#hold an intervention in the magic communities mind

[fluffypotatey]

Wish we could have gotten Merlin exercising his authority as Emrys just once to telepathically yell at the local magic community:

"IF YOU WANT ARTHUR NOT TO BE LIKE UTHER, THEN STOP FUCKING TREATING HIM LIKE UTHER."

imagine him housing an intervention for the magic community but it's all telepathic. talks to them like a disappointed teacher who received a note from the sub that described their class as "too loud"

[picassoaiart]

Unveiling the Canvas: Exploring Text to Picture AI Technology

In the age of rapid technological advancement, innovation knows no bounds. From revolutionizing communication to redefining the boundaries of creativity, artificial intelligence (AI) has been at the forefront of transformative change. Among the myriad applications of AI, one particularly captivating innovation is Text to Picture AI Technology. This groundbreaking advancement holds the promise of bridging the gap between imagination and visualization like never before.

Text to Picture AI Technology operates on the principle of generating images from textual descriptions. Imagine being able to vividly describe a scene, a character, or an abstract concept, and watch as AI brings it to life on the digital canvas. This technology harnesses the power of deep learning algorithms and neural networks to interpret text inputs and render corresponding visual representations with remarkable accuracy.

At its core, Text to Picture AI Technology embodies the fusion of art and science. It empowers creators, artists, and storytellers to transcend the limitations of traditional mediums and unleash their imagination in ways previously unimagined. Whether you're a novelist seeking to illustrate your fictional world, a game developer crafting immersive environments, or a designer conceptualizing new products, Text to Picture AI Technology opens up a realm of possibilities limited only by your creativity.

One of the most compelling aspects of this technology is its ability to democratize the creative process. No longer confined to skilled illustrators or graphic designers, anyone with a vision and a way with words can now effortlessly translate their ideas into visual form. This accessibility not only fosters inclusivity within the creative community but also serves as a catalyst for innovation across diverse fields.

Moreover, Text to Picture AI Technology holds immense potential in education and research. Imagine students exploring historical events by generating lifelike depictions, scientists visualizing complex data sets to gain deeper insights, or architects bringing their blueprints to life with photorealistic renderings. By seamlessly converting textual information into visual stimuli, this technology has the capacity to revolutionize learning and discovery across disciplines.

However, beyond its practical applications, Text to Picture AI Technology sparks a profound philosophical conversation about the nature of creativity and the boundaries of artificial intelligence. Can a machine truly comprehend the nuances of human imagination? Does the act of generating art devoid of human intervention diminish its value, or does it redefine our understanding of authorship and artistic expression?

As we ponder these questions, one thing remains certain: Text to Picture AI Technology represents a paradigm shift in how we perceive and interact with the digital world. It challenges us to reimagine the possibilities of AI beyond mere automation and optimization, inviting us to co-create alongside intelligent algorithms in a symbiotic relationship of man and machine.

In this era of boundless innovation, it's crucial to embrace the transformative potential of technologies like Text to Picture AI. As we harness its capabilities to inspire, educate, and innovate, let us also remain mindful of the ethical considerations and societal implications that accompany such advancements.

So, whether you're an aspiring creator looking to explore new frontiers of expression or a curious enthusiast eager to witness the convergence of art and technology, the time to embrace Text to Picture AI Technology is now. Join us as we embark on a journey of discovery and imagination, where every word becomes a brushstroke, and every idea a masterpiece.

And if you're ready to experience the magic of AI-generated art firsthand, why not take the plunge and explore the mesmerizing world of Picasso Art? Click here to unleash your creativity and witness the power of Text to Picture AI in action. The canvas awaits—what will you create?

[danieldavidreitberg]

Crystal Ball and Code: The Future of AI in Tobacco Research

Tobacco, like a vengeful phoenix, keeps rising from the ashes of regulation and awareness campaigns. In this constant battle, a new weapon has emerged: artificial intelligence (AI). No longer just battling addiction, AI is peering into the future, predicting and preventing the next generation of tobacco products – before they even hit the shelves.

Delving into the Smoker's Mind:

Imagine AI analyzing vast datasets of smoker preferences, social media trends, and even brain scans. By identifying patterns and predicting future desires, AI can anticipate the next big thing in tobacco, whether it's a flavor infused with nostalgia or a nicotine delivery system masquerading as a sleek gadget.

The Prevention Powerhouse:

Armed with this foresight, AI can then become a proactive shield:

Simulating the Effects: AI can model the potential health risks of new tobacco products before they even enter development, guiding regulations and informing public health campaigns.

Mapping the Marketing Maze: AI can track and disrupt targeted marketing strategies, preventing the "cool factor" from influencing vulnerable populations.

Designing Effective Interventions: By learning from existing quit-smoking tools and understanding why they succeed or fail, AI can help develop personalized and effective interventions for future products.

But Ethics Hold the Reins:

While the potential is thrilling, it demands responsible use:

Data Privacy Concerns: Accessing and analyzing personal data raises questions about privacy. Robust protections and transparency are crucial to ensure trust and avoid exploitation.

Algorithmic Bias: AI algorithms can be biased, potentially impacting which products are targeted for prevention. Diverse datasets and rigorous testing are essential to avoid reinforcing inequalities.

The Slippery Slope of Nudge: Predicting behavior can morph into manipulating it. We must ensure AI interventions empower informed choices, not dictate them.

A Collaborative Future:

The success of AI in tobacco research lies in collaboration:

Scientists and Tech Developers: Working together to ensure AI models are accurate, unbiased, and ethically developed.

Policymakers and Regulators: Implementing AI-powered insights into policies that effectively counter evolving tobacco tactics.

Public Health Advocates and Communities: Partnering to ensure inclusivity and raise awareness about the potential of AI in prevention.

A Vision for a Smoke-Free Future:

AI cannot be a magic bullet, but it can be a powerful tool in the fight against tobacco. By harnessing its predictive power responsibly, we can anticipate and dismantle the next generation of addictive products before they even take root. This collaborative effort can pave the way for a future where smoke-free lungs are not just a dream, but a reality.

Share your thoughts! How do you see AI shaping the future of tobacco research? What ethical considerations need to be prioritized? Let's work together to build a future where AI empowers us to breathe easier and live healthier lives.

Together, let's use AI as a shield, not a sword, in the fight against tobacco. Let's create a future where smoke-free lungs are the norm, not the exception.

[ot-is-spilled-blog]

‘Our language is a reflection of ourselves.’ – Cesar Chavez.

Four weeks ago, there stood a girl dressed in green scrubs clutching onto her belongings in the community out of fear of the unknown. This girl was both naïve and sheltered in her upbringing. Pieces of privilege from her own life were beginning to be challenged and reflected on. The injustices and the lives of others, so close to her own home had a stark contrast. It was black and white. This is a reality in South Africa, there is a lack of balance in our societies because of overriding injustices. That girl is me, a final-year occupational therapy student thrust into her first day of community fieldwork with fears, worries and anxiety.

Cesar Chavez, who is a civil rights activist, stated that ‘Our language is a reflection of ourselves.’ He goes on to explain how this represents growth in a person (Chavez, 2023). This blog aims to reflect on my experiences and thoughts on the 4 weeks, I have spent working in the community of Cato Crest and Denis Hurley Centre and the lessons learnt.

Much of my anxiety, was due to feedback and commentary from previous students. I heard numerous complaints and rants. However, I began to quickly realise that other people’s experiences cannot shape mine. It was after the second week of fieldwork that my thinking shifted, and the magic occurred.

As clinicians, we must always begin by thinking critically. Critical thinking allows one to become solution based. This ensures the best possible intervention for your client and ways in which your therapeutic skills could improve (Doyle, 2022). It is very important to look at life from every side and angle. This is what I struggled with in my first few weeks of community. Previously, I was so used to working within the box and this was dependent on whether I was in a paediatric or psycho-social fieldwork block. Since I began this degree, it has always been emphasised, how OT is based on being holistic to a client. But I have never truly achieved this up until community. As my wise supervisor repeatedly asked, ‘How is your session any different from a normal paediatric session?’, ‘What if this was the last time seeing your client?’ This was the missing puzzle piece for me, what if it was?  The gears shifted in my mind. This is the reality of community-based practice.  Therefore, I had to now become confident, and ensure every aspect of OT was being addressed in my session or else I would be failing as a clinician and doing my client a disservice. This a lesson to carry into community service.

A few moments stuck out to me and are impossible to forget. My previous fieldwork block was at Newlands Park Centre for substance abuse users. Within my first week at Denis Hurley Centre, I bumped into a gentleman whom I was working with at NPC. It felt like fate. He had a happy ending, he visibly looked well and was still sober. He was holding his little daughter's hand and is working on mending the relationships in his family. He was still benefiting from the social work counselling and even attended my substance abuse group to motivate those in active addiction. It felt like a success. However, on the flip side, there was another gentleman who also knew me from the rehabilitation centre, he is currently homeless and relapsed within 48 hours of completing the program.  I began to reflect and ask myself, ‘What went wrong?’

Was it the intervention that failed him? However, the previous gentlemen were a success story. So perhaps it was his own actions and negligence? When I spoke to him more at DHC, I realised that he had the tools and knowledge for sobriety but did not implement this. This is what I realised occurs in other communities too.

Similarly, Thandeka’s Creche in Cato Crest was previously given many resources by students over the years. However, on visiting the creche it was bare of all resources. Previously, a recreational area was painted and created for children, this is now filled with rubbish and rubble. There are countless stories of projects being vandalised, stolen, or lost in the community. I am not sure how we can tackle this in the future. Perhaps, at the creche, we can begin taking inventory each time services are provided. I still have not answered my question of why people in the community cause harm to what is benefiting the wider population. I am afraid our services will not stop this, but the nature of occupational therapists is perseverance, and we cannot lessen or withdraw our services out of fear of theft, vandalization and crime. If we did this, we would be doing our profession a disservice by not trying to dismantle injustices and promote health and well-being.

The children at Dalton Creche come from a distraught home environment. There is an ongoing sewer issue, crime, drug abuse, and poverty, and the overall environment is not safe for play and development. At DHC, our sessions are done in a very different environment, the children have access to everything from hot meals to safe playing and technology. After visiting the actual creche, therapy sessions began to be structured differently. As I realised, we were not being holistic at all. Therefore, environmental safety was often discussed with the children using pictures, and cues to try and make therapy realistic and beneficial to their home environments.

In the Cato Manor clinic, I felt this process of learning was very realistic and prepared me for community service. As you do not have much preparation time and need to interview, assess, and provide intervention within a limited amount of time. This is what I struggled to implement but have become much more conscious about this.

All in all, despite the hardships experienced, this community block prepares you most for community service and working in primary health care or government facilities.  Imposter syndrome is real but do not mistake your lack of experience or knowledge as the inability to do something. We cannot be defensive if something goes wrong, we need to reflect on our interventions, consider constructive criticism and use this to improve as every single day comes with new lessons to be learnt.

Imposter Syndrome: 8 Ways to Deal With It Before It Hinders Your Success (hubspot.com)

The importance of self-reflection (irisconnect.com)

How To Give and Take Constructive Criticism (With Examples) | Indeed.com

8 Ways to Cope with College Anxiety and Stress (healthline.com)

References

Chavez, C. (2023). Cesar Chavez Quotes. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from BrainyQuote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/cesar_chavez_389927#:~:text=Cesar%20Chavez%20Quotes&text=Our%20language%20is%20the%20reflection%20of%20ourselves.,and%20growth%20of%20its%20speakers.

Doyle, A. (2022, March 15). Critical Thinking Definition, Skills, and Examples. Retrieved August 17, 2023, from ThoughtCo.: https://www.thoughtco.com/critical-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063745

Gepp, K. (2021, May 20). 8 Tips for Coping with Anxiety as a College Student. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/college-anxiety

Herbert-Smith, K. (2023, March 27). The importance of self-reflection. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from IRIS: https://blog.irisconnect.com/uk/community/blog/importance-of-self-reflection/#:~:text=We%20learn%20by%20experiences%20and,from%20just%20experiencing%2C%20into%20understanding.

Indeed. (2023, July 31). How To Give and Take Constructive Criticism (With Examples). Retrieved August 17, 2023, from Career Guide: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/constructive-criticism

Naidoo D, Van Wyk J, Joubert RW. Exploring the occupational therapist’s role in primary health care: Listening to voices of stakeholders. Afr J Prm Health Care Fam Med. 2016;8(1), a1139.

[thedatasciencehyderabad]

Basics Of Machine Learning: Varieties And Applications

The major purpose is to capacitate computer systems to study mechanically with no human intervention. Machine studying is more of an artwork, you can turn out to be good solely by practicing. For a superior level, you need to spend so much time working on varied machine studying and deep learning issues. And you want datasets to practice constructing and for tuning models.

