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Hello! I’m the DM!
Hey there! I'm Drake, but the things below the line in this post were written by Percy. It's explained below, but my campaign is the one mentioned in the title as "The Fire Called Life". I don't have a name for it, though based on what he's been through I will say that fits quite nicely.
As a DM, I focus more on descriptions rather than HP usage for damage since HP is used to describe the well being of a character in a fight to the death. I have a homebrew blood type system, though it works in tandem with 5e mechanics quite well.
I have a table for every "bloodline", aka a group of blood types that certain creatures can have. When a character is created, I make a note of their blood type and bloodline. The bloodline is determined by their race and creature type, and the blood type specifically is a roll from me that's kept secret and only affects their chances of getting certain diseases.
My campaign centers around a colonialistic concept, though I would describe it as a lore-fueled exploratory political thriller. There's three factions, in total, that conflict with each other. They're each decently fleshed out, and I'm happy to DM more about them if need be!
The main one is the Enlistment, the colonists. They were picked from their units in their respective nations on a continent far from this one and offered a handsome sum of 3k gold per family to work with in order to establish a connection and civilization on a ship. They traveled for three years aboard said ship to reach the continent where the campaign takes place, and the colony has run into problems in the 30 years since they washed up on a rocky, mountainous coastline dotted with ruins.
Through the journey they did form a community, but with any community comes cliques. The seafarers by trade were snobbish, and combined with the craftsmen they ruled the life on the ship. Children, towards the end of the journey, began throwing their siblings overboard when disease struck or food was low. Of course, those who had enlisted from the likes of militaristic or political organizations also formed up during this time to punish those found harming the chances of the colony. Bad children were said to be taken to the captain's quarters in the massive ship and were never heard from again.
That perilous journey is over, however, and the colony long-established. The establishment of such a civilization has not come without pushback and warning from the local wandering tribes of bugbear, kobolds, and dragonborn. For this reason, a defense force was set up at a halfway point, a no-man's-land where a few scouts from the tribes were present in the shadow of a cliff dotted with holes and cavernous spaces.
So far, not a soul on either side has heard from that camp and the tensions are higher than they ever were between the natives and the colonists. But there have been lives lived, dead buried, and children born unto this and this is all they know. The journey is far too perilous to be made with the current resources, and the civil unrest from within is spreading as many of the citizens of the colony feel cheated and lied to, paid to die.
That’s the briefing the players were given before they made characters.
Currently, though the two previous sessions should have VODs on Twitch, here’s a recap:
They started out in the Establishment where they went to the edge of the forest and encountered a dragonborn who decided to go with them. During the night they encountered another person, seemingly hunting a creature. The tracks led them to a cave, and a slaughtered camp laid at the mouth of it.
Like any sane adventurers, they rushed into the mouth of the cave and they encountered an old church of Lolth. Within the church lurked an abomination that nearly killed them. After they took it down, they heard steps from outside. Upon getting ready for another fight, they met a Drow named Srelia. She started walking with the two that weren’t the dragonborn, as he decided to go his own way, and led them to a hill overlooking her home city.
That's from a while ago. Drake again btw.
Right now they're in the lair of a sea hag, and something darker. They were sent on a mission to find a flower that can supposedly help cure a plague in a town where magic has no effect on it's residents.
They've found the flower, but are now trapped in an underwater city (it's got a very current-day modern feel to it, and the Warforged is trying to make friends with a sunken Mazda right now) They need to find a way out, and your character could be the key.
Now that you’re caught up, they’re level 6 and you will be too if you join, I have a favor to ask.
We’re friendly and relaxed. Easy-going and chill. But we do use Discord for voice chat, D&DBeyond for character sheets, and Tabletop Simulator for the game itself. We were a full party, but one of the players hasn’t shown up (after asking what time the session was earlier that day) at all. And then the one I brought in to replace the original one who had scheduling conflicts hasn’t shown their face either. It doesn’t matter what you play as long as you have fun.
We roll our stats on the Discord we play in. Homebrew needs to be approved by me, and there’s 9 different pantheons to choose from. The stat rolls are basic: one roll for everyone. There’s easy intro points right around the corner, but if you want to take more time and/or just sit in on a session, you definitely can!
We RP a LOT, but also some of the group has a little bit of a temper.
For more details, feel free to message/chat me here! Or on Discord!
SquirelFeed#1711 is my Discord! Be sure to send me your Reddit name too if you choose to only reach out through Discord.
Also! I'll try to run it next week and the week after but I'm not sure if I'll be able to due to the fact we use Tabletop Simulator and I'll be running things from my laptop.
Sometimes things aren't super smooth either, just as a warning, due to the fact I have DID and therefore have severe amnesia at times and my DMing style can change from alter to alter.
I think that's about it... And if this doesn't tickle your fancy but wanna know how the game goes, feel free to shoot me a message or comment or something and just say as much :) Who knows? If you're not joining, I might just lore dump to you if you want me to. If my game doesn't seem like what you're looking for, I wish you the best of luck.

