#Vanguard Contracting

[vanguardcontractingsblog]

Bathroom Renovations in Vancouver | Vanguard Contracting Experts

[t3hsiggy]

Badknights' Quicksand At Home

[beckyninja]

The Assault

Pairing: Salamander oc x FemReader

Warnings: It's Nurgle. Things get... icky.

Description: Nev'ran fights to save his Diamond, while she struggles to maintain her sanity.

The rescue mission is ON, people! But will it succeed? (Check out the previous chapters of this story on my Masterlist.)

Lili raced through the warren of stone tunnels. Tears streamed from her wide eyes. Her palms and knees stung from when she’d fallen into the hallway beyond the vox center, shoved hard from behind.

“Run, Lili! Get help!”

A choked sob burst from her trembling lips as she remembered the Lady’s last desperate command as the door to the room gave way, crushing the transmitter, and loosing horrors upon them. Things that might have been human once. Things that had come for her that afternoon as she left the Lady’s quarters, dragging her down to the Governor’s laboratory.

Emperor have mercy, I recognized their faces!

What was left of them.

More tears and sobs. Her vision blurred, yet she never hesitated. She’d known nothing but these stone tunnels since her birth on this accursed colony world. If she could make it to the miners’ tenements, if she could find her family-

Screams echoed through the passages in front of her. 

She skidded to a halt, panting, listening. She heard the tramp of metal boots, crashes like doors being kicked in, the shouts and wails of men, women, and children.

The Governor’s servitors are rounding up the miners!

The abductions had been going on for years. A worker here, a child there. Lili had spent many a cold night huddled with her father and siblings, listening to the servitors drag victims from their squalid apartments, praying to the Emperor they wouldn’t come to her door.

She wept for her family, her friends. But, as the tramp of boots approached, she knew she could not help them.

Only one thing could help any of them now.

Spinning on her heel, she darted through access tunnels and crawled through vents to reach the great elevator. Frozen metal shrieked as it lifted her toward the surface. She’d never seen the surface. Her father had told warning tales of an icy desolation, deadly to anyone who tried to escape.

When the roof opened onto swirling white emptiness, Lili couldn’t contain a shriek of utter shock. She’d thought she’d known cold in the depths.

Ice like knives lacerated her bare feet in seconds as she stumbled from the platform. Red streaked the white, powdery substance all around her, the only splash of color to be seen. Her muscles gave way under the onslaught of howling wind.

I am going to die. Tears froze on her cheeks. Forgive me, Lady. I tried.

Then, a roar greater than even the wind. Lifting her eyes to the emptiness above, Lili watched a monster of metal and fire descend. Steam billowed around it as it landed mere yards away. 

And from that steam, emerged dragons.

***

Nev’ran’s body vibrated within his armor. He couldn’t remember the last time the rush of impending battle had hit him with such ferocity! Fire raced through his veins and tinted his vision.

The beast within clawed to be set free.

I am coming, Diamond. 

All three of his lungs expanded and contracted in rapid succession. Beside him, he vaguely registered the presence of four brother Salamanders in the Thunderhawk. They were the vanguard, sent to determine the severity of the chaos incursion while the Captain readied a more substantial force.

Normally, an Apothecary would not be present in the first wave. But Captain Xavus hadn’t tried to stop him.

It would have been futile.

Nev’ran leapt from the Thunderhawk before the ramp had even fully opened. Snow hissed and steamed all around him. He flexed his gauntlets around his heavy flamer, felt the chainsword at his waist.

“Wait, master!” Hur’reth landed beside him with a boom of ceramite against metal.

He didn’t respond. 

His fellow Apothecary laid a hand upon his pauldron. “We cannot rush in blind.”

He ground his teeth.

The other Salamanders formed up beside the pair, led by the Lieutenant. “What little intelligence we possess on this colony suggests the entrance to be-”

A green flicker appeared on Hur’reth’s auspex. “Life sign! Close!”

Nev’ran glanced at the screen, then charged forward. A crumpled figure appeared beyond the cloud of steam surrounding the Thunderhawk.

Diamond?

Ceramite groaned as he lunged toward the pale form, only to be met with disappointment. The girl, barely more than a child, lay shivering amidst the snow, her clothing woefully inadequate.

For a brief moment, the dragon within urged him to ignore her, to continue searching for his mate-

By Vulkan, no!

He shoved the madness, the obsessive drive, down deep, though it tore at his hearts to do so. He scooped the girl into one arm and returned to the Thunderhawk. 

“This one requires warmth, quickly!” His voice was a hoarse growl.

Hold on, my love. Just a little longer.   

***

The stench awoke you. It forced its way into your nose, your mouth, past your clenched teeth. You could taste it. Bile rose in your throat.

And yet, you refused to open your eyes.

Don’t look. Don’t see. Don’t think!

Don’t think about the monsters whose slimy, gnarled claws had gripped you, lifted you, carried you into darkness. Don’t think about their ravaged faces. Their slavering maws. The slime that oozed from every orifice and stained your skin with its vile-

Something writhed beneath you.

A shriek of sheer disgust ripped from your throat as you lurched upward. Your eyes opened involuntarily.

Sickly, green light gleamed from fungal growths on the walls, floor, and low ceiling of your stone cell. Twisted mockeries of flowering vines wriggled like worms across the floor, ragged blooms dripping with fluid. You shuddered as you realized you’d been laying atop them. Gasping the foul air, you stumbled away, only to feel solid bars against your back. You turned to search for a door…

… and came face to face with a half-rotted human face.

Maggots fell from empty eye sockets and writhed beneath shredded skin. A single, swollen hand reached toward you.

It wasn’t alone. A dozen barely human things stood outside your prison, bathed in the green glow. They swayed and moaned through hanging jaws.

Sobbing with horror, you reeled back into the vines. They struck. Before you could think to struggle they’d cocooned your body in their reeking embrace. 

Oh Throne, let this be a nightmare. I must wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up!

You screamed.

“Back now, my children.” 

You knew that voice. The screams died in your throat.

A tall, skeletal figure pushed through the crowd of corpses. You watched him move them aside with almost affectionate caresses, a benevolent smile upon his wasted face. Sunken eyes came to rest upon you.

Within your vine-cocoon, you trembled.

“You must not over-exert yourself, my bride.” Governor Ledyanoy crooned. “It upsets my pets, and our children.” He patted one of the corpses shoulders, seeming not to notice when its arm dropped away with a wet plop.

You gathered what scraps of courage you had left. “Let me go!”

The Governor shook his head and spoke as if to a dull child. “Now, now. I understand you’re upset. I was too when my grandfather first brought me here as a boy. How I struggled!” He giggled. “But soon I welcomed the Grandfather’s embrace.”

“Heretic!” You twisted against the vines, but they held fast. 

A sad, slow shake of his head. “The others said the same. I tried to show them the glorious truth, but they were simply too weak. You, however,” his eyes gleamed, “you are strong!”

Producing a key from within his stained robes, he unlocked the cell door and stepped through. The vines squelched around his ankles. With a crook of his finger, you felt your cocoon slide forward until his face nearly pressed against yours.

A single finger trailed down your cheek, the feeling of his icy skin somehow worse than the wet slime of the vines.

“Yes, strong.” He whispered. “Through you, the promise whispered to my grandfather in his dreams will be fulfilled. In but a few hours this sterile world will teem with life!”

Desperate fury burned through you. “Emperor curse you! May his Angels’ fire scorch whatever remains of your soul!”

Turning your head, you bit down on the finger and felt bone crack beneath your teeth. But the Governor only laughed.

“I know about the message you sent, my spirited bride.” He pulled his hand away, smiling at the broken digit. “I should thank you. The Marines will make such lovely additions to our family.”

His face twisted with deluded glee. “And, I must share the exciting news! As reward for my devotion, the Grandfather has sent beings of his blessed Garden to dwell amongst us!”

You didn’t fully understand, yet a dread more sickening than the desecration before you filled your soul.

God Emperor, protect them. Protect him!

***

“BURN, FOUL CREATURES! BURN!”

The flamer in Nev’ran’s hands roared like the beasts of Nocturne. With each shambling corpse turned to ash beneath its fire, he felt the rush in his veins intensify. The gentle Apothecary stepped aside for a snarling manifestation of the Emperor’s wrath.

