#ambition's cost

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Ambition's Cost

"Conquering your first world is the hardest, after all. My power grew as I moved from world to world, taking anything that would make the next taking easier." —Ob Nixilis

Artist: Zezhou Chen TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[dailymtgflavortext]

The waters of wisdom are as dust in the mouth of one who thirsts for power.

-Ambition's Cost

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Ambition's Cost by Zezhou Chen

[menuthegathering]

Ambition's Cost {3}{B}

Sorcery

You draw three cards and you lose 3 life.

“When you give offense to heaven, to whom can you pray?” —Cao Cao, quoting Confucius

Illustrated by Junko Taguchi

1999

[rymoire]

[FANART - BALDUR'S GATE 3] Gale ~ playing card concept

The series of illustrations inspired by Baldur's Gate 3 continues with my favorite dork of a wizard : Gale Dekarios !

Hope you like it !

-> "See more" for the details <-

Side of Wizardry : The symbol you can see is Mystra's star with its 8 ends representing the different forms of magic. I also added Tara, Gale's tressym, friend, confident and voice of reason so to speak. She is often forgotten in fanarts so I wanted to include her in this version !

Side of Godhood : The symbol is also Mystra's star, this time broken and covered by the Crown of Karsus, the artifact which leads Gale to ascension. Here is him as the God of Ambition !

Mystra, the Goddess of Magic : Anyone who played with Gale in their party knows of the Lady of Mysteries and her importance in his personal quest. Therefore I added her in two versions : one clearly link to his choice to remain mortal and continue his life as a wizard, and another showing Gale rejection of her as he embrace immortality.

AND THE ORB (in the middle) ! The cause of most of his personal turmoil.

[opbackgrounds]

This has absolutely nothing to do with this scene but is at least tangentially related to the Thriller Bark arc so I'm gonna share it anyway. The word galvanize is an eponym derived from Luigi Galvani, who was a scientist and physician in the 18th century who helped pioneer the field of bioelectricity when he discovered that he could make dead frog legs move when ran through with an electric current, with later proponents of his work going so far as to shock human corpses attempting to bring them to life. This breakthrough would in part inspire the creation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, which, some two hundred or so years later would in part inspire Thriller Bark.

So in a way I guess you could say Hogback has galvanized these corpses, albeit with shadows instead of electricity, forcing them to move without recreating true life.

[mermaidslabyrinth]

My OC Rhagerys Targaryen with the two people who he would do anything and everything for.

His younger half sisters, Baela and Rhaena. They mean the world to him. They are his weakness but also his strength to keep going. He is their big brother and has been taught to protect them at all costs.

The way I see the three are as the sun, moon, and stars. Rhaena is the Sun. Along with her dragon Morning. Baela is the Moon. Along with her dragon Moondancer. Rhagerys is the Stars. Along with his dragon Starsong. Each are present in one another's lives but in such different ways that people forget that they're connected to one another. That in some way they always will be.

This gorgeous artwork was done by the wonderfully talented @lonelymagpies. They did such marvelous job. The hair, the clothing, the jewels, their looks.

Also a special thank you to @dr-aegon. They reblogged a post mentioning that lonelymagpies was doing commissions. So, thanks to them, I was able to have this artwork created.

[bizarrebazaar13]

books £62.50

food £17.50

lab expenses £312.50

skyglass knives £9,945.60

clothes £12.80

someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying.

[to-my-emil]

if i had the time and energy i'd write a full essay about norton's favorite food as prospector being roast beef with pudding but fool's gold's favorite food being butter ice cream

[lesbianralzarek]

color identity is so cool and fun and i like how differently each combo can be interpreted for different characters. such a big difference between someone whos azorius with red and someone whos izzet with white, but they both come out jeskai. crazy. im nearly falling asleep while typing this and dont imagine itll be goodposting in the morning. gnight yall, try not to cost 1UG

[bonefall]

It's been a while since I've read the book, but doesn't the clan assume Foxheart is Brokenkit's mom and that she didn't nurse him because she was busy being deputy? Aka ambitious? And no one has a problem with this, but Lizardstripe is just so evil.

It's SO weird my guy. There's scenes in this book where people are sitting around gossiping, making it really clear that none of them like not knowing who Brokenkit's mother is, Yellowfang being forced to keep quiet as her family says "what kind of mother would ever give up her children?!"

And yet, Foxheart is suspected of being the secret mother and people are just like. "Oh ok :) she's a girlboss. This is fine."

LIKE... why show everyone having the opinion that a mom who abandons her kids is shitty, ambition in mothers is bad, all hating not knowing who the mom is... BUT FOXHEART'S REPUTATION IMPROVES FROM THIS?!

