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jiliansky-blog · 6 months

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Wake me up. Chapter 7. Understanding

Pairing: Morpheus x FemaleReader

Rating: PG

Words: 2700

“What are you going to do now?” Morpheus asked.

“I need to go”, Lucienne looked worried and went to help with werewolves to save his beloved. You were at the beginning of the movie.

“We will wait until midnight”, you said.

“And what are we going to do until then?” he asked.

“We try not to catch the main antagonist’s attention”, you said. “And we try to talk to her daughter. She should be reasonable”.

So you hid in the castle, and when Sonja returned to her room, you were waited here there. She was surprised to see you there.

“Who are you?” she asked. “And what are you doing here?”

“We’re friends”, you replied. “We want to warn you. You don’t need to tell your father about your baby”.

She protectively covers her belly with her hands. And she looked at you with disbelief.

“And it would be better if you ran away with your lover before Victor began to suspect you and lock you up”, you finished.

“You know too much”, she said. “Who are you?”

“Just believe me, I know how your story ends if you don't run away sooner”, you sighed. “I really wish to help”.

“How it end?" Her voice trembles.

“With your death”, you sighed. “And your own father will kill you”.

“You are lying”, she said. “He loves me”.

This woman was so bold and so stupid at the same time. And she was so naïve.

“Well, he loves his own blood”, you said. “Why then don't you go and tell him about you and Lucian? And you will see his reaction with your own eyes”.

“He will kill him”, she whispered.

“Exactly”, you said. “Ask yourself if a loving father can make it”.

“You look like vampires”, she said after a few minutes of silence. “Why do you want to help us? Or is this a trick?”

“No tricks”, you replied. “But I don’t like your father’s policy. And you don’t deserve to die, even I don’t like you much”.

“What should we do?” she asked. “I don’t know if I have enough strength to go with him. And my father can follow us, as soon as he understands that we are missing”.

“Now is your best chance”, you said. “When he doesn’t understand your feelings toward Lucien. He is going to taste you once he suspects it”.

“We need to escape separate”, she replied. “Or I should let him go alone”.

“Your father can understand that you help him”, you admitted.

“No matter, when I escape to Lucian”, she sighed. “Father will be looking for us”.

“But at least you won’t die”, you said. “You will have the chance to survive. Talk to Lucian. Perhaps, together, you will find the way”.

“Alright”, she nodded. “I will try. Why do you help us?”

“I want this to end well”, you said.

She nodded and left. You looked at Morpheus. He was watching and was silent all the time.

“What?” you asked.

“I don’t understand why you are doing this”, he said.

“For the same reason people write fanfiction”, you said. “To make the end of the story, they want to”.

“Illusion of choice”, Morpheus replied.

“Yes”, you nodded.

“What now?” he asked.

“We need to wait to make sure that everything is going right”, you said.

You were waiting in her room. You hid when someone came to check her. And Morpheus became annoyed because he didn’t like to wait.

“You know that everything can go wrong, right?” he asked. “Or, exactly, what you want to make. But it still can bring you no satisfaction."

“I know”, you replied.

And he was right. It went the first way, and everything went wrong. They didn’t escape far away. They fought because someone listened to our conversation. And Sonja died again. Lucian raises the lycans.

“What now?” asked Morpheus again. “I told you”.

"Why is this happening?” you asked.

"Perhaps it’s not the solution you are looking for”, he said. “People look for answers sometimes in their dreams. But sometimes they find only closed doors”.

You didn’t understand what could go wrong. Why, even in these dreams or worlds, did everything go out of control?

“Let’s go”, you sighed. “Somewhere more comfortable”.

“You didn’t give up”, he admitted.

“Not yet”, you said, opening the door to appear in lighter palace. In the day of light.

Morpheus

I was watching her while she was talking to that vampire. And I was trying to understand why she is doing all this. It’s not her battle. She avoided what happened in her life and tried to change it on that.

“How many dreams do you have?” I asked.

“It depends”, she smiled.

“On what?” I sighed.

"Still, you shouldn’t go with me everywhere," you said. “See, I don’t get into trouble in the last world. Even though everything went wrong”.

“No, I think you don’t get rid of me that easily,", I admitted.

“Admit it, you are curious what I did to your world”, she said. “Look, what if you are part of my imagination too?”

“Impossible”, I huffed.

“Why not?”

I came closer to her and held her in place. She froze, looking at me. Not scared, but surprised. She was waiting for my next action.

“I can wake you up”, I whispered. “And they can’t do so”.

“Yes, I don’t remember such a grumpy character”, she replied. “And mysterious and…”

She blushed and turned away, but I can hear her thoughts. “And handsome”.

I huffed and made a step back.

“You are not afraid of me anymore”, I admitted.

“You saved me a few times”, she replied. “And you are not that scary when I know you better. A grumpy company”.

“Grumpy company”, I replied. “Where are we?”

“In historical drama”, she smiled.

Your heart was still beating loudly after Morpheus’s intrusion to your privacy. He was chasing you like a predator. No, what the silly thoughts. It can’t be true.

“And what do you want to change here?” he asked.

“A king”, you smiled. “I want to save him”.

“It won’t change the history of this country; do you know this?” he asked.

“I am aware”, you sighed. “But I should try”.

“Very well”, he said. “What now?”

You looked at him. He looked younger. In the costume of that epoch and with a hairstyle, he looked quite interesting. And he was still handsome.

“What?” he asked.

“Look”. You made the man hide in the alcove and right after that someone went pass you. “The king can be your brother”.

“I don’t have a brother that looks like me," he frowned.

“In the dream, everything is possible," you smiled.

“Do you want him to look like me?” he smirked and whispered in my ear, making me blush and shiver.

“I don’t know," you said. “But he looks a lot like you in this movie. Only the younger version of you. And fractured”.

“Fractured?” he frowned again.

“He is different from the rest of court”, you said thoughtfully. “He is not meant for intrigues and battles”.

Morpheus became very quiet, and you looked at him. He was deep in his thoughts.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“I know how that feels," he whispered.

“What?” you asked, surprised.

"Nothing," he replied.

“What are you going to say if someone asks you about me?” he said.

“You can be his brother," you smiled. “And no one knew about you. Or you can change your appearance. Can you?”

“I suppose I could," he said after thinking a minute. “If you introduce me as his unknown brother, it would make a bigger mess”.

“You are right," you nodded. “We will introduce like someone of his relatives. Perhaps, from France or Italy”.

"Impossible," he said.

“Why not?” you asked.

“Because he doesn’t have relatives in Italy," he replied.

“But his mother is French," you admitted. “They don’t know what relatives he could have there. No one would suspect anything, because you are so alike”.

“Very well," he said, rolling his eyes.

You made for yourself a beautiful green dress and hairstyle. Morpheus looked at you with an unknown expression again.

“What?” you asked.

“You like to dress up," he admitted.

"Perhaps," you smiled. “Now we need to go”.

Fortunately, the moment when you appeared happened before the king got married. You looked at Morpheus, who became a quiet shadow again. You can’t understand why he follows you. It wasn’t necessary.

Both of you came to the throne room. There are many people discussing political issues there. And you saw that the king was completely uninterested. He was cute, with long brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes.

And then he looked at you. Well, you didn’t expect him to get interested in you. But is that bad? Maybe, not. He won’t be influenced by his future queen.

“Who are you, fair lady?” he asked suddenly.

“Um…Y\N”, you said. “Your majesty”.

“I have never seen you in my court," he admitted. “I came here recently. From France. And this is Morpheus. He is your distant relative”.

Henry looked at Morpheus and frowned. He saw their resemblance, for sure. The entire court was watching us and was quiet. Everyone was waiting for the king’s reaction.

“For how long are you staying here?” he asked suddenly.

“For quite some time”, you smiled. “We want to talk to you about something. If we may, your majesty? Please?”

“Of course”, he smiled like sunshine. “Can I go?”

“We want to discuss some other things”, said one of the men. “Lady can tell her news after that. And discuss with us”.

“Of course”, you smiled charmingly. “But I prefer to talk to him in private. When you finished, gentlemen”.

“I’m sure that’s all right”, said this ray of sunshine. “No danger can proceed from such a beautiful lady”.

“No, but dangerous can be her companion”, said another man.

“No, he won't," you said. “You may not believe us, but we want to help our king and not harm him”.

“Then it’s decided”, Henry smiled.

The men continued their talk, but Henry was now uninterested and impatient. He looked at me almost all the time. While one man sighed and let him go.

And you followed the king to another room. Morpheus followed him too as a shadow. So Henry looked at you.

“I hope that you don’t want my throne or others will get mad”, he smiled. “Though I confused by resemblance of your companion”.

“He has his own duties and doesn’t want your throne”, you smiled. “But I wanted to warn you about something”.

“What?” he looked concerned now.

“One of your noblemen is going to arrange your marriage with Margaret”, you said. “Noble woman from France. You shouldn’t believe her or that man. They will make war behind your back. And they will despise you”.

“What?” he looked scared. “Why?”

