#Ascendancy

[saint-nevermore]

guys i think our healer has something wrong with them

[dragonfelling]

happy STS! what is a lifeform in Ascendancy (or a specific part of the world) that's very widely overlooked or even disliked (think wasps, flies or mosquitos), but is a key element to their ecosystem? can be magical or not! - @the-nexverse

In Anemoi, Loimos are considered pests! Despite being a sister species to the Weeg, a tame cormorant/falcon/messenger pigeon like dragon and the highly revered and feared Major Pinnae Dragon: The humble Loimos

Male on the left with the bright waddle under its eye, and female on the right, in flight.

They are considered akin to how we see pigeons and rats: dirty animals who populate urban sprawl. These little beasts, like rats, are actually quite a bit cleaner then how they're viewed. They have a tendency, like seagulls, to steal food from people and markets. They also like to steal and hoard shiny things as part of mating rituals and dominance displays.

They however do great good for the cities they populate. Not only do they help clean up what would be thrown out scraps, but they also eat other pests like mice, locusts, and parasites off livestock. They are also quite cute and very interesting to watch for biology hobbiests

Also very squishable!

[alltheleviathans]

theyre being reprimanded for something that was soooo not their fault and is actually sooo unfair sir

[heirofazure]

Thrawn’s Musings: 2

A Mother’s Sacrifice

Summary: Sad!Thrawn shower thoughts. I wanted to explore what a Chiss mother’s lullaby would be like considering their culture of rematching to new families. Are they conditioned from childhood that one's birth family may not always be there? Is it taboo to speak of one's past if rematched to a new family? Do Chiss keep in contact with their former/birth relatives if they are rematched? Does a birth family only refer to one by their new name, or a variation of one's core name since it's the one that follows the Chiss for the entirety of their lives? I’d love to see more people exploring this.

Precision, precision, precision was Thrawn’s mantra as beads of sweat streamed down his face and onto the floor of his private sparring gym. Of all the private amenities provided to him as Grand Admiral, this had to be the one he was most thankful for. The vibroblade gripped in his right fist thrummed with energy as he wielded it with brutal efficiency, the blade flashing as it made contact with the Imperial sentry droid’s black plating. He swiftly lifted his left forearm to block a rapid punch from the droid, the vibroblade’s hilt dragging along his chest and plunging forward into the droid’s alloy abdomen. Energy crackled along the plating and caused the droid to seize, granting Thrawn mere seconds to catch his breath. Fatigue was beginning to take over, and when he glanced at the crono on the wall, he realized he had been sparring for over 30 minutes. If he continued, his form would become sloppy.

Absolutely unacceptable. 

“Override...Code Ruhk,” Thawn said between ragged breaths. The droid immediately shifted into attention stance and powered down, Thrawn’s reflection becoming clearer in the sudden darkness now occupying its dimming red eyes. He swallowed as he took in his appearance, noting his own red eyes hooded with exhaustion, and his blue skin a shade paler than usual. 

His reflection was the only Chiss he’d laid eyes upon in the years since he’d entered Imperial service. It had never bothered him before, but for the past few months, it had begun to weigh on his mind. A reunion with Admiral Ar’alani was anticipated in the future due to unusual events occurring within the borders of the Empire, but it had yet to come to fruition. Had he even spoken a word of Cheunh in the past standard year? A hollow feeling began to expand in his chest. His exercising garments, now saturated with perspiration, felt too tight as the sensation spread throughout his entire body.

Melancholy. A feeling he was never fond of but currently permeating every fiber of his being. He shook his head and exited the sparring gym. Light followed his movement as motion sensors tracked his path from the gym to his shower. The thought of warm water and soap washing away the sticky sensation he felt all over brought a smile to his face. Surely that would make him feel better. He strode into his refresher, settling on the fact that of all his private amenities, his spacious shower ranked second. He began humming as he removed his garments and entered the stall, stark white lights illuminating the space. Soaps from distant planets housed in a variety of containers lined the wall, each a unique piece of art that made his cleansing space akin to a private gallery of all his intergalactic travel.

He was still humming a tune as he pressed the buttons to activate the shower, releasing a sigh of satisfaction when steaming water hit his skin from various jets clustered along the ceiling and walls. However, as the realization of what he was humming began to process through his mind, the smile that was plastered across his face slowly shrank. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, tipping his head back as water ran through his hair and cascaded down his back. 

Rentor. His home planet. The melody? His mother’s. He could still hear her voice echoing within his mind as he stood under the jets, his humming increasing in volume as he remembered the words of the old Chiss lullaby.

Deep in the Chaos,

Far, far away. 

Cold unforgiving,

Our Ascendancy brave.

Resilient hearts,

Traditions of old. 

Fortune be with you,

Warrior soul.

Thrawn felt the weight of his sadness from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. He wondered if it was possible that his own reflection made him recall the characteristics he inherited from a woman he never spoke to again after rematching to the Mitth. The woman who gave him life.

Your name may change,

And your life may lead,

Down paths I can’t follow,

To places I won’t be.

