys' mind regarding Rhaenyra's suitability as an heir. She knew that, with time, she could mold his thoughts to align with her ambitions.

As the days turned into weeks and months, Vanesha's influence grew, and the idea of Aegon as the heir to the Iron Throne gained traction. Viserys, still enamored with his sons, began to entertain the possibility.

Little did he know that his queen, Vanesha Lannister, was orchestrating a quiet revolution, one that could alter the course of history in Westeros. The future of House Targaryen hung in the balance, and the queen's ambitions knew no bounds.

[sculpturesof]

5 Things Every Destiny Player MUST Do Before The Final Shape

Spend all of your Legendary Shards

Get the Dredgen title and equip it

Gild your Dredgen title

Recolor every weapon and armor in your collection with the Gambit shader of your choice. (I prefer Gambit Emerald.)

Plan your day one TFS raid attempt for June 7th. When the first three team members join your fireteam, say "Let's warm up real quick with some Gambit!!" and launch into the activity.

[receivedhope]

receivedhope's certified top 10 yandere blaine moments that all made me go "wow he's a FREAK. love him"

i don't accept criticism or opinions at this time.

10. using a heart shaped eye patch in Heart

i think there is simply something sickly romantic about using a heart shaped eye patch over a serious injury he got because he protected his cute boyfriend. it's symbolic... i also find it extremely funny how he lowkey didn't gaf about his ex-friends co-signing at the very least on blinding him. his brain is full of kurt parasites.

9. the kelliot selfie obviously bothering him + screaming "HE'S MY FIANCÉ NOT YOURS SO BACK OFF" at elliott

while i'm already a huge fan of the scene where becky shows blaine the selfie, on its own it could be okay, reasonable even. but then you get to NNY and you realize Wow... he was REALLY jealous. incredible... kurt had One gay male friend and he saw red. king.

8. comparing kurt's mom's funeral to pavarotti's

masterful gambit to tell his new boyfriend immediately he knows his mom died and wants to remind him of that just before he tells him he’s the one good thing in his life. "sorry you lost regionals against your friends and your mom died and your bird died but you have. Me ♥ don’t forget that" AND IT WORKED TOO. "kurt hummel has had a prettyy good year" kurt my love, your dad almost died, your friends decided to hate you because they couldn't sing church music, you were sexually assaulted, you were publicly humiliated at your prom and you kept struggling most of the semester in a new school you lowkey hated. congrats on your crazy fucking boyfriend though i guess.

7. kurt puppet

so many things to love here.

there is no normal person explanation for this one. stop pretending otherwise. when god gives you a beautiful yandere who wishes to be with his beloved one forever and ever you don't go "oh well he just has abandonment issues and the gas leak-" NO... that's my strange tiny doe eyed pervert and i accept him as he is.

6. the dalton!kurt hauntings of tested + barely breathing + it's too late

at first i was like "oh okay this makes sense. the gilded cage of dalton where everything is fine, things were easier and more clear cut and now blaine feels left behind kurt. this all makes sense" but then i got to tested,

"I guess it started when we first met, and you came to Dalton because you were trying to get away from Karofsky and I wanted to help you through that. [...] And I loved the way that felt. I loved, I loved being able to protect you, but now I look at your life and… it's completely different."

and i'm sorry but everything about this speech is crazy, it's like getting punched in the face over and over again with a hammer. what's this guy's problem? never change.

5. keeping up his kurt shrine even ~6 months after their break up

on his nightstand too so it can be the first thing he sees when he wakes up and the last thing he sees when he falls asleep. he is manifesting. (and it worked! good for you! go get your man)

4. blainofsky in general

not dating kurt's high school bully that he also sort of misses from their life (see his tested rant above) was always an option. but if he can't have kurt, hallucinations are fine. also "we got to talking... mostly about you" AND this look that he gives when kurt excuses himself?

oh there is something in that head of his and i need to see more. kurt get back in that makeshift electric chair of a bar stool right Now i need to observe further.

3. talking to burt in sexy

"oh receivedhope, you need to turn off the filter that makes you see blaine in this strange twisted light" NO!!! i love my weird cat. i completely get, acknowledge AND advocate for his place in the story and that he ultimately did a very good thing. i will even come to his defense in the turbulent landscape of blaine discourse - i still think it was an objectively weird choice and i'm fascinated that after being visibly interested in talking about sex with kurt the next best thing is talking to kurt's dad about kurt having sex. according to him. this is my post and i get to present canon disingenuously.

2. soft launching his proposal to kurt BEFORE getting back together

asks for burt's approval. buys an engagement ring. all before he can even confirm if kurt and adam are together, let alone if kurt would be open to dating him again. i love him.

1. cheating on kurt with eli c....

yes really... the desire to externalize his pain at least a little... when blaine is not texting this guy he sees visions of dalton kurt looking at him sadly... the immediate regret that causes him to grovel at kurt's feet for the entirety of the rest of the season... the public humiliation he inflicts on kurt and himself both by singing a depressed acoustic version of teenage dream to an entirely unsuspecting crowd... i'm really tempted to count eli/blaine as a ship i like just because it gave us so much.

[thegildedagesource]

New info on Season 3 from AwardsWatch, sharing that The Gilded Age will participate in the Tribeca Festival's TV program with a world premiere event and a new summary!

The Gilded Age (HBO) – Season Three World Premiere. Following the Opera War, the old guard is weakened. The Russells stand poised to take their place at society’s head. Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights; George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry. Agnes refuses to accept Ada’s new position as lady of the house. Peggy meets a doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career.

After the Screening: A conversation with Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Christine Baranski, Louisa Jacobson and Denée Benton and series creator Julian Fellowes. 

