#plus a traitor to the empire

[quadrantadvisor]

My TOH time travel au is like. The Collector never stopped the draining spell. Hunter escaped its influence by going to the Human Realm, but when they finally return, everyone else is gone. Goop Belos is at large, King never learned to get along with the Collector because he was busy grieving, The Boiling Isles are in chaos.

Some shit goes down, the group gets separated, and King ends up with Luz and Hunter. In a moment of final desperation, he connects with his dad, and they use their titan magic to send Hunter and Luz back in time, not in a predetermined time loop, like the time pools, but basically creating a new universe where they have the power to change things. It takes so much energy that to accomplish it, both titans have to give up their life force (a la Rise!TMNT movie).

Hunter and Luz are now a few months in the past. In their timeline, practically everyone they know died, and their little brother just gave his life to give them a second chance. They are traumatized and codependant and DESPERATE to stop the day of unity.

From everyone else's perspective, two masked criminals suddenly appeared in The Boiling Isles. They strike hard and fast, and no one knows what they look like or what they're trying to accomplish. They use stange magic no one's ever seen before, and the Emperor's Coven can't keep up with them.

One of their first criminal acts? Kidnapping the Golden Guard.

(They couldn't just leave him there.)

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 4

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Nimona by ND Stevenson

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

Graphic novel, fantasy, adventure, humor, secondary world, young adult

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (The Masquerade Series)

Endorsement from submitter: "This book has all the sapphic women - and a hugely diverse cast of characters. Plus it has very ornate world-building and does a scathing critique of colonialism. With political intrigue and a will-they-won't-they relationship between certain characters."

Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon.

The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They’ll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She’ll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she’ll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.

In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.

But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.

Fantasy, epic fantasy, politics, secondary world, series, adult

[artist-ellen]

Queens & Traitors

A Colouring Book of Fictional Fashions

Fifty PLUS single-page illustrations of fictional fashions. Inspired by clothing from the Byzantine Empire, Knights and even Tudor Queens.

Print copies: Amazon | PDF copies: Ko-Fi & Patreon

[spade-riddles]

I’m going to be so real with you, I’m not a gaylor and at a point in time you could’ve even said i was anti-gaylor — but I am so fed up with this ogre Travis, his entire shitty inner circle and all of the people that have come into the swiftie universe and Taylor’s personal life, PLUS what seems to be a horrid shift in her own attitudes (seeing all criticism as hate, being too above it all to care about morals, a satisfaction that she’s gotten enough of the fandom to call anyone who dares to critique her a viper, etc) that I’m about to join yall because I HONESTLY cannot believe that half of this is real or that this is truly the same person she was even two years ago. Mind you I have been a stan for nine years with active accounts for nearly 7, I love TTPD as an album in terms of the music and love Taylor with my whole heart. But this entire era (+ the year preceding it) have been sooo hard to stomach and feels like such a detachment from the person I “knew” and look up to. I just wanted you guys to know- people are emphasizing with you. Other people feel the negative energy, other people are seeing the changes. Even if it’s not based on the same reason, though tbh at this point I’m going to look into it. She should realize that more and more of her fandom are noticing cracks in what she thinks is an indestructible empire and it will come crumbling down soon enough, which makes me feel so sad and like a traitor to say. But oh well

Oh my gosh ... I love this message!

First, thank you for reaching out and being so transparent.

Second, it was so cute how you wrote this. These two parts are so significant:

I’m about to join yall because I HONESTLY cannot believe that half of this is real or that this is truly the same person she was even two years ago. ...I just wanted you guys to know- people are emphasizing with you. Other people feel the negative energy, other people are seeing the changes. Even if it’s not based on the same reason, though tbh at this point I’m going to look into it. She should realize that more and more of her fandom are noticing cracks in what she thinks is an indestructible empire and it will come crumbling down soon enough, which makes me feel so sad and like a traitor to say. But oh well

Third, it makes me wonder if this revelation is what she is going for with this stunt. 🤔

[themattress]

Fire Emblem Observation

So, it's often said the decision to have White Clouds be followed by Crimson Flower rather than Silver Snow is you making the choice to "side with Edelgard and the Empire over Rhea and the Church of Seiros". But, looking at the above screens....is that really what happens?

In actuality, the choice you have Byleth make is to agree to kill Edelgard at Rhea's behest or step between her and Rhea in order to protect Edelgard. If you didn't unlock the choice, then Byleth's only response besides "I must kill Edelgard" is total silence, meaning they aren't willing to kill Edelgard but neither do they want to outright make a move to protect her (totally understandable, given that Edelgard is the Flame Emperor who thus has some connection to Jeralt's death, tenuous as it may be, plus the Church of Seiros is Byleth's patron and their mercenary mindset to not make a move against the one who pays you may still be in effect).

Point being is that when Byleth makes the Crimson Flower-inducing choice to protect Edelgard, they aren't saying they completely agree with Edelgard, or that they want to leave the Church and side with the Empire to fight a war against it, or that they want to kill Rhea. Byleth is simply saying "Y'know what, Rhea? Demanding immediate execution without a fair trial is fucked up. Edelgard deserves a chance to speak her side of things." Byleth joining the side that starts the war is, ironically enough, because they chose the non-violent option: to protect someone and be willing to hear them out rather than kill first and ask questions later. Rhea is the one who betrays Byleth, not the other way around, because rather than listen to Byleth's resolve and try coming to a peaceful solution, she immediately deems them a traitor who must also be executed ASAP. And yes, she's got a solid Freudian Excuse for this behavior with the whole Nemesis ordeal, but the other characters shouldn't be expected to know that when she isn't willing to tell them about it. It ultimately wasn't Byleth's choice that made Crimson Flower transpire, it was Rhea's reaction to that choice. When your enemy is someone that insists all dissidents be executed without any due process, then war against them becomes that much easier to justify. So if you hate Crimson Flower? Blame Rhea.

