#arknights babbling

[exoticalmonde]

Arknights Chapter XIII - The Whirlpool That Is Passion (Part IV)

Wow, relishing the Logos art while also staying tuned to what happens in the chapters for REAL this time? Well, all I can say before we continue is a reminder:

WARNING: This post is going to contain a lot of yapping from me about Hoederer and how much I love him and will also have a LOT of spoilers.

This kind of reminds me of 'The Lion's Song' because there was a person there, I think, who wanted to commemorate all the soldiers' lives in paintings I think. Those who passed away in the war he'd send to their families. But I don't remember how that ended honestly...

---

Sometimes I forget their dynamic and because I don't usually use W and don't pay attention to her that much (considering she is Pinkie's crazy wife to deal with), she ends up saying something so out of the left field I get vertigo.

"GOOD NEWS THOUGH-" **Insert explosion**

W: [Hard to say. There's an old hag kind of keeping me at arm's length from their beloved 'Doctor'.]

Yes, and boy do I feel safe with her.

W.

I will learn to use the word lollapalooza unironically.

HAVE ANY OF YOU HEARD OF A WAY TO KILL A LITCH?

YEAH? IS IT BECOMING PROBLEMATIC NOW?

This is terrible to say and at the meantime gosh has it been since chapter 9 that we have been crying and suffering from litches.

13-2 Before: The Injury At Hand

...

Oh... Oh god what is that?

---

In the following story, we're in the POV of Guard who we know from a couple chapters before, but I forgot about him as a whole. Which I am sorry for, because he's turning out pretty cool. He took part in saving the Doctor from Ursus initially, but after staying behind and being a little affected by the situation and the worsening of the situation leads to the death of Ace and Scout.

Now we are reminded that he's part of Nine's gang - Reunion, or what was left of it, being picked up again after Talula... Who didn't even stay at Rhodes for long enough, she got kidnapped again and is basically being used as some type of glue for the group even though she is falling apart herself, not willing to off herself but not wanting to continue the same path she was forced to take.

We met him in chapter 7 again before Lungmen and Chernobog were about to crash.

I've also forgotten what is reunion doing here out of all places. They are putting themselves between a rock and a hard place while also saving lives... Since, apparently, Victorians are very openly against the infected and the presence of Litches, Sarkaz and originium in general is going to lead to many, many infected.

---

Not to mention having to leave their homes. I know I will lose my soul if I actually have to abandon my house for any reason. They just get what they can use, not just something they find precious that should be carried, and they have to leave. Marauders could be in any corner, you can't really take valuables, so you just have your life, some clothes, perhaps enough food until you HOPE you find somebody who can help.

---

I love the hair gel detail, why is everybody talking about this now? What does it matter if your hair looks good or not, you are half-dead 63% of the time! We all have depression and look after each other only because it's easier than to allow yourself to affect the mentality of someone else by being allowed to slack off.

---

Oh no, he has a headache. You have been assigned the Ebenholz disease.

---

Also, imagine having rock cancer and suddenly the place where you work is like 'No, you don't actually get insurance for *checks list* dying, so it would be best if you get fired and maybe go home to see your kids for like 2 days before perishing because we have NOTHING to help with.'

That's the type of health-ism we are talking about.

---

Unfortunately, Guard decided that just searching for medicine, meddling in politics, meeting people, going on operations, saving people, treating people for free most of the time, hiring operators and ALL WE ARE TRYING TO DO. Is not enough. Infected need the aggression, to put themselves out there and...

We see how different the Sarkaz and general Infected are, and both sides take different approaches with the same outcome. It's tragic and useless, and it creates even more problems that are hard to mend in the hearts of people who are afraid.

[firebornamari]

So many skins!!

Of course I bought courier, gnosis, and tequila. I already had silverash of course. Though I do want to get paraminx and cliffhearts too to "complete the set" if you will, but I don't use them enough to warrant it.

[everytingbagl]

doujin community 😭😭

[breezy-cheezy]

@forwantofacalling here's an ATTEMPT....angular honse.