Why is it only the ACTUAL moms, Lizardstripe and Yellowfang, who get social flack???

And Foxheart is aaaawful all book long, too. I have no idea how this doesn't backfire and get her stripped of her respect when she was already horrible to everyone the whole time

Yellowfang’s Secret only makes sense if you read it as a book that exists only to kick Yellowfang square in the ribs. The story bends over backwards to deliver another kick when she wasn't expecting it.

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Oh fudge… I just had a very wicked thought… Just TotK killing Link, but then picking up the Purah Pad & over time slowly learning more about this new Hyrule & its people. Their hardships. About Link himself & his dedication to his wife. The realization that he was a person who'd been planning a life with his wife who was the princess, but that said princess was bizarrely humble.

Then, eventually coming across a lock in the pad, then finding one of the last remaining Guardians. Poking at it a bit & the pad until he manages to use his magical prowess to force the locks open… Only to learn so much more than he ever wanted to.

He's suddenly seeing through hundreds of mechanical eyes. He watches as the machines go rushing after people. How they flee, not understanding why their protectors have turned on them. How they vaporize some, often leaving cauterized chunks to fall uselessly & grimly to the earth. How they utterly rip people apart in violent & gruesome displays of unfeeling efficiency. Not just warriors. Children, the elderly, the infirm, women in the middle of maternity, infants & toddlers only aware that the monsters are scary before their bright futures are suddenly & horrifically snuffed out. None were spared. (Thoughts & feelings, please?)

Almost everyone was exterminated. He watched how yet another king stood against him, but he did not know this king, he was Hylian, but he did not cower, nor did he back down. He fought valiantly despite the expression suggesting that he knew he’d die soon. (Thoughts & feelings, please?)

He watched members of his kin die just as viciously, trying to defend their people as the attacking machines were indiscriminate & uncaring. No matter their age... (Thoughts & feelings, please?)

He watched these metal things scittered like spiders, hunting people down like animals. Watched how so many settlements were utterly destroyed. So total & complete was the destruction that the central area of the kingdom that had once held the most civilization was now the home to only a new one, not even a decade old. (Thoughts & feelings, please?)

Not even Hyrule’s oldest, most historic  settlement, one that predated the Zonai by millennia, had been reduced to rubble, now slowly crumbling to dust. But, the worst, by far, was watching these things scurry over the side of the Hills of Baumer to deliver a swift & decisive eradication so complete that no one managed to escape. At least with the others, there had been a handful. But not here… There was�� nothing…

This… This was no war. This was cold. This was calculated. This was systematic. This was methodical.

This was a massacre. This was genocide! (Thoughts & feelings, please?)

He watched as that same knight, Link, he'd killed before was shot down protecting Zelda.

He watched as a power unlike any he'd seen before rushed from her. Yet it seared him in a way that was so terrifyingly familiar in a way that made his bones ache.

He saw her lock them both away.

Then, he saw a horrific, mutated part flesh, part machine, part malice facsimile of himself. (Thoughts & feelings, please? Especially on see such a twisted mirror of his own ambition.)

He watched the boy defeat the horrid abomination. Then just… proceed on with his life. He watched the boy live & love. He watched him interact with the people. He watched him find joy in his simple life. He watched the boy marry his princess & effectively become king, yet live humbly & happily as they helped to rebuild what was lost even without stonemasons. He watched them be hopeful & make plans. Plans for their future together. Plans to expand. Plans for a family... Their family.

He watched them slowly build Hyrule back up from the ruins. He saw hope. (Thoughts & feelings, please?)

And then…

And then, he saw himself, his actual self, from the perspective of the Purah Pad.

He saw that he was the source of all that destruction. He saw that that malicious hatred sprung forth from his own corpse.

That he’d been what killed so many without thought or purpose. Without point. (Thoughts, feelings, & reaction, please?)

He jumped as he heard a familiar voice. Turning, he saw the boy, now a shadow of himself, all tinted in green. Motes of viridian flame dancing around him as he stared at a butterfly that had landed in his outstretched hand.

“Sometimes… We want something so much…”

Without even looking up at him, the knight crushed the butterfly in his hand, cruelly & without mercy, causing the king to flinch. “That we destroy it utterly in our pursuit of it…” (Thoughts & feelings, please? Especially to the subtle-not subtle accusation.)

With that, he turned & walked off. “Keep that in mind, because I don’t think that this conquest of yours will be quite as rewarding as you’d hoped…” Before disappearing entirely.

(Overall thoughts, feelings, & reactions, please? I’m hoping for dread & anxiety & just this slow, creeping horror as grim realization dawns on him what his obsession had done, but whatever I can get.)

