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dramarising-replacement · 4 years

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Re: https://dramarising-replacement.tumblr.com/post/617916922335543296/so-ive-had-a-subspecies-since-september-i-noticed

TL;DR: Things are fishier than they seem, and M might actually be more of a thief than SB. At the very least, M 100% falsely accused SB of theft; at the worst, M stole SB’s idea and went on an editing spree to cover their tracks.

I don't have a tumblr so usually commenting on posts here is more trouble than it's worth, but I just have to on this one for some reason. Maybe it's because I think the entire concept of “subspecies” is stupid, maybe it's because thanks to a namedrop I could easily dig everything up... but from what I found the drama OP (M) definitely seems shady. Brace yourselves, my salty friends, for an unnecessarily long deep-dive into stupid drama (because what else are you going to spend quarantine doing?).

First, let's take a look at the timeline.

According to the original post date, the drama OP (M) created their subspecies in Dragon Share on September 13 2019. The thread has moderate activity levels up (~2 week post gaps max) until December 13 2019, when it apparently dies (barring any ghost bumping of course). The next post on the thread is made May 11 2020, when M suddenly becomes active again. M also created a new subspecies thread in Dragon Share on May 9 2020 at 13:05 FR (exact times will become relevant later on); it seems the posts were filled in with edits made within the next couple days, as is standard. Also of note is the fact that many of M’s posts in their original thread have edits made May 9 2020 from 10:39-13:27 FR (this will be key); additionally, a majority of these edits are made on posts that contain the guidelines for the subspecies- not sales, affiliates, pinglists, etc. that would require any sort of update.

The “accused” in this case (SB) created their hatchery thread in Dragons For Sale on December 24 2019. Aside from sales/affiliate posts, no edits to the main hatchery posts were made since December 29 2019 (likely filling in from a structure laid out 5 days prior), except for on March 19 2020, when it looks like they might have converted how they list dragons for sale to be linked to a tab instead of posted/adjusted g:t ratio. In any case, I believe these particular edits do not really play a big role on the overall timeline and drama, same as M's edits on their new thread. For a user that describes themselves as “barely active”, they do a decent job at bumping posts, with ~1 week between bumps except for 2 spans of ~1 month: from Feb-Mar, and after a short bout of bumping, from Mar-Apr.

The drama begins when M makes their post on SB’s hatchery thread May 09 2020 at 10:10 FR, which is edited less than a minute later (maybe a typo correction?). So here’s the timeline all pieced together:

September 13, 2019 – M creates the subspecies

December 13, 2019 – M seemingly goes inactive on their thread

December 24, 2019 – SB creates their hatchery thread

peace, until…

May 09, 2020 @10:10 – M accuses SB of “stealing” their idea on SB’s hatchery thread

May 09, 2020 @10:39 – M edits their subspecies requirement post

May 09, 2020 @13:05 – M creates a new subspecies thread

May 09, 2020 @13:14 – M edits their old subspecies main post

May 09, 2020 @13:21 – M edits a post about ‘Queen’ variant(?) requirements on their old thread (Important)

May 09, 2020 @13:27 – M edits a post showing examples of ‘Queen’ variants on their old thread (Important)

~BONUS~ May 12, 2020 – people start defending M on SB’s hatchery thread. The posts weren’t exactly the nicest, so who knows if they’ll still be around by the time this gets out of the queue

Ok, I know what you’re all thinking- what does all this mean? How is this shady?? For that, we will have to dive a bit more into the content of the posts to put some context to that timeline; but first, let’s take a look at the threads and see if the theft accusation is accurate.

M’s old subspecies thread:

Messy layout/design. Links are left as ugly long URLs, but most importantly… there is no consistency on what the subspecies design is! In the main post, no colors are listed, but the genes are specified to be Slime/Lionfish, Sludge/Bee, and Capsule. In their next post on the subspecies requirements, genes are listed as Slime, Sludge/Bee, Capsule- no Lionfish to be found! Color specifications are kept vague, with only a Honey tert required, though they do also lay out 4 specific named variations using Amber/Amber, Amber/Gold, Lemon/Gold, and Lemon/Lemon. The post with the ‘Queen’ requirements lists genes of Slime/Hex/Capsule, with no colors specified except for the same 4 variants made earlier.