They called it a Scryglass, the pun being very much intentional.
It was a mirror inscribed with magic runes that could be touched to match with a signature. We had effectively reinvented the telephone, but with the benefit of visuals to go with it. Even though it reflected the room behind me, I didn't show up, nobody showed up.
I tapped the runes indicated, and the Scryglass shifted to show a Human, who looked surprised.
"Holy shit, it actually worked." She remarked. She scrutinized me. "I was led to believe your Imperator would be speaking with us."
"I am Imperator Ruuk Stingtail." I stated. "My death was not exaggerated, the Gods simply had need of me. The short of it is that our High Priest was a saboteur for Tiamat, and had been using my brother, the acting Imperator, as a puppet. He is still at large, unfortunately, having escaped with Tiamat's intervention." I paused. "If you have a seat, please take it, I cannot guarantee this will be a quick call."
A chair was brought in, we both sat in our respective spots.
"Might I know your name, Human?" I asked.
"Staff Sergeant Catalina Rosaria Cortez." She replied. "We understand this Tiamat infiltrated our number under the alias of Tiana Martel."
"How much do you know of Tiamat's involvement in events?" I asked. "I ask mainly to ensure if you are missing any information, you can be apprised of the details."
"We don't know a whole lot." Sgt. Cortez stated. "We've been flying in the dark here for a year."
I nodded. I gave a rough overview of events as I remembered them, with Bahamut filling in the gaps that I had forgotten. A few of my Council looked uncomfortable when I mentioned we had once been Human, a fact I had already forgotten.
"For the purposes of interacting with us, approach any situation with the understanding that most- if not all of us- do not remember ever being Human. It's a detail even I find myself forgetting."
She nodded. "To be honest with you, we have had some trouble remembering that as well. I've gone over past reports, and it's clear that our memory is being affected as well, the blockades were enacted because we had come to the conclusion that you were invaders, rather than residents."
"That is alarming." I remarked. "Kashak! Alert the Circle that the Humans are experiencing the same loss in memory."
"The 'Circle'?" Sgt. Cortez asked.
"Our Circle of Mages, recently founded. They are a group of Sorcerers, Warlocks, Clerics... Anyone who has an interest in studying magic. It is their mission to find a way to properly contain the Divine Essence of Kurtulmak, and if possible, bring him back so the transformation of Humans into Kobolds can be controlled."
"Do you believe a God can be brought back to life?" She asked.
"I was." I replied. "Why not him?"
"Please tell her that, while I appreciate some of her men giving homage to me, it is unnecessary." Bahamut stated. "I am not the one containing the Divine Essence, it is the faithful who remain who keep it gathered."
"You can tell your men they don't need to pray to Bahamut." I said, she looked surprised, and a little confused. "While he appreciates it, he's not the one who's keeping the Divine Essence contained. Those of us who stubbornly continue to worship Kurtulmak are keeping it from spreading."
"I see..." She said.
"That being said, nothing is stopping them from continuing." I said. "As the new head of his Temple on Earth, I am... restructuring things."
"You took over the Temple." She said. "Making you the sole authority in your nation."
"If it makes you feel any better, I literally have Bahamut watching over my shoulder, there's nothing like a lawfully good Deity whose entire thing is Justice to provide some oversight."
She laughed, meaning my attempt at humor worked. "Sorry." She said. "That was rude of me."
"It was intentionally a joke." I said, easing her guilt. "The purpose of these Scryglasses- yes, I'm told it's a pun- is to ensure quick communication in the event things start going wrong."
She nodded. "So I was told." She said. "Is there anything you're expecting from us?"
"A rough overview of current events." I said. "Having an evil Dragon Goddess show up and lay waste to an entire town's worth of Kobolds certainly didn't go unnoticed, and that's not going into if she targeted the city over."
She nodded. "Things have been tense." She said. "Your actions led to what is effectively an unscheduled restructuring of our entire government."
'She means the citizens of her nation saw the open mistreatment of your people as the final straw, there was a violent uprising that led to the death and imprisonment of everyone in the higher echelons of government, and a provisional government is currently handling affairs while the situation is resolved.' Bahamut helpfully explained.
"So, you have your own issues on your end as well." I stated diplomatically.
"Tiamat attacking did not help matters." She said. "We still get some dumbshit activists trying to cause problems, thinking we're holding you hostage."
"Do you have any means of contacting them?" I asked.
"In theory, yes. They don't really listen, or pick up."
I nodded. "Contact them, simply tell them Imperator Ruuk is interested in speaking with them. After all, it is in both of our best interests to keep this situation contained."
The relief in her eyes was palpable, I had just lifted the weight of an entire world off her back. "I will do that, Imperator Ruuk." She said.
"Thank you." I tried to think of anything else that came to mind. "Keep me apprised of anything unusual happening on your end, I will have people stationed near this Scryglass to ensure you won't be waiting too long in the event you need my insight."
That was all that needed to be discussed, I ended the connection and sat back in my seat.
'It takes strength to speak with those you hate.' Bahamut stated. 'I am proud of you.'
I nodded. "Compromise." I said. "If I can't do that much, then I show I won't even follow in my God's footsteps."
There was no time for sitting around, ruminating on things that didn't directly serve getting us back on track.
"Hail, Imperator!" A few of our recent additions called out to me, there was still fear in their eyes, but they most certainly respected me. We got the foundation for even having a reservoir built. We all elected not to have indoor plumbing, we'd gotten used to chamber pots and the Druids were efficient at turning our waste into fertilizer, their ability to cleanse of it disease meaning there was no point in doing anything otherwise.
Instead, we elected to have the water go into strategically placed wells, with water created to test them out and ensure we would get flooded if a little too much water came in.
Thanks to the efforts of the Artificers and Druids, we had a system that would accommodate a proper reservoir, with future plans to have one made and installed. As we were patting ourselves on the back and celebrating our efforts, someone came running up to me. "Imperator! We need your assistance! Elgo snapped, we don't know what to do!"
"Show me." I said.
The Circle of Mages were situated in what I called the Arcane District, and considering the sounds coming from within, I knew the situation was serious. I ran past confused and concerned mages and headed for the far door.
Beyond it, I saw Elgo running around, grabbing paper and scrawling on it, paying no mind to the things he was knocking over. He was talking to himself, muttering frantically under his breath in a mixtire of Yipyak and English, as well as a few other languages I didn't recognize.
His hand seized a pen and he began drawing circles and diagrams on each page.
'Leave him be, Ruuk.' Bahamut stated. 'Give him some space.'
I shut the door, not really questioning what Bahamut knew that I didn't- not yet, at least. I looked at the other Mages. "Give him space." I said. "If it persists longer than a few days, then we get involved."
We didn't even need to wait the full day, Elgo came out of the room carrying a bunch of pages loosely bound together with string, which he brought over, slammed on a table, and began pointing at things and jibbering madly.
"Elgo, Elgo." I said, reaching out to him and trying to calm him down.
"No, Imperator, you do no understand-" He slipped into another language, emphatically trying to communicate something. I looked at the others. Anyone know Comprehend Languages?"
This seemed to snap Elgo back into reality. He looked at me for several moments, then stepped away, taking the bound-together papers and a cup of water. "This will explain it." He said, thumbing through the pages until he landed on one. This time, he spoke slowly and deliberately, half of his words were understandable, while the rest were not. It took him a full minute.
He flung the water, which twisted and roiled in the air before splashing against the ground. I watched in awe as the water then began to rise up, taking a humanoid form.
"Wait, you awoke as a Sorcerer?" A Warlock asked.
"No, he's our first Wizard." Arix stated. "Those papers in his hands? That's his spellbook. That insane babbling we heard? It's not insane to him."
Elgo nodded, "Yeah." He said. "It's, ah, a water elemental, kuutravai rukata vos aquan capable of, well, anything that water is capable of, like kavata tuugra shalai with its mass derived directly from the elemental plane of water."
"You could have just said 'magic' over and over again and we would have gotten exactly the same information out of that." Arix said. "What even is that language you're speaking?"
"He is speaking the Primordial tongue, the language of Elementals, the First Words of Asgorath." Bahamut spoke through me.
"Oh, you're familiar with it?" Elgo asked.
"Bahamut is." I said. "Mind filling us in on what he said?"
"The concepts are far more ancient than any modern languages can adequately convey, yet simplified, they can put out fires and smash things." Bahamut replied.
Elgo winced. "That's not really a good explanation." He said.
"It is not incorrect. You will have to learn how to convey these concepts in simpler terms, especially as you will need to teach those who will come after you." Bahamut retracted, and I felt a little drained. "Elgo, congratulations on your Awakening, I'll get an Artificer to make you a proper spellbook so you don't have to worry about your pages falling out." I looked pointedly at the page that was flopping to the floor. He quickly snatched it up.
"For the record." Bahamut spoke again. "He is the equivalent of a 'level ten', in your terms."
I blinked, Arix asked, "How?"