A beginner in machine studying will find on this guide simply sufficient particulars to get a snug degree of understanding of the sector and begin asking the proper questions. Feedforward neural networks, or multi-layer perceptrons,  are what we’ve primarily been focusing on inside this text. They are comprised of an enter layer, a hidden layer or layers, and an output layer.

The reader will learn the necessary skills required to design, construct, and deploy functions powered by machine learning with the help of this guide. Written by Steven Bird, Ewan Klein, and Edward Loper, Natural language processing is the spine of machine studying techniques. This book is counted among the many finest books to begin understanding machine studying, the Programming Collective Intelligence by Toby Segaran was written in the yr 2007. The book makes use of Python as the mode of delivering knowledge to its readers.

There’s a thrill in that which just doesn’t match up to plenty of technical pursuits out there. And this produces it and makes it less brittle, and less dependent on human specialists. Google Photos is one other example, the place the system automatically creates albums of your pictures taken throughout a selected occasion and suggests “best photos”. You may even seek photographs of your birthday party by typing one thing like “cake”.

Written by Tom M. Mitchell, this guide is a fitting guide for getting began with machine learning. It presents an overarching view of machine learning theorems with summaries of the respective algorithms. 

It requires providing machines with the ability to understand natural human linguistics and communication. The place of data scientists incorporates machine learning, and their common pay is about $121,000. ML engineers use the rules from laptop science and engineering in arithmetic acquired from their machine learning degree to design and develop software.

Because of new computing applied sciences, machine learning right now isn't like machine learning of the previous. The iterative aspect of machine learning is necessary because as models are exposed to new data, they can independently adapt. They are taught from earlier computations to provide reliable, repeatable choices and outcomes. It’s a science that’s not new – however one which has gained contemporary momentum. This hundred-page machine studying guide is written by a skilled holding a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence with nearly twenty years of trade experience in computer science and hands-on machine learning. It is the first profitable attempt to put in writing a straightforward learning guide on machine studying that isn't afraid of using math.

Neural networks mirror the behavior of the human mind, permitting computer applications to acknowledge patterns and clear up common problems in the fields of AI, machine studying, and deep learning. The Machine Learning for Hackers by Drew Conway and John Myles White is meant for the skilled programmer thinking about crunching data. Rather than delving deeper into the mathematical concept of machine studying, the book explains numerous real-life examples to make learning ml easier and faster. Programmers want to guarantee that their deep learning fashions do not draw incorrect conclusions, which needs a substantial quantity of coaching. However, when this coaching is profitable, it's nothing in want of magic and represents a significant scientific breakthrough.

It may involve conventional statistical strategies and machine learning. Data mining applies methods from many different areas to determine beforehand unknown patterns from the information. This can embody statistical algorithms, machine studying, textual content analytics, time collection evaluation, and different areas of analytics. Data mining additionally consists of the examination and application of knowledge storage and knowledge manipulation. Unsupervised learning is used for knowledge that has no historic labels. The system just isn't advised the "proper answer." The algorithm must determine what's being shown.

Get introduced to advanced topics like deep studying, reinforcement studying, tongue course, laptop vision, and extra. Now that we now have tackled the basics, we will discover style choices associated with a profession in machine learning. If you’re in search of an in-demand profession, it might be a sensible move to set yourself up with the talents to work with good machines and artificial intelligence. Given beneath are some prominent and well-paying alternatives out there for a student pursuing machine learning. With a 344 p.c growth in job postings, machine studying has a broad selection of alternatives for its aspirants. While there are still parts of ML that need to be reviewed and studied, there’s no denying that it has made many people’s lives better.

Traditional Programming has become greater than century-old nowadays. Traditional programming always refers to any manually created program that all the time uses to enter data and runs on a pc to return the output. When trying to type Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning is intently related to a set of AIs. That is, all machine studying counts as AI, however, not all AI might be counted as machine learning.

For newbies who are in search of one of the best machine learning coaching online then HENRY HARVIN is the best place for you. Deep Learning and neural networks tend to be used interchangeably in conversation, which can be confusing. As an end result, it’s price noting that the “deep” in deep learning is just referring to the depth of layers in a neural community. A neural community that consists of greater than three layers—which can be inclusive of the inputs and the output—can be thought of as a deep learning algorithm. A neural network that only has two or three layers is only a basic neural community. The reader will learn a range of techniques, i.e. from easy linear regression and progressing to deep neural networks.

It’s also used in speech recognition, language translation, and self-driving vehicles. The coach Adhvaith sir has wonderful skills in machine learning and python. Overall course is sweet, If you're frequently attending the lectures then you possibly can acquire a lot of knowledge. Supervised learning accounts for around 70% of machine studying, with unsupervised learning accounting for the remaining 10% to 20%. Websites recommending gadgets you would possibly like primarily based on earlier purchases are using machine studying to investigate your shopping for the historical past. Machine studying is a fast-growing development within the well-being care trade, thanks to the arrival of wearable units and sensors that may use data to evaluate a patient's health in actual time.

Understand the brain system through synthetic neural connections, there is no actual possibility of machines dominating the world. AIM discovers new concepts and breakthroughs that create new relationships, new industries, and new methods of thinking. AIM is the crucial source of information and concepts that make sense of a reality that's at all times altering. If you might be in search of a job in AI, after this course additionally, you will have the ability to reply to fundamental interview questions.

The good thing about machine studying is that it at all times supplies us the power to continuously study from the enterprise information and based on that predict the long run enterprise circulate. But we have to bear in mind, machine learning is not a solitary endeavor. There isn't any confusion that current enterprise leaders are dealing with new and unexpected competitors nowadays. That’s why businesses are wanting in direction of the model and new methods that may prepare them for future survival. So, when a business tries some different strategies, then they all come back to an elementary primary truth that we've to rely upon the info and also need to comply with the information. In this article, we will focus on the essential value and concept of Machine Learning.

Usually, as quickly as a Computer Program designed by AI researchers really succeeds at one factor. This may even be profitable at chess – many of us say it’s “not extraordinarily intelligent” because the algorithm’s internals is properly understood. A wag would say that true AI is principally it does not matter what the computer systems can’t do nonetheless. Learning whereas doing is the easiest way of learning and the second after we begin to compete we'll know the locations of the place we have to develop.

ML might help you clear up day-to-day problems by organizing your information and analyzing it for you. The time period machine studying is part of artificial intelligence, but you can use each term interchangeably—depending on how it’s used and the necessities. Imagine how a lot of time you can save with the best algorithms. 360DigiTMG is a good supply of competitions and boards for ML hackathons and helps get one started on practical machine studying.

Our mission is to result in better-informed and more conscious selections about know-how by way of authoritative, influential, and trustworthy journalism. Informer, a genetic research device based mostly on Transformers, advances genetic analysis by predicting how DNA sequences influence gene expression. Artificial intelligence has moved from being a distinct segment matter to dominant expertise. Approximate solutions in situations the place actual answers are not feasible. It makes use of graphical models to describe probability distributions.

data science course institutes in hyderabad

This e-book focuses on mathematical derivations to outline the underlying logic of an ml algorithm. Written by Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, and Jerome Friedman, The Elements of Statistical Learning is a must-have e-book. It is recommended to have a fundamental understanding of linear algebra before choosing this guide.

“I handle merchandise, not individuals,” is a habitual remark made by many supervising technical teams. The time period ‘machine learning’ could propel photographs of a lone employee surrounded by pc systems and machines. But it’s far from the truth within the present climate of collaborative teamwork in the machine studying business. If you’re within the subject of data expertise or Data Science, you’re fairly clearly well-versed with this new technological addition. However, for these who don't have any background, the term must be appropriately explained. Because of many unclear explanations about ML, the excitement created numerous myths that confused folks.

For more information

360DigiTMG - Data Analytics, Data Science Course Training Hyderabad  

Address - 2-56/2/19, 3rd floor,, Vijaya towers, near Meridian school,, Ayyappa Society Rd, Madhapur,, Hyderabad, Telangana 500081

099899 94319

https://goo.gl/maps/saLX7sGk9vNav4gA9

[thesiltverses]

for those of us... creative folk who might want to create their own OC gods set in the Silt Verses universe, is there anything that we should keep in mind when doing so?

Hi!

So we wrote up a bit of a guide to this in our lorebook (based on the rules we drafted up ourselves.)

The basic strokes are...

2) Rural communities tend towards smaller gods, and more horrific or bizarre methods of worshipping them. City-dwellers often worship in ways that are safe, commercially-licenced or tokenistic. (Some satire is allowed here in the margins but should never become the focus. It should also not turn into American Gods.)

3) As poverty or desperation take hold, folk may find themselves worshipping more specific and terrible things, falling into patterns of ritual and behaviour that it’s impossible for them to escape from.

4) No matter how awful or perverse a particular faith is, it should always have a clear logic and a human need underpinning it. There are no ‘just evil’ cults.

5) Feed a god, and it will grow - perhaps not in ways you anticipated or wanted.

6) Sacrifice, in one form or another, is always necessary.

7) Each god has its own hidden language. It may initially reveal itself through visions or miracles, but formal worship requires the learning of that language.

8) ‘Prayer-marks' are usually folk symbols carved or written in a place of significance to invoke a god's intervention, written in the god’s hidden language. This is ritual magic, rather than dynamic communication, and while it can be used to attract a god’s attention, it’s no guarantee that the worshipper will get what they want.

9) Transformation is a key part of many faiths. Human forms can be painfully shaped into bewildering and terrible expressions of a god’s will - inevitably becoming inhuman or non-sentient in the process.

10) ‘Gods’ are not characters, but forces of bizarre will and focus shaped around a single concept or totem. ‘Angels’ are not characters, but awful, bestial extensions of their god. Gods do not speak or express comprehensible feelings, and their actions can only be interpreted by the characters.

[anarchopuppy]

Build an affinity group. An affinity group is a small group of 5 to 20 people who work together autonomously on direct actions or other projects. Affinity groups generally consist of like minded people who come together to get something done. If you already have an affinity group, link and cluster those groups!

Skill up. Delinking from capitalism and colonial apparatuses requires us to learn how to do things for ourselves and each other beyond buying, selling, working, or asking the state to help us. From self and collective defense, to gardening, building bikes, unschooling, and caring for each other- we can learn a skill and share a skill. We can change how we value skills and dismantle hierarchies of class and ableism.

Establish and practice good security culture. Security culture is necessary to survive state repression. We can stop a lot of infiltration and disinformation in its tracks by improving our ways of communicating and navigating conflict. We can still be horizontal and transparent without sacrificing security and safety.

Practice transformative and restorative justice. Strong communities make police and prisons obsolete. We can change our culture to prevent violence and abuse. We can build up our capacities to confront and resolve conflicts. We can strengthen our ties and detoxify our relationships so harm has no space to grow in our communities.

Mutual Aid. Start a mutual aid group and provide necessary support to those who are in need. Mutual aid organizing can ensure our communities are not dependent on corporations and the state. Shift your use of resources to things you can grow and make or procure from others in resistance. Build networks of aid and resources beyond capitalism.

Mutual defense. From arms training to street tactics to bystander interventions and safety teams, we need to have the skills and resources to defend our communities from fascist attacks on our people, non-human beings, and lands.

Build and sustain conflict infrastructure. Conflict Infrastructure is any structure we organize helps us be more effective in our fights. This is infrastructure that goes beyond solely providing awareness and services and instead builds our capacity to wage actual resistance. From community gardens and collectively coordinated farms to infoshops and independent media/communications.

Open squats for unsheltered folx. Rent is theft. Private property is colonial violence upon the land. Abolish rent and private property. Rematriate lands to original caretakers. Create spaces to live beyond landlords.

Defend and reclaim ancestral lands. Because #landback means ending colonial occupation and restoring Indigenous stewardship of our ancestral lands. Regenerate our sacred relations, and all that entails spiritually and materially, with our original homelands. Liberate the sacred.

Reparations. Seize what has been stolen from Black and Indigenous Peoples and liberate it back.  Radical redistribution is necessary.

Shut shit down. Intervene in critical infrastructure at the points where capitalism and colonialism are at their most vulnerable. Seize the streets, factories, ports, fracking pads, pipelines, power stations, smash the borders, be smart and be creative! It’s also an effective way to target those industries perpetuating climate change.

Be fiercely intersectional. ‘Cause we’re not taking those old shitty behaviors with us. Fuck anti-blackness, fuck orientalism, fuck islamaphobia, fuck anti-semitism, fuck transphobia, fuck heteropatriarchy, fuck white supremacy, fuck imperialism, fuck ableism, fuck hierarchy, fuck racism, fuck citizenship, fuck privilege, fuck everything fucked up!

