#Dirge Eater

[maguro13-2]

Darkness Reborn ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Final Chapter Pt. 7

Edward : Hey, Al. Can you tell Arakawa about the marriage thing?

*Rumbling*

Edward : Woah! What's with the shakedown? Is it an Earthquake?

Alphonse : I believe it's the vibration!

[Suitable Opponent - Jun Senoue]

Yuffie Kusaragi : Guys! The planet is shaking! It must've been the Ohkuboverse!

Cloud Strife : Mr. Elric! What's going on here!? Where is that Vibration coming from!?

Edward : I don't know! It wasn't part of the earth's crust since it created with a continental drift. Basically, I hardly doubt that this was someone else's problem!

Winry : Guys! This is bad! I just got a call from our author to saying that Ohkubo is a complete moron! The Ohkuboverse that fans call it will destroy Real World AU with the usage of Shattered Resonance, a new mysterious type of technique that has the power to destroy everything!

Edward : Shattered Resonance, what the heck is that? A new mysterious technique that nobody knows it, it has the power to shatter everything!? That's just a supernatural power up, it doesn't really exist, does it?

Cloud Strife : Huh? What's that on the computer screen? [the computer screen shows the footage of Inca's execution]

Riza Hawkeye : Wait, that pink haired girl. She just kinda look like Kimial Diehl, but a young woman dressed as a witch.

[Revival (Space Colony Ark Ver.) - Kenichi Tokoi]

Inca Kasugatani (as seen from footage) : Heed my words, Shinra-Kun. This is the final moment before I disappear. All my insanity has been unleashed and stopped it with a bit of calmness in my heart. So as I was saying to you all of Real World AU. I decided to give you a sweet taste of justice and revenge once all the hearts of the seven lights and 13 darknesses are in their respective place. Once I created a ritual from my dearly blessed heart, it cannot be stopped at once for you to handle the power of hearts and souls that burn bright. So now these are my last words before my execution, these are only my final words. Humans and Witches are not the enemies to their selves, the ones that are the true enemies were these ungrateful heartlesses that took everything away from us! And they'll make us mourn to feel our losses and fill our hearts and souls with despair they given us!

Time Eater (as Homura Akemi) : Now that's only your final words that you have spoken. So is there anymore questions for me to ask? Or is there anything else you like to say for yourself, Mrs Kasugatani?

Inca Kasuagatani (as seen from Footage) : No...I've got nothing else to say from a heartless coward like they're selves, not even Demon Vibe could stand a chance for making me a jerkwad to the people that I will not forget.

Time Eater (as Homura Akemi) : Very well, then....I will now begin the execution of the mother of Witchkind. Say goodbye, Bruja! Beginning aiming position, lock-on target, ready to fire!

Inca Kasuagatani : Sayonara, Shinra-kun.

*Shadow SFX : Gunshot*

[the computer screen goes back to normal as footage ends]

Yuffie Kusaragi : So...I guess that's the end of the footage. Now what?

*Rumbling*

Yuffie Kusaragi : Aw man! It's always that darn vibration that causes the planet to shake. I don't feels it's that Dark Gaia creature is it? Say, wasn't Dark Gaia the name of the Terranigma boss character?

Cloud Strife : Could be!

Yuffie Kusaragi : I knew it! Why does Sega loves to steal things that isn't theirs?

Cid : Hey, Cloud! I just discovered that we found a footage that was created by the Time Eater and there was a witch that was being executed after she went crazy over Shinra's 1000 years of death. I believe her name is--

Riza Hawkeye : Yes. We already know that. It's Inca Kasugatani, a former citizen of Tokyo and creator of the Majo Order from Soul Eater, she's that person that Shinra known about 1000 years ago, and of course in fact, that we found out she is the ancestor of Kimial Diehl, world's greatest majo detective and secretly undercover as a meister. We knew it all along.

Roy Mustang : You knew it, Hawkeye! Kimial Diehl's a relative to that crazy person that started it all!? So that's why Kimial ran away from here in Japan and moved back to United States. No doubt about it saying that Kimial has confirmed to be what? a Japanese as well! I'm going to put a stop to her now or else...

Riza Hawkeye : Yep it is confirmed that the Meisters from Soul Eater have been the descendants to the people of Tokyo this whole time and nobody reported it. Luckily, Truth made them believe that Witchkind had been fooled by one's foolishness, it would be Shinra and his family that are responsible for Soul World's Existence. And not to mention it, we found out that her "Girlfriend" has a costume that traced back to Shinra's Old World along time ago. Check this out. [holds out a Fire Soldier's uniform] This is a uniform that Jacqueline Wore it.

Roy Mustang : Hold the spicy nachos! Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupre was a fire soldier back in Shinra's old world before Soul World existed!? No wonder the reasons that the demon weapons were made from the bones of Shotaro. Now we're finally getting to the bottom of this mystery! Elric, did you really want to find out what the caused creation of the demon weapons, the mabuki that the witches created?

Ling Yao : And the ones the meisters wielded.

Edward Elric : Hold that thought. I learned something Truth. [a flashback shows Truth]

Truth : The ones that are responsible for the Mabuki's creation is a mere human that has the power to use your little science that is Alchemy.

Edward Elric : I remember now! The Demon Weapons creation that the witches thought, it wasn't their magic that gave birth to the Demon Weapons, it was alchemy the whole time!

Mei Chang : What!? So that means, the main cast and Deathscythes of Soul Eater...

Lan Fan : Are really made by Alchemy...

Havoc, Roy, Armstrong : As the Secret Ingredient!?

Alphonse : Now we finally got all the pieces coming together, Shotaro, Eibon, and that Amaterasu blondie used the Alchemy materials of using bones to create the Demon Weapons and bring to them life! That's what the Men of Shinra's Influence had been calling them the Demon Weapons or Death Weapons in the first place!

[G.U.N Mobile - Jun Senoue]

Edward Elric : So that's why Soul Eater has existed in Real World AU in the first place! They were only trying to cheap us with their own lies from Shinra himself!

Alphonse Elric : So much for being a popular manga that does not known of being shonen assholes for you can say, You can really tell me of that for who's responsible for this madness. And with Shinra's influecne, Nevada and Real World AU won't be the same. Oh, Ohkubo! that crazy author of a typical shounen manga! What was his deal of making crazy stories of his anyway!?

Winry : But the prolbem is that the world of Soul Eater bears no resemblance to the style of Tim Burton, the man who made sleepy hollow, the bride, and the nightmare before christmas. That's the inspiration for the creation of Soul World, right?

Mei Chang : Than we have no choice but to contact Smash Bros to get Princess Peach on the line, we gotta inform that the Ohkuboverse is going to destroy Real World AU for life! We can't let that happen!

Lan Fan : So any suggestions of how we say one thing about it and to put my finger into saying this to...Umm...Just to tell me how to--STOP THE MADNESS!!!

Mei Chang : Don't fear! Maybe if Hope was here to see this, there is one person that can bring us hope and stop the Ohkuboverse from ever happening of harming Real World AU! We got some fates in our hands!

Ling Yao : And that's why the truth is here. So, Lan Fan. [pats on the back of the other Lan Fan] Let's give it all your all.....Lan Fan? Hey, Lan Fan. Something the matter? You've been hitting the sauce again, Lan Fan?

Lan Fan : Uhh, Ling?

Ling Yao : What?

Lan Fan : That's not me.

Other Lan Fan (?) : [in a distorted voice] Surprise genius! Looks like you've activated my trap card!

Ling Yao : Say what?!

(Neoshadows appears)

Edward : Holy Crap!

Riza Hawkeye : Damn! [shoots all the Neoshadows] It's heartlesses they're going out of control!

Mei Chang : [attacking the heartlesses] Now where getting to the point of Soul World's messed up self for Nevada!

Ling Yao : How is this even happening!?

Other Land Fan (?) : And now, I should make your heart and soul as my appetite, so true that hearts are a delicacy for all of us heartlesses. [takes out a knife and fork]

Ling Yao : This could get real messed up!

Scar : Hey, heartless F*ckface!

Heartless Lan Fan : [distorted voice] What?! (Scar grabs her face)

[ELECTRIC ZAPPING]

(Heartless screeching)

[POP+SPLAT]

[Violent - Kenichi Tokoi]

Ling Yao : I don't get it, I wonder was that thing?

Lan Fan : Ling Yao, don't you get it? That other me you pat on the back was another heartless, a doppelganger that was created from a person's heart! That thing tried to kill you! We gotta evacuate, now!

Yuffie Kusaragi : You guys, go!

Lan Fan : But what about you?

Yuffie Kusaragi : Vincent and I will take care of them, you go get your comrades to safety!

Lan Fan : Okay! [the group leaves]

Yuffie Kusaragi : Alright, you heart-eating assholes. You want eat something, you're just gonna have to face with me! Let no one pass through ol' Yuffie! You want it, you got it!

Vincent : This is gonna costs us extra. Hope we don't mind these heartlesses paying our debts. They just can't get enough, can they?

Yuffie Kusaragi : It's worth of every penny!

Vincent : Time for them to pay the price, double or not. That's my call.

[GUNSHOT!]

"Today will be Hell on Earth in the Real World for these losers to come."

"Hearts and Souls connected by one?...Yeah right."

"The face of true evil is always the heartless their selves."

~ Eighty Third Scene : Madness of the Witch ~

[asthmaticbee]

WIP Title Game

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

Tagged by @theliteraryluggage!

Published WIPs

and i come full circle; a leviathan reborn; palingenesis made flesh

when all my debts are paid and the score's been all tallied up

aria of pride and deceit

where daylight shatters and worthy perish (you alone endure the night)

The Truth Will Out (and you will pay your dues)

Death Eater Edward Elric, Spy Extraordinare, at your service

gloria of rubies and gold

vermillion dawns the day (of remembrance bittersweet)

and you crashed into my life (please won't you stay by my side)

dirge for the innocence lost

A Flame in the Flood

Published but on Hiatus/Discontinued

You wanted a nail? You get a whole fucking hardware store!

Dark Nebula

the blood of the covenant

Unpublished WIPs and Ideas

moving on from this liminal world

The Butterflywasp Effect

Pyrpolanthropy

and i will sail the savage seas to find you

moonlight pale; a speckle of sunlight

Ed and Sirius Azkaban Prison Break

spider lillies' serenade

oh death, dearest mine, will ye spare me yet again?

EdWin kids are classmates with the Golden Trio

Men in Black AU

Ed is Zuko's impulse control

For the Dancing and the Dreaming (and all life's sorrows and delights

so we step into war with blood on our hands

How Todoroki Became a Quirkless Rights Activist

follow me into the dark (to stand before the gates of hell)

of rivers and crossroads

threnody of a lost wanderer

hymn to alkahestry

ode to the desert sands

Pride takes over Ed the day before the finale

The Once and Future Morgen

TodoDeku childhood friends

Shouto's Diaries

A Day Early and Two Kids Short

Ageswap AU

you've seen the worst of me (and yet none of it matters to you)

Atlantis AU

Vampire RomCom

Soulmates AU

The other soulmates AU

a dead man's war report

golden lights and wild hunts

[thelaughtercafe]

Fandom List!

IF SPOILERS ARE ALLOWED THERE WILL BE AN ASTERISK TO SIGNIFY I'M COMPLETELY FINISHED WITH THE WORK! PLEASE DON'T REQUEST WITH SPOILERS OTHERWISE! 

Asterisks* next to anime mean I'm completed with the anime not manga so please no manga spoilers! Thank you once again! 

Characters are fine but if I don't know someone I won't include them!

Italics mean I’m on the cusp of hyperfixating and bold means I currently am. Please request for these fandoms as I’m more likely to get them out faster!

Please remember the 5 character limit for headcanons, 3 for scenarios(any mix of fandoms is fine!) and I hope you enjoy your stay! 

Anime

Assassination Classroom* 

Haikyuu!!

Fruits Basket*

Brothers Conflict*

Dance With Devils*

Diabolik Lovers*

Angel Beats*

Claanad/Claanad: After Story*

Ouran Highschool Host Club*

My Hero Academia*

Death Note*

The Promised Neverland

Tales of the Abyss*

Avatar the Last Airbender*

Sword Art Online

Fairy Tail

Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc

Danganronpa 3: Future Arc

Danganronpa 3: Hope Arc

Danganronpa 2.5: OVA

Naruto 

Uta no Prince Sama!

Noragami*

Bungou Stray Dogs (Caught up to end of Season 4, including Dead Apple)

Death Parade

Durarara!!!*

Fullmetal Alchemist*

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood*

Angels of Death*

Ghost Hunt*

The Devil is a Part-timer!*

K!

Mekakucity Actors*

Maid Sama!

Seven Deadly Sins*

Violet Evergarden*

Soul Eater*

Yuri!! On Ice*

Akame Ga Kill!

Black Butler

The Dragon Prince (Up to end of season 3 so no spoilers past that please!)

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjutsu

Miraculous Ladybug*

Banana Fish

Horimiya*

Toradora*

Cardfight Vanguard Overdress!!*

Cardfight Vanguard Divinez*

My Happy Marriage(Up to episode 8)

Spy x Family (Up to end of Season 1)

Legend of Vox Machina (Finished season 1 and know the characters, just no plot past that please!)

Video Games

Final Fantasy 3

Final Fantasy 4*

Final Fantasy 5

Final Fantasy 7/Remake*/Dirge of Cerberus*/Crisis Core*

Final Fantasy 8

Final Fantasy 10*

Final Fantasy 12*

Final Fantasy 13*

Final Fantasy 14*(Caught up to the end of Endwalker, but not post patches yet)

Final Fantasy 15*

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates*

Final Fantasy: Type 0*

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition*

Xenoblade Chronicles 2*

Xenoblade Chronicles 3*

The World Ends With You*

Neo: The World Ends With You*

Kingdom Hearts*

Kingdom Hearts: Re: Chain of Memories*

Kingdom Hearts 2*

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep*

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance*

Kingdom Hearts 3*

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days*

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded*

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory*

Undertale*

Deltarune*

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc*

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair*

Danganronpa v3*

Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls*

Tales of the Abyss*

Tales of Vesperia

Suikoden*

Suikoden: Tierkreis

Persona 5 Royal*

Dragon Quest 11 S*

Mr. Love: Queen's Choice

Obey Me!

Collar x Malice ( Finished Mineo and Takeru's routes so no spoilers for the others but please feel free to request any character!)

Genshin Impact

Honkai Star Rail*

Ikemen: Sengoku

Ikemen: Vampire

Ikemen: Revolution

Ikemen: Villians

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem: Birthright

Fire Emblem: Conquest

Fire Emblem: Revelation

Resident Evil*/Remake*

Resident Evil 2*/Remake*

Resident Evil 3*/Remake*

Resident Evil 7*

Resident Evil 8*

Baldur's Gate 3

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Stardew Valley (I'm on Year 1 Summer, but can already tell Sebastian and Sam have my whole heart so they're the only two I'm able to write for atm, will update as I finish more)

TV Shows

Blacklist

Criminal Minds

Lucifer 

The Vampire Diaries

Teen Wolf*

Sherlock

Supernatural

Good Omens

The Walking Dead

The Umbrella Academy*

Asian Shows

Sweet Home(currently up to Season 2 episode 2)

Bride of Habaek(currently up to episode 7)

My Holo Love*

Boys Over Flowers*

Cheese in the Trap*

Murphy's Law of Love*

Squid Game*(I'll be picky with these requests probably since it's been a while <3)

Movies

Rise of the Guardians*

Heathers*

Scream*

Scream 2*

Scream 3*

Scream 4*

Hush*

The Little Prince*

Meet Joe Black*

The Princess Bride*

A Little Princess*

Annie*

Rent*

Phantom of the Opera*

Les Miserables*

The Breakfast Club*

Fame

The Santa Clause*

The Santa Clause 2*

The Santa Clause 3*

Spirited Away*

Howl’s Moving Castle*

Princess Mononoke

Ponyo

Iron Man*

Iron Man 2*

Captain America: The Winter Soldier*

Avengers*

Avengers: Infinity War*

Avengers: Endgame*

Spiderman: Homecoming*

Spiderman: Far From Home*

Musicals

Heathers: The Musical*

Epic: The Musical*

Not sure where to put this one so it gets its own category!

Tabletop

Critical Role (Up to Campaign 1, episode 40 atm)

Baldur's Gate 3 Oneshot*

[sixrealmsbeneaththesea]

Bonus sketch while I leach public air conditioning before heading home for big sweaty.