Other flames lit the darkness. He sensed Hur’reth at his side, more battle brothers to the rear. The narrowness of the passageways made moving in a united line impossible. But Nev’ran found he didn’t care.

Tactics meant nothing. Strategy meant nothing. 

These abominations stood between him and his Diamond.

He bellowed a wordless challenge and thundered on. 

They’d revived the girl on the surface enough for her to tell them of the horrors afflicting this world. She’d wept as she described being forced to abandon the Lady she’d come to love. She’d told them of the secret laboratory, deep within the heart of the underground city. She’d pleaded with them to save the remaining colonists.

The compassionate side of Nev’ran regretted that they would not be able to fulfill the child’s wish. Even as he seared the walking corpses, he recognized fragments of miners’ uniforms still clinging to their violated bodies. 

The little ones were the worst.

Shutting his mind to the horror, he embraced the dragon within. He stalked forward. Charred flesh crunched. Smoke billowed.

Beside him, Hur’reth’s flamer flared, incinerating something that might once have been a woman.

“According to the girl, the laboratory is down this way.” His former apprentice gestured to a side opening.

“The heart of the rot.” Nev’ran growled.

Where the cursed heretic had taken his Diamond.

The girl had described the place in halting, gasping whispers. A great cavern like an abscess in the stone. Masses of glowing fungus. Slime-covered vines. Iron-barred cells. A ring of pulsating, oozing symbols surrounding a stained stone slab.

“Th-th-things came from inside the r-r-ring. Worse than the c-c-corpses. H-h-horrible d-d-d-de-de….”

She’d broken down into a shaking, sobbing mess, then. They’d left her in the care of the pilots.

Nev’ran had seen enough cultist lairs in his long life to imagine what had shattered the poor child’s nerve. His mind filled with images of you strapped upon a stone altar, writhing in agony as unholy chants arose around you.

“NO!” 

He shouldered past Hur’reth and charged down the passage. 

Chaos will not claim you. Be strong, Diamond. Your dragon comes!

He charged on, ignoring his brother’s shouts behind him. His boots cracked the stone. Sparks flew whenever his pauldrons skidded across the walls. Walking corpses rose before him, but he no longer bothered igniting his flamer, simply trampling them beneath his feet.

He was righteous fury. He was the avenger of the innocent. He was-

A groaning, gurgling howl rose out of the darkness before him. Nev’ran found himself surrounded by a swarm of flies so thick they blocked his vision. A pulse of his flamer scattered the insects and, for a heartbeat, his mind reeled with the utter wrongness of the entities lurching toward him out of the shadows. 

A dozen cloudy, single eyes rolled toward him. Pustulent tongues lolled out of gaping maws. Vaguely humanoid forms so swollen with decay they looked on the verge of bursting brandished rusted cleavers. 

Plaguebearers.

Shifting his flamer to one hand, Nev'ran lifted and revved his chainsword.

“Unto the fires of battle.” Within his helmet, he bared his teeth in a feral grin. “Unto the anvil of war.”

He pointed his chainsword at the daemons. “You will not keep me from MY MATE.”

And, in a hell of rot miles beneath the surface of a dead world, a woman prayed in desperation, and a dragon did battle for her.

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[mesetacadre]

One mistake that is very common for communists to make (both online and offline, though it's more annoying online) when talking about and participating in trade unions is forgetting both your and the union's place in class struggle.

A trade union is by its very nature a reformist entity that fights partial struggles at best and reinforces the state's management of capitalism at worst. The purpose of any trade union is to represent a group of workers at the a company or sector at the same level of the capitalists who run it to achieve better conditions for the workforce. Two crucial aspects of this are (1) that it simply puts the workers at the same level of capitalists to negotiate, it does not question the very role of the capitalist in the wider economy, and (2) its ultimate goal is always to reform the contract that defines the relationship between the worker and the capitalist, not to remove it altogether. It does not matter the amount or length of strikes the union might organize, or how much they embolden workers to act in their (supposed) interest. Every fight organized by a union is, by definition, reformist. The only situations in which unions seize to have this character are in either a dictatorship of the proletariat, and like any other element of the superstructure it's put to work in the interests of the working class, or a situation with a strong communist party pre-revolution that has been able to influence the union in such a way that it becomes internally aligned with the interests of the vanguard.

Does this mean that unions are worthless and that we should ignore them because they don't immediately acquire rifles and take over human resources? No. What we should do is avoid creating false illusions or misplacing importance on these fights

An organized (that is, in a communist party) communist's role is to elevate the working masses to a revolutionary conscience, so that the party can have the sufficient amount of people, and organizational capability, to exploit the crises of capitalism to their favor. And this never changes, no matter the context of your intervention. When you go to a protest, you are a communist in that protest, not just another protestor. When you do work in a union, you are a communist in a union, not a unionist. This means that your work and your interactions with other workers should always be done as a communist. You may be an active member of a union, in fact that's the main way for organized communists to act in a workplace, if their party does not have the sufficient strength to act on its own. But you're a communist first, a communist who understands the utility of unions to create the seed of revolutionary-political conscience in workers.

And a misunderstanding of any of these two concepts usually manifests in what I see some communists do, which is taking the reformist slogans of trade unions ("fight for a just wage", "united we bargain", or just an oversimplified "join a union!", for example) and parroting them without much apparent thought. Trade unionism and socialdemocracy go hand in hand, these two currents hinge on the idea of promising workers a bigger slice of the national wealth. But the difference between these two, and part of the reason why many more communists are less critical towards unions I think, is that unions take the position of workers, the "underdog", while socialdemocracy deals directly with putting reforms in place. But ultimately they both misdirect the spontaneous conscience workers acquire by the everyday class antagonism towards policies that reinforce capitalism and the system of wage labor through which workers are exploited in the first place.

[pluckyredhead]

Character Profile: Gregorio de la Vega and Hugh Dawkins (Extraño and Tasmanian Devil)

I was thinking that it's been too long since I've done a character profile, and then I realized that I don't think I've ever posted about DC's CANONICALLY MARRIED, HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DILFS, a.k.a. Wizard Daddy and his furry husband. I'm so sorry. I've failed you all.

ANYWAY MEET GREGORIO AND HUGH:

Gregorio (on the right) is the first out superhero in comics, ever, from before the Comics Code even allowed gay characters. Hugh is DC's third gay superhero (Pied Piper came out a year before him) and the first canonically queer member of the Justice League. See? Historically significant!

CONTENT WARNING: Homophobia, racial stereotypes, attempted suicide, HIV/AIDS, and some particularly gory fridging (Hugh got better).

Gregorio de la Vega first appeared in Millennium #2. Now, they never actually use the word "gay" in the eight issue Millennium miniseries, but, well...

No, seriously, despite the fact that they never use words like "gay" or "homosexual" in the pages of the comic itself, the art and dialogue make Gregorio's sexuality very clear - and in case that wasn't enough, the editors do use the word "gay" in the letter columns.

Millennium was an event in which the Guardians and the Zamarons identified a group of diverse humans to be "the vanguard of human evolution" and gave them all superpowers. Gregorio is hanging out in a cantina in Peru when they show up to give him the news:

He's calling himself a fruit do you get it??? Honestly I love him so much. He's so extra.

I want to emphasize again how groundbreaking Gregorio is. Like, yes, obviously he is a raging stereotype and arguably a problematic one. But this was 1988. The Comics Code Authority would not be updated to permit queer characters until the following year (probably because of Gregorio, in large part). The fact that he existed at all, and not cloaked in layers upon layers of subtext, was a huge step forward. No, he's not perfect, but when you're the only canonically queer superhero in mainstream comics, that's an impossible ask.

Anyway. Gregorio's not super into the idea of being a main character at first, but after a self-loathing suicide attempt (Wally saves him), he decides fuck it, why not be a superhero, and joins the team that will become the New Guardians. He's granted his superpowers, which are generic magic ones, and takes the codename Extraño.

Unfortunately, in the spinoff series that followed Millennium, New Guardians, things get...uh...kind of rough. By which I mean that a) the original writer left, b) the new writer dialed Gregorio's gay stereotyping waaay back in favor of, um, Latino stereotyping instead (he stops calling everyone "honey" and starts calling them "amigo"), and c) the team is attacked by the Hemo-Goblin, an HIV-positive white supremacist vampire. Yes, really. It's fucking awful.