[selitoxicmoon]

Dragon Kingdom Map - Main Lands

From my current project linked to my dragon adopts, I did the Dragon World Map! I'm gonna give some summary of each region, not one per name bc that would take forever :> Still there'll be a second map which would show the floating islands, where Wind Dragons Region resides plus other kind of dragons!

FIELDS OF GAIA: Mostly all the lands and forest of the "PURE LANDS" which separate the "DARK LANDS" with the Shield of Helios (built by the Light Empire and enchanted by the Arcane Dragons under their command). The Fields of Gaia is the center where all connect and of course, the reign of Nature Dragons... which have some issues with the Fire Region.

SNOWMOUNTS: The high mountains of the lands, with ice peaks and snowy forests. Where Ice Dragons reside... and share a bit with some Electric Dragons in Storm Tops.

BLAZING CRATERS: A burning warm crater, close to the Sun Apex and conquering part of the forests (where Nature Dragons are in argument with Fire Dragons), with a ring of fire around the biome to stop the forests to burn. This biome is shared with Metal Dragons, Creek of Steel and Crystal Caves are a place for them... while there are also Metal Dragons sharing land with Electric Dragons in Prism Islands.

SUN APEX: Where the Light Empire reside as well their god Solar Dragon, Helios. High mountains with cliffs of paradise where there can't snow due to the light of sun warming the grounds, between Light Passage and Solar Kingdom there is a city where all dragons share, walk, work and more. Phoenix's Judgement is a killing cliff where traitors, heretics and corrupted minded souls are thrown, killed or judged... while Helios presence the acts and begs of the unlucky. The Toxic Islands, right down them, are unreachable and forbidden to get into or if you get spotted you will be judged or killed in sight; Toxic Islands are a place where nobody knows what's going on in there, only Light Dragons know, besides... they do not recommend it either due to "safety" as the islands have a toxic fog around them (not even Water Dragons can get close as the waters are toxic as well).

OASIS: The country lands of the Desert Dragons, a place way too hot but they feel is kinda comfy. They've got a little lake of warm waters in the middle, full of cactus and palm trees, some sandy mountains, and an archipelago full of caves (Skull Caves). Slider Peak is a mountain which river falls as a spiral, so as the name slider... you can guess what they tend to do. STONE TOWN: Where Earth Dragons reside, their region takes place mostly close to the ocean. They share lands with Desert Dragons, Fire Dragons, Water Dragons and Honey Dragons (as their biggest house hive is on Amber Isle). Pacific Beach is the place where all dragons decide to go to the beach to refresh themselves and be social with each other, a good trip there is sure a worth it.

DARK WILDS: Outside the Shield, the exiliated grounds, the dark lands (too many names). From a green valley, turns into a grey forest where there are 3 paths, the Ledge of Choice (where a tribe of exiliated dragons reside in hope for a choice of keep surviving or end their hopeless lives) or the Moonlight Bay (where resides the goddess Lunar Dragon, Selene). Whispering Fields are a foggy wilderness where you might hear screams, whispers and echoes close by... yeah, Fear Dragons. Close from the Ledge of the Choice, the Shadow Forest, a black forest with night creatures and infested of shadows, you might think it's dangerous... but appearances lie.

JUNGLE MAZE: Center of the Dark Lands, this is a foggy tropical maze, a jungle of poison and disgrace, one of the most dangerous places to be in. Some old ruins reside around... maybe from the Forerunner era? Also, the Silent Swamp, the name isn't like that for fun, the most dangerous creatures sleep under those waters and ya better be around once they're awake. Close by there is part of the river leaving to a different direction and turned into a blood river, Blood Twist, a place where Blood dragons reside and share a vampiric tribe with some dragons. South of them, the Aether Strike, a crater from the second Aether thunder strike which created a mini biome of purple grounds and flora. In the opposite side, the Phantom Mountain, a place where is not recommended to pass through as well some paranormal events happen in there. Then, the Snake's Throat, a place where are the most "sane" Tropical Dragons sharing place with a Mystical Dragon under the waterfalls (river's end).

ASH LANDS: Also named as Burning Lands, a place with Hot Springs zones and lava rivers. Vulcano is the name of the volcano that resides there which is mostly awake, but Magma Dragons and Smoke Dragons do not mind that at all. In difference with Blazing Craters, there is only sleeping craters. Beach of Ashes is how the name is, a beach which sand is actually cinders and ashes from the volcano biome. Left to them, Obsidian Mountain, a pure mineral island, explorers tend to go there for minerals, usually Metal Dragons; above 'em the Petrified Islands, a desertic place where there's no color and only skeletons and dead flora, nobody knows how or why but looks like the place is haunted as the name says.... there are petrified dragons and creatures... is there a ghost? But what all brave visitors had in common, and neighbours (Magma and Smoke Dragons) is that there are strange creatures, shadows lurking by... just when there is only one looking.

DESTINY'S REACH: Where Time Dragons and Arcane Dragons reside, a place of peace, performance and knowledge share (also guarded by the Kronos Gates and enchanted). They are ready for anything, a beach of white sand (just like in the Moonlight Bay) to share with Water Dragons, The End's Refugee (a big cave under the mountain as a bunker if something happens but also for homeless dragons in search of need and care) and the Library of Existence where a big temple full of books remains (the most important place in the whole planet). They share land with the Sound Dragons in the Top of Rhythm and the Harmony Islands, a glowy archipelago of shiny waters due to the glowing plankton living in there. As well, the Night Light Reef, a glowing dark paradise where usually Hidden Light Dragons hide, but they are accepted in the Destiny's Reach as well.