M’s new subspecies thread:

Still a work in progress, but looks to be pretty much identical to the previous thread; the only main change is that banner is replaced with an original (credited!!) logo (good job on that, M). The main post specifies genes of Slime, Sludge/Bee, and Capsule. The color rule examples post contain the subspecies and the ‘Queen’ variant (Slime/Hex/Capsule), and include some additional variants as well- ‘Crystallized’ (Bee sec), ‘Wasp’ (Lionfish prim), Pollenators[sic] (Glimmer tert), and ‘Hornets’ (Pinstripe/Sludge/Glimmer).

So if you’ve been paying attention, M’s ~super special unique subspecies~ has color requirements of “anything honey-like” (while also having 4 specific color combinations) and a combination of random genes in addition to the “official” genes thanks to the addition of “variants” that have nothing to do with the original Slime/Sludge/Capsule premise. The only consistency seems to be Honey tert.

SB’s hatchery thread:

Aside from some hard-to-read colors used, has nice formatting. Lists 6 pairs, which are strictly either Amber/Amber or Grapefruit/Grapefruit, with a small range of matching terts for each pair (not necessarily encompassing Honey). 5 pairs give primarily Slime/Hex (+small gem gene chance), and 1 is Slime/Sludge. As far as terts go, 2 have terts weighted towards Capsule, 1 is Capsule/Runes, 1 is Opal/Glimmer, and 1 is Glimmer. So primarily Slime/Hex/assorted, in an xxy Amber/Grapefruit+assorted.

So to put that all together:

M’s claim of subspecies “theft” would really ONLY pertain to their ‘Queen’ variant, not their main subspecies (only 1 of SB’s pairs has a 50% chance at making M’s subspecies). In addition, the range built into SB’s pairs violate the only seemingly consistent rule of M’s subspecies: a Honey tert. The only argument for “theft” would pertain to the gene combo of Slime/Hex, which appears in 5 of SB’s pairs and M's ‘Queen’ variant (though again, SB’s pairs do not have the right tert color/gene most of the time!).

Now, do you remember that timeline? After accusing SB of “stealing” their idea (presumably for the ‘Queen’ variant), what did M immediately do? They went back to their thread and specifically edited the posts pertaining to the requirements for the subspecies and the ‘Queen’ variant! It’s theoretically even possible that the ‘Queen’ variant didn’t even formally exist when SB made their hatchery- all the dragons mentioned/posted in M’s thread are the standard Slime/Sludge/Capsule subspecies, and 3 of the registered dragons of the ‘Queen’ variant were bred in January (well after SB started their hatchery), with 1 other dragon acquired from untraceable sellers at some point (likely around the same time as it is the parent of the other 3). You might even say that perhaps M “stole” the idea for the ‘Queen’ from SB… M also posted the proof themselves in the OP that they use shady edits to change the narrative in their favor- SB specifically mentions this in the screenshots after calling out M for removing their link, who then backs it up by claiming they were “project” dragons; yet M placed them in the “Completed breeders” tab, which was hastily edited to now include “Breeders that need gene alterations”, a shady move that SB commented on and M decided to post proof of for some reason lol.

So if this is true, and M accused SB of stealing their idea, then raced to edit their posts to create a narrative to justify their claims… why would they do it? My theory is simple: an honest mistake combined with jealousy. There are only 12 registered dragons listed on both the old and new subspecies threads, half of which are owned by M. On the other hand, SB’s hatchery lists 22 dragons sold, only 1 of which is exalted. Now I don’t know anything about hatcheries, but I think that is a decent amount for just under 5 months of sales, especially when taking into account the periods of seeming inactivity. I think that M either went on hiatus or forgot/gave up on the subspecies back in December, before SB created their hatchery. SB then created their hatchery, using similar (but definitely not the same!) ideas. Time passed, and one day when browsing the sale forum M comes across SB’s thread. Seeing SB’s hatchery have the popularity they never had, combined with poor memory of the details of their subspecies after such a long time had passed, M comments mistakenly accusing SB of theft. However, not long after they find their old thread, and realize that SB isn’t at all copying their Slime/Sludge/Capsule xxy Amber-ish/Honey, and rush to make the edits needed to tidy up their claims. In the process, they quickly realize it’d be best to just start a new thread altogether, as the current thread was a mess and had no more reserved space past the ‘Queen’ variant (which may have been reserved/lore space before M covered their tracks). Far less sinisterly, perhaps M continued their subspecies idea after abandoning the thread, and after accusing SB they realized that they never actually officially updated their subspecies.