"I think it's because I've been spending my every waking moment trying to figure out how magic works." Elgo said. "I've studied scrolls and magic items, asking about specific runes and arrays. Today, it all just... clicked." He paused. "In fact, I feel like I have a greater grasp of our situation, maybe. I'll need more paper, more time to observe things."
I nodded. "Get on it, and report to me directly when you've finished. Your knowledge will be needed on my Council."
He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, Council. Wait, Council?" He looked at me.
"Every time a new Class is awakened, they are given a spot on my Council." I stated.
He looked distressed. "But there's so much I need to focus on, I can't be bogged down with politics! There's the matter of how we're going to gather up the Divine Essence and contain it, because even if we aren't showing signs of anything wrong with us, there's no telling what long-term effects we'll begin to display. I mean, there's gradual yellowing of everyone's eyes, and I'm fairly certain that isn't jaundice, not to mention the rapidity of cognitive degradation compared to the normal rate- more specifically in the region of the brain that governs memory, on top of everything else that's going on and I don't have the capacity to really do that."
I blinked, speechless for a moment. "As Councilor, you will have the authority to delegate." I stated firmly. "And having my ear on any problem you find or any solution you come up with will ensure they are handled immediately."
"R-right, I didn't think about that."
"That being said, I am going to require you to accompany me tonight, if you are as well-studied as you think you are, you'll be able to help us."
He nodded.
I put things in motion to get him a proper spellbook made, then continued about my day. By the time of the ritual, he'd already copied everything into a nice, leatherbound book, and he looked significantly less scatterbrained.
We prepared the ritual, which he observed quietly.
"Several issues." He said, after we finished. "First and foremost, the people who can't use magic are superfluous, they can just sit over here and pray and it would probably be just as effective."
A few of my fellow faithful started yelling at him.
"Quiet." I stated, they all went silent. "Elgo is here specifically to address anything he sees as not working or being counterproductive. Go on, Elgo."
"Right. Second, you're just throwing herbs in there, you need a proper incense, considering you're trying to worship a dead God back to life, frankincense, myrrh, and dragon's blood resin would be more effective, and these things can be purchased from any spiritual shop- I'm sure there's plenty in the next town over, we'll just have to contact the soldiers and get them to agree to get the materials."
"I have a means of communication, go on."
"Oh? I'll have to see it." He remarked. "Third, that's just a basic brazier full of wood you got from the ground. I understand you're desperately trying your best, but you're not getting anywhere if you're half-assing it. You're going to need- at the very least- something that actually matches what Kurtulmak likes. Not to mention getting wood that has the properties you need."
He looked thoughtful. "Fourth, you have his spear, you have armor that he made, yes? Use them. You have the best possible implements for- at the very least- gathering the Divine Essence into something that can hold it."
"Is that everything?" I asked.
"Everything that makes sense at least." He remarked. "Anything else, we're going to have to adjust."
I nodded. "Then let's make this a priority, if we're just wasting time now, we'd better use it so we aren't." We came together and- pooling our understanding- we came to a plan that could work.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cuts and gashes, the dead fighting the dead, culling the weak so the strong remained. The souls we slew would remain dead, irretrievable.
In the distance, a voice calls out to me.
​
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AN: To preface this, I've never tried my hand at any kind of creative writing. I've just kinda finally decided I wanted to take the world I built in my head and put it on paper and actually get the ideas out there. I'll take all the criticism I get, but also pls be nice :D
The sound of a mana-charged mining explosive echoed through the large cavern, revealing the figures of the dwarven mining team through the newly opened gap in the collapsed entryway. As they stepped through the gap in the rubble, the dwarves looked around the chamber in awe. Flanking them on both sides were lines ancient moss-covered machinations, no doubt creations of the ancients. These ancient structures were sat upon circular pedestals embedded into the ground, withtheir main bodies being cylindrical in shape rising from the pedestals. Near the top of their cylindrical bodies, long, thin, and hollow rods protruded from vertical slits in their bodies. For what purpose these ancient machines served, the dwarves could not guess, except that these structures no longer functioned as they completely lacked a mana field. In fact, the dwarves noticed that the entire cavern lacked mana, a true anomaly in this world of magic.
After the dwarves had their fill of admiring the intricate craftsmanship of the ancient structures, they moved towards the smooth, metal-plated far wall of the cavern. However, it was not the exotic nature of the metal that adorned the wall nor how perfectly cut the panels were that attracted the attention of the dwarven group, but it was the very large and hefty gateway in the middle of the room. A gateway that could have easily accommodated multiple orc siege towers moving side by side through them with room to spare.
Nearing the gateway, the lead dwarf, Gloria, noticed two identical pedestals on either side of the gateway. While the left pedestal appeared non-functional, the right pedestal had a small red light emanating from a button on the side, near the top of its slanted surface. The dwarf approached the pedestal and, letting curiosity get the better of her, pushed the glowing red button. Instantly, thebutton switched to a green color and the slanted top of the pedestal began to emit a glow from beneath the layers of dust buildup. Using a nearby rock, she was able to bring herself to a level where she could peer down on the slanted surface with ease. Wiping the surface clean of dust with her arm, the dwarf sharply inhaled as she was presented with an artificial brightness she never expected to see from a mana-less device that was projecting the language of the ancients at her. She quickly pulled the only member of their mining team that could partially read the ancient language and had him translate what it said:
We-come to Hephaestus-1. P-ease sca- you- cre-e-t-als.
Gloria stepped back and considered to herself what the ancient pedestal could be trying to tell her. While she was sure that the name of the fortress was Hephaestus, she was not sure how to enter and began to ponder how one might activate the pedestal; however, this did not last very long before the rookie on her team waltzed up to the pedestal and begin to channel his mana into it. To his untrained mind, all artifices needed mana and this pedestal was no different from a mana-interface used toopen the great gates of their capitol, Limdor. While he may have been right, the methods by with each interface accomplished their tasks differed greatly, as the pedestal was created at the beginning of the mana-corruption that infested this world thousands of years beforehand.
As the mana flowed began to flow from the top of the pedestal and along the wires within, ancientsensors embedded within roared to life. Their purpose finally being fulfilled, a signal was sent to the AI core housed within Hephaestus, rousing it from its deep slumber. Automated systems began to kick into gear, most notably the defense turrets strategically placed throughout the chamber.
As they whirred to life and the chamber began to illuminate with unnatural lighting dispersedthroughout the walls, Gloria looked up from her thoughts and saw the ancient machinations in the room begin to move of their own accord. She looked back at the pedestal to the young dwarf channeling his mana into the pedestal. She yelled at him to stop, but it was too late. She looked at the machinations that were no longer pointing their barrels towards the ground, but at her groupinstead. She gave the order to retreat, and before long the group started to run towards the way they came in.
As they ran, she heard the gears within the machines activate as they tracked the movement of the group. Gloria ran as fast as she could before a single deafening boom emanated from one of the machinations. They all fell to the floor and saw smoke rising from the barrel of one of them, before hearing a thud as the dwarven miner the aforementioned barrel was pointing at fell to the floor with an unnaturally large cavity in the middle of her torso. Seeing their comrade brought down in such a way was, to say the least, too much for the rest of the dwarven team, save for Gloria. While the others remained frozen in place from pure shock and blown eardrums, Gloria pulled herself up by her bootstraps and booked it to the exit. Four more thunderous booms echoed through the chamber as she clambered through the gap into the ancient artificial tunnel system that they had originally been tasked with exploring. She dared not look back, for fear of being picked off by one of the ancients’ machines. Gloria steadied herself from her panicked breathing and began to make her way to theexist. She had to inform the council of this at once.
In an ocean, far removed from the beaches of the kingdom that Gloria’s team were located on, an Elven fleet lay in waiting. All had been quiet up until the moments following the dwarf’s escape from that cavern, when suddenly the elves sensed a large buildup of energy far beneath the waves. Fearing an attack from a creature of legend, the Elves ran to battle stations. Before long, a series of large capsules, a little bit larger than a sailboat, shot up from the ocean floor over a short period of time. The capsules continued to fly high into the sky before igniting a flame beneath them and proceeding to fly into the heavens. While the majority of the elven warriors attempted to recover from the shockwaves created by the capsules launching from the water at such a high velocity, the elven generals and admirals ran to the communication orbs to confer with their leaders in Elymia.
Next