“I can’t tell”, you sighed.

“They think that you are weak”, Morpheus suddenly told instead of me. “That you can’t make a decision yourself”.

Henry blushed, and his eyes begin to shine with tears. I felt sorry for him and hit Morpheus slightly with a hand.

«Hey, stop to be so mean”, you hissed. “He is already worried”.

“Are you telling me that everyone is against me?” Henry asked quietly.

“No, your protector is on your side, as he should be”, you said. “Maybe, some other men from your court”.

“I shouldn’t trust that woman; they want to marry me”, he said. "Maybe I shouldn’t marry her at all”.

“Yes, she won’t love you”, you said carefully. “She is going…”

You stopped and decided that you said enough too. Do you really want to change the course of this story entirely?

“What?” he asked. “Is she going to kill me?”

“No, she is going to cheat with that nobleman that will bring her to you”, you sighed.

“You are…who are you?” he asked. “How do you know all that? Are you a witch? I can’t believe in that?”

“We are from future”, you sighed. “Just think, why I told this if I want to harm you? I want you to live”.

“And what happened to me?” he asked.

You looked away, and he understood everything. Then he started to rub his head.

“My head is aching after all this information”, he said. “I need to think alone. I will order you for a room”.

He called servants and told you to escort us to the guest room. You didn’t say anything and just follow the servant to another room. Morpheus went with you.

“He is ready to refuse that marriage," Morpheus said. When we were left alone,. “Are you going to wait again?”

“I have a plan," you smiled. “What about a dinner?”

“A dinner?” He looked confused and cute now.

“Yes, we can join the nobility for dinner," you said. “When was the last time you had dinner in a public place?”

“Do you mean in the palace?” he asked. “I have dinner every day in my palace”.

“And what about other places?” you said.

"Seldom," he replied.

“You see?” you smiled. “Let’s go, before they decide to close us up and make a secret of our visit here”.

And you left the room and went through the corridor till you caught one of the servants. She was surprised that you're wondering around.

“We are a little bit hungry," you said. “And we would like to join everyone at the dinner”.

“Are you sure that they eat together?” Morpheus whispered.

“They will," you replied, and you followed the servant.

But you were alone in a big room. It seemed everyone had their own business at that moment. The servant looked at you, confused.

“I will order bringing you something," she said and left.

“What now?” he said, sitting at the table, and you said it in front of him.

“We will have dinner," you replied.

“Are you going to try to save everyone?” he asked, looking at me. “You can’t save yourself by doing this forever”.

“I’m not going to do this forever," you refused.

“Alright, you will save someone," Morpheus continued. “What’s next? Are you planning to stay here forever? In one of your dreams?”

"I..." you replied, confused. “I don’t know”.

“You were planning this after all your adventures," he said. “But you eventually need to wake up. And start to live your life”.

“What If I don’t want to?” you asked him.

“You should," he said. “Even if it’s hard”.

“I’m not ready," you sighed.

At that moment, servants brought us food, and our conversation was paused for some time.

Morpheus

I agreed to stay in this dream for a day. Just a peaceful day without battles. But I already felt that my patience had grown weary. How long should I follow her everywhere? But I admit that she started to think about her life outside the dream.

The young king wants to talk to her in the evening. And I even asked her to stay for a longer time. And be both his wife and advisor.

“What?” she blushed. “You are too kind. I’m sure, your real advisors won’t be glad that you want to marry me”.

“That’s the only way to stop them from marrying me with that woman," the king said.

“No, you are already engaged to another”, Y\N tried to convince him. “You just need to marry her. And everything fell into place”.

“But I feel that you are almost the only one who cares for me," he sighed. “And you can stop me from making mistakes”.

“Thank you for your trust, my lord," she smiled softly, and I felt the pin of irritation. Where did it come from? “I need to think”.

“So that is your plan?” I was annoyed when we left his room. “To stay with that king and prevent him from making mistakes?”

"No," she refused. “We are moving on. My work here is done”.

“Wise decision”, I nodded. “But what are you trying to do?”

“I think I’m trying to…return my memories," she said thoughtfully. “Or to find my place. Or find…calmness”.

Y\N looked lost. She only realized what she was missing now. Something in me ached. I can understand this feeling.

@shadowqueen1318 @mypsychoticlove @justathirstyhoe @ladymoztaza @sapphireonline @deniixlovezelda

#morpheus x reader #dream x reader #sandman x reader #sandman fanfiction #the sandman

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whichuniverseisthis · 7 months

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Next chap on Monday. Beware of spoilers!

First - Vs Lopunny

Previous - Vs Ivysaur

Next - Vs Empoleon

Last - Final dimentional duel XI

Chapter 7 / Chapter 423

Here they are, the Elite Four! Well, the remnants of the four. I've seen a lot of different characterizations for Lucian around, this is the most serious of all. Aaron using Drapion as a sofa is so cute.

My Children!!! And the gym leaders! It's so evil to show Dia and Pearl again with the trauma, it's unfair.

I'm not crying, you're crying- I love how they adapted the music player from the games here. In game it plays old themes, at least in HGSS. Here it plays Pearl's theme. Help, I'm emotional. Like, I imagine Pearl having his own background ost when something happens in general, and then Wake uses that ost to write the song.

Daisy! And Bebe! And Green mention! To be fair, it's Red the battle-crazy one, not Green. Also, Daisy grew so much since GSC. She went from not being able to help Bill, to healing Pokémon who almost died. She's amazing.

So they did confirm that the Battle Zone is outside of Sinnoh, just like in real life.

Oh my god, the Sinnoh chairman. People only remember the one in Hoenn, but this guy has the funniest hairstyle ever. Sordward and Shielbert level.

Dia asking the real questions. Lucian's inexpressive face is amazing. And change to the Pt outfits! The sleeve unrolling will never not be funny.

The greatest group to ever exist. Love that even the name was made to contrast the lightly dressed girls trio.

It never happened to me in the games. I guess it just stops randomly?

This is so cruel. I too wouldn't be able to fight my own Empoleon. Does this panel actually exist in the games? Wouldn't it be a certain loss to battle against Pokémon that were thoroughly thought to battle the Arcade?

#pt commentary #pokespe #trainer diamond #pokespe diamond #trainer pearl #pokespe pearl #trainer platinum #pokespe platinum #platinum berlitz

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blackswaneuroparedux · 1 year

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Quid est martyrium? Mortem pati pro Christo. Quid est Christianum? Christum sequi*

- St. Augustine

What is martyrdom? To suffer death for Christ. What is a Christian? To follow Christ.*

After the restoration of the western towers of the Abbey had been completed in 1995, it was decided to fill the 10 gothic niches above the west doorway with statues. The lower part of the towers date from the 15th century and the tops of the towers were completed in 1745. The niches never had statues, although this was obviously the plan of decoration.

It was decided to use the ten niches not just to commemorate saints or worthy figures from the past. So instead of traditional figures of kings or saints, the abbey decided that martyrs of the 20th century should be remembered. The West entrance was to proclaim a message of which too few people are aware: the 20th century was a century of Christian martyrdom. Although the statues are of individual martyrs they are intended to represent all those others who have died (and continue to die) in similar circumstances of oppression and persecution. Their statues were drawn from every continent and many Christian denominations.

Four sculptors completed the statues, carved from French Richemont limestone. The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, unveiled the statues in July 1998 at a service attended by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

The ten Christian modern martyrs are (from left to right):

Maximilian Kolbe: a Catholic priest who helped Jews in Poland and who died in Auschwitz in 1941 after offering to take the place of a condemned man.

Manche Masemola: a 16-year-old girl from South Africa who was killed by her parents in 1928 when she converted to Christianity.

Janani Luwum: the Archbishop of Uganda who was murdered on the orders of Idi Amin in 1977.

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna: a member of the Russian Imperial family (by marriage) who founded a convent but was murdered by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution.

Martin Luther King: the American civil rights campaigner who was murdered in 1969.

Oscar Romero: the Archbishop of San Salvador, murdered by a death squad in 1980.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: a Lutheran theologian who was implicated in the bomb plot against Adolf Hitler and executed in 1945.

Esther John: a Pakistani nurse and Christian evangelist who was murdered by a Muslim relative in 1960.

Lucian Tapledi: an Anglican in New Guinea who was killed by invading Japanese troops in 1942.

Wang Zhiming: a Christian pastor in China who was executed in 1973 during the Cultural Revolution.

In June 1953, during Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, she entered through the west door of London’s Westminster Abbey. During her arrival, she was received by massed choirs singing ��I was glad when they said unto me, we will go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122, 1-3,6, 7.)

On 6 May, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey. For many, this will be the first coronation they have ever seen. The ceremony will follow a pattern laid out in the Liber Regalis, kept at Westminster Abbey and which has informed the pattern of coronations since the 14th century. The service which will see the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla will include the same elements as the historic coronations which have gone before and everything starts with their entry to the Abbey. This means King Charles III will enter the Abbey through the West door and under the statues of these 10 Christian modern martyrs.