But who’s to say? There might not be a smoking gun one way or the other, but there’s enough circumstantial evidence to say M doesn’t look as innocent as they sound. As far as SB’s response, it was definitely out of line and way too harsh. But you’ve also gotta admit you’d be pretty peeved if you had been peacefully minding your own business for months and suddenly someone comes in out of the blue, wrongfully accuses you of being a thief, demands you give them credit for all your hard work, then proceeds to buy your dragons to make them part of their “rightful” hatchery, erasing any mention of you as just another slap in the face. From looking at the dragons they’ve sold, SB doesn’t really seem to care what happens to them- genes have been changed, links have been removed, no drama that I can see. It really seems like they are reacting more to M’s shadiness over the whole deal than anything else. That said, nobody likes being namecalled, so SB’s parting remark wasn’t right even if they were wrongly accused of theft.

#Drama #Flight Rising #Genes #Long post #Shady #Petty #Forums #User #submission

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memorylang · 4 years

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23rd Birthday~ Roses and Rosaries | #39 | July 2020

I’ve focused on being present for others while even taking to new projects, as I continue to wrestle with the time COVID-19 in America has given me.

With July 6, 2020, I’ve turned 23, hooray! Hard to say whether I feel young or old.

Just after my birthday, my half-brother, his wife and my baby nephew visited for the first time since Christmas, too! Now their adorably big 15-month-old baby babbles and crawls. He’s so squishy. Just before I returned to Reno and they returned to Ohio, we also saw “Hamilton” (2020), which felt grand as well.

Also included, tales from the 4th of July, American Independence Day. But before I go any further, though, I need to share news that’s been hanging on me all month, no matter my activity.

Sensing the Soul’s Hourglass

A dear friend said he’s been diagnosed with brain cancer. He said he’s heard he won’t have long to live.

About a month ago on June 10, I learned this. Just two weeks earlier, my friend and I were chatting, and he shared how excited he felt to have finished undergrad at the top of his class like me. He’d asked for leadership advice, too, on a new role he was taking on. Unfortunately, he’s since had to step down.

My friend and I have kept in close communication ever since his news I received on my stateside Week 14. Our first couple weeks, we mostly talked through the shock. As topics started to thin, we’d begun talking about movies. This led me to take up his offer to see the films he’d recommended most. More on this later.

Memento mori

The Knights of Columbus, like many Christian organizations, invites its members to reflect on the Latin phrase, “Memento mori,” which people often translate to, “Remember you must die.” To have a fellow brother knight undergoing the challenge he faces now, this phrase matters especially.

Our Knights of Columbus College Council, of which he is a part, began praying weekly rosaries for him and his family. We asked others to pray for him as well. Meanwhile, he appeared on a podcast hosted by a fellow knight, the same one I appeared on a couple weeks later.

Terror Road

The day after I learned my dear friend’s news, June 11 at 1:34 a.m., Dad and I had what Dad calls a “Thank you, Jesus” moment.

Dad was driving. It was pitch-black off the highway, judging from how well I could see the stars. We rode a two-lane road, heading back to Reno from Vegas. I was talking to Dad a bit, and he mentioned planning to stop in Beatty, Nev.

In the oncoming traffic, I saw what seemed the semi-driver ahead had his or her brights still on. Then it looked like another car was passing. Dad slid our car right, into the shoulder, as not one but two vehicles zoomed by.

Three cars just passed each other on a two-lane road.

Not long after, we drove over a large animal's carcass, which didn’t quell my morbid thoughts much.