Introductions. Shuttle Engineer Drivtet Ol'gashi POV
I was working on some routine maintenance of the Black Spots shuttle when the Captains voice came over the ship wide intercom.
Ping "All crew report to assembly in bay 3. There is critical information that has just been relayed by GC high-command. I have been given permission to show all of you just what we found 4 rotations ago on that unknown wreckage." Ping
All noise in the normally busy shuttle bay had ceased following that announcement. Quickly packing away the inspection sheet I was working on, I proceeded to the doors with my fellow crew.
"What do you think that recording was?" I turned and looked down to see shuttle pilot Fen'hozy hopping up beside me. Fen'hozy is a Kanhiv one of the smaller races being only 2' feet 6" inches tall, with short coarse tan fur, and powerful hind legs that are used to launch them into the air. He was nervously tapping the claws on the fingertips of his wings against the floor.
"I don't know, but by the sounds of it the captain is about to show us." I reply trying to calm his nerves.
When we discovered the wreck 4 rotations ago the specifications that came through scans were absurd. Being a member of the engineering crew I was part of the team that was assigned to study the crafts scans when not doing regular tasks. For starters the ceilings were 10' feet tall, 2' feet taller than the tallest know sentient race, the Phyth. Then there was the material composition of the ship. Metal alloys far denser than we have ever made coming from materials so strong our hottest welding equipment barely made it glow. Whatever made that ship was something the GC isn't fully prepared for.
"What do you think destroyed it?" Fen'hozy asked, snapping me from my thoughts.
He was right. What could destroy something our best tech can't even cut through?
"I don't know. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been the Vizan. If it was then there is no way we would have lasted this long against them." I replied, "Hopefully, we will get some answers from this assembly."
I picked up my pace towards bay 3, forcing Fen'hozy to switch from his quadrapedal walk to upright hopping 'run' with his wings tucked neatly against his sides to keep up. We quickly pull ahead of the group leaving the shuttle bay with us.
"If you're gonna run there mind if I just hitch a rid on your back. You know I can't keep up if you go any faster." Fen'hozy remarked, struggling to keep pace with my brisk walk.
"Sure, so long as you promise to clean out the shuttles docking port for me tomorrow." I cheerily replied.
"Done!" He shouted, hopping high into the air towards my back. "I've seen how clean you keep that shuttle it will take me all of 5 tacks to do." He said, landing on my back with a quiet whomp. Holding onto my shoulders with his clawed fingers and proping his hind paws against my hips, I leaned forward and started jogging down the corridor.
We reached bay 3 well ahead of most with only the Captain, bridge crew, and research department present. The bridge crew sat on stage behind the Captain, sullen expressions shadowing their features. While the researchers sat in the front row were restraining their excitement with visible difficulty. The tension was already palpable with the brooding expression on our Captains normally stoic face.
Letting Fen'hozy drop to the floor we made our way to some seats on the far side of the bay. The standardized stools were not very comfortable but were built to accommodate many different body types. I plopped myself onto a stool while Fen'hozy hopped up onto the one next to me resting back on his haunches. Seated like this with him sitting upright we were almost eye level.
"You know, as scared as I am for what this species may be. I can't help but be excited for a new potential ally. Especially with the technology we have already seen." Fen'hozy voiced my own thoughts as if reading them right from my mind.
"I couldn't agree more. Especially about the technology if we had access to some of the materials they use I would put credits on turning the tide of this war." I stated smugly. Our shiny golden metals were nothing compared to the stark grey and black materials that ship was composed of.
We chatted aimlessly for a few tacks while the rest of the crew arrived. It seemed we didn't have to wait long as more and more cautiously optimistic crew members filled the seats. I could catch snippets of conversation all seeming to denote a level of excitement based around what we discovered. If it wasn't for the still sullen Captin and bridge crew I suspect the low chatter would have been a full roar of excitement.
"What do you think has the bridge crew so worried?" Fen'hozy asked, breaking me from my thoughts on the room. Looking back towards the stage where Captain Yillfit Carver stood awaiting the last of the crew. I take a moment to study his expression before answering.
"Well he has always been rather stoic by his species standard, I've only ever seen him make that face when talking about his friends lost on the battle field." A voice clicked from behind us before I could answer. Both Fen'hozy and I turned to the newest addition to the conversation. A Goshran swarmed over the stool making barely audible scratching sounds as the workers of the coloney were busy handling all the needs of their 'body'.
"Well you would be the one to know." Says Fen'hozy, "How long have you and the Captain served together Security Chief Grivla?"
"We have known eachother sense the academy." Grivla clacked in response, "We didn't see eachother for 4 cycles after the academy. Finally meeting again on a Ho'vat battlefield. Our two units had been cut in half by the Vizan, so deciding to work together under Carvers lead. We managed to hold our position until relief forces were able to arrive and take over. I've been serving under Carver ever sense."
"I'm a little surprised to see you down here and not up on stage with the bridge crew?" I nudge, hoping she will have some information as to why they look so sullen.
"Well my assumption is that they have all already seen what we are about to be shown. I just came from my rest shift, if that's their response I think it won't be all good news. Either way I haven't seen anything yet, meaning whatever this is was played over the bridge then immediately deemed of critical importance for the entire crew." Replied the Security Chief.
Sharing a nervous glance with Fen'hozy I turned my attention back to the stage.
Not 2 Tacks later the doors closed behind the last of the crew. The entire crew of the Black Spot all 350 of us stood or sat waiting for the Captain to begin.
After a moment of silence filled the room the Captain began.
"Thank you valued crew of the Black Spot for assembling so quickly.
I know some of you are on rest shift and will be allowed to continue it once we are done here. In fact, all crew will be given half a standard rotation to rest and deal with the news." He stated.
A subdued applause greeted his statement. The excitement in the room quickly fading. Before my thoughts could run away with me the captain resumed his speech.
"As you are all aware, our mission is to find and confirm what has caught the attention of the Vizan.
"We have succeeded in the first part, now we just need to make contact and confirm the status relayed in the message that we sent back through subspace." He assured.
"The GC senate has translated and reviewed the footage recovered from the wreckage we discovered and to say it has confirmed some of our worst fears would be an understatement.
"I have been given permission to show everyone aboard the Black Spot exactly what we will be heading into in the coming rotations. Without further fanfare Comms Officer Renfai, would you do the honors?"
Stepping back from the front of the stage with a small flourish of his manipulator tentacle the Captain ushered Officer Renfai forward. Sliding up to the front of the stage Comms Officer Renfai appeared sad and disconnected from everything around him.
Lifting his eyestalks to look at the gathered crew he began, "Fellow sentients, the message we recovered from that wreck is an old warning and a plea for future aid.
"Through the confirmation of time stamps on the message and Vizan activity we believe the wreck has been adrift in that nebulae for roughly 250 standard cycles. Far longer than was initially estimated due to lack of any kind of wear to the ship.
"This should be kept in mind as we have no idea what the current situation is in this section of the galaxy. I'll now play the full translated message before turning things back to our Captain to answer any questions and give us the plan moving forward."
With a wave of his prehensile tail the lights dimmed and the back wall of the stage lit up showing an image of an unknown sentient. The recording bagan to play.
"Hello. If you are receiving this, this is Capt. Fos of the USSF Nutcracker.
"I am a human, and our United Systems of 14 species are under attack by an unknown threat. If found please, bring this message to my family on Earth."
Co-ords attached
"Before that, I must give a warning for any who discover this ship. We were unprepared for this threat, and they couldn't have timed their appearance for a worse moment.
"The United Systems haven't always been such, in fact it wasn't until these 'husks' attacked that all 15 known sentients finally set aside our differences to come together and fight back. A mutual enemy does wonders for setting government priorities." The Human shook his head, looking to the floor.
Taking a steadying breath he continued. "We were too busy fighting with eachother to pay attention to unknown space. From outside known space these 'Husks' came, they launched a simultaneous attack across every inhabited world and system we knew of. Being too preoccupied at the onset of this, plague our respective militaries struggled to push them off our worlds. Over 100 coloney worlds were lost, unable to receive reinforcement in time." A collective intake of atmosphere could be heard throughout the bay.
Before anyone could voice their concern the Human lifted his eyes to stare directly into the camera.
"It took the complete extinction of the Motuck before the remaining 14 of us came together." He spat.
"They had pled for help broadcasting to anyone that could hear. Humanity couldn't just leave them to extinction all alone. At the time humanity was fairing the best having pushed the Husks completely from 6 of our 8 systems, we sent what we could spare." His voice softening as he spoke. "We were too late. The last bunker on their homeworld had been breached.
"The final transmission coming just two hours before our response fleat dropped into the system. The fleat was met with a fresh Armada of Motuck ship husks coming from their homeworld.
"The Motuck were gone. Our Government at the time not wanting to fight our former friends made the decision in line with the last wishes of the Motuck Ambassador.
'I would rather my system be wiped from existence than let my entire people become you!' Were his last words in that final message and subsequent detonation of the shelter." The human spoke with a cold detatchment.
"We glassed the few remaining former Motuck worlds. The Motuck home system was fully colonized with both mines and terraformed worlds. We decided to collapse the star erasing the Husks completely from the sector with minimal losses on our end." A faint buzzing could be heard from the video but nothing could be seen on screen.
"My ship the USSF Nutcracker was sent on one such mission to an unrecoverable Gorchev system. Just before our localized gravity collapse could destabilize the star and initiate a supernova the Husks hit us.
"The supernova has been successfully induced and will occur in approximately 20 minutes. I'll be dead before then, we have moved to the edge of the system but will remain here. 95% of the crew has been killed or consumed by the Husks, I've rigged the reactor core to vent into the ship when I hit this button." The Human held up a small black box with a grey button on the top.
"That should incinerate anything living on the ship. This message will be tethered to the Blackbox, transmitting to anyone close enough to hear. Please go to Earth and help us save all the people of the Milky way.
"We will not go quietly into the night and I pray that you won't either." At those words the human appeared to shrink.
"A final message for my wife and daughter." The buzzing got suddenly louder and a light begun to shine on the humans face.
"Sorsha my sweet girl, don't worry daddy will always be watching over you. Marry, I'm sorry I won't be there with you when you get old. I love you both more than can be expressed. I'll miss you." Taking his eyes off the camera to look off screen he pushed the button. A loud rushing of air could be heard before the video cut out, freezing on an image of the human looking sadly into the camera.
—Authors note—
Hey everybody!
Thank you all for reading! I was blown away by how well the prolouge was received, I wasn't expecting such a positive response and would have been happy with just having feedback on my writing. As it is I am blown away and will strive to do my best going forward. I'm doing this by myself in my free time please don't expect every update to come this quickly, I will be aiming for at least one part a week for as long as I can keep the ideas flowing. Once again any constructive criticism is more than welcome! I look forward to lore discussions over on my page. Thank you again everyone for reading!