BEYOND KNOWN: Here is where we become... a bit darker. Passing the Astral Path (under water path broken underneath it into an abyss), we arrive to a land... where nothing but ruins and weird looking flora is around. No living creature is there, not even dragons... or is what you think, the cold and the silence chill your bones and can become a torture of loneliness out there, this place is a treasure of the past and Forerunner relics but... at what cost? Very few managed to come back... Only Ice Dragons could, as well, they can see the big island from their region, and those landscapes through the Icy Edge, is a shivering bad feeling (not even Astral Dragons wanted to get their paws into that land, what do they know that we don't?).

DARK SECTOR: Getting more far away from the white sands, comes the second most dangerous place (almost same danger level as the Hell Gates Abyss). The Dark Sector was named as such for the paranormal looking creatures and corrupted lands, who tried to go to the Dark Sector... couldn't come back in one piece (or not even come back). Some say is a place of evil, of souless creatures and cursed place. While others explorers that did had the bravery in group to search inside the place, slowly getting darker, and the world, the sky... is gone; only a gasp, a thin sound of your breath... and the rest is death, you become a part of the land, dead or alive. A quiet place... where the place curse your mind and your body slowly, corrupting you, consuming you until you die, or become part of this paranormal place.

FORBIDDEN ISLAND: The name says it, and the look of it curses and brings shivers to anyone who it looks at it. This island is completely unknown, nobody knows what resides, what happens, if there is life or not. Some name the island "The Curse" or "The Never Return", but only water dragons could reach the place, a place where the light of the sun never reaches, a place where only silence is there, everything is dark, black and slowly if you keep watching, eyes are gonna be looking at you, slowly approaching you on each blink... until you see nothing but your lungs collapsing from lack of oxygen. Nobody can go there, only if curiosity kills you in the act. A little fact, Magma and Smoke dragons are the ones that see most of the paranormal activities in the area of the islands nearby, as they report... it seem those cursed lands are slowly cursing the Ash Lands.

Thanks for reading, for any curious question you've got... comment! I'm enjoying so far this fun project of world-building :> I hope you do as well! There'll be more!

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[fanfic-obsessed]

Tug of War

Ok everyone,  here is another weird one.  Let’s get some house keeping out of the way first. 

This is set mid clone wars, where Palpatine does not quite have enough support to change the republic into an empire. 

For this, either there are no chips (and no order 66), or Palpatine does not want to activate the chips until the appointed hour, when his Empire is truly ready. Either way the clones side, pretty much exclusively with Jedi. 

This is very much an AU idea, with little connection to canon. 

Now the base of this is that Jedi finds out that Palpatine is the Sith Lord, however the twist is that (because Palpatine has been in charge of the laws for over a decade, plus the work of the other Sith before him) being a Sith Lord is not actually illegal. In addition Palpatine has been exceedingly careful about his conduct and contact with the separatists. Nothing he has done is illegal (practically nothing is illegal for him, due to his position as Supreme Chancellor, not even treason). Finally most of the galaxy, including most of the senate consider the Sith/Jedi split religious differences (Also from generations of careful Sith propaganda).

I want it clear that this take is not correct. Sith are evil, Palpatine very much included. It is only the result of centuries of work that ensured that this even happened.

All of this means that the Jedi very much are not able to oust Palpatine legally, and killing him would see the entire Order being classified as a terrorist organization, which is an automatic execution order for every member regardless of age.  

Now for twist number two. Due to the fact the Jedi were the founders of the Republic, declaring them traitors (an actual attempt to kill the Chancellor being the only exception,due to the Ruusan Reformation treaty) would destroy the Republic. And not in the way it will eventually become an empire kind of way. Instead whatever the power base (political and otherwise) the republic laws are built on, it is intrinsically tied to the Jedi Order’s existence. 

Look I am not sure how exactly it would work but work with me here.  Also this entire idea is meant to poke fun at the idea that laws are anything more immutable than a social contract we all agree to follow. 

All this means that until Palpatine is ready for his Empire to Rise, he cannot destroy the Jedi Order.  And he is found out to be a Sith just a little too early for that to happen. 

So now we have the Jedi on side, unable to eject the overt Sith in the Senate (also not able to leave due to their ties to the Republic).  On the Other Side we have an actual Sith running the government  but unable to kill the Jedi until he is fully ready to launch his empire.  Both still have to deal with a Senate that on a fundamental level does not understand goals, the methods, or the beliefs of either group (Jedi or Sith). 

And they still have to work together.  They still have to make plans and fight a war and deal with the Senate. Palpatine's entire schtick means that he has to keep up appearances, particularly since the Jedi have outright, and publicly, stated to him that the moment he is not the supreme chancellor (and thus it is no longer terrorism and treason to kill him) they are going kill him for being a Sith.  

Following this declaration there was a brief but intense debate in the Senate regarding this declaration and if it counted as threatening a government official/head of government.  It was eventually decided that the clarifying statement that they would only kill him when he was no longer in office meant that it was acceptable, since the Jedi are allowed to kill Sith (that is one of the oldest laws on the books, it fall in the ‘cannot change without destabilizing the Republic’), they just can’t kill a Sith that is also the Supreme Chancellor.  Unfortunately it was also decided that the Jedi, or Jedi allies, could not have any part of removing Palpatine from office; due to the declaration. 

So there is a small amount of ‘race to the finish line’ where the Jedi are still very much trying to end the war and/or maneuver Palpatine out of his position of power, so they can eliminate the Sith.  And Palpatine is working to extend the war, and thus his power, until he had the support needed to unveil his empire (he was set back quite a bit by the revelation that he is a Sith, enough people become suspicious of his motives that he can’t just declare an Empire) so that he could then kill the Jedi. 

The Jedi have an advantage in that there are 10,000 of them and they can trust each other and work together.  Palpatine is not able to trust anyone with his plans, not even his minions or other Sith since they all plan to betray each other. 