Sure 2 a.m. neared, but I felt way too rattled to rest. Every passing headlight for a while made me flinch. But then we reached Beatty, got our rest and continued, ending Week 14 (June 5–11).

Ancient Skies

June 22, a separate drive up to Reno, Week 16 (June 19–25), around the same dark hour, a more peaceful moment happened. While Dad napped at the rest stop in Luning, Nev. from 1:47 a.m., I went forth and stargazed.

I felt enamored to see the Milky Way. This was the rest stop where Boys’ State often stopped, on my trips with them years ago. I searched for the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, my usuals. I tried to find Orion, too, but had trouble. There was one area I thought might have been it, though. So, I Googled star charts. I felt that childhood song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” made far more sense while stargazing.

First I found Vega and Hercules from Big Dipper, then Deneb and Cygnus, followed by Delphinus. What I thought might have been the Little Dipper was part of Sagittarius. Turns out what I thought was Orion was part of it, too. Then I went back and found Altair and Aquila, after zooming out my perspective. Pegasus looked so big! What I thought may have been Cassiopeia, I doubted. Then I found Polaris, solving that mystery.

I paused and saw a couple shooting stars. I reflected on the seeming perfection of ancient star charts, ancients’ stories they wove with the patterns in the sky and the dome creation mythos in the Hebrew Bible that piercing lights there. Some even liken stars to souls of those passed.

Lastly, I found Draco, Lacerta, Cepheus and Ursa Major, followed by Perseus and what looked like Camelopardalis. What I thought might have been Cassiopeia I realized was Ursa Minor.

My Milky Way quest this night reminded me of my Memorial Day Great Basin quest, Week 12 (May 22–28), but better. I felt awed how a quest to find Orion instead opened me to the rest of the summer sky. If I ever visit the Southern Hemisphere I better stargaze.

After I returned to the car at 3 a.m., Dad said he’d seen the stars when he was little. What a memorable night.

Science in a Lifetime

Curiously, ‘Philosophy of Science’ has been among the most impactful courses I took for compulsory credits in late undergrad. I met a friend who’s eagerly engaged in space politics, especially with how that historic Dragon launch (my family watched) changes opportunities. Likewise, that class exposed me in greater depth to gene-editing, beyond the CRISPR-Cas9 I first learned about on a trip with Boys’ State staff.

On one of these Nevada rides with Dad, I asked about his med school experiences. He shared how some professors and students lost their lives to cancers. Leukemia had even taken the life of my father’s brother when the brother was in the 1st grade.

I felt awed then to realize in our world, science has given us potential to reverse cancers that once so mercilessly claimed lives within still living people’s lifetimes. My dear friend and I had hope, and that’s all we needed beyond prayer.

Birdwatching

One day in the backyard during a return to Vegas, I decided my new favorite animal has changed from mantis shrimp to the elusive, hoving hummingbird.

Furthermore, I just thought about how awesome birds are in general.

I met an Irish priest in Taiwan who even watched birds for fun. He had such excitement in his eyes. I vaguely recalled a poem I encountered, sometime after I came back from Mongolia. The poet compared herself to the birds. In fact, Mongolian hunters use eagles, falcons and other birds of prey. But I felt even the normal birds sounded different in Mongolia. Birds can be so colorful.

God bless the hummingbirds.

July 4, 2020, and an Eclipse

This was my first time back in America for July 4 since 2016.

Down in Vegas on American Independence Day, my youngest brother and I drove to our stepmother's, where two of her daughters and Dad were. My older brother would come later. I helped a little in the kitchen. Mostly, I worked on my writing while chatting with my youngest stepsister before she left for work.

I had no idea I missed the taste of an American-style burger on the 4th of July. It's truly been four years since my last.

Dad had felt glad I saw “What’s Up, Doc?” recently, so he had his wife, my youngest brother, and my older (not oldest) stepsister see it. My stepsister and my brother left, though. I enjoyed seeing it again.

Then I went out on the back porch, as fireworks began downtown and around the neighborhood. Being there, feeling the warm breeze, reminded of Panamá, seeing on my host family’s front porch the lunar eclipse during January 2019.