For King Charles III it will have a particular personal resonance as he will walk under the soulful gaze of his great-great aunt through his father’s side (the late Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh), Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.

Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt was born on 1 November 1864. Her mother died when she was a child, and she came to England to live with her grandmother, Queen Victoria. Her childhood was Lutheran and her adolescence was Anglican. Elizabeth married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the fifth son of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1884, and joined the Orthodox Church in 1891.

When her husband was assassinated in 1905, she gave away all her jewellery, sold her most luxurious possessions, and opened the Martha and Mary home in Moscow. Elizabeth and 17 of her companions formally became nuns in 1909. They soon opened a hospital and began other philanthropic works.

The Tsarist state collapsed in March 1917, and the Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917. Elizabeth was arrested with two sisters from her convent on 7 May 1918, and transported across country to Perm, then to Ekatarinburg, and finally to Alapaevsk. On 17 July, the Tsar and his family were shot dead. During the following night, Elizabeth, Sister Varvara, and members of the royal family were murdered in a mineshaft. Elizabeth was recognised as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1984 and by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1992.

Had there been more than ten niches available, there would have been other candidates available for inclusion in Westminster Abbey. As it stands, this memorial makes a powerful statement about the fact that people are still dying for their Christian beliefs in the present age. Although most cathedrals only seem to commemorate people who are long-dead and long-forgotten, Westminster Abbey bucked the trend in a dramatic and highly poignant way.

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titanus-horizio · 11 months

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So, you wanna know about Ain't That a Bite

Here is essentially the summary of ain't that a bites concept, ideas,inspirations etc, I honestly think more writing blogs should do this but I digress

So ain't that a bite for the uninitiated is what happens when you take Godzilla, and take Hazbin hotel/helluva boss....and mash em together...but also not really

It's an urban fantasy kaiju story that takes place primarily in 1950s Seattle.

(art by ladygvalentine on Twitter)

I adore the way viziepop designs her characters and a lot of her character dynamics are a joy to experience so I thought ok, how do I mix 2 series I love.

And originally back in the dark times of December 2021

Ain't that a bite was named abyssal sound and was legit just a Hazbin hotel crossover au with Godzilla that circled around Alastor (when he was alive) discovering a radio signal in the ocean that lead to New Orleans being attacked by the king of the monsters. It then had Godzilla after he died beseeching the 7 rings of hell(which is partially canon believe it or not, just read the Godzilla in hell comics)

However it occured to me that won't be particularly unique or interesting.

So that's how I landed on how it is today

What's a nonspoilery summary of ain't that a bite?

Ain't that a bite as I mentioned is an urban fantasy that is about kaiju hunters named Abyssal wardens(you can see I kept some of the hazbin au ig) dealing with a mysterious TV show host named horizio who not only runs a show that is essentially storm chasing but with kaiju, but also has the ability to summon and partially control Kaiju, the abyssal wardens suspect something seems...off with him. The story has kaiju, doomsday prophecies, tumblrsexymen(courtesy of horizio) and fantasy characters so what's not to like!

Also before I go, yes this is a Godzilla urban fantasy story, I am nowhere near creative enough to make my own kaiju, also I think Godzilla kaiju are neat ^^

I will be making a lot of character profiles like I did for Lucian for all the other OCS but for now, I'll see you when it's updated!!!

@standard-human @mjtheartist04 @gay-trashcan-cat @littlemissatlas

#kaiju #godzilla kaiju #ocs #aint that a bite #aint that a bite ocs #creative writing #godzilla #writing

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thatmivy · 1 year

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I am asking about your OCs

Lmao, thank you!!

I have 7 I actively play around with in my brain and a few more floating around:

Will Ergoth is a half-elf warlock. He's a very serious grumpy guy with a deeply troubled past (killed a whole town but it kinda wasn't his fault but also it absolutely was). Accidentally ends the world when he dies. His appearance is 100% Hugh Dancy (as Will Graham). He was meant to be a player character, then an NPC for my own campaign, but his story has gotten so out of hand I just have to settle for writing it.

Parka Ergoth is an orc fighter. Love of my life and Will's (they're married). He is the governor of a territory and takes his job super seriously which is a hazard to him because he's still dealing with the weight of his father's terrible rule that he inherited and that time Will almost killed him but instead Parka was the only one able to stop Will. Was also an NPC for my campaign but when that campaign ended up just becoming a story in my brain, he became an NPC again for the sequel, lmao.

Errut is a tiefling cleric. He is addicted to structure, law, and the words of the Saint Ergoth who guided the people to safety after the magical apocalypse began. He is inspired by the atomic priesthood but instead of actual radioactive waste, he keeps knowledge of corrupted magic. (He started off as a joke character Shane Madej demon AU but that quickly got away from me)

Sruthán Mac Thiarniri. My baby. My sweet cinnamon apple. My boo. Water Genasi wild magic sorcerer. I could write pages upon pages of this guy's life. He's more than a player character to me. I have planned so much about his family, his crew, his hometown, literally every aspect of Sruthán's life is being mapped out in my brain. He definitely started off as a way for me to thirst over BAFTA-winning actor Jared Harris in my own silly little way but he's grown far beyond that now.

Dymovaya is my goblin bloodhunter. She's a newer character but I really like playing as her!! She's just a cold, one-track minded old bitch and I love her. She's a werewolf but when ever I use the transformation action I would always say she's morbing out. Fire magic on a bloody rusty standard wood cutting ax. Cool as hell.

Delaney is my Underworld OC. Vampire lady that leaves the coven and aids the lycans to get revenge on her own kind for transforming her. She might just be a way to for me to thirst over Lucian, but she's also a pretty freaking rad character. I like exploring the Underworld universe with her.

Adlgonda is a human warlock. She fell in love with a forest spirit. A human army stayed at her tiny village and decimated the wildlands of her home, killing her beloved in the process. She swore vengeance on humankind and made a pact with the embers of her lover's remains granting her terrible magic. She goes from town to town trying to track down those responsible, but also won't hesitate to kill lonesome travellers while on the road.

Stonestar and Downyflight are two Warrior Cat ocs I don't talk about often, but they be up here in my brain anyways, taking up a lot of space in the nostalgia corner

#thank you so much for asking oh my god #i love my ocs so much #thatmivys silly guys

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aboutanancientenquiry · 2 years

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The Egyptians and the dead: the wooden simulacres of the dead presented in the Egyptian banquets as described by Herodotus and the custom of keeping the mummies in the houses

I reproduce here several paragraphs of the very interesting text of Pr. Barbara Borg “The Dead as a Guest at Table? Continuity and Change in the Egyptian Cult of the Dead”, in M. L. Bierbrier (ed.), Portraits and Masks. Burial customs in Roman Egypt. Colloquium London 13.-14.7.1995 (London 1997), p. 26-32

“In his epic poem Punica (13.475) Silius Italicus describes the visit of Scipio Africanus to the underworld. There Scipio meets the ghost of Appius Claudius, who was fatally wounded near Capua. Appius laments that he could not find peace because his friends had failed to cremate and bury his body. Scipio wishes to do him this favour but claims that he does not know according to which rites it should be done, so he lists a number of different practices: 'All over the world the practice is different in this matter , and unlikeness of opinion produces variou s ways of burying the dead and disposing of their ashes. In the land of Spain, we are told (it is an ancient custom) the bodies of the dead are devoured by loathly vultures. When a king dies in Hyrcania, it is the rule to let dogs have access to the corpse. The Egyptians enclose their dead, standing in an upright position, in a coffin of stone, and worship it; and they admit a bloodless spectre to their banquets.' 1 The text goes on like this but we will stop here because our interest today is directed at the Egyptian practice.

We find confirmation for this in Lucian' s De luctu (21): ' Up t o that point, the wailing , the same stupid custom prevails everywhere ; but in what follows , the burial, they have apportioned out among themselves , nation by nation, the different modes.The Greek burns, the Persian buries, the Indian encases in glass, the Scythian eats, the Egyptian salts. And the latter — I have seen whereof I speak — after drying the dead man makes him his guest at table!' 2

These reports by two authors of the first and second centuries AD strike a modern reader as being fairly strange. One would expect them to have instantaneously provoked scientific curiosity. Surprisingly, this is not the case, and these passages have aroused little or no interest. It is, however, not the place here to examine the reasons for this awkward silence within the academic community. 3

First of all, one should notice that there can be little doubt as to the veracity of these statements. Teles, Diodorus, Cicero and Sextus Empiricus confirm that the Egyptians kept the mummies of their relatives at home. 4 To be sure, some of the texts show great similarity and therefore may depend on each other or on still another common source. 5 But at least two authors knew Egypt personally. Diodorus visited Alexandria during the180th Olympiad (60—56 BC) — moreover , R. Merkelbach recently confirmed the general reliability of paragraphs I 91-9 3 by comparing Diodorus' description of the judgement-ceremonial with evidence from the papyri 6 - while Lucian spent several years in Egypt, where he held a high position in the office of the prefect of Egypt. For the most intriguing part in the passage quoted above, the participation of mummies at banquets, he even stresses his testimony as an eyewitness.