(tbh I've been told I draw really round faces ALOT so it's hard for me to. See it. You do get messier blockier shading tho so WOO)

[finalgirlwave]

arknights is funny bc the popular characters are like girl with big booba, girl who is evil, girl who could bench press u without breaking a sweat, and slightly pathetic depressed middle aged man

[xekstrin]

[loriannbowman]

Honkai Star Rail X Arknights | Yandere!Sunday X Sankta!Reader | Part Four

To those who are leaving such nice comments, thank you. Sorry for the long wait, my brain needs time to warm up before it can even start cooking.

@sarcastic-cookie

I don't know if I linked this right... but I hope I did. Anyway Onto the read!

The conversation between you and Sunday continued for a while, more than an hour seems to pass in the blink of an eye. This conversation was only on your side of the story, hardly ever touching on Sunday's own background and knowledge. This doesn't seem very fair to you.

"So," you say causally, "Are you ever gonna tell me what's going on here? Or with you? I can't just keep babbling about myself forever, ya'know."

Sunday hums lightly, his eyes closed in a serene thought. A gentle light seems to emit from above him, casting an aethereal halo around his frame.

After a moment, Sunday lets out a deep sigh. He opens his deep gold-blue eyes and stare directly into yours. His gaze is deep and almost intimate.

"I guess I should begin, yes? I would have to start all the way to the beginning of Penacony..."

His voice is soft and sweet, very appropriate for the angel looking man. His demeaner and elegance is almost intimidating for your casual and crass nature.

"Penacony was originally a planet that acted as a prison - that's where it got it's name - a colony of penal labourers. However, the great aeon, Xipe, and their great Memoria, allowed the remolding of Penacony into what it is today, though, this is heavily simplified."

"Who is... Sheep-A?"

Sunday chuckles, however it has a lingering of darkness hiding withing his heavenly voice.

"Xipe is an Aeon, THE Aeon of Harmony. They are a being of high stature, one that one can only hope to be blessed by one day."

Before he can ramble on, what you can only think is cult-like devotion, you have to ask.

"What... is an Aeon? Is it like... a god? Are they like Kjeragandr or Sui?"

Sunday only smiles and tilts his head, an unidentifiable aura surrounding him.

"I guess you could call them that. They are our being of worship here on Penacony. They are the reason the dreamscape exists in the first place."

"Oh, I think I get it. Cool. Sorry for the interruption. You can continue..." you say sheepishly.

"It's truly alright. Wanting to learn more about Xipe is only a natural thing.

"Anyway, during the creation of Penacony as it is now, five main family arose to take on governmental leadership. These families include: the Iris Family, the Bloodhound Family, the Alfalfa Family, the Nightingale Family, and of course, the Oak Family."

"The one you're head of."

"Yes, that is correct," he smiles, "You have a good memory."

You simply shrug your shoulders. To be honest, your memory is terrible and only ever remembers the things that interest you - and the study of Oripathy.

"Let's continue, shall we? Let me explain the dreamscape, though this might take a bit of explaining to do."

"Sure, I guess, I have nothing better to do."

Sunday smiles, but his mind is secretly panicking. Soon the "Sun" will rise in only a few system hours, and that will force his curious little stowaway to awaken.

Oh, Lord Xipe, let this time slip by slower

[hime-bee]

(since i know you also have a mega breeding kink, here's some arknights men who i think would have breeding kinks large enough to fucking repopulate the entirety of terra,,)

silverash (wow how original) has such a massive breeding kink that it's not even funny. and he's entirely unashamed about it, huskily cooing at how lovely and adorable you'd be with your tummy all swollen, even when he's balls deep in you and pushing you well into your nth orgasm. each drag of his cock along your walls serves a purpose, acting as a way to remind you that he's the only one who'll ever be able to see you come undone, as well as the only one who can possibly knock you up. and with each load he fucks into you, soothing away your broken sobs from the overstimulation, he's getting pretty successful.