Me one step closer to realizing my World Eater!Sephiroth. Take elements from Omega (I guess only the 10 other people that ever played Dirge of Cerberus will remember it… I don’t feel like finding and playing it for screenshots), maybe add Jenova in there the same way Anima in FFX has that angry dangly bit in her summon limit (or Ultimecia’s dangly… danglies for everyone) and then everything else from Safer, obvs. But sculpted like Bizarro? Eh.

This will help me for Xenobeers art too.

[thevilepeaks]

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Frequent Tags List

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Other Links

twitter • spotify • last.fm

Miscellaneous

text/other • original art • music • bands • kitty cats • scenery • consoles • favorites

Spoiler Tags

check this post (updated as needed)

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Final Fantasy (numbered)

multiple • ff i • ff ii • ff iii • ff iv • ff v • ff vi • ff vii • ff viii • ff ix • ff x • ff xii • ff xiii • ff xiv • ff xv • ff xvi

FF Sequels/Remakes/Side Games

ff x-2 • ff xiii-2 • lightning returns • crisis core • advent children • dirge of cerberus • vii remake • vii rebirth • vii re(part 3) • ever crisis • tactics • dffoo • dissidia (og/012/NT) • stranger of paradise • world of ff

FFXIV Expansions

a realm reborn • heavensward • stormblood • shadowbringers • endwalker • dawntrail

Kingdom Hearts

kh (all) • kh 1 • kh 2 • kh 3 • kh 4 • birth by sleep • 0.2 a fragmentary passage • chain of memories • 358/2 days • dream drop distance • coded • melody of memory • khux (including chi/back cover/dark road) • missing link

Other Games

legend of zelda (all) • spyro • pokemon • stray • drakengard 3 • nier: gestalt/replicant • nier: automata • castlevania • conker's bad fur day • diddy kong racing • smash bros • octopath traveler • bravely series

Animation

yu-gi-oh • death note • soul eater • hellsing • madoka magica • inuyasha • kill la kill • evangelion • samurai champloo • gurren lagann • panty & stocking • avatar: tla • magi: labyrinth of magic • black rock shooter • studio ghibli • disney

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[dandelion-bride]

random OC facts and stories because I still feel scared so let me try to unscare myself by putting my precious blorbos out here.

Zefira steals sweets and always knows which camp supply bag has the honey. she lets Gale take the cooking duties because he loves it, he's good at it, and being leader/face takes a lot out of her, so despite being a good halfling cook, for him she is the eater.

Fennec's first name when he was in his foster home was Vix. Whether this was the foster family's creativity, or if he had XIV (fourteen) on his swaddling clothes for some reason and they read it as a name, is as yet unclear. It's unconsciously why he agrees to Minsc calling him Fennec (as a 'correction' of phoenix.)

Zefira's backstory could be uncharitably boiled down to "agreed to a stupid bet because her dick told her to, got betrayed by an untrustworthy person, really should have known better." Far more kindly, she had a crush on a rival in her pickpocket crew who dared her to steal from the spooky guy who walked into the city off an empty pier from a thick fog - for a kiss. The rival expected Zefira to fail or refuse, but instead our halfling bitch nat20'd that Slight of Hand. So the rival found the mark, intending to send him to the meeting place to scare Zefira and take his shit back. The mark was a Barovian vampire. The rival was enthralled, Zefira didn't get her kiss, and thirty odd years later, it's still unclear why that vampire was visiting Baldur's Gate...

When Fennec was Dirge (pre-Canon,) he tried to spend time with Orin, but often was rebuffed. She was always in the cult, he grew up outside it, she was Purer Than Him. He would correct her when she acted out, as the head of Father's Temple, but he didn't push too much for a relationship, understanding that Sarevok was dripping his arrogant poisons in his twice-descendant's ears.

[swordofsun]

Wanted to do something for the new year, so I guess I'll do a 2023 book wrap up. In chronological order from the beginning of 2023 to the end.

Putting in a read more because this is 90 books and that's too much to not hide it.

Rereads marked with a *

The Iron Dirge by Sam Sykes - Grave of Empires #2.5

Three Axes to Fall by Sam Sykes - Grave of Empries #3

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin - Great Cities #2

Unbreakable by Mira Grant

Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box by Mira Grant

Juice Like Wounds by Seanan McGuire - Wayward Children #4.5

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire - Wayward Children #8

The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress #1*

The Spirit Rebellion by Rachel Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress #2*

The Spirit Eater by Rachel Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress #3*

The Spirit War by Rachel Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress #4*

Spirit's End by Rachel Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress #5*

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan Saga #1 (Publication Order)

The Coup of Tea by Casey Blair - The Tea Princess Chronicles #1

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Lyconthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal

The Jewel and Her Lapidary by Fran Wilde - Gemworld #1

Sandry's Book by Tamara Pierce - Circle of Magic #1*

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds

By A Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron - DFZ Changeling #1

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older - Mossa and Pleiti #1

The Twice-Drowned Saint by C.S.E. Cooney

Tris's Book by Tamara Pierce - Circle of Magic #2*

The Bones Swans of Amandale by C.S.E. Cooney (Novella)

Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth

An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard - Unseen World #1

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

The Ghost Network by Catie Disabato

The Keeper's Six by Kate Elliot

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Servant Mage by Kate Elliot

The Warden by Daniel M Ford - The Warden #1

Daja's Book by Tamara Pierce - Circle of Magic #3*

Jackdraw by K.J. Charles - A Charm of Magpies World #1

The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung - Amra Thetys #1

Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot

Lexicon by Max Barry

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

The Thief Who Spat in Luck's Good Eye by Michael McClung - Amara Thetys #2

Briar's Book by Tamara Pierce - Circle of Magic #4*

The Thief Who Knocked on Sorrow's Gate by Michael McClung - Amara Thetys #3

Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang - The Lamplight Murder Mysteries #1

Ebony Gate - by Julie Vee and Ken Bebelle - The Phoenix Hoard #1

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries #2*

Rogue Protocols by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries #3*

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries #4*

Zen Bow, Zen Arrow: The Life and Teachings of Awa Kenzo, the Archery Master from "Zen in the Art of Archery" by John Stevens

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diareis #6*

Apparently I've hit the character limit without a paragraph break. So, we'll be starting over from 1, but it will really be #54.

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries #4.5

Compulsory: A Murderbot Story by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries #0.5*

Magic Steps by Tamara Pierce - The Circle Opens #1*

Murder on the Lamplight Express by Morgan Stang - The Lamplight Murder Mysteries #2

Bone Swans by C.S.E. Cooney (short story collection)

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel - Themis Files #1

Mammoth at the Gates by Nghi Vo - The Singing Hills Cycle #4

The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M Valente

Triggernometry by Stark Holborn - Triggernometry #1

Street Magic by Tamara Pierce - The Circle Opens #2*

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett - The Foundryside Trilogy #1

Advanced Triggernometry by Stark Holborn - Triggernometry #2

Inda by Sherwood Smith - Inda #1

Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne - Tomes and Tea #1

Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan

Dracula by Bram Stoker - via Re: Dracula

Beholder by Ryan La Sala

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather

System Collapse by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries #7

Cold Fire by Tamara Piece - The Circle Opens #3*

Dream of the Falling Axe by Sam Sykes - Grave of Empires #3.5

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

The Salvation Gambit by Emily Skrutskie

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Hikaru No Go Vol 1 Decent of the Go Master by Yumi Hotta - Hikaru No Go #1

These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs - The Kingdom Trilogy #1

Shatterglass by Tamara Pierce - The Circle Opens #4*

Paladin's Faith by T Kingfisher - The Saint of Steel #4

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon - The Downworld Sequence #1

On The Fox Roads by Nghi Vo

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrom by John Scalzi - Lock In #0.5

Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton

Okay, and according to Storygraph:

My longest book was Three Axes to Fall at 806 pages

My most read authors were: Tamara Pierce, Martha Wells, and Rachel Aaron. Which is due to re-reads. I re-read 16 books this year.

My average rating was 4.14 out of 5.

I read the most in June.

I read 41 new-to-me authors.

52 of the books I read were part of series.

So, I guess, feel free to ask me any questions.

Happy New Year!

[sekhisadventures]

After the Storm

Valdrakken, The Roasted Ram, Three Hours After the Death of Raszageth

Normally, when a threat like Raszageth would be defeated, the cities of Azeroth would be alive with celebration. Cheers would echo throughout the taverns, wine and ale would flow like water, and those who helped defeat such a dire foe would be practically carried through the streets…

… but despite Raszageth’s defeat at the Vault in the furthest reaches of Thaldraszus it was hard to miss the fact that not one, but THREE massive primal dragons were seen leaving the wrecked halls shortly afterwards.

Raszageth had fallen to the forces of the Alliance and Horde. Infact, to the entirety of Avalon and Savage United. Even Sekhi had managed to fight her way through the howling tempest of the Incarnates’ song to help her allies defeat the Storm Eater… but while she had lost the battle, she had perhaps won the war.

As Raszageth succumbed to her wounds, Sekhi even hearing the Incarnate’s furious elemental chorus become a slow mournful dirge… she heard three more songs suddenly growing louder around her, just before Khadgar and Kalecgos let out a cry of alarm to the assembled adventurers as the Titan’s Prison failed, and three new foes exploded out of their cells!

Fyrakk the Blazing, a massive beast of molten rock and flames.

Vyranoth the Frozenheart, whose every wingbeat was a blizzard worthy of Northrend itself.

Finally their leader, Iridikron the Stonescaled, whose rage-filled cry at seeing Raszageth’s crumpled form was as powerful and forceful as an earthquake.

Before the three could claim revenge for their fallen sister, Khadgar had weaved a powerful teleportation spell to spirit the assembled heroes of Azeroth away from the battlefield and back to Valdrakken… and moments later the entire city gazed up in terror as the vault exploded from within, and the Incarnates took flight over the Dragon Isles.

Now, what would have been a celebration was instead a tense game of waiting. Rather than attack Valdrakken, the Incarnates had fled for parts unknown.

Sekhi sat in the grass outside the inn, gazing up into the sky as she idly turned her flute in her hands. She had felt the songs of the three Incarnates. They were each weaker individually than Raszageth had been as they had just escaped, but against the already exhausted and battle-weary adventurers it would have still been a terrible and costly fight for either side. With them freed the fate of Azeroth was once more in jeopardy.

Sekhi had heard from Nelen of the theories of the elemental chaos that had predated the rise of mortals upon Azeroth, and she wanted no part of that. That wouldn’t be a song, it would be endless rancor of noise and sound that would leave all within it at the mercy of the Primalists... and perhaps even cause the return of the Elemental Lords. True the Earthen Ring had sided with them during the war against the Legion, but then they had a common foe. The Lords needed their help, would they still stand by the mortal races without the threat of extinction?

Sekhi sighed, then yipped a bit as a hand held a skewer of grilled meat infront of her muzzle.

Jeemjazo sat down on the grass next to her, the empty stick his own had been on dangling from his muzzle as he idly chewed on the wood. He took it out and said, “Owed ye fer that one ye gave me. Yer mate Edwood told me ‘bout what happened at the Vault.” he nodded. Jeemjazo had become much more laid back since he had been reunited with his mother, his only living relative really, and had begun looking into how one might join the Horde’s navy… but he didn’t want to leave Sekhi alone with Dissonantia after her.

That being said, he hadn’t gone to the Vault. He was a novice with his weapons at best and saving Sekhi from Cenoon had been luck more than anything. Galdia and Dareley had been teaching him how to use his sword and axe in a way that wasn’t just flailing them about, but he was only just learning. After all, Saltfang wouldn’t have wanted a slave who could fight back, the pirate captain had never taught Jeemjazo how to handle a weapon!

Sekhi sighed, “Thanks Jeem…” she replied, nibbling on the meat. It smelled delicious, Jaie having become good friends with the Ram’s head chef and having swapped a few cooking tips with them. They had clearly taken some of her spice techniques to heart… but her own heart wasn’t in it. Raszageth’s success at freeing her kin was a unique threat for the shamaness. She’d only just managed to teach herself how to block out the Storm Eater’s song, and now there were three more of them, likely stronger than she had been.

“Murblblbl…” whined Murgly Jim, looking at her as he sat up in the eggshell backpack that was his home.

Sekhi looked at him, then gave him a small smile and reached out a finger, poking him gently right above his mouth. “… boop.” she said with a faint giggle.

Jim blinked at her, then shrugged and blew a bubble.

Inside the Inn, in her private room, Samantha Montebank stared into the mirror over her wash basin. Her eyes were narrowed in annoyance.

“Alright Annulus. I’ve had it up to HERE…” she gestured with her hand just under her nose, “… with this ‘I cannot say’ garbage. Three proto-drakes that make Raszageth look like a ticked off salamander are loose and I’ve been hearing shit since we got to the Isles, and I know I’m not just imagining it because I talked to Darkhoof and she said she’s hearing something too, from below us. Start talking or I’m going to go out of the city with a shovel and keep digging until reach whatever is making that sound!” she snapped.

From inside her mind came the reply, “Samantha. It is not that I do not wish to tell you, it is that I am prevented from doing so.” said Annulus.

“Prevented by what?!” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low. Nobody could hear Annulus but her, so to an outsider it would sound like she was talking to herself… which, to be fair, some of the ren’dorei did. Becoming a void elf could leave someone more than a little… off… sometimes. “I know Deathwing was a starcursed monster by the end, did he leave something on the Isles from the Void?” she asked.

A long moment of hesitation, then came the reply, “Not… something… no.” said Annulus.

As she did Samantha scowled, “Annulus, you give me a straight answer or I swear to whatever entities I can think of I’m marching right downstairs and asking Dareley to perform an exorcism.”

She winced, feeling a sudden alien emotion in her mind… then blinked as she realized it was fear. Annulus was afraid? She didn’t even have a body! What could hurt her?!

“Samantha. Do not say such things. I am telling you all I can, but I am still tied to the Void and through it my creators. When I say ‘I cannot say,’ I mean just that. I can NOT say. No matter how you beg, plead, or threaten me, I am prevented from imparting this information to you in any way.” stated the void entity.

Sam frowned, straightening up. “Fine, fine. I wouldn’t do that anyways, too big a risk it’d undo… well… you know…” she gestured to her torso. “Still, I know that there has to be something on the isles related to the Void. I heard about that ‘Black Locus’ thing they found in the Plains, and Deathwing was probably already void-mad by the time they sealed the islands. I know enough about history to know he made the Dragon Soul under their instructions…” she frowned, walking around the room slowly.

Then she paused, a thought occurring to her. “Annulus… before he was Deathwing, he was the Earthwarder… are there, I dunno, caves under the island?” she asked.

Annulus didn’t reply, but Samantha felt an odd tingle of… relief… that certainly wasn’t her own.

“Yeah, that would make sense. From everything Nelen told us that he was able to dig up on dragon history the other four aspects were totally unprepared for Deathwing's betrayal, but he was VERY prepared and caught them all by surprise… so he had to have fallen before they left to fight in the War of the Ancients. It wasn’t just some spur-of-the-moment thing.” she nodded, “It…” she paused, “… yeah… of course. He was the Earthwarder, he had to have somewhere he could have communed with the Old Gods in secret… and where better than where the other four couldn’t follow him? He must’ve used his power to shape the earth and found somewhere underground!” she snapped her fingers, then grinned as she felt a ripple of pleasure.

“Huh…” she smirked, “I felt that… Annulus, I didn’t think void beings like you had emotions.”

“We have been bonded for several years Samantha. As I affect you, you to can affect me to some degree…” admitted Annulus.

“Oh? Good to know… I wonder what else our bond can pull off now…” she muttered, glancing in the mirror, then jumping a bit before she spun around and pulled her daggers in one fluid motion to come face to face with…

… nothing at all.

She glanced back at the mirror, seeing only her reflection… but for a moment she’d have sworn she wasn’t alone in the room. A shadowy figure had been standing just behind her…

… or perhaps, it always had been and was just now becoming more real?

 A few doors down, Zhan-min was looking over his beer making ingredients and tools, examining something he picked up from the interior of the vault before they’d all fled the other Incarnates. He couldn’t sense them as strongly as Sekhi could, but he wasn’t exactly complaining. What he’d felt had been quite enough thanks!

He opened one of his keg-maces, scrubbing it out with a cloth and clean water, the poured in a beer base and held up what he’d found. “This’ll either make th’ most powerful brew I’ve ever done… or it’ll blow someone ta bits.” he muttered, dropping it into the keg and sealing it firmly.

The strange weapon shook suddenly, then went still, and Zhan-min heard thunder rolling… It’d mature given time. All he needed now was to think of a name.