The Hemo-Goblin scratches Gregorio and bites Jet, a Black woman on the team. They both subsequently test positive for HIV. There are many letters from fans pointing out that it's nearly impossible to contract HIV that way, but the editors insisted that actually it was totally plausible, and then implied that probably Gregorio already had HIV because he was gay (even though he had tested negative earlier in the book). Then Jet dies. Again: it's fucking awful.

New Guardians was canceled soon after that and Gregorio pretty much disappeared. By the 2000s, he was viewed as basically an embarrassment, if anyone even remembered him at all: so stereotypical, so flamboyant, so offensive, so cringe. In the Love Is Love anthology, everyone's least favorite human Dan DiDio wrote a story where he claimed that Extraño died of AIDS back in the 80s, which...literally wasn't true??? The publisher of the goddamn company and even he assumed that the Cringey Stereotype must have died the Stereotypical Death.

And then in 2016, Gregorio got a makeover, courtesy of Steve Orlando and Fernando Blanco:

HELLO.

Yeah, so Gregorio is a silver fox now who hangs out with Apollo and Midnighter, does wizard shit, and lives in Lima with his husband and their adopted daughter. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT HUSBAND:

Could you tell he's Australian???

Hugh Dawkins, a.k.a. Tasmanian Devil (no relation to the Looney Tunes character except that they are both owned by WB and, obviously, Tasmanian) actually first appeared in the Super Friends tie-in comics to the cartoon of the same name, in 1977, as part of a plotline where the Justice League teamed up with a bunch of international superheroes.

As you can see above, Hugh, like the other international superheroes, is a massive stereotype. He's also a were-Tasmanian devil who can grow really big, like many Australians. (Even though he's been around for 50 years, there are very few panels of Hugh in human form, but if you need to know for reasons of all the fanfic I hope you are about to write: he's blond.)

In the late 80s, Hugh and the other international superheroes from this story were incorporated into the main DCU as a team called the Global Guardians. They became occasional supporting characters to the various Justice League International books, and some of them joined various Justice League branches. Others had random cameos here and there, and in a 1992 issue of Justice League Quarterly, Hugh's random cameo involved casually mentioning that he is gay:

Again, this is a big deal. It's only 1992, meaning the only canonically queer superheroes in mainstream comics are Extraño (1988), Pied Piper (1991), and Northstar (1992). And this is a Justice League book. AND IT'S 1992. When Hugh talks about things being hateful for gays, he's likely referring to the virulent homophobia in Tasmania at the time (homosexuality wouldn't be decriminalized there for another five years).

Which means it was also a big deal that Hugh went on to join the European branch of the Justice League shortly after this, making him the first canonically queer member of any branch of the League. Of course, his sexuality was never mentioned during the year and a half he was on the team...or in any comic...until 2006. And then it was a vaguely homophobic joke involving Hal Jordan. But still!

(There is a panel that I SWEAR exists from the JLI era of Hugh describing a total bullshit version of his origin which granted him "the power of 106 Tasmanian devils!" which I cannot for the life of me find but was the first thing that made me fall in love with this character. If you stumble across it, please let me know what issue number it is?)

Hugh then had the misfortune of next appearing...sort of...in the infamously awful Cry for Justice in 2009. I say sort of because it's revealed that the villain, Prometheus, has skinned him and turned him into a rug. So we only see his skin. The late 2000s were really, really rough, guys.

However, a year later he appeared in the Starman/Congorilla special and he was totally fine? Don't ask me how. Gorillas were involved. The issue ended with the possibility of him and Starman (the Mikaal Tomas version) hooking up, but then the New 52 happened, so that never came to anything.

...BUT WHO CARES, BECAUSE NOW HE'S MARRIED TO GREGORIO AND THEY HAVE A DAUGHTER AND THEY ARE IN LOVE.

The nickname! The clutching! I'm dying.

Did I mention the canon threesome with John Constantine?

HUGH LOVES HIS RIDICULOUS HUSBAND SO MUCH. Tragically the JLQ only showed up in these two stories but all the baby queer superheroes in the DCU call Gregorio "Tio" and it makes me want to weep. HE WAS ALL ALONE IN 1988 AND NOW HE HAS A FAMILY. I AM VERKLEMPT. 😭😭😭

Unfortunately Gregorio and Hugh are pretty much relegated to occasionally appearing in Pride specials these days, but maybe if we all wish really hard, DC will let Steve Orlando or Andrew Wheeler write a miniseries about how they met and fell in love. I think Nick Robles should draw it.

ANYWAY I LOVE THESE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT HUSBANDS, THE END.

[deusvervewrites]

Phantasm (technically)

Bit more of General question , but in AUs where theres no Stain Speech Butterflying into No Bakugo Kidnapping ...

why is that?

Like yes we wont have the Dabi-Toga-Spinner connection for the canon Vanguard Action Squad lineup, but what exactly is stopping them from doing another Zerg Rush like USJ? Again , theres gotta be enough criminals around to take the offer SOMEWHERE in the Underworld...

Not to mention the Nomu on Standby

Bakugo could still be in danger of getting kidnapped (and thus Kamino still be possible) , really all they 'need' is to Contract Out Mr. Compress for easier extraction and containment of the feral child , and if Memory Serves thats exactly what Mr. Compress WAS until Kaminos 'well i guess im on the run with you now' thing

Because Shigaraki needed Stain to develop his character.

Shigaraki was still a screaming manchild at Hosu; that's why Stain didn't join the League, and why he attacked Hosu to get revenge on him. And that failed, because the news only focused on Stain. This in turn led to his argument with Toga and Dabi and going to clear his head, where he ran into Midoriya at the mall. That was when Shigaraki started coming into his own as a Villain. Without Stain to propel him towards that, he simply lacks to focus and competence to try to kidnap Bakugou.

[designing-witch-forms-4-ur-faves]

Wishcraft is in the air? WRONG! CONTRACTS!!

Hi hello you like randomly appeared and you do cool witch designs :3c

Could you do The King from In Stars and Time? I think he'd be a interesting witch, mainly because I'd like to think he'd be able to be seen by people unlike most witches, and he causes a very specific curse that is not a natural-happening tragedy. Plus bro had reason to become a magical.. guy AND reason to break down and become a witch!!!

Also. Obligatory play In Stars and Time recommendation if you haven't played it already, please it's peak :3ccccc

Uuuu was gonna yap about the king but I don't want to spoil you on isat so TLDR of what I'd think happens to The King: Really gets to like vanguard, becomes a magical.guy to protect it. Find a couple things and... remembers. Gets extremely paranoid that something bad will happen to vanguard and goes insane, causing him to become a witch....

might be getting too obsessed about this idea highkey

HHHHAYHAHAYYAYYA FINNALKY I GET TO SEND THIS WOOOO

Hi! Welcome to the blog. I spawned with the sole purpose of making witches. (Kyubey moment)

I’ve heard of in stars and time before, I plan on playing it (or watching someone play it either one works) someday. I have heard nothing but positive things about it and it makes me a bit excited for when I finally get around to experiencing it.

I had a friend suggest a blind reaction let’s play video to in stars and time but with other video ideas that I’m way behind on? I couldn’t. Not now at least.

Or maybe I will if I can get everything done in time but I’m trying to take things slow. I barely recovered from burnout a few weeks? Months? Ago. I don’t know, time is weird. Point being, I don’t want a repeat of that.

Anywho, enough rambling. Here’s the witch!

Alfons : the crenellation witch

[the-most-humble-blog]

🚨 WHEN THE WORLD GOES DARK, PANTSUITS DON'T LEAD—THEY HIDE

💥 “You don’t vote your way out of gravity. And you don’t cry your way out of war.” 💥

“This is satire. If the shoe fits, it’s probably your Etsy bio.”

🪖 REALITY CHECK: THIS AIN’T A DRILL, IT’S A BLOOD-SOAKED INDICTMENT

There is a sickness in the modern West, and it wears empowerment slogans like armor while demanding not to be hit back.

It wants the power of men without the burden of being men.

It wants authority without the risk.

It wants the privilege of command, but the insulation of victimhood.