In some of the texts the Egyptians and their strange habits clearly function as 'the other ' of Greeks or Romans. 7 Nevertheless, this does not necessarily indicate that the habits used in this way were simply invented for the purpose. In the case of Egypt, particularly, there existed enough bizarre practices to serve these needs, and this applies not only to mummification itself. Animal worship, for example, proved to be a major argument in the mostly unfavourable conceptions of Egypt, as propagated by non-Egyptian authors. However, it was also an actual and widespread practice in Graeco-Roman Egyptian popular religion. 8

We find further evidence in Christian texts which relate that even the Coptic Christians used to keep the preserved and adorned bodies of venerated persons, predominantly martyrs, above ground. According to Athanasius this custom drove St Anthony into the desert to await his death in solitude. 9 It was this custom again (and not mummification itself) that provoked the censure of bishops and other higher clergy — an idle censure, as it turned out, as is shown not least by the display and worship of relics up to the present day. It can hardly be imagined that the Copts 'invented' the habit themselves, but it is plausible to presume that they adopted it from their pagan predecessors. 10

Support for our hypothesis can be found in the mummies themselves: Flinders Petrie reports that several of the mummies he excavated at Hawara 'had been much injured by exposure during a long period before burial'. The 'mummies had often been knocked about, the stucco chipped off.' They were 'dirtied, fly-marked, caked with dust which was bound on by rain'. In the footcases of the mummies 'the wrapping h ad been used by children, who scribbled caricatures upon it.' Petrie already connected his observations with the tradition that the dead were kept in the houses of their relatives and also assumed a domestic cult for them. 11

The passage in Herodotus which Petrie and others succeeding him drew upon cannot, however, serve as proof. Herodotus reports (2.78) that at banquets people in Egypt used to show around a well-made and nicely painted νεκρόν ξύλινον to remind the participants of the transitoriness of life and to encourage them to enjoy the advantages of the present.There are two main reasons why this cannot possibly have anything to do with the custom we are considering here. First of all, it appears highly unlikely that νεκρόν ξύλινον could ever be translated as mummy. The expression must refer to some sort of wooden figure of a dead person or even of death itself - one to two ells long, according to Herodotus. It may well be a wooden skeleton, as is indicated by banquet equipment with representations of skeletons.12 Secondly, the sense of the procedure described by Herodotus is contrary to the whole meaning connected with a mummy, especially one of a relative.13 The mummy was a symbol of and guarantor not for death but for life, even though for an other worldly one .”

“What, then, was the origin of that custom? Neither in Greek nor in Roman religion is there any indication of a domestic cult of the dead. Likewise, in pharaonic Egypt the dead were not kept in the house of the relatives but, after embalming, were accompanied in a ceremonial procession to the tomb, where they were buried and received sacrifices. Later on they were commemorated on various days. The family offered sacrifices at the tomb and apparently also invited guests to a solemn banquet that took place in special rooms of the temple. 31

However, for some time now, an increasing number of references have indicated that there already existed in pharaonic times a cult for the deceased in the house of the relatives...”

“In conclusion, then, there are several clear indications of a domestic ancestral cult already in place in pharaonic Egypt, a cult that could be celebrated even in front of images of the deceased! 36 Such cults seem to have been the exception rather than the rule, and up to now there is no chronological series into the Greek and Roman periods. There may be two main reasons for this. First, excavations of living quarters that could provide further data are still rather scarce and, secondly, we face a problem of visibility — or lack of attention to less clearly visible material. Ancestral cult was mainly part of the popular religion, the beliefs among the middle and lower classes,37 whereas the material evidence that usually catches the attention of archaeologists and Egyptologists gives information only about the uppermost class and its ideology. One reason for the fact that most of the evidence for ancestral cult comes from Dei r el-Medina may be the very ability of the craftsmen living there to manifest their beliefs in a more 'visible' form. Thus, in spite of the lack of contemporary evidence , the later custom of keeping the mummies of the deceased in the house can only be derived from the Egyptian ancestral cult.”

“The significance of the step from venerating the dead in the presence of substitutes like stelae or busts, or from the depiction of banquets for the dead, to the factual, physical attendance of the deceased in the form of his mummy, cannot be overestimated, and it would be most interesting to know when it was made and under what circumstances. It was no later than the third century BC, as we know from Teles, but it may have been even earlier. Once the practice was introduced, the new form of the portrait mummy must have fulfilled the requirements of the cult as wel l as the demand for representation particularly well.’

[Conclusion] “Whatever the religious beliefs and social implications in connection with the display and veneration of portrait mummies may have been precisely, the fact that mummies were kept in the house for some time, and most probably received some sort of cult there, helps to explain the discrepancy between the character of the mummies — costly but weakened in their magic powers by their new worldly shape — and their careless, sometimes even rude burial without any grave markers. The Egyptian ancestral cult rarely goes back more than one or two generations , as is shown not least by the inscriptions on th e akh-iker stelae.47 This leads to the assumption that the portrait mummies were kept in the house for approximately the same time. After the immediate relatives had died themselves, and after interest in the more distant ancestors had faded, the mummies may have been handed over to the temple in charge. As is shown by the different contexts , the kind of burial they were given depended on many factors that can only be identified on the basis of new evidence and extensive research. 48 In the case of the careless burials mentioned above, a proper family tomb was obviously not available. Perhaps the relatives were not interested any more in an expensive burial and entrusted the mummies of their ancestors to the priests or servants of the temple who, away from the control of the family, cared as little for the burial as they often did before for the treatment of the bodies during embalming.49″

Source on the net with the communication in its entirety https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/propylaeumdok/407/1/Borg_The_Dead_as_a_Guest_at_Table_1997.pdf

Barbara Elisabeth Borg FSA (born 26 December 1960) is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Exeter.[1] She is known in particular for her work on Roman tombs, the language of classical art, and geoarchaeology. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Borg

Herodotus’ passage on the wooden simulacres of the dead used in Egyptian banquets is as follows (2.78, ancient Greek original and its translation by A. D. Godley):

Ἐν δὲ τῇσι συνουσίῃσι τοῖσι εὐδαίμοσι αὐτῶν, ἐπεὰν ἀπὸ δείπνου γένωνται, περιφέρει ἀνὴρ νεκρὸν ἐν σορῷ ξύλινον πεποιημένον, μεμιμημένον ἐς τὰ μάλιστα καὶ γραφῇ καὶ ἔργῳ, μέγαθος ὅσον τε πηχυαῖον ἢ δίπηχυν, δεικνὺς δὲ ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμποτέων λέγει " Ἐς τοῦτον ὀρέων πῖνέ τε καὶ τέρπευ· ἔσεαι γὰρ ἀποθανὼν τοιοῦτος." ταῦτα μὲν παρὰ τὰ συμπόσια ποιεῦσι.

After rich men's repasts, a man carries around an image in a coffin, painted and carved in exact imitation of a corpse two or four feet long. This he shows to each of the company, saying “While you drink and enjoy, look on this; for to this state you must come when you die.” Such is the custom at their symposia.

I think that Pr. Borg is totally right that Herodotus writes that wooden simulacres of the dead were presented in the Egyptian banquets of his era, not the mummies themselves. On the other hand, perhaps Herodotus’ text shows that the tradition of painting veristic individualized portraits of the dead has also Egyptian roots and it was not just an imitation of a Roman custom, as it seems that Pr. Borg claims elsewhere in her text. I say this because the simulacres described by Herodotus may be understood as representations of a corpse in general, but nothing excludes that they were imitations of relatives of the persons who offered the banquets. Moreover, perhaps the presentation of wooden simulacres of the dead in the banquets of upper class Egyptians of the fifth century BCE should be seen as a step toward the generalization of the domestic ancestral cult, which was for a long time, as Pr. Borg says, part of the popular religion of the lower and middle classes of the Egyptian population, with eventual form of this domestic ancestral cult, again as Pr. Borg says, the keeping of the mummies in the Egyptian houses.

#ancient egypt #egyptology #greco-roman period in egypt #herodotus #barbara borg

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munships · 1 month

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Divider Credit

Very new to Tumblr RP in general. If I get any RP Terms or Etiquette wrong then please correct me!

Welcome to An Indie, non-selective(atm) roleplay blog for a group of MHA OCs that originated from the same fic.

Written by Lucian [21 | it/its pronouns (aux: he/him)]

Note: I have social anxiety and this isn't my primary blog, so me interacting first beyond a follow may take a hot minute :']. The easiest interactions for me to have is interactions started by other people.

Queue is set to post between 1 PST and 6 PST.

RULES/INFO - Please read

1 - No NSFW including towards the adult character (MS. VELA).

2 - Not spoiler free!

3 - Open to interaction from canon characters, other OCs, AU versions of canon characters, crossovers, etc. 3.1 - Personal/Non-RP folks can interest on none-starter/rp-focused posts!