[hadesoftheladies]

FEMALE MOVIE/TV RECS (PART 2 / HISTORICAL FICTION/NON-FICTION)

got inspired from a recommendation post so decided to make a list of movies and shows with female-centric stories/female protagonists. since i can't post all of the genres in one post, i'll split it into multiple posts and y'all can save or add to the list as you wish. (disclaimer: i have watched most of these, but i only know about the existence of others. not every movie/show on these lists will be my recommendation. my recommendations will be beneath the list with reasons. also some of these are way better than others in terms of storytelling/performance--which is why i'll list my faves separately):

Common Themes of Media in the List:

-Workplace/general sexist discrimination

-Husband being pieces of shit and whiners

-Strong emphasis on sisterhood

-Romance plays a large part (both hetero and homo)

-Female genius and triumph

-Scheming mothers (always scheming)

-Grief, loss, and growth

-Motherhood is difficult but we pull through TM

HAVEN'T WATCHED:

Mozart's Sister

Lessons in Chemistry

The Conductor

Lizzie

Radioactive

Cable Girls

The Great

The Queen's Gambit

Britannia

Harriet

Mary Queen of Scots

ONES I LOVEDDDD:

A League of Their Own (9/10) (a favorite!)

Hidden Figures (8/10)

The Woman King (8/10) (a favorite!)

Anne With An E (9/10) (a favorite!)

Dickinson (8.5/10)

The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel (9/10) (a favorite!)

Gentleman Jack (8/10)

The Gilded Age (7.5/10)

HONORABLE (NON-LISTED MENTIONS)

The English (an english woman teams up with a native american cowboy to take revenge on the men who hurt them)

The World to Come (two women isolated by the wilderness and their husbands fall in love)

The Pursuit of Love

Colette

PERSONAL NOTES:

The Buccaneers is pretty feminist and wholesome, although oftentimes childish and full of Netflix cliches (even though it's an Apple TV original). It tries very hard to be Dickinson and Little Women but is a far cry away from Dickinson's edge and fierceness and Little Women's maturity and realism. It's more interested in appealing to Bridgerton audiences and its worse for it. But it's still full of the nice stuff, like strong female friendships and sisterhoods. Ooh, and lesbians! It's adamantly female-centric.

As for Little Women, I prefer the 90s version with Winona Ryder, but Greta did more justice to the source material than Louisa May Alcott herself in the new version.

The Book Thief and The World to Come are also tragedies, so you know. Ammonite, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Summerland and The Favourite are lesbians and bisexuals in their full glory, although all of them have vastly different tones (The Favourite is a dark comedy, I believe).

Speaking of The Favourite, Mary & George is like that but it's men vying for the affections of the king. Don't get it twisted though, Mary, George's mom, is the protagonist and primary mover of the show. It starts and ends with her. Also, more lesbianism! (I don't get tired of pointing that out.)

Belle is one of the few autobiographical historical fictions of a black woman. My dad and I love it. It, however, does not surpass The Woman King. The Woman King is like . . . one of the best historical movies on African women I've ever watched! Or just in general! It gives so much agency to African people in the colonial age and tells the story with nuance and perspective--it is a decolonized view on the slave trade that places West African people at the center. It's pretty intense and gory, though. Like it's dark, but like the performances are insanely good, and so is the story. Real life Wakanda and all that!

[sundove88]

Introducing Anime Ever After!!

Ever wanted to experience classic fairytales but through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime?

Well, Anime Ever After is for you!!

Synopsis: An anthropology of famous stories from around the world retold through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime, with modern twists, turns, and lessons about. From the depths of the sea in DBZ: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid) to the realm beyond the clouds in One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk), this ever expanding treasury of tales has something for everyone.

Framing Device: An anime loving teenager is telling classic fairytales to the kids they babysit as bedtime stories- with a twist!

Side Note: Nursery Rhymes being adapted is more for Shrek. So they won’t be here- sorry about that. But they do a good job at it. This anthology is meant for readers 12 and up, due to some of the themes in some of the stories.

Btw, look for the posts that have anime ever after on them as one of their tags. Here’s the list of tales (So Far):

Dragon Ball Z: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid)

My Hero Academia: Heart of Glass (Cinderella)

Attack on Titan: Red Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)

One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk)

Naruto: Sleeping Shadow (Sleeping Beauty)

Sword Art Online: The Match Player (The Little Match Girl)

FullMetal Alchemist: Iron Wolves (The 3 Little Pigs)

Fairy Tail: Mirrors of Deceit (Snow White)

Inuyasha: Soul of The Beast (Beauty and The Beast)

Bleach: Brushes of Fate (The Magic Paintbrush)

Fruits Basket: The 12 Dancing Zodiacs (12 Dancing Princesses)

Black Clover: The Frog Knight (The Frog Prince)

Hunter X Hunter: Spreading Your Wings (The Ugly Duckling)

Demon Slayer: Demon of The Northern Wind (The Snow Queen)

Black Butler: Beyond The Tower (Rapunzel)

Yu Yu Hakusho: Sweet Temptation (Hansel and Gretel)

Doraemon; Fearless Feline (Puss in Boots)

Gintama: Peachy Keen (Momotaro)

Sailor Moon: Lady of The Waxing Moon (Princess Kaguya)

Haikyuu: Bear-ly Faltering (Snow White and Rose Red)

Railgun: Little Warriors, Big Impacts (Thumbelina)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All That Glitters (Rumplestiltskin)

Yu Gi Oh: Diamond in The Rough (Aladdin)

Konosuba: The Royal Test (The Princess and The Pea)

Tokyo Ghoul: The Crimson Amulet (The Red Shoes)

Akame Ga Kill: Fashion Gambit (The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Ouran High School Host Club: Wings of Perseverance (The Wild Swans)