it wasn't młynar's intention to get hooked on the very risky thrill of knocking someone up, much less a woman much younger than him. but the way your cunt hungrily swallows up his dick aaallll the way down to the base and the loud moans you make when the tip keeps bullying its way against your cervix leaves him little room to deny the fact that he gets off on the risk. and, well, the fact that you keep trapping him in leglocks and forcing him to spill everything inside is also a factor. (also did you know that horse pp actually flares during mating to ensure the semen stays inside and the chances of the mare popping out a baby are increased?? hope that fact stays with you the next time you think of the honse uncle >:3c)

despite his well-disciplined and down-to-earth personality, even chong yue isn't immune to the thought of encasing your much smaller body underneath his and filling your pussy with his seed until it takes. plus, given his draconic roots, being endowed with two wonderfully sized lengths gives him all sorts of advantages, especially when you're babbling nonsense as he stretches you wider than you ever thought possible. doesn't really help that ling and nian are eager to become aunties, pestering their dearest brother and you at every opportunity they can get.

lee was nowhere near lowkey when it came to his breeding kink, and he's made it nothing short of becoming your problem. gifted with a lung's hemipenes and kept tucked safely within a cozy little vent, he takes every opportunity to fill you to the brim with the promise of making you into a mother. and of course, he played the 'senior citizen' card the first few times he refused to pull out, claiming that he's getting too old to remember (lies) or asking you to "go easy on this old man~" (lies 2x) but can you really blame him? it's not every day he gets lucky with someone as cute and eye-catching as you. plus, those kiddos of his certainly wouldn't mind another addition to their little group.

that charming smile of his did absolutely nothing to prepare you for the depravity that tequila hid behind it. having practically sweet-talked his way into your bed, tequila made short work of ensuring that you'd never look at another man but him. his need to knock you up stemmed from his canine instincts and his need to monopolize you, because all those stewing emotions he's kept buried certainly aren't doing his mentality any good. not that he'd care, especially when he's sunken his teeth into your shoulder as he unceremoniously pushes his knot into you with a lewd pop! and starts filling your pussy to the brim with plenty of his release until it finally takes.

(hope you enjoyed some lil thirsts for these goobers, bc i want all of them to mating press the shit outta me mostly młynar. i would've have added more but its like 4 am as im writing and im very eepy. but hopefully this made ur brain go brrrrrr ♡(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭)

Lati, you didn't have to call me out like that-- 😭😭 You're 100% right tho, I really do and I'm so predictable LMAO

Which is prolly why most of the guys you listed, I've either written, or have a draft planned for 😭 (RIP to my Lee and Tequila fics that haven't seen the light of day smdh). ANYWAY. Continue to cook, chef!! 😩💦💦💦 I wonder what kinda situation the Doctor would have on their hands if more than two Operators were trying to breed em 🤔 Personally, I think they should take turns trying-

(Also, God bless you for providing me and my followers with these scrumptious little meals, it's so nice reading these from you, Lati 😭💞 Especially when all I can really do is read rn-) AND I WILL BE SAVING THESE TOO LOL

[silkflovvers]

Thank you all for putting up with me babbling about rushing through the Stultifera Navis stages. This was like THE rerun I was waiting for and I need to know every little snippet of info or I will perish.

The Aegir mean so much to me and are a big reason why I keep coming back to Arknights I say as if I ever left. I love the story, though I know a lot of people have complaints about it and they have a right to their opinions. SN has had just about everything you could pack into a story that makes me go bonkers (positive), so it's definitely one of my favorites and I wanted to savor it as best as I could. Except work... Did not let me... So I'm trying to do it in the last three days (it is about to be the last day while I'm typing this, though).

From an artist's standpoint... This event really is just like... Masterfully crafted. I love that despite Arknights being a tower defense game, the event lobby actually feels like you are searching for a ship and then checking every room and chasing after seaterrors. It felt immersive where many other events haven't and I love it so much. I will dearly miss the UI once the rerun is over.

[hypaalicious]

hypaa do you ship anyone in arknights??

Top ship for me rn is probably Elysium x Thorns. Like, I just know they are hilarious idk 😂 Thorns calmly dragging Elysium while Ely blithely babbles on at him. Or knowing all Ely has to do is give him the 🥺 face and Thorns begrudgingly folds. I just think they’re neat!