This sickness peaked when Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump—again—and the aftermath wasn’t policy critique, it was a nationwide estrogenic scream into the void.

Liberal women didn’t just react. They unraveled.

Collapsed.

Posted stories of trembling fingers.

Filmed TikToks of soul-crushing grief.

Scribbled essays about how the patriarchy had once again “stolen” history from the uterus-wielding savior we never asked for.

This wasn’t politics.

This was a spiritual breakdown.

Because deep down, they know.

💣 THE BOOTH WAS THE ONLY SAFE SPACE LEFT—AND EVEN THERE, WOMEN WHISPERED “NO”

You want to hear something that’ll put the fear of God into feminism?

Women turned on Kamala too. Quietly. In the booth.

They didn’t want Putin staring her down.

They didn’t want Xi hearing her nervous giggle in a trade war summit.

They didn’t want the most powerful country on Earth flailing under the weak hand of someone selected for optics.

For symbolism.

For gender.

They wanted to live.

Even if they’d never say it publicly.

So they marked the box for the devil they hated because they feared a weak angel even more.

🧠 WHY THE WORLD LAUGHED: THE GLOBAL CHECKMATE OF AMERICAN FEMINISM

Imagine you're Vladimir Putin.

A man with a black belt in psychological warfare, a sniper’s eye for leverage, and the soul of a predator.

You don’t lose sleep over feelings.

You don’t hold press conferences to apologize for microaggressions.

You don’t legislate pronouns.

And then across the ocean comes Kamala, hailed by the Western media as the “future of leadership.”

Her CV padded with ceremonial ribbons, token promotions, and PR victories.

Her campaign surrounded by hysterical praise from people who’ve never once stared down death, starvation, or geopolitical collapse.

You know what a man like Putin does with that?

He waits.

Because weakness always folds.

Kamala wasn’t a threat.

She was an opportunity.

So when she lost, and America’s feminist vanguard imploded emotionally, he didn’t even flinch.

He probably raised a glass.

Because he understood what our own people have forgotten:

This world is still run by men with cold eyes, steel guts, and trigger fingers.

💥 “HISTORIC FIRST” MEANS NOTHING WHEN THE ROOM SMELLS LIKE BLOOD

Feminists chanted:

“It’s time for a woman in charge.”

But let me explain something to you:

The battlefield doesn’t care what time it is.

It doesn’t give a sh*t about your grandmother’s suffrage struggle.

It doesn’t owe you an apology for the 1950s.

It doesn’t soften because your resume looks good on LinkedIn.

The battlefield measures:

Who can absorb pressure without flinching.

Who can make decisions that cost lives and still sleep at night.

Who commands respect without demanding sympathy.

Kamala brought none of that.

She brought smiles, buzzwords, and the emotional bandwidth of a middle school guidance counselor.

And when it came time to choose, America said:

“We’d rather take our chances with a bastard who knows what pain feels like than a symbol with press-approved talking points.”

🩸 THE LIE OF RIGHTS: WHY THEY’RE A FICTION YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BELIEVE—FOR NOW

Let’s rip the last Band-Aid off:

Rights aren’t real.

They are imagined contracts, held in place by nothing more than the threat of violence.

Every “right” you think you have?

Exists because somewhere, a man with a rifle has agreed to shoot someone who tries to take it from you.

You live inside a dome of male restraint.

That’s not misogyny.

That’s reality.

And it’s ugly.

And if every man tomorrow decided—not angrily, not violently, just decisively—to revoke those rights?

You’d scream.

You’d protest.

You’d demand justice.

And no one would come.

You know how I know?

Look at Iran.

Look at Afghanistan.

Look at Saudi Arabia.

Do you think their women were less brave than you? Do you think they didn’t march? Didn’t chant? Didn’t believe in equality?

They did.

And they lost.

Because the monopoly of force is not gender-neutral.

Because human civilization has never been an HR meeting.

Because "equality" is a game you get to play only when the lions aren’t hungry.

🎭 THE CLOWN SHOW COLLAPSE: WHEN LIBERAL WOMEN REALIZED THEY WEREN’T QUEENS, JUST COURT JESTERS

They weren’t supposed to lose.

The narrative had been rehearsed.

The magazine covers printed.

The glass ceiling ready to shatter.

But the people—men and women—walked into the booth and said, “No.”

Not because they were mean.

Not because they were sexist.

But because they remembered what the world used to feel like before delusion took over.

Before every late-night comedy show turned into a feminist sermon.

Before every debate had to be softened for feelings.

Before every strength was deconstructed because it made someone cry.

They remembered a time when a leader didn’t need applause to be effective.

When leaders didn’t flinch.

Didn’t sob.

Didn’t beg to be seen.

They remembered the smell of war, of fear, of consequence.

And in that booth, surrounded by silence, they voted for strength.

Not perfection.

Not likability.

Just strength.

Because the world is a battlefield, not a Pinterest board.

And Kamala showed up with a ring light and a slogan.

🔪 AOC, HILLARY, KAMALA: DIFFERENT OUTFITS, SAME LACK OF TEETH

You can throw all the names you want at me.

Hillary?

AOC?

Kamala?

Same template.

Same cowardice, polished into civility.

None of them would survive a week negotiating against predators.

Because predators don’t care what magazine you were on.

They care if your pulse drops when you speak.

If your eyes lock on theirs without fear.

If you carry the weight of your people like a hammer, not a hashtag.

And none of them do.

They are mannequins in power suits, positioned to fulfill the liberal fantasy of progress.

But you don’t progress if the enemy is still willing to kill for his vision.

You submit.

And right now, the West is crawling.

⚰️ FINAL WORD: FEMINISM’S FUNERAL WASN’T A BANG. IT WAS A WHIMPER

You want the truth?

Kamala’s loss wasn’t a political event.

It was a verdict.

On feminism.

On symbolism.

On the great lie that you can out-feel, out-cry, or out-hashtag real power.

When she lost, the people spoke.

And their voice said:

“We don’t need a mother. We need a motherf*cker.”

And that’s what liberal feminism will never understand.

💀 YOUR RIGHTS EXIST AT THE PLEASURE OF THE STRONG. REMEMBER THAT. OR BE REMINDED.

🧠 REBLOG IF YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH SYMBOLISM.

💬 COMMENT IF YOU’RE DONE PRETENDING.

🔁 FOLLOW FOR THE STORM THAT NEVER ENDS.

⚖️ LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This post is written for the purpose of artistic expression, cultural commentary, and psychological exploration of social and gender dynamics. It does not condone or encourage violence, harassment, or discrimination of any kind. Any references to power, strength, restraint, or critique are metaphorical, symbolic, and rooted in historical and cultural analysis. This is not a call to action — it’s a cultural mirror. If you feel offended, ask yourself if it’s from actual harm — or from seeing something you hoped no one would say out loud.

✨ TL;DR: If you're mad, it’s probably not because it’s wrong — it’s because you know it’s true.

[cal-1maf]

Painted up this Eris in my custom merc scheme: Vanguard PMC. They're named and styled after a 1982 Chevrolet Trans Van that used to park in my old neighborhood lol.

They bear the livery of the Lone Wolves, which is a canon merc unit formed from smaller mercenary commands. They operate like a coop which allows them to take larger contracts together. A great place to slot in an OC or two.

[leftistfeminista]

Poems of a Chilean Political Prisoner

EDICIONES LITERATURA ALTERNATIVA

Drawings by Nancy Solís

INTRODUCTION

Our solidarity work in exile, as well as the support we have received from friends of our Committee, have partly given life to this book of poems by Nancy Solis.

This modest contribution is a tribute to the dedication and tenacity of the Political Prisoners, who have known how to keep the light of hope burning amidst so many years of darkness.

If you, dear reader, feel the impact of the verse that breaks chains and cries out for justice, peace, love, freedom, and join our struggle, our work, the work of others who have cooperated anonymously, and especially the cultural contribution of the author, will have had meaning.

DEMOCRATIC CHILE

Los Angeles - California, U.S.A.

August 28, 1989.

Funded by contributions from CHILE DEMOCRATICO, Los Angeles, USA.

MAGICKING DREAMS No one, in any imposed or planned stay, will limit the magic of written words, nor the attempt to create and to surrender myself.