Rurouni Kenshin: The Ronin’s Trials (The Steadfast Tin Soldier)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan: Cage of Steel, Heart of Platinum (The Nightingale)

Cowboy Bebop: Written in The Stars (The Weaver Girl and The Cowherd)

Death Note: The Golden Pen (King Midas)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: No Strings Attached (Pinocchio)

Fate: The Chosen Sword (King Arthur)

BanG Dream!: Melody of Deceit (The Pied Piper)

Code Geass: The Princess and The Pig Man (The Swineherd)

Jujitsu Kaisen: The Light Within (The Buried Moon)

Blue Exorcist: Blazing Bonds (The Firebird)

Spy X Family: Secret of The Statue (The Happy Prince)

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: The Enchanted Key (Alibaba and The 40 Thieves)

Re:Zero: Gilded Feathers (The Golden Goose)

Saint Seiya: Divine Trials and Godly Tribulations (The 12 Labors of Hercules)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Claws of Gold, Hearts of Gold (Goldilocks and The 3 Bears)

One Punch Man: A Hero’s Humility (King Thrushbeard)

Future Diary: Wishful Obsession (The Fisherman and His Wife)

Sket Dance: A Tale of Three Tricksters (The 3 Billy Goats Gruff)

Precure (All seasons): The Sweetest Holiday Ever (The Nutcracker)

Food Wars: A Recipe For Courage (The Brave Little Tailor)

Spice and Wolf: Against All Odds (The Princess on The Glass Hill)

Noragami: Stolen Sun (Amaterasu and The Cave)

Monogatari: Secret Confidants (The Elves and The Shoemaker)

Steins;Gate: Azure Secrets (Bluebeard)

Tokyo Revengers: Neverlanding, Never Faltering (Peter Pan)

The Promised Neverland: Emerald Truths (The Wizard of Oz)

Toriko: Sweet Pursuit (The Gingerbread Man)

Kill La Kill: A Royal Mix Up (The Prince and The Pauper)

World Trigger: The Silent Springtime (The Selfish Giant)

The Seven Deadly Sins: Curse of Shade and Malice (The Shadow)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Salt and Sugar (The Salt Princess/Cap O Rushes)

Assassination Classroom: Honeyed Words (Diamonds and Toads)

Way of The House Husband: Out of The Cage (Jorinda and Joringel)

Danganronpa The Animation (It covers all the games): Makoto in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

D Gray Man: Song of The Sparkling Swan (Swan Lake)

Persona 5 The Animation: Way Down We Go (Hades and Persephone)

Soul Eater: United We Stand (The Six Who Went Far)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The 5 Magical Musketeers (The 3 Musketeers)

Aggretsuko: Four Man Band (The Bremen Town Musicians)

Tokyo Godfathers: A Holiday Journey (A Christmas Carol)

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Emotions Set Free (The Princess Who Never Smiled)

Sonic X: True, Blue, and Noble (Hans The Hedgehog)

Magiknight Rayearth: Noble Flame, Changing Tide, and Guiding Wind (The 3 Princesses of Whiteland)

A Silent Voice: Beyond All Boundaries (East of The Sun, West of The Moon)

A Whisker Away: A Feline Fairytale (The White Cat)

Your Name: A Little Bird Told Me (The Singing, Springing, Lark)

Love Live: A Fateful Adventure (Journey to The West)

Captain Tsubasa: Winging It (The Seven Ravens)

The Ancient Magus Bride: Entrapped Beauty (The Lindworm)

Overlord: Seeds of Trust (The Juniper Tree)

Delicious in Dungeon: Cooking Up Trouble (The Magic Porridge Pot)

Medaka Box: The Truth Above All (The Goose Girl)

Chainsaw Man: Demonic Assistance (The Golden Bird)

Taikobo: Legend of The Lost Kingdom (Urashima Taro)

Revue Starlight: Masked Secrets (Phantom of The Opera)

Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin: Path of The Canine (The Boy Who Cried Wolf)

Dr. Stone: Into The Wilderness (The Jungle Book)

Fire Force: The Flames of Charity (Robin Hood)

Shaman King: Mystery of The Marsh (The Marsh King’s Daughter)

Rave Master: Cloak of Secrets (Donkeyskin/Many Furs)

Ranma 1/2: Loyal, Brave, and True (Mulan)

Karakuri Circus: The House Within The Woods (Vasilisa The Brave and Beautiful)

Devilman Crybaby: Three Hairs of Gold (The Devil With 3 Golden Hairs)

The Irregular at Magic High School: Ring of Enchantments (The Bronze Ring)

Bobobo: One Hairy Tale (Prince Hyacinth)

Shakugan No Shana: Three Dogs, Three Heroes (The Tinderbox)

Nisekoi: Yellow With Affection (The Yellow Dwarf)

Kaiju No. 8: Don’t Get Salty (Why The Sea is Salty)

Kinnikuman: A Mission in Patience (The Tortoise and The Hare)

Oshi No Ko: The Price of Stardom (Little Brother and Little Sister)

Case Closed: Stolen Hearts and Stolen Fortunes (The Master Thief)

Pokemon The Series: An Electrifying Rescue (The Lion and The Mouse)

Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation: A Tale of a Thousand and One Nights (1,001 Arabian Nights)

Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Ribbiting Adventure (The Frog Princess)

Dr. Slump: A Quacktastic Journey (Drakestail)

Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Windows to The Soul (One Eyes, Two Eyes, Three Eyes)

Kochikame: From Faux to Genuine (Don Quixote)

Yo-Kai Watch: Cat Artist Unknown (The Boy Who Drew Cats)

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War: To Love and To Be Loved (Turandot)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Feathers of Joy (The Blue Bird)

DanMachi: Forgotten Evil Unleashed (Pandora’s Box)

Hellsing Ultimate: Blood Ties (Dracula)

Claymore: The Monster Unleashed (Frankenstein)

Thanks to @sam-rexian and @crystallinedreamsfinelypowdered for helping with some of these!