4 - I will do my best to tag for common triggers and phobias. 4.1 - Common possible triggering content featured upon this blog will be → Emotional/Mental Abuse & Neglect, Parentification, Poverty, and Mental Health Issues. As well as any triggering content that is covered within MHA itself.

5 - Headcanon heavy, especially when it comes to how the Hero Society function in the USA.

6 -

7 - Deermount High School is located in West Virginia, USA. But the OCs will be put in Japan if the starter/prompt needs it.

8 - This blog is not canon to the fic these characters will appear in. The fic is WIP and not up on any websites yet, so the fic is not a required reading.

9 - Transphobia, homophobia, acephobia, and other forms of queerphobia is not tolerated. As well as Classism, Racism, Ableism, etc will also not be tolerated.

10 - Zionists/Pro-Isreal people are not welcomed on this blog!

11 - Stans of: Harry Potter/Marauders/Other J.K. Rowling Related Media, Attack on Titans, and Hatelia are not welcomed to this blog. Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss stans are on thin ice.

Character list, worldbuilding notes, and tags below the read more

QUICK CHARACTER INFO - AGES and GRADES are based on the fic they appear in; this can be changed within the context of the starter/prompt.

🪵 OLIVE WOODS → They/them | 15~ Years Old, high school Sophomore | Quirk: Toy Control; Can puppeteer wooden toys | Olive’s mom is currently in jail and was a villain named The Marionettist | More info: x Character Tag: #Olive Woods 🪵 🧸 MAPLE → She/any | Been sentient since OLIVE was seven | Sentient Porcelain Doll caused by a quirk accident | Only OLIVE, OLIVE’s parents, MS. VELA, and MRS. GREEN are aware that Maple is sentient Character Tag: #Maple 🧸

🔫 MARCELA HARTS → She/her | 15~ Years Old, high school Sophomore | Quirkless | Ashamed of being quirkless | More info: x Character Tag: #Marcela Harts 🔫

🐟 CASPIAN BREAM → She/her, they/them | 15~ Years Old, high school Sophomore | Quirk: Water Manipulation; Can control water, Katara ATLA style. Is a fish heteromorph | Reads shojo manga | More info: x Character Tag: #Caspian Bream 🐟

👁️ MS. VELA → She/her | 43~ Years Old | Quirk: Quirk Sense; can sense when someone is using their quirk | Retired underground hero, runs Deermount’s Hero Club, and is the Health Teacher | More info: x Character Tag: #Ms. Vela 👁️

PROMINENT WORLDBUILDING NOTES -

1 - Any temporary quirk effects becomes permanent if the quirk user dies while the quirk effect is in effect (this is how MAPLE exists)

2 - For the sake of simplicity assume the school the OCs attend (DEERMOUNT HIGH) follows the same school year as UA (Starting in the Spring and ending in the Winter)

3 - Deermount High School is not a Hero School. The Hero's Club is, well, a school club and is not funded by the school. All the funding comes from it's members, Ms. Vela, the treasurer Mrs. Green & any fundraisers they put on.

4 - Deermount High is located in a small, fictional town in West Virginia, USA. The town in question boarders the state of Virginia.

TAGS -

#OOC / #OOC [WORDS HERE] - Out of Character Tags

#// *warning* - Content/Trigger warning

#[Queued Up] - Queue tag.

#[Starter] / [Title | Starter] - Starter Tags

#[Open] - Open RP Tag

#[Ask] - Ask Tags

#[Reply] - Reply Tags

#TAGS ->#OOC #[Queued Up]#[Starter]#[Open]#[Ask]#[Reply]#CHARACTER TAGS ->#Olive Woods 🪵#Maple 🧸#Marcela Harts 🔫#Caspian Bream 🐟#Ms. Vela 👁️

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silvestromedia · 9 months

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SAINTS JANUARY 07

ST. LUCIAN, ANTIOCHIAN PRIEST, MARTYR A scholarly and austere priest of Antioch in Syria, a precise exegete of the Old and New Testaments, Lucian died a martyr at Nicomedia on 7 January 312, during the persecution of the Roman emperor Maximinus. Another emperor, Constantine, would be baptized near his grave. Jan 7

ST. POLIEUTO, MARTYR Jan 7

Bl. Edward Waterson, 1593 A.D. An English martyr and a convert. He was born in London, England, and ordained in Reims, France. In 1592, he was returned to England to serve hidden Catholics. Edward was arrested the following year and executed at Newcastle. He was beatified in 1929.7

St. Brannock. A Welsh monk who migrated to Devon, England. He founded a monastery at Braunton, and was famed for his holiness and zeal.

St. Cronan Beg, 7th century. A bishop of Aendrum, County Down, Ireland. He is mentioned in connection with the controversy of 640. St. Kentigerna, 734 A.D. Widowed hermitess, mother of St. Coellan and daughter of Kelly. The prince of Leinster, Ireland. When her husband died she went to Inchebroida Island in Loch Lomond, Scotland. A church there is dedicated to her memory.

St. Raymond of Pennafort, Roman Catholic Friar and the patron saint of lawyers, especially canon lawyers. Feastday January 7

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coloradohq · 1 year

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+2 connections have been added.

LUCIAN CARTY (CODY FERN) is looking for THEIR HALF-SISTER. they’d like the faceclaim to possibly be someone along the lines of ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, ZENDAYA, UTP FEMALE/FEMALE PRESENTING FC 26-27 (must be half white), but you must reach out to @TCTTEREDWINGS to find out more! ( drug abuse tw, overdose tw. your muse was born when lucian was 7 years old. she was wanted by their mother, whereas they were very much not. growing up the pair weren’t exactly close, although a lot of the time lucian was forced to look after their sister due to their mother’s drug addiction and habit of leaving the pair alone in favour of spending nights at bars. as soon as lucian was old enough to leave the family home, they did just that, so there’s always been a little bit of friction between the pair seeing as they pretty much abandoned her. when their mother overdosed five years ago, she didn’t hesitate to call them, though, and they came running. since then they’ve been working on things, discovering the true sibling relationship they should have had as children. )

CAMERON CLARKSON (HENRY GOLDING) is looking for HIS SISTER/BROTHER IN-LAW. they’d like the faceclaim to possibly be someone along the lines of UTP, but you must reach out to @TCTTEREDWINGS to find out more! ( car crash tw, death tw. cameron met wc’s sister, serena, twelve years ago. they had two children together and married five years later. it was safe to say they had the idyllic life… up until the car crash anyway. serena died that night and left the family devastated. since then cameron has done his best to stay close to the family and wc frequently takes the kids out for the day and has them for movie nights. cameron and wc are definitely good friends now, too, talking a lot and leaning on one another when they need to. )

#oc rp #city rp #town rp #appless rp #plotless rp #wanted.

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saratogaroadwrites · 1 year

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Adamantus (7/12)

Adamantus | saratogaroad rating: G+ total wordcount: 15,328 characters: Aulea Lucis Caelum, Regis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ardyn Lucis Caelum relationships: Aulea/Regis, Aulea & Noctis other tags: Mother-Son Relationship, Character Death, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence warnings: Character Death Starts The Plot

When Noctis is three years old, Regis takes ill. The doctor tells her that he will recover, that all will be well.

It isn't.

Aulea Lucis Caelum is left to raise a son on her own, knowing that a Kingdom depends on her strength and will to survive.

She will not lose him, too.

Ardyn is the very picture of nobility and manners, raised with princely bearing and aged into the mindset of a king. He thanks the staff when they bring tea, allows himself to be searched for weapons without complaint, and keeps his hands to himself even without the threat of the Queensglaive in the room. He is settled, patient, calm.

And yet, Aulea thinks, and yet he is something more than human. The golden lights of Etro's blessing cling to him like fireflies on a summer night, death clinging to a man most assuredly alive. How he has lived this long, she does not know. Izunia Lucis Caelum, the founder king, was king nearly 2000 years ago. Anyone who once lived alongside him cannot still be alive. And yet, he has not denied her accusation, not called her words the ravings of a desperate woman. He sits across a small table from her, golden eyes gleaming.

"I will admit," he begins after stirring two lumps of sugar and a little dash of cream into his teacup, "You have caught me quite off guard. You know so very much about me, and yet I know nothing of you." He picks up his cup and almost toasts her with it. "How ever did you come to find me out?"

Aulea's hands tremble as she reaches for her own cup, no sugar, no cream. The china rattles until she can get a good grip.

"You have your brother's nose," She says. Ardyn stops mid-sip and stares at her. She gathers her courage, remembers what she fights for, and continues on, "And the name Izunia is an old name, Lucian in origin." She squares her shoulders. "No man of Niflheim would carry it with such pride."

She sips her tea as if they're simply talking about the weather, as if she's not staring Death personified in the face, and the room grows silent but for their breathing.

Slowly, a minute ticks by. Two. Arydn lowers his tea cup.

"You are a clever one, Aulea Lucis Caelum," he says softly. "The name is quite old indeed, and hails from Lucis. A little hamlet in what is now Duscae, to be precise." His eyes grow distant, perhaps haunted. "My dear twin...would that he could see his line now."