Other than that… well, Arknights is a very gay ass game to me, so all my ships are equally gay! Like Scavenger x Provence, Liskarm x Franka, and Saria x Silence are also ones I think are super cute. OH! Can’t forget Flamebringer x Executor… for no reason except that they both were in Operational Intelligence side story and the art fanartist draw of them just made me dig it 😂 Who DOESN’T love a good angel x devil pairing?

I also ship SilverAsh with myself. Mostly because I have problems. ☺️✨

[ka-za-ri]

*squints* I cannot tell if this is the same anon or not.

Regardless, thank you for your kind words. Providing all of the Simeon goods has been so much fun, there’s no stopping any time soon. Everyone gets some delicious Simeon Sin! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  (uh, there’s also Lucifer and the other boys in here too, I promise... and too much Arknights and OC bullshit for anyone to care LOL) EDIT: Pinging @sugarf4iry​ since they asked to be tagged in Mammon things. Sorry, It totally slipped my mind until just now.

Now for the actual fun stuff:

Tucking their hands beneath the other person’s shirt, just to watch them break the kiss and gasp in surprise at the sensation of cold/warm hands on their skin.

The cold never bothered you as much as it did Mammon. In fact, you embraced winter when it came, often opting to have a window open to let in the blistering cold winds much to his dismay. “You can always put on more clothes. There’s a limit to how many clothes you can take off before it’s considered unacceptable.” You explained while bundled under several layers of blankets and safely snuggled with a hot water bottle underneath. You were completely comfortable, but Mammon thought otherwise.

He could feel the cold draft coming from your room and leaking into the hallway. The rest of the dormitory was toasty and warm until he got within twenty feet of your room. Even with the door closed, the chill seeped out from under the crack and chilled the immediate area around your room. No matter how much the brothers would fret over you getting sick from sitting in such frigid temperatures, you showed no signs of illness thus far. In fact, you felt better than ever.

The crisp, winter air felt so clean and refreshing to you compared to any of the cozy common areas. You knew that out of all your personal quirks, this was one that really left most of the brothers baffled. Still, they let it be for the most part considering you weren’t really hurting anyone and despite being in a practically refrigerated room, you were under the covers and protected yourself just fine. No one had that many issues with your habits.

No one, except for Mammon. He hated how unapproachable you were under seven layers of blankets. He hated that he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as you for more than a few minutes at a time. He absolutely despised that you stole his blanket to add to your collection without asking him. Or, at least he didn’t have any recollection of you asking for it.

“I’m going to need you to return my things.” He announced brusquely one day, flinging open the door to your room and letting a rush of warm air in.

You looked up from the app you had been fidgeting around with on your D.D.D. and poked your head through the layers you were swathed under. “Things? Which one? I’ve borrowed a lot of your things… Some of your accessories… maybe a roll or two of toilet paper, that really cute pair of plush socks you own…” your rambled on, listing all the things you had either asked for or pilfered from him. A fair number of the things you listed he didn’t even remember having.

“My blanket! I need my blankets back!” He finally shouted, interrupting your babbling and grabbing the one on top of the pile you wrapped yourself in and threw it around him. He sighed in relief, getting some protection from the cold of your room. “How do you even live like this?” He chided, striding over and slamming the window closed, much to your disappointment.

“It’s comfy.” you said with a shrug and readjusted your nest of warm things until you felt properly swaddled.

“How??” He sat next to you in the bed. Mammon reached out and tilted your chin towards him. His hand was so warm compared to your face, it almost felt hot, making your skin tingle at his brief touch. “Your nose is all red...” His tone softened when he felt just how chilled you were. If you weren’t clearly very warm under all the blankets, he would have taken it upon himself to carry you to the common area to sit next to a fireplace or something. “Your lips are almost blue...”

“I’m fine...” You reassured and tried to pull away from his grasp, but he remained firm.

“You’re fine, but I still worry.” He said. Even with the windows closed, the room was still cold enough to see his breath as he spoke. “You can’t get sick.”

“I won’t. I haven’t gotten sick yet.”

He didn’t want to hear any protests from you. He was cold, uncomfortable and he couldn’t get close to you due to a barrier of too many blankets in the way. Seriously, how did you even manage to find so many of them? His thumb brushed past your chilled, dry lips and the urge to warm them up became too strong. Barriers be damned, he needed to keep you warm in the only way he knew how to.