[acronym-chaos]

Aventurine (HSR) ID Pack

[PT: Aventurine (HSR) ID Pack].

Author's Note: The requester asked for the ID Pack to also include the themes of birds of paradise and gems

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom. End ID].

Names

[PT: Names].

Alaric, Amara, Aurelio, Aviary, Azurite, Bastien, Beryl, Cassian, Chalcedony, Citrine, Dorian, Epaulet, Esmé, Felicia, Fortuna, Gambit, Giselle, Jet, Jocelyn, Lazuli, Lucien, Lysandra, Magnus, Mica, Mynah, Noelle, Obsidian, Octavian, Onyx, Opal, Pavo, Percival, Peregrine, Plume, Quentin, Raphael, Rook, Roulette, Seraphina, Solitaire, Talon, Thalia, Topaz, Valentin, Vivienne, Wager, Yvette

Pronouns

[PT: Pronouns].

Bet / Bets / Bets, Bir / Birds / Birds, Blu / Bluff / Bluffs, Ca / Card / Cards, Deal / Deals / Deals, Fa / Fate / Fas, Ge / Gem / Gems, Gli / Glint / Glints, Gol / Gold / Goldens, Lu / Luce / Lucks, Pe / Peac / Ock [Peacock], Pla / Play / Plays, Rie / Risk / Risks, Shi / Ne / Shine, Strata / Stratas / Stratas [Stratagem], Wag / Wager / Gers, Wing / Winged / Wings

Titles

[PT: Titles].

[Noun] Who Stacks the Deck Against [Pronounself], [Pronoun] Dancing on Knife’s Edge, [Pronoun] of Shattered Chances, [Pronoun] Who Plays the Cards Close to [Pronouns] Chest, A Bird in a Gilded Cage, A Pawn Who Plays the King, The Gambler of Fates, The Glint Behind the Smile, The Jewel in the Game, The Last Avgin Standing, The Peacock in Chains, The Sigonian Phoenix

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom, End ID].

Requested by 🦚 anon

Also tagging: @id-pack-archive

[crow-posting]

I have ~94 days to gild my Gambit title for the 17th time. I leave the decision to the mercy of D2 Tumblr.

[chashupak]

That one BG3 fanfic deleted scene pack where Pre-orb Gale cries over roses, shows symptoms of being a stuck-up nerd, panics over last-minute project changes, and fails at dice

Ongoing Fanfiction Link: [The Starfall Gambit]

Why scrapped: Moving my action-oriented scenes up as the hook. Weaving relevant information into existing chapters.

Chapter I.1.1 To Ashes

A boy clutched his mother’s apron, tears mingling with the dirt and soot smudged across his cheeks. The garden looked wrong now. Where pretty roses had been, only black stems stuck up from burnt dirt, like accusing fingers. He hadn’t meant to hurt them. He just thought they wanted more light.

“Do not mourn, Little One,” a voice cut through his sobs, cool and clear like water.

The air felt funny. Like right before lightning strikes. She appeared in a shimmer. Her robes changed colors that Gale couldn’t even name. Her eyes looked like the night sky, full of stars.

Gale wiped his nose with his sleeve. “B—But I hurt them. They were so pretty.”

She knelt down, and when Her hand touched his cheek, it felt cold as winter against his hot face. Everyone seemed far away now. Just him and her in the whole world.

“Power answers intent," She said, Her voice gentle but firm. "Your sorrow shows you understand the cost. That is good."

Gale stared at the ashes, still feeling awful. The magic in the air looked prettier than the flowers had ever been—swirling and alive. It only made him feel worse.

“Does that mean I’ll always break things?” he asked, small and unsure. “When I do magic?”

She looked at him with those star-filled eyes.

"No," She said, sounding like she knew everything in the whole wide world. "It means you will learn. And you will be great."

From the ashes, something bloomed. Not a rose but something new. It had petals that shone with colors like Her dress.

A little spark lit up inside him, pushing back against the bad feelings. Her words felt like a warm blanket on a cold night. Like a promise.

He wanted to believe Her.

He wanted to be great.

Chapter I.1.2 The Skies Above

The towers of Sharn pierced the sky like needles through velvet, their peaks dissolving into a lattice of bridges and arcane lights. Below, the city stacked itself in defiance of nature. Stone, steel, and ambition compressed into a monument to mortal audacity, as if challenging the gods themselves.

Gale stood at the balcony's edge in the Upper Deck of the Sky Tournaments, inhaling air too thin and too perfumed for common lungs. The voices of spectators from below reached him as mere whispers, appropriate to their station. Sky-chariots cut through clouds, their elemental wakes painting temporary auroras across the evening sky.

He studied their engines with clinical detachment. Raw industrial magic—crude but effective, like a butcher's cleaver compared to a surgeon's scalpel. The innovation deserved acknowledgment, if not admiration.

"Your assessment of the southern district's stabilization efforts was brilliant, Magister," simpered a noble to his left.

"The Academy still speaks of your treatise on planar convergence," added a scholar to his right.

Gale nodded, offering the precise dose of attention their station warranted—neither so little as to offend nor so much as to encourage further intimacy. Their flattery formed a familiar waltz, one he'd witnessed in a hundred courts with a hundred different partners. He'd mastered the steps years ago.

His thoughts remained fixed on his true purpose: the Netherese tome Mystra had tasked him to recover. It lurked somewhere in this gilded gathering, hidden beneath layers of pomp and spectacle.