Aulea remembers the whispers within the Crystal, the Kings and Queens of Yore that had thrown their magic behind her when she faced Bahamut, doubtlessly at Regis' behest. When she looks at Ardyn now, she too has to wonder what they would think of this mess she has found herself in.

"I would hope he would be proud," She replies kindly, "But you would know him best."

"...So I once thought." Ardyn replies, coming back to himself. He looks at her again and seems to truly see her. "Tell me, Majesty. What do you know of the Prophecy of the Stone?" He asks her in that same soft tone.

"Enough," Aulea replies, teacup still warming her hands. "The King of Kings is to slay the Accursed and cleanse the Crystal of its blight to return light to Eos." The porcelian clicks against her wedding band, and she loosens her tight grip on the poor cup. "Sacrificing his life in the process. My son is the would be King of Kings, and I am willing to guess you are the Accursed."

Ardyn huffs out something that, in another life, could have been a laugh. Somehow it sounds more like a curse than anything now.

"The sorry end to a most sordid tale, but all true, my clever queen." He raises an eyebrow and sits back in his chair. He runs his thumb over the edge of his cup. "Lucis Caelum I was born, and Lucis Caelum I shall die."

With her son as the weapon. Aulea sets her teacup down before her tight grip can crack it. The Gods did something to this man, perhaps, casting him down from his family. It is his word and his word alone now, and she cannot trust it so easily. Not with something so important at stake. Even so, she tells herself, there is no one left to ask.

"I have no intention of allowing my son to die killing you, so if you wish this plan to go through you'd best just kill me now."

Ardyn blinks at her for what must be the fifth time in as many minutes, lips parted just slightly.

Then he laughs.

"No love lost between you and the Six, hm?"

"Me and mine owe Shiva a debt, but the Gods," She nearly spits, "would see my son sacrificed and my people wasted, all to clean up their own damned mess. If this is at all true, then you deserve peace, Chancellor, but I shall not see my son die to do it."

There's a glimmer of something in his eyes, something he can't name. Respect? Awe? She wants none of it. She wants her son to live into his teens, his twenties, to fall in love and grieve and live until there is more gray in his hair than black and it is only because he has aged that way.

She does not want Ardyn's respect any more than she wants to outlive her child. If he sees that, if he understands that, he does not say.

"And what if I were to tell you, Queen Aulea," He inclines his chin at her, a glimmer of respect beginning to strengthen in his voice, "That there were another way? That perhaps, simply perhaps, there is a way to end my miserable existence and keep your son from perishing in the process?"

She tries to temper the hope in her heart, tries not to pin all her hope on this, on the words of a man who has lived beyond even the eldest catoplebas, and yet...she crosses her hands on her lap, clenching them tightly together.

"What if I were to tell you I would be willing to listen to this...possibility?" She inclines her head. "For the sake of conversation, of course."

"Of course." He tucks a lock of hair out of his eyes, contemplates something just over her shoulder, and then offers her a pensive look.

"Tell me," He begins, "What do you know of the Scourge?"

"It is an illness, of which there is no cure." There was a ward full of patients in the medical wing, and the only reason it is empty now is because they have all passed on. "It seems to spread by contact with Daemons and only the Oracle's magic can clear it."

Lunafreya is fourteen years old. The ritual to crown a new Oracle can only be done with the blessing of the Gods. Unless Shiva steps into the halls of the Citadel herself, Aulea doubts that will happen on Lucian soil.

The line of the Oracles has, perhaps, died with Sylva.

"Also all true, but do you know the source of it, hm?" He leans forward in his chair. "Where it all began?"

"The first Daemon?" She harbors a guess. Ardyn's smile is dark.

"No, my dear. It all began with Eos, Goddess of the Dawn, many many years ago."

He speaks with the air of a storyteller, one who has seen this tale come true. And though Aulea wonders at how much truth is in his words, she does the only thing she can.

She listens.

#ffxv #final fantasy xv #ffxv fic #!fic #series: crystalline shards #fic: adamantus

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seekfirst-community · 2 years

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Meditation: Who do you seek to favor and bless? When an admirer wished to compliment Jesus by praising his mother, Jesus did not deny the truth of the blessing she pronounced. Her beatitude (which means "blessedness" or "happiness") recalls Mary's canticle: All generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:48). Jesus adds to her words by pointing to the source of all true blessedness or happiness - union with God in heart, mind, and will.

We can hear God's Word and believe it

Mary humbly submitted herself to the miraculous plan of God for the incarnation of his only begotten Son - the Word of God made flesh in her womb - by declaring: I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). Mary heard the word spoken to her by the angel sent by God and she believed it.

On another occasion Jesus remarked that whoever does the will of God is a friend of God and a member of his family - his sons and daughters who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ (Luke 8:21). They are truly blessed because they know their God personally and they find joy in hearing and obeying his word.

Jesus unites us with our heavenly Father

Our goal in life, the very reason we were created in the first place, is for union with God. We were made for God and our hearts are restless until they rest in him. Lucian of Antioch (240-312), an early Christian theologian and martyr, once said that "a Christian's only relatives are the saints." Those who follow Jesus Christ and who seek the will of God enter into a new family, a family of "saints" here on earth and in heaven. Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God and his kingdom. Do you hunger for God and for his word?

"Lord Jesus, my heart is restless until it rests in you. Help me to live in your presence and in the knowledge of your great love for me. May I seek to please you in all that I do, say, and think."

complete connections

“A woman from the crowd called out, ‘Blest is the womb that bore You and the breasts that nursed You!’ ‘Rather,’ He replied, ‘blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it.’ ” —Luke 11:27-28

A woman called Jesus’ mother blest because Mary’s womb bore Jesus and her breasts nursed Him. Jesus corrected the woman by saying that Mary was blest because she heard the Word of God and kept it (Lk 11:27-28).

We likewise are blest not because of our connections with Jesus but because of our commitment to Him. We may be connected to Jesus through prayer, church involvement, religious practices, service to the poor, moral behavior, etc. We may even be associated with Jesus by prophesying, driving out demons, or working miracles (Mt 7:22). However, on Judgment Day, Jesus will gather those who are merely churchgoers, humanitarians, decent citizens, and even prophets, exorcists, and miracle-workers. He will call some of them “evildoers” and tell them to get out of His sight (Mt 7:23).

The Lord is calling us not to be merely connected with Him but totally committed to Him. Jesus died on the cross to save us, and He wants nothing less than everything we are and have. He is totally committed to us and calls us to be totally committed to Him.

Prayer: Jesus, I repent of giving 99% to You. I give up that one thing, habit, or sin that separates me from total commitment to You.

Promise: “All of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Him.” —Gal 3:27

Praise: Evelyn, a non-Catholic, worked for a Catholic parish for years. Influenced by the faith of her co-workers, she chose to convert to the Catholic Faith.

Reference: (For a related teaching on Clarity, Certainty and Commitment, view, download or order our leaflet on our website.)

Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from October 1, 2022 through November 30, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 3, 2022"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

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lilyblackdrawside · 2 years

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This is a list of my PERSONAL evaluations of the operators I use in IS2.

I'm writing this because I want to do SOMETHING but can't bring myself to anything good from being exhausted by 24/7 heat.

You can take these mostly at face value, I'm not going to just be joking around, but I also write these with some consideration to the core operators I have in 99% of my runs, without whom some of these may not perform as well as I’m describing them.

Vangs

I just pick Myrtle at some point in my runs. Usually towards the second half. Unless you're going for the Extra Boss it's pretty feasible to just not have any Vanguards, in my opinion.

There's also this thing where my roster of Vanguards consists of 6 Elite 2s and Plume. 5 of these Elite 2s have 1 block, 2 of them are Standard Bearers.

My Vanguards aren't for combat. Is this questionable practice? In IS, yes. Outside of it? No.

I deploy light units so I don't need to run Vangs.

On the rare occasion that I aim for Lucian I pick Elysium instead of Myrtle because my team will be mostly Snipers.

Siege (my one 2-block Vanguard) has performed well for me, but I've always picked her very begrudgingly, what with her being a 6-star.

Guards

Outside of IS I play Guardknights, Sniperknights or both at once. Within IS2 I pick either 1 or 2 very specific Guards depending on my route. Sometimes extra depending on my mood (and recruitment vouchers.)

Bibeak - In theory performs really well, in practice just doesn't. She doesn't get much out of The Hand, what with it "only" boosting her auto-attack, for which any other beneficiary of The Hand is preferred, she also pairs exceedingly well with the "Guards gain 2 extra sp per attack", since it gives her 4 sp per attack and she has a stack-holding on-hit charging skill with which she can perma-stun anything not stun immune.

This isn't worthwhile. Most things that you’d want to stun are immune. Will she completely invalidate the Rock Golem Boss if you bait one stun for her? Yes. Is the Rock Golem Boss a problem in the first place? Usually not.

It makes me sad, but she has never played a relevant role in my runs, even when I had amazing relics for her. By all accounts she should be amazing, but she isn't.