Palpatine has an advantage in that he, and his minions, will do things that no being with morals ever could. Not that being restricted by morals is a bad thing, but it does mean that Palpatine can take any action he wants to advance his plans with little concern with collateral damage. There are some days, particularly when that same collateral damage spends hours telling the Jedi that saved them exactly why the Jedi Order are baby stealing monsters, where various Jedi are slightly jealous of Palpatine’s lack of morals. 

Even weirder are the times when both the Sith and the Jedi agree on something, or their short term goals align. Neither group ever forgets that they are enemies who ultimately want to eliminate the other, but there are some days where Adi Gallia has been dealing with idiots in the Senate all day and wants to drink with possibly the only other Force user who deals with the same volume of Senate idiots in one day (look, Palpatine may capitalize on the fundamental misunderstanding the galaxy at large-and the Senate in particular-has about Force use and the difference between Sith and Jedi, but even he is going internally ‘I am trying to subjugate all of you and the Jedi are trying to stop me from subjugating all of you. These goals are not the same.’-I personally head canon that Palpatine is self aware enough to know that he is objectively evil, and is quite proud of that. I just want my bad guy to be an unrepentant ass, be aware that he is an unrepentant ass, and not feel any kind of guilt about that- ). Or every so often for the first year after the reveal Palpatine invites Obi Wan Kenobi to drink with him because Anakin has done something so ridiculous again (while trying to save Pame from something she had already taken care of) that it has managed to accidentally derail six of Palpatine's plots,  endanger two Jedi missions, injured no less than 50 troopers across three battalions, and almost took out the economy of a mid rim world.  Obi Wan goes because after the reveal Palpatine stopped trying to kill him personally (though he still go caught up in the occasional plot), and the Sith has surprisingly good taste in liquor (It should be noted that most of the friendly interactions with Palpatine seem to include heavy drinking and commiserating).  Or Mace Windu catching Palpatine’s eyes from across the Rotunda or some foolish gathering as some being is blathering on and they have just a moment of understanding and commiseration pass between them. 

It is only for the first year because that is when Anakin finally stops hanging around with Palpatine. Anakin also did not have a great grasp of the difference between Sith and Jedi and had bought fully into ‘Palpatine is my friend’.  Then one day they were talking about various Sith and Palpatine made the mistake of sharing a bit too much about drawing power from being in pain, and his (Palpatine’s) plans for the Vader suit.  He never said that the suit was for Anakin, but he was just a bit too gleeful in describing causing another being pain and it freaked Anakin out. 

After the reveal and this holding pattern there is at least one scene where Dooku pouts because Palpatine can drink with Jedi, but Dooku cannot have Tea with Jedi any longer. And it is not because Dooku is a Sith and only partially due to the fact that Dooku is the head of Separatists (thus the enemy). No the real reason that Dooku can not have tea with he Jedi any longer is because Jocasta Nu was told at the beginning of the war that Dooku had removed information from her archives and he knows that no one, not even Yoda, would keep his location a secret from her and risk her wrath. 

He had felt her wrath in the Force as soon as she was told, and that wrath had lingered. Very occasionally Palpatine considers trying to lure her to his side by telling her where she can find Dooku, but figures that she would usurp him and rule the galaxy with an iron fist within a standard week. 

And Palpatine had put far too much work into everything to be a minion again.

[gideonfromthecrypt]

Lore stuff that probably will or not be use for the Mandalorian!Adrien + Jedi!Marinette Au

-A sith empire will come from the unknown regions mid clone wars with Darth Null as its emperor. palpatine will try an alliance only to be killed by him.

-thankfully between the duchess of mandalore and plagg. Mandalore stands as a strong but neutral system, they didn't joined the republic neither the CIS but the people of mandalore never leave their warrior ways in these peaceful times, a good 50/50

-marinette didn't wear any pieces armor when she, adrien n tikki started to go on assignments. this always worried adrien and the troops, even if she cant handle herself, the battlefront is always a chaos no one would know what would happen. He sticks close to her and if his instincts kicked in, he would shield her from any blaster fire or explosion with his beskar armor.

-couple of campaigns later, after tikki also started to wear some armor (plus a lot of other jedi generals) to the relief of adrien and their clone troopers.

-maybe after her fall n return, adrien gives her a set of mandalorian armor as a gift (oh yeah, marinette will fall to the dark side at some point)

-some ways marinette can fall to the dark side (she will, thats a def, she will return from it ofc, but i cant decide which ways she falls) its a set point that her first step into it will be killing audrey after she liberates her home planet plus seeing the horrors of war.

a) she goes for another kill, maybe the person killed tom or something along those lines, and adrien tries to stop her cuz she will fall to the dark side, only for them to fight, adrien loses his hand and falls a pit or something, and she thinks he killed him, the heartbreak is enough for her to fall

b) on a critical mission, adrien "sacrifice" himself and she goes after the group that set the situation for him to "die" killing every single one. adrien armor got fucked up cuz of that event so he goes by other design, they fight without knowing who the other was (marinette wears his mando helmet) until she cuts his hand/arm and his face is reveal. that was the wake up call she need it.

-some of the clones of nino´s squad -Snapper -Leatherback -Loggerhead -Noe is there too, the "youngest" of the squad

-Still undecided onto how gabe, emilie, nathalie and plaggs back story will, at most i have some points in mind.

-Gabe is presumed dead by plagg and most mandalorians

-Nathalie wouldn't be a traitor, that would be tomoe

-Hawkmoth is the leader of "death watch" re named to akuma (better name pending) could be he is this universe´s pre vizla or he killed pre

-Emilie could had been a jedi trying to help with the whole mandalore thing, coming maybe before plagg goes to "steal" the darksaber from clan vizla

-Gabe probably wanted to turn the mandalorians even more back to their old ways, like, mandalorian wars old ways, while plagg wanted none of that.