Down below in the main room of the Inn was the rest of their team, save for Grimo who had been asked several times to not smoke his cigars in the Inn and, after he’d told a seemingly pandaren barmaid that he’d smoke what he damn well pleased after that fight toots he was reminded, loudly and violently, that while the citizenry of Valdrakken may look like orcs, humans, elves, pandaren, and such… that they were likely dragons with a visage form… and was chased out of the room as the pandaren unleashed a gout of flames at him after taking offense at his words.

Nelen sat at the table with Nitika, Jaie, Edwood, Mola’raum, Galdia, and Dareley nearby, and infront of the table was Laurelgosa in her own visage form as Laura Brightflame, pacing back and forth as she explained their new foes to them.

“Now, remember, some of my memories may not be entirely accurate even now… but of those three Iridikron, that is the earth-aspected Incarnate, was the most dangerous. He was the de-facto leader of the Primalist Rebels before my people were sealed away, and he was a cunning and dangerous foe. Their retreat as opposed to laying siege to Valdrakken was likely down to him. He would not risk a frontal assault against an unknown foe, especially one that had proven capable of defeating Raszageth, and even moreso with them weakened from their captivity.” she nodded firmly, the formerly meek and unsure dracthyr now talking as though she was a seasoned veteran giving a military briefing… but then, her memories had been slowly returning over the past few months and, it had turned out, that is precisely what she was.

Neltharion had made the dracthyr to be soldiers, and a soldier she was indeed.

“Fyrakk is far more impulsive than Iridikron. This can be used against him, he will underestimate his opponents sometimes. This is likely how he was defeated by the Aspects.” she nodded, “Their sister, Vyranoth is far more restrained than either of them… but this can make her the most dangerous of all. She’ll bide her time until she knows when to strike where it will do the most damage.”

Galdia growled, sitting up in her seat, “Then what the fel are we sitting around for?!” she spat, “If this is when they’re weakest we should go take ‘em apart now!” she barked.

Laura shook her head, “Believe me Galdia, I would wish to stop their threat as soon as possible… but Iridikron will be ensuring they cannot be found. His mastery is earth. Once free of the Vault they likely went to ground in a very literal sense. Its possible they may not even be on the Dragon Isles anymore. Wherever they are, they will be well hidden…”

Dareley nodded, then shrugged, “Er… how though lass? I mean, big bloody dragons made o’ fire ‘n ice ‘n suchlike are hard ta miss.” asked the dwarf.

Laura nodded, “A fair question Dareley. One thing I do recall clearly is this: the Incarnates can take a visage as well.” she explained, gesturing to her own appearance of an elven woman with hints of draconic features. “While their own visage forms are far more… elemental… than our own, they are not much bigger than your average human or orc. While in their transformed state, hiding is as simple as finding a convenient cave and Iridikron using his power to seal the entrance. With Sekhi’s help we may be able to track them down but she is one Shaman and they could have retreated to another landmass entirely.”

Galdia growled, emptying her mug and slamming it down. “So, basically, we’re stuck waiting… AGAIN.” she snapped. “Yeah, screw that. I’m going to go take Nightpelt, find some Primalists, and beat some leads out of them.” she nodded, getting up and stomping out of the inn.

Laura sighed at her as she left, but Nitika shook her head. “Its best to just let her. Galdia isn’t good at waiting for an enemy to come to her.” she shrugged apologetically.

The dracthyr nodded, “Yes, I have fought alongside several dracthyr in the distant past who were much the same…” she smirked a bit, “She would make a fine Dark Talon if she was one of us.”

Edwood shrugged, “Eh, can’t say I don’t get what she’s feelin’.” commented the Forsaken. “Today was supposed ta be our decisive battle against that giant purple monster… ‘n now her mates are runnin’ wild across Azeroth. Gotta admit, I’m feelin’ a bit antsy at that thought m’self…”

Nelen nodded at that, “Likewise Ed. I mean, I know retreat was the smart option, I was about ready to collapse when Raszageth finally died… but… well…” he shrugged, “Yeah… worgen instincts are screaming ‘they are a threat, kill the threat’ over and over.” he shook his head, taking a deep breath as he did. “I’ll manage, but its not easy.” he glanced around, then realized that one specific member was unaccounted for. “Huh… where’s Shalandrae?” he asked Dareley.

The older dwarf shrugged, “Oh, she’s been workin’ more with th’ Dragonscale Expedition lately. Apparently helpin’ out this draenei lass who saved her arse a bit ago.” he replied.

Nelen raised his eyebrow at him, “Huh, well, alright then. I suppose if she feels like she owes her that only makes sense.” he replied.

Dareley, who had known Shalandrae for longer, just smirked a bit… though it was hard to see under his beard. He had a feeling that it was more than just that.

Near the outskirts of the city, Shalandrae was sitting under a tree with her hands folded over her middle, her legs stretched out before her, as a large panthera rested it’s head on them with a contented purr.

“How cute… normally Eocundo is not very friendly with people other than me.” chuckled Aziguni as she rested against the tree as well.

“It’s a druid thing, we’re all good with animals. Some of the more powerful among us can even understand their voices. Shan’do Stormrage can talk to most anything he likes.” she replied, scratching the large feline behind it’s ears as it stretched and pawed at the grass. Nearby Muaaqi, her talbuk, grazed idly.

Aziguni chuckled, sketching in her book again as they sat there. “You know, I truly envy you druids. You have a connection with the wilds of Azeroth that few others can ever hope to come close to. Eocundo, Muaaqi, and I have… an understanding among us, but to truly be able to speak to them as we speak to each other…” she sighed wistfully, “Perhaps someday… my people are not native to this world, our connection is not as strong as the kal’dorei’s is. Perhaps one day we too shall hear ‘nature’s call’ as you do.”

Shalandrae shrugged, “I was born just before the War of the Ancients, I didn’t hear it until the Legion returned to lay siege to Mount Hyjal. That’s about ten thousand years, give or take a few. Its possible…” she admitted.

The draenei smiled at that thought, and for a while nothing was heard but the scratching of her charcoal on paper… after a long moment however, Aziguni broached the subject that was on everyone’s minds. “So… there are three of them now…”

Shalandrae sighed, “Yeah… there are. So much for keeping it quiet. Alexstraza and Nozdormu raised the alarm to everyone they could the minute Raszageth went for the Vault… and I don’t think anyone on the island missed when those three blasted their way out.” she frowned, rubbing her eyes, “The minute word reaches Orgrimmar and Stormwind, and it will eventually, its going to be chaos. Raszageth was as powerful as an aspect, and everyone still remembers the destruction Deathwing caused… now there’s three who want to subjugate the mortal races and return the world to elemental chaos?” she shook her head slowly.

“Indeed… I imagine Turalyon is praying to the Light that King Anduin returns soon just so that he can have him explain why this was kept secret from the populace at large.” smirked Aziguni.

Shalandrae snorted, “Elune have mercy on that poor man… there’s going to be an angry mob outside of the castle demanding answers. I imagine there’s letters heading back to the city as we speak reading ‘bigods! Giant dragons made of elemental madness! Its Deathwing times three, take the kids and run for the hills!’”

Aziguni smirked, then sighed, “It would be more amusing if it was not also true…” she pointed out.

Shalandrae sighed, “Yeaaaaaaaaaah there is that…” she winced, then looked down as her pouch whistled at her. She fished out her gemstone and drew the rune for ‘connect’ on its polished surface as Nelen’s face appeared over it in miniature.

“Shalandrae, sorry to cut your visit short but we just got word that Raszageth’s storm over the Forbidden Reach to the north is dissipating. Looks like it can’t maintain itself without her. The dracthyr are organizing an expedition there to see what they can find so we’re meeting up to see how we can help.” said the magus.

“Eh, its okay Nelen. I could do with some dinner anyways. I’ll be at the Ram in a little bit.” she replied, drawing the rune for ‘sever’ to end the spell and getting to her feet. “Gotta run for now Aziguni. Nice seeing you again.” she nodded, giving Eocundo one last pat on his head before walking off through the crowds, her staff balanced on her shoulders with her wrists resting over it.

“Yes, I enjoyed it as well. Give your colleagues my congratulations on defeating Raszageth.” she replied. She watched her go, then glanced down at her sketch. It showed a detailed drawing of the tree, and of a night elf woman leaning against it with a large panthera resting it’s head on their lap.

She smiled at it, then closed the sketchbook and put it away. “A lovely thought, but now is definitely not the time… perhaps once all this is over, should it end in our favor.” she mused to herself, then whistled for her companions and headed back towards the building that the Dragonscale Expedition had rented in the city for their headquarters.

Next Story

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[dfroza]

“piercing the divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow; able to judge the thoughts and will of the heart”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 4th chapter of the book of Hebrews:

That’s why, as long as that promise of entering God’s rest remains open to us, we should be careful that none of us seem to fall short ourselves. Those people in the wilderness heard God’s good news, just as we have heard it, but the message they heard didn’t do them any good since it wasn’t combined with faith. We who believe are entering into salvation’s rest, as He said,

That is why I swore in anger

they would never enter salvation’s rest,

even though God’s works were finished from the very creation of the world. (For didn’t God say that on the seventh day of creation He rested from all His works? And doesn’t God say in the psalm that they would never enter into salvation’s rest?)

So if God prepared a place of rest, and those who were given the good news didn’t enter because they chose disobedience over faith, then it remains open for us to enter. Once again, God has fixed a day; and that day is “today,” as David said so much later when he wrote in the psalm quoted earlier:

Today, if you listen to His voice,

Don’t harden your hearts.

Now if Joshua had been able to lead those who followed him into God’s rest, would God then have spoken this way? There still remains a place of rest, a true Sabbath, for the people of God because those who enter into salvation’s rest lay down their labors in the same way that God entered into a Sabbath rest from His.

So let us move forward to enter this rest, so that none of us fall into the kind of faithless disobedience that prevented them from entering. The word of God, you see, is alive and moving; sharper than a double-edged sword; piercing the divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow; able to judge the thoughts and will of the heart. No creature can hide from God: God sees all. Everyone and everything is exposed, opened for His inspection; and He’s the One we will have to explain ourselves to.

Since we have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God who has passed through the heavens from death into new life with God, let us hold tightly to our faith. For Jesus is not some high priest who has no sympathy for our weaknesses and flaws. He has already been tested in every way that we are tested; but He emerged victorious, without failing God. So let us step boldly to the throne of grace, where we can find mercy and grace to help when we need it most.

The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 4 (The Voice)

A set of notes from The Voice translation:

There is much discussion of “rest” in what we are calling the First Testament of Scripture. God rests on the seventh day after creation. In the Ten Commandments God commands His people to remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy, and do no work. By letting go of daily work, they declared their absolute dependence on God to meet their needs. We do not live by the work of our hands, but by the bread and Word that God supplies.

But a greater rest is yet to come when we will be released from all suffering, and when we will inherit the earth. Jesus embodies this greater rest that still awaits the people of God, a people fashioned through obedience and faith. If some of us fail to enter that rest, it is because we fail to answer the call.

•

By God’s word, everything finds a rhythm, a place. It fills, empowers, enlivens, and redeems us. But it also divides and destroys. It pierces and exposes our disobedience and unfaithfulness.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 19th chapter of the book of Ezekiel:

Eternal One: Sing a dirge over the princes of Israel.

What was your mother? A lioness among the pride!

She settled down among the young lions and reared her cubs.

She trained one of her own, and he became a strong and fierce lion.

He learned to hunt and tear into his prey; he became a man-eater.

The nations heard about him and set a trap for him.

They caught him and led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt.

When the lioness realized that her hopes for her son had vanished,

she chose another one of her cubs and trained him to be a strong and fierce young lion.

He prowled among the other lions;

he was now a robust young lion.

He learned to hunt and tear into his prey; he became a man-eater.

He seized their widows and left their cities in ruins.

The whole land—everything in it—was terrified when he roared.

Then all the nations in the surrounding provinces came together to hunt the great lion.

They set traps for him, and they caught him.

With hooks they pulled him into a cage

and took him to the king of Babylon.

The great lion was put in a prison

so that his roar was no longer heard in the mountains of Israel.

Eternal One: Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,

planted near a rushing stream;

The vine grew healthy fruits and branches

because of the abundant supply of water.

Its branches were strong, like royal scepters;

but one branch grew up into the clouds,

towering high above everything else.

It was easily seen because of its great height,

noticeable for its many branches.

But the vine was uprooted in rage

and thrown to the ground!

The hot east wind blew, and soon all the fruits shriveled up;

the strongest branch broke, and the leaves withered;

fire consumed it.

Now the remains of it are planted in the wilderness—

in a dry and thirsty land.

Fire has spread from its branch;

it scorched its shoots and devoured its fruit.

There is no longer a strong branch left on the vine

that is fit to be made into a royal scepter.

This lament is to be sung once the prophecy comes true.

The Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 19 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Again God informs Ezekiel and the exiles of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. The lioness is Judah, the young lions are the nations surrounding Judah, and the cubs are her kings. This metaphor is appropriate since the Davidic monarchy comes from the tribe of Judah, characterized as a lion in Genesis 49:9. The first cub is Jehoahaz. This son of the great King Josiah ruled for only three months after his father died in 609 b.c.; he was quickly captured and deported to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco when Egypt made Judah a vassal state. The story of this cub is the historical precedent for what will happen to the second cub, Zedekiah. Prior to 586 b.c. Zedekiah fraternizes with leaders of other nations—represented by the other lions—until he will be imprisoned in Babylon by those other lions, specifically Nebuchadnezzar.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, november 15 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about willingly choosing to draw near:

Related to this week's Torah portion (Toldot) is the topic of Esau's profanity that was expressed when he despised his birthright and therefore the promise of God...

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The commandment not to take the Name of the LORD "in vain" (Exod. 20:7) implies that we must affirm the sanctity, meaning, significance, and worth of life itself. We must never live as though God does not exist, or, to state this positively, we must "set the LORD" always before us (Psalm 16:8). It is therefore forbidden to ignore the miracle of existence, to scoff at the value of life, or to debase ourselves by refusing to receive the truth. We are to take every thought "captive" to the reality of the Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). Everything belongs to God, and every moment we have is beholden to Him...

Finding deliverance from profane thinking requires concentrated focus, or “kavanah” (כַּוָנָּה). As it is written: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Messiah” (2 Cor. 5:10). We are instructed to “bring down reasonings” (λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες) and every high thing that is lifted up against the knowledge of God (κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεου) and to bring every thought “as a captive” to the obedience (ὑπακοὴν, from ὑπό: by, under, + ἀκούω: hear, obey) of Messiah. We can do this negatively by fighting against evil thoughts and censoring the inner evil of our hearts, or we can do this positively by being “captivated” by the words and love of Yeshua, and often we have to do both! This is the deeper meaning of “profanity” - to deny reality, to live in willful ignorance, and to miss the wonder of God's presence. If we sanctify God in our hearts, we will be far less likely to use God's name in vain, of course.

Dear friend, do you feel distant from God? Do you find yourself wanting to experience His presence and to be touched by Him? Then you are invited to “draw near” to Him now. If you delay or otherwise refuse to draw near, then how can God draw near to you? The LORD honors you as a person created in His likeness (בְּצֶלֶם אֱלהִים); He does not force you into relationship with Him... No, God respects your choice whether to draw near or not. That’s why the Scripture reads, “You draw near to God and [then] He will draw near to you.” If God doesn’t draw near to you, it is because you have chosen not draw near to Him. God is love and He cannot be untrue to His loving nature....

Drawing near to God is God’s way of drawing near to you... In other words, as you draw near to God, He will draw near and touch you. As Yeshua said, “Come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). But you must take the first step to receive God’s acceptance and love. Open the door of your heart and let Yeshua come in to meet with you now (Rev. 3:20).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

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Psalm 16:8 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm16-8-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm16-8-lesson.pdf

11.14.23 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel 365:

As Kislev begins, it brings with it a message of optimism. It reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is always a light that can be kindled, a hope that can be nurtured. It reinforces the enduring belief that good will prevail and that peace and light will ultimately overcome the shadows of discord, strife and evil.

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

November 15, 2023

Who, What, and Why of Creation

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

Who: In eternity past, God spoke the physical universe into existence (Genesis 1:1). “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Unlike the triune Godhead, the matter-space-time universe had a specific beginning.