Cutter - Imagine Bibeak, but with physical damage. I haven't picked her much, and when I did she performed okay. It's super fun to press her Skill 1 and see all of her knives just annihilate a single target. She's also never been outstanding for me, but she does have the potential.

Probably. Cutter, please do something, you have all the masteries.

La Pluma - Now we're talking. She's amazing. She clears the map, never dies, files your taxes and works with everything.

I'm not lying. She works with every single relic. Extra charge for on-hit skills, more damage in any form, more healing, every single Guard-specific relic, more attack (Her S1 is %atk). I can't think of a single good run that didn't involve her. She's one of my most important operators.

Actually, I can think of some runs that didn't involve her - the ones that go for Lucian. It's not like she's bad there, she just doesn't do anything that nobody else could do. A lot of other people can hold the central choke after all, and if I ever picked extra ground units I could probably drop her onto him on the top left spot and watch her cut him up from behind.

Specter - I've picked her a few times and she has a bunch of good uses.I mean, she can become unkillable. Obviously there are uses for this. Be that half of the possible first bosses, just tanking something (and chunking it at the same time) or whatever.

Her only issue is that Centurions kinda suck when they're not Elite 2? She's good, but has never been essential. Her damage is pretty choice though.

Lappland - The few times I've had her she's done pretty well. There are a whole bunch of targets for her silence, being able to switch between physical and arts damage is quite handy, she can hit air. What doesn't she do? I dunno. I'd probably pick her more often IF I COULD EVER FIND ENOUGH GUARD VOUCHERS.

Mousse - Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse Mousse.

Going for Big Sad Lock? Pick Mousse, thank me later. It's okay if she spends the entire journey sitting on the bench, she'll make herself worthwhile just for the boss. Let her have some fun on that oversized scratching post. Watch one of my BSL clear videos somewhere on my blog to see what she does to it (Hint: It's not damage.)

Defenders

Liskarm - She's aight. She really benefits from the relics that passively charge on-hit/on getting hit skills, but then her skills also practically have doubled costs since she already double-charges on taking a hit so the relics are only half-effective. You can do some fun stuff with her talent to super-charge other operators, just like in normal stages. I only pick her when the game throws too many Defender vouchers at me, which honestly isn't that often. The Defender Hand works with her, but I honestly don't think it's that good. A lot of stuff that'll hit you either also inflicts Nervous Impairment or has annoyingly high resist. I mean, if you have the hand you have extra incentive to pick her since you're already picking her to let her get hit.

Give her a break... She can shoot people just fine.

Mudrock - More like Roadblock, amiright. She solos the first two floors as long as the stages only have one exit. An Elite 2 Mudrock handles the singing puppet with some mild assistance in the form of either arts damage or some kind of debuff, with just some functional relics (better charge on her skills, more effective healing, less atk on enemies) she solos it. She's also good against... the enrage guy.

She is good in a lot of stages, especially the Lancer ones. She also perfectly blocks the entire left side on Big Sad Lock.

She's really good, well worth the 6 Hope and she also works really well with all of the Defender-specific relics. More damage is more damage and two of them do just that, more health means more healing, less cost means no Vangs.

Ashlock - Early on she's a good blocker and deals good damage even while blocking. Her damage and attackspeed are the same as when she's firing her lance, just without the splash.

Then once you have a team that she can sit behind she's just so good. Being effectively a ranged dps that sits on the floor is really good on a lot of stages that limit ranged-tiles (Bob stage with the slugs, Traveler from afar) and her damage output is just excellent. If you're in need for someone who clears the right side dancers on Lucians stage, she does that. If you need someone who damages the center-area on Lucians stage, she does that too. She also deals good damage to Lucian himself. She’s also a great damage dealer for BSL. She just pushes so much damage, it's great. And of course she scales amazingly well with all of the frankly broken Defender relics. Really, +60% atk, +40 aspd / +40% atk (and -1 block). They only gave these to the Defenders because they do no damage normally.

Hah, that's where they're wrong. I only have Defenders that deal damage. (and Cuora and Heavyrain because I like them and they're special and great.)

I don't pick any other Defenders. Unless they're free. Eunectes could theoretically be good since she's a huge stat stick that gets even huger with all the % boosts, but she just can't charge her skills in a good way and is too clunky and inflexible. Sorry, Zumama.

Snipers

Fartooth - I don't pick Fartooth but I'd love to. All the stages are designed against her.

Did you know that she has a talent where she ignores an enemy's Evade? She does. I'd love to utilize it against Lucian, but the stage is laid out in such a way that she can't get a clean hit on him with her out-of-range bonus active unless you have the white shoes.

It'd be so sick. It wouldn't even be outstanding, I'd just love to do it. I'd also love to use her against Big Sad Lock because she'd do great damage to it in a way that even minimizes its counter-bursts (not that I ever cared about that), but on that stage you would have to place her at the very bottom center on the floor and that's just too clunky. She'd never get a shot in! There's too much trash in the way that distracts her!

An unfortunate case. But even if she did work on the bosses, she's not terribly useful for normal stages I'm afraid.

Ambriel - Bring her for Extra Boss. Also she's funny once you get enough aspd to allow her to perma stun people.

Archetto - She's great. Her damage is great, it works well with Spinach/Siracusan Curry, all of the on-hit charge relics, other attack boosts, just wonderful.

The problem is that she's a 6-star. She's a luxury, but I WILL pick her if I go to Lucian because it is too funny to pass up on. Be that watching her annihilate the dancers or go to town on the center area.

GreyThroat - I pick her as a dedicated Lucian killer. I place her on the very top left and she snipes him down from 100 to 0 with Pramanix and Skalter support, and some Elemental Medic healing.

But even outside of that she just delivers overall excellent damage. Not outstanding and she lacks any kind of utility, but she does a good job and DOESN'T cost 6 hope.

May - 10/10, 100 points, gold star, best unit, just pick her 12 times and watch her go.

She's the La Pluma of ranged units. Arguably, La Pluma is the May of melee units.

She perma-slows or stuns enemies, she wrecks both Duck Lord and Gopnik (with some help on the latter), her damage gets insane with some lucky relics, your ear drums will rupture once you hit the +150 aspd threshold, she's a 4 star, what more could you want? I pick May on literally every run. She is always my first Sniper to pick, outside of free recruits and even then I WILL pass up free recruits for May she is just THAT GOOD. If you have enough hope for a 6-star operator you have enough hope for May, because she will be a better choice.

Pinecone - Look at how they've massacred my girl. Look at the stage designs! They're so terrible. She has the potential for greatness, but suffers the same problems that Fartooth has. Unfortunate range-limitations and lack of utility. She even scales amazingly well with a lot of relics.

I shed a tear everytime I pass her up, knowing she'd just be sitting on the bench.

Toddifons - I like to pick her but she doesn't do much. Why do I pick her then? Because it's funny to watch her fire at unreasonably high speeds. She does do pretty well against Lucian's dancers and there are quite a few stages with Sarkaz enemies where she can flex her massive x1.45 damage bonus (x1.5 if you have enough Potential on her.).

Her unique Besieger range is also pretty handy on a bunch of stages, like Drone... Factory? The one in the final stage that's basically the Skill Book Farm Stage (when did I last go there...).

By no means necessary, but I do always feel at ease going into that one with her on my roster.

She's fine, I pick her for the funnies.

W - I used to pick her to handle the Dancers, but have since found cheaper (or funnier (Archetto)) alternatives.

If she didn't cost 6 hope to recruit, I'd love to pick her.

That is to say, her Skill 2 is quite excellent since she can set it up during breaks, which a lot of stages have, and with extra charge rate relics she'll block up your deployment tiles faster than you can remove her bombs.

Meteorite - Honorable mention, I won't generally bring up Free Recruitment Operators that I haven’t raised personally, but that one time I got her she was just way too good.

Usually her Skill 1 is held back by her terrible aspd, but with some charge-relics and/or Archetto (who charges at 1sp/2.5s, so the second best quality version) she gets her skill on basically every attack and it just hits so hard. She doesn't even need to crit, but you will notice them. I didn't even have Spinach, so I can only imagine how powerful it'd be with that.

All that being said, aoe damage is all she brings to the table and I don't find that to be terribly worthwhile in the grand scheme of things. She is incredibly fun to watch and that is the most important thing, but I like picking operators for the final boss I intend to face and they will then also handle the challenges on the way there. Usually I'll have easy space for operators that won't do much in the final battle, but the sniper vouchers are pretty hotly contested for me I'm afraid.

Sniperknights for life, you know.

Casters

Medics

If I go Lucian I -

Okay, okay.

I think Casters are a semi-necessary evil in IS2, since almost all Challenge stages give enemies increased defense, which in the early game can easily lead to me getting overrun as May's taser gets turned into a toy gun. I also prefer to just fill the arts damage slots with Supporters like Pramanix, Glaucus or Orchid, but there are some casters I will consistently pick when I get a voucher for them.

Kjera - I like her. She's blue, she's nice to me, she's always so reassuring to have around and makes me happy.