Practice Radical Self & Collective Care. To remain dangerous to power we must care for ourselves and each other. Learn common triggers and how to communicate without being fucked up. Learn to communicate your needs, boundaries, and wants effectively and nontoxicly – remember that folks in the struggle and resistance have the hardest time accessing resources for mental and spiritual care. Movement work can be unsustainable to those with many experiences of settler policing and violence triggers – find ways to communicate and negotiate group norms and boundaries that accommodate peoples’ needs if reasonable. Identify toxic communication patterns and learn / create ways to dismantle them and communicate in more healthy and less harmful ways.Be honest about your limitations and care for yourself and each other. The christianized, capitalized colonial state has taught us to never rest or heal. Reject any attempts at coercing people to go beyond their limits. Radical self-care keeps us safe and invulnerable when consistently engaging in agitating governability by the state.

Make everything accessible for everyone. Reject ableism and objectification of our bodies and lives, establish community care networks with people equipped to provide first aid and care support to a full spectrum of needs. Challenge ableism in our language, how we organize, and how we value each other. We are all enough.

Abolish Rape Culture. Study rape and rape culture and how it relates to the desecration of sacred lands. Transform our culture and practices around dating, humor, relationships, sexuality, consent, parties, sex labor, and play to abolish rape culture. Hold mactivists, rapists, abusers, opportunists, and creeps accountable. Center consent and healthy relationships in everything we do everywhere.

Spread radical and militant joy. We can fuck shit up while we dance, sing, party, laugh, play, wonder, have deep conversations, tell stories, make art, make love, make magic, make brilliance, make awesomeness, and have fun.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Serenade (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader) Pt. 7

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: None? I think? Please let me know if I missed something Notes: This is incredibly dialogue heavy, and I actually don't feel as confident about this chapter as some of the past ones? Hopefully y'all like it, I mean at least the ending is cute (or cheesy, depending on who you ask). PS: Not sure how many chapters there will be in total, other than at least 3 more (one of which ill, in fact, get a little h*rny again. actually, h*rnier). Past Chapters: Pt. 1: Nocturne, Pt. 2: Overture, Pt. 3: Accelerando, Pt. 4: Toccata, Pt. 5: Poco a Poco, Pt. 6: Elegy

Chapter 7: Harmony

“We need to talk, yeah?” Daniela asked, nearly stuttering, a sort of nervous that you had never seen her exhibit before. The first thing you think is that she’s really, really cute when she doesn’t know what to do. After that you actually process what she said. Relief floods your chest, followed by warmth, and you make a mental note to thank Bela the next time you see her. In the meantime, you were unable to contain your happiness. Out of instinct you move closer to Daniela, smiling softly, quietly reaching one of your hands towards hers. There’s no hesitance in her response. Instead of taking your hand she pulls you in for a hug, opting to rest her chin against your shoulder. Admittedly you’re a little surprised, but you return the motion nonetheless. “Oh, little songbird…”

Heart racing, you softly press against Daniela, turning your head so that you could place a single, brief kiss against her exposed collarbone. For a moment the two of you just stay like that, holding each other close. When you pull away, remembering that you still hadn’t said anything, you find that Daniela is blushing from the neck up. In turn, the sight makes you blush. You can’t help but reach out and run your fingers through her hair. Though you can’t see yourself, you know your eyes are filled with affection.

“I love when you look at me like this,” Daniela whispered, not entirely meaning to voice her thoughts. Then you’re blushing harder, smile small but sweet. “Mmm, you’re just darling, aren’t you?”

“Not nearly as much as yourself, my Lady. To be in your company is to be the luckiest soul in the world. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings of which you inspire in me,” you replied, trying not to stumble over your words, barely able to process any thoughts other than ‘pretty lady likes me ahh’. Thankfully, you still remembered a few tricks from language arts class. Who knew studying the classics could make you more romantic? At least one English teacher, probably. “I’ll have plenty of time to try, though… after we talk about things, that is. Is there somewhere private we can talk? I’m not terribly eager for your mother to overhear.”

“Are you sure we can’t talk about how much you like me for a while longer?” Daniela asked, faking a pout. When you perk a brow at her antics, she shifts a little, forcing herself to be a little more serious (at least for the time being). “If you insist, my sweet thing. I’d suggest my room-” she winks at you- “but I doubt we’d stay talking for long, would we? Maybe the library? Neither of my sisters tend to go there around this time of day, and I can hardly remember the last time mother went there.”

“Well, no one from the day shift is scheduled to organize things until later this week, so… sounds like a date to me,” you chimed, enjoying the way that Daniela’s face lit up in response. “There’s just one thing I have to take care of first. Wouldn’t want my roommates to think something has happened to me, now would we?” With that said you linked your arm with your partner’s, setting off towards the servants quarters.

—————————————–

“Oh thank goodness, we were starting to get worried!” Daphne exclaimed as you quietly ducked into your room. For a second you freeze in place, hoping to whatever higher powers may be that she hadn’t seen Daniela behind you. Certainly the vampire would have moved out of sight?... Despite your assumption, you do see Daphne hesitate for a moment, gazing at the now closed door. Thinking quickly, you give a little wave to draw her attention elsewhere. Seemingly it works like a charm, with her attention returning to you, and so you release an internal sigh of relief. Now you just had to think of an excuse for why you’d be staying up late.

“It’s fine- I’m fine, really. Just had to carry something for one of the Ladies,” you lied, trying not to be specific enough to possibly contradict facts you weren’t aware of. “I, uh, kinda have to go back out, though? There are some piano books I need to find before tomorrow morning. I’ve already found a few, but apparently there’s at least one that goes over some technical practice songs, and I think D-” you almost wince, but lean into it, stuttering instead- “th-think that Lady Daniela would enjoy the variety. Not sure how long it’ll take me to find the books, so don’t stay up waiting for me. I promise I’ll still get enough sleep to function tomorrow.”

“So the lessons haven’t been canceled? That’s good to hear,” Daphne said, nodding slowly. The words catch you off guard, and you tilt your head to the side in confusion. Noticing your expression, your roommate is quick to explain. “After whatever happened yesterday… we weren’t sure if we’d ever hear you play again. Not that we know what happened, just that Lady Daniela was, well, upset, and you stopped playing sooner than usual. But I suppose if the lessons were canceled completely… I doubt Lady Dimitrescu would let you go that easily, huh?”

Again, you shift awkwardly, wondering how Daniela must feel hearing all of this. But just like that Daphne shakes her head, clearing her thoughts, and gives a little shrug.

“Don’t stay up too late, okay? I know you already promised, but we both know you’ll lose track of time if you aren’t careful. If you aren’t in bed by the time the sun reaches its peak, I swear we are gonna have words!” Both of you laugh before Daphne waves you off with a smile. Still, you wait to open the door until she (and the other maidens) has her back to you. Better safe than sorry, right?

—————————————–

Somehow the room felt different in a million ways, now that you were here with Daniela. There was something about the way she moved, freely, eyes and fingers running down the spines of familiar books. Even if you had not seen it before, it felt like the library was overflowing with magic. What I would give, you think, to see the whole world tinted in shades of her. Again you find yourself blushing as you followed Daniela towards a small sitting area. One of the chairs is practically a recliner, with plenty of space, and you realize what she has planned mere moments before she acts.

Next thing you know, you’re being pulled closer to her, practically lifted into the air. Then you’re falling back, right on top of a giggling Daniela. By the time you’ve regained your senses, you’re in her lap, held just tight enough to keep you from getting up. She’s watching your face closely, smirking with pure satisfaction.

“Are we going to be able to talk like this?” You asked, a little unsure yourself, already distracted by the soft curve of her jawline. Even as you speak you’re eying her, imagining what it would feel like to trail kisses along her skin until she was restless… Thankfully she responds before your mind gets too carried away.

“Of course we are, little songbird. Probably. If you behave,” Daniela teased, gently playing with your hair as she did. You can’t help but laugh when she suggests that you are the one who needs to control yourself. “Alright, alright, I get your point. I just… I think that it’s easier for me to, fuck, I don’t know. Relax? It’s easier for me to relax like this, holding you, getting to kiss that lovely neck of yours-” she pauses to demonstrate- “and that means I won’t freak out like last time. Or so goes my thought process, anyway.”

“In that case…” You’re sitting perpendicular to her now, still holding on tight. One hand cups her cheek, gently caressing the skin, before you lean in for a kiss. The two of you enjoy yourselves for a minute, glad to have this time together, more glad to be reassured of each other’s affection. To think that you wouldn’t even be able to meet her gaze if not for Bela’s intervention… Eventually you pull back, knowing that you did need to talk. “I care about you, firefly, and I want things between us to be real, and healthy, but I…”

The words died in your throat, a lump you couldn’t quite swallow, when memories sprung up like weeds in your brain. Communication mattered to you for a thousand reasons, and you weren’t blind to the irony of one of those reasons making you freeze up.

“I haven’t… done this before, not for real,” Daniela replied, mistaking your paues for uncertainty. “Apparently being an immortal, blood-drinking princess is only attractive in the realm of fiction. Maidens only ever seemed interested in a fleeting rush, or a fraction of a chance at an escape. They didn’t care for romance.” Now her tone gets bitter, and her eyebrows furrow. You can see her shoulders tense up, raising a little, making you try to snap out of your own thoughts for a few moments. By the time she speaks again, you’ve started to gently rub her back. “Maybe I should have paid more attention to my novels. How often does the monster actually get a happy ending?” She says the words with a hollow laugh. Still, she’s relaxed a little under your touch, even leaning into it.

“You’ve… done some bad things. Hurt a lot of people, and I can’t pretend that doesn’t scare me,” you started to say, ignoring the heartache you feel when you see Daniela’s hurt expression. “But you’re more than that. You’re soft, cute, and mischievous. More than that… I can tell that you want something beautiful. We can have that, we can make that, for ourselves, with our own hands and our own desires. But we can’t use stories as a blueprint. We can’t rely on what we’ve read, not when everything the two of us do is brand new. Not when-” you close your eyes, fighting back tears, glimpsing fragments of your last relationship- “not when I’ve already been hurt by my own misconceptions. The things we read aren’t always real, or right, or anything like what we need. What we deserve.”

“Something tells me you’re holding back a little,” Daniela murmured, barely able to get the words out. It almost looks like she’s close to crying, but her cheeks are dry, and her voice is steady. “But you’re right. What we have is better than anyone could write, anyway. You’re my little songbird, and I’m not letting you go anytime soon. Even if I have to figure out this whole ‘communication’ thing. I suppose that means I should… come clean. About a few things.” There’s a clear hesitance to her voice, like she’s embarrassed, and she’s speaking slower than usual. A blush rises to her cheeks before she takes a deep breath.

“We don’t have to talk about everything right now, if you aren’t ready. We’ve already made good progress, I think, even if half of it might be because of your sisters. Well, sister, singular. Cassandra throwing me into that wall really didn’t help anyone. Except maybe the chiropractor I will inevitably need to see,” you joked, remembering your earlier conversation with Bela.

“Hold up for a fucking second, Cassandra did what? I’m going to replace all her paint brushes with stained carpet strips, and that’s if she apologizes. Nobody fucks with my baby,” Daniela snapped, expression as serious as can be. Normally you found her anger to be terrifying. Now that she was directing it at someone else? And on your behalf?... Maybe it was a tiny bit cute. Which you tried to show, by gently bringing her in for another kiss. Of course, Daniela isn’t quite as gentle, instead kissing you hard, holding you as closely as she can. There’s a bit of possessiveness in her grip, and it makes you tense up. But as soon as you do she’s pulling back, breathing hard, eyes weighed down with concern.

“Y’know, I think she was just mad that I made you cry. And if I found out someone made you cry, I would be pretty angry. Not that I’d throw someone, partially because I don’t think I could, but still. It’s… almost cute how much your sisters care about you. Almost, just not quite,” you said, eager to draw the attention away from your reaction. Like you had told Daniela, it was okay if you weren’t ready to talk about everything. “Speaking of that, I can’t believe I haven’t apologized yet. I panicked so much, I didn’t even realize I was yelling until you picked me up. No matter how frustrated I was, I shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t, please,” Daniela interrupted, eyes closing for a moment. “I can’t believe you’re apologizing. I pinned you to the wall, and not for the usual reason!” There’s a bit of panic in her expression, and you get the feeling that she’s beating herself up inside about it. Which, based on what you had thought about what you had done, was understandable.

“Consider this: We both fucked up, and we’ve both acknowledged it now, so we could just… not talk about our regrets? At least for now,” you countered, glad to see Daniela relax and nod in response. Leaning in, you shift to rest your head against her shoulder, wanting to enjoy her proximity more. “Hey… if I’m your songbird, and you’re my firefly… are we, I don’t know… officially a couple now?”

