#v: until lambs become lions

[screamlamby]

tags.

[stellarstolen]

-- tag drop.

[sherwoodshope]

@borrowedhappiness​ || Continued from [x]

“While others not nearly fast enough.” For if only time (and death) had come for John or the Sheriff sooner, they would not have half the problems they did now. But alas, they would never be so lucky. “I still think we should help usher them along. We all know they’d have no qualm doing the same to Dad.”

[fuckerrd]

@desxtruction​

The man was easy enough to spot from Marian’s place on the hill. Robin was standing on top of a nearby waterfall, laughing and spinning around ... and singing? “Inebriated, no doubt.” The woman grumbled under her breath as she sharpened her bow. After a few seconds of focusing on the task at hand, a splash got her attention again. Robin was gone. Marian dropped the bow and took off down the hill towards the water. When she arrived at the shore line, Robin was swimming on his back. “For God’s sake.” She hissed, removing leaves from her hair. “Get out of there, you drunken fool! You’ll drown.”

      it  was  a  great  day  for  a  SWIM,  wasn’t  it ?

      robin  focused  on  the  water,  feeling  the  mist  hit  his  face,  and  that  was  the  only  thought  that  entered  his  slow  mind.  and,  to  be  fair,  he  likely  would  have  thought  the  same,  if  he’d  been  sober.  it  just  so  happened  that  he  was  not,  and  robin  found  no  fault  in  that. 

      so  as  he  dove  and  hit  the  water,  it  felt  just  as  NICE  as  he  expected.

      robin  lets  himself  breech  the  water  before  stretching  out  his  body  to  float  on  his  back,  unabashedly  soaked  in  his  full attire.  and  though  his  ears  are  beneath  the  water,  he  hears  marian’s  voice.  scolding  him,  no  doubt.

      ❝ it’s  IMPOSSIBLE  for  me  to  drown,  marian, ❞  he  says,  words  slurred  and  voice  raised.  his  eyes  are  still  closed  -  enjoying  the  water  fully.  ❝ i’m  as  skilled  in  swimming  as  i  am  with  the  bow.  no  man  swims  better  than  me.  ❞

[kiiroisenkoh]

Verses dump

V; he didn't wish to repeat his innonence. he only wanted the pleasure of losing it again

V; rise and rise again until lambs become lions

V; we cannot wait for angels. we will be our own gods now

V; old things have strange hungers

V; I talk to God but the sky is empty

V; I will face god and walk backwards into hell.

V; Gods will bow.

V; I could set this world on fire and call it rain.

V; I’ve been dancing with the devil. I love that he pretends to care

V; Death. The only God that comes when called. 

V; Fear the thing that creates monsters.

V; I feel divinity in my bones like aching ; like fire.

[purifye-a2]

tag  drop  i.

°     ✧  ◞      vis.  ／  roses  dipped  in  gold‚  with   flowers  to  feed   the   soul. °     ✧  ◞      inuyasha.  ／  war  worn  heart‚  swallowed  whole  by  the  flames. °     ✧  ◞      inuyasha  &  kagome.  ／  to  be  the  same  prophecy‚  is  it  love? °     ✧  ◞      koga.  ／  even  wolves  find  themselves  chasing  the  moon. °     ✧  ◞      koga  &  kagome.  ／  she  was  the  moon‚  &  he  was  the  lovestruck  wolf. °     ✧  ◞      main  v.  ／  the  girl  who  overcame  time. °     ✧  ◞      persona  v.  ／  rise  &  rise  again‚  until  lambs  become  lions. °     ✧  ◞      tokyo  ghoul  v.  ／  in  this  distorted  world‚  i’m  slowly  fading. °     ✧  ◞      fullmetal  alchemist  v.  ／  every  single  sin  cannot  end  with  tears. °     ✧  ◞      ooc.  ／  we  wrote  the  prelude  to  our  own  fairytale. °     ✧  ◞      aes.  ／  don’t  you  dream  of  impossible  things?  °     ✧  ◞      ouran  highschool  host  club  v.  ／  feelings  are  like  a  saturated  sunrise.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

1st February >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland 

   or

Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time.

Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

(Liturgical Colour: White)

Either:

First Reading

Job 31:16-20,24-25,31-32

Have I been insensible to the needs of the poor?