She's also a Drone Caster and Drone Casters are excellent in any situation where you can buff their attack-stat.

Guess what you can do in IS.

She also brings Cold/Freeze, both of which are excellent status effects, especially Freeze, since it's a stun that also allows her to bypass enemy resistance in a good way.

Given that aspd-increases are also relatively consistent to come by, she is very reliable in inflicting Freeze all by herself or keeping Cold applied permanently on targets that are immune to freezing.

Click - "Oh, a Caster Voucher. Really would've rather had anything else, but okay. Wait, I only have 2 hope."

Steward - You'd think I'd make the same joke here that I went for with Click, but no. Steward is unironically good in this game mode because of one. simple. thing:

Power Strike α . It scales with attackspeed, it scales with Spinach/the middle one that you have to unlock first that "only" gives +65% over Spinach's +60%, what's the deal with that/Siracusan Curry, it deals great damage. His single-target damage is outstanding and if you happen to have the right relics he will outdamage operators of higher rarity.

His talent that makes him target high-def enemies first (just like Ceobe with Skill 2 active) is honestly very hit or miss, but I've had it work in my favour more often than not.

It's just a shame that there aren't more casters with on-hit-charge auto-fire skills, because if there were, I'd pick them more often. I guess I could raise Dusk and give her Mastery 3 on Skill 1, but when have I ever raised an operator for a single, silly purpose.

Medics

Am I going for Big Sad Lock? Ptilo.

Am I going for Lucian? Mulberry.

My Medic roster is small and every single one of them has been raised with a very specific reason.

Ptilopsis and Silence have been raised because I like them. They also turned out to be quite excellent at their jobs and I like to bring Ptilo to facilitate certain strategies and to generate DP.

Warfarin is Ptilopsis partner in crime in facilitating dubious strategies with her +90% no drawbacks attached I promise attack buff.

Whisperain I've leveled because look at her. I love her.

Same goes for Mulberry. She happens to be an Elemental-healing Medic, but I didn't raise her for that purpose, though she is quite excellent at that.

Her Skill 1 has the highest consistent single-target healing output in the game... when buffed by a Bard.

I pretty much always field Skalter. Skalter also buffs Whisperain in a really good way, since it amplifies her talent's passive regen effect.

And that's it. Those are all my Medics. Do I have the Ex-Wife available? Yes. Do I have Nightingale and Shining hanging around? Sure. Will I level them? No. Maybe Shining, for Aak.

I won't level Nightingale because I feel like she's too much of a universal answer to arts damage in a way that no other operator can replicate and I don't want to fall into that. I will always find a way around arts damage without her, even H8-4. Eventually. Just haven't felt like going there for a long time.

Is this 90% just rambling about how I don't bother much with Medics? Yes. Thank Skalter and my choices in ground operators for that. Skalter makes medics twice as strong and also twice as benchable.

Supporters

I've already mentioned Supporters previously, but there's a little more to them.

Magallan - Picked her once on my first regular clear. She's just fine at elite one sicne she can stall in the grandest ways possible.If you get her as a free recruit, give her a shot.

Her Skill 2 drones aren't good, but her Skill 3 ones deal amazing damage and you can place them very aggressively by timing her skill with their invisibility. This is the same as in regular gameplay, but there is that +50% atk to summons relic. I don't ever actually pick her because I tend to not get Supporter Vouchers nearly enough or at the right times, but she's aight.

Deepcolor - If you get a Supporter Voucher to start with, feel free to pick her! She's amazing at dealing with any early threat. She's especially funny with the Brokenblade since with halved redeploy time you can just toss tentacles around recklessly and recover them in half a minute.

The downside of Summoners in normal gameplay is that they'll usually run into the unit-deploy cap, but in IS this is rarely an issue until the lategame. She's cheap to recruit and quite competent. She does her job at Elite 1 and can be phased out as the roster fills. Might sound like a waste, but to get to the lategame sometimes you need a Jagen so you can greed early on.

Skalter - I'm honestly not sure if she's amazing, but I always pick her since she works really well for me. flat attack increases are always good, especially wehn you run a lot of skills that do %atk modifiers. I also like to pick operators that can't be healed normally (Mudrock, La Pluma) and the extra regen is very appreciated.

Any attack-buff relics you get that affect Skadi effectively splash over again onto anyone she buffs.

The +35% for ranged units relic turns into an extra +21% for everyone with Skill 2 Mastery 3.

Increased defense also goes a long way. I've had runs without her where I've won just fine and she's by no means necessary, but I will always pick her.

Another nice thing is that her Seaborn fella spreads the atk/def/res debuffs that the Supporter relics can grant, if you have them.

Glaucus - She's fine. I never really need her, but she does her thing. You know, anti air and stuff. One caveat is that the baloons aren't classified as drones, so she won't prioritize them and doesn't get her damage bonus/stun from Skill 2 (not that the stun over the bind makes a difference here). Her skill 1 also performs quite well early on when you may not have that many operators available and slows/binds in general are nice to snack a Duck Lord or Gopnik.

Pramanix - I pick her to kill Lucian. She does other things well, like giving a massive aspd debuff and her def/res downs are always appreciated, but I mainly get her for him.

Supporters also have some rather nice relics that mostly rely on enemies being in their range to deliver extra atk/def/res debuff, which Pramanix does well since she has such a large area.

Orchid - Glaucus Light. Don't make her work too much.

Specialists

I hardly pick Specialists! They've got some amazing relics, but my roster was limited to Kafka, Gladiia, Frost and Aak when IS2 started and has recently been expanded to also include Mr. Nothing after he performed quite well for me in IS and Invitation to Wine and also Mizuki because I kinda just wanted an Ambusher Specialist and he's just so wet. Just... soaked. You deploy him and Ceylon activates her talent. I'm even giving him a Mastery 3. Will I make frequent use of him? Probably not. Is he pretty cool and interesting? Yeah, yeah.

I don't use Gravel.

Mr. Nothing - He's a beefy boy. He's just loaded on stats. Honestly probably not as good as Jaye. I don't have Jaye raised, but I hear he's quite good. But I'm sticking with my boy Nothing.

He's just so flexible. He does everything - good damage, aspd debuffs, tanking, talking nonstop as you try your hardest to get him into the one stance you need him to be in COME ON NOTHING MATE I NEED YOU IN THE TWO BLOCK STANCE OR WE'LL ALL DIE.

Kafka - Picked her once. Don't remember how it went. This is just a shoutout to all the fast-redeploy Specialists. I know you're there. I know you're probably good. I'm not utilizing you on purpose. I raised Kafka because I like her. I'm not not raising you lot because I dislike you, but because I don't particularly care about that style of play. I don't get any kissies, I don't get to go over Home and receive 200 LMD and that one slug did just run past my defenses.

Gladiia - She does it. What does she do? All the things. Unlike Mr. Nothing she does them all at once. Solid single-target damage? Check. Survivability? Check. Hits air? Check. Sucks every enemy into a whirlpool of despair? Check. (only if you promote her though.)

Gladiia is honestly just the same as in regular gameplay. She's a downsized Ranged Guard in the same way that Weedy is a downsized Aoe Guard.

She's quite good on the poison mist stages in particular since she can make excellent use of that single hole they have.

Weedy - On that note, Weedy. She's not quite as flexible as Gladiia, but she's a more justifiable early pick due to her aoe-damage being good at dealing with small fry.

If you get the +2 shift strength relic and grab Angelina she can shove Lucian! Is this useful? No.

Is it funny? Yes. Hosing down the maddest cat while he's on stage singing and dancing is just hilarious.

(Also she can't actually shove him, because the relic doesn't apply to her cannon. I just want you to imagine the scenario.)

She's good. Honestly not worth 6 hope. If you have the Shift Strength relic then an elite 1 Shaw can handle the left lane on Big Sad Lock with a medic. Doesn't even have to be anyone more prestigious than Hibiscus, but you'll probably have to clear the stage in a decent amount of time or she'll get overwhelmed by the heavier enemies.

Frost - Frost is sooooo good. You can pick her early as an Anti-air Sniper-like. She effectively does the same thing, but she also brings traps. These traps will deal amazing damage, even moreso if you get her to Elite 2 with mastery on Skill 2. (Use the Skill 2 traps, they're better)

But her real utility lies in the Bind of her Skill 2 traps. She easily handles Duck Lord by herself and allows you to handle Gopnik with as little extra damage as what Orchid provides in the early stages and those extra relics they drop can help you snowball your way to the end.

She's also great for the Sarkaz Lancer and Ergate stages (except for the one on the last floor in Challenge mode where the Lancers are invisible). I used to pick her all the time and now I tend to see the holes her absence leaves.

And that's about it. My core consists of La Pluma, May and Skadi with Mudrock always on BSL, usually on Lucian paths and either of Ptilopsis or Mulberry, depending on the path.

Beyond that, I've made my favourites clear, but I have a lot of options and am always happy to take free recruitments to check out new operators, or just different skills on operators I've already raised.

#arknights #long post

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