What: Genesis 1–2 gives the only eyewitness account and historical framework for creation. God spoke into existence what previously had not existed (Hebrews 11:3). The Hebrew words bara (divine creation through God’s command) and yom (the day-by-day pattern of God’s creation work) remove any wiggle room for evolutionary insertion into the first chapter of Genesis. God speaks and creates everything in six literal 24-hour days. “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Nothing in His creation was a product of natural selection or death.

Why: Man’s creation is listed separately because he was created in God’s image. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). God’s purpose for the entire material universe was humanity. “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10). Everything will eventually be uncreated except for humanity.

So, God created us according to His pleasure and, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, for us “to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Those of us who’ve placed our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ can “look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). CCM

[freyayuki]

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Dimensions’ End Transcendence Tier 12

The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 12 Lufenia (level 200) and Shinryu (level 300) quests just started in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game.

If you bring a char equipped with a Burst or BT weapon to a Transcendence battle, the entire party’s stats will be enhanced.

Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Crucible 1 Lufenia Quest

The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Crucible 1 Lufenia quest has 1 wave with 3 enemies, the Lunatic Might Eater and his 2 minions, the Lunatic Mite Eater.

As part of the mission requirements, you need to win within 60 turns and you need to have a White Crystal char in your party.

The Lufenia orbs will show up on battle start and they cannot be cancelled. The count will be increased by 5 if a char inflicts 1 or more debuffs in 1 turn. The count is maxed at 15.

The count will be decreased by 1 every time a char moves. It will be decreased by 2 every time the enemies move.

For this fight, my team was Celes Chere from Final Fantasy VI, Seymour Guado from Final Fantasy X, and Shelke Rui from Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII with The Brothers as my summon.

My Calls were Cid Raines’s from Final Fantasy XIII, Lilisette’s from Final Fantasy XI, and Keiss’s from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.

Keiss’s LD Call afflicts enemies with a debuff that will battery the party every time an enemy is launched. Cid Raines’s LD Call will enable its user to initiate launches for 2 turns.

Lilisette’s Calls afflict the enemies with multiple debuffs. Her LD Call can also heal the party.

Have Celes’s, Seymour’s, and Shelke’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD fully MLB. Their Ex weapons have been Purpled or upgraded to Ex+ 3/3. They all have their High Armors. Celes’s High Armor has been Realized to 0/3.

Celes and Seymour also have their Force weapons but neither have been fully limit broken. Celes has her Burst weapon and it’s been leveled to the max but currently have no plans of Realizing it or Greening it.

Shelke, Seymour, and Celes have their Bloom Stones. They have triple perfect Artifacts and triple RF Spheres.

All of their Summon Boards have been completed. Unlocked parts of their Character Enhancement Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me their LD Call and LD extension passives. Haven’t gotten any of their Force Enhancements.

Seymour is a White Crystal char. But the main reason why I brought him here as opposed to picking another White Crystal char was because there’s a time-limited mission that wants players to clear the Reckoning stage of Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 12 with Seymour in the party.

Need to bring Seymour to one of the Crucibles in Tier 12 so I can bring him to the Reckoning stage.

Seymour is a debuffer who deals decent enough damage. He can afflict the enemies with multiple debuffs. With his LD, he can delay all enemies by 2 turns. He can also remove their buffs.

Seymour gets much better once the HP of the enemies goes down. Depending on how low the HP of the enemies are, he’ll be able to do multiple follow-ups to his attacks.

Shelke is currently equipped with my Level 5 of 5 Special or Unique-type Ultima Weapon. The fact that she can equip this is the main reason why I brought her here.

Being able to wield an Ultima Weapon will help to increase her damage output and allow her to hit harder even if she isn’t fully built.

Shelke deals physical, non-elemental damage. Her main gimmick is getting extra turns every now and then.

Celes is currently equipped with my Level 5 of 5 Greatsword Ultima Weapon. Aside from being able to wield an Ultima Weapon that I actually have, another reason why I brought Celes to this fight was because she has a Burst weapon and she’s a magical tank.

Thanks to Celes’s BT, everyone in my party gets a stat boost. Considering none of my chars are fully built, this stat boost is really useful.

And I figured I could use some more protection too, just in case. As a tank, Celes can help with that. She can lock enemies into targeting her.

She can also enchant the party and imperil enemies with the ice element. She even has some trap debuffs so she can help deal off-turn damage. Celes can heal too.

Right now, I only have 4 Ultima Weapons - the aforementioned Greatsword and Special ones, a Level 5 of 5 Fist-type Ultima Weapon, and a Level 2 of 5 Spear-type Ultima Weapon.

So unfortunately, I don’t have an Ultima Weapon to give to Seymour since his weapon type is a staff or rod.

This fight is only quest level 200 so it wasn’t that hard even with my chars not being fully built.

As soon as the battle started, the main boss lowered the max HP of all my chars.

This wasn’t really an issue though since Celes locked all the enemies into targeting her so she was the one who took on all the single-target attacks.

The Lufenia orb wasn’t much of an issue either since Seymour can afflict debuffs with all of his moves. Celes can afflict debuffs via her LD and her Lock move.

Shelke can’t debuff enemies but it’s fine since Seymour alone was more than enough to keep the orb count up.

My chars dealt decent enough damage. Shelke and Celes having Ultima Weapons definitely helped.

The enemies got to move often enough but they didn’t really do anything all that dangerous.

At one point though, long after the minions had been defeated, the main boss got to move and he dealt AoE damage that took my chars down to around half of their HP or thereabouts. Just glad none of them died or I’d have to repeat this quest again.

Anyway, was able to quickly get Shelke back to full health just by having her use her LD, Countertek.

By now the boss’s HP was at 76% and my force gauge was at 92.5%. When my force gauge was fully charged to 100%, I decided that I might as well activate Seymour’s FR.

Seymour’s FR isn’t maxed out so I only have 5 turns of force time with it. And if a Force weapon hasn’t been fully limit broken, the HP damage bonus can only be increased by a small percentage each turn.

Don’t even know the exact conditions that each char needs to fulfill in order to increase the HP damage bonus of Seymour’s FR. I think it has something to do with debuffs and the current HP of the enemies or something.

It doesn’t really matter since I only really used Seymour’s FR for the additional damage.

Maybe it would have been better to use Celes’s FR instead even if it also isn’t fully MLB but I couldn’t use it because I don’t have it equipped.

Since Celes’s FR isn’t fully MLB, I don’t have its passive. So if I want Celes to be able to use her Force weapon, she needs to be equipped with it. But I can’t equip her with her FR right now, not since I want her to be able to use my Greatsword Ultima Weapon.

Anyway, after using Seymour’s FR, it was now Celes’s turn. Had her use Raines’s LD Call then I went straight into her Burst phase.

By now the boss was down to 63% HP. Have 4 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 140%. Before this, had already used Keiss’s LD Call and Lilisette’s regular Call.

Celes and Seymour weren’t back to full health yet. But Celes was soon back to full health thanks to the healing from using her abilities.

Was only able to get the HP damage bonus to 226% before my force time ended. By then, have 3 turns left of Celes’s Burst mode and the boss was down to 44% HP.

By the time Celes was about to cast Searching for Friends, her finishing Burst move, the boss was at 33% HP. Seymour was nearly back to full health thanks to the party-wide heal from one of Celes’s skills.

A few turns later, had Shelke use Lilisette’s LD Call already. After a turn or 2, summoned The Brothers. By then the boss was down to 16% HP.

It was Celes who dealt the killing blow, finishing off the boss right before the summon was about to end. The battle ended on turn 12.

Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me the Perfect.

This fight really wasn’t that bad or hard at all. Pleased that I was able to get the win even if my chars weren’t fully built or maxed out.

Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Crucible 2 Lufenia Quest

The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Crucible 2 Lufenia quest has 1 wave with 1 enemy, the Lunatic Colorless Queen.

As part of the mission requirements, you need to win within 60 turns and you need to have a Green Crystal char in your party.

The Lufenia orb will show up on battle start and it cannot be cancelled. The count will be increased by 10 if the enemy takes BRV damage that ignores DEF. The count is maxed at 15.

The count will be decreased by 1 every time a char moves. It will be decreased by 2 every time the enemy moves.

For this fight, my team was Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII (#ad), Prishe from Final Fantasy XI, and Leo Cristophe from Final Fantasy VI with The Brothers as my summon. My Calls were Seymour’s, Raijin’s from Final Fantasy VIII, and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret’s from Final Fantasy XV.

Lunafreya’s regular Call heals the party. One of the effects of her LD Call is giving its user 2 buffs, one of which will allow them to get 3 turns in a row.

Raijin’s LD Call afflicts enemies with a debuff that prevents all HP damage and debuffs for like 2 turns.

Seymour’s Calls afflict the enemies with multiple debuffs, one of which increases the HP damage that they take. His LD Call can also delay all enemies by 2 turns.

Have Tifa’s, Leo’s, and Prishe’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD fully MLB. Their Ex weapons have been Purpled.

Tifa also has her Force and Burst weapons fully MLB. Her Burst has been Greened or upgraded to BT+ 3/3.

Prishe, Leo, and Tifa have their Bloom Stones. They have triple perfect Artifacts. Tifa has triple real Spheres but Leo and Prishe don’t have any at all.

All of Tifa’s Summon Boards, Character Enhancement Boards, and Force Enhancements have been completed.

All of Leo’s and Prishe’s Summon Boards have been completed. Unlocked parts of their Character Enhancement Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me their LD Calls and LD extension passives. They don’t have any of their Force Enhancements.

Tifa is currently equipped with my Level 5 of 5 Fist Ultima Weapon. She served as my main DPS for this fight. She’s a really powerful physical, non-elemental DPS.

Leo is a support who deals decent enough damage. He can afflict enemies with a debuff that helps to increase the party’s damage output.

He can battery the party. He can heal. He can even delay the enemies. He’s currently equipped with my Greatsword Ultima Weapon.

Prishe is a DPS too. Since mine isn’t fully built, her damage output pales in comparison to Tifa’s. Brought her here since she has moves that deal BRV damage that ignores DEF. She’s also a Green Crystal char.

With my fully built Tifa as part of this team, this fight was basically a joke, especially since there’s only one enemy.

Thanks to Leo’s delays plus the delay from Seymour’s LD Call, was able to keep the Lunatic Colorless Queen from moving.

Basically just had everyone spam their skills while I waited for my force gauge to charge to 100%.

Only Tifa has max Force Enhancements and I didn’t have a char who could make the force gauge charge faster so had to wait a bit before my force gauge got fully charged to 100%.

Thankfully, since this was only a Lufenia fight, the battle started with my force gauge already charged to 50%. So I suppose the wait wasn’t that long but it would have definitely gone by faster if all my chars had max Force Enhancements.

Anyway, the Lufenia orb was slightly troublesome since only Prishe can deal BRV damage that ignores DEF, and only some of her abilities have this effect.

I'd wait until the orb count was at around 3 or so before having Prishe use one of her DEF-ignoring skills.

By the time my force gauge charged to 100%, the Lunatic Colorless Queen was down to 64% HP.

On Tifa’s turn, had her use her Additional Ability then Lunafreya’s LD Call. Then I activated her Force ability followed by her Burst+ finisher.

Normally, I’d spam Tifa’s Battle Cry move (this has instant turn rate) until I had exactly 7 turns of force time left before activating Tifa’s Burst+ mode.

But in this fight, that didn’t seem necessary at all. So right after using Tifa’s BT+ finisher, just went straight into her Burst+ mode.

Have 9 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was currently at 190%. The Colorless Queen was already down to 49% HP. The Lufenia orb count was at 10.

Just spammed Tifa’s skills. By the time Tifa was about to cast Final Heaven, her finishing Burst+ move, the Colorless Queen was already dead.

Actually, she died a few turns ago but a char’s Burst mode won’t end until they use their finisher.

Anyway, have 3 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 590%. The battle ended on turn 10.

Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me the Perfect.

This team did really well. Tifa made this fight super easy. Leo did a great job supporting Tifa with his delays and debuff. Prishe took care of the Lufenia orb.

Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12 Reckoning Shinryu Quest

The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Reckoning Shinryu quest has 1 wave with 1 enemy, the Lunatic Ingranaggio. He has 60 million HP.

The enemy has attacks that can also buff himself. His force gauge charges faster than normal.

Once the force gauge of the enemy reaches 100% for the first time, the Lunatic Ingranaggio will deal AoE BRV damage. He’ll then gain a yellow aura.

Once his force gauge reaches 100% for the second time, he will deal AoE BRV + HP damage. He will then gain a red aura as well as 5 turns of a framed HP damage resistance buff.

Once the force gauge of the enemy reaches 100% for the third time, then it’s game over because the Lunatic Ingranaggio will use an attack that will instantly KO all your chars.

The enemy’s force time lasts for 2 turns. While under the effects of his force time, the Lunatic Ingranaggio will be able to move immediately after a char does.

Once the boss drops down to 49% HP, he will summon 2 more copies of himself. These copies will also have 60 million HP each. All enemies will then get 5 turns of a speed up buff. The boss can’t be killed until after he summons his copies.

For this fight, my team was Tifa, Seymour, and Celes with The Brothers as my summon. My Calls were Cid Raines’s, Keiss’s, and Leo’s.

This fight was - well, I guess I wouldn’t really call it hard. It’s really annoying though. If all my chars were fully built, this fight would be pretty easy.

The enemy got to move often enough, and he hits pretty hard but thankfully, Celes was able to tank the attacks just fine. She’d lose some HP sometimes so just needed to make sure she was back to full health before the next attack.

The main issue I found was the mechanics of this quest. Really need to end the fight before the enemy uses their force attack for the third time. But with this team, that was easier said than done.

Since this is a Shinryu quest, the fight started with my force gauge at 0%. And since only Tifa has max Force Enhancements, my force gauge charged at a snail’s pace.

In contrast to that, the force gauge of the enemy charged really fast. Seemingly in no time at all, the enemy managed to use their force attack twice while my force gauge was still not fully charged.

The enemy’s first force attack didn’t do any damage at all. The second only dealt a little bit of HP damage to my chars thanks to the protection and defenses from Celes. Seymour’s debuffs helped as well.

The enemy’s force time wasn’t really anything to worry about either since Celes took on all the attacks.

By the time my force gauge was finally at 100%, the enemy was well on their way to being able to charge their force gauge for the third time.

Made sure to use all my Calls then had Tifa activate her FR then her BT+ finisher.

Without Lunafreya’s LD Call, had to wait for Tifa to get another turn before I could go into her Burst+ phase.

Unfortunately, the turn order got a little messed up so by the time I was finally able to activate Tifa’s Burst+ mode, I only had 5 turns of force time left. The HP damage bonus was at 409%.

The force gauge of the enemies was at 46.0%. The Lunatic Ingranaggio had dropped below 49% HP a few turns earlier so he’d already summoned his allies. Was able to have Seymour debuff the other 2 Lunatic Ingranaggios before going into Tifa’s BT+ phase.

Tifa was able to deal a lot of damage but she could have done more if I’d been able to go into her BT+ mode while I had exactly 7 turns of force time left.

As it was, by the time I only had 1 turn of force time left, Tifa still has 3 turns of her Burst+ phase left. The HP damage bonus was at 674%. The enemies were down to 67%, 21%, and 29% HP.

I shouldn’t have brought Raines’s and Keiss’s Calls. Or, alternatively, I should have waited until the other Lunatic Ingranaggios had been summoned before using Keiss’s Call. Because I only managed to get Keiss to debuff the first Lunatic Ingranaggio.

So what happened was that my chars only got batteried if Tifa was targeting the enemy with Keiss’s debuff. If she attacks the other Lunatic Ingranaggios, she’ll be able to launch them too thanks to Raines’s LD Call but neither Seymour nor Celes will have much or any brave to dump for these launches.

Obviously, couldn’t just keep on targeting only one of the Lunatic Ingranaggios since I need to kill them all to end this battle. So I had Tifa alternate between each enemy.

Tifa was able to do well enough that by the time she was about to cast Final Heaven, her finishing Burst+ move, the enemies were down to 28%, 15%, and 29% HP.

A few turns later, summoned The Brothers already. The force gauge of the enemies was at 89%. The enemies were down to 24%, 11%, and 17% HP. Was trying to hurry but wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it before the enemies got to use their force attack for the third time.

Had Tifa hog a few turns during the summon. But in retrospect, should have had her spam her Battle Cry move and hog all the turns. Not sure how much difference that would have made but it would definitely have helped.

After the summon ended, the enemies were down to 11%, 4%, and 9% HP. Their force gauge was at 95.2%. It was currently Seymour’s turn. My own force gauge was at 57.6%.

Sadly, pretty sure there’s no way my chars can finish off all of the Lunatic Ingranaggios before the force gauge of the enemies reaches 100%.