Have I been insensible to poor men’s needs,    or let a widow’s eyes grow dim? Or taken my share of bread alone,    not giving a share to the orphan? I, whom God has fostered father-like, from childhood,    and guided since I left my mother’s womb. Have I ever seen a wretch in need of clothing,    or a beggar going naked, without his having cause to bless me from his heart,    as he felt the warmth of the fleece from my lambs?

Have I put all my trust in gold,    from finest gold sought my security? Have I ever gloated over my great wealth,    or the riches that my hands have won?

The people of my tent, did they not say,    ‘Is there a man he has not filled with meat’? No stranger ever had to sleep outside,    my door was always open to the traveller.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

or

First Reading

Ephesians 3:14-21

A prayer that faithful may know the love of Christ

This is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:    Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.    Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 106 (107)

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

The Lord changes desert into streams,    thirsty ground into springs of water. There he settles the hungry    and they build a city to dwell in.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

They sow fields and plant their vines;    these yield crops for the harvest. He blesses them; they grow in numbers.    He does not let their herds decrease.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

But he raises the needy from distress;    makes families numerous as a flock. The upright see it and rejoice    but all who do wrong are silenced.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love has no end.

Gospel Acclamation

1 John 4:12

Alleluia, alleluia! As long as we love one another, God will live in us and his love will be complete in us. Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 6:32-38

Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Jesus said to his disciples:    ‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.    ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Hebrews 11:32-40

The example of the Old Testament saints

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets – these were men who through faith conquered kingdoms, did what is right and earned the promises. They could keep a lion’s mouth shut, put out blazing fires and emerge unscathed from battle. They were weak people who were given strength, to be brave in war and drive back foreign invaders. Some came back to their wives from the dead, by resurrection; and others submitted to torture, refusing release so that they would rise again to a better life. Some had to bear being pilloried and flogged, or even chained up in prison. They were stoned, or sawn in half, or beheaded; they were homeless, and dressed in the skins of sheep and goats; they were penniless and were given nothing but ill-treatment. They were too good for the world and they went out to live in deserts and mountains and in caves and ravines. These are all heroes of faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 30(31):20-24

R/ Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

How great is the goodness, Lord,    that you keep for those who fear you, that you show to those who trust you    in the sight of men.

R/ Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence    from the plotting of men; you keep them safe within your tent    from disputing tongues.

R/ Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

Blessed be the Lord who has shown me    the wonders of his love    in a fortified city.

R/ Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

‘I am far removed from your sight’    I said in my alarm. Yet you heard the voice of my plea    when I cried for help.

R/ Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

Love the Lord, all you saints.    He guards his faithful but the Lord will repay to the full    those who act with pride.

R/ Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

John 17:17

Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!

Or:

Luke 7:16

Alleluia, alleluia! A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people. Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 5:1-20

The Gadarene swine

Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – for Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.    Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[elkrs]

Red Suns I: Sand

Oh the blackened souls of charred ones,

Broken under the suns,

Live to dance and cry again,

In the next life and on.

Common Akkaradi song

An Introduction

Akkarad is a burning place of sand and bone. Dead things live and walk again, only to turn to dust once more. We people must live by the sand and the sword. That is, let the sand overwhelm you and you will die. Let your sword loose from your hand and you die. In this land there is only the grind. The constant quest for survival and the constant chill of death behind you. Death herself hounds us on her chariot, rolling past the dunes and waiting for her chance to strike. And she will strike.

This is a weird, dark fantasy setting inspired by the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Dark Sun, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Arabian Nights, Mad Max and countless other works both real and fictional that crawl around my head at night, whispering their cruel inspiration. In each post there will be some world lore, some interesting ideas to run games in this world and some roll tables and other RPG goodness to steal.

The Sand

This is an apt name for the first Akkarad post. The land is parched and formed almost entirely of sand. There are two suns who burn red in the sky and they have killed most things. There was no catastrophe, no world-ending event that turned the earth to sand and the trees to dust. The suns have always been there, watching and burning. The people have survived here through force of will and a desire to innovate. There are towns and cities in Akkarad who have found a way to survive and thrive, bending the will of the scorching suns to their own ends and finding ways to avoid and defeat the deadly scorching air.

All are but sand, and to sand all shall return.

Common Akkaradi phrase

The sand itself varies depending on its location. In the North, the sand is black as volcanoes erupted and scorched the earth anew. Here, sand is revered, worshipped even by pagan hopefuls, one day seeking to return to sand and join their brothers and sisters. They believe that the sand is formed of their ancestors and that they will one day return to join them, revelling and enjoying the suns’ heat rather than fearing it. More on them later though.