“I was under the impression that we already were,” Daniela said, clearly a little confused. While you technically agreed with her… there was another part of you that wanted to have a little fun.

“You never asked, and I know I never did either, so…” Now you’re looking up at her, smile wide, heart beating faster than normal. “Lady Daniela, firefly of house Dimitrescu, lover of romance novels, player of pianos, keeper of my heart… Will you do me the honor of allowing me to court you? To be yours, officially, in the pursuit of affection and happiness like the village- nay, the world- has never before seen? Will you be my girlfriend?”

“How’s this for an answer, songbird?” Daniela cooed. Then she was lifting your chin from her shoulder, turning her head and bringing you closer. Your lips touch, as gentle as can be. It’s a short kiss, but one radiating with love, that ends with your foreheads pressed against each other. In this moment, you feel like you could stay in her arms for the rest of eternity. “Yes. Absolutely yes, obviously, a thousand times. I could never say no to you, especially not now, with your eyes so desperate for the sight of me, and your lips so begging to be kissed. Now, how about we celebrate, hmm?”

Just as Daphne had predicted, you end up staying awake far too late, but you were all the happier for it.

[stormgardenscurse]

A Solstice Ball (Lilia Vanrouge)

About: Lilia x Reader (gender neutral) where Diasomnia invites you to spend the holidays with them back home, including the celebration of the winter solstice.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.6k

The Valley of Thorns, despite its rather prickly name, is a place that shines with an otherworldliness unique to itself.

It’s the same kind of timeless beauty that you’ve come to associate with Diasomnia. Even Silver, who is not fae himself, wields the aura. You’re a little jealous that they’d grown up in such a place, where mountains were aplenty and stars glittered clearer than you’ve ever seen.

And when you’re wandering around the hallways on a sleepless night, said stars lend you their company. It’s easy to gaze out of the windows since there are plenty flanking the walls. You’re currently staying in the castle and home of your friends, who were generous enough to invite you to celebrate the winter solstice together.

It’s tradition for the royal family to host a ball welcoming the Sun after a night of festivities - meaning the event would be run for almost twelve hours, starting with the evening and continuing into the next day, where the guests would eventually transition from the ballroom into the main gardens to witness the sunrise together. Malleus, for the past years, has been responsible for the ‘welcoming’, which according to Sebek was a magnificent sight, but Lilia insisted you not be spoiled of the details just yet, wanting you to witness it yourself.

Recounting the events that lead up to now helps calm your mind a bit, but the effect falls away briefly when you notice a figure walking down the hall toward you. While it’s unlikely they pose any danger to you, the suddenness of it spikes your heartbeat nevertheless. Many fae are undoubtedly graceful and agile in their movements, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to not have caught the noise of footsteps at first. 

However… This person is entirely soundless, and it’s only when you catch a glimpse of pink-dyed strands that you realise why.

Lilia settles into a kind smile as he nods at you in greeting, making his way to you. “Is something keeping you up, Y/N? I never took you for one to wander about at night.” He holds his chin to ponder it for a second. “Though young people do tend to retire to bed at later times...”

“You say that as if your sprightly self doesn’t do the same.” You shake your head, lips lifting amusedly. “Between your liking for strolls and gaming habits, I sometimes wonder how you find the energy to cause trouble.”

Lilia chuckles, “I suppose that was deserved, for my prank on poor Silver. He usually doesn’t express himself too explosively, so it’s always a treat to be gifted with the sight.”

“...If only that wasn’t at the cost of his risotto.” You lend him a scolding look, albeit jokingly. “He was looking forward to it too - Silver may never recover from the shock, poor guy.”

“The experience is sure to be a valuable one.” His eyes glimmer like garnets, and you’re suddenly reminded of their dark-red hue. Mysterious and lively, and somehow communicating a depth forged through his long-lived life. “A knight has to be alert after all, both on and off the battlefield.”

“...I suppose so. And knowing how dedicated those two are, they likely accepted that excuse?” 

“Indeed.” Lilia looks out of the window and at the landscape beyond. Part of you feels like he’s reminded of a memory, from the fondness in his expression. “Sebek and Silver are reliably hard-working. Even if they are mere hatchlings as of now, they will surely prove formidable someday. I hope you’ll be there to cheer them on when that time comes.” 

“Of course, I look forward to seeing them grow.” Your smile grows warm at the thought. “They want to make you and Malleus proud after all. Their resolve burns brighter than most their age.”

A comfortable silence fills the air, and you notice Lilia’s posture loosening a bit more. His gaze turns to meet yours, light and content. “Malleus and I have regretfully been busier with the ball’s preparations, but I promise to take you to our favourite places once this is over with.” Lilia makes a small gesture toward your hand, to which you give a nod, allowing him to interlace your fingers and place a kiss to the back of it. “It’ll be fun to show you around our hometown. There are some things you can only experience in the Valley of Thorns after all~ Like that shop that sells enchanted sweets! I’ve been meaning to make a stop there before we return to Night Raven College.”

Your lips quirk as you raise a brow at him. “Why is it that you sound more excited for that than the ball tomorrow? Just before break, you were reminiscing of the winter solstices you attended in the past.”

“While the event is an annual one, it is the first time you’re spending the holidays with us.” Lilia winks at you playfully. “That, I am more excited for. And seeing what attire the fairies have come up for you - It’s not often they take to someone and mend them an outfit, after all.”

“Please don’t remind me…” You groan at the memory. “When they took my measurements they wouldn’t stop arguing about the colors. And at the end they never settled on a decision, so I’m left in suspense!”

Lilia laughs at your mournful expression. “This group is known for their craft, so it’ll certainly be worth the wait. Both for you and me.”

“Oh?” You narrow your eyes playfully. “So you’re looking forward to that.”

“A chance to see you more stunning than usual is always one I’d be interested in,” Lilia counters without missing a beat. “I just have to be sure no one else steals you away from the ball before I can - There was something I’d wanted to show you tomorrow.” He gives your hand a light squeeze, eyes bright. “The surprise will be around midnight, so please bear with it until then.”

“I’ll try,” you laugh as he presses a light kiss to your cheek. “Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, huh?”

~

Looking back, truer words couldn’t have been spoken. Right from the moment you awoke till right before the ball, you were constantly moving about preparing your attire and helping the others run small errands, like delivering a message or checking on the status of the main hall.

The venue was pretty before, but now that guests have trickled in and the night has begun to celebrate, the entire place transformed into a magical sight.

Despite the late hours the event has journeyed into, the room is lit just like any other time of the day. The lighting helps keep you active, thankfully, while the crowd seems to never tire; dancers exchange partners while others conversed at another side of the ballroom. The melody that lives in the air takes turns being magically played and performed by musicians, though the transitions are so practiced and quick that you barely notice until later on.

To your surprise, you find yourself at no short of stamina throughout the night. Perhaps it’s the shared energy in the room, the refreshments, or the entertaining chats you’re led into, but time flies as swift as a bird.

From some spellwork, flowers that glow like stars float above the crowd, reminding you of lanterns. On occasion the odd one would wrap into itself and descend onto the crowd, by which a guest could catch it, watching the enchanted bud unravel and bloom. It would then start to shine, before drifting off into the air like a feather caught in a breeze.

Throughout the night the flowers take turns falling onto the crowd, earning the attention of those nearby with their soft but colorful hues. You’re starting to suspect the intervention of a friend as the shadow of one floats above you; the third one this night.

Despite receiving them multiple times, the sight of petals unfurling so gracefully never ceases to put you in a state of awe. This time it is one of gentle lavender, though tinged with hints of blues and pink. It’s unexpectedly light to the touch compared to its size, which is just a little smaller than your head.

The bloom eventually starts to float out of your grasp, by which you give it a little push into the air as it rejoins the sea of flora. A familiar face approaches you from within the crowd, his gaze lending itself to the sight above before settling on you.

“It seems that the flowers enjoy your company as well,” Lilia jokes, before extending a hand for you to take. He begins to lead you somewhere, sending a small smile your way. “People say that receiving them repeatedly is an auspicious sign.”

You hum thoughtfully, “I was starting to think that the places that they landed are being controlled by magic. Sebek and Silver were there the first time, then Malleus at the second…”

Lilia grins almost proudly, the tips of his fangs showing. “Third time’s the charm~ I’m glad to have witnessed you carrying that flower. It was a fitting sight, especially with your attire.”

“I still can’t quite believe it.” You admit, looking down at the fabric - it feels weightless on your skin, yet is still woven with such detailed patterns. “The fairies really outdid themselves, this feels like something out of a fairytale… I feel a little bad keeping it.”

“Well, seeing as it was a gift, you have every right to have it as a keepsake of tonight.” He reminds you, pushing a door open. It wasn’t the main one that guests entered through, but another on the side of the ballroom. The air is quieter out here, save for the castle staff that would cross the corridor every now and then.

With every step away from the ballroom, Lilia starts to shed away his formal stance and shrugs off the feeling of the party behind. He sighs a little, sounding more tired of the situation than physically exhausted. The fae catches your amused look as he raises a brow in return, his smile more mischievous and relaxed - just like his usual self, outside of events like these. “Oh? What an expression you’re making. Do I have something on my face?”

“Not quite.” You mirror his tone. “But rest assured I’ll let you know if you do~ I have a question though, where exactly are we heading?”

“The gardens,” Lilia informs as your arms loop together. It’s less of a childish act and more reminiscent of a knightly escort - perhaps it’s because you’re in a castle and just left a ball, but you’re starting to see more and more noble qualities in the things he does. “I’ve been wanting to show it to you for sometime, but now seems like the most appropriate chance. It does offer a view of Malleus’ welcoming later on, so we’re free to stay until the end of the event.”

“You still never told me much about it,” you muse lightheartedly, “You overestimate my patience, Lilia. I’m growing curiouser by the minute.”

“In that case…” He’s led you to an outdoor garden on the upper floors, which extends into a balcony that overlooks the grounds. “Would this do for now? It’s one of my favourite spots in the castle,” he chuckles, “I hope you'll enjoy it.”

How unfair. There were flowers of every kind dotting the bushes and growing into overhangings. With this amount of space, you felt like it could pass for an attraction in itself. It was different from the grandness of the ballroom decorations, but held its own with its serene charm. Lilia takes your reaction as a sign of agreement. He chuckles and bows toward you, offering his palm. 

“May I have this dance?”

You both start a simple one, more for the sake of enjoying yourselves and the cool air than trying to show off any moves. Although this doesn’t stop Lilia from adding a few twirls and steps to the rhythm as he hums softly, a tune that you swear you’ve heard before but couldn’t pinpoint where or when.

You wonder aloud of how your limbs hadn’t started to tire from the festivities, to which Lilia explains that the refreshments from the ball are suited to help replenish energy and revitalize the body, due to the sheer length of the event. The topic flows to other things, like an ice cream parlour he’d like to visit with everyone and how you’re adjusting to Twisted Wonderland. At this point the dance has also broken off into a simple stroll about the gardens.

Eventually you’re interrupted by the sound of doors opening and the chatter of guests.

"The sunrise." Lilia confirms in response to your questioning gaze. The two of you make your way to the balcony for a better view, where you can see Sebek and Silver accompanying Malleus to an open space that's elevated like a stage of sorts. Gargoyles guard the marble platform at its feet, though their presence is no comparison to the prince's, who stands facing his back to the crowd.

You briefly see the glint of a gem as Malleus waves his magic-pen in a swift motion, summoning a plant from the ground.

Or perhaps… It was more accurate to say that he grew it right before your very eyes, shaping the branches of what you realise to be a tree to form a circular frame of sorts. You doubt that any old magician could perform such a feat in mere minutes, judging by its sheer size.

Lilia smiles from beside you like a proud parent, though it edges into a smirk as he briefly mentions that this tree was more elaborate than last year's with its patterns. You're left confused for a moment before realising that it indeed has spiral carvings throughout its trunk and branches, ones that depicted the sun and moon, and even illustrating dancing figures and musicians. It held the story of the winter solstice and the ball that celebrated it, and you're left with your breath stolen from such a sight.

Yet the star of the show (quite literally, in a sense) only makes its appearance soon after - the Sun rises from the horizon and peeks between the mountains in the distance, accurately falling into the frame that Malleus created with the tree. He waves his hand once more, taking the moment to expand the light like a fracture.

You hear a chuckle from beside you as you shield your vision from the brightness. As soon as you lower your hand you notice a ball of light remaining where the Sun had passed, like a star captured in the frames of the oak. It still shone with a youthful light, as if daring its surroundings to challenge its worth.

"How temperamental," Lilia echoes your thoughts bemusedly. "I expect this year's tree to shine longer than the last ones."

The crowd bursts into applause as Malleus steps down from the stage. You're about to ask Lilia something when you suddenly realise how close his face was to yours.

