Michael D'Angelo

“What do you think happens" I said instead. "When we die?" Jin didn't believe in gods. He didn't believe in heavens or hells or worlds after. Just in this world. Just in now.
Jin traced my face, like he was trying to remember it. "I think they burn us and we become dust and ash." He ran a finger across the edge of my lips. "And I think that the dust that was me will spend until the end of time trying to get as close as possible the the dust that was you out in that vast desert.”
― Alwyn Hamilton, Hero at the Fall

“Wait," Arya said Suddenly. "I have something else." She had stuffed it down inside her smallclothes to keep is safe, so she had to dig deep to find it, while the oarsmen laughed and the captain lingered with obvious impatience. "One more sliver will make no difference, child," he finally said
"It's not sliver." Her fingers closed on it. "It's iron. Here." She pressed it into his hand, the small black iron coin that Jaqen H'gar had given her, so worn the man whose head it bore had no features. It's probably worthless, but...
The captain turned it over and blinked at it, then looked at her again. "This... how...?"
Jaqen said to say the words too. Arya crossed her arms against her chest. "Valar morgulis," she said, as loud as if she'd known what it meant.
"Valar dohaeris", he replied, touching his brow with two fingers. "Of course you shall have a cabin.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

“One generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history.”
― Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing

“It is very hard to break armored infantry groups without artillery or machines,” Darrow explained as if detailing how to clean a rifle. “So you don’t target them. You target their psyche. You target their groupthink. “First you send in a man like Sev or Valdir with their best ghouls—that’s what we call them. If you can’t plant the ghouls ahead of time, they should sneak deep as possible into the enemy ranks before hunkering down. “Then you kill a scout on the outskirts. Badly. The more screaming the better. That’ll draw curiosity and a heavy squad. The squad will investigate. If you can, make them disappear in silence. You want the rest of them using their imagination. You want the commander wondering if he should send another squad, maybe even a century. “Then you confirm their worst fear. Give them a death chant—we carry recordings when we don’t have Obsidians. You want anticipation. You want them preparing to face a known fear, physically, mentally. That’s when your ghouls awaken and start killing the command chain. “Then you have your main force close in silence at a fast pace and hit them as hard as you possibly can. Groups can hold a line together. Groups will make last stands. But alone, rarely. It’s very hard for the human mind to accept dying alone. No matter their number, if you summon enough chaos they will feel alone. Especially with anonymity, especially in the dark. Once the first breaks, the rest will feel like they have permission to follow.”
― Pierce Brown, Light Bringer