To write, scrutinizing deeply, scratched happinesses. Rage, sorrow, are freedoms I grant myself.

Here in captivity dreams are also woven. I, as an inhabitant of this now, of this piece, of this small great world, weave, plan, construct.

I slip away in white doves that perch, I persist in the abundant flight they strive for and rise interpreting the dream, Magic!, lines and curves dance in the wind defiant, restless, constructing fantastic stories.

I love life, the joyful color, the "joyful joy" I live!… joy and rage, together and separate. I rummage with the pencil, without limiting my effort to what is permitted to me.

My desire all this time is to feel myself feeling them; and now in the present, to give them all my doing: as a militant, as a political prisoner, as a loving and combative woman, from this almost unknown trench, brimming with shared experiences and offerings.

I only retain the warmth of the embraces. "Suddenly I remembered a dream"…

They were embraces raised towards me and Vilma. We arrived together. They were the embraces of my sisters. That's how my arrival was. That day the little house was arranged for the reception, by my family whom I recognized immediately. The beloved anthem, which no matter how hard I try I cannot remember, was the treat.

The first dream, the longest. Secure now, they cared for our bodies and the rage began to rationalize. No one will ever get used to the free landscape being reduced to a handful of walls and bars distributed mathematically, to purposely impede, the, journey.

Missing, missing is the clandestine surrender, the straight walk, the loving skin, the kiss in some awakening now converted into whistles of gendarmes who early come to count us: one, two, three,… The metallic day is born, you assume the limitations, the cost of war. You rebel, resist and continue… fighting.

From confinement and the vanguard I seek the multiple forms of surrender and contribute my modest grain of sand to this great beach of all that we build when we rebel in the only true way; fighting.

THE METALLIC DAY IS BORN In haste

between stone

and mud that stopped steps, strides

shorten

restrict

stone, mud, cement

They tie them

they contract them, then

some must become URGENT

stealthy

cut cement steps

one, two, three…. advancing…

CELL Not a cell

many times HOME

many times CELL

with a patio

Patio when there's a tree

and without a tree, prison

and not a window

and not a house

but the narrow real prison

of reclusion to the sum

one plus one, plus one, plus one, (1+1+1+1=4)

equals four

and much more than the sum of us.

STUBBORNESS OF WITCHES They have four witches imprisoned in the town of Coronel, who fly on their brooms to the last conflict. Someone will say: 'you speak in the singular,' to seek the moment, convinced that something identifies us, we have the common faculty of many times walking against the current. I am sure of the madness COLLECTIVE - INDIVIDUAL COLLECTIVE - INDIVIDUAL - COLLECTIVE of loving differently, of surrendering to death and seeking life in the blackberry bush.

COMBING MY HAIR The breeze combing the sand on the shores of playful waters

my fingertips shine, gently comb my face that caress my desires.

My hair, from its tip to my toes, unearths my fantasy. Caressed geography shelters my desires that they tender me in my uterus full of me.

I convert into my desert a magic of irons bolas

and I don't caress myself with earth, and two days they love me and I love. I am all combed.

SYMPHONIC LOVER I love your unrestrained surge of playful fury in the attentive night of four women in the distant cell of love, which becomes a lover as more behind the walls you reach me infinite you come to me every night a sign stronger and more organic without skin.

Only pleasure arrives and I linked with my life. You appear soft, light you sway soft, light you settle you resolve and girls in the rose in rebellion.

JUNGLE Love affectionate, embracing the race embracing us, whispering before making love solving wrinkling sheets giving each fold with our warmth.

Whisper in the clitoris of my ear drink with your mouth the humidity of my lights further down I breathe you with my lips ajar slide down my soft welcoming neck rest my mountains in a bud for a while and return them in bloom.

A journey my wet entrails enter my warm jungle right to my center where love explodes regression of mouth embracing love.

PASSWORDS It was about writing the wall with our love, of linking ourselves without signs or passwords, because I know you, where I want them to try to separate us. We traveled without distances. Time didn't matter.

Yes, despite everything, we loved each other and you so much in love that you dazzled me with how beautiful our magic was that it had reserved itself for the most important function.

[vanguardcontractingsblog]

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[poorlytunedukulele]

Guarantees, Then Obligations - Brand Your Guardian

Huzzah for @d2artevents! Go check out the full zine on their Tumblr/Twitter, or peruse the #brandyourguardian tag for more entries.

Read my entry on AO3 here or beneath the cut!

It had been a long day at work for Cayde. It had been a boring day. Those were rare, after the Red War. Ghaul's death had sent the Red Legion scattering like coals kicked from a bonfire, and a good portion of Guardiandom was still running around frantically trying to stamp them out. Keeping that operation coordinated was a job and a half, especially on top of the Vanguard's attempts to re-establish the old patrol schedules. It had all been chaos for a bit there. But, six weeks after retaking the City, things were finally starting to slow down. Cayde was looking forward to some time off. Takeout for dinner and a few Crucible recaps, maybe. Or a rom-com. Or he could scrub down his apartment one more time. The burning-rubble smoke scent had pervaded since he'd moved back in, despite all of his scrubbing so far.

Lady Luck had a different plan for him. Cayde stomped up the stairs and opened his front door, ready to put on a trashy audiobook and spend the evening cleaning, only to find his apartment was occupied. The Hunter inside looked up and flashed him a smile as he took off his boots.

It was a surprise, to be sure. Azra Jax had a strong aversion to the City, and besides, she'd been even busier than Cayde was. Every time he'd checked up on her she'd been in a different corner of the System, running rescue missions or causing trouble for the Red Legion. But if she was home for the night, maybe he could wheedle her into going out to a bar or something. She deserved a night off, too. It seemed her field work had dried up enough to ease her conscience about it.

Or perhaps she'd just buried herself in a different kind of work. She had the coffee table covered with an assortment of what looked like legal documents.

Cayde decided to tease her. "Didn't expect you to be in town." He sidled up beside her and cast a critical eye down at the papers. "Wait, let me guess. You pissed off Zavala somehow and he's making you fill out hard copies of all your scouting reports?"

Azra grinned up at him wryly. "I was finally convinced to take a look at all of these." She flapped some of the sheets in her hands for dramatic effect. She didn't appear to be enjoying herself all that much, whatever it was.

Azra's Ghost spoke up before Cayde could ask more questions. "It's sponsorship contracts. Modeling deals. Promotions. Stuff like that. We've been pretty much ignoring them the past month, but…"

Yeah, that would explain Azra's general air of frustration. If there was one thing she hated more than spending time in the City, it was all of the attention the fame brought. She'd been a bit of a celebrity before the Red War, and things were much, much worse these days. They were talking about making statues, Traveler forbid.

"I just don't get why this is all so important," Azra complained. "It's baffling. There's people who model and stuff for a living. Why are they bothering me so much about it? What's even the point?"

"Well," Cayde said, "You know. It's advertising. A celebrity face gets the people buyin'. So I heard."

"I don't know a Hunter in their right mind who would take this deal." Azra slapped the contracts down on the table. "Sitting around for hours, days, getting prodded and posed. Or having to kiss up to some company founder. Seems mortifying. Why even bother?"

"Fame and fortune seem like pretty good motivators?" Cayde ventured.

Azra just shot him an unimpressed look.

Cayde shrugged and flopped down on the futon next to her, sending the Ghosts chasing after flying papers. "It's not a bad way to make money, if you've got the offer. A few days of light work and you leave with full pockets? No getting shot or blown up? Better than mucking around Fallen nests for peanuts."

"I think I'd prefer getting blown up," Azra said. "I mean, look at this." She yanked the top sheet from her stack. "Three days of photo shooting, three whole days as a human dress-up doll, and I'm still half-considering it cause it's forty thousand Glimmer."

"Sounds like a migraine," her Ghost commented, redepositing the stray files back onto the table. "And what would we even buy?"

"You could use your own room," Cayde said. It was a joke of a suggestion- he saw so little of her already, he was glad she came over when she was in town. But it was fun to propose the idea to her and watch her contemplate the horror of rental agreements and insurance. "Or an office, or something. You could get an address for all the adoring City people to send you fan mail…"

Azra called his bluff immediately, snorting and rolling her eyes. "I could also use a set of sniper rifles color coded for the days of the week, but that doesn't mean it's worth it."