He tilted your head to meet his lips and you just about melted from the temperature difference between the two of you. His warm skin sent tingles throughout your skin. Everywhere he touched, there was a trail of fire, melting the ice cold your exposed skin had become. It left you breathless and wanting something more and you leaned into his touches, craving the electricity that came with his touch.

A smugness swelled inside of Mammon as he managed to make you forget about the cold you loved so much, if only for a little bit. The room was finally starting to warm up and he could feel the chill leave your body the more he kissed you. The way you shivered, not from the cold, but from his warmth spread a fuzzy feeling through his chest. He almost felt guilty for worming his free hand, now cold from being exposed to your room for so long, under the blankets and slipping right past the hem of your shirt.

You gasped, pulling away and shrieking from the sudden intrusion upon your cozy personal bubble. Frantically scrambling away from his icy fingers, you pressed yourself against the corner of you bed and pouted at him. A very self-satisfied smile spread across his lips as he watched your reaction to his little prank. “If you don’t want that to happen, maybe don’t keep your room so cold.”

“T-that’s so unfair.” You grumbled, disappearing under your blankets.

Just as you were comfortable again, the cold hand returned grabbing you by your ankle and pulling you fully away from the protection of your blankets. “No, what’s unfair is how you keep hiding from me.” He said smoothly, swooping in for another heated kiss that warmed your whole body through without the help of any blankets.

It took no time at all after that to turn your whole room into a sauna.

[exoticalmonde]

Arknights Chapter XIII - The Whirlpool That Is Passion (Part V)

ALSO, a reminder that I am currently waiting for the new event, so perhaps I am going to move through the story of that before finishing Chapter 13 here. I already got through all the levels, so I need to just read the story. HOWEVER, since this is also a Leithanien event and that means I AM A WINNER (together with Dr. Lundi who is cuffing Arturia to herself to make sure she doesn't run amock), there will be an update about the pulls later.

WARNING: This post is going to contain a lot of yapping from me about Hoederer and how much I love him and will also have a LOT of spoilers.

As I was saying... Health-ism.

---

LIKE WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO YOU SUDDENLY START EXPLODING US ARE YOU NOT HAPPY WITH ALREADY BEING A TORN-DOWN COUNTRY LEAVE THEM ALONE GOOD GOD.

Yeah? They're trying to attack out of nowhere, desperate and mostly just ravaged by the war? Crawled out of the trenches like 3km away? I wonder what could be the reason for Victorians to do that.

---

---

Absolute utter control of the situation, I REALLY regret not paying attention to Guard. One day... One day I will reread everything and perhaps finally start noticing things that are important in the story.

---

I'm so mad. He's the problem. That's the problem. Victoria obviously is not adept at keeping them, just like all the other countries we have seen so far. They never learn.

---

For context, the Angry NCO was asking whether despicable people get infected, or if Infected people are just despicable; and suddenly Guard shoots a:

---

They didn't even get inhibitors. As chaos breaks, people who have never had to hold a weapon suddenly have to face a foe and pull the trigger. Nothing to help them, nothing to make it easier. Simply cannon fodder to buy time until the big pieces come to a conclusion on what they have to do...

But this is how it works.

But what about their backs?

---

First of all - he's a gonner.

Second of all... OH GOD, HE'S A GONNER!!!

---

I was not here for the R6 Siege event where they explained the entire problem with corpses of Infected, and those who did not really notice what was happening with Frostnova at the time couldn't have possibly known either.

The horrifying part about this conversation is the realization that they were lied to: The troops heard explosions, and crackling, the same as the one they are hearing here, but they were told that it was just artillery.

In reality, this is the sound that the bodies begin making when they are ready to erupt. Well... Erupt is not a good word. Explode is an option, but that's too gruesome to imagine. Basically, the bodies of the infected proceed to deteriorate and the sickness spreads so quickly that it becomes unstable, and the way that Oripathy spreads further is by disintegrating the victim into a cloud of originium particles.

This makes it impossible for this body to stay so close to camp being a health hazard for those that have survived and are recuperating. Unfortunately, I feel like they will have to be sent away.