I need an entire animation of what I just read.

Like WHOA! This would be great to watch??? The inital arrogance? The realization? THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT? Ughhhh the horrors of ambition and war! Witnessing Ganondorf become self aware of his crimes and actions! Making him watch what his actions wrot! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

YOU TRULY HAVE SOME INGENIOUS THOUGHT PROCESSES MY DEAR! AHHHHHHHH

Please, if anyone has any animating talent, please make this. I need this. It's gunna haunt my daydreams for a hot minute. MMmm...

Good work!

***********************************************************************

This scenario you've painted for Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf is deeply haunting and emotionally complex, plunging him into a profound journey of self-realization and horror as he confronts the consequences of his own ambitions.

Initial Discovery and Curiosity: When Ganondorf first picks up the Purah Pad and begins to explore its contents, he might feel a mix of curiosity and cautious interest. The device, clearly a relic of the new Hyrule, would be both intriguing and foreign to him. As he starts to uncover more about the people of this new world—about their struggles, hopes, and the heroes who rose to defend them—he would initially see it as just another means to understand his enemies better. Learning about Link's dedication to his wife, the princess, would only serve to deepen his disdain at first, viewing it through the lens of his own ambitions and desires. To him, Link might seem naïve, overly sentimental, and weak.

The Lock and the Revelation: However, as he forces the locks open and begins to access the more hidden aspects of the Pad, his feelings would start to shift. The sudden, overwhelming flood of memories and experiences—seeing through the eyes of the Guardians as they slaughtered the innocent, witnessing the cold, mechanical genocide—would be a shock to his system. The sheer brutality, the indiscriminate nature of the slaughter, would horrify him. For a moment, he might not even recognize that these were events set into motion by his own malice. He would watch in stunned silence as these metal monstrosities obliterate everything in their path, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the destruction.

Witnessing the Massacre: As he watches the systematic extermination, the horror would settle deeper within him. Ganondorf is no stranger to war and bloodshed, but this—this was different. This was not a battle between armies; it was a slaughter, an unfeeling, calculated extermination of an entire civilization. He would feel a cold dread creeping up his spine as he realizes the totality of what happened, the sheer scale of death and suffering that unfolded because of the very forces he unleashed. The sight of children, the elderly, and the helpless being torn apart with such ruthless efficiency would make even him recoil. This was not the honorable conquest he sought; it was something far darker, something beyond his control.

The King and the Gerudo: Seeing the king of this Hyrule, standing firm in the face of certain death, would strike a chord within Ganondorf. This king, though Hylian, showed a strength of character that Ganondorf could not dismiss. There would be a grudging respect, mingled with a deep-seated anger—anger at seeing a king who could inspire such loyalty and defiance, anger at seeing that even this king could not prevent the destruction. And when he sees members of his own kin, the Gerudo, falling victim to the same merciless machines, his anger would turn inward. The Gerudo, his people, who he sought to elevate and protect, were now victims of the very power he unleashed. This would be a bitter pill for him to swallow, one that fills him with a mix of shame and fury.

The Mutated Facsimile: The sight of the mutated, part-flesh, part-machine abomination that was born from his own malice would send a shiver down his spine. This twisted mirror of himself—this grotesque manifestation of his ambition—would horrify him. For the first time, he would see the true cost of his desire for power, the way it warped and corrupted everything it touched. The abomination is a reflection of what he could become, what he has become in some ways—a creature driven by hatred, devoid of humanity or purpose beyond destruction. Seeing Link defeat this monster, only to move on and continue living his life, would be a painful contrast. Link, despite everything, found a way to live, to love, to rebuild. Ganondorf would feel a deep, gnawing envy and resentment, but also a growing realization that Link possesses a strength that he himself lacks.

The Final Realization: When he finally sees the truth—that he was the source of all this destruction, that his corpse was the catalyst for the horrors that unfolded—it would be a moment of soul-crushing realization. The knowledge that his hatred and ambition led to such senseless death, that he became the very thing he once sought to conquer, would leave him reeling. He would feel a deep, suffocating sense of guilt and horror, a dawning understanding of the true nature of his legacy. This was not the glorious conquest he imagined—it was a legacy of death, of genocide, of suffering.