"How about a nice racing Sparrow?" Cayde suggested, in earnest this time. "You know Marcus is itching to get the racing league started back up."

That did give Azra a pause, and Cayde allowed himself a mental pat on the back. Then he played his other card: "Or you could always donate it to the Kinderguardian fund, if you wanted to be all selfless about it. The Vanguard's not exactly flush with Glimmer at the moment. How's that really different than taking another scout mission, morally?" Besides, it might get her to slow down for a couple of days. She made a good act, but he knew her moods as well as his own. She was running on fumes. Look at her, frowning distractedly at her papers, not even trying to annoy Cayde back.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," she muttered to herself. "Why all this payout for an untrained amateur? Smells fishy."

"Well," Cayde said, "You're pretty famous already. People pay attention to what you have to say. Someone can put your seal of approval on things, it'll sure get people interested."

"So I'm selling my reputation for Glimmer," Azra said. She'd never sounded less impressed with a concept.

"Think of it as helping them, then," Cayde suggested. "And helping people looking for whatever they're selling. You've been around the block a few times, you know what's good and what's not. You say, hey, the product works, then the company gets to sell more, and you get Glimmer, and everyone knows where to go to get the good stuff. It's a win-win-win."

"That's all dependent on me having prior knowledge," Azra complained. "Or doing the research, I guess. I've never bought anything from most of these companies."

"Most of them?" Cayde asked. "So you do know some of these? That's a good a place to start as any."

Azra grumbled, so Cayde elbowed her in the side. "Come on. If you don't at least respond to a few, it's gonna look like you're getting airs. You can dodge the reporters all day, but you keep this up and the City folk are gonna think you think you're above them."

"Fine," Azra relented. "You're a bad man, Cayde. Sure know how to sweet-talk a girl."

Cayde stood up, stretching his back. "I'll make some tea. How about you pick out a few of those and I'll take a peak at 'em?"

Azra sighed and started leafing through the stack again. Cayde made quick work with the electric kettle, but she'd already pulled out four offers by the time he'd gotten the leaves in the water. Cayde exchanged one mug for the contracts sipped from the other as he read.

First up: Cobblestone Leatherworks. A shoe company. Made sense- Azra did like their boots, especially for exploration work. A no-brainer.

Second, an independent armor smithy run by one Abd ar-Rashed. They mostly did work for Titans, but Cayde himself had commissioned a few pieces from them over the years. They made good raid gear.

Third-

Cayde spit out his tea and nearly dropped his mug. "Omolon?" he shrieked.

Azra shushed him.

"Omolon?" Cayde repeated, quieter but no less intense. "One of the major foundries offered a personal sponsorship and you were going to say no?"

Azra shrugged. "I hardly use their signature stuff. The whole liquid tech thing is too finicky. Hard to repair in the field. I dunno. But…" Her hand drifted to the holster on her hip, to the sidearm Cayde knew was there.

"I always thought it was weird," he mused, bringing the mug back to his lips. "They do all of this crazy tech, and a basic Vanguard commission design is the one still getting used today. Your baby's made it through more battles than I can count, at this point."

Azra tilted her head, considering that. "Maybe working with the weird stuff means they have to be that much more precise? Can't ever say I had an Omolon jam on me, liquid ammo or no. My sidearm did get damaged real bad at the start of the Red War, but Banshee fixed it right back up. It was with me on the assault on the Almighty, and the fight with Ghaul. Besides the Hellmouth, and the Dreadnaught, and…" she left the tail hanging. And the Vault of Glass. And hey, anything that helped Azra drag herself back from that pit was aces in Cayde's book.

"Then tell that story," he said. "That's the kind of stuff they want to hear. They can have Crucible junkies go on all day about their tech."

He shook his head at the oddity of it- an Omolon contract, and Azra was going to decline- and flipped to the last offering.

Axon Outerwear. A street clothes brand. That was weird. Boots, okay. Armor. Guns. Those were very much Azra Jax things. But normal human clothes were not. (She was lounging on the futon in her strike gear, for the Traveler's sake).

"Clothes?" Cayde asked skeptically.

"Most of mine got destroyed when they hit the Tower," Azra said.

"You've never been very gung-ho about buying more," Caye said. "I remember Andal always had to drag you out shopping. Literally, sometimes."

Azra shifted in her seat. "I think I see Andal's point of view on that more and more these days. I think… it's important to be able to change out of the armor, you know? Take a break from being just a Guardian. Put on something else."

Cayde raised an eyebrow at her, and she made a face at him. "I get the irony of it, thanks. I'll take off the armor when I have something other than base layers to wear."

Cayde tapped the papers against his arm, thinking. The name was still ringing a bell for him. Axon, Axon... "Hey, isn't this the company that does those subclass hoodies?" That was right, they had been quite the rage the past few years.

"They actually… they reached out to me a few months ago," Azra explained. "Before the Red War. Offered to make a custom one. 'Cause, you know. They had Bladedancer ones, but back then I was the only Arcstrider…"

"But you didn't want to draw more attention to that," Cayde said empathetically. "I understand." If the fame was a little annoying, the curiosity had been extremely so. Especially in her early days, when being The Arcstrider was the only public acclaim she had.

"But now there's thousands of Arcstriders," Spark said. "Maybe we deserve to be a little more loud about it."

"I thought you deserved to be loud about it before," Cayde said. "But I get wanting a break from it all."

"Maybe we could make a deal," Azra said. "Give 'em out for bounties or something. I mean, if I hadn't had Andal take me shopping, how long would I have gone through life with only armor to wear? And now, with all this chaos, you think the Kinderguardians are going to have any time to think about this stuff?"

"We might be able to make that work," Cayde said. It would be up the air whether they'd accept it, (giving a bunch of their product out as unofficial Vanguard merch ran the risk of losing them the favor of the Fashion Gods,) but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Boots and armor and guns and a hoodie," Cayde commented. "What more could you need?"

Azra's stomach elected that moment to growl. The Arcstrider laughed. "Food, apparently."

"Dinner?" Cayde said hopefully. "Ramen?"

Azra grinned at that. "Well, that's partly up to Shiro, isn't it?"

"Shiro's in town?"

"Who'd you think got me to sit down and start taking this stuff seriously?" Azra asked. She held out a hand and Cayde helped pull her to her feet. "He headed off to meet with some foundry rep himself, but that was a few hours ago. He's probably done by now."

Fantastic. Cayde slapped the sheaf of papers down on the table. "Leave all the mailing and negotiating for tomorrow," Cayde said. "Tonight, let's celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"Things are starting to get back to normal," Cayde said. "The patrol schedules are set. The VanNet is up and steady. There's nothing going on."

"You want to celebrate… having nothing to celebrate?" Azra asked skeptically.

Cayde grinned. "Exactly! You down or what?"

[war-is-bad-girls]

\bang bang/ by @agata_3z

source

Caption: Arms Folded Temporary Contract Side Big Favorite Bride Vanguard Caption: Gundam Co., Ltd. CEO Miorine Rembran

[m1d-45]

liyue, nation of contracts

warnings [⏵] : yandere / heavy cultish || obsessive

genre [title] : angst || fluff || hurt/comfort

< masterlist hub >

beyond mortality — baizhu

‘Even though I'm the doctor, I've still had to trouble you with my health. How shameful... But don't worry. From this day on, I will take care of you.’

⏵ second chances

⏵ doctor's orders

leonine vanguard — ga ming

‘If I can guard shipments, I can guard people. Since you seem to trust me, how 'bout I be your bodyguard from now on?‘

⏵ vanguard’s fortune

vigilant yaksha — xiao

‘I deal in death. If you cannot bring yourself to kill — speak my name.’

⏵ repentance

⏵ burden to bear

⏵ bird xiao things! (split links)

—⏵ and again, and fanart, and again, and again, and fanart, and fanart, and again

⏵ he who is without sin

—⏵ once more, and again, and again, and again, and again, and fanart, and again, and fanart, and fanart

⏵pari!reader tag (ft albedo)

vago mundo — zhongli

‘The market is closed and the port has settled. Go get some rest.’

⏵ sagau!zhongli

⏵ a dragon’s gems

⏵ to dream of the divine

⏵ adorned

⏵ the pain of rapture

< masterlist hub >

thank you for reading !