So it’s over. Sigh. Too bad I wasn’t able to make it. Honestly, this fight wouldn’t be that bad if we weren’t required to get the win before the enemies got to use their force attack for the third time.

This team would have been able to make it if I had more time, if there wasn’t a time limit.

But now it was back to the drawing board. I could try again but I don’t know if having Tifa equip Lunafreya’s Call would be enough to get me the win.

What I really needed was a way to get my force gauge to charge faster. Still don’t want to get Seymour’s and Celes’s Force Enhancements though since they’re not fully built. Don’t even have Seymour’s BT. And I still don’t have any plans to Green and Blue them.

So I thought about bringing at least 1 force gauge charger or even just another char with max Force Enhancements to help.

Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Crucible 1 Lufenia Quest Take 2

After considering my options and thinking about it some more, decided to bring Lunafreya to go with Tifa and Seymour. This meant redoing one of the Crucibles so I can slot in Lunafreya.

Decided to redo Crucible 1 since adding Lunafreya to Crucible 2 with Tifa would just be overkill. LOL.

So my team for the Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12, Crucible 1 Lufenia quest was now Lunafreya, Seymour, and Shelke with The Brothers as my summon. My Calls were Keiss’s, Leo’s, and Raines’s.

Have Lunafreya’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, BT, and FR fully MLB. Her Ex has been Purpled. Her Burst has been Greened. She has Her High Armor and it’s been Blued.

Lunafreya has her Bloom Stone. She has triple perfect Artifacts and triple real Spheres.

All of her Summon Boards, Character Enhancement Boards, and Force Enhancements have been completed.

Lunafreya is a really good support and healer who provides great buffs and auras. She can quickly charge the force gauge with her instant turn rate moves. She can battery the party a lot. She can even deal pretty decent damage, especially since she’s fully built.

Lunafreya can enchant the party and imperil enemies with the ice and water elements. With her LD, she can give herself and her allies multiple turns in a row.

Had Lunafreya spam her skills to quickly charge my force gauge. As soon as it was at 100%, had Luna use her FR.

Unfortunately, I forgot to refresh the duration of Luna’s buffs before activating her Force ability.

Normally, thanks to the party-wide enchant from Lunafreya, each char can increase the HP damage of her FR by up to 40%. But since one of her buffs fell off, my chars were now only able to increase the HP damage bonus by 20%, which is way too freaking low.

Had to wait for it to be Lunafreya’s turn again so I can refresh her buffs. But earlier, while I had Luna charge my force gauge, had her use her LD which gave herself and her allies multiple turns in a row.

So my force time just kept on ticking down as Shelke and Seymour got a lot of turns. By the time I only had 3 turns of force time left, the HP damage bonus was only at 277% HP, and it still wasn’t Lunafreya’s turn.

Was really annoyed about that so decided to just quit the fight. Went back in with the same team and summon but took the opportunity to change some of my Calls. Now, I brought Leo’s, Lilisette’s, and Kurasame Susaya’s from Final Fantasy Type-0.

Kurasame’s Calls afflict the enemies with a debuff that increases the HP damage that they take. It also imperils enemies to the ice element. Kura’s regular Call enchants its Caller with the ice element while his LD Call has a party-wide ice enchant.

Thought it best to just equip everyone with Calls that debuff, just in case. This is especially because Lunafreya can give herself and her allies multiple turns in a row so won’t always be able to get Seymour to move and debuff the enemies right away.

Once again, had Lunafreya quickly charge my force gauge but this time, made sure that all her buffs had been refreshed before activating her FR.

Aside from her FR, had Lunafreya use her BT+ finisher as well for more buffs and auras. Had my chars use their Calls and Additional Abilities too.

Was able to get the HP damage to 543% before my force time ended. By then the boss was down to 40% HP and it was only turn 4.

Just had everyone continue spamming their skills. Soon, the boss was down to 20% HP. It was Seymour’s turn. Had him summon The Brothers already.

The on-entry attack of The Brothers took the boss down to 3% HP so Seymour’s attack was more than enough to finish off the enemy and end the battle on turn 5.

Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me the Perfect.

Welp, this fight was really easy with this team. The enemies didn’t even get the chance to move. LOL.

Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12 Reckoning Shinryu Quest Take 2

This time my team for this fight was Seymour, Tifa, and Lunafreya with The Brothers as my summon. My Calls were Prishe’s, Lilisette’s and Llyud’s from Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.

Prishe’s Calls increase the damage output of its Caller. Llyud’s does something similar but it’s for the entire party.

With Lunafreya as part of my team, my force gauge charged much faster. For now, didn’t have Luna spam all of her moves so Tifa and Seymour could get some turns as well.

I thought things were going pretty well but then the enemy got to use their force attack for the first time.

This wasn’t the problem though since that was only an AoE BRV attack. The problem was the enemy’s force time.

Since Celes wasn’t around anymore, the boss managed to one-shot Lunafreya when he got a turn. Eff!

So I quit the fight to change one of my Calls. Dropped Lilisette’s Call and replaced it with Rydia’s from Final Fantasy IV.

Rydia’s regular Call provides party-wide water enchant for a few turns. Her LD Call will give the party a buff that will allow them to evade 3 attacks. This buff doesn’t expire until it’s been used up.

Didn’t use Rydia’s LD Call right away. Because if I use it now, then once the enemy uses his force attack for the first time, Rydia’s LD buff will negate said attack.

That attack doesn’t even deal any HP damage though so I don’t want to waste Rydia’s LD buff negating it.

So my plan was to have Luna use Rydia’s LD Call right after the enemy uses his force attack for the first time.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. I’ve had to repeat this fight multiple times because the enemy always manages to attack and kill one of my chars before Luna can use Rydia’s LD Call.

Sometimes, Luna gets broken by the enemy’s force attack so another char gets a turn before her. Other times, it’s just not her turn yet so I can’t have her use Rydia’s LD Call.

Was getting really annoyed. Getting really sick and tired of having to repeat this fight over and over again.

After what felt like forever, finally got a run where Luna didn’t get broken and the turn order aligned so I was able to get her to use Rydia’s LD Call before the enemy can attack and kill one of my chars.

When my force gauge was nearing 100% already, had Lunafreya use her BT+ finisher and her Additional Ability. By then the boss was down to 82% HP and his force gauge was at 29.7%.

Had Lunafreya use her LD so she gave multiple turns to herself and her allies. Tifa was supposed to get 3 turns in a row but to my surprise, she only got 2.

Took a look at her buffs list and noticed that she doesn’t have Lunafreya’s Quick Prayer buff. This is the buff that gives chars multiple turns in a row.

Each char can only have up to 6 buffs. Apparently, Tifa already has the max of 6 buffs so wasn’t able to give her Luna’s Quick Prayer.

Ugh. What a mess. Shouldn’t have used Rydia’s regular Call earlier. The buff this gave was still active on Tifa.

Didn’t want to restart this fight though, certainly not after it took me so long to keep the enemy from killing one of my chars after he goes into his first force time.

So decided to keep going for now and just hope for the best. Tifa has 2 turns in a row so had her activate her BT+ finisher and her FR. Can’t remember for sure now which one I used first though.

Had to wait for what feels like forever before it was Tifa’s turn again. It didn’t help at all that Seymour has the Quick Prayer buff so he ended up wasting a lot of turns of my force time.

He was able to increase the HP damage bonus of Tifa’s FR well enough but of course his damage output pales in comparison to Tifa’s.

It really sucks that by the time I was finally able to go into Tifa’s Burst+ phase, only have 5 turns of force time left. The HP damage bonus was at 386%.

The boss was now down to 45% HP so he’d just summoned his allies who both still have 100% HP. Unfortunately, wasn’t able to get Seymour to debuff the 2 new bosses before going into Tifa’s BT+ mode.

I suppose I could have tried to delay things a bit more. Like maybe I could have waited until Tifa had a buff slot free before getting Luna to give her Quick Prayer again.

But that would have taken way too much time. The enemy just used their first force attack. Now their force gauge was charging again for the second time. So there was no time to waste. Needed to end this fight as soon as possible.

Was able to get the HP damage bonus to 656% by the time Tifa only had 1 turn of force time left. By then she has 3 Burst+ turns left and the enemies were down to 52%, 45%, and 39% HP.

By the time Tifa was about to cast Final Heaven, the enemies were at 46%, 9%, and 39% HP.

Afterwards, it didn’t take long before the enemies got to use their force attack for the second time. Was able to get through their force time just fine thanks to Rydia’s LD Call evasion buff.

Just had my chars spam their skills. Made use of Seymour’s LD to delay the enemies and keep them from moving. Luna’s Quick Prayer buff helped too so my chars can just keep on moving.

Soon, one of the enemies died already. Now only 2 were left. Summoned The Brothers, and his on-entry attack took the 2 enemies down to 25% and 27% HP.

It was Tifa’s turn. She gets 4 turns in a row. The force gauge of the enemies was now at 69.0%. If this gets to 100% again, then it’s game over. My own force gauge was at 80.1%.

On Tifa’s 4th turn in a row, had her spam her Battle Cry skill so she can hog the rest of the turns during the summon. When the summon ended, both enemies were down to 8% HP.

Spammed a few more of Tifa’s Battle Cry before letting her allies have a turn. Would have kept on spamming Battle Cry but had to use Tifa’s other skills to refresh her other buffs.

It was Lunafreya’s turn next. My force gauge was now at 95.9%. The enemies were down to 8% and 1% HP. Their force gauge was at 83.0%. Had Luna use Diamond Dust, her Ex.

The attack finished off 1 of the enemies. The last one was left with 7% HP. It was Seymour’s turn now. My force gauge was at 100% while the enemy’s was at 96.7%.

Was so close to winning already so I really didn’t want to have to repeat this fight again. Had Seymour activate his FR in the hopes that it would cancel the charge of the enemy’s force gauge.

Well, the enemy’s force gauge was still at 96.7%, which sucks, but it seems to have stopped charging thanks to Seymour’s FR so that was good.

Seymour’s attack took the remaining enemy down to 4% HP. It was now Tifa’s turn again. Have 5 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 112%.

Honestly, would have preferred to use Tifa’s or even Lunafreya’s FR so I could have 10 turns of force time as well as a higher HP damage bonus. But Seymour’s FR was the only one who could stop the enemy’s force gauge from charging further.

Thankfully, Tifa's attack was more than enough to finish off the last boss and end the battle on turn 14.

Got the score and all the other mission requirements. Really glad to finally be over and done with this fight.

This team did really well. And I’m glad that I was able to get the time-limited reward for clearing this Shinryu quest with Seymour in my party.

Conclusion

So, how ‘bout you? Which characters did you use to clear Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 12? What do you think about the Lufenia and Shinryu quests in this Tier? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

[endthisfool]

Dirge Eater CH 3

Summary: Whirl has a nice friendly chat with his pals. 

Chapter 3: Realization Rejection

In a universe bound by artificial whims to another, a mech freezes in a doorway, blinking rapidly. While living on this ship they had seen their fair share of wild and unbelievable things. Parallel universes, zombie mechs, etc. So perhaps this could actually be considered one of the more mundane things, though nevertheless unexpected. It sears iridescent tendrils from its center, clawing at shelves, and humming with energy. Below a strange contraption, blaster-esq in its build, lays forlornly on the floor, abandoned by its user. ‘There’s a portal in this storage closet.’ Lip-plates pressed in a thin line the mech shuts the door, turns on their heel, and walks away. Someone else ought to take care of that.

 --- At the other side of that universal link, Rafael paces the meager portion of his school’s sidewalk that wasn’t taped off for repairs. His mind abuzz with thoughts of the newcomer back at the autobot base. It wasn’t everyday that you got to meet a giant alien robot, and while he already knew several, this was still a nerve wracking experience. The new mech was different, not only in his frame, but in some other way. It was like the thought wasn’t entirely tangible, he just couldn’t grasp it yet. What could possibly make this mech feel so much more foreign than any of the other cybertronians? Lost in that puzzle as he is, he almost misses it.

A familiar flash of blue. Raf double-takes. It's a little girl, dressed in overalls, one of the straps hangs loosely off her shoulder, folding the denim’s front over itself sloppily. A black eyepatch stretches over one eye, and blue hair drawn up in high pigtails curls down from the sides of her head. It seemed Miko wasn’t the only person around here with an interesting sense of fashion. Oddly enough, she’s behind the barriers that the police had used to block off the mech’s impact crater, her hands on her hips, looking none too concerned by the drop in front of her. She definitely shouldn’t be in there. With no adults in sight Raf takes it upon himself to watch out for the girl. “Hey, I don’t think you should be on that side of the barriers.” He tells her, not unkindly. It wasn’t his place to question what a young looking kid was doing at a school like this, but really, where were her parents? “You could get hurt.” 

In response the little girl-she couldn’t have been any older than ten-leans further over the hole tapping her chin as if deep in thought. “I’m investigating.” She says loudly, her voice accented with something peculiar. Almost synthesized. The sound reminded him of something, though he couldn’t quite discern what it was. She scuffs a red shoe against the ground, sending a rocking tumbling down into the crater. Then she bends back at a painful looking angle, craning her neck to peer upward into the sky, one hand positioned over her yellow eye to shield it from the sun. Squinting she works her jaw, pressing her tongue into a gap between her teeth. The clouds stare back, sharing nothing. “Ok, I’m done.” “That was quick.” Raf comments, casting a glance toward the school building where Miko was now waving him down from the doors. Jack exits as well, hoisting his backpack over his shoulder, and gesturing with his head to the road. There Arcee rolls to a stop, her holographic rider still as ever. Raf gives them each a smile, that wavers when he remembers his present company. He turns to the girl. “But really it’s not safe over there...” 

Rafael blinks, a dipping sensation turning his stomach. He stumbles forward, slipping under the barriers to reach the crater where the little girl must have fallen, scraped and bruised at the bottom. At the edge he prepares to climb down, a call for help stifled at the back of his throat. Then he stops. Confusion bats at his stuttering heart mockingly. “What’re we lookin’ at?” Miko pushes past the barriers, joining her friend in crouching over the steep drop of the empty crater. “Ooh rocks.” She nudges Raf with her elbow, careful to not push him toward the hole. “Very cool, but I think you should stick to computers.” Raf spays his palms out helplessly presenting the lack of anything in the crater below. Could she really have run off that fast? “Come on guys, Bulkhead isn’t going to wait for you two forever.” Beyond them Jack situates his helmet over his black hair, the green vehicle rumbling its engine from where it had pulled up moments before. “I thought you’d be more excited to see that helicopter bot than the hole he came from.” “Oh yeah!” Miko bounces up, pulling Raf up and away with her. Raf lets her drag him to Bulkhead’s waiting doors, his mind flitting between one strange encounter with blue to the next. 

---

   The appearance of the wild rotormech seemed to be a catalyst for a surplus of work for the autobot medic. That was not to say he wasn’t usually busy, however his work didn’t normally include investigating rowdy cyclopses claiming to be autobots. Especially rowdy cyclopses that leaked pink energon, and were intent on staring holes into his armor from the medberth. Ratchet rolls his shoulder pauldrons uncomfortably, as if he could dislodge the other’s gaze through the movement alone. He doesn’t turn from the computer terminal to address the mech, too focused on the strange energy reading creating a flux over the system’s scanners. Those readings had been popping up haphazardly the past couple days, but he couldn’t pinpoint a source at all. Nor could he parse them out, though they were awfully familiar. “You’re free to go, Optimus is likely waiting for you.” There was too much to do, and he still hadn’t been able to find any connection between their guest and the autobots. Not to mention the aerialbots. Or really anything at all in what was left of the autobot’s database. Not a single recorded encounter with a mech that matched his description over the course of the war. It was like he just didn’t exist. “Try not to re-open those welds.” There’s a soft shifting of metal as the blue mech slips off the berth, quiet enough that the medic nearly didn’t hear it. Then Whirl brushes past him, sliding blue armor against white just a bit too long, a bit too roughly, and there’s a hushed phrase ghosting over the medic’s audial. “Thanks, Ratchet.” Distracted as he is the medibot gives a noncommittal grunt in return. An itch in the back of his processor throwing up red flags that there was something very wrong with what he just heard. Unconsciously his plating shutters tight against his frame. And to think their guest had only been awake for a few hours. 