"Is this another tradition?" You ask, studying his eyes.

"There is a saying about it, yes." Upon your answering smile, Lilia starts to lean in closer, a hand cupping your cheek. "Sharing a kiss with someone at the welcoming of the Sun is a good luck charm of sorts."

You can't help but laugh after pulling away, lips tingling from the contact. For someone mischievous, Lilia liked to use oddly innocent excuses to steal moments of affection. "Happy winter solstice, Lilia."

"May a fortuitous time be ahead." He returns, smile content. "I'm glad you're here to spend it with us."

[mudskip-muses]

@loveleftbehind liked for a magic Gundham starter! (X)

Gundham wasn’t supposed to be in the old run down building, having climbed in through an upper window to avoid having to remove the police tap covering the front doors. It barred the public from what was a gruesome scene, something he knew from what his prior research had provided, an absolute bloodbath, assumed to be the work of a rabid stray dog, but Gundham knew better. He had felt the ghost’s angry presence for quite some time, wandering through the city late in the night, seemingly searching for something. Whenever the darklord had tried to commune with it, it fled, leaving an air of thinly veiled animosity in its wake. It was angry, and now Gundham knew why.

The victim had been its former owner from what the spirits at his beck and call were able to uncover for him, a cruel minded drug dealer who had used the dog for protection against clients looking to steal from him. When the dog had failed at this, the man losing much of his money and merchandise in a impromptu attack, he took it out on the dog, leading to a sad end. That thought alone made Gundham’s blood boil in his veins, though the air around him turned frigid as he traversed through the rooms of the long abandoned warehouse in search of his target. 

A person was not what he was expecting to find, the stranger seeming to be cleaning the crime scene of it’s carnage. Gundham sneered at this, slinking further into the shadows as he watched the man go about his business. He had been so busy contemplating if he should wait for him to leave or not he hadn’t seen the wisp of faint light shifting in the dark... 

Becoming more alert to the presence as it mustered it’s strength for another attack, Gundham had very little time to think. Sprinting from the darkness, the shadows still sticking to his coat in wispy tendrils, he stuck out a hand and yanked hard at the air, using his powers to pull the poor stranger back several feet by his casted shadow just as the red eyed spirt made a lunge for the spot he had just been in. 

Putting himself in between the stranger and the spirit, Gundham made a motion with his hand that made the apparition freeze in place, it snarling with bloodied mist as it fought to regain control from the darkness now weighing down upon it. One hand poised out to hold it, shaking from the effort, the other was raised in a placating manner as the darklord slowly lowered himself into a crouch and began to speak in a low, soothing tone. “Fret not, dear beast, we mean you no harm. Your duty has been done, your anger sated, allow us to dispose of what lingers from your bloodlust. We only wish to remove this filth from these halls...” 

As Gundham spoke, the spirit seemed to listen, its anger slowly subsiding into just a low hunch of its body, still guarded, but no longer looking to attack. “Good girl. Please depart so we may finish what you have begun. Rest now, for your suffering is no longer.” Slowly pulling back his hand to release the spirit from his shadowy hold, it seemed to take heed of Gundham’s words, giving a huff before turning it’s back to them, it simply disappearing into the air as it walked away, beginning it’s journey into whatever lied beyond. 

Heaving out a breath of relief, Gundham let his shoulders sag as he turned to see if the stranger had lingered, or if the scene he had just witnessed had sent him running. “You should consider yourself lucky, mortal. You would have joined that poor fool had it not been for my intervention.” He spoke before he had fully turned around, knowing very well he could be speaking to empty air. “Rejoice in this, for death is not as sweet for some as they may hope.” 

[violet-t-9]

Check in on my (not very realistic) wish list for episode 135

1. The M9 eventually find a way to catch up with Lucien and Cree before they are able to go to the astral sea and at least start the combat (Bonus: Cree gets a wild magic effect that gives M9 some advantage or laughs).

Doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen. Well, I’m still personally REALLY happy that they all decided to explore a little bit much and ended up with combat lol. I love the heavy lore dump, reveals, map and the Aeorian nullifier/others combat, all part of the D&D fun.

2. Caleb and Beau somehow don’t get any extra eyes from their dreams (look, let me have some hope alright, last episode was kinda open-ended).

Noooo not on the clavicle and the palm... These stupid eyes are the reason why the empire siblings rolled bad rolls first thing in the morning, I’m telling you.

3. People on watch in the dome have some one-on-one conversations (Yasha and Fjord are doing the first watch, looking forward to it, also hoping for whoever on the second watch to talk).

Nope :( I’m a bit sad that they just kind of time skipped to the morning but it’s understandable.

4. If the empire siblings do get eyes can we at least have a morning eye check routine and Essek’s reaction to it? (Bonus: Essek examines the eye and offers help in some way)

I mean, we got part of a nice conversation about the eye so that counts as a reaction right. Essek is very wary about it, understandably. Don’t worry Essek, Fjord will take care of it if the eyes turn them evil. 

5. More wild magic effects from casting in Aeor! Jester, Essek, Caleb, Caduceus, Veth and Fjord I’m looking at y’all. (Bonus: the effects are harmless and fun ones, like Bjald)

OH NO CALEB not first thing in the morning... wow never mind it’s a nice nostalgic smell! Apple tart, how awesome. I mean a lot of people used higher level magic and didn’t roll yet (or maybe they did we just don’t know)? This particular effect was harmless and fun tho. 

6. They explore the Aeorian ruins even more along the way and discover cool relics/labs/history and lore (Bonus: clues related to the Eyes of Nine).

Ayyy genesis ward looks like a fun place, thanks to their high investigation rolls we found so much sweet lore. They also went into underground city ruins and basically wizard paradise lol. AND A BOOK ON THE SOMNOVEM! This is the first clue we have found so far. Also, Factorum Mollis project/Creator Hammer? Athodan’s rejuvenation/dunamancy? The plot thickens. THEY FOUND WHERE THEY NEED TO GO! B9!

7. Beau and Yasha have fun with some shameless PDA OR alternatively they get some super private time (bonus: cuddles in the dome).

I love their morning flirting. “That was amazing babe”, “Jump I’ll catch you!”, “Come here baby”, that’s some shameless PDA right there we love to see it. ALSO, Marisha said “we are doing PDA it’s a thing” and I feel so validated right now.

8. Jester and Fjord heal each other at least one time OR have a deep conversation (bonus: Jester complimenting Bjald).

They didn’t heal each other/converse BUT they had some nice moments! Fjord holds Jester’s ankles and waist at her request, how cute!

9. Continuing to hope for Essek’s fancy dunamantic spells OR magical items (I just love his style and flair okay).

OG Fortune’s Favour!! Thanks Essek. Identifying the keycard was also helpful. Essek giving Veth a pearl and telling her to aim it was so funny lol. LEVEL 4 LIGHTNING BOLT? What spell/item is that? Wow Essk is well-equipped.

10. They talk seriously OR laugh together about Bjald/smooth Fjord (Bonus: Veth disses Bjald just because) but Fjord eventually gets his hair back.

Wow straight out of the gate lol, Veth doesn’t wait (they are seriously expending spell slots for this). Also Veth cannot stop trying to grab his illusory hair. She also tells Devexian that Fjord is not a robot despite him not having hair I can’t even- Also, rejuvenation tube gave Bjald hair back and a long rest, great! 

11. Continuing to hope for Caleb to polymorph into anything really, or using polymorph on any party member (polymorph! Caleb interactions my beloved).

Sparrow! Caleb my beloved! “I’m adorable” indeed, he totally is adorable. Landing on Jester, Fjord and Charlie must have been fun.

12. More moments of Essek’s trust issue (OR changes in his opinion) with Charlie and more moments of Charlie being helpful to the party.

Charlie was a very competent translator! Also, Essek does continue to have a lot of trust issues. 

13. Jester and Charlie cute interactions OR Veth and Charlie interactions (Bonus: They reach the genesis ward to fix Charlie).

Charlie stopped listening when Jester asked him to, how cute! Veth also advocated for Charlie’s repair because she is already 100% attached - and they did fix Charlie I MEAN DEVEXIAN. Veth’s flirting with Devexian is... kinda cute? I guess?? Not sure how Devexian feels about it lol.

14. Cad attempting to speak with the dead on the remaining TT members (there is still Otis and Zoran right) and learning some useful information.

Well, speak with the dead was cast on the dead Aeorian warrior and some useful information was learned about the rejuvenation chamber I’d say. It was not cast on the TT members though. 

15. Caleb casting fire spell challenge! I miss his signature fire magic that we have not seen in a long time, actually (Bonus: Essek is impressed).

Well fire bolt is a fire spell and actually does decent damage for a fire bolt.

16. Cad has a particularly badass moment in or out of combat (bonus: divine intervention success).

HOLY THAT BANISHMENT WAS SO BADASS, also that canceled nat 20 on Yasha. Wow Cad continues to be cool in battles, he is such a MVP!!

17. Veth has a particularly badass moment in or out of combat (bonus: HDYWTDT).

I mean all Veth’s sneak attacks are badass in my book.

18. The wizards nerd out about/investigate Aeorian magic together OR have another conversation (look, I love how they talk to each other okay).

WOW both happened! Essek stayed behind with Caleb in the record room and had a conversation to keep him on track. Right after, Caleb also reminded Essek of the same thing. Once again, I love how they talk to each other. Their dynamic is so fascinating. They also nerd out about/found dunamis (and a literal beacon piece) together in that chamber! That would make sense, time magic = rejuvenation and all that.

19. I know this is highly unlikely but I still kinda want to see the tower again with Essek getting a full tour! I want to see his room decor.

Nope, as expected lol. I don’t think we will see the tower until they deal with Lucien? We will see though, you never know.

20. We find out what exactly Capeleb/Caleb saw when Jester was casting commune/scry (it’s totally something Artagan-related, but what though?).

Nope, but it’s fine. It’s probably not urgent, otherwise Caleb would mention it.

21. Yasha pushes another red button and Beau enabling her out of love.

Yasha went “do it” as Fjord went in the tube lol so she was more of an enabler.

22. You know the drill by now - everyone remains relatively happy and alive by the end of the episode except Lucien and Cree (they can perish), and the episode ends on a terrifying cliffhanger as always.

Wow that episode was PACKED with so much information, I can’t even digest it all. Anyways, the score this time is  14/22, which is not bad at all. 

Bonus: 

Caleb shared half of his pearls with Essek! Also, wow that IS a beacon that they just found. The 3 magic users showboating each other at the end I can’t lmao I love them.

I just love all the noises of the Aeorian Nullifier, thank you Matt.

Jester, for that wand of smiles move, I love you even more (also she was the only one who actually tried to keep the party on task lol).

This episode will certainly need some re-watching to process all the information... but wow what an experience! Loving everything, as always. I cannot wait for next Thursday!

[danieldavidreitberg]

AI for a Smoke-Free Future: How Artificial Intelligence is Helping People Quit Smoking

The fight against smoking continues, with millions yearning to break free from its grip. While traditional methods like willpower and support groups have always served as pillars of quitting, a new weapon has emerged in the arsenal: Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The AI Advantage:

Unlike one-size-fits-all approaches, AI offers personalized support, tailoring strategies to individual needs and vulnerabilities. This is achieved through data analysis, including:

Smoking patterns: When, where, and why do you smoke? AI learns your triggers and patterns, offering targeted interventions at critical moments.

Psychological factors: AI can assess stress levels, mood fluctuations, and other emotional states that could lead to cravings. Personalized coping mechanisms are offered based on these insights.

Physiological markers: Some AI-powered apps track heart rate, respiration, and other biometrics to predict cravings and suggest mindfulness exercises or relaxation techniques.

AI on the Frontlines:

Let's explore some exciting ways AI is revolutionizing the quitting journey:

Virtual Coaches: Imagine a supportive, non-judgmental companion constantly in your pocket. AI-powered chatbots act as virtual coaches, offering encouragement, tips, and distractions when cravings hit.

Smart Environments: Imagine your smartphone reminding you not to smoke when entering a designated trigger zone like a bar. AI geofencing and location-based prompts help avoid temptation hotspots.

Gamified Therapy: Turning quitting into a game can be surprisingly effective. AI-powered apps gamify the process, with points, badges, and virtual rewards motivating sustained progress.

Predictive Analytics: AI analyzes your data to predict potential relapse moments. Proactive interventions, like motivational messages or mindfulness prompts, are then deployed to nip cravings in the bud.

A Glimpse into the Future:

The potential of AI in smoking cessation is vast. We can expect advancements like:

Biomarker-based interventions: Real-time analysis of physiological markers like nicotine levels could trigger personalized interventions in real-time, offering immediate support.