In the South and the East, the sand is a golden red. It retains heat well and bakes in the noonday sun. Some barbaric states may use it to torture and even kill criminals and peasants, as merely allowing the baking sand to touch one’s skin can cause their fat to boil and their hairs to crisp. It can melt a person even if just heated merely by the suns.

The Mothers

How then, in this world without water, can creatures survive? For many, the answer lies with the

Mothers. In the city of Basharoud, the Mothers are revered and worshipped, for they alone keep the city alive. Selected randomly and taken at birth, the Mothers are raised in the Green Palace, a royal and verdant home. They are fed well and even given water to drink and bathe in, becoming fat and unmoving. Then, when old enough, they join the Shahl's (emperor's) Harem and are impregnated. As is well known, when a woman is pregnant she swells and grows, producing milk herself, designed for her children. This milk is taken and pumped into a great well which flows down and nurtures the people of Basharoud. Should the Mother give birth to a girl, she is raised as a new mother. If it is a boy, then her baby is passed to the parents that birthed the Mother.

This way, the entire city survives on the milk of the Mothers. How do the citizens of Basharoud feel about this? They do not. It is a way of life for the and always has been. they treat it as we may treat water from a tap. It does not please them, but does not displease them. Though it may seem strange to an outlander. It is forbidden for the Mothers to take other lovers, and it is forbidden other men to even gaze upon them, but they do not mind. A small price to pay for a life of luxury.

BASHAROUD FROM ABOVE

So, for the rest of this post we are going to focus in on the city of Basharoud. I'm not sure why, but I'm just following the stream of consciousness as it feels right. Basharoud is one of the major cities in Akkarad, there are others I'm sure, and we'll come to those in future posts, but for now we will work on this. If you start building small, you can have more details and grow your world organically as you explore the different areas. So, let's get into it.

Basharoud has three districts. First is the aforementioned Green Palace, so named for the beautiful verdant flora that hangs and grows outward. It is so big that it can be considered a district, taking up almost half of the area of the city. It has nearly a thousand guards, each one trained to operate on minimal water and food. They wear light armour and green robes complete with a pointed helmet. They wield sabres and are fast warriors with little regard for human loss. This is due to years of intense training and programming to make them the perfect instruments with which the Shahl (emperor) can exact his will. The palace is also home to the many advisors and viziers that whisper and bicker, trying to implement their ambitious plans and enact their ruthless decrees. Each morning almost the entire city gathers at the gate of the palace to get their share of the milk. A cascade comes thundering down and out a pipe, into a pool from which it is collected by the people.

The next district is the market district, a sweltering mass of bodies. Foods cooked in stalls right on the street, vendors shouting prices and haggling, guards weave in and out, weeding out thieves and pickpockets. It is a loud, chaotic place where one can easily get lost, swept up in the madness of the market.

The final district is nicknamed the sprawl. It is a large area of small houses, huts and tents and is the home of all those who live in Basharoud who do not live in the palace. The buildings are packed together so tightly it is impossible to move between some of them. They tend to be low and squat in order to be further from the sun, but some of them are stack atop one another, simply due to the lack of space.

The Ritual of Red Tears

The Ritual of Red Tears is a dark spell that only the most desperate, foolish or maledictory sorcerers would dare attempt. It was said to have been created by the demon king Vol when he wished to create a new body for himself. It is a dark, cursed ritual that hangs a dark omen above the head of the caster for the rest of their days and into the worlds beyond the realm of the living. This is probably not a great spell to give a player as it could have serious ramifications, but perfect for a villain. Or just give it to your player and witness the madness. The ritual is cast as follows.

First the caster must clean themselves, drawing a bath of water or milk and bathing for a few hours, scrubbing clean and removing all dirt. They must be dressed in grey cotton or fine blue silk and must shave their hair until completely bald.

Then, four lines must be drawn in sand, with the caster kneeling in the centre as they enclose him in a box. The caster must then kill a black lamb, pouring the blood from the wound onto their head while chanting the following over and over.

Hadorech. Halatath. Hezzach. Hor. Hadorech. Halatath. Hezzach. Hor.

They must sit bathed in the blood for a day, chanting continuously. Then, when the blood is black and a day has passed, the caster must stand and sever their own hand. It will fall to the sand and become dust immediately. Then, the caster must rub the stump of their wrist all over their body, covering themselves in their own blood. They must then stand like this for another two days, chanting the following all the while.