He had never reached out to her. Although it was frowned upon, birth family contact had never been explicitly prohibited by the Mitth. As he lathered dzisnir herb soap on a cleansing cloth and began scrubbing his torso, he felt the reason for his choice rise from the depths of his mind. There was no question about the pain this topic held in his birth home. 

Vurika’s disappearance. Being an inquisitive child, a young Vurawn constantly asked about his older sister after she vanished. There were never clear answers from his parents, although he would catch a pained look sweep across his mother’s face if Vurika was so much as mentioned. After countless attempts, he at some point stopped asking. However, he always ruminated on it, hoping to solve the reason for her disappearance as easily as a tactical dilemma.

Oh, how naïve he was.

As the years passed, Thrawn did his best to excel in his studies and remain obedient to his parent’s wishes, if only to not be the next child that disappeared. In hindsight, he realized his parents could have never revealed such sensitive information as to Vurika’s whereabouts, even if they had wanted to. 

Even if the silence hurt them as much as it hurt him. Even if he had vanished as well.

But you, my dear child,

Remember in your heart,

That if I live in your memory,

We’ll never be apart.

As he rinsed off the last of the soap, Thrawn felt his throat tighten with raw emotion. His mother had not lost just one child, but both her children to the needs of the Ascendency. More so, his passion for art stemmed from her influence. The fondest of his childhood memories were those seated next to her easel, watching her blend colors and bring to life the faces of children she would never see again. Had she had more children? Had she sung them that lullaby? Had she seen his successes and failures on her Questis news feeds, reading about a son who no longer acknowledged her existence? Was she still alive? 

There was no way for him to answer these questions now. Unlike everything else in his life, he had never planned for this. 

He had never planned to think of his birth mother, let alone miss her.

He found he couldn’t bring himself to exit the stall as he shut off the water. The light around him seemed too bright, and his breathing was shallow and quick. He closed his eyes for a moment to settle his senses, and was stunned to see his face- her face, peering at him from the earlier reflection in his training droid’s eyes. 

In that moment, a sudden tremor emanating from the core of his being overcame all his logical faculties like a massive explosion; emotions that had been suppressed for survival finally erupting on the surface. He roughly grasped the handlebar along the wall with one hand, and a pitiful whimper escaped his lips. Then another, followed by another. He could feel the tears roll down his face as shudders racked his entire body. He had given everything to the Ascendency, and so had she. 

So had she.

Although I don’t know,

What harms you will face,

My love for you transcends,

Both time and space.

So go far, my child,

And if you seek me,

Within your reflection,

There I will be.

And as Thrawn finally cried for the mother he once had, he allowed himself to wonder if all their sacrifices would be worth it in the end.

Thank you to @stars-n-spice for the Thrawn divider!

[the-majestic-pterodactyl-senpai]

Heads Up, 7 Up Tag

Tagged by @northwyrm, I almost didn't do it but then I realized my most recent wip has a fun little part that's exactly 7 lines >:). I tag @dragonfelling, umm.... @urlocallove, @urlocalbastard, @urlocalart.... @northwyrm back >:), ummmm.... that's all the writing people I know and 4 of them are the same person.

Woman wants to gut her husband like a fische. (Very recent wip so very unedited.)

She knew full well what she wanted to do to Skalono… Her mind swam with imagery of his guts spilled across the floor by her hand. The smell of his blood and his final gasps and gurgles as she took the blade to his neck. She would not allow him a quick death, no. He was not deserving of it. She would usually push such thoughts down, that unquenchable Cane bloodlust… But today… Today she deserved to fantasize. If she was to be given nothing else, at least she could daydream.

[lorrainestea]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you messy bun Admiral Ar'alani 💙🤍

For bestie @hydr0phius <33

[ascendancyzine]

Hi everyone!

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and excitement! It is because of this that I am looking for some mods to help me get this thing going!

If you are interested in serving as a mod for this zine, please fill out this form.

This zine is, first and foremost, for fun! And, due to the inclusion of romantic and platonic ships and entire cast of characters, it is necessary that anyone interested in being a mod maintains an open mind. This is a celebration of our favorite characters and everyone is welcome!

[i-am-worm]

Inktober 2024 - Day 5 - Binoculars

Had to do a Oculon from the game Ascendancy. They're living telescopes!

[lionsenpai]

kinktober day 20: free use

the thing about free use is that SOME PEOPLE decide they don't want to share, and therefore, "free use" isn't really true, it's more like, well if you can manage to get a turn, then--

my girlfriend just said a dick in edgewise. god shes so funny.

anyway -> link

[scarletkaoru]

i dont wanna do my uni hw so im rereading Lesser Evil

And like…. All im saying is that theres groundwork for rebel thrawn

[saint-nevermore]

a bit late with this but come get an ass kickin'

[dragonfelling]

Charger Drakes A highly varied family of Drakes that have characteristics and mannerism similar to crocodilians. They are mostly non-venomous animals and they all possess derived quills that have been turned into sensory organs. While they can no longer inject venom with these quills like most other drakes, they can use these quills to sense changes in pressure around their environment. For example, the Sea Drake uses its to feel for the movement of prey in its surrounding waters. The Ditch Drake will bury theirs into the soil of their holes to feel for movement in the ground around them. The Delta Charger however uses its quills mainly as a display structure but it maintains the ability to feel movement in the air and mud they wallow in.