VR Therapy: Immersive virtual reality experiences could place users in safe, supportive environments, promoting relaxation and stress reduction, known triggers for smoking.

AI-powered support groups: Imagine online communities where AI facilitates peer-to-peer support, connecting individuals with similar struggles and triumphs, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

A Collective Effort:

While AI holds immense promise, it's not a magic bullet. It's a powerful tool, but one that must work alongside traditional support systems, medical professionals, and individual determination. Together, we can leverage the power of AI to create a future where smoke-free lives are not just a dream, but a reality for millions.

Remember, quitting smoking is a personal journey, and the best approach is often a combination of methods. If you're considering quitting, talk to your doctor and explore the various resources available, including AI-powered tools. With the right support system and a relentless drive, you can achieve a smoke-free future.

Let's take a deep breath and join hands to build a world where AI not only empowers us to live healthier lives but also helps us breathe easier.

I hope this blog post has been informative and inspiring. If you have any questions or experiences you'd like to share, please leave a comment below. Together, we can create a smoke-free future for all.

Let's work together to make AI a force for good, helping people break free from the shackles of smoking and embrace a healthier, smoke-free future.

[ohbeaby]

Headcannons about the brothers having to deal with a human. So this would be when the human first moved in and there aren’t any romantic feelings between any of them yet.

Lucifer:

Before meeting MC the first time:

-He looks down at humans. To him they are insignificant bugs that happen to be able to communicate.

-Definitely isn’t all for this whole exchange program thing, especially when he finds out he’s going to be hosting one of the students.

-He would honestly take an angel over a human because he thinks angels will be able to hold a decent conversation with him. He hates angels but at least they are intelligent in his eyes.

-Genuinely thinks all humans are idiots and just get lucky and that’s how they’ve managed to get so far.

-Never understood why Lilith fell for a human but wasn’t going to tell her how to live her life.

-Sorcerers and witches aren’t really on the same level as humans to him. He finds them below him still, but they clearly have some more intelligence if they can hold so many positions of power and so much control.

After a week of knowing MC:

-He won’t say it but he is surprised that they aren’t completely idiotic. He was expecting more of a mess and a perpetual lack of care for their belongings but their room is decently clean so he’ll take it.

-He knows that music and dancing is important to human culture but why do they enjoy doing it in their rooms by themselves? Shouldn’t it be expressed in some group setting? Why are they singing in the shower?

-He’s also impressed with how...adaptable the human is. He won’t speak about it with his brothers, maybe with Diavolo, but he’s a bit weirded out by how easily the human has just accepted their current circumstance and willingness to cooperate. Is it some sort of defense mechanism? Are they planning something? Why are they so cooperative? Weren’t humans supposed to be determined and stubborn?

-While he still thinks all humans are idiots at this point he can definitely see that at least this one isn’t completely brain dead. They seem knowledgeable on some subjects that seem to interest them and have a curiosity that almost seems never ending.

-Speaking of curiosity he also hate that about them. The human has already inquired about multiple things that are common knowledge. Finds their questions frustrating because all of this information he knew even before the fall. Magic isn’t that complicated, stop being so impressed by a simple levitation spell.

Mammon:

Before meeting MC:

-Straight up just finds humans annoying. They’re loud, love to summon him for kicks and giggles, and are just all around dumb.

-Finds their lack of self preservation really confusing. Some of the ways people die are just idiotic to him.

-He will at least give credit to some humans on the compassion part of their nature. Some of them at least. Still finds them all stupid.

-Their life spans are so short compared to his it’s almost comical. He could blink and a whole new generation has come and gone.

-He kind of admires their curiosity though, especially with technology. He can remember when the first humans decided to make a plane and thought “Well...that’s new”.

-Grumbles about the exchange program and even gets into an argument with Lucifer about the fact that the human would be living with them in their house.

After a week of knowing MC:

-Boy was that week a roller coaster.

-Honestly kind of hates the human at first for forcing him into a pact with his brothers help. By the end of the week though he realizes that the human isn’t really going to be forcing him to do much.

-The whole being told to stay thing was annoying though. So fine, he won’t just refer to you as “human” anymore.

-He also thinks how adaptable the human is is weird. Shouldn’t they be putting up more of a fight? Demanding to go back home? Why are they so willing to work with everyone?

-Doesn’t mind all the curious questions the human has. Makes him feel smart knowing something this pathetic weakling doesn’t. He may have also given untrue information just to see if the human would catch on.

-All the music and dancing the human does in their room he can hear and it’s annoying. He doesn’t care if they like it or whatever, stop singing in the damn shower.

Leviathan:

Before meeting MC:

-Honestly likes humans. He thinks they’re creative at least, doesn’t seem them as equal to him but certainly doesn’t hate them.

-Also thinks they’re stupid but...a creative stupid. Laughs at the weird ways some of them die because how did they THINK that was going to end?

-He loves all the anime and games he can get, though he hates loot boxes and overpriced subscription services.

-They’re all still Noormies though if they don’t watch as much anime as him. Or TSL.

-Overall a bit more accepting of the exchange program...until he hears he has to live with one. They better not touch his stuff.

After knowing MC for a week:

-Gross noormie trying to be friends with him?! No thanks, you just want to touch his stuff.

-Thinks it’s funny how the human roped Mammon into a pact, is honestly a little surprised they haven’t used it much.

-The human is also clearly stupid because they didn’t even know how a pact worked. He knew all about the ins and outs of pacts loooong before they fell. How is that not common knowledge to humans?

-He likes Solomon only because Solomon isn’t as much of a noormie also because Solomon is pretty much the only one he can rant to about TSL stuff

-Doesn’t notice the music or dancing because he’s always got his headphones on but from the complaints of his brothers the human must be terrible or something.

-Doesn’t even notice how adaptable the human is until muuuch later when he sits and thinks about it. Also doesn’t really notice how many questions the human has because he doesn’t talk to them much.

Satan:

Before meeting MC:

-Another who though humans were creative though still dumb.

-His library is filled with all types of literature and a lot cane from the human world. Some of the ideas are a bit outdated but that’s fine, shows growth over time at least.

-He likes learning about all the different cultures and languages. The histories behind everything were fascinating to him.

-He was honestly a bit excited to live with the human. He could pick their brain about their culture from first hand experience rather than books! Also the idea of living with a human annoys Lucifer, that’s a win for him any day of the week.

After knowing MC for a week:

-He was honestly expecting more.

-Humans have some of the most interesting and creative stories and you’re telling him that the person he’s stuck living with isn’t some prodigy? What is even the point?

-Their questions are stupid but he loves giving wrong answers just to mess with Lucifer.

-He isn’t all that impressed with the pact they’ve made with Mammon, especially when he gets wind about how they did it. Mammon is an idiot, what did anyone expect?

-The music is interesting but also annoying. He can hear it coming from their room softly but he hates how it breaks the silence of the house. He’s used to the silence and sometimes someone playing the piano.

-He is the first one to pick up on how adaptable the human is but quickly realizes its out of fear and uncertainty rather than the human just accepting their current circumstances. He at least gives them props for realizing how to navigate their situation without intervention from him or his brothers much.

Asmodeous:

Before meeting MC:

-Humans are cute to mess with in bed. He likes breaking them with pleasure.

-He sees them as less than him sure but doesn’t have much of an opinion on their intelligence. He’s more interested in their fashion trends and new makeup formulas.

-Loves the drama of celebrities when he hears about it. Humans always have some new drama going on and it’s very entertaining.

-Doesn’t care much when he’s told that a human would be living with them. Just sees them as another potential partner in bed.

After knowing MC for a week:

-In short, he hates this.

-First off the human is completely immune to his charm! How could that possibly be?! He is the most beautiful demon in all of Devildom and this human has the audacity to NOT fall for him even with his powers?!

-Secondly the human has managed to get a pact with Mammon of all demons! The human he can’t even get in bed with him is more interested in his scummy theiving brother than himself?! EXCUSE ME?! A lower demon would have been more acceptable than what is currently happening!

-And thirdly the human doesn’t follow a hair and skin routine that is nearly up to his standards! Their fashion is a mess and their room looks like it was decorated by someone lacking any sort of critical eye! He’s definitely not just trying to throw around insults as a way to justify his immense discomfort over not being able to get his way immediately

-He doesn’t even notice the way the human seems to just accept their new life or all their questions. He’s so frustrated he just decides to avoid them unless necessary.

-He won’t admit it but he thinks the music and dancing around their room is cute. It’d be cuter with him though!

Beelzebub:

Before meeting MC:

-Fooooood

-Yeah pretty much just saw humans as another meal. Just a little bit more annoying to catch.

-He does like all their sports though, finds Rugby to be interesting to watch.

-He also thinks humans are dumb and lesser than him but also just doesn’t care. He doesn’t interact with them much so why should he hold it above their heads?

-When he hears about the exchange program and how they were going to host a human he got concerned. First off Belphie hates humans so how is that going to work? Secondly he likes to eat humans so how is he going to control himself?

After knowing MC for a week:

-Honestly just thinks they’re cute and need protecting. Though he isn’t going to offer it.

-They’re so small! He’s never really noticed how tiny humans are compared to him.

-Doesn’t mind the curiousity, he knows he’d be trying to figure everything out too if he was in their shoes.

-The music is a welcomed change. Beel thinks it’s too quiet all the time in the house so having a new noise is very much appreciated.

-Takes not of how quickly they seem to mold into their new lifestyle but doesn’t dwel on it too long, whatever keeps them alive I guess.

-Obviously will fight for food so they better not touch it but otherwise doesn’t really care what the human does.

Belphegor:

Before meeting MC:

-Oh we know very clearly how this boy felt about humans.

-Pure hate, doesn’t like them one little bit. Compassion his ass, all humans are scum to this mans eyes and have no redeemable qualities.

-Absolutely furious about the exchange program. Locked in the attic about it!

After knowing MC for a week:

-Okay so they have a little compassion and he is definitely just going to use this to his advantage.

-Thinks they’re a moron and just keeps tricking them with different things. Yup he’s definitely just some human that’s been locked up here. Mhm.

-He won’t admit it but he does enjoy talking to them a bit, makes it a little less lonely to have someone wanting to be around him.

-He doesn’t really mind all the questions. He knows more about humans than all his brothers and was already prepared to face their curiousity. He still find them stupid though.

-Finds it funny that they’ve already gotten a pact with Mammon, he is an idiot so it’s not surprising.

-Impressed but not surprised with how quickly they’ve adapted themselves to fit their current lifestyle. Humans always adapt to their situations after all.

-He can hear their music drift up to him sometimes. It’s pleasant to hear something besides the cold silence in the lonely attic.

[demiclar]

Enemy Contact

Day 7!

----

As Savathûn’s best bargaining chip, Osiris is at least slightly comforted by the fact that it is against the Witch Queen’s best interests to let him die. Although, after over a year of being her captive, death is not in itself an unappealing option, either. But the wheels of time and change are turning, and Osiris brings himself to wait, if for no one else, then for Saint.

While she was inhabiting his flesh, her metaphysical spirit bonded with his living being in a way only Hive magic can make possible, she kept him alive for appearances. He certainly wasn’t fit, and the sheen of his grief allowed her to let appearances slip, but she managed to eat and drink to keep his body functioning. To bathe as often as needed to stop any intervention, and to allow his body the restorative sleep it required to not crumble under her use. While in his form, she was able to follow his understanding of how to take care of his body, but without her with him, Osiris still lacks the agency to do much of what needs to be done to care for himself on his own.

After fleeing the city, she deposited him in a place even he knew not where. Cold, and Hive is about as much as he has been able to determine from his prison. She left some of her minions to care for him, with instructions perhaps on how not to kill him, but their care if neglectful at best. They manage to bring him some scrap of food on most days, but water is a precious commodity they often forget. He has not seen things like sunlight or breathed fresh air in…he isn’t sure how long. Circadian rhythms are obliterated without any indication of the passage of time. It could be weeks; it could be years. He has no idea, but the fact that the Witch Queen is gone and that her lackeys and his prison still stands is indication enough that there is change occurring, however slowly.

As painful as it is to embrace his lack of agency and simply wait, he waits for rescue. Savathûn, after not even allowing him his own body as his own, deigned to allow his new prison to be a rather moderately sized stone room, typical of the Hive. It’s lit minimally, by glowing crystals staked into the floor in two corners of the room, near the doorway that only ever opens for Hive Knights to deposit whatever they have deemed edible for him, and the occasional precious container of water.

For a while, he tried to determine where he was by the food given to him by the knights, but over time he has found that they only ever given him old human rations, things they could have pilfered from ships or planets across the entire system. The jugs of water they give him are similar. He can’t tell if the supplies are freshly gathered, or if they’ve been with the Hive for a long time, either. He wonders if Savathûn directed their gathering while she was holding him in the city, wearing his skin.