-Gabe keeps the helmet not only to hide his identity but to hide how disfigured his face is.

-Adrien´s ship is called The Claw, a Fang-class Protectorate fighter (even if adrien isnt a protector)

[qqueenofhades]

I reaaaaally love "The Traitor Baru Cormorant" by Seth Dickinson. In a fictional world, Baru is a young girl growing up on an island called Taranoke under control of the conquering Falcrest Empire. She shows great promise in the imperial academy, and at 18 is appointed to be an imperial accountant over another land, Aurdwynn. Her secrets include that she hopes to work her way up within Falcrest's ranks and destroy it from within.... AND that she's a lesbian (which, in a deeply homophobic society like Falcrest's, in quite dangerous to be). The book has incredible world-building, witty dialogue, and lends itself well to rereads. Plus it's the first in a series of four! (The second and third are also published) Highly recommend.

/nods furiously, scribbles away

I do love me some detailed fantasy worldbuilding, explorations of empire and culture, gay protagonists, witty dialogue, fat-ass books, and several in a series. So this sounds right up my alley. (The library app is open on my phone as we speak.)

[morally-grey-girlbosses]

Nickel Propaganda Post

Did you know Tumblr has a 4096-character-per-paragraph limit? I didn't! Whoever submitted this, I love you.

Ok so Nickel is the sole survivor of a genocide that wiped out her entire world. Said genocide was carried out by “organic” aliens (carbon-based, fleshy lifeforms, like us, as opposed to silicon-based, mechanical lifeforms, like the transformers) because of anti-mechanical racism that pervades throughout the galaxy of the Transformers IDW universe. At some point soon after that, Nickel was found by the Decepticon Justice Division — Megatron’s personal kill squad, whose sole purpose is to hunt down, brutally torture, and kill any defectors or traitors to the Decepticon army/cause (or really, anyone who pissed off Megatron enough for him to put them on the DJD’s hit list). And when I say “brutally torture”, I mean prolong the victim’s death in the most creatively cruel, painful ways you could possibly think of, from shoving them feet-first into a meatgrinder, to melting them, to brutal electrocution, to stabbing their face with an iron-maiden-like mask, to literally ripping out their brain and shoving it into their mouth (the victim is still alive, mind you, because they’re robots and their brain remains connected to their spine).

There are five members of the DJD, and each of them specializes in a specific method of torture (and most of them transform into instruments of said torture, like the aforementioned meatgrinder, smelter, and electric chair). The leader, Tarn, even has a superpower that allows him to modulate his voice to match the frequency of his victim’s robot-heartbeat and then induce an excruciatingly painful (fatal) heart attack by gradually lowering his voice until the victim’s heart stops. These guys are absolute monsters. On top of that, they’re all zealots who wholeheartedly believe in the Decepticon Cause, which has gradually gone from aiming to eradicate the caste system and freeing the working class on Cybertron, to wiping out all organic life in the Galaxy and establishing a galactic Decepticon empire. So these guys find Nickel, and wouldn’t ya know, she’s all in on the whole “organic genocide” thing. Plus, the DJD happens to need a medic, and Nickel is one. So she joins them and becomes the den mother to an organized lynch mob. She has absolutely no issue with any of their “activities” and treats them all like her children or grandchildren, scolding them for not taking better care of themselves and admonishing Tarn for bringing her a “smooshed up” organ from a victim because, oh yeah, the main part of her job is now giving Tarn regular organ transplants because he’s addicted to transforming and regularly burns out the organ that allows him to transform. It’s honestly kind of sweet how much Nickel cares about her new sons, when you ignore the whole murder and torture thing.

After the main five members of the DJD are all killed, Nickel becomes the leader of an entire army of Decepticon fundamentalists, who are currently fighting the organics who genocided her planet, but she gets separated from her new army via a series of coincidences and hijinks. This gets her stuck with yet another group of five Decepticons, the Scavengers, but unlike the DJD (who were the best of the best cons), the Scavengers are literally the worst. They’re all basically incompetent, they regularly get mixed up in wacky adventures, and they’re much more interested in hanging out and having fun than carrying out “justice” in the name of the Cause. On top of that, the Scavengers actually had a run-in with the DJD before and only lived to tell the tale because the DJD got called away on a more important mission. When they find out that Nickel used to be part of the DJD and incredulously ask her if she’s trying to apologize or make up for her time with them, she declares that she was proud to be one of them. There’s even a kind of hilarious panel of Nickel watching the Scavengers goofing off, and reminiscing about the DJD.

Through another series of hijinks, Nickel and the Scavengers eventually meet up with the comic’s main cast, a group of Autobots, in the so-called Transformers heaven. However, heaven turns out to actually be a euthanasia clinic for terminally ill patients, where the whole planet is programmed to place patients in a simulation of their greatest fantasy, give them a sense of peace, and then euthanize them. The power source of this massive clinic is a group of organic aliens hooked up to a life support machine, and disconnecting the machine will turn off the simulation and terminate the euthanasia program. Nickel, the Scavengers, and a few of the main cast (the Autobots I mentioned) figure out the nature of the clinic and find the room with the organics on life support, but they have no idea how to end the program. Upon seeing the organics, Nickel immediately turns of their life support and kills them, freeing the main cast from the clinic’s influence. One Autobot, a fellow medic, praises Nickel for figuring out how to free them, and her response heavily implies that no, she didn’t figure it out, she just wanted to kill those organics. However, while the reader can easily see this implication because we know Nickel’s backstory and motivation already, the Autobots have no idea, so they welcome Nickel and the Scavengers into their crew. Then, near the climax of the whole series, Nickel saves the day by killing a god (it’s a really, really long story). The last time we see her, she’s basically riding off into the sunset with the Scavengers to go on more adventures.