Mechtar. Alfar. Nachtar. Sol. Mechtar. Alfar. Nachtar. Sol.

After the ritual is complete, the caster will begin to cry tears of blood. When this happens, they must call out:

Allotech. Arachta. Bast.

The caster's body will erupt in red flames and their consciousness will be wrenched from it. From within those red flames a new creature is born. Black, obsidian skin and bat-like wings form. Red eyes and curled horns, clawed talons and a cragged jaw are birthed in this hellish fire. The caster's consciousness is then thrust back inside the new body, only it must be contorted, wrenched and broken in order to fit, often sending the caster mad. So the caster becomes a demon.

[5e Rules Stuff]

8th level necromancy

Casting time: 3 days

Range: self

Components: V, S, C (see above)

Duration: Instantaneous

The character's stats become that of a Balor from the 5e monster manual.

Wandering Basharoud

Here is a quick 1d10 list of random encounters from around the great city of Basharoud! They are designed to give the DM some ideas for plot hooks and strange encounters, so much of the why has been excluded so that you can make stuff up yourself. Remember to keep checking in as you might find that new ideas spring to mind as we discover more of this setting together.

A thief in a veil runs from the palace guards.

A pickpocket places a gold pin in your pocket. It is the likeness of a lion.

A woman protests as her daughter is taken to become a Mother.

A trident wielding thug attempts to mug you in an alley.

A sand-stained traveller tells tales of giant worms in the sand.

A tremor hits and a black light appears on the horizon.

An ape screeches at you and follows you down the street.

A woman before you screams and instantly dries out, her body shrivels up and turns to dust.

A man is hanged in the street for necromancy.

A drunken sorcerer draws arcane scrawls in the sand.

Did you enjoy this? Consider following this blog to find out when I post again! Next time we'll be looking at the scope and pillars of the world, a much more top-down approach.

[desireearmfeldt]

Wolves and Women Wed for Life: Arya & Nymeria

GUARDIANSHIP & PROTECTION

If Mother had not forbidden it, Arya would gladly have taken the wolf with her to needlework. Let Septa Mordane complain about her stitches then.

- (Arya I, AGoT)

Wary but excited, Arya checked the hall. "Nymeria, here. Guard." She left the wolf out there to warn of intruders and closed the door.

- (Jon II, AGoT)

Joffrey slashed at Arya with his sword, screaming obscenities, terrible words, filthy words. Arya darted back, frightened now, but Joffrey followed, hounding her toward the woods, backing her up against a tree. Sansa didn't know what to do. She watched helplessly, almost blind from her tears.Then a grey blur flashed past her, and suddenly Nymeria was there, leaping, jaws closing around Joffrey's sword arm. The steel fell from his fingers as the wolf knocked him off his feet, and they rolled in the grass, the wolf snarling and ripping at him, the prince shrieking in pain. "Get it off," he screamed. "Get it off!" 

- (Sansa I, AGoT)

The Lyseni's mount reared and screamed in terror, and the others shouted at one another in mantalk, but before they could act the other wolves came hurtling from the darkness and the rain, a great pack of them, gaunt and wet and silent.

The fight was short but bloody. The hairy man went down as he unslung his axe, the dark one died stringing an arrow, and the pale man from Lys tried to bolt. Her brothers and sisters ran him down, turning him again and again, coming at him from all sides, snapping at the legs of his horse and tearing the throat from the rider when he came crashing to the earth. 

- (Arya I, ASoS)

She found the wall again and followed, blind and lost, pretending that Nymeria was padding along beside her in the darkness. 

- (Arya III, AGoT)

"Nymeria was a direwolf." Arya hugged herself. "That's different. Anyhow, she's gone. Jory and I threw rocks at her until she ran off, or else the queen would have killed her." It made her sad to talk about it. "I bet if she'd been in the city, she wouldn't have let them cut off Father's head." 

- (Arya III, ACoK)

"I wish I had a good mean dog," said Arya wistfully. "A lion-killing dog." She'd had a direwolf once, Nymeria, but she'd thrown rocks at her until she fled, to keep the queen from killing her. Could a direwolf kill a lion? she wondered.

- (Arya III, ASoS)

LOVE & COMPANIONSHIP

"Catelyn," he said. His voice was distant and formal. "Where are the children?" 

He would always ask her that. "In the kitchen, arguing about names for the wolf pups." (...) "Arya is already in love, and Sansa is charmed and gracious, but Rickon is not quite sure."