"'Scuse me! Mr. Chosen, Sir!"

The voice jarred against the cultured murmurs surrounding him. A gnome bulldozed through the crowd, trailing oil stains and enthusiasm in equal measure. Without preamble, he conjured a blueprint that hovered between them, runes pulsing with potential.

"You must see this enhancement to the city's levitation fields! We've realigned the sigilwork to respond to gravitational shifts. Entire districts stabilized!"

Despite his cultivated aloofness, Gale leaned forward. His fingers hovered over the glowing runes, not touching but tracing their contours in the air. "Clever," he murmured, academic hunger momentarily overwhelming practiced restraint. "You've adjusted the harmonic resonance against the planar flux. But wouldn't that destabilize under erratic Weave fluctuations?”

For a heartbeat, the persona slipped. No longer Mystra's Chosen performing dignity, but simply Gale, a scholar encountering innovation worthy of his intellect. The thrill of discovery sparked in his chest, bright and dangerous.

He caught himself reaching toward the blueprint and withdrew. What was he doing? Mystra's mission remained unfulfilled. This mortal sigilwork, however ingenious, was mere distraction.

Yet She wasn't here. No divine whisper reminded him of his station, his duty, his necessary distance from lesser magics.

Perhaps one brief indulgence.

Gale composed his features, subduing the earnest curiosity to something more appropriately measured. "Apologies, sir. I forget myself. What was your name?"

The gnome's face split with a grin too wide for its confines. "Tibbles Clockmort, Your Chosenness!"

"Gale of Waterdeep will suffice." He permitted himself a genuine smile, the rarity of it making it feel nearly illicit.

With a perfunctory glance at the nobles—their disappointment apparent but irrelevant—he guided Tibbles toward the balcony's edge. "If you'll allow me a moment, Gentlemen."

Leaning over the railing, Gale examined the floating blueprint properly. Questions flowed naturally, each answer spawning three more inquiries. The conversation deepened, excavating theoretical foundations and practical applications with equal fervor. For the first time since arriving in Sharn, Gale felt the joy of unguarded intellectual exchange.

Then—a flicker of movement below caught his eye. Not remarkable for its elegance but for its dissonance, like a wrong note in a familiar composition.

His explanation faltered mid-sentence. An old irritation resurfaced, immediate and visceral.

Among the churning crowds of the lower stands moved a human figure he recognized instantly. Sun-bleached brown hair, carelessly braided. Storm-gray eyes that missed nothing while appearing to notice nothing. She navigated the throng with the easy confidence of someone who belonged everywhere and nowhere.

She made deals with a grin, laughed at whispered exchanges, touched shoulders as easily as she stole glances. She moved between people like shadow through candlelight.

That gait. That audacity.

The interloper from Elturel...

Chapter I.2.1 A Cage of Light

Elysium breathed with magic. Not the subtle whisper of mortal realms but a violent symphony that demanded submission. Power coursed through floating runes and crawled across Gale's skin like hungry insects. Even the marble beneath him pulsed with divine intention.

And then there was Her.

“You shape the Weave with such precision, My Chosen.”

Gale exhaled, letting Mystra’s words wash over him like the final note of a well-woven spell. Her praise lingered on his tongue, rich and heady as aged wine.

His hands framed his creation, arcane script suspended between them like a constellation bound by his will alone.

Intricate. Flawless. Divine-worthy.

She had not touched him. Not yet.

"Every thread I weave has purpose.” He stepped to Her side. The coolness that emanated from Her form prickled his skin. "I've devoted more to the art than most men give to love." His voice softened, teasing. "Though I'd like to believe I've offered you plenty of both."

Mystra's violet eyes flickered to his, ancient welts that reflected nothing back. Something unstable shimmered between them, possibility and disappointment hanging in perfect balance.

Her fingers barely brushed his spell, but it was no caress. The lattice shuddered, twisting inward like dying stars. Irreversibly altered.

Wrong.

Gale’s brow furrowed. No miscalculations. No imperfections. Yet it rejected him now.

Mystra smiled. “You recall Elturel, do you not?”

A test. Always tests.

“The planar disturbance.” He straightened, masking the tremor in his voice. “A nobleman’s arrogance nearly unstitched reality itself. I arrived in time to prevent catastrophe.”

“Did you?” Two simple words, a scalpel drawing blood.

Gale's fingers curled at his sides. "If you are referring to that bystander—"

Mystra watched him, letting silence stretch between them. The memory flickered unbidden.

The Weave, balanced on a razor's edge. His magic, controlled and calculated. Then suddenly—gone. Yanked out from under him like a drunkard flipping a board game.

A reckless woman with storm-gray eyes, redirecting energy without technique or reverence. The portal snapping shut with her at its epicenter.

No mastery. Just results.

Neat. Efficient. Effective.

A cheat.

"Why do you believe she got involved?" Mystra's voice pulled him back.

His jaw tightened. “Misplaced heroism.”

Mystra's lips curved with quiet knowing. She touched his chin, Her fingers cold as starlight, guiding him to face the altered construct. It hummed wrong notes, dissonant and beautiful.

"You dismiss it, My Chosen, but it reaches places your precision does not." The construct flickered, and he recognized the sensation now. Unstructured. Instinctive. "Even the finest spellbook cannot hold every incantation that exists."

Her touch lingered, clinical rather than loving. No reward. No reassurance. Rather than a lover caressing her beloved, She touched him like an artisan examining an old piece. Where once that touch had sparked divine fire, now it left only frost.

His heart constricted. He had given everything to Her—youth, devotion, brilliance—and still it wasn’t enough.

Gale forced his spine straighter. Precision and control. His defining virtues. What She had molded him to embody. What made him worthy.