[badbobdooley]

In the spirit of strangers bothering you -

Bearing in mind my information on 40k comes at removes and osmosis and reading weird AUs: Two possible questions for you, you can pick or chose.

If you could swap a Loyalist Primarch with a Traitor Primarch (i.e. make a loyalist a traitor and a traitor a loyalist) who would it be, and what, if anything, might it change about the state of the Empire in 40k?

What's your favorite random canon detail from 40k that most people don't seem to know?

It’s very difficult to answer the first question because there’s so many different ways measure an ideal result, and what changes you would need to make to get there, but most variations lead towards me saying that I wished that perturabo stayed loyal instead of either ferrus or Vulcan.

Maybe I’m biased but I think that the heresy wouldn’t have gotten nearly as far as it had if perturabo hadn’t carried it like he did. (Plus I think it would be really interesting to see how he and Dorn handled the siege of Terra ((if the heresy even ever got to that point [I don’t believe that it would])))

If I was looking for an interesting imperium comeback story though I would probably say Magnus though. While the heresy wouldn’t have gotten very far if perturabo was loyal, I think that the emperor would have survived the siege of Terra with Magnus loyal. He is canonically the second most powerful psyker in the galaxy, so he would be able to withstand the psychic torture of the golden throne instead of having malcador incinerate his soul.

If I wanted a general chaos victory though I would probably just say the lion. He would have absolutely thrashed the loyalists, no matter who he was swapped out for (this includes perturabo, as much as I wish it wasn’t true).

This is very boring however, so I’d probably say swap Jaghatai Khan for Mortarion. Jaghatai, if I remember correctly, was nurgles first choice for his champion and I’m inclined to believe that he would’ve been better than mortarion. Jaghatai would have only joined willingly, rather than being strong armed into it like mortarion was, thus making him not the absolute sad sack prick that we have now. In addition, he would likely still maintain his impressive speed (it is his entire gimmick) which would be a nice contrast to nurgles slow and inexorable demons which mortarion does complement better, but I enjoy variety in all things. While mortarion complements nurgle in terms of tactics, a chaos Jaghatai would complement nurgle far more in terms of attitude, being the charismatic father of pestilence and the cyclical nature of reality. I also have a burning hatred for death guard after my brother said that he would pay me for painting his army and then denying that he had done so after I finished the job, so my biases may be showing here.

theres also the meme option of swapping konrad and alpharius for maybe dorn and/or guilliman (the exact loyalists don't really matter) so that we can get all the sneaky guys on the same side.

my favorite lore bit is Lho sticks. While the upper crust of society smoke tobac cigars and cigarettes (guess what plant those come from) the average imperial joe, Jane, or j-03 will smoke Lho which is heavily implied to just be weed

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 3

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep-sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has brought part of it back with her, onto dry land and into their home.

Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from Julia Armfield, the critically acclaimed author of Salt Slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea.

Horror, contemporary, literary fiction, science fiction, adult

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (The Masquerade Series)

Endorsement from submitter: "This book has all the sapphic women - and a hugely diverse cast of characters. Plus it has very ornate world-building and does a scathing critique of colonialism. With political intrigue and a will-they-won't-they relationship between certain characters."

Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon.

The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They’ll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She’ll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she’ll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.

In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.

But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.

Fantasy, epic fantasy, politics, secondary world, series, adult

[windupaidoneus]

🤪👯‍♀️👀?

hi greeeeen poses gaystyle how are u doing. does a backflip. falls on my ass

🤪: What is your trait that fanon would exaggerate? i think because of the nature of hildegarde being transmasc & people LOOOVING to infantilise transmascs people would latch onto his few sillier, more lighthearted moments & kind of turn him into a very nicey all the time sensitive emotional baby who can do no wrong. which like yeah he is emotional & sensitive but it actively causes him to do bad or at the very least morally questionable things so i don't think that's the angle we should be approaching this with guys... alternatively people who don't like him would probably like. write him as a class traitor of sorts. & i suppose he is! if you have no fucking idea how propaganda & indoctrination works. that isn't to say he's on friendly terms with nero, gaius & emet because of the propaganda & indoctrination, but he IS relatively unwilling to commit harm against garleans just bc they're garleans, yknow? & well that's a very. unpopular. kind of stance. you haven't gotten to that part of the game yet so i shan't elaborate too much but basically people are very eager to let people die horrible deaths or actively cause said deaths rather than allow them to grow & change. so hildegarde would likely be unpopular for wanting to help rather than leave them to die even if these are people who participated in his own lifelong abuse & issues (well. i don't think he knew any of them personally tbh which also gives him some emotional distance since they didn't hurt him Specifically. also random ass garlean peasants aren't really responsible for the hurt he went through going up the ranks)

👯: What canon character are you most similar to? oh! that's a fun one..... it kinda depends who hildegarde is around. if he's around nero the answer is 100% nero outwardly. (this is actually healthy for him in a sense since nero's inflated ego means hildegarde gets an inflated ego from being around him. self-love win!! bad news for everyone else, theyre insufferable) you have not met either of those characters yet but hildegarde sees a lot of himself in yotsuyu, & from a meta perspective he is similar to fordola as well. those are stormblood characters !! so you will see them soon!!!!! all three of them were tools of the empire at points in their lives at varying degrees of willingness, but hildegarde has an I'm Evil Person complex so he aligns himself with yotsuyu more since. well. yotsuyu is kind of evil yeah. (women can do anything they want) but especially um. well. let's just say yotsuyu is alive in his timeline bc i can't bear to have it otherwise i really can't & it'll become very clear why when you get to the Part & of course i can't not mention. well. emet. they're not TOO similar especially not on the outside but they are both consumed with grief to an extreme degree. also they both do love theatre im afraid