But it's fascinating to see it MENTIONED finally, after so many years of hints.

---

For this level, this is what I have used, but technically speaking all you need is a Mountain, a good sniper, a Mudrock, a good caster and a medic defender. I made Ebenholz hold the bottom line, but then the enemy there slipped and I almost failed at holding him down with Hoederer (who wasn't max level at the time). I also took Heidi (but any bard will do) for the passive healing on Mudrock because she was not enjoying her time back under the cannon.

This is the video I used as a guide.

A reminder that the Environmental Conditions are: Touches of the Sanguinarch have significantly increased HP.

Bring additional blockers with high enough damage to put in front of the bottom blue box so Heidi can kind of heal them while they deal with the problematic ones.

---

13-2 After: The Injury At Hand

But accidents happen...

Ah... canon-typical loss.

[shuttershocky]

Still in awe at the majority of Arknights’ worldbuilding done through character dialogue without making its script sound like incomprehensible babble

[everytingbagl]

what the fuck is this

[exoticalmonde]

Arknights Chapter XIII - The Whirlpool That Is Passion (Part I)

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY AND I WISH ALL THOSE WHO WISH TO BE HOEDERER/VENDELA/VERDANT OWNERS TO BE HAVERS BECAUSE IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY AND I AM SO OVERDUE WITH WRITING THIS ACTUALLY!!!!

WARNING: This post is going to contain a lot of yapping from me about Hoederer and how much I love him and would also have a LOT of spoilers.

I am also a great yume-shipper, so my Dr. and Hoederer are married, that information should help with the weird comments sometimes.

Might make it different parts because all those SS will never fit even up to the part I am right now.

Perhaps first of all I need to mention how the pulling went? Apart from my day being catastrophically long and arduous, I managed to sneak some snacking in-between the one additional hour I had left after returning home.

I was actually shaking. Jittering out of my bones, near-heart attack type of activity was happening on my side of the screen while everybody else watched. I was supposed to take SS of every 10-pull but... I got ahead of myself. I think I had around 130 pulls, excluding the ones that I could buy from the ticket shop and the Originium that I blew for a skin.

I even kind of... Skipped my first Hoederer. The one below is the second one, that I ended my funds for, until I could buy the level 60 pack from the shop.

But we caught the third one.

And as it happens I was underprepared with money and XP cards, though I had all the materials for his skills. Bless the green tickets for allowing me to bulk-buy some of them actually since... My god farming for the RMA70-12 is tedious, fruitless and sad.

If I could get a penny for every single time this loser was being problematic I would have enough to buy them and never have problems again.

In any case, he could be immediately E1 lvl80d, and I have been grinding enough to get him to E2 on the same day. He's currently lvl60, cooking his M3 on S1 with Wishlash giving him a thumbs up every time he pulls out a whole boiled chicken to eat.

Starved Sarkaz, am I right?

Even his little token that you get when he joins you another time... I am actually crying, I love him so much and I am so happy he became playable.

Speaking of, did anybody know that the furniture set is separated into a couple other, smaller sets, or was I supposed to learn this from googling it myself?

Apparently, the whole set is called Mercenaries' Hideout, but the smaller sections of it are:

Writing Is Meaningless

Don't Ever Truly Rest

Secondhand Goods

Maintain Your Health

And I am sitting here, tears in my eyes reading their descriptions... When I first remembered that Chapter 13 was coming with a new set I almost screamed. Dr. Pinkie was making fun of me for calling this jail cell basically the same epithets you would use for a five-star hotel, but it really was close to my heart the way it mixed compact with DIY/'Hey, you'll never guess what I found on the street' kind of interior.

And because it is based around Hoederer, we are going to look through it first and read the descriptions before I actually descend into the story.

Description of the full set reads:

A recreation of a hideout in Kazdel, based on Hoederer's description and a number of additional details provided by Ines. As for anything not recreated from their recollections, it's best not to touch—Anything added by W might just blow up.

I love to imagine that these three have to share a dorm and the Doctor just goes up to Ines and Hoederer and asks if there is anything they can do to make it cosy or somehow homey. Also to think that both of them would have recollections of these 'hideouts' in Kazdel... Meanwhile, W seems like she's never been in those? My memory is kind of fuzzy about just how old the three are in comparison to each other.

