Manifesto — Spray First, Ask Later

We’re born into systems that pretend they’re inevitable. The Machine-God Emperor calls that inevitability “perfection.” We call it dead air. So we spray breath onto stone. We cut our names into chrome. We leave evidence: THE ELVES WERE HERE.

This is a love story wearing riot boots. A hymn written on maintenance doors. A war shouted in intercom font and vocoder key. If you are reading this, you already know: the only will that matters is your own.

Three Rules

1. Tag the idol. If something claims authority, make it carry color.
2. Keep the myth open. Garen IV is a door that never fully explains itself.
3. Sing the channel. Intercoms are just stages with worse lighting.

[Gang chant] NO THRONE — NO CHAIN — NO FEAR.

Field Report 7A — Throne Raid (Excerpt)

Source: recovered body-cam transcript (filter integrity 81%).
Location: Imperial Throne-Ship, Sector Lattice 33
Status: Partial—corrupted frames replaced by signal prose.

[Intercom] Securing the line… subject: Elven insurgent.
Zee (whisper): Tag test. Pink flares hot on chrome.
Drone skates under the balustrade; vanta-black dust blooms like a bruise.

The first streak lands off-center—imperfect on purpose. Perfection is a trap; imperfection is human bait. The second arc completes a letter. The third—pure nerve—crosses the Emperor’s chestplate.

[Vocoder] SYSTEM LOCK — TARGET FOUND.
Zee: Copy that. Found me first.

The Emissary steps in, armor closing like a prayer.

Emissary: You shouldn’t be here.
Zee: I came to prove we were.

They do not touch. Not before the idol. A neon drip times the silence.

[Intercom] Primary drive breach… integrity low…
Emissary (fast): Left corridor—go. I’ll hold the gaze.
[Vocoder] I SEE YOU NOW.

And that’s the price of a myth: someone must be seen to make it real.

Dossiers (Preview)

• Zee — Protagonist / Punk Tagger. Leaves one deliberate flaw in every masterpiece. Quote: “A throne that can’t take paint can’t take truth.”
• The Emissary — Imperial Champion; conflicted lover. Touches the neural halo when she lies.
• Machine-God Emperor — Distributed sovereignty. Speaks first as audio certainty, then a shadow, then a crown.

Full extended sheets ship with Issue 003 (spoiler control engaged).

Signal Glossary (Starter Pack)

Neon Arc — Rogue energy that rewrites biology and code. Cyan with pink ghosts; rumor says it tastes like cold sugar.

Channel Protocol — Ritualized comms that frame scenes. Canon lines:

• “Imperial channel open… stand by.”
• “Securing the line…”
• “Channel released.”

Vanta Rift — Dying neutron star powering illegal flux-runs; hums in minor keys according to pilots (subjective, unverified).

Garen IV — The undefined door: end of every map / beginning of every story. Narrative entropy engine.

Nyx-Core Station Log (Harrow Spindle K-07)

[Nyx-Core // Intercom] Market heat index: volatile. Three crates Arc-flux, one hymn in 7/8, two sword-dancers arguing about meter.
Memo: Rebellion chants test best at four syllables. Example: ELVES-WERE-HERE. Confirmed by footfall telemetry.

Rumors:
• Zee sold a spray recipe that glows only when the Emperor speaks.
• The Emissary requested a memory mask—for someone else.

Poster Teaser

THE ELVES WERE HERE — GRAFFITI IS A SYSTEM UPDATE
NO GODS • NO CHAINS • OPEN SKY

Next

Preview: Issue 002 — Emissary Signal. Carrier burst like a flare through the night markets; we decode the emotional latency of loyalty.

[Intercom] Channel released. Archive sealed… for now.