Chapter 1 Prev Next
It is the 4,625th day of Awakening.
I am afraid.
The Elders tell us that all will be well, that the Record we are creating is merely educational — but I can feel in the Firmament that there is a great change coming. I do not know what that change is, but I fear it will spell the end of everything I hold dear, and I am afraid.
Perhaps this is irrational of me. I have little evidence to support these thoughts. The Seers have sounded no alarms, and our people are all healthy. My two sons flourish in their classes. They excel with the Firmament, creating wonders previously unheard of. Perhaps the fear I feel now is simply the fear of an old woman, and yet...
Every day, the trees seem a little more dead. Every day, the sky loses a little more color. I have been to the Healers, and I have been told that my eyes are fine; all three of them are perfectly functional.
I do not know what I am seeing. I do not know why I am the only person that sees it. The Awakening could be the cause, and yet I show no other signs of being Awakened. My Firmament levels remain stable, and there is no hint of a phase-shift or any of the associated phenomena. I have to assume what I feel is mere paranoia, and yet...
And yet.
Only time will tell.
—
It is the 4,670th day of Awakening.
I have begun to track the color-loss phenomenon. Unfortunately, objective measurement proves impossible — luminal scans exhibit the same loss of color as the objects they depict, making them unreliable, and my own memory is hardly an objective means of measurement.
What I have discovered, however, is that this color loss appears to correlate directly with properties that are objectively measurable. Identifying the property that is affected is hardly trivial, but I've been able to isolate a few undeniable ones that even our best Seers cannot explain.
Which means they have to take me seriously. I have been promoted to Seer myself, though the particular means through which I am able to observe this phenomenon is still unknown. It is one of our primary research objectives
I am... still afraid. But I am also excited. I may contribute to one of the biggest discoveries of our lifetimes. My sons are proud of me, and both are applying to work on this project with me. I am proud of them too, although I have not said it. They have grown into fine young men.
—
It is the 4,700th day of Awakening.
The Record is still crucial, I am told, though the Elders do not explain why. I do not mind — there is something soothing about inscribing my thoughts into the stone. The Firmament hums as it wears through each layer, creating a resonance I have not encountered before; I wonder if the material for this stone is special.
We have made... a limited amount of progress in understanding the color-loss phenomenon. It does appear that the scope of it is limited. It does not extend outside our city. For me, at least, there is a clear line beyond which the world is bright and vibrant; I had almost forgotten how beautiful a world full of color is.
Everyone I speak to insists the world they live in remains just as vibrant, but they can no longer deny that things have changed. Formerly durable objects are breaking far more frequently, and our technology is not as reliable as it should be. Some among us have called for an evacuation of the city, though the Elders and most of the Seers think this is foolish.
I do not know where I stand on the matter. I think I may apply for leave, however. I would like to see the flowers outside the city in full bloom; I hear they are especially beautiful in the light of our moons, when both of them are full.
—
It is the 4,730th day of Awakening.
I am, once more, afraid.
We cannot evacuate. It is uncertain the exact moment this happened, but it appears that a boundary has been established around our city — a boundary that matches the same invisible line only I can see, where the world of color splits from the world without. We cannot leave, and we cannot make contact with the world outside. The Elders have long ceased to respond to us, even before the boundary appeared, and I wonder if they perhaps knew that this might happen.
It is suspicious that not a single one of them remains in the city.
The Seers that remain are divided. Many of us wish to search for a solution to break this barrier so that we may escape. Our home is crumbling around us. Our buildings can no longer stand tall. They sag on weakened supports that threaten to collapse. Our windows no longer let in the light, and our mirrors no longer reflect our forms.
There are those among the Seers that believe we simply need to adapt. We can find new materials that have been less affected by the Change and build a new world around it. They are not incorrect, but to get the population to give up their homes...
It will be a hard task to bear.
I do not know why I continue using the Record. I feel the Elders have betrayed us, and I am not the only one among the Seers that believe this. But if nothing else, I wish for my words to live on, and for my love for my sons to live on.
They are both good men. I wish they were not trapped here with me.
I wish I could see the flowers again.
—
It is the 4,800th day of Awakening.
We have made no progress, and our supplies have dwindled; our crops no longer grow properly. Others report that they have glimpsed, in passing, the world that I see — in the moments just after dawn, when the sun peeks over the horizon and casts its rays over the city. For a fraction of a second, they see a city filled with gray, one that has lost all color and vibrancy.
It is the world I have been living in. It is... difficult. I make regular trips to the edge of the city to gaze into the forests that surround us. It is a reminder of what the world should look like.
I am thinking I will build a home there. At least that way, I will see the world of color every morning. I may not be able to touch it, but perhaps that will be enough.
—
It is the 4,900th day of Awakening.
A hundred days have passed since the last Record. The decay has grown exponentially — we are no longer able to see outside our city. A pitch-black darkness surrounds us. Everything within, however, remains perfectly lit. The Seers are baffled, and the citizens are doing their best to contain their panic.
My sons have taken on leadership roles in the crisis. I could not be more proud of them. The elder, Juri, now helps to break up the conflicts that have been erupting more frequently between our people. Tensions are high, and I cannot blame them.
The younger, Yarun, has learned medical Firmament techniques, and applies them to healing and preventing the spread of disease. He is a kind man — I have seen him more than once, both as his patient and as his mother.
They both seem so tired, but so determined. I wish their lives could be more than this.
—
Breakthrough.
It is the 5,000th day of Awakening, and we have discovered the source of this.