As She drifted away, his gaze caught the empty space beside Her, a void he once thought he might fill.

He traced the Weave.

And this time, he forced himself to see the cracks.

Chapter I.2.2 The Stands Below

The Lower Deck devoured all who entered. Where the Upper Deck floated in perfumed refinement, this level throbbed like an exposed nerve. A seething, living thing as loud as the industrial magic that crackled through its steel bones. Flesh made of bodies pressed sweat-to-sweat. Rust and ale and smoke formed a physical presence, something you tasted more than smelled. Each surface held treachery: floors slick with spilled drink, tables scarred from brawls, shadows concealing predators and prey indistinguishable from one another.

A raw, unbridled cacophony that breathed in sparks and exhaled thunder.

Gale pushed through this wilderness with a discreet spell that bent attention away from him. Despite this precaution, his fine robes and straight-backed posture marked him as clearly as a torch in darkness. One hand hovered near his spellbook, both protection and comfort in this alien landscape.

Scholarly curiosity—at least, that’s what he told himself—had led him from the safety of the Upper Deck into this den of structured chaos. The truth was more elemental: he needed to see her again, the woman from Elturel who had unraveled his spell with intuition where he had built it with calculation.

It hadn’t taken long to spot her.

She commanded a gambling table like a general at a battlefield. Sleeves were rolled to expose forearms corded with lean muscle, a single hoop earring catching the lantern light as she laughed. A faint scar tracked along her wrist, visible as she flipped a coin into the growing pot.

"You've got to give it up, Viktor," she teased, her voice cutting through the ambient roar. "That grin's charming, but it's going to be a real problem when someone notices your teeth." She winked at the rough-hewn barbarian across from her, sparking a cascade of laughter that seemed disproportionate to the joke.

Then—there it was. Her fingers twitched, the Weave responding to her silent command. The dice wobbled in mid-throw, their trajectory altered. No incantation. No structured spellwork. Not even a proper cantrip.

Just like last time. Telekinesis? Perhaps the barest of components. A distorted variety.

His lips pressed into a thin line. She played the Weave like a weathered lute, rough and impulsive. A thief picking magic's pockets without a thought to the cost, to the discipline required. To the reverence magic deserved.

And yet… no one protested. No one even noticed. While he detected the disrespect to the Weave itself, her fellow gamblers saw only her charm, her wit, her carefully crafted distraction.

Before reason could intervene, he approached the table. "I'd be loath to let such an engaging game go unstudied. Might there be room for one more?"

Eyes assessed him with predatory calculation. How much could they relieve him of? How quickly?

But when she looked up, recognition flashed before being smoothed over with a grin, disproportionately familiar given their last encounter.

"Feel free." She gestured at an empty seat. "And you are..." Her eyes lingered on every landmark that set him apart—fine robes, enchanted jewelry, perfectly groomed brown locks. Her gaze weighed him with frank appraisal, neither impressed, nor dismissive.

Then she tilted her head. "Prince Charming?"

The table erupted in laughter, rough and genuine at his expense. Gale smiled thinly as he took a seat, refusing to give an inch. "Flattering, but just Gale. Though I can't fault you for assuming nobility."

She hummed, noncommittal. "All right, Gale."

She performed introductions with theatrical flair, ending with a hand settled on her chest, chin lifted in mock ceremony. "Lyanna."

Gale dropped his coin pouch onto the table, its weight punctuating his arrival. Its heft drew appreciative glances. "Pleasure."

The next few hands passed in a dance of mundane gambling, but Gale's attention never strayed from Lyanna's fingers. He watched for the telltale shimmer in the Weave, the disrespectful tug at magic's threads. When the Tabaxi woman rolled the dice, he caught it—Lyanna's casual touch of magic, ready to tip fate's scales.

With surgical precision, Gale countered. A whisper of his own magic nullified hers, leaving a faint shimmer of purple-blue energy that only a trained eye might catch. The dice fell naturally. The Tabaxi squealed with delight at her unexpected win, oblivious to the magic simmering beneath perception.

Lyanna's eyes snapped to him. One finger against the wood, thoughtful. She raised her ale, amusement ghosted across her lips.

"Someone's paying attention," she murmured, her storm-gray eyes meeting his over the rim of her mug.

Gale inclined his head, an unspoken challenge.

The starting buzzer of the tournament blared, sky-chariots roaring, eyes drawn skyward. Lyanna leaned forward, slamming her mug down with a decisive thud.

With each round, their contest deepened, transcending the mundane games around them. The air buzzed with overlapping deals and thunderous cheers, but Gale and Lyanna remained locked in their private contest. Their magic wove through the ordinary gambling like silver threads through base cloth.

Every nullification he performed was technical perfection. Every counter she devised was infuriatingly novel, slipping past defenses like water through cracked stone.

"Lucky," she remarked when his perfectly controlled spell yielded a winning roll.

"Fortune favors the skilled,” he replied with the same scholarly condescension that had earned him both admiration and exasperation from students back in Blackstaff.

Her fingers brushed the table's edge. When she tossed her dice, they wobbled mid-air a heartbeat too long. The Weave bent to her will, careless and unbounded. The dice landed perfectly.

Gale exhaled through his nose.

"Jealous?" she asked.

"For a fluke? Hardly."

As their magical duel intensified, something tugged at Gale’s awareness, a pattern emerging from what he’d assumed was chaos.

When Lyanna manipulated the dwarf's roll, ensuring the dwarf stayed in the game despite poor odds, Gale didn't interfere. He watched as she clasped the dwarf's shoulder, her laughter genuine as she teased him about his vices.

Understanding dawned like a slow sunrise. His gaze swept across the table, seeing the larger design for the first time.