Here in the States for the 4th felt good—a taste of home again. The United States is a young nation, one I hope that continues to revel in its history, remembering its roots. Its roots run all throughout the earth. Unless we are indigenous peoples, we and our ancestors came from elsewhere. And as citizens of the States now, let us continue to honor those who gave of themselves to make possible the democratic experiment on which the United States was founded.

God bless!

23rd Birthday—Online, Anywhere

“It's a funny thing about coming home. [...] You realize what's changed is you.” —The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

When I was a schoolkid, I used to enjoy sleepovers for my birthdays. I'd at least have get-togethers at my house so friends and I could see each other halfway through summer.

In recent past summers, though, studying abroad in China then serving with Peace Corps Mongolia, I hadn't been stateside for my birthdays! This changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this my first summer home a birthday since 2016. Even online, I could read what people wrote me!

About a week before my birthday, I had the pleasure of visiting to pray a rosary with Evan, an older fellow Knight of Columbus who has been homebound due to limited mobility among other conditions. He felt thrilled by my commitment to see him and keep the faith, and he asked me to join him daily in rosaries over the phone. We began at once. We even started praying two a day, at his request. He deeply believed in continued prayer and suggested what many need is a night entirely in prayer. Unfortunately, he lacked the health to do this.

Understanding a physically distant birthday would be best amid this pandemic, I'd already planned to restrict my birthday functions to online only. I realized my day would mark a perfect occasion for the vigil! Reaching out to fellow knights, I received rapid support for the vigil idea. I and those who join me would pray for peace, preservation and intercession amid the pandemic for all who suffer illness, especially our dear friend.

Realizing, too, late nights in the States could be more pleasant times for Catholics elsewhere in the world, I reached out to pilgrim friends I met during World Youth Day 2019 pilgrimage in Panamá. Since rosaries contain a sequence of repeated call-and-response prayers, I felt we could share our native languages and still understand the meaning, just as we’d done at World Youth Day. Salvadoran, Mongolian and Malaysian friends helped me translate my invitation to Spanish, Mongolian and Mandarin Chinese. I hoped by having fellow Americans alongside pilgrim friends pray together with me, we could share in the universality of the faith in peace and solidarity during this pandemic.

Birthday Vigil Begins

We began 23:00 Pacific time on Sunday, July 5, praying until we completed all 23 rosaries. We finished at noon on my birthday July 6. When some friends had to retire for the night or to leave for work in their timezones, I'd pray alone until a new friend appeared. At most, only an hour would pass between others' arrival to join me in prayer, which felt great.

At kick-off, I was joined by fellow two fellow knights—Javier, who had begun our council’s weekly rosaries, and my dear friend. I felt so elated on video to see him again for the first time in ages! Additionally, two pilgrim friends join us—Andrea in El Salvador joined us and Marie in the Czech Republic.

We began with Latin, the Church’s universal language, which might have been a laughable start. We followed it with an easier rosary, Spanish, which was Andrea’s native language. We tried another hard one for us, next. Javi taught us responses for Tagalog, then we gave it a shot. I really enjoyed praying in Tagalog, as many of my middle and high school friends know the language.

For our fourth rosary, we tried to do French since our dear friend knows it, but because the language’s pronunciation rules aren’t straightforward, we bailed after the “Our Father” and switched to English. I felt impressed we prayed the first three in non-English languages, though!

Most had to go around 1–2 a.m. Around that time, Marie, who had been without a camera and microphone, realized she could try using her sister’s laptop. Thus, right after everyone else left, she was able to speak! She taught me enough Czech that I could read the responses. I found it a beautiful language. Then I taught her enough Mandarin Chinese so she could read the responses in Mandarin. Marie might have set the record for being online longest with me—about four hours!

Birthday Vigil and Daybreak

My most difficult hour was between about 3–4 a.m. Alone, I completed three rosaries but felt increasingly lethargic.

Thankfully, when I felt totally drained, my fellow knight Marco bailed me out! For the next hour or so, we said one in English then another in Latin, which helped me find my groove.