---   Whirl was like an unexploded minefield buried under centuries of broken glass and smoldering debris. A single step made to avoid that cutting glass could very well end up setting him off, but leaving him to fester would only put many others in danger. Whether or not he could be trusted remained to be seen, though with the lack of an actual brig they would have to resort to different methods to keep him under some semblance of their control. Usually when dealing with an unknown mech like this it is protocol to use restraints or sedation. However, the thought of restraining an empurata victim made his tanks churn unpleasantly. It felt horrendously cruel. Though in retrospect Optimus doubted they had any restraints that were truly capable of holding the mech, even if they did it wasn’t likely worth the fallout. Not to mention their medic’s lack of knowledge on Whirl’s frame-type meant an attempt at sedation could very well harm the rotormech. Their current circumstances were far from ideal 

Thus, the decision had been made to watch Whirl in shifts. It was agreed on that he couldn’t be left alone, especially not while there were humans frequenting the base. (The humans couldn’t simply stay at their respective homes, not while the decepticons knew of them.) As time goes on he knows the team will have to have more in-depth discussions on handling their guest, that is after they begin gleaning more information about him. He’ll need to be kept under careful supervision until they could figure out his true allegiance. If it turns out Whirl is indeed an autobot, well, it’s safe to say Optimus was curious about the mindset of whoever recruited Whirl. As of now he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe the rotormech was a decepticon spy; perhaps he was a neutral that had converted toward the fall of Cybertron? Being driven to pick a side while their world was ravaged would explain his level of malice and disrespect. Therefore, the idea of him becoming a permanent fixture on the team was not something exactly fathomable at the moment. At the least, having him here meant they could limit the havoc he could inflict on this planet, and Optimus was glad for that. 

The mech currently clouding Optimus’s processor limps into the room, fresh mesh patches littering his unconventionally proportioned frame. He stretches languidly, the smooth moment ignorant of the pain he should be in, as well as the nearby screen that becomes impaled on one of the long protrusions from his shoulders. The monitor sends out a shower of sparks and glass, that is exacerbated by Whirl’s attempts in dislodging himself. Soon the monitor is torn from its mount and flung onto the floor with a loud crunch. Whirl seems to consider the broken screen for a moment before he resumes his stretching, none too discretely pushing the mess behind a staircase with his pede. Optimus exvents quietly. There was another issue that needed to be addressed soon. They couldn’t keep him cooped up here for long. Fliers can’t be confined to small spaces, and Whirl spindly as he is, isn’t a compact mech. The base was already crowded before, and their new addition appeared content to take up as much space as possible. 

Taking a nanosec to prepare himself, Optimus pings Bee to join him in the main room. The young scout had been the only one to volunteer to watch over their guest, so he’d take the first shift. Hopefully this would work as a good evaluation of Whirl’s demeanor, though that was dependent on how much Whirl was willing to interact with his supervisors. Upon entering the room Bumblebee plants himself at his leader’s side, shadowing him as they near the rotormech. The blue mech continues stretching, ignoring their presence until he’s apparently satisfied with the limberness of his joints. When it becomes clear the mech had no plans of acknowledging them, Optimus begins to speak. “Whirl, this is Bumblebee our scout, he’ll be taking you to scan an Earth alt mode once our human liaison can locate something suitable for you.” Whirl’s optic flits between the two, his gaze lingering long enough on the yellow scout to make him squirm. Tapping a claw against the bottom of his helm, he hums a long drawn out note that raises in pitch, as if pretending to consider something distasteful. 

“Mmmmm, no.” The rotormech ends his humming with a blunt negative, jeering and short. ”That’d be a big ol’ downgrade. I like my current alt, it’s saucy.” Optimus fights the urge to rub his temples, beside him Bee gives a startled laugh. “Try to reconsider, Cybertronian alt modes will draw too much attention. We cannot let you travel outside the base with your current alt.” “Don’t worry about it, short stack.” Whirl bounces on the tips of his pedes, most definitely making sure to look down at the Prime as he does so. “I’m very stealthy. The sky is blue, I’m blue, it’s practically a done deal, no one will notice me.” He could already tell this conversation wasn’t going to bend in his favor, so he decides to switch tactics to appeal his point further. He figures he can depart some dearly needed information about their situation to the mech in the process. It’s a futile task. 

“In any matter, I have been informed that you are at least somewhat knowledgeable about this planet-“ At that Whirl utters a short chirp of ‘real Earth,’ Optimus’s faceplate cuts a stern frown, though Whirl doesn’t cease in his hopping. “-considering you made references to human ‘pop-culture’ when you first encountered one of our charges. Thus, am I correct in assuming you know that humans are the dominant species on this planet?” It’s hard to tell if Whirl nods or if he’s just letting his helm follow the rest of his frame in its bouncing. For the sake of his dwindling patience Optimus takes it as confirmation. “On Earth we are guests, and the human government has afforded us their hospitality under the requirement that we adhere to the rules provided to us. That includes hiding ourselves from the general population, and seeing fit to communicate with their liaison.” There’s a soft hiss of Whirl’s pistons as he goes for a higher jump, coming dangerously close to another monitor.“Please stop that-“ He doesn’t. Optimus warily lays a firm servo on Whirl’s shoulder, and Whirl pauses to give it an affronted blink. “The human you first met is one of our charges, our allies, our friends . These charges are returning today, and it is prudent that you treat them with respect, and dignity. Intentionally harming any one of them will be met with dire consequences. Threatening behavior toward our allies will not be tolerated.” 

  Whirl doesn’t give any inclination that he understood the severity of Optimus’s orders, simply plucking the autobot’s servo off his shoulder with a puff of air. “Check before you step, got it.” The rotormech responds, a dismissive wave of a claw perfectly conveying his thoughts on the matter. To his chagrin, Optimus realizes this is probably the best response he’d be getting out of the blue mech. It was a shame really, Whirl was displaying disconcertingly low levels of care toward other lifeforms so far. He could only hope the rotormech would warm up to the planet’s natives as the other autobots did. However, unlike the his team Whirl had already known of Earth and her people, so at best all he needed was some firsthand experience with the planet. The worst outcome would be that Whirl has reached his own conclusions about the humans, via whatever transmissions he must have picked up before he got here. The thought was sobering, that a mech like this, an empurata victim who no doubt faced much strife due to his condition would condemn himself to his biases-like others stereotyped him- instead of allowing himself to see the beauty, and potential of the world around him. Prime’s saddened dismay must have shown in his EM field, or his faceplate, because Whirl teeters back, disgruntled. 

Optimus steps away, allowing the clawed mech some much needed space. “I’ll let you two get acquainted,” Optimus inclines his helm to Bumblebee, who had been a silent observer throughout the exchange. The cyclops’s own helm swivels to meet the scout’s blue optics, quickly as if having forgotten him. Bee is very an amiable youngling, Optimus trusts that will work in his favor when dealing with Whirl. Nevertheless, he can’t help but feel as if he’s leaving his scout to the rotormech’s mercy. “I have faith that you’ll find Bumblebee to be fully equipped to answer any questions you may have, Whirl. If you have need of my presence I’ll be conferring with our medic in the medbay.” The Prime leaves the room, not quite hastily, but he certainly didn’t stroll, as he was none too keen to fall into another argument with Whirl. He had an inkling that the rotormech was fairly displeased by the pity that had leaked into his EM field. It was best to remove himself from the equation for now.

--

Bulkhead had had some real choice words about the mech they found yesterday. He had outright refused to be the first one to watch Whirl, opting to volunteer to help Arcee pick up the kids instead. Personally, Bee didn’t see what the fuss was about, sure the guy was pretty odd, and had no respect for authority, but he didn’t seem bad per se. Beyond that Raf had been really disappointed the day they didn’t let the kids stick around to see Whirl when they first brought him in. Bee liked to think his charge had a knack for discerning good people from rotten apples. Or whatever that human saying was. Either way if Raf thought this mech was a good mech then so did Bee, he trusted his best friend’s judgement. Whirl was blinking at him now, appearing to have relaxed once Optimus exited the room. “‘Sup, Bugboy?” “Hi!” Being quite use to receiving insect related nicknames, the scout takes the moniker in stride. Bee was pleased by the opportunity to introduce Whirl to more of Earth. It was nice being considered the more experienced one for once. Most others underestimated him due to his age. Now with this new autobot he had the chance prove his expertise, and maybe get the feel of what being a mentor is like. He shifts his weight on his pedes, excited. “Don’t worry about the alt mode change, I know it’s weird but Earth has plenty of stuff to choose from. We’ll find you something that suits you, and then it’s just a matter of getting use to it. Who knows, you might come to like it!” “Is that so?” “Yeah! By the way my charge, Raf, is really excited to meet you. Well, officially I mean.” “Interesting. I see.” “I’ve never met an autobot that was a flier either so I get why he’s so interested,” Bee gives his doorwings an idle flutter at the thought of flying. How lucky! His freedom was limited by his wheels, while this mech could simply take to the sky when roads ended. “What division are you from? Raf thinks you were part of the aerialbots, is that right?” Whirl brings a claw close to his optic and mimes squishing Bee’s helm. The scout buzzes curiously at the action, gaining no response from the blue mech. It dawns on him that he’s obviously not paying attention, and the scout finds himself doubting the other had listened to a single word he had been saying. Discouraged, Bumblebee finds himself struggling to continue the conversation. “Uhm, flying always seemed pretty cool....” The blue mech perks up when Bee finally trails off his sentence. “So, what’s your real name?” Bee stills, baffled, managing nothing but a questioning beep, before Whirl is barreling on with clicking claws. “I gotta say, it’s pretty weird for Prime to name younglings after dead mechs.” “ Wha - I think you have me mistaken for someone else?” Bee shakes his helm, jittery confusion mixed with morbid curiosity snaking through his plating. Who could Whirl possibly be talking about? “I’m not named after anyone, especially not someone who’s been deactivated-“ His stare is so utterly blank, a complete lack of comprehension, just like before, he’s not listening and he’s not even trying to hide it. Bee shuts off his vocoder, shooting the mech a disgruntled glare. “You done?” Whirl cants his helm, giving the younger mech a once over that feels awfully like he’s being judged. For what, he isn’t sure. “ Yeah , I deactivated my translator as soon as you started beeping. Thought it’d be funny, but you really took your sweet time shutting up.” An embarrassed heat builds up beneath his plating, his doorwings stiffen high on his back, and he clenches his servos into fists. “That’s not funny!” Sure he had proven himself to be rude, but that was just mean. He didn’t expect this sort of childish taunting from Whirl. Maybe this mentor idea was going to need some reworking, especially if Whirl actually had trouble with empathy. Bee sets his servos on his hips, trying for the same disapproving look he had seen Optimus employ before. “Humans teach their offspring about what they call the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. You wouldn’t like it if I acted like I couldn’t understand you, would you?” “...What?” “Turn your translator back on!”

--

It’s not long before Arcee and Bulkhead return to the base, their passengers in tow. With the entire team back on base it was declared time for a more formal introduction. They gather in the main area, and it feels a lot more crowded with the fifth cybertronian in the room. Optimus introduces the team with the same serious tone he imparted onto anything. He goes around the room, stating each of their respective designations, ranks, and official titles. When he finally turns to Ratchet, Whirl snaps to attention, the antenna on his helm twitching. He hadn’t so much as acknowledged any of the other mechs, why him? Itching uncomfortably under the sudden attention the medic resolutely refuses to meet the other’s gaze, feeling the blue mech’s optic heavy upon his plating, waiting. Optimus notices the intense stare and seems to hesitate. “...this is Ratchet, our medic.” Whirl shutters his optic. “That was a wink,” He supplies, unprompted. From his side Bee looks up at Ratchet curiosity. ::Is he flirting with you?:: ::No:: He almost doesn’t think to reply to the comm, his processor rolling to a stop. Whirl had called him by his designation earlier, before he had been introduced. The thought makes his plating crawl. A series of questions building at the front of his mind. How did he know? Who could have told Whirl his name? Why was he so intent on staring at him? Was it an intimidation tactic? Ratchet makes the mistake of making optic-contact with the rotormech. Across the room that gold optic dilates so wide it envelops the shadows of its socket. Ratchet cringes. Fowler, and the kids are introduced to Whirl without much fanfare. He doesn’t even seem to notice them until Fowler, who clearly has a bone to pick with the blue mech, starts on a tirade on the fragility of autobot and human relations. It’s a long speech that the autobots had all been on the receiving end of before, though now it was personalized to include the rotormech’s recent ‘jaunt’ around town, and why that was very bad. The agent finishes with an impassioned flourish of his hands, giving the new bot an expectant look. Whirl sorta just squints. “I bet his translator is still off.” Bee grumps, his charge patiently waiting his turn to talk to the new mech blinks in surprise. The other two children glance between the bot and his charge, for some sort of explanation. Optimus internally groans knowing the agent wouldn’t take well to being so flippantly ignored. “Whirl, you’ll need to activate your translator to understand the humans, until you download several of the planet’s common languages.” “Oh yeah, I forgot I turned that off, thought I was having a stroke.” As predicted Fowler is fairly insulted by the mech’s lack of respect. He rounds on the thirty-foot bot with clenched fists, his face red. “Pal, you and me are going to have problems if you keep up this too-cool-for-school act.” Optimus decides it was better to not point out Whirl likely didn’t know what that meant. “I’ve already had to clean up after your surprise drop in at Jasper, it’s like you have zero idea of how to be discrete. I don’t know how you’re supposed to be an autobot, all I’ve seen from you so far is someone who’s irresponsible, dangerous, disrespectful, and just downright irritating !” “You’re absolutely right!” Whirl agrees, cackling at the scowl that contorts the man’s face in response. The children share a laugh at Fowler’s expense, and Fowler fumes, settling his anger on the leader of the autobots. “ This is the kind of bots you’re bringing to Earth?” As Optimus tries to defuse situation with the infuriated agent Whirl pads over to the other humans, looking down at them curiously. They take each other's features in, Whirl doing so with considerably less enthusiasm than the humans. He was after all, very unique in his frame-type, whilst humans didn’t really have the same capacity for variation as cybertronians. “You’re kinda cool looking,” Miko concludes, fixing the mech into the frame of her phone’s lenses to take several photos of him. He makes an odd sound akin to a snort, and turns his attention to Rafael who chances a smile at the lanky mech. “ You ,” Whirl peers closer, gaining a wary whine from Bumblebee. “You were there when I splatted.” Raf furrows his brows, finding the mech’s word choice concerning. He nods nevertheless. Whatever Whirl is about to say next is interrupted by Miko curling over one of the railings, waving wildly to garner the mech’s attention. Raf frowns, unhappy about having the potential conversation stolen from him. There was only so many things he could talk about with Whirl, the autobots had made sure that the children understood he wasn’t quite stable yet. For the most part it made sense, like someone with PTSD they didn’t know what his triggers were, there was no need to cause him undue stress with invasive questions. Somethings though, they didn’t explain, like why they couldn’t ask about his claws or lack of a face. If the uncomfortable silence that followed when he had attempted to pry meant anything, it probably wasn’t good. Miko grins wide at the mech, a sly glint to her eyes. “I don’t believe you’re an autobot, buuuuut I might reconsider if you give me a helicopter ride.” “No.” Bulkhead apparently disproves of the idea, plucking his charge away from the rotormech’s vicinity while she pouts. They ‘chat’ for awhile before Whirl grows bored of the humans, and wanders out of their range. It’s night by the time the kids are taken home, leaving Ratchet nearly alone with Whirl as his next ‘babysitter’. Fowler remains, awaiting a more serious meeting with their leader.