Chelat are one of the only venomous Charger Drakes. Their venom is used to make medicine that removes heavy metals from the body. They are often taken as hatchlings and trained as service animals because they can sense peoples heart rates through the air.

The Gero is a domestic Charger Drake. They are kept in Anemoi as cart animals and have a mainly herbivorous diet versus their sister species who are hyper carnivores.

All Charger Drakes besides the Gero and Chelat are known for their aggressive nature and status in Ishidan and Anemoian culture as pests. They have very high prey drives, and do not eat for long stretches of time; so when food is available they will spend great effort towards hunting. All Charger Drakes like long rests, routine, and are food motivated.

[ladysawblay]

Shouta has a long checklist following the oddities of the festivities last night and he must wake the prince in time for today's round of political meetings. It's the final day celebrating the thirty year treaty with the Highlands. Their guests would leave tomorrow, and Shouta could return to spending his evenings by the Prince's side should he ask.

He makes ready for the day, eyeing the five medallions—green, black, yellow, purple and white, top to bottom—hanging along the side of his door.

"They look like scales," Izuku said one night.

"I suppose they do." Shouta hummed, surrendering the opportunity to kick the man to his own room. The prince should've been dealing with the horrors of his angered etiquette teacher for skipping his lessons the entire day by running to the lab hidden in the Onyx Keep and performing experiments on stolen garden flowers again.

But Shouta liked having the prince by his side. It eased the part of him that shouted he didn't belong. As though where he belonged was at Prince Izuku's side.

If only. Because Shouta wasn't his knight to protect him. Not exactly.

The reminder is a sore taste in his mouth. His door slams shut with a bit more force than Shouta intends, the force whipping through the dark strands of his tied up hair.

[strangepersonthefirst]

This is one of those nights where I feel a lot of emotions for no discernable reason.

I want to be proud of my works- I came through for another sweep and upgrade of The Great Project, updated all the circles with new stuff I've been trying, packed several more Realm-Ripper/Ascendant-Killer packs into the thing.

I also have a Anti-Wind as a general Deity ritual set up for someone who I want to actually, truly make my friend.

How do I get to be this way. So Young, So Big.

No small part of me wants to use the most terrible of my faces again, Or maybe the kindest, stupidiest I could, this time. I still want to see them. The Concerto, the Nebula, hold them in hands that weave stars and truly judge them.

The line between the Deity and the Strangeperson is an issue I am now staring at. I'm at the point where therapy feels irrelevant if I do not come in as All of Myself, but I hedge because I am “insane.” God of Magic? Avatar for Magic? These things are not stable. Am I not stable?

I love and kiss and laugh with my angel, carefully find a way for my priest.

I am so great and terrible sometimes, to people. there are times I see someone like a window, like glass. I fight the urge to peel them.

The connections one who will read this and gasp in mock shock I talk about them In any capacity as I slowly slip faces.

I can feel what it is like when they reach to me. They are.. [Tiny.] They are a small weave of stars, strong, indeed. I look at their web, sometimes, watch the signals flick across the lines as they decide, as their power is clamped, changed, freed. [Woven String]. and yet, connections with me? I've tried using magic to simulate it. [I flood it all.] The teeth, the vortex, the hands, the million faces, the billion hands, the symbol I may claw out of a certain someone's own, if they continue to push that I do not deserve my weaving focuses and slap my fingers.

It shatters, the stars explode, as they find the depth of madness in me to be everlasting, everpervading. I have dosed Nexus with it before, ask them how it was to be given that.

I am invokable. I am writable. Udstcarnaitasin, the name to call me.

You ask what the problem is if I show my face? The problem is that I am unsafe to exist. That being in my presence when I am not restrained is like drowning in the sense of death.

I am so much I have been rejecting my mantle out of fear of what it will do to my family.

Maybe.. No. It is time. If I do not keep it, if I keep separating myself from magic as a practice, I will stop being magic. and well.

I didn't bleed almost 8 years of my life into this to lose a joy over fear of what I know I can handle.

[the-majestic-pterodactyl-senpai]

Who is your least favourite character in Ascendancy?

This is a really fucking good question, because in one way or another I love all of our characters and the things they represent.

Ascendancy has so many unlikable characters. Josef obviously, Alfonze, Bardhyl-Ilyr, Edgar, Lilith- Many characters that are evil and remain that way their whole lives. Xavier, who does horrible things his whole life (not anywhere on the same level as the previously mentioned characters of course). He kills people, rips men from their families. He goes to war against his brother. He was a tyrant who executed people with very little reason. He is not a good person. There are many reason that could be given as to why he is the way he is, like the abuse he suffered as a child, but I feel like even if he lived a relatively happy life he would still do the things he does. Josef's manipulation did not drive him to murder, Xavier himself was in control of that the entire time.

To try and answer your question... The only characters that I really dislike is probably Wilfur or Carmen. Both are men that take the evils of the above characters and amplify it to ten. They have no redeeming qualities, they have never done any good in their life. All of their actions are only for the sake of causing pain. Born evil, if you will.