👀: How does your ship with your f/o influence both of your characterisations and the world? Would there be any interesting metas written about your dynamic? FUCKKKKK (clutches my head) WELLLL IF IM HONEST IT WOULDNT ACTUALLY CHANGE MUCH I DONT THINK. there would def be interesting metas written about their dynamic & im living proof of it im writing my own metas 😭 read my five billion paragraphs boy. i cant say FOR SURE how it would affect the world because the game isnt finished yet & i cant know for sure what will come of emet until the story is over but i like to like. keep things as close to canon as possible when i tinker with my timeline. emet coming back very intentionally does not change much at all about the story bc i want the story to keep its impact, & him being around & actually doing shit here & there would make things way boring bc he's so stupid powerful... plus i don't think he'd like. do much. unless hildegarde explicitly asked him. & hildegarde does not simply "ask for help". so really it all works out for the game mostly remaining close to what it is canonically. about emet's characterisation though. it would change a little i suppose. more stuff i don't knowww if i can elaborate on fully bc Well The Spoilers but it's less his canon characterisation changing & more me adding onto it at the end of what is already established? like... timeline wise. lol. there's the him the way he was originally, the him he was as a villain, & the him he is after everything is said & done. but to be honest that's just him changing & growing as a person (for better or worse) yknow. normal shit. as for hildegarde. Um. well i dont know i feel like since he's my s/i... he already has the characterisation i give him & i cant dissociate him from my beautiful mind timeline so it's hard to tell lmaoo. the actions he takes ingame (like with dialogue options) are all chosen with my timeline in mind so he probably wouldn't change much

[fatestouch]

The time they were spending in Ahnia was... interesting. Odd, and Jinx felt way out of his element, but interesting.

It wasn't as if his goals or purpose really changed... so long as Jinx was there, and Chercia was away from the Aegis, she was safe. As safe as she could be, at least. And it was different, how Jinx felt like he could breathe here.

Plus, Sarakael was here... and he'd definitely gotten his fair share of teasing from Chia, once the princess noticed how Jinx watched the other knight. Like he was doing right now. From a distance, of course.

That is, until he feels something. Like a tickle, just behind his ear. Almost like a ring... a call.

"...!"

He quick to excuse himself to somewhere more secluded area, and Jinx looks around a bit, before he brushes a finger against the hidden rune behind his ear.

"...Hi, Mama."

"Ah, my dear treasure. It's good to know that your safe." Though, judging by his mother's one, it seemed Heaven didn't worry for his well being even a bit. Not for lack of caring, but because she knew he was capable.

"Mhm. Chia and I both... her wing's even healed." He pauses. "...Are you and Dad mad...?"

"Oh, my love. Your father and I could never be mad at you! But... we are a bit concerned. Treason against the empire is no small thing, and your future is our priority."

"So they do consider me a traitor... I guess that's fine, as long as Chia's safe, in the end. And you and Dad worry too much..."

"I've got my eye on someone. If he'll have me, I think my future'll be just fine."

[limey-self-inserts]

I gotta know more about ur star wars insert omg they look so cool!!! 🙏 (also I'd love to be tagged in your art/writing/etc. if ur cool with that!)

aaaaaaah hi hello! thank u for the interest hehehe I do love my lil guy

their name is Ajax, they first got involved with everything when their escape pod crashed into Kamino and they shortly revealed a capability to generate and redirect electricity. since it was the early days of the Clone Wars, Shaak Ti made the rule to induct Ajax into one of the squads (mostly to prevent them from being eradicated but also the benefits of this. strange human generator) and the decision is made that they join the 501st Squad. Rex is not happy at a reg being kinda forced into this war, especially as Ajax really struggles with being turned into a war machine, so he does his best to train them well while he and others in the squad try to support them.

unfortunately, things do not turn out well and Ajax abandons the troop well into the war.

fast-forward a short while, Ajax is turning their skills to bounty hunting instead, given that they do now have rudimentary battle skills alongside dirty scrapping techniques and a strong capability with electronics (so most of their bounties are information). they end up coming into Cad Bane's circles and he's certainly curious about this new 'spark'. the pair work a couple of parallel bounties (Ajax is breaking into somewhere that Cad wants to get into, he has guns and they have technological strength) before Cad straight-up apprentices Ajax into further bounty hunter capabilities - sort of a case of 'you have skills I don't want anyone else using' plus 'you have skills that can be honed in ways I know how and I want to see how those skills flourish'.

Ajax runs back in with the 501st on occasion. there's a lot of mixed feelings - they're a traitor, they do sometimes sabotage the clones' missions to complete their own work - but there's acknowledgement that they are, on the whole, much better mentally than when they were being used as a human weapon.

then Order 66 hits and Ajax goes off the rails

following a moment where they vanish during a mission with a thunderstorm generating shortly after, Ajax abandons Cad when the pair of them are hired to return Omega, and joins up with the on-the-run Bad Batch for a while. with time, they leave that group too. with further time, they eventually join the Rebellion against the Empire, although not without a fair amount of persuasion.

Ajax is.....uncanny. in multiple ways. including a lack of aging.

they also are a dragon.

there's a lot more to go into with Ajax that I'm making my way through, I'm still debating whether to go through the process revealing bit-by-bit or whether to give all the information in one go.

I just love my emotionally terrorised & compromised immortal lightning dragon

[aerialsquid]

FFXIVWrite Day 27: Sole

Cid/Nero plus Drusilla, just a random notion I had.

Drusilla touched her forehead with long fingers spotted by age but not weakened by it, and slowly pulled away the circlet covering her pearlescent third eye. She eased herself into the highbacked chair behind her desk, rolling her shoulders back as she leaned into the worn leather's comforting embrace. Her scythe was propped against the side of the desk beside her, its presence a reminder that any gentility in this room was at her discretion alone.