--

Whirl perches on the walkway near the medic, stretching his frame down precariously to corner Ratchet against his terminal. “Oi, Doc-bot, dig the new frame, didn’t recognize you at first. You look great, like you’re not about to keel over of old age,” He presses closer uncaring of his invasion of the medic’s personal space, and continues speaking in a conspiratorial whisper. “This planet blows , when are we going back to the Lost Light ?” “What are you ta-“ Whirl drowns him out, raising his voice in such an exaggerated manner it can only come out as if he’s trying to ward off any eavesdroppers. In the most suspicious way possible. “Boy! I sure do love Earth, and it’s many little squishable fleshies .” He fixes his unsettling optic on the only other unfortunate occupant of the room. Fowler shifts uncomfortably, passing Ratchet a confused glance before slinking back into the elevator. Apparently satisfied with that, Whirl pokes a claw against Ratchet’s chassis. “I figured you wouldn’t want to associate with me in front of these pansies,” It’s said casually enough, but like anything from Whirl’s vocoder, it doesn’t make sense. The blue mech glances about the room, as if expecting someone to barge in. “I’ll forgive you for avoiding me, after you snag some energon sticks for me from Eyebrow’s office once we’re back on the ship.” Ratchet tries to get a word in, but Whirl just keeps on talking. “I did a lil sleuthing earlier, and it looks like the cruddy invention Brainstorm definitely said I could test didn’t make the trip.” Whirl shrugs, the motion tipping his frame further into Ratchet’s bubble. “My comm is busted, you’ll have to call up the ship. Make ‘em take a detour for us, well for you , they’re probably happy I’m gone.” Mounting confusion spills over into spite. A sneer finds its home on the medic’s faceplate. He catches one of Whirl’s claws in his servo and shoves it away from himself, causing the other to have to steady himself so as to not tumble down from his perch. “I may be a doctor, but I am most definitely not obligated to put up with your unhinged rambling,” Ratchet growls out, crossing his arms over his chassis. A flutter of his spark urges him to be silent, he ignores it. “Allow me to make this very clear, Whirl: I. Am. Not. Going. Anywhere. Especially not with the likes of someone like you . Nor will I be aiding you in whatever delusional plan you’ve concocted. You’re barely welcomed here as it is, we all know empurata singles out the worst of us.” ‘That isn’t true.’ Whirl freezes. In that moment Ratchet knows instantly he just made a grave mistake. Shame grips his spark and he flounders for an appropriate apology. It’s much too late, the damage done starts a domino effect in Whirl’s frame. That golden optic narrows into a tiny fiery pinprick, and somehow that was more terrifying than the gun barrels humming beneath his cockpit. Like a switch had just been flipped his entire demeanor changes. Plating bristles in a quick flare that rolls over his protoform, leaving the rotormech looking disheveled and wild. “What.” Low and unnerving like danger lurking behind the next corner. His slitted optic burns molten, and his previously blank EM field slams into Ratchet’s aggressively. The medibot chokes on air, flinching into the terminal which offers no protection. EM fields weren’t used often anymore, and especially not like this. Empurata victims weren’t even suppose to have non-static EM fields, Whirl had to be manufacturing his negative field on purpose. Claws sear inches away from the medibot’s abdominal plating, rending deep into the terminal below. The machine shuts off with a desperate hiss of static, and the medic wonders if he’ll meet his end in the same manner. Plating flared, the enraged rotormech crowds impossibly closer. “I don’t care if you want to stay here, what matters is I don’t . If you wanna abandon the crew that’s whatever , but if you think I’m down to rust on this dumbaft planet because you want to go back to being Prime’s pet you’ve got another thing coming. And that thing is my pede straight up your aft with all those pipes you’ve got stuffed there.” Ratchet swallows a great gulp of air that stutters in his vents wildly, his bright blue optics cycling wide.The rotormech watches. “Huh. I expected you to hit me by now.” Whirl taps a short rhythm into Ratchet’s chassis, acting as if they were having a friendly chat rather than some sort of rage induced confrontation. His nonchalance sets a cold burn through the medic’s lines. ”I just threatened you, where’s the wrench? Or does Prime have you on such a short leash you’re just going to sit there, and let me tear you a new one?” Oh he certainly wants to retaliate, to shout, to push Whirl back, to get angry, to call for help, to do something , but he’s frozen. That EM field smothers him, embroiled thick with bloodlust. He’s scared. Utterly so. It brings forth a surge of old memories from his rookie years. The horror then, at being discovered by decepticons while his frantic servos were buried deep in the greying chassis of his dying patient, that fervent terror had not been for his own wellbeing. After that he couldn’t fathom fearing for himself at the same level as he did for others. But now...? An overwhelming sense of danger sees fit to drown him in its call, like the gnawing teeth of a steel trap awaiting the slightest breath to clamp down on his ridged form. It doesn’t appear to be the reaction Whirl wanted. Unexpectedly the rotormech withdraws. His plating shunts back onto his protoform in rapid clicks, and he shambles off the walkway disjointedly, as if distracted. Whirl pauses, large claws hanging limp at his sides, staring Ratchet down in the ebbing wake of his fury. Then he leaves.

--

That didn’t go down like it should have. What was it about this planet that made everybody so weak? Himself included, because for whatever reason that look on Ratchet’s faceplate had made him feel weird . He wouldn’t go so far as to call it guilty, but it was definitely...unpleasant. A far cry from the shirking glee he’d normally experience when garnering fear from others. He didn’t like it, he didn’t like it at all. 

--

   In the darkness a hulking silver mech regards his favored subordinate in front of him. Recent events found him surveying a mass grave brought about a single mech on a rampage. The mine was a loss to be pitied, but the information gained here was enthralling. “So, Starscream wasn’t lying about the rogue autobot?” Red optics glitter with twisted delight. Upon a screen serving as a sleek mech’s face, a shaky cell phone video focuses on a mass of blue metal rising up from the ground, before taking to the sky. Sharp denta bare a serrated grin at the sight. “And a flier no less, how interesting .”

[seaweedsawyou]

On Daytrippers: A Grand Unifying Theory

Thesis:

St Dunstan and his devil were a shaman-rock pair (functionality wise).

The dying god is the devil.

St Dunstan is a town.

Keywords: sappy, tragic for eternity, whale fall, place-as-character.

Facts:

St Dunstan was locked in combat/contact with a devil for a while

Devil begged for one kind mercy

St Dunstan showed them into a body of water

Whenever the GOD NOISE occurs, it is accompanied by something big falling into water

St Dustan died in 998 and there is a statue of him

He did not want to leave devil alone

He declared Alice his successor

The town was founded in 11th century and is itself a god death spell

It is constantly moving through dimensions

Interpretation:

Grounding Point

The first claim is the least controversial one. St Dunstan spent a long time holding his devil with a pair of tongs. He refused to be lead into murky depths, but would follow his devil there on his own accord. He saw the thread between them and forged a sword to cut it - to no avail.

Once Hana becomes the conduit of the meta-narrative of the universe (rip queen long live exposition), she, firstly, calls Kane a man deluding himself into thinking he's god. Then, once he cracks in half, she sees purple light leaving his body. It is more likely that the purple is magical life energy, but the parallel is nice. Lastly, she tells us that the shaman-rock bond is at least 5 thousand years old.

That is all not to mention the tone of the Yawning Man monologues changes along the temperature of the Kane-Feels relationship throughout the season.

Which dreamed it?

So, which one of you dies and which sets in motion a time loop a thousand years long? Should be easy, shamans cast spells here. However, there had been a plea for mercy, and there had been a huge splash.

Answering his devil's plea, St Dunstan plunges him into the sea, thus ending their decades long stand-off. The god cries, falls into the water and paints it purple. After a while, the rock doesn't even need to push.

Once you find your passion, you find god.

Two of my St Dunstans

St Dunstan knew that he, as a mortal, was finite. As a god, his partner would take a while to die. Leaving him alone to struggle would be cruel. But how to extend a life of a mortal? By becoming something else, of course.

Flesh is unreliable, so you can replace it with metal. The breath that will leave your lungs can go through the pipes of an organ. The strength that will leave your arms can make the iron bells ring each night. The dirge they play can serve as both attraction and instruction to the new settlers.

The table is set. Give food to those that fear you.

Conclusion:

St Dunstan the person was a god killing instrument. Twomy St Dunstan's the town was a god killing ritual. Every day is a funeral, and the town prepares a eulogy. Its personification, the statue of St Dunstan, reads it. Each day it's a little bit different. Purple light, the shaman's magic, is released at 19:58, and flows along electric wires into the town, his rock, which grounds it like electricity. The residuals are consumed by carrion eaters and scavengers that swarm the place in hopes for an easy meal - god falls, just like whale falls, are crucial for the twilight zone ecosystem.

Once the ritual is over, all can rest. Even though I haven't even mentioned that Alice is the new rock to Hana's back up shaman, but that is a story for another possible future.

[ichayalovesyou]

hi you know loads of stuff about vulcans, do you know anything abt their funerals? particularly songs/poems they might recite? i know neelix sang part of a funeral dirge in voyager but i can't find any others.

Vulcan Funerals

I appreciate the compliment! Unfortunately, aside from the fraction of a funeral dirge we see in Voyager, there is little canonical information on the technical practices. However if you want a funeral dirge for T’Khasi and all the Vulcans who perished when Niro destroyed Vulcan in the Kelvin timeline, check out Nadordatoran na’o T’Khasi by T’Prion. OR if you want to delve into a modern human dirge translated into Vulcan, Denatonia did a cover of How To Save A Life by The Fray (which I nicknamed Remembering A Friend in my head, because of the slight change of lyrics in the translation).

Here is all the information we have on Vulcan funerary practices to make up for the tragic lack of canonical music! (Star Trek II & III, & Star Trek: Enterprise & TNG spoilers ahead!)

The most we know about Vulcan funerary practices we can extrapolate from Spock’s death (and resurrection) in Wrath of Khan & The Search For Spock. As well as the temples Mount Seleya & T’Karath Sanctuary, the existence of Katric Arks, and the knowledge of Surak’s Disciple, T’Klass’s body. On top of all that, parallels to human cultures.

The starting point of a Vulcan death is the transference of the Katra (if possible) or the Vulcan soul. When a Vulcan knows they will die soon, they transfer their Katra to another individual. Sarek’s accusations toward Jim in The Search For Spock, and Spock’s internal commentary in the Wrath of Khan novelization imply a few things. That the carrier of the deceased’s Katra must be trained or at least prepared, and close to the deceased, physically if not emotionally. Spock ruled out Saavik because he wasn’t prepared/close enough, and Jim because he could not get to him in time, choosing then to take the unprecedented act of placing his own Katra into a human, McCoy. I only say unprecedented because Syrran put someone else’s Katra, Surak’s, into Archer’s mind before his death, forfeiting the chance to preserve his own Katra.

It is a notable fact that Katras have a significant mortality rate, resulting in the true and permanent death of a Vulcan, especially when off-world or not amongst their own people. Many things can go wrong. A Vulcan cannot transfer their Katra if they die suddenly and unexpectedly. The Katra can also be lost if they fail to transfer it to another host properly, or if the host dies before transferring the Katra to a practitioner. Who knows how to transfer the Katra to a Katric Ark, like the priestesses at Mt. Seleya. Even then, the only known successful Katric Ark transfer and maintenance of a Katra was Surak’s, all other discovered Katric Arks have appeared empty.

That being said, there may be rituals and alternatives. Such as the deceased’s Katra selecting loved ones to be transferred to over time (whose Katra gets transferred upon death may vary) almost like a sort of Soul Swap Meet. Alternatively a ritualistic releasing of a Katra if one does not believe in the merit of Katric Arks or wish to burden loved ones/future generations with sustaining their Katra. We see evidence of the first example in The Guiding Light, when Spock transfers his deceased father’s Katra from Picard to himself. Although we do not know whether Spock still harbors it, or what became of Sarek’s Katra after the scene.

So what happens to the body once the Katra has left or is no more? The only funeral/burial for a Vulcan we see in-canon is Spock’s. His is more of a generic Federation burial-at-sea with no other Vulcans present aside from Saavik, I do not think we can use his funeral as a quintessential example. Although I do think it’s worth noting he is interred in his Kohlinar robe, this may be a legitimate practice even for those who did not complete Kohlinar to be buried in their robe, or it may have just so happened to be the most appropriate clothing he had aboard to be buried in (by human standards, I’m sure it was at least not disrespectful, I’m sure Saavik would’ve said something otherwise).

The only named body we ever see interred however is T’Klass. His mummified remains entombed at the T’Karath Sanctuary along with the Kir’Shara. This implies that mummification, at least for highly regarded members of Vulcan spiritual/philosophical society, was a sacred (if not common practice).

T’Karath Sanctuary also contains catacombs, we do not know who else is interred there, it may only be a burial place for Vulcans of T’Klass’s stature, or of slightly less importance but still revered, that are also mummified, likely not members of the common population. I have a theory based on the logical philosophy of modern Vulcan, and the way the cycles of life are regarded in the (fan authored) Kir’Shara chapter, The Thread of Life. Vulcans may actually practice a form of Sky Burial for those who are not interred with the same pomp and circumstance as the Vulcan spiritual elite. Sky Burial is a type of excarnation (removing the flesh and organs from the body before burial) practiced in Tibet on Earth, or, perhaps in addition to excarnation, Vulcans may practice cremation.

Possible Burial Styles (Fanon)

Sky Burial/Excarnation- the body is left in a chosen excarnation place (in Tibetan practice the body is taken to a mountain top, like Mt. Seleya on Vulcan) to be stripped of its flesh by natural elements, predators & carrion eaters until only the skeleton remains, which is then interred in local/familial catacombs or other burial places. This idea coming from the Logic in sustaining the ecosystems of Vulcan with the flesh that the Katra no longer has need of, the same result could come from donating one’s remains to science as well (for educational or scientific purposes), perpetuating the axiom that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one, where the need for the body no longer exists other than its natural course of consumption and decay.

Cremation- Fire and heat are no rare commodities on Vulcan, and this practice could potentially be done post excarnation or perhaps in some cases instead of. The Fire Plains are a sacred place that we see in Enterprise, and are part of Falor’s pilgrimage to seek the monks of Kir in the ballad “Falor’s Journey” (as sung by Tuvok in Voyager), I could imagine it being a sacred place of cremation. Perhaps the remains are to be cremated when the Katra is lost or released, whether excarnation still occurs prior is optional. The flames consuming the organic remains is symbolic of sending the body where the Katra has gone, disseminated into infinite oblivion.

[enddaysengine]

Ghastly (Chronicles of Darkness)

Decided to have some fun and write up a Pokémon as a Chronicles of Darkness ghost. Enjoy!

Ghastly

Virtue: Curious

Vice: Spiteful

Aspiration: Scare someone into fainting

Anchor: Tombstone

Attributes: Power 2 Finesse 5 Resistance 1

Influences: Anchor 1, Poison 1

Corpus: 5

Willpower: 6

Initiative: +6

Defence: 5

Speed: 12

Size: 3

Numina: Blast (Poison Cloud), Telekinesis

Manifestations: Twilight Form, Materialize

Essence: 10

Ban: Must materialize when a funeral dirge is played

Bane: Smelling salts

Sin-Eaters know that every ghost is an individual, but that hasn’t stopped Hunters from trying to classify them into groups. One New York Null Mysteriis cell refers to this groups of ghosts as Class III free-roaming mists, but most just call them Ghastly Skulls or Ghastlies. Ghosts in this category were bitter people in life and their poisonous attitude becomes a literal toxic cloud surrounding a floating ebon skull after death. They remain mean and vindictive, but the loss of most of their personality also gives them a child-like curiosity. Ghastlies are know for stick their (metaphorical) noes where they don’t belong.

In The Krewe: Ghastlies don’t normally join Krewes, possessing too weak of an intensity to really participate in its ceremonies. Sometimes, however, they exist nearSin-Eaters who choose to incorporate them into their territory as a guardian. These Ghastlies are plied with Essence and Memories to patrol the territory and investigate strange goings-on before reporting back to their Bound patrons.

As a Familiar: Mages don’t often take on Class III’s as familiars, but those who do find them to be useful pets. An inquisitive Ghastly is a natural fit for mage’s obsessions, while the familiar bond reinforces the ghost’s personality, allowing it to deviate from its routines more easily. While Death-oriented mages are the obvious match, Matter and Life mages have much to study in a Ghastly’s poison cloud, while Mind mages are often intrigued by their powerful emotions.

[crimson-elegy]

Pyrrhic

Post-Dirge Vincent Valentine - self-indulgent stream-of-consciousness and establishment of an 'untethered' timeline.

Pyrrhic victory, second chances, unlocked memories, broken promises, a failed (successful) suicide mission.

Culmination.

Cataclysm.

A shattered sky. Inverted and bowing with gravity, pulling the atmosphere down into an apocalyptic maelstrom once again, and once more with a planetary force rising. Underground twisted above ground in an endless web of green. Cavernous, gaping, yawning, burning, impossible geometry at an impossible scale towering to the heavens from the depths of Hell, ascending with the final hopes and machinations of the mad.

It had all come crashing down - the enemy without, the cancer within, the deceit and lies and horror and sins festering even in the light of holy providence.

Lives stolen and sundered.

Broken land. Broken dreams. Broken people. Their song, a dirge, coursed through wretched veins, relentless, irresistible. A call to Chaos, to the End, its herald, its harbinger, intertwining tortured flesh made immortal with terrible deeds.

That was what they wanted. To purge every living thing, leave Gaia a broken husk.

A machine of the Planet's making bloated with death, budding from her skin like a mosquito from stagnant water, soaring to some other world.

This was their ambition, a glimpse of horrifying clarity. A vessel for their chosen few, robbing everyone who was ever born, who had ever died, of their chances of rebirth into the light. The elemental, chthonic thing twined around his soul was to be their key.