Still, they are a positive element to the capture. The rations were designed to be full of calories. They give him enough to live on when the Hive are lax in feeding him. When they are generous, they are stable enough to save until he requires them. He is not starving, and that is a mercy.

He spends his time pacing the room and sleeping. Keeping his mobility could be paramount to his eventual rescue or escape, even if it feels unfounded to put so much hope into the possibility of his rescue. While he paces, he puzzles to keep his mind sharp, to keep his sanity. He’s scratched complex math problems into the walls and the floors with rocks, thought over word puzzles and riddles and Savathûn’s plans. He fights to unravel her with everything he’s seen, but thinking of her is perhaps the most difficult of all. When he sleeps, he falls into nightmare after nightmare. Sometimes he wonders if the Light is trying to communicate with him, to send him messages. Usually its just his mind twisting his fears around his head, as if he isn’t already bathed in them. He sees Saint in his place, in this prison. He sees the Knights that guard him attacking Saint, beating him within an inch of his life, because the Exo’s metal and wires have more strength and resilience than Osiris’ skin and bones ever had.

For what must have been a solid week, he tried to commune with the Traveler. Without a lick of Light left in him, he’d sat on the floor of his prison chamber and meditated on it. In nearly every waking moment, he was reaching out to it, asking to speak to it, asking it to bless him with its power again for even just a matter of moments, so that he might escape this place and lead the charge against the Witch Queen. He begged it to let him use his knowledge to defeat her. He even tried to send the Traveler his knowledge so that it might use it, perhaps awaken a Guardian with the knowledge Osiris had gained, one that could find the Vanguard and bring Savathûn to her knees.

More than a few times, he has imagined Saint coming to rescue him. Saint, perhaps with the Guardian at his side, entering his chamber in a flurry of Light and power. They lead him out of unknown corridors and up and out of the cold stone until they finally arrive in sunlight. He sees the Traveler again. He dreams of it, sometimes. The devastation he has felt upon waking and recognizing he is still in his prison is just short of only two moments in his life; the death of Sagira, and the death of Saint. One of those returned to him, but Osiris, for all his time to plan and scheme, can’t come up with a sundial that might bring Sagira back to him. Not for lack of trying.

One day—day, night, he has no real idea—a Knight interrupts his pacing with something that, out of context, would be so trivial it confounds him. It had been a while since Osiris had eaten. The door suddenly creaked open, and the Knight roared—as they normally did, to scare him away from the door, perhaps—before it delivered his parcel of rations. Only, delivered is the wrong word. The Knight pushed the door open, roared, stepped inside and threw the rations so hard they collided with the back wall of the room. The Knight then turned to Osiris, roared again, and left, the door closing violently behind it.

Osiris had stared after him, trembling from the force of the Knight’s anger, confounded by its actions. It wasn’t as though he didn’t expect them to get angry, but as far as he knew, and as much as Osiris had assumed, the Knights and the gathered forces tasked with looking after him were as cut off from the outside world as Osiris was, awaiting the Witch Queen’s eventual return. The anger was confounding, because what did this Knight possibly have to be angry about? A personal matter perhaps, but did that warrant the extra roaring and violent throwing of Osiris’ rations? Why deliver him rations if they were angry?

It could be possible that the Knight and assembled brood did have access to outside information, but if they did, what news could they have received that warranted that information? Hive this important to Savathûn had been staying relatively hidden from Guardians. If they were encountering upsetting news, did that mean there had been a victory over the Hive? Over Hive important enough to Savathûn for this Knight to be upset over it? A cabal victory? A Guardian victory?

It didn’t take long for him to find out. Osiris had only paced the room what felt like three more times before the Knight entered again and roared at him, throwing a metal container of water into the room—throwing it directly at him, though Osiris ducked—and turning around quickly. It was a singe in fabric, a bit of fabric that hung from around the Knight’s shoulders and back. In the fabric, Osiris could spot a number of burns, burns from a Guardian’s energy weapon. From a Guardian’s solar light. The Knight was still standing, but it meant that it had been found, and the same Knight had been giving Osiris food for as long as he’d been in this prison. But now, they’d been found.

Osiris picked up the jug of water with a trembling hand. It was the beginning of the end.

[mirthfulbrewist]

Alternate Deck of Many Things

...To Mix and Match with the official deck

Pictured: The Golden Tarot

Deck of Fate

Artefact, Wondrous item.

An intricately carved wooden puzzle box contains this deck of cards, which are luxuriantly illustrated and edged in gold foil. When you find the deck, it may contain as few as 13 or as many as 22 cards.

Unless otherwise stated, as soon as you look at the card you’ve drawn from the deck, its magic takes effect. You may draw several cards at once, but must declare the number ahead of time.

Alternate Balance. Your mind suffers a splitting alteration, and a piece of your soul is wrenched from your body. A creature identical to yourself appears within 60 ft. of you. It has the same ability scores, hit points, features, proficiencies, memories, and items as your character, excluding artefacts.

This creature represents all the aspects of yourself you are not proud of. For good or neutral-aligned characters, the duplicate’s goal is to fulfil your darkest, most selfish whims. For evil-aligned characters, it will try to foil your evil deeds at every turn. The DM must decide under what circumstances the Duplicate will vanish, and your soul will be cleft back together.

Alternate Comet. Your body freezes in time and your soul is transported to the plane of thought, where an encounter awaits you. The monsters present might be old phobias, ghosts from your past, or some similar manifestation of a personal fear. If you single-handedly win the encounter, your soul is returned to your body, and you gain one level. Alternately, you can choose to leave the plane of thought and return to your body at any time during the encounter, in which case you do not gain a level, and the card fades away.

Alternate Donjon. You disappear from your current location and appear in a locked cell within a dungeon you do not recognize. The dungeon cannot be entered or exited by means of teleportation magic.

Alternate Euryale. The card's medusa-like visage curses you. Whenever you move during combat, you can choose to halve your speed OR roll a dexterity saving throw at a DC of 8. On a failed save, you fall prone. This curse can be lifted with a Remove Curse spell.

The Alternate Fates. Reality's fabric unravels and spins anew, allowing you to avoid or erase one event as if it never happened. You can use the card's magic as soon as you draw the card or at any other time before you die. When the card disappears, it leaves a permanent mark on your body which some creatures may recognize.

Alternate Flames. You are briefly mentally connected to your destined adversary. You each learn one another's general location and identity, as well as a vague idea of their each other's alignment or intentions. You can talk to one another as through the Sending spell.

This connection might only occur once, or it could return at intervals. Neither party can force the connection to open nor close.

Alternate Fool. Your progress is stunted. You do not gain a level next time you are meant to, whether by milestone or XP.

Alternate Gem. You can activate this card multiple times. As an action, you may hold this card and ask for any currency, raw materials, spell components, or non-magical equipment and have it appear at your feet. The card crumbles into a fine sand once the total value requested reaches 50,000gp.

Alternate Idiot. The memory of a certain person, event, location, or object of the DM's choice disappears from your mind. You also have no memory of drawing this card, which vanishes once the effect takes place. This memory can be restored with a Wish or Greater Restoration spell.

Alternate Jester. Your body morphs and changes into that of a different playable race, and your racial features, Hit Points, and Ability Scores are adjusted accordingly. Your appearance maintains certain recognizable hallmarks, such as eye and hair colour, bone structure, et cetera, insofar as your new race allows it. Alternately, instead of changing your race, your DM may grant you a random Natural Weapon, which you become proficient with. You can summon and dismiss this weapon at will, in a manner appropriate to it. (e.g, retracting fangs and claws.)

Natural Weapons: Your natural weapon may be claws, fangs, spines, horns, a tail, etc. Your unarmed strikes with this weapon deal an additional 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, whichever is appropriate, and you are proficient with your unarmed strikes. The natural weapon is magic and you have a +1 bonus to the attack and damage rolls you make using it. While you are wielding a single light weapon and no shields, your natural weapon counts as a second light weapon for the purpose of two-weapon fighting.

Alternate Key. The card dissolves away into a palm-sized key. In your mind, you can sense the location of the great treasure it leads to, though you do not know what the treasure is.

Alternate Knight. When you activate this card at any time after drawing it, it will transform into a +1 magic longsword. You may choose any willing NPC to knight into service, making them a 4th-level Fighter or Paladin, in addition to any levels they already have. The character retains these levels and the sword will become bonded to them for as long as they are loyal to you. If the character loses loyalty to you, they lose these levels and the longsword turns back into a card, reappearing in the deck.

Alternate Moon. You are granted the ability to cast the wish spell 1d3 times. You can direct this wish at a specific God or Patron. When all charges are expended, the card vanishes into glittering dust.

Alternate Rogue. You become an outcast from a community of the DM's choice which once welcomed you, whether it be your hometown, your religious order, or even your race as a whole. Though people who know you well have not changed their opinions on you, strangers have become suspicious and distrusting of you.

Alternate Ruin. The world forgets about you. All memory and written record of you and your actions disappear from the minds of the living. This can only be undone with divine intervention, or a Wish spell.

Alternate Skull. You summon an avatar of death—a ghostly humanoid skeleton clad in a tattered black robe and carrying a spectral scythe. It appears in a space of the GM's choice within 10 feet of you and will fight for three rounds before disappearing. If anyone other than you attacks the Avatar of Death, those attack have no effect. (the following statblock is different from the official one.)

Avatar of Death

Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 20

Hit Points half the hit point maximum of its summoner

Speed 60 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)

STR 16 (+3)    DEX 16 (+3)    CON 16 (+3)    INT 16 (+3)    WIS 16 (+3)    CHA 16 (+3)

Damage Immunities necrotic, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious

Senses darkvision 60 ft., truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 13

Languages all languages known to its summoner

Challenge -- (0 XP)

Incorporeal Movement. The avatar can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Turning Immunity. The avatar is immune to features that turn undead.

Actions                                  

Reaping Scythe. The avatar sweeps its spectral scythe through a creature within 5 feet of it, dealing 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage. The creature must make a Death saving Throw. A failed death save becomes permanent and leaves a ghastly scar, and can only be reset with a Wish or Greater Restoration Spell.

 Alternate Star. You gain two new proficiencies of your choice. These proficiencies can be with skills, tools, instruments, armour, or weapons. (for armour, it can only be one class higher than your current proficiency. None to light, light to medium, or medium to heavy. You must still meet the minimum strength requirement for heavy armour.)

Alternate Sun. A wondrous item (which the GM determines) appears in your hands. In addition, you gain resistance to one damage type of the GM’s choice, or one of your preexisting resistances becomes an immunity.

Alternate Talons. Every magic item you wear or carry gains one Minor Detrimental Property, determined randomly. Artifacts gain a Major Detrimental Property. 

Alternate Throne. Intelligent creatures suddenly recognize you as a royal or otherwise powerful and influential. You gain proficiency in either the Persuasion or Intimidation skill, and you double your proficiency bonus on checks made with that skill.

Alternate Vizier. The image of an eye appears on your forehead until this card's effect is concluded. At any time you choose within one year of drawing this card, you can ask a question about a possible future, and mentally receive a truthful answer to that question. Besides information, the answer can help guide you toward or away from that future. In other words, the knowledge comes with wisdom on how to apply it.

The Alternate Void. This black card spells disaster. Your soul is swapped out for that of a great evil that was banished to the void long ago. 

[priorireverte]

Congratulations Ash!

Your application for Harry Potter has been accepted. I think we’re all really excited to have such a central, pivotal character in plan. Not just me in my entirely biased excitement for Lily to have her son around. Make sure to let us know if/when you settle on a faceclaim for him.

Please look to the checklist for the next steps and reach out if you have any questions!

OUT OF CHARACTER

NAME & PRONOUNS: Ash & She/her

TIMEZONE: est

ACTIVITY LEVEL: On average, I tend to get online every other day to get through my replies. Although weekends I’ll usually be on daily.

ANYTHING ELSE: Experience - I have been in the Harry Potter rp community for almost ten years now, and have been doing so on Tumblr for about six.

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Harry James Potter

BIRTHDATE: 31 July ,1980 Zodiac - Leo. Starting with the obvious, let’s put the Leo in Gryffindor, I see what you did  there sorting hat. Harry spent his entire life from the young age of eleven, thrown into the spotlight. Others were interested in him for things outside of his control as long as he could remember, but he’s embraced that attention and put it to good use. He is very compassionate and caring, going out of his way to help others around him. His pride can get in the way at times, and tied with the ability to hold a grudge Harry has a sense of there’s my way and the wrong way.  Respect from those he most admires is vital to him. He had spent days obsessing over why Dumbledore hadn’t shared their similarities with him, and has never felt a sense of pride as strong as when McGonagall stood up for him to Umbridge. Harry is a leader, the type of person everyone around him looks towards for the answers to their largest problems.