"All right. Tell me from the beginning how this happened."

—

The relationship between the Lemures and Garlond Ironworks was strained at best, an uneasy partnership of necessity and mutual loathing. Drusilla felt that Cid was a traitor to his culture, disdaining centuries of heritage for the sake of a few decades of sins, and would cut out his own third eye if it would make the Eorzeans like him better. Cid felt that the collective of Garlean expatriates were really only upset about the part of the Empire's evils that had inconvenienced them personally and were only differentiated from Thanalan's other hordes of roaming bandits by the dents in their foreheads.

Both of these were sentiments they had expressed to each others' faces in the past, which was why arrangements between the two organizations usually went through people like Jesse who had an easier time keeping their tempers. The Lemures' connections within the Empire meant they had an easier time sneaking out defectors, and more than one of their 'passengers' had later picked up a job at the Garlond Ironworks.

Garlond Ironworks was also really the only place you could get any magitek you'd snuck out of the Empire with you repaired or replaced. If not for the Ironworks, the magitek orchestrion playing a gentle bal-musette in the corner right now would have been silenced long ago. It was for the sake of such necessities that Drusilla had even let the two men in the door to her headquarters.

Everything beyond that was purely for personal amusement.

Drusilla leaned forward to put her elbows on the desk, steepling her fingers and resting her chin upon them. The corner of her thin mouth quirked up in a half-smirk as she regarded the two flustered men standing before her.

"I believe you said Cid's exact words were, 'You owe me, Nero'?"

"Words I did not accept!"

"You reached out and grabbed his hand, a conventional symbol of striking a deal."

"What was I supposed to pull him out with, my teeth?!"

Drusilla smiled, sharp as a curved scythe. "It means everything. You've pulled him from the void and now you two have a contract."

Nero hissed through gritted teeth, his hands in tight and furious fists. "I'm not a bloody voidsent! I'm a human being!" he snarled, a claim that might have held more weight if not for the threads of purple that threaded through his skin like seams of ore through rock, flaring in tune with his temper.

He hadn't needed to show them off to prove what he'd become, Drusilla was familiar with that tiny pull that came from lower level voidsent fresh out of the darkness, their endless hunger constantly drawing surrounding lifeforce towards them.

"The voidsent claim they were also once human, before their realm fell to darkness. Mind, I've never heard of a human becoming voidsent in this era, but humans don't usually jaunt to the void. Queue's a lot longer going the other direction."

"I am quite sure that if I were a voidsent, I would know. This is just some minor infection of the aether, and given time I will be able to –"

"Look, stepping aside that issue, what's it mean if we have a contract?" Cid cut in, trying to ward off Nero's continuing insistence that he was too good for this nonsense. At Drusilla's request he'd taken off the goggles that normally covered his forehead, and his pale hair was now hanging haggard in his face. Despite the lack of purple, his eyes looked just as sunken and haggard as Nero's. "You mean, like a Reaper and its servant?"

"Aye. Think of yourself more like sponsor than master, before Nero gets his stones in any more of a twist - you're his tie to this world, keepin' the void from calling him back. A voidsent fights for his reaper but only if he gets paid for it, mind. The pay runs out, the voidsent goes elsewhere or it starves."

Cid tilted his head. "Pay…how?"

Drusilla slid a hand under her desk to find the knife she kept hidden there, and flicked the tip across the pad of her finger. A soft line of red was drawn across her skin as she jerked her hand back. When she held it up Nero's eyes fixated on it, like a hunk of meat before a starving coeurl, and his leg almost lifted to walk to her before he stopped himself.

"You should bandage that," he snapped defensively. Instead Drusilla got up and walked around her desk, the bleeding hand still held upward and still controlling the tracking of Nero's eyes.

She held the finger closer and his lips parted, just before he recoiled a few steps backwards.

"I'm not going to lick your hand. That's disgusting. Unsanitary."

"But you want to. You can already taste it the aether pouring forth from me. The heat of it. The light."

"There is nothing I want less," Nero insisted, devoting himself to a detailed inspection of the orchestrion instead. His fingers were twitching against it.

Drusilla chuckled. She tugged a hankerchief out and wrapped her finger in it, stuffing the hand back into her pocket. At least that would dull the scent. "The pay is aether, Garlond. The fresher the better, and the best comes right from the warm body of a living, breathing mortal. Nothing else will satiate that hunger. And if he's your partner, it's your responsibility to keep him fed."

Over the sound of Nero protesting that he wasn't going to be Cid's pet dog, Cid said, "I'm not going to just bring him people to eat, that's insane!"

"It doesn't have to be people. Voidsent can feed off anything living, even fruits or vegetables recently picked. It doesn't have to kill them either, if the voidsent's got a mind to be careful." Though when you were a Reaper, it was usually helpful if it did.

"But I can tell you've paid him a bit already, even if y'both think you're being real subtle about it."

"What are you talking–"

An abrupt silence came over the two men, as if both had reached a specific and unpleasant conclusion at the same moment. Drusilla drummed her fingers on the desk as she circled back around to reclaim her chair.

"Your man got a little less endurance in the bedroom, Nero? Falling asleep right after the first round, when you're feeling more awake than ever?"

Nero was fidgeting even more now, veins of amethyst pulsing across his cheekbones. "I haven't the–haven't the faintest–"

Cid, meanwhile, had his hand to a particular spot on his neck that was very decisively covered by his collar, and that Drusilla was quite sure hid a bite mark. "So that's why I kept falling asleep at the worktable! It was you, you bastard!"

"It wasn't as if it was on purpose!"

Drusilla smirked, drumming her fingers lightly along the shaft of her scythe. "Better start paying your employee more, is all I'm saying."