“Are sins ever forgiven?” his mako-eyed compatriot asked once, awash in the numinous light of the forest outside the Forgotten City, glowing trees bent toward the glassy surface of the placid lake. Quiet and still but restless with bloodshed and grief.

Aerith was committed to the Lifestream here. Interred.

Tseng and Elena had been tortured nearly to death. Vincent could not let that stand--he brought them here. Nor could he allow Strife to perish at the Remnants’ hands. Action rather than artifice. It felt right. An allowance for the Turks. Nod to camaraderie from before their time, an unbroken thread.

“I’ve never tried,” he responded, aware of the breath of ghosts, the weight of failure dogging the young man’s every step. Cloud blamed himself for her death. Let it consume him. Vincent understood intimately.

Sin for the sin-eater who let the uncomfortable silence stretch with the weight of a burning gaze, even as little Marlene huddled in his cloak, sheltering in the wings of the monster.

Guardian demon.

“...Well, I’m gonna try,” Cloud decided.

A little push. A little beat. Still human. Always human. Cloud more than many.

Vincent watched him go. Watched him return to their little found family, the slender red (pink) tether binding them together. Even him. Obsession, love, and loss.

A counterbalance. The urge to leave. The compelling call.

Back to Midgar to see it through.

He had to make it right. Had to make it matter. An exercise of will adamantine despite a crucible of torture decades in the making.

Penance for the wasted years. Absolution in a final blow. Peace for the ones who, despite everything, called him mentor, friend, even as he kept them at arm’s length for their own safety, that he would not infect them with his own misery as surely as Geostigma gnawed at their souls.

And oh, how uncovered truths, recovered memories, resonated.

A s c e n d.

Let go. Embrace the Becoming, the demon, eldritch creature, force of destruction. Seize control of the Weapon, a reaper’s scythe turned against its purpose.

Shatter the shield.

Break the barrier.

Infernal shadow burned a crimson streak from the stratosphere, plunging like a blade into the whirling churning gyre, into the maw of madness, into certain sacrifice, severing the strings that set this in motion.

The report of gunfire - staccato thunder, elemental and pure.

The flap of wings - a surge of strength, supped upon the anguish and the rage and all of the beautiful broken glimpses between.

The sting of shrapnel and debris as the construct split and wavered and crumbled and roared. It had to be enough.

Had to be -

Felled.

Fallen.

White. A titan’s shattered skeleton hanging in the atmosphere. An explosion of Lifestream raining back to earth.

F  A    L       L          I            N              G

Free.

------------------

Flash.

Weightless in a cloud-strewn sky, a cool night colder still at speed. Vast and open and empty in the whip of air past senseless ears, the flap of tattered fabric trailing like a pennant, of leathery skin pulled tight around arms composed for a funeral.

If this is purgatory, he could know such peace as a blessing. He could sleep amid the white noise and the static, more a comfort than the uneasy silence of a cursed mansion muffled through cushioned coffin walls.

Seconds, minutes, hours, he has no concept of time.

[Wake up.]

"...No."

This is good. Better than he deserves, really, but he'll just have to accept it.

For once.

Something earned.

A mission seen through to the end.

But then -

[It isn’t over.]

SLAM

Metal punctures ruined metal, the briefest resistance to terminal velocity loud as artillery.

[We cannot rest.]

Crimson eyes slant open, burning gold seething around pupils, his voice, its voice, one and indivisible. Cool and windy becomes hot and close as he splits through the still-belching smoke of a raging fire.

[You cannot rest.]

Meteoric his body plunges down, down, down into the sprawling abyss, the green-lit network of pipes and valves and technology pumping like a great eight (seven) valved heart in the middle of a wasteland of its own making.

SLAM

Pierced steel crumples, shatters.

Inclinations to slow, to stop, come far too late.

Gravity takes its due.

By the time diabolical limbs open to seize air, there is not enough to catch. The slums are there. Right there, wreckage in spires of rust.

CRASH

A blink, a heartbeat. Debris tumbles, clatters, crunches into a crater, and something pulls.

Wrenches.

A sudden and momentous stop, crushing, bone-deep.

...and despite every instinct to remain silent clenching too-sharp teeth together, an inhuman howl escapes, spiraling off into the smoggy dark, rattling, echoing through shuttered homes and abandoned places.

Brass-capped claws curl around the point of white-hot pain emerging from his abdomen, finding blackened rebar slick with blood.

Heels scuff into the dust, walking forward, pulling free of his impalement with a fleshy shlock. Contorted grey-banded muscle recedes into corpse-pale skin, disgorging debris and leaving the shape of a disoriented man behind to gather his bearings.

Alive.

Awake.

Elsewhere.

Elsewhen.

[ask-the-crimson-king]

More Stuff from Betrayer

[While on the topic, I want to show the various humans out there a very interesting scene out of Betrayer.

Two, technically, but one that's a bit longer than the other. Image IDs will be provided at the end of the post, cause there's going to be a LOT.

Some interesting insights into how Lorgar views Chaos and a bit about the Emperor as well. I always find this scene to be fascinating, especially since he's borrowed the astropathic choir of the Conquerer to listen to worlds dying across Ultramar while he muses on this.

And then there's when Angron walks up.

Some interesting, albeit a bit morbid, banter between brothers. I do like how Angron even greets Lorgar on the way in, and Lorgar is just standing there stunned. The insights into how Angron views the Devourers is also neat, and it is to be expected at this point. Lorgar trying to argue for them and trying to get Angron to stop ignoring them outright is another neat touch.

The two begin talking of Ultramar, and Lorgar reveals that Nuceria is going to be the capstone for his ritual. Angron asks why, and the following is said:

I like this passage for a few reasons. Firstly, how Angron "dreams" has always been something of interest to me. Because I doubt he ever really gets much rest and respite. Here we get some insight into this, although this also was already expressed a bit earlier. This passage also leads into Angron's recollection of the Night of the Wolf, but I wanted to focus on this.

Lorgar and Angron's "bond" is something that's always intrigued me. It definitely feels more one-sided, with Lorgar seeking for brotherhood that isn't really there, but there are a few moments to make it feel a bit more genuine. However, there is still something missing from these interactions. I can't really describe it other than a barrier between two primarchs who will never see eye-to-eye. Lorgar does, to his credit, try to be understanding and patient throughout, but I can also definitely feel his annoyance coming through at certain places.

In a way, I can almost feel a similar sort of vibe to how Magnus interacts with some of his brothers. Namely with Perturabo in one of the opening chapters of his primarch novel. However, the bond between those two is still very different from the one Angron has with Lorgar; those two actually do have a deep connection, while these two don't. There's a misunderstanding and underestimation coming from both sides in certain aspects; Lorgar in almost sounding condescending to Angron, and Angron still thinking Lorgar a weakling.

TL;DR, Betrayer good.

Image IDs below the cut:

Image ID 1 & 2: A scene from Betrayer where Lorgar is standing and listening to worlds burn. It reads:

Serving as conductor for an astrological orchestra was more taxing than he’d dreamed, though his blunter, more militant brothers would struggle to grasp the finer points of his efforts. Exhaustion left him wondering, even if only briefly, whether absolute peace would create a stellar song as divinely inspired as absolute war. Fate had played its hand and Chaos was destined to swallow all creation whether or not Horus and Lorgar raged against the Imperial war machine, but if what if they’d stayed loyal to the Emperor? What then? Would the Great Crusade have shaped a serene funeral dirge, to play behind the veil as humanity died in a defenceless harrowing?

Therein lay the fatal flaw. The Emperor’s way was compliance, not peace. The two were as repellent to one another as opposing lodestones. It didn’t matter what enlightenment the Imperium stamped out in its conquering crusade when obedience was all its lords desired. It didn’t matter what wars were fought from now into eternity. The Legiones Astartes would always march, for they were born to do so. There would always be war; even if the Great Crusade had been allowed to reach the galaxy’s every edge, there would never be peace. Discontent would seethe. Populations would rebel. Worlds would rise up. Human nature eventually sent men and women questing for the truth, and tyrants always fell to the truth.

No peace. Only war.

Lorgar felt his blood run cold. Only war. Those were words to echo into eternity.

He didn’t trust the Ten Thousand Futures the way Erebus claimed to. Too many possibilities forked from every decision made by every living thing. What use was prophecy when all it offered was what might happen? Lorgar was not so devoid of imagination that he needed the warp’s twisting guesswork to show him that. Anyone with an iota of vision could imagine what might happen. Genius lay in engineering events according to one’s own goals, not in blindly heeding the laughter of mad gods.

More than that, Lorgar sought to keep one thing in mind above all else. The gods were powerful, without doubt, but they were fickle beings. Each worked against its own kin more often than not, spilling conflicting prophecies into their prophets’ minds. Perhaps they weren’t even sentient in the way a mortal mind could encompass. They seemed as much the manifestations of primal emotion as they did individual essences.

But no, there was a wide gulf between hearing them and heeding them. Gods lied, just like men. Gods deceived and clashed and sought to advance their own dominions over their rivals’. Lorgar trusted none of their prophecies.

Image ID 3-5: A series of screenshots from Betrayer. Angron comes into the scene. It reads:

Angron entered the basilica, armoured in his usual stylised bronze and ceramite and with two oversized chainswords strapped to his back. He even wasted time with a greeting, raising his hand in the first time Lorgar could ever remember such a gesture from his broken brother. The Word Bearer tried not to let his amazement show at his brother’s new consideration.

‘Lotara says you stole her astropathic choir.’ Angron’s lipless smile was a ghastly thing indeed. ‘I see that she may have been correct.’

‘Stole is a strong word. “Appropriated” seems much less ignoble.’ Lorgar spared a glance for the skies above the cathedral, as the Lex ripped onwards towards Nuceria.

‘What do you need them for?’ Angron asked. His wounds from being buried alive had already faded to scrunched scar tissue pebbling his flesh, just another host of scarring to overlay the last.

The Devourers lurked behind him, stomping into the cathedral without the primarch sparing them a glance. To be one of Angron’s bodyguards was no honour, despite how fiercely the World Eaters’ champions had fought for it in the first, optimistic years. Angron ignored them no matter where they went, never once fighting alongside them in battle. In their Terminator plate, they’d never managed to keep up with their liege lord, and they were as prone to losing control as any other World Eater, meaning any hope of them fighting as an organised pack was a forlorn one at best.

Lorgar watched the Devourers – those warriors who’d spent a century learning to swallow their pride and pretend they weren’t ignored – speaking amongst themselves at the basilica’s entrance.

‘Hail,’ he greeted them. They seemed uneasy at being addressed, offering hesitant and wordless bows.

Angron snorted at his brother acknowledging them. ‘Bodyguards,’ he said. ‘Even their name annoys me. “Devourers”, as if I’d named them myself – as if they were the Legion’s finest.’

‘Their intentions are pure,’ Lorgar pointed out. ‘They seek to honour you. It’s not their fault you leave them behind in every battle.’

‘They’re not even the Legion’s fiercest fighters, any more. That rogue Delvarus refuses to challenge for a place in their ranks. Khârn laughed when I asked him if he’d ever considered it. And do you know Bloodspitter?’

‘I know Bloodspitter,’ Lorgar replied. Everyone knew Bloodspitter.

‘He beat one of them in the pits, and carved his name into the poor bastard’s armour with a combat knife.’

Lorgar forced a smile. ‘Yes. Delightful.’

Angron’s face wrenched again, at the mercy of misfiring muscles. ‘What primarch ever needed guarding by lesser men?’

‘Ferrus,’ Lorgar said softly. ‘Vulkan.’

Angron laughed, the sound rich and true, yet harsh as a bitter wind. ‘It’s good to hear you joke about those weaklings. I was getting bored of you mourning them.’

It was no joke, but Lorgar had no desire to shatter his brother’s fragile good humour. ‘I only mourn the dead,’ Lorgar conceded. ‘I don’t mourn Vulkan.’

‘He’s as good as dead.’ The World Eater smiled again. ‘I’m sure he wishes he were. Now, what are you doing with Lotara’s choir?’

‘Listening to them sing of other worlds and other wars.’

Angron stared, unimpressed. ‘Specifics,’ he said, ‘while I have the patience to hear such details.’

‘Just listen,’ Lorgar replied.

Angron did as he was bid. After a minute or more had passed, he nodded once. ‘You’re listening to the Five Hundred Worlds burning.’

‘Something like that. These are the voices of the freshly dead, and those soon to join them. The mortis-moments of random souls, elsewhere in Ultramar, as our fleets ravage their worlds.’

‘Morbid, priest. Even for you.’

‘We’re inflicting this destruction on them. We mustn’t consider ourselves distant from it. It may not be our hands holding the bolters and blades, but we are still the architects of this annihilation. It’s our place to listen to it, to remember the martyred dead, and to meditate on all we’ve wrought.’

‘I wish you well with it,’ said Angron. ‘But why steal Lotara’s choir? What happened to yours?’

‘They died.’

It was Angron’s turn to be surprised. ‘How did they die?’

‘Screaming.’ Lorgar showed no emotion at all. ‘What brings you here, brother?’

Image ID 6 & 7: Two screenshots from later in the previous scene, when Angron asks 'Why Nuceria?'. It reads:

‘The metaphysics are complicated,’ said Lorgar.

That had Angron growling. ‘I may not have wasted days in debate with you and Magnus inside our father’s Palace, but the Nails haven’t left me an absolute fool. I asked the question, Lorgar. You answer it. And do so without lying, if you can manage such a feat.’

The Word Bearer met his brother’s eyes, and the rarely-seen palette of emotions within their depths. Pain was there in abundance, but so was the frustration of living with a misfiring mind, and the savagery that transcended anger itself. Angron was a creature that had come to make his hatred a blade to be used in battle. He’d weaponised his own emotions, where most living beings were slaves to theirs. Lorgar couldn’t help but admire the strength in that.

‘We’re going to Nuceria,’ he said, ‘because of you. Because of the Nails.’

Angron stared, and his silence beckoned for his brother to continue.

‘They’re killing you,’ Lorgar admitted. ‘Faster than I thought. Faster than anyone realised. The rate of degeneration has accelerated even in the last few months. Your implants were never designed for a primarch’s brain matter. Your physiology is trying to heal the damage as the Nails bite deeper, but it’s a game of pushing and pulling, with both sides evenly matched.’

Angron took this with an impassive shrug. ‘Guesswork.’

‘I can see souls and hear the music of creation,’ Lorgar smiled. ‘In comparison, this is nothing. The Twelfth Legion’s archives are comprehensive enough, you know. Your behaviour tells the rest of the tale, along with the pain I sense radiating from you each and every time we meet. Your entire brain is remapped and rewired, slaved to the implants’ impulses. Tell me, when was the last time you dreamed?’

‘I don’t dream.’ The answer was immediate, almost fiercely fast. ‘I’ve never dreamed.’

Lorgar’s gentle eyes caught the warp’s kaleidoscopic light as he tilted his head. ‘Now you’re lying, brother.’

‘It’s no lie.’ Angron’s thick fingers twitched and curled, closing around the ghosts of weapons. ‘The Nails scarcely let me sleep. How would I dream?’

Lorgar didn’t miss the rising tension in his brother’s body language – the veins in his temples rising from scarred skin, the feral hunch of the shoulders, no different from a hunting cat drawing into a crouch before it struck.

‘You once told me the Nails stole your slumber,’ Lorgar conceded, ‘but you also said they let you dream.’

Angron took a step closer. He started to say ‘I meant…’ but Lorgar’s earthy glare stopped him cold.

‘They give you a serenity and peace you can find nowhere else. Humans, legionaries, primarchs… everything alive must sleep, must rest, must allow its brain a period of respite. The remapping of your mind denies you this. You don’t dream with your eyes closed. You dream with your eyes open, chasing the rush of whatever peace the Nails can give you.’ Lorgar met Angron’s eyes again. ‘Don’t insult us both by denying it. You slaver and murmur when you kill, mumbling about chasing serenity and how close it feels. I’ve heard you. I’ve looked into your heart and soul when you’re lost to the Nails. Your sons, with their crude copies of your implants, have their minds rewritten to feel joy only in adrenaline’s kiss. Those lesser implants cause pain because they scrape the nerves raw, thus your World Eaters kill because it gladdens their reforged hearts, and ceases the pain knifing into their muscles. Your Butcher’s Nails are a more sinister and predatory design, ruining all cognition, stealing any peace. They are killing you, gladiator. And you ask why I’m taking you back to Nuceria? Is it not obvious?’

End Image ID.]