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Gender and pronouns do not have much meaning to Harry, even though he had grown up with his entire identity being centered around his title as ‘Boy Who Lived’. He has never necessarily felt a connection to this title, but has not thought about it anyplace outside of logistically knowing when someone shouts for ‘the boy’ that can mean him. Harry’s Bisexuality however, is something he has been learning to embrace after years of confusion. His Uncle Vernon of course had a few select words for people who liked the same gender, but outside of pushing away the nerves in his stomach whenever he had to listen to his relatives derogatory language he had not realized that being attracted to multiple genders was an option. Harry has has dated during his teen years; He went on dates to the Yule Ball and Hogsmede, as well as his former relationship with Ginny, but he always felt slightly behind his peers in terms of sexuality and maturation. He assumes it was the fact that he spent so much time feeling unsafe and afraid that he didn’t have the time to explore those feelings, but there was also so many things he simply didn’t know that he is only just learning now in the start of his twenties. BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood. Harry’s status as a halfblood may have been the deciding factor in the course of his entire young life if Dumbeldore’s theories were to be correct, and they usually were. Harry and Tom Riddle shared this trait, both half-blooded wizards and in the end it seemed to have been a deciding factor in Riddle’s choice to mark Harry as the chosen one to become his own equal. However another similarity they share is how out of place they had felt in the muggle world and the strong sense of home the Hogwarts walls had provided both. Harry has no prejudice against those of muggle blood, one of his best friends is muggleborn thank you very much, but he has no connection to the muggles who raised him and were supposed to have been his family.

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor - While he strongly believes it was begging that landed him in red and gold, Harry is very much a Gryffindor. Being brave doesn’t mean never being scared, it’s what you do when faced with fear and Harry has stood up to nearly every terrifying challenge sent his way. He needed that house, as much as he also fit in. Harry grew up the one who was going to end a war, being surrounded by other brave, chivalrous people helped him greatly obtain his own confidence to do what he needed.

OCCUPATION: Harry Potter’s refusal to join the Auror Department sparked quite the buzz once he had finally made the announcement, and the decision had absolutely been one he had not taken lightly in the slightest, but at the end of the day Harry’s fear and distrust in the Ministry won out over his need to constantly swoop in and save the day. That doesn’t mean he hadn’t helped with the effort, he spent the first year out after the war off to help with trials and giving the right information to people who needed it, but after years of being branded a liar he simply couldn’t bring himself to work for the same Ministry who endangered lives by refusing to see what was right in front of them. Instead Harry went home, to the one place that he had always felt he belonged and once again did the impossible. Harry Potter has been the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts for two whole years.

FACECLAIM: tbd

CHARACTER BACKGROUND

POSTBELLUM

While he had not been given the instructions to die at the hands of Voldemort until he had been seventeen and only moments away from walking towards his own murder, after seven years of nothing but waiting for the next fight a part of Harry had assumed from a young age one of them was going to have to ultimately kill the other in the end. The lead up to a final showdown at the end of each school year had been convenient, and while he refused to accept the thought, likely planned out to go that way by a certain headmaster, but it couldn’t have continued on forever. So Harry had never allowed himself to think of a life after the fall of Voldemort, or of happiness and family and one day growing old. He was nothing more than a soldier, a child so deprived of affection he put everything he had into fighting back for the approval of his Professor and put little value on his life outside of being the Chosen One, so the first year following the war was especially hard. From the second he had entered the magical world he had been ‘The Boy Who Lived’. Since the age of eleven years old he had been expected to fight the dark wizards and save the day and he did not know how to be anything else. Harry couldn’t see his value outside of his willingness to jump to the occasion and solve problems. After the war his life’s purpose felt complete at only seventeen years old and it was extremely difficult to accept.

But then the Ministry expected him to be the poster boy for everything they had been doing towards the cleanup process- sending owls on a near daily basis asking Harry to sit on death eater trials or begging him to speak out in favor of the Ministry and their new laws. Just how much of himself Harry was willing to give had been one of the most difficult choices he ever had to make. Fighting injustice was all Harry knew. The Death Eaters had done horrendous things and even after the fall of Voldemort Harry felt a responsibility to ensure they were taken down, however Harry’s trust in the Ministry had been greatly punctured over the years he had been in the magical world, even before the Death Eaters had taken over. It was a delicate balance, and the power his word suddenly held brought a level of anxiety he was unfamiliar with, but he knew that there were too many people who would never see justice without his intervention.

His involvement in the war had only increased his fame and suddenty the Ministry of Magic and every paper in wizarding Britain were harassing him once again. Harry’s friends had been encouraging him to step back and take the time to recover; live a normal, quiet life, whatever that meant. He had never even gotten the time to properly grieve over Sirius’s death, let alone the countless other people he had lost since then who had died in his mind, because of him. He didn’t know how to step back and live a normal life, but he had craved it as long as he could remember so Harry put his everything into attempting. It took a year to realize that Harry that he would never feel that pain in his scar again, that even if he had never wanted it there to begin with an entire piece of someone’s soul he had been living with since he was a year old was gone forever and his only purpose in life had been completed before he ever had a chance to finish his NEWTs.

So He pulled back, isolated himself for a while in a way he wasn’t proud of, but didn’t know how to cope without. Going to anyone but Ron and Hermione with his problems had always seemed incomprehensible, and even then it was always easier to tell them about whatever crazy thing was happening to him at the time than discuss the feelings behind everything he had been through. He busied himself with mindless projects, spending all of his time hiding out from his friends by putting all his energy into restoring 12 Grimmauld Place. The house was now his and he didn’t want to leave the reminder of how horrible his godfather’s own childhood had been. It was the baby Teddy Lupin that was the only one who could get Harry’s undivided attention and compassion for a short while during the beginning of life after the war. He told himself it was so easy to share such raw emotion with the little boy because at first he couldn’t even understand what Harry had been saying, but Harry had felt a strong bond to the boy the second he learned of his godson’s birth. He hadn’t taken over raising Teddy, he was too young and unsure, Andromeda was the right choice as Teddy’s guardian, but Harry made a point to be a large part in his upbringing.   He refused to allow him to grow up as lonely and afraid as he had been himself, and Harry felt a personal responsibility to make sure Remus and Tonk’s sacrifices of their lives weren’t for nothing and Teddy would grow up loved and in a world better than any of them grew up in.

Turning down a position in the Auror Program had surprised himself more than it had seemed to any of the people who knew him best, which had only confused him more. His dream job since he had been only fourteen had never truly been a dream, but a logical choice for someone whose entire life revolved around being manipulated into fighting. He had truly believed he would never get past his back and forth with Voldemort, and the auror office only fit the narrative. Even knowing these things didn’t make knowing he was going to be letting people down any easier and he nearly said yes solely out of fear of saying no.

His time back in the castle has been everything he never thought he would be allowed to have and Harry is taking full advantage of that fact. Teaching is something Harry had felt so strongly about in the short time he was doing so with the DA, and in the proper setting where he had the ability to ensure this next generation was not going to have to ever fear their time in the castle was the calling he never knew about.

—

All the lives lost during the war was something that sat in Harry’s thought even still, more than anything else. He never knew anything but loss, but the grief he felt the past few years was different. He hadn’t been grieving the loved ones he never had, instead the people he loved and cherished who were torn away from him too soon. Watching the Weasleys without Fred had to have been the hardest part of anything after the war’s end. He had envied Ron’s family for so long, now all he wanted was to take the hurt away from the people who he grew to call his family that were now going through this pain he knew too well.

As hopeful as the returned made Harry, it all scared him as well. He knew what happened when wixen played around with death, and even more so he knew just how dark the magic around it could be. But he also doesn’t want to feel the pain again of getting his hopes up to have family by his side to have it ripped away. He doesn’t trust it to last. 

PERSONALITY

“There’s no need to call me Sir, Professor.”

Harry for some reason unknown to me, has started to be perceived to be this hypsteresque, bad-ass. A smoker, rogue auror who doesn’t play by the rules. Harry Potter is a sassy and sarcastic. But also a quidditch obsessed nerd who loves his friends with everything he has and stands up for what he believes in. He has that stereotypical Gryffindor temper, and does not always think about the consequences of his sharp tongue, but he has never been one to allow people to walk over him or anyone else. He was a victim of abuse and neglect and his words, that wit was the one thing he had to cope as a child treated like nothing more than an unwanted freak. But Harry is also the person who told Snape his nickname was Roonil Waslib. He’d spend hours on end talking to his bird and one of the first moments of the entire series he is empathizing with a snake who had been trapped and never knew their family. His friends are everything to him and Harry’s loyalty can be seen almost as a fault. There is no difference between his friends and family, and to betray or mistrust them is one of the worst things he can imagine of himself.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY

Harry’s memories of life before Privet Drive do not consist of anything more than flashes of colors and the occasional face. Perhaps a voice he wasn’t able to place. Family has always been Harry’s greatest desire, the things he wanted most in the world. The Durleys had been Harry’s closest living relatives, but made it clear they were not Harry’s family. His aunt and uncle made sure to remind him constantly that Harry was nothing more than an inconvenience in their home, and that he would never be as loved or cherished as their son. The idea of family was nothing more than that for a very long time; an idea and a dream. At thirteen the possibility of family had been dangled over his head in the form of a fugitive Godfather. Harry’s time with Sirius was too short, they should have had years together to make up for the twelve apart and it was after his death that Harry felt ready to give up on the idea of ever having a real family of his own. Of course that makes him feel selfish. Ron and Hermione every bit as much his family as any last name or title could make them. Harry could argue they were more family to him than Sirius and him ever had the chance to be. And the night Mrs. Weasley had called Harry ‘as good as’ another son still plays in his mind on a loop some nights when he’s looking for a reason it’s all worth it. Harry’s family isn’t blood, but he loves them all just the same. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s thought this return could mean him getting the only thing he’s ever truly wanted.

HISTORY

Harry really does wonder at times what it would be like to have an easy life. He had only been a baby when the weight of a war was thrown onto his tiny shoulders, marking him the one chosen to defeat the greatest dark wizard of their time. As a small child however, Harry would never have believed it. He had known nothing more than he was an orphan, living in cruel circumstances under the stairs in his aunt and uncle’s home and getting bullied by his cousin. It wasn’t until Harry’s eleventh birthday that his life truly began. When Hagrid had stormed down that hut to tell Harry about the truth of himself and his past, Harry felt a sense of self for the first time in his life. He had gone off to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and made friendships for the first time in his life. Even before the rest of the world had been sucked into another war, Harry had been drawn in from a mixture of a hero complex and clues laid out only slightly too conveniently to test and discover the boy who lived that would one day become the chosen one. Harry fought back every year, somehow always granted a new challenge and more pain until his fourth year when it had become more than a challenge that any reasonable adult would consider too dangerous.

Cedric Diggory’s murder had sparked the beginning of the war, but the greater meaning to Harry lied in the young boy who lost his life solely because he had been in the wrost place at the wrong time. He had gotten between Harry and for that reason alone he was dead. It was something Harry never learned to forgive. And it sparked the belief that people around Harry somehow always ended up dying because of him.

Sirius’s death left Harry inconsolable. He never had the proper time to grieve, with a target on his back and the war picking up quickly, but losing the one family member he had left destroyed Harry in a completely different way. And again, Harry came to the conclusion if he had only checked in the mirror Sirius could have still been alive.

The hunt for horcruxes was something else entirely. He had no connection to anyone outside of Ron and Hermione and when Ron had left it broke Harry’s heart in an entirely different way. He kept waiting for the ball to drop and one of his best friends to get hurt because of him. He clung closer, forgave quicker, and fought harder trying to keep anyone else he loved from dying.

Remus and Tonks’ deaths held a significance just as strong but different for Harry. He was a Godfather and when Remus had named him so it had become the new most important thing about him. Being the Chosen One, or the Boy Who Lived didn’t matter when there was a little boy who depended on him to stay alive and watch out for him.

OOC EXPLORATION

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

This group is every guilty pleasure I have ever had mixed in with a wonderful plot and beautiful writing. Even though recently role plays set in the trio’s era are few and far between, the ones I have been a part of always seem to either lack writers willing to write for Harry or his character is quickly taken by someone who does not know the story beyond either solely the movie franchise or random bits of knowledge. I’ve noticed a stigma in the Potter fandom, especially the role playing community, that the ‘true fans’ have to prefer secondary or background characters. While I also love building on characters we do not see as much of in the books, it has always saddened me that this character that I grew up with is seen as the easy write up. Because we as readers have so much on Harry I’ve actually found his character more difficult to write for, but equally enjoyable.

As per Harry as an actual character, he has been like a friend since I was seven years old.