The dwarf, still in the game by a thread. The barbarian, leading just enough to feed his bravado. The Tabaxi, engaged in flirtatious rivalry that had nothing to do with the game. The half-orc, locked in heated competition with the barbarian, their bets climbing higher with each round.

She wasn't chasing victory. She was orchestrating an experience. Shaping the game to maximize engagement, to keep everyone invested emotionally as well as financially. Like feeding kindling to a fire.

The realization unsettled something in him. Magic had its plethora of uses, that he knew. Yet, while his set him apart in a league all his own, hers drew people in. A truth he’d been trained to dismiss as frivolous.

Her eyes met his across the table, a knowing quirk of her brow. As if, for a fleeting moment, he'd glimpsed the real game beneath it all—neither dice nor magic. But rather, she played to their desires, their rivalries, their needs all balanced in a delicate social alchemy.

"Relax, Charming," she said. "It's just a game."

The words stung more than they should have. Perhaps they were only intended as surface-level banter, but they felt like a dismissal of everything he stood for, everything he’d dedicated his life to perfecting. This wasn’t “just a game”, but the very architecture of reality itself.

On the final round, Gale doubled down. Whatever social experiment she conducted, his purpose remained clear. To demonstrate proper control, to teach through example.

He gripped the dice, infusing them with magic of absolute precision. A guaranteed, undetectable victory. The dice tumbled, the Weave humming between them like a plucked string.

Lyanna watched, her head tilted with something like disappointment. Then, just as the dice were about to land, the Weave shimmered. Not opposition, not a counterspell, but a whispered augmentation that made his magic blindingly obvious to everyone present.

The table erupted before the dice settled. Scoffs. Jeers. The barbarian let out a long, unimpressed whistle.

"A shame," Lyanna said, rising with fluid grace. Her expression held none of the triumph he expected, only a flickering regret. As she passed behind him, she leaned close enough that her breath warmed his ear.

"You wouldn't have liked winning like that anyway."

The hem of her coat lifted as she moved to leave, revealing the worn leather of a belt fitted with more pouches than one might expect. Her hand grazed his shoulder—a brief, thoughtless touch that left an inexplicable warmth.

"Try not to let it ruin your night, Upper Crust," she called over her shoulder. Then she exhaled, smoothing a hand over the back of her neck as she melted into the crowd. As if the game had only ever been a momentary diversion.

Gale barely registered the murmurs of disdain from the table, his mind still replaying that final move. She'd caught him in a trap of his own making. Not by opposing his magic, but by revealing it. Why? To teach him some lesson? To humiliate him?

Or perhaps, most disquieting of all, because she'd recognized something in him that he wasn't ready to see in himself.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[darkmaga-returns]

In the gilded cage of the White House, on a crisp morning in May 2025, President Donald Trump performs an act of audacity that is as bracing as it is divisive. Seated across from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, he unfurls what he calls evidence of a deliberate genocide against white South Africans—a charge as incendiary as it is unorthodox in the normally staid world of diplomacy. 

The room crackles with tension, not least because Elon Musk, the South African-born titan of X and a man whose tweets have helped to fan these flames, watches from the sidelines, his presence a tacit endorsement of Trump’s gambit. As reported by NBC News on 22 May 2025, Trump cues a montage of videos: clips of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters chanting “Kill the Boer,” grainy footage of farm attacks, and fiery speeches from Julius Malema, the EFF’s demagogue-in-chief. 

Ramaphosa, ever the diplomat, deflects, insisting these are not state policy, that South Africa is no slaughterhouse for its white minority. To the onlooking media elites, the exchange is a diplomatic trainwreck, a clash of Trump’s unfiltered bravado and Ramaphosa’s measured restraint. To those with clearer vision, in its very recklessness, Trump’s stand is a rare act of courage, a defiance of the media’s reflex to shield South Africa’s post-apartheid regime from scrutiny, no matter how troubling its excesses.

This moment lays bare a truth that demands unflinching examination: nations and peoples must hold one another to account, not out of spite but as a moral imperative. Without such guardrails, the slide into barbarity is not just possible—it is inevitable, as we’re also currently seeing in Israel’s unrestrained war of annihilation against its neighbours. 

[lucdrawsthings]

Sorry to bother but what is the makai gambit project?

Not a bother!

just a fun little project, pretty much! possibly gonna become a game or vn, possibly just going to be a massive fic with accompanying art, but whatever it ends up being, so much love is going into it that it's a blast.

Currently it's in its very early stages, but I can give a full teaser and summary here:

Juusandom. A Netherworld cluster that exists beyond time, beyond space, beyond the reach of any regular demon. Split into thirteen territories, two in particular often come into conflict…

Absidion. The country of black. A wild and ruinous place, a Netherworld built for a real demon's demon. Its Emperor is beyond a tyrant, instead boasting his status as something far more unpredictable. Much of its territory is filled with the ruined homes of former inhabitants, as the bulk of Absidion's land was snatched from the control of its neighbour. There is beauty in the untamed, even with the obvious dangers posed to the weak. Survival of the fittest reigns supreme here.

Elebestar. The country of white. A peaceful and well-cultivated theocracy, at the very peak of which rules a benevolent Emperor. Tensions flare at borders, where land is claimed and made ashen by the brutes of the neighbouring country. Even so, people's needs rarely go unfulfilled here, and those who live in Elebestar are happy in their captivity. For make no mistake, they are captive as they come. Those who live within Elebestar know their lives will end when their rulers call for it. A gilded cage for a willing livestock. Is that any way to live?