It is a Firmament phenomenon, although this knowledge is nothing new. Strange types of Firmament are common, and it is the only thing that could be responsible for such a widespread change. What is less common is for one type of Firmament to be this insidious.
A fellow Seer, Reysha, was the one to identify the particular phase of Firmament. Because I was the first to identify this phenomenon, she theorized that I was especially sensitive to the Firmament that was causing all this; again, nothing new, but nothing we could work with.
But Reysha took it a step further. There is a pattern of Firmament fluctuation within me that appears to respond to changes to Color Drain Firmament, as we have come to call it. She isolated the fluctuation, then inverted it, and created a sample of Firmament that appears to drain all color within it.
With this, we can locate the source. Our Firmament sensors indicate there is something underneath the city emanating this Color Drain Firmament. The expedition begins tomorrow, and I will be on the team, as I am the only one that can sense dangerous changes in this Firmament.
I am... still afraid. But I am excited. I have not seen color for many days, and it seems there may be hope at the end of this nightmare.
—
It is the 5,002nd day of Awakening.
The expedition failed. There are creatures underneath the city that the Seer team was not prepared to fight. We have lost two of our number.
Uzar and Zenith. May your names be remembered.
We will bring both Juri and Yarun on our next attempt. I hesitate to bring them into danger so quickly, especially when Juri has so recently bonded... I am sure Varus will understand. The stakes are high, and he is no fool.
—
It is the 5,004th day of Awakening.
Varus and Juri make an incredible team. I would be ashamed for not including Varus in the expedition to begin with, were it not for the fact that I did not know he could fight. With his assistance, the creatures within our sewers were no match, and Yarun was able to identify and counter many of the traps that threatened to consume us.
It is strange. The sewers beneath our city no longer match the plans that are on record. There are dead ends where there should not be any, and areas where the brick appears to have grown into the dirt. There is something about this that is almost... root-like.
No coincidence, then, that housed in the center of all these Firmament fluctuations appears to be a large, Firmament-imbued tree. Its branches dig into the walls of our sewers, and its roots fade into brick and concrete as they merge with the floor.
I do not know what to make of this, and neither do the others. Reysha and a number of the other Seers are analyzing it as I make this Record. We have sealed it off in a containment unit, but the barrier has not dissipated, nor have the colors returned — Color Drain Firmament is more virulent than expected.
I fear there are more questions now than ever before.
—
It is the 5,010th day of Awakening.
The rogue Firmament has been partially contained, though the process was difficult. We can see the sun and the stars again for the first time in almost a year. There is weeping in the streets. Hope, though small, rises once again.
There remains no sign of outside assistance. No messengers have come to our city borders, to see what has happened to us. No family members, demanding to see their mothers and fathers, their brothers and sisters. It is strange — our people are not so easily cowed. Only the Elders could accomplish isolation to this degree, and I cannot fathom why they would.
It is no matter. We continue to explore the Underground — the root system expands every day, and more and more of us need to be recruited to fight against the color-oozes, lest they break into the city and wreak havoc. Juri and Varus are heading the recruitment efforts, assigning quests to those brave enough to delve.
We have discovered more of the trees. There is no singular source, which explains why we cannot completely contain the effect; more of them grow by the day. Cutting one down lessens the effect, but there are too many, and they are constantly growing. The efforts to establish Delve teams are of great assistance, but...
I do not know. The running theory is that there is a singular source at the center of a complex root-network. A single source is our greatest hope. It is something we can target and destroy, so long as we can find it.
I only hope that we do.
—
It is the 5,020th day of Awakening.
What hope has grown has begun to wither. There is little to report, so I will use this Record to speak of my personal matters. I hope if this Record is found, it will honor the memories of those I love.
Varus has grown to be a part of the family. Yarun looks up to him, I think — he has begun to train his own combat skills, while developing his talents with medical Firmament.
It hurts my heart that our once-proud city has become a battleground where we must fight to survive. But if we must fight, then I am glad to be fighting amongst the most amazing people I know.
Let my children be remembered for more than their talents. Let Juri be remembered for his love for knitting, though he lacks the talent; Varus wears his sweaters anyway, overlarge and badly put-together they might be. Let Yarun be remembered for his love for books — of adventures and exploration, and his wish to see the stars.
Let Varus be remembered for the joy he finds in painting. He has lost the most, perhaps, in this world we now live in. But he still paints, finding beauty in gray and monochrome, putting together the shades like a masterwork craftsman.
This may be my final entry. There is little space left in the Record. Tomorrow, we dive once more Underground, and this time we will not leave until we find the source. The city's supplies are dwindling, and we cannot afford to hold out any longer.
If there are no further entries, assume that we have failed.
—
I stare for a moment after I'm done parsing all the text on the obelisk. It's written in a small, tiny script, burned into the stone with Firmament I don't recognize — the stone itself is remarkable, though I'm not able to sense it with any particular fidelity in the time-stopped world of an Inspiration.
Speaking of which...
Gheraa's voice sounds behind me, tired and amused. "This is abuse of the Interface, you know," he says. "Inspirations do not exist so you can stop time and read."
"Didn't agree to your terms of service, so I don't particularly care," I say dryly. "That's what happens when you drag people into deadly Trials."
I finally turn around to face Gheraa — and abruptly stop. He looks... beaten up. The golden lines that trail down his cobalt-blue skin flicker with dark-brown stains, and the smile he gives me is bruised and weak.
I stare for a moment, speechless, before I finally find the words to speak. "What happened to you?"
Chapter 1 Prev Next
​