After Marco left for work, two unexpected guests popped in. My Mongolian friend Angelica, whom I met during Peace Corps, visited briefly as well as my Panamanian host mother, who housed me for World Youth Day. Although neither could stay long, I appreciated their presence. They wished such kind blessings! Meanwhile, I said rosaries in Latin and Mongolian.

My fellow knight Evan joined our rosaries for an hour and a half around 6:30 a.m., our usual time we prayed together. Our Grand Knight Thomas joined that morning, as well. Evan enjoyed hearing us in Latin.

My Mexican pilgrim friend Ricardo came in about when Tom left, so after Latin with Evan, I prayed in Spanish with Ricardo. He said great blessings, too! Then I said a quick rosary alone in English.

Then came more Salvadoran pilgrim friends! Josselyn dropped by around 9 a.m. Just after she left came Rosibel around 10. I enjoyed how they added litanies, which I hadn’t done on previous rosaries. With them, I spoke and prayed in Spanish, which gave me lots of practice. They felt relieved they didn’t need to speak English to join me, and they thought I spoke well, too!

Just after Rosibel left and shortly after 11, my Salvadoran friend Andrea, who joined me at the vigil’s very beginning, returned! I practiced a lot of Spanish that morning. Thankfully, Andrea knew English and indulged me to pray the final, 23rd rosary in my native tongue.

Vigil’s Aftermath

In total, I with friends prayed six Joyful, five Luminous, six Sorrowful and six Glorious Mysteries. Of these, we prayed most in non-English languages, primarily Spanish and Latin, but also Tagalog, Czech, Mandarin Chinese and Mongolian. I really enjoyed honoring prayer in others' native languages. Beyond the States, we were joined by friends in Latin America, Europe and Asia, including El Salvador, Panamá, México, the Czech Republic and Mongolia.

I'm touched and honored by those who came to support our efforts. Got to finally put to the test my months of restarting Spanish! Those who participated shared their joy and commendations, too. My homebound knight even requested I do another in August. (My late mother’s birthday is in early August, so we’ll see.)

Mere days after the vigil, my dear friend shared doctors said he’s in recovery! That raised our spirits.

Mere days after, my dear friend received opposite news that the cancer spread. Days later, he reported rough days and said he could practically sense his hourglass of life. Doctors said in three months, he would lose function in his legs. Still, our correspondences continue.

On the bright side, “glioblastoma” makes a great Scrabble word, he added.

Rose Thorns of Life

Felt a little choked up clipping the dead rose blooms yesterday morning. I thought they were still alive, but they weren't. So I needed to prune them. For, the whole life of the bush looks better when it's free of its once alive-and-beautiful, now finished-and-dead parts. Its life thrives by focusing on the living pieces when they live and removing the dead when they’re dead. Such are our lives.

My stepmom likes roses.

When I was little, I disliked roses because of their thorns. I bled whenever I grabbed them. I realize now that if I don't get close, I don't get hurt. But to care for them better, I must get closer. Such is life.

I was praying over the phone my daily rosaries with fellow knight Evan while pruning the rose bushes yesterday. It was Thursday, so we prayed the Luminous and Sorrowful Mysteries—fitting. They meditate on acceptance, suffering and letting go.

I don’t find rosaries all that fun, to be honest. But people say they’re important. And they feel like a nice way to get in the right spirit, even outside places of worship. In the clipping of roses, they remind me of the beauty and tragedies natural to our lives on Earth.

More to Come

When it comes to my Latin and Spanish studies, I took a pause to refocus on my writing. Though, I still do a Duolingo Latin lesson a day to keep up that 75-day streak. I’ve plenty to share on languages next month.

For my four months of labor, I wanted my own camera for my birthday. But ultimately, I found those a bit too large for my needs. Dad purchased me a new mid-range smartphone with a great camera instead. It felt odd compensation for 20 weeks’ work, but, still, I don’t have to cover rent, food nor transportation while home... Plus, the device still beats the older used phone I’d been on through the back half of my undergrad, especially on Google suite and apps. Feels Sci-Fi!