[crow-posting]

more

Awoken Headcanons

note: this is mostly based on my own audacity rather than actual lore. 🤫

-

Earthborn and Awoken Guardians are like the book versions of LotR elves, while Reefborn are like the movie versions. They're actually similar, but to outsiders, Earthborn are friendly and full of life while Reefborn are aloof and elegant like their queen. This perception, though frustrating to people like Petra, generally works in Mara's favor so she allows it to continue.

Awoken Speech sounds more like creole than a separate language. This is due to the multitude of languages spoken aboard the Yang Liwei, which then carried over into the dialects in the Distributary. Although some argue Speech is a mixed language rather than creole, consensus from both the Gensym Scribes and Last City's Cryptarchy has not yet been reached.

Portmanteau examples:

daatma (ดาว/"dāw" + आत्मा/"ātman"): Awoken [older gen]

tulatma (tulay + आत्मा/"ātman"): Awoken [younger gen]

luxïn (luz + 星/"xīng"): starlight

noyam (noyer + يوم/"yawm"): Darkness

Traditional Awoken names usually sound "soft," with palatalized consonants and several vowels. The most common ending letters are "A" (Mara, Petra, Amrita) and "N" (Uldren, Jolyon, Nasan), while the most uncommon letter is "K" (Tulnik).

Most Reefborn are highly superstitious, due to the environment they grew up in. However they don't consider themselves superstitious, as it is only "practical" to refer to The Dreaming using epithets instead of names, or to look for omens in dreams, or to treat water and reflections as near-sacred, and so on.

Promises and vows / oaths are generally a life-long ordeal for Awoken, especially for Reefborn and especially if they are made to Mara. This is partly influenced by the post-Distributary riots, partly influenced by contracts with Ahamkara, and partly influenced by Mara's own charisma, which has created an almost religious devotion* amongst her followers.

*(Embarrassingly, when Calus sought to imitate this sense of devotion to lure Awoken Guardians to the Menagerie, he was partially successful.)

Balance is an important part of Awoken culture. Past and future and life and death are strongly emphasized by Reefborn, while Earthborn have integrated Old Earth philosophies like yin-yang and wabi-sabi. While Awoken Guardians tend to be less ardent about balance and/or a desire for it, there are noticeably less Awoken within the Praxic Order than in other Vanguard-affiliated organizations.

The Awoken don't believe in a physical afterlife, only the Unreal. This makes the existence of Awoken Guardians egregious to other Awoken, as they do not "return" from death, but rather "take form" of people who no longer exist. Even so, Guardians (or "Noble Dead") are still treated with respect - out of love for the ones they look like, and fear of the entities they are.

(Awoken don't believe in reincarnation either, as The Awakening is considered an "extraordinary" circumstance.)

Contrary to popular belief, male Awoken aren't ostracized in Reefborn society, and they aren't considered second-class citizens either. Even so, due to the 70/30 split [which has persisted since the Distributary], it is rare to see male Reefborn in high-level positions or as Techeuns. The perceived lack of opportunity has led to an increase in Reefborn emigrants in recent years, especially after the Battle of Saturn.

Due to the loss of resources and difficulties of growing food in the Reef, Reefborn dishes are "bland" compared to Earthborn ones. The most common seasonings are salt, cold-hardy herbs like mint, and corasteri (a star-shaped culinary variant of asphodelia). However, Reefborn food is both warming and filling, which is suited to a life in deep space.

The Dreaming City is surprisingly bare in terms of flora and fauna. Aside from pink asphodelia, queensfoil, baryon bough and memorial trees - most of which are cultivated - there are very few plants to be found. Spectral butterflies and non-native jewel bugs can be found in gardens and lost sectors, and starcats have free rein of the buildings, but there is no urban wildlife like in the Last City and Earth's metropolitan ruins. The vibrance is an illusion; it is as empty as the Reef's biodomes.

Earthborn do not live as long as their Reefborn counterparts; higher oxygen levels, increased gravity, and larger amounts of pollution make life more difficult for people adapted to space. Ironically, this is the inverse issue the Awoken faced when leaving the Distributary.

Awoken anatomy is uncanny if you look closely enough. Most traits fall within expectations (eg resistance to radiation, increased reaction time) but adaptations like tapetum lucidum can still startle people who aren't used to seeing them. Experimental traits, which are common in later-generation Reefborn, make some seem entirely inhuman. And the ability to track Guardians by their Light will never not be creepy.

Experimental traits include but aren't limited to: pointed ears; nictitating membranes (i.e. "third eyelids"); and genital slits [for Awoken specifically created for deep space missions].

Due to a history of bio-engineering, cybernetic augments are seen as unnecessary and rarely utilized outside of eutechs, and later, Techeuns. Fully robotic components, such as exo frames, are practically unheard of and often met with pity or revulsion.

The 891 are forbidden from seeking information about their lives from The Time Before (aka pre-Collapse lives), as it is considered a "distraction" from Mara's plan. Descendant Awoken are also discouraged from pursuing such info unless it is considered pertinent to their mission.

Queenslaw has been partially lifted in the Reef, due to the influx of Guardians after the Battle of Saturn. Many things once considered illegal or taboo are now acceptable, and some things are even encouraged. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with these "sudden" changes and it has done little to reduce tensions between factions, most notably the Gensym Scribes and the Last City's Cryptarchy.

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Reefborn sobriquets often refer to relationships (Uldren "Queensbrother," Taranis "Rivensmate," Petra "Covensdaughter"). Earthborn nicknames are often more individualized but still invoke a sense of interconnectedness (eg "Swornsister" Takara, Avraam "Firstborn").

Although the Awoken are known for their music (for ceremonies, parties, mourning, etc.) Earth-derived music seems just as violent to them as the Guardians who enjoy it. Knowing this, RZ-3 intentionally made a playlist to "scare" Petra on missions, and has successfully startled several Corsairs by belting out the lyrics to "Teenagers" while doing patrols.

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[official grimoire / lore books: The Maraid (D1); Marasenna, The Awoken of the Reef, The Dreaming City (D2, general); The Forsaken Prince, A Tangled Web, Ripples (D2, Uldren/Crow), Ecdysis (D2, the Emissary)]

[specific lore that Tickles My Brain: "Holdfast Bond," "The Supremacy", "Third Gift"; "Crow's Best Night"]

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[see also: "Things I Think About: Awoken Edition"; "Awoken Phrases & Exclamations"; "Last City Lingo"; timeline in the Distributary; Awoken amethyst]

[rivensdefenseattorney]

Red Fountain Curriculum

(WIP)

Vanguard School of Combat

Departments

Military History and Strategy Department

Ancient Battles and Warfare Tactics: Study of pivotal historical battles and their strategic significance. Analysis of strategies employed by renowned military leaders.

Modern Warfare: Strategies and Evolutions: Exploration of modern warfare tactics, including guerrilla warfare and asymmetric conflicts. Case studies on recent military operations.

Tactical Combat Department

Close-Quarters Combat Techniques: Training in hand-to-hand combat, grappling, and defensive tactics. Practical sessions and sparring exercises.

Weapon Proficiency and Maintenance: Mastery and maintenance of various combat weapons. Workshops on weapon crafting and enhancements.

Survival Tactics and Freelance Operations Department

Adaptability in Challenging Environments: Training in survival skills in diverse environments (wilderness, urban, etc.).Field exercises emphasizing adaptability and resourcefulness.

Freelance Combat Strategies: Understanding the dynamics and strategies of freelance operations. Scenario-based simulations for independent contracting roles.

Identification of Magical Flora - Beneficial and Hazardous: Identification and study of magical flora, focusing on their potential uses, properties, and dangers. Practical sessions on harvesting and utilizing beneficial magical plants and avoiding hazardous ones.

Navigating Independent Contracting Roles: Exploration of various independent contracting roles such as guild work, solo contracts, and team-based contracts. Case studies and simulations to understand the dynamics and responsibilities of each role.

Combat Psychology and Ethical Warfare Department

Psychological Aspects of Combat: Study of the psychological impacts in combat situations. Methods to handle stress, fear, and decision-making under pressure.

Ethical Decision-Making in Warfare: Ethical considerations and dilemmas in combat scenarios. Debates and discussions on moral choices in warfare.