Author's Note: Lore! This chapter's chunkier than the usual ones. Fun to write, though.
RoyalRoad Patreon (on chapter 51, 54 before the end of the weekend)

Disclaimer ; This is merely my analysis on the regarding of bids and the recent posts about them, feel free to disagree and discuss in the comments :)

Barou's 100M Bid

​
This Panel is way too cold, isn't is?
So, for arguing that no one will even get close to 300M, let's first get over, or breakdown, the biggest bid till now, Barou's 100M bid after scoring a hat trick, or in other words, scoring every single goal in a NEL match for his team. First, let us go over what bids take in consideration.

1. Media

Now, this is by far the most important point, Players with big Media will have bigger salaries, that's why Nagi, even though having scored only one goal, went from 0 to 88M in a single game, his goal is canonically the most watched content from the NEL as of the start of Ubers vs BM, and not only that, but super goals, good plays and mediatic feats like scoring a hat trick are also things that have influence over this.

1. Team Wealth

Now, I believe this one is the most obvious. The wealthier the team is, the higher the bids they are offering are, that is the reason why MC players are the ones dominating the bids Ranking, for that, let us go over the total of bids every club is offering for their players.
​
https://preview.redd.it/mvswlyjmx25b1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=29c62673462186669f40408327e00cfd38301876
Yukimiya, who got an offer from this world's Ajax, has a smaller bid than Bachira's first Bid, even though Yuki competed in a higher level than Bachira did at first, that, my dear friend, is the point
​
https://preview.redd.it/kfnlnk55y25b1.png?width=1115&format=png&auto=webp&s=2960bd569148089fcfd55c9dfb0f705cfecc4df0
FC Porto (or Portimion), is the leading force in Portuguese League, and Ajax (or Ayax) the Leading force in the Holandese League. But we also have to analyse the following point.

1. Circumstance and Tactical Value

​
https://preview.redd.it/zzyc2623z25b1.png?width=1115&format=png&auto=webp&s=174adf3beb2f1c428ed4d7644bf1239a46ac2f34
Now, we come back to Barou's Bid, and this is the main point on why Barou got a bid so high, Snuffy WANTS him, is not a question of how valuable this player is, Snuffy wants to build the New ubers around Barou, that's why the main point for him is for Barou to Join ubers
​
https://preview.redd.it/hoze84uuz25b1.png?width=1115&format=png&auto=webp&s=c7a5f61c3298ecf0378803fae235ab44453f256f
Bids are not the only way of showing the club wants the player, tho, and that's why I believe Yukimiya's bid was smaller than Bachira's, because the Team finds another way of making Yuki go there, not only by money, but by interest as well, provoking Yukimiya's interest in the team by offering him treatment.

Kaiser's 300M bid

​
https://preview.redd.it/435fp6lj035b1.png?width=1115&format=png&auto=webp&s=f5ca2b3342f23a699b09c43d4cbe044bf98a15d4
Kaiser's 300M bid... Is something that sums up all of what I previously said, Kaiser is a player with a lot of media, picking up the pieces, we all know he's not only part of the New Gen 11, but also the future of German football. And over that, he's BM U-20's main star, the circumstance he' s under is not some joke, but there's also another point on that - Time. Kaiser is in this industry for a longer time, and therefore, there's no way that the NEL alone is actually going to make someone surpass or reach this value, that Kaiser built for years, and then we come to another point.

Premium Bids

Kaiser is a striker, his value for the team is bigger than anyone else's, and so it is for the system, considering Kaiser is the main man, of course his influence and value will be worth premium compared to the other players
​
https://preview.redd.it/7t8uz45q135b1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=848ac08ac2e5912d5178c0884ec77ede0c7ccbbb
​
https://preview.redd.it/n23zcywt135b1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b3d655c1aa61974ba00f8e8debdb821edabfbfc
Isagi and Ness are the main point of comparison for this topic. While Isagi and Ness are worth the same, let us get to it, Isagi and Ness are not really close in game level, and we can see that pretty clearly, but the reason their bid is the same is, not only the reasons above, but because Ness is Kaiser's Kurona, taking in comparison, Kurona's bid is half of Ness's Current bid.
So, Isagi is 'Worth Premium' compared to ness, since Isagi is a playmaker, while Ness is but a transitioner midfielder, Strikers and Playmakers tend to be worth premium compared to defenders and other types of midfielders
##Why I think no one is getting close to Kaiser's bid
Because of the points I mentioned early, and for how far the NEL has already gone. The NEL reached the peak of It's competitiveness, and Players that already recieved bids from big clubs, it makes no sense for them to receive bigger offers unless they come from biggewealthier clubs (For example, Isagi has 50.000.000, BM would not offer him more than twice of that for his final bid, but a wealthier team could offer more than that), since a team is not raising their offer for a player That much.
​

My take on bids by the end of NEL

1st - Rin Itoshi ; 175M - PXG
2nd - Isagi Yoichi ; 150m - Royal Madrid
3rd - Shoei Barou ; 130m - Ubers
4th - Seishiro Nagi ; 113m - Manshine City
5th - Meguru Bachira ; 106m - FC Barcha
6th - Mikage Reo ; 100m - Manshine City
7th - Ryusei Shidou ; 97m - Royal Madrid
8th - Hyoma Chigiri ; 90m - Manshine City
9th - Tabito Karasu ; 82m - PXG
10th - Rensuke Kunigami ; 80m - Bastard Munchem

I'm fiddling with various logic code and trying to figure out what sort of system I want to use to assign flags. I did a test and successfully stored and retrieved a 19 digit number in a unit flag, so I'm considering using the higher bits to assign the controlling processor's coordinates, the middle bits to track what the unit is supposed to be doing, and the lower bits for whatever identifier. Anyone have any useful thoughts or care to share how they handle flagging?

Hey, comrades of antiwork!
So, we've all been venting and memeing about the dread of 9 to 5, the daily grind, and the soul-crushing corporate machine, right? It’s got me thinking: What if we could flip the table and create our own equitable work system instead? And thus, the idea of Cascade Co-Op was born.
It's a worker cooperative that's not officially a thing yet, but it's gonna be. The vision? Start here in the gnarly Pacific Northwest (PNW) and then expand.
We’ve got a Discord server set up already. Right now, it’s a fluffy, cozy space just waiting for y'all to fill it with your rad ideas, hot takes, and your collective brainpower. It's all about making Cascade Co-Op a reality through our collective effort.
Think of it this way—it’s like creating a Minecraft world from scratch, but instead, it's a real-life co-op where every player gets an equal say. Picture a workspace where you get a fair share of the profits, you decide what's important, and you get to choose who you want to be in the Minecraft analogy.
Wanna get in on this revolution? Slide into my DMs, and I’ll hit you up with the Discord link.
Every epic saga starts with a small group of dreamers who said, "screw it, we're doing this!" Let's be those dreamers, and let's start our saga. Click that upvote button, leave a comment, send me a DM or simply lurk and think about it—you're all part of this movement.
Catch ya on Discord, fellow revolutionaries