By the way, do you play Pokémon GO? If so, you can add me at 2070 8544 5874. I recently rejoined after having stopped four years ago. Just one more way to get me and my face mask out and about while physically distancing!

My younger sister also spoofed an old story I wrote when I was little and gave that as a birthday gift. I found it hilarious. My day marked the third of my siblings’ quarantine birthdays!

Up next, I’m working on blog stories from last July in Mongolia. So, in a sequel to my previous throwback, get ready for adventures back to that Mongolian summer with me! We’re going rural, too, so the countryside is coming back.

I’ll update you in August on exciting projects I’ve taken on, too. Please keep my dear friend in your thoughts and prayers, also.

Till then, take great care, my friend.

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

#Peace Corps #Mongolia #hope #WithMe #COVID-19 #Nevada #StayHome #July4 #tragedy #Coronavirus #cancer #news #memoir #story #Reno #Las Vegas #USA #memoryLang #God #Catholic

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webwingalpha · 6 years

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[The Adopted Prince]

Ormat Farholde is the oldest out of the three Farholde children, though only by a matter of months. He was adopted by Iaeste and Aldll when he was still a hatchling, after they found out that he was the only survivor of a disaster that had taken the rest of his birthclan. At the time, it was uncertain how he, a hatchling, had managed to survive while full-grown, older dragons had perished, without a single mark upon him. Aldll, who had been pining for a child for her to take care of and hadn’t been able to satisfy it yet due to her fertility issues, jumped on the chance to take care of an orphaned hatchling who had no current home. It was even better a few months later when she finally successfully had a kid with Iaeste, who ended up being a female Skydancer named Arifah, making it so he wasn’t the only child.

He was also the first dragon they had ever seen with the Capsule gene, which resulted in a couple surprises for them all, including the finding out his blood colour matched the colour of the gene when he first cut himself (which really stuck out against his dark hide/skin), and that a lot of the liquid appearance was more an illusion. He wasn’t really completely filled with that liquid like his appearance and rumors made it out to be, for as they figured, it was really located between translucent scales and his insides or something to that extent.

He grew up as a father’s boy, taking to fighting and combat quite easily from a young age, and enjoying it to boot. He was a fast learner, which impressed Iaeste. All of his current battle training came from Iaeste, who trained him personally and in depth. Over the years, Ormat had come to seriously admire and adore the Skydancer he had come to call and know as his Father; he is very loyal to the dragon and also got to the point for a while of thinking that Iaeste could do nothing wrong. This lead to some problems when it came to the revolt that eventually started, since he didn’t have a high opinion of the individuals within that small village, and he originally didn’t see that his father was dealing with it poorly. Due to this, he caused a lot of problems for the group, including Arifah (who’s involvement did not impress him originally), before an accident that nearly resulted in something devastating caused him to see clearly. That what was going on wasn’t right.

He’s loosened up since then, but he’s still known for the fact he can get quite envious, especially when he feels like he deserves more, and the fact he does still have a temper, and it isn’t hard to rile him up. He’s also quite spiteful when someone pisses him off in the right way, and if you manage to do that, it’s likely he’ll act out of spite to you later on. Both Johnson and Gabriel know this well, especially the former since they ended up in a rivalry of sorts at some point. That rivalry is still around today, though they both have calmed down a bit overall. However, they still don’t really like each other, don’t work well together, and it’s doubtful that their relationship ever gets past them just tolerating each others’ presence. Then again, it’s unlikely Johnson will ever forgive him for causing a lot of trouble when it came to Takashi, and for also intending to kill Johnson himself one night and nearly succeeded.

He also has quite the spirit and confidence, so it’s hard to bring him down, at least not for long. He has a tendency to jump back up again, so to speak, so no one has seen him uncertain or doubtful in a major way for long. He does occasionally have minor/smaller doubts, like everyone does, they’re just not displayed outwardly. He’s also known to be impulsive, and there have been many situations that he jumped into without thinking, and even though some of them have had bad consequences, he hasn’t learned so far.