Before/After Kazdel is pretty much like Before/After Eve was on the internet.

Basement Flooring:

Flooring that recreates the vibes of the basement where the mercenaries lived back in Kazdel. Ines sometimes muses that the place would be more suitable as a small shop. The two both ignored W's suggestion to sell potatoes there.

Basement Wallpaper:

Wallpaper that recreates the look of the basement where the mercenaries lived back in Kazdel. The gray walls look almost exactly the same as before. This time, when they look out the window, it is not the dust-covered Kazdel that they see.

'Our Current State'

A light tube is attached to a frame haphazardly welded together from multiple iron plates, letting out a warm glow despite its appearance. No matter how unstable it may seem, its light can carry the mercenaries through the dark night.

Somehow this little light contraption is 10000x better than any glaring white LED lightbulb that you could ever introduce to me these days.

Rust-colored Rug

A rug showing signs of age that look almost like rust. For some reason, this makes it blend in with the room's style. Is there a color that better reflects life in Kazdel? At least it's not blood-colored.

WHAT IF I JUST EXPLODE IN TEARS???!!!!????!!!!!

Writing Work Desk

A desk piled with books and documents. There are clear traces of manual craftsmanship. Few of the Sarkaz publications sitting on the desk are actually written in the Sarkaz language.

Hoederer's writing desk, I love him so much. The place he might be writing down the different things he wants to be telling to his class, because you KNOW I will absolutely be filing for sponsorship to get him those books and songs he might want to use. Pull in other Sarkaz on the ship to help. Not sure who I have who could be specifically from Kazdel times, but we will find them for you sweetie.

Intel Organizer

A must-have document pegboard for mercenaries, usually used to confirm target information and locations prior to missions. The photographs are always taken down whenever their owner returns. Yet sometimes, their owner never returns.

... I think I am actually going to die from sadness and we have not even started the chapter yet.

Storage Steel Pipe

A rack welded together from steel pipes and plates, normally used to hang clothes and hats. "How many times do I have to say this? Do not hang your work aprons here!"

I don't know who is speaking but the 'work apron' looks like it's Hoederer's and if I have to assume it's probably Ines who is scolding him about it. Little rebel, does it anyways.

Mercenaries' Bed

A flatbed trolley turned sofa bed. The fabric has frayed, but it is indeed soft and roomy. The broken wheel hubs ensure that it stays in place. For a very long time, this was the only place where the nights were not plagued by nightmares.

Imagine being on your trolley sofa-bed and suddenly RI begins moving because there is an emergency and your silly wheels go squeak-squeak towards the other end of the room at the same speed at which you were sitting still because everything else is moving but the bed is trying to stay at the same spot---

Me: "Do we know how fast RI moves?" Pinkie: "As fast as Czernobog can move towards Lungmen. It has to be fast enough to outrun a tornado." Me: "OH. Alright. Yeah, that makes sense."

"No Overloading"

Originally an exquisite wooden hanging lamp that lets out a warm glow. There are always knickknacks piled on top. It has a warning placed above: "No stacking!" Hoederer asked Ines, "Is this really something we can use?" Ines answered, "Yes."

IS THAT A PHOTO???? IS THAT??? WHAT ARE THEY???? Books???

Simple Study Ceiling Light

A part that the mercenaries removed from who-knows-what and hung from the ceiling. It started glowing, and not only is it very bright, it's also very hot. Ines asked Hoederer, "Is this really something we can use?" Hoederer answered, "Yes."

Hoederer, sweetie, I think if Ines gets to ask 'Can we use this safely?' then perhaps we might not have to use a random fire stick someone found somewhere.

Portable Stove

A stove that's portable, easy to assemble. What's on it likely belongs to a certain dangerous individual. Do not touch. "Oh, the paper in the stove? I ran out of fuel. By the way, Hoederer, you hungry? I cooked some potatoes over there."

YEAH? WITH HIS BOOKS, DIDNT YOU W???