Absidion and Elebestar, political rivals and tactical nemeses. Emperor Fornelius, the Primordial Chaos that seeks desolation, and Emperor Benetrectus, the Sublime Archdevil that seeks eternity. One knows nothing beyond lust for power and destruction. One knows nothing but a craving for control. At odds with one another, their conflict has spanned millennia. Territory claimed under the banner of Fornelius is tainted in black, and this stain cannot be removed.

For the time being, there is stalemate. After reaching the limits of his siege's power, Fornelius has ceased his advance for now. And after losing three of his four "children" to the Black Emperor's sealing power, Benetrectus has pivoted to doting on his youngest "daughter" while she remains with him.

Fortebracciiio, the Third Child, stands at her "father's" side as Empress. And beside Fornelius? Discordia, Primordial Temptation. It is by her hand that the advance was orchestrated, and it is by her hand that it is paused. One could perhaps name her "Mastermind" in this tale… if that title didn't fall to another.

...Sooooo, that out of the way. Set in a pair of warring Netherworlds in the Netherworld Cluster of Juusandom, Makai Gambit is an in-universe spectacle, advertised as a sort of battle royale created by a third party to end the conflict once and for all. Through a strange power, figures from throughout the Makaiverse's history are summoned to play the role of 'Piece Incarnations' to help settle the score.

'Piece Incarnations' is a term created by the capricious, mysterious organiser of Makai Gambit. A Piece Incarnation is a being summoned in place of an official for the territory rulers, taking up the 'role' of a chess piece.

Piece Incarnations cannot kill other Piece Incarnations of the same legion, nor can they land a finishing blow on the Emperors / Empresses. Piece Incarnations, however, can kill any normal inhabitants of Juusandom. The only option they have is to unite with those on the same side as them, and aim for the win condition...

Kill the opposing King Piece.

(portrait art by Shuga)

The pieces do not choose to be here. They do not really want to be here. Mostly, they just want to go home and get back to their loved ones. Some are willing to go to more extreme lengths than others to get back home.

also we have a middle evolution Christo-Lamington!

[sheyshen]

With 2025 approaching and being almost done with my current book I was debating which to start next. I have kinda a variety of books I haven't read yet so I was wondering, which do you all recommend reading once I'm finished with Holy Hell?

The rest that didn't fit on the poll but are up for recommendations as well are under the cut:

-Jasmine Throne -Bonds of Brass -Bluebird -So this is Ever After -Chronicles of Aesirium -Song of Blood and Stone -Stormlight Archive -Gilded Ones -Gates of Mars -Stronger than You Know -Lost Legio IX -Legends and Lattes -Mistborn -Son of the Storm -The Other Merlin

and the good old catching up on an ongoing series: -Dragonlance -Mass Effect -Halo -Witcher -Assassin's Creed

[icarusignite]

These Violent Delights Masterlist

Chapter 1: Marigolds and Mayhem Chapter 2: In the Absence of God

Ao3 | Wattpad

Synopsis:

Artemis Highbottom remembers a life before the opulent embrace of the Capitol's glittering splendour. She remembers a hunger so deep it hollowed out her soul, a memory etched in the marrow of her bones. Those nights never appear during her waking hours and sometimes she thinks she might have imagined it all. Being Casca Highbottom's daughter affords her a life of privilege and scorn, but only Artemis knows that there is more to her than meets the eye and she will do anything at all, morals be damned, to make sure she does not end up in that place that haunts her dreams, that place of aching emptiness and rot. 

She embodies poise and unyielding discipline, standing as a paragon of excellence that stokes the fires of envy within her classmate and rival, Coriolanus Snow. As the unyielding zenith of the Academy, Artemis's ascent sparks a festering resentment in Snow, magnified when she's entrusted with mentoring the female tribute from District 2—a role that slices through Snow's pride as he faces the humiliating task of guiding the runt of the litter. Their destinies intertwine in a labyrinthine game of high stakes and calculated gambits. Each mentor, burdened with their own ambitions and stakes, grapples with the weight of necessity, teetering precariously on the razor's edge of moral compromise, balancing strategy and sacrifice to ensure their tribute emerges victorious. 

Within the stony confines of District 2, Diana Lazarus is an anomaly—a soul tethered to gentleness in a world forged by strife. The reaping's cruel hand, indifferent to her aversion to violence, seizes her fate and thrusts her toward the harrowing jaws of the Hunger Games. Yet, fate twists further in cruel irony as her sister, the embodiment of valour and sacrifice, steps forth to volunteer in Diana's stead. Struggling against the bonds of loyalty and guilt, Diana refuses to betray, even as her sister is shipped off to the arena where she will forfeit her life. Determined not to be severed from her side, Diana forges her path to the gilded halls of the Capitol, anticipating the spectacle of the Games, only to collide with an unforeseen spectre from her past. Sejanus Plinth, a boy both loathed and longed for, now ensconced in luxury, stands as the mentor to her sister's adversary. As the games loom ahead, Diana grapples not only with survival amidst the Capitol's treacherous allure but also with the rekindling of emotions she thought buried in the depths of her soul.

Children are the inheritors of their father's sins, and as the 10th annual Hunger Games come to a close, the debt to be paid demands everything they hold dear.

Characters:

Artemis Highbottom

"You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough."

Coriolanus Snow

"Snow lands on top."

Sejanus Plinth

"I'm so guiltless, I'm choking on it."

Diana Lazarus

"I am someone who did not die when I should have, and those around me have been paying the price for it ever since."

Melpomene "Mel" Lazarus

"I have never been a saint, but I imagine I could be a martyr if they killed me quick enough."

[a-roguish-gambit]

I'm thinking about things I could have done with the themes from the last week that I hadn't.

Steam punk stuff with gilded age aethstetics, some role swap with rogue as death....

But most of all....I regret that I didn't make a dragon Gambit for fantasy au.