Despite him being and seeming harsh and cold at times, he has also proven that he can be quite the opposite around the ones he loves. He gets easily concerned and worried about his family members when things happen to them, which has slowly gotten to include Helios and Takashi. It’s even more applicable when it comes to his mate, Zaith. He’s more protective of the slightly older Skydancer than he is of anyone else other than his adoptive parents, especially once he learned of how much the dragon had gone through. He doesn’t like the idea of anything else bad happening to his love after all that had already happened to him, and does his best to keep him safe. They were a couple that had been unexpected to practically everyone else due to their contrast, with Ormat being outgoing, confident, and maybe a little brash, while Zaith is more subdued, quiet, and not at all social. Somehow it happened, possibly due to Ormat’s feelings of needing to protect him even when they didn’t know each other too well (along with some curiosity about the guy mixed in... either way, Zaith was the first individual Ormat was actually attracted to, which brought upon some other feelings, like the fact he hadn’t expected another male to get his attention like that), and it goes well, even though Ormat does hate the fact that Zaith’s hard to read even though he’s a Skydancer as well, and that makes it so he can’t tell what he’s thinking or if anything’s troubling him. How does he do it?

It took them a long time to get to that point, due to both of them being new at anything involving relationships, and the fact Zaith is a very distrusting individual and might not have been actually fond of Ormat in the beginning. But it was all worth it in the end.

Also, the reason for getting his tree and mushroom tattooing was Zaith. He uses the magically glowing tattoos to help the other dragon sleep, especially if he had recently had a nightmare. The glow doesn’t bother Zaith, instead soothing him since he’s a Light dragon, and Ormat can dim or turn off the glow when needed. Only the mushrooms can glow, much like the real ones do in the Tangled Wood. He has also learned other ways to help Zaith with his nightmares and how he feels after one, including giving him back/shoulder rubs to help him relax.

He’s still curious about his past and original family and all, especially after learning the basics from his parents... the fact that he was the only survivor while the rest were killed by an unknown, unseen force in the span of only a night. The curiosity has heightened due to recent news he had received from a clan now allied with the Empire, known as the Ereboros Clan. He learned that he’s completely immune to the Shade and Shade magic, for he had been exposed to it when helping rescue his father and unlike everyone else, it had not affected him, not even when he touched the Shade-tainted chains hooked to shackles around Iaeste’s wrists. He hadn’t thought of it at first, but meeting a Shadehunter-centric clan had gotten him to think about it and then ask if it was possible, and things went from there.He hopes to find out more eventually, hopefully sooner than later; the learning of him being immune to Shade really did intrigue him, since he doubts that he was one of the rare born with it without a bloodline connection.

He’s one of the higher-ranked fighters in the Empire, not just due to his affiliation with one of the royal families, but also because he’s a very skilled fighter who has had years of training. The fact he’s ambidexterous and can use both hands equally well has helped him many times in a fight, and he’s also known for doing feinting moves, which usually end up being successful (Zaith and Johnson know this well). His confidence is another thing that helps him in fighting, and he’s hard to take down to boot. He’s definitely one of the prominent individuals in a fight or battle. Either way though, he does have a set of nasty scars on his right arm from a fight, from Zaith in fact, from a lucky blow that had actually managed to impale through the arm. As such, it does bother him on occasion, and he slightly prefers using his left arm for wielding his sword.

It’s not a rare sight to see him among the city’s streets, for he does enjoy being social and out there, though for Zaith’s sake, since they’re often together, he does his best to avoid larger crowds and places at times they get larger crowds. This means that usually, he isn’t seen in the city during the middle of the day unless he’s alone or doing something important. Sometimes he is among the guards, too, but that only tends to happen when they’re short on guards, or if he feels as though he is needed.

@memoriam-fr @yuushanoah-fr (if you want to be pinged for more of these, lore updates, or stories in the future, just tell me!)

#The Great Iron-Forged Empire #we the iron-forged #lore post!#l: Ormat #flight rising #fr #gods I was gonna wait a couple days but nope #was too excited to get him done #I adore him ghuiedhgjo #these need to stop being so long oh boy #also I love him and Zaith together my goodness #they have become one of my favourite pairings

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