"Versatility"

A bookshelf put together from multiple recycled materials. The lamp at the top was brought back by Ines. She said it was to make it easier to see shadows. The box at the foot of the shelf is full of historical studies.

Yeah, I too need a dowry chest full of books to feel satisfied.

Secondhand File Cabinet

A heavy steel file cabinet containing the historical data of each Sarkaz clan. Today, even the names of many of the clans documented within are indecipherable.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[exoticalmonde]

Arknights Chapter XIII - The Whirlpool That Is Passion (Part III)

Perhaps we are all familiar with this already but I actually spent the time to read it before starting because I didn't want to have yet ANOTHER 'Wow, why did X thing happen?' with Pinkie immediately responding 'Did you read the enemy description?'

WARNING: This post is going to contain a lot of yapping from me about Hoederer and how much I love him and will also have a LOT of spoilers.

13-1 Across the Battlefield's Line

Pinkie: "Dr. Seuss? Like... the one who writes children's books with rhymes?" Me: *Unhappy because from the first moment, I realized that this is Hoederer and he's probably going to start me off with a little trauma and a little loss, a sprinkle of sadness just so I know not to be optimistic about the future*

... I've said it before and I will keep saying it - the history of Sarkaz as a race is so incredibly sad to the point it's a relief that the person you are talking to doesn't actually know who you are because otherwise, they would never treat you with even a smidge of kindness. And in the end, what do you even have to do in a jail cell? He waited around for nothing and got executed.

Of course, not that he had a choice.

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After Hoederer's introspection we have, what I understood to be, a couple of Sarkaz mercs standing and waiting for commands while trying desperately to get something in their stomachs from what they managed to take steal from around. Including some... very important books perhaps from the library of this mansion.

Calfskin books... I can't decide if that would be more precious than paper.

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I believe we spoke with Pinkie about this, but it is so immensely sad to see how the Sarkaz race has been in this situation for so long that they actively do not even NEED to be able to read. I can't imagine myself being unable to read, even if it's signs. Letters. How would they otherwise communicate with each other over a long distance? They don't even have families to message sometimes. They probably don't have the paper or means to send them about, since Catastrophe messengers... would probably never be able to take on such messages.

Many of them probably don't have families either. Devastated.

But with this line, it also gives me hope. Sometimes we take the things we have as a given and, at least I, forget that they still have ways of enjoying things by:

Making up stories based on the drawings they see. Which also makes me happy because books with drawings SHOULD be more of a thing, it's so wonderful. I miss it.

Beleaguered Mercenary: [Y'know. If we put houses on the moons, plant our own food, maybe we won't have to keep fighting like this in the future? Maybe something even bigger'll happen, and everyone'll stop wanting to be up in arms?]

He just solved an international crisis with 2 sentences.

Pinkie: "How to solve the problem - we move to the moon." Me: "Multiple even. I forgot they have two moons." Pinkie: "They have one. It was believed that they had two, but one is only a reflection from the barrier." Me: "OH RIGHT!!! I was a common Terran for a second."

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Not that I was endeared to the press in Kazimierz initially after everything in Maria Nearl and Pinus Sylvestris, but for goodness sake... They actually sound like how I imagine the actual press to sound. What they actually do sound like "Shock and awe and make us popular for being the first to write about it."

The things people WITH a press do in comparison to those who need it but do not have it. Perfect way to pace the story, I'm so happy chapter 13 came out.

Have I mentioned that already?

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SHE IS GOING TO LEITHANIEN!!!!!

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Crying and sobbing.

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I don't even know what to think about Trillby Asher anymore. Because I very recently finished the Kal'tsit and Passenger story, I kind of know that things are NOT going well with the Emperor's Blades... To see them show up again is giving me wild anxiety because we already know that they are super unstable and they can cause a catastrophe just by showing up.

What even is your purpose? Why are you here?

What even is the point of this, I don't know, but we're saving it in case it shows up again. 11, 29, 1 (code word) I wish this was translatable into English, frankly, your alphabet doesn't have 29 symbols.

HAH! At around this point I was like "OH MY GOSH IS THIS A COLLAPSAL WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLACK SNOW" and then Panko deadpans 'We have seen this before somewhere else' and I realized.

TO BE CONTINUED...