Field Operations and Simulation Department

Practical Combat Scenarios: Simulation exercises mimicking real combat situations. Team-based scenarios testing strategy, communication, and leadership.

Medical Training and Combat First Aid: Training in providing first aid and medical assistance in combat situations. Simulated medical emergencies and treatments.

Navigation Techniques in Diverse Environments: Practical training in navigation using magical and conventional tools in varied environments. Simulated exercises in finding paths, mapping territories, and using magical navigation aids.

Advanced Field Navigation and Dimensional Travel: Understanding navigation in different dimensions and planes, including dimensional gateways and portals. Simulation exercises involving navigation across multiple dimensions.

Strategic Leadership and Organization Department

Leadership Development in Combat Scenarios: Training in command structures, leadership roles, and decision-making. Practical leadership exercises in simulated combat scenarios.

Organizational Tactics and Logistics: Understanding logistics in combat, resource management, and operational planning. Case studies on effective and failed logistical operations.

Arcane School of Magic

Departments

Magical Theory and History Department

History of Magical Practices: Exploration of magical practices across civilizations and historical eras. Analysis of influential magical theorists and their contributions.

Theoretical Foundations of Magic: Study of magical principles, laws, and universal magical theories. Discussions on the nature and essence of magic

Spellcraft Department

Fundamentals of Spellcasting: Practical instruction in basic spellcasting techniques. Practice sessions focusing on accuracy and incantation.

Advanced Spellcasting and Rituals: Mastery of complex spell structures and ceremonial magic. Practical applications in controlled environments.

Alchemy and Potionology Department

Alchemy Principles and Applications: Understanding alchemical principles, transmutation, and elemental correspondences. Practical experimentation with basic alchemical processes.

Potion Brewing and Elixir Crafting: Hands-on brewing of magical potions and elixirs. Studying potion ingredients and their magical properties.

Magical Artifacts Department

Identification and Analysis of Magical Artifacts: Study of various magical artifacts, their origins, and functionalities. Analytical methods for artifact identification and assessment.

Creation and Enchantment of Artifacts: Practical workshops on crafting and enchanting magical artifacts. Collaborative projects to design and create enchanted items.

Mystical Creatures Department

Introduction to Behavioral Studies of Magical Creatures: Observational studies on magical creature behavior and habitats. Ethical considerations in studying and interacting with mystical creatures.

Conservation and Care of Magical Species: Methods for ethical conservation, preservation, and sustainable habitats for magical creatures. Hands-on experiences in caring for and understanding mystical creatures.

Taming and Riding of Magical Beasts: Mastery of riding and taming diverse mystical creatures. Developing rapport and control for combat and strategic advantages.

Advanced Biology and Magic of Mystical Creatures: Study of the biological traits, magical attributes, and habitats of various mystical creatures. Examination of how magic interacts with their physiology and behavior.

TechForge School of Engineering

Departments

Techno-Magic Integration and Programming

Introduction to Techno-Magic Fusion: Overview of the principles behind merging technology and magic. Exploring historical examples and contemporary advancements.

Enchanting Technologies: Understanding enchantment methods for technological applications. Practical workshops on infusing technology with magical enhancements.

Properties of Magic Metals and Alloys: Study of magical properties in various materials and alloys used in techno-magical engineering. Analysis of how different materials interact with magical enhancements.

Programming in Magical Systems: Understanding programming languages and coding specific to magical systems and technological interfaces. Hands-on coding exercises for techno-magical devices.

Aerospace Engineering and Dimensional Travel

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics: Principles of flight, airfoil design, and aircraft stability. Hands-on experiments and simulations.

Spacecraft Design and Orbital Mechanics: Design considerations for spacecraft and understanding orbital mechanics. Projects involving simulated space missions.

Advanced Aerodynamics and Interdimensional Travel: In-depth study of aerodynamic principles and their application in interdimensional and cross-dimensional travel. Theoretical discussions and simulations on dimensional travel theories.

Maintenance and Upkeep of Advanced Aircrafts: Techniques and best practices for maintaining futuristic aircraft and spacecraft. Practical sessions on diagnosing and solving maintenance issues.

Vehicle Engineering and Transportation Infrastructure

Automotive Design and Innovation: Study of vehicle dynamics, design principles, and automotive innovation. Design projects for advanced vehicle concepts.

Advanced Transportation Systems Applications: Examination of futuristic transportation systems. Prototyping and development of next-gen transportation solutions.

Interdimensional Transportation Infrastructure: Understanding the civil engineering aspects of futuristic transportation systems. Design considerations and planning for advanced transportation networks.

Maintenance and Optimization of Techno-Magic Vehicles: Techniques for maintenance and optimization of advanced futuristic vehicles. Real-world case studies on improving vehicle efficiency.

Techno-Magic Artifacts & Tools

Construction Techniques and Enchantments: Advanced methods for constructing and enchanting techno-magic artifacts. Experimentation with different enchantment techniques for varying effects.

Practical Workshop: Magical Device Design: Hands-on sessions for students to design simple magical devices. Collaborative projects incorporating magical enchantments into technological devices.

Experimental Prototyping and Testing: Hands-on experimentation and testing of innovative techno-magic concepts. Collaborative projects to prototype and test new techno-magic innovations.

Application and Deployment of Techno-Magic Artifacts: Practical application scenarios for tools and artifacts in various settings. Simulated exercises demonstrating the use of constructed techno-magic tools.

Techno-Magic Innovation & Development

Emerging Technologies in Techno-Magic Fusion: Exploring cutting-edge developments in merging technology and magic. Discussions on potential future advancements.

Ethical Considerations in Techno-Magic Integration: Discussions on the ethical implications of merging technology with magic. Case studies and debates on responsible use of techno-magic fusion.

Research Methodologies in Techno-Magic Fusion: Techniques and approaches to conducting research in techno-magic integration. Project-based learning on innovative research methodologies.

Techno-Magic Weaponry Design

Advanced Weaponry Prototyping: Designing and prototyping technologically enhanced magical weapons. Emphasis on both combat effectiveness and safety measures.

Tactical Strategies for Techno-Magic Combat: Integrating combat psychology with the design and usage of techno-magic weaponry. Simulated scenarios testing weaponry and strategy effectiveness.

Theoretical and Practical Weaponry Applications: Advanced theories and practical applications in creating combat-focused techno-magic weaponry. Simulated combat scenarios to test and refine weaponry designs.

Required Classes

Required Classes for Students of Vanguard

Introduction to Behavioral Studies of Magical Creatures

Taming and Riding of Magical Beast

Practical Combat Scenarios

Medical Training and Combat First Aid

Navigation Techniques in Diverse Environments

Advanced Field Navigation and Dimensional Travel

Weapon Proficiency and Maintenance

Close-Quarters Combat Techniques

Organizational Tactics and Logistics

Ancient Battles and Warfare Tactics

Modern Warfare: Strategies and Evolutions

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics

Ethical Decision-Making in Warfare

Theoretical Foundations of Magic

Identification of Magical Flora - Beneficial and Hazardous

Required Classes for Students of Arcane

Creation and Enchantment of Artifacts

History of Magical Practices

Fundamentals of Spellcasting

Alchemy Principles and Applications

Potion Brewing and Elixir Crafting

Identification and Analysis of Magical Artifacts

Creation and Enchantment of Artifact

Ethics and Magic

Introduction to Behavioral Studies of Magical Creatures

Identification of Magical Flora - Beneficial and Hazardous

Theoretical Foundations of Magic

Required Classes for Students of TechForge

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics

Properties of Magic Metals and Alloys

Programming in Magical Systems

Enchanting Technologies

Introduction to Techno-Magic Fusion

Advanced Aerodynamics and Interdimensional Travel

Experimental Prototyping and Testing

Ethical Considerations in Techno-Magic Integration

Navigation Techniques in Diverse Environments

Advanced Field Navigation and Dimensional Travel

Construction Techniques and Enchantments

Identification and Analysis of Magical Artifacts

Creation and Enchantment of Artifacts

Theoretical Foundations of Magic

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Winx Rewrite Master Post

Red Fountain Polytechnic

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If you went to Red Fountain what would you specialize in and/or what classes would interest you the most?