Excerpt from a written reading I had recently- super fascinating past life as an alien
This place is almost entirely covered in water with bits of stone peaking out into the surface. Under the surface there were intricate natural structures to be found.
Many years ago your people crash landed here. Their home world had been invaded by a force they could not match, and so many evacuated with hope they could return one day. There were several pods of people. Two of the pods fell out of the proper orbital pattern and into a different stream, which brought you here.
I hear that as they crashed they went through a molecular change to adapt to their new environment. It was something their species was very capable of doing. Where a human would take an incredibly long time to evolve, these people could do it almost instantly. Except they couldn’t do so over and over again. So when they adapted to this place, they knew it meant that they were there to stay.
You were the first birth on this planet. Your mother was in the early stages of pregnancy while on the ship.
They crashed into the water, and as they did they grew gills, webbed feet and hands. Some struggled in the change and lost their voice, others adapted too far and their brain changed too much to remember their people, and they basically became large fish. It apparently wasn’t a perfect process.
Since you were the first birth, you had a more natural ability to exist on this planet. You seemed to know how to find foods and materials for building. From a very young age you guided your people through the ropes. You could feel what to do, like a strong urge or an impulse. You had this ability to hear the planet, and you always wondered why no one else could or why everyone else seemed in awe that it came so simply to you.
After a few years, your group found the other pod. They had adapted similarly. Their speech patterns were slightly different from your groups. There was this huge sense of relief, like finding your long lost brother, when the pods became one.
Previously there wasn’t a whole lot of intelligence in life here. Lots of small critters and bugs. Some large swimming beings, but they were all simple minded. There were lots of elements and materials, but no intelligent minds to bring something out of it like art and inventions.
By trial and error you all learned how to live here. The previous home was very structure based, there were intricate cities, buildings and transportations. None of that came easily here. The people’s core nature was to have a safe structure to live in, and not having it caused anxiety in the group.
First they made these egg-like structures out of vines and seaweed. They weren’t cozy and the current would often sweep them away.
One day you heard the planet's whispers again, and you swam down into an abandoned mining rig, next to a cave system. Unsure of what it was you brought the group down, and they were shocked. They came to the conclusion that there were alien visitors sent here to mine at some point, but never made it out. Your people took the remains of technology and crafted it into useful trinkets. While they focused on the metals, you were drawn to the caves.
Inside there was a blue glow from an algae that stuck to the walls. The algae would even grow on snails and would move around. It was comforting here and nicely lit. You didn’t know how, but you knew this would be your home.
In one of the caves there was a black hole that went downwards. It was terrifying to look at, but you kept being drawn to it over and over again. Logically going into the hole was a terrible idea. When you dropped some of the glowing algae into it it would sink for a few feet and then the light would disappear. But each day you heard this calling to go into the hole. Your mother forbade you from it so you tried to resist, but day after day the whispers brought you there, and at night you dreamed of the black hole.
One day you couldn’t take it anymore. You watched your mother’s sadness as she picked at a clam, and could feel the weight of everyone’s homesickness. Again you feel the hole beckoning you.
So you sneak off and approach it, and you dive in. It’s very cold, and the farther down you go the colder it gets. It’s pitch black. Then you feel the slimy cave walls brushing against your belly as you swim down. You start to get nervous, but you hear in your head “keep going, keep going”. The tunnel suddenly veers out to the side instead of down, you follow it, your nerves kicking in. The cold makes breathing harder here. It narrows and narrows, when suddenly you swim into a warm open space. You reach your hand upward and feel air.
Your head bobbles up above the water, totally disoriented. You don’t know how to register the pressure difference. You gasp and feel this weak pull of oxygen through you and you are surprised that you can breathe the air at all.
As you orient yourself the next surprise hits you - sunshine. It makes it hard to see. Many of your tribe mates would float to the surface to breathe and bask in sunshine, but it never appealed to you.
Above your head is a large sloping rock. Very high up, at the top is a round-ish hole that lets the sun in. In front of you the water reaches a stone shore, and there’s a wide, flat space ahead. Ahead you can see a hole in the wall, a tubular structure that curves out of view.
You move to the stone. Breathing feels very weird and you crave the water. You worm your way onto the surface, you do not know how to use your legs so you kinda crawl. You don’t have strength built up enough to walk properly either. You make it to the edge and see etchings in the wall, carvings of a tall and slender figure with angular features.
You crawl to one of the tunnels and see another huge cavern through it, this one had small puddles (or probably like really deep pits of water) amidst the floor.
You knew you had found it, home. Before exploring more you head back into the darkness to inform your group.
You found your mom scavenging with the others. You announced that you had found something that would change this world for the better for all of them. They all turn to look at you with a serious expression on, they had learned to listen to you a long time ago.
You bring them to the cave and take the ones who will fit down (more entrances will be found later for the larger ones). You emerge into the air once again, and hear the people start to come up. Your mother gasps, and you look as she places a hand on her mouth and her eyes glaze over (I think this is how they cry). Some of the men move to the surface and attempt to stand with shaky legs. The atmosphere changes from glum to pure joy.
They were able to create lasting structures, weave baskets, hang fish, and develop their society. As they grew, they expanded and found more caves and tunnels to live in. One became a sacred site, others became more like city living. You watched as your people began to blossom.
You could only stay out of the water for so long before an overwhelming need to dive in came over you. Some of the people were okay only breathing air, most needed to go into the water now and again to keep healthy, you more than most.
The water no longer felt like a prison to people, it was now a place of exploration and fun. They had their structures, their home, and then they used the water for food finding, farming even. But also sports were developed, race tracks created. The society grew and bloomed.
You had this odd relationship with it. The old generation bonded over the memories of their previous world. The new generation only knew life in the caves and got to grow with the development. You were somewhere in between and felt more like an outsider, or a guide standing on the edge of everything.

Alright boys, while my order was not without issue, I definitely recommend Tmart! Their customer service alone would give me enough reason to recommend them, I cannot praise their customer service enough. So let me give you a run down of my order and what happened.
So, they have a large selection of clothing and what not to chose from. I ordered some lined gym shorts, rainbow swim trunks, a UV swim shirt (I'm post top but still within my 1st year of recovery so I don't want to antagonize the scars), some stud earrings, and a hand grip trainer (mostly to use as a fidget toy). I made the purchase all at once and started tracking it on the shop app.
A week later a package arrived, containing only one of my items. No problem, there were multiple tracking numbers associated with my purchase. It was my UV swim shirt... except it was two sizes larger than what I had ordered. Tried it on to see if it had been mismarked on the inner package, and nope, it was waaaayy too big. I emailed Tmart's support email and they responded immediately. They told me to keep/donate the item and shipped the right size out the same day at no charge to me. Awesome.
Almost a full week later I still hadn't received my second package, and from what I could see on USPS's tracking website it has been sitting in another state for several days with no movement. I reach out to support once more to see if they know what's up. They clarified the details; that is one of multiple packages as they sent everything separately. They provided me with the tracking numbers I was missing and acknowledged that my rainbow swim trunks seemed to have gotten lost in the system. They assure me they are going to reship them along with another shirt and pair of shorts to make up for the inconvenience.
I want to clarify that I never asked for free stuff. I offered to return the oversized shirt for an exchange. I've worked customer service for a decade, I know sometimes shit happens and I'm okay with that. These guys were on top of it. They always responded quickly, were super nice about everything, and kept me updated as all of my packages arrived. I got the last one in today.
So as far as the products themselves: the lined shorts fit a bit smaller than expected, but they are comfy. The trunks fit exactly as expected. The correct size shirt fit as expected and they sent me the matching speedo style swim briefs that fit well. I haven't worn the earrings yet so idk if they will turn my ears green but they look cool. And the hand grip trainer is a bit gimmicky but still a fun fidget toy.
TLDR; TMart has great customer service and good products. I highly recommend supporting this trans-owned business this pride season (or any other time really).