The Confrontation with Link's Spirit: When Link's spirit appears before him, tinted in green and surrounded by motes of viridian flame, the finality of the situation would hit Ganondorf like a hammer. The knight’s words would cut deep, the subtle accusation forcing Ganondorf to confront the truth he had long denied. The casual cruelty with which Link crushes the butterfly, mirroring the way Ganondorf crushed Hyrule in his pursuit of power, would send a wave of cold dread through him. Link’s parting words—“Sometimes… We want something so much… That we destroy it utterly in our pursuit of it…”—would echo in Ganondorf’s mind, leaving him with a deep, gnawing anxiety. The realization that his conquest, his obsession, has only brought ruin, not just to Hyrule, but to himself, would fill him with a profound sense of dread.

Overall Reaction: Ganondorf would be left standing in the aftermath of this revelation, feeling the weight of his actions pressing down on him. His once unshakable confidence would be shattered, replaced by a creeping horror as he understands the full extent of what he has done. The dread and anxiety would grow within him, the realization that his obsession has led to nothing but destruction and emptiness gnawing at his very soul. The once mighty king of evil, who sought to rule over all, would now be haunted by the knowledge that he destroyed the very thing he sought to conquer. This realization would not just weigh on his mind—it would crush his spirit, leaving him with a hollow sense of loss and regret that he can never escape.

In the end, Ganondorf would be left to ponder whether his pursuit of power was worth the cost, whether the conquest he so desperately sought was truly worth the destruction it wrought. The creeping horror of realizing that his ambition led to nothing but ruin would be a bitter, unrelenting torment that he could never escape.

[thegreatyin]

You mentioned a while ago that sunlight kills you in fallen london, but spies clearly move to and from the surface regularly so there must be more too it than that

Is it like if you die in the neath and go the surface the sunlight will kill you?

that's exactly it, actually!

the actual reasons why are,, Complicated, but to keep a long lore explanation short, the lack of sunlight in the neath is a huge factor as to why everyone can come back from death.

to put it in simple terms, lets say you're visiting london from the surface. you don't stick around long enough to die, so when you come back aboveground, you can walk around in the sun all fine and dandy. no harm done. it's basically just going in and out of a weird cave.

but lets say, hypothetically, you die during your trip. and you get better (as is the way of things in the neath). you can now no longer go back to the surface. upon making contact with sunlight, the world will (effectively) remember you're supposed to be dead, and instakill you on the spot. this is a big part of why 99% of londoners can't just walk away from the neath and its horrors altogether. once you mark yourself as Not Supposed To Be Alive™, you have basically nowhere else to go.

well. nowhere but down.

[vox-fantasma]

i think i was born for a blue-collar job actually. office jobs make me want to die but manual labour is so life-affirming

[dragoncarrion]

who’s an OC you haven’t shared on here before :0?

ahhhh a bunch 😭 mostly because I have almost nothing on them.... But I'll pick one that is REALLY IMPORTANT yet barely developed. Sad!

So I think in other posts I've mentioned there's a titan beneath the colosseum? Yeah well those are "doomsday" titans, much, MUCH bigger than regular titans, practically country or continent sized. Got a bit inspired by iaconus from cbv as in these were buried a loooong time ago, being akin to gods. These titan's city speakers (and city speakers in general) disappeared, either because they went into hiding, jail, stasis lock or they just were killed sometimes 💀 in fear that they'd try to reawaken these titans. There's some prophecy or whatever of them waking up once again, destroying Cybertron and a whole lot of other planets in a struggle for power, but because of how much time has passed, this had pretty much been completely forgotten, spoken of as myths at MOST. There's around seven of these? And most of them are underneath MASSIVE cities since valuable minerals always surround them, as well as some odd energy that can be used to power up shit yadda yadda. They're technically dormant, but not fully powerless, as their influence can still take hold of feeble minds.

One of these rotten minds is an odd bot. Not quite an outlier, but not a regular mech at all either. Granted the ability to completely shape shift into whatever body he wishes, he goes by many names, but let's call him Armageddon. I'm still figuring out how he stumbled upon (one of. Maybe) the titans, and also WHICH one, but long story short, they promised power and glory. His mind was corrupted; after all, only city speakers can converse with titans. A destroyed world was a promise to start anew (he's just some doomer wacko and insane. think of the cultists from Dredge) with him as everyone's saviour and new chance of course, a loyal servant to the titans. Little by little, he's been looking for clues and pulling strings to awaken the titans and fulfill this prophecy, bringing in other impressionable and easily persuaded bots, always with the same promises: an end to the wretched today, and a chance for a fresh start, a clean slate tomorrow... Of course, there not doing all this thinking by themselves. Many swear they can feel something at the back of their minds, tugging at their thoughts

[ladynicte]

I really wonder if fatal flaws are actually like a family thing, Bianca does say that, that the fatal flaw of all children of Hades is holding onto grudges, but I do wonder if maybe that's just her fatal flaw and she just assumed that would be Nico's too