- (Catelyn I, AGoT)

Nymeria was waiting for her in the guardroom at the base of the stairs. She bounded to her feet as soon as she caught sight of Arya. Arya grinned. The wolfpup loved her, even if no one else did. They went everywhere together, and Nymeria slept in her room, at the foot of her bed. If Mother had not forbidden it, Arya would gladly have taken the wolf with her to needlework. Let Septa Mordane complain about her stitches then. 

- (Arya I, AGoT)

If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone. 

- (Arya II, AGoT)

"We all lie," her father said. "Or did you truly think I'd believe that Nymeria ran off?"Arya blushed guiltily. "Jory promised not to tell.""Jory kept his word," her father said with a smile. "There are some things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would never have left you willingly." 

- (Arya II, AGoT)

I smell snow and smoke and pine needles. I smell the stables. I smell Hodor laughing, and Jon and Robb battling in the yard, and Sansa singing about some stupid lady fair. I smell the crypts where the stone kings sit, I smell hot bread baking, I smell the godswood. I smell my wolf, I smell her fur, almost as if she were still beside me.

- (Arya II, AFFC)

PACK & FAMILY

That night she lay in her narrow bed upon the scratchy straw, listening to the voices of the living and the dead whisper and argue as she waited for the moon to rise. They were the only voices she trusted anymore. She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me.

- (Arya X, ACoK)

Once, from the crest of a ridge, she spied dark shapes crossing a stream in the valley behind them, and for half a heartbeat she feared that Roose Bolton's riders were on them, but when she looked again she realized they were only a pack of wolves. She cupped her hands around her mouth and howled down at them, "Ahooooooooo, ahooooooooo." When the largest of the wolves lifted its head and howled back, the sound made Arya shiver.

- (Arya I, ASoS)

She dreamed of wolves that night, stalking through a wet wood with the smell of rain and rot and blood thick in the air. Only they were good smells in the dream, and Arya knew she had nothing to fear. She was strong and swift and fierce, and her pack was all around her, her brothers and her sisters. They ran down a frightened horse together, tore its throat out, and feasted. And when the moon broke through the clouds, she threw back her head and howled.

- (Arya V, ASoS)

She dreamed of wolves most every night. A great pack of wolves, with her at the head. She was bigger than any of them, stronger, swifter, faster. She could outrun horses and outfight lions. When she bared her teeth even men would run from her, her belly was never empty long, and her fur kept her warm even when the wind was blowing cold. And her brothers and sisters were with her, many and more of them, fierce and terrible and hers. They would never leave her. 

(Arya XII, ASoS)

Before the night was done, her wits were wandering. Standing there with the flagon in her hands, she dreamed she was a wolf, running free through a moonlit forest with a great pack howling at her heels. 

- (Arya II, AFFC)

I dreamed I was a wolf again. She could remember the smells best of all: trees and earth, her pack brothers, the scents of horse and deer and man, each different from the others, and the sharp acrid tang of fear, always the same. Some nights the wolf dreams were so vivid that she could hear her brothers howling even as she woke, and once Brea had claimed that she was growling in her sleep as she thrashed beneath the covers.

- (Cat of the Canals, AFFC)

She licked her lips, remembering. The bleating of the sheep, the terror in the shepherd's eyes, the sound the dogs had made as she killed them one by one, the snarling of her pack. Game had become scarcer since the snows began to fall, but last night they had feasted. Lamb and dog and mutton and the flesh of man. Some of her little grey cousins were afraid of men, even dead men, but not her. Meat was meat, and men were prey. She was the night wolf. But only when she dreamed.

- (The Blind Girl, ADWD)

SOUL BOND & LIKENESS

Arya grabbed Nymeria around her neck, but the moment she pulled out the brush again the direwolf wriggled free and bounded off. Frustrated, Arya threw down the brush. "Bad wolf!" she shouted.

Sansa couldn't help but smile a little. The kennelmaster once told her that an animal takes after its master. 

- (Sansa I, AGoT)

"It's been a bad year for wolves," volunteered a sallow man in a travel-stained green cloak. "Around the Gods Eye, the packs have grown bolder'n anyone can remember. Sheep, cows, dogs, makes no matter, they kill as they like, and they got no fear of men. It's worth your life to go into those woods by night."

"Ah, that's more tales, and no more true than the other."

"I heard the same thing from my cousin, and she's not the sort to lie," an old woman said. "She says there's this great pack, hundreds of them, mankillers. The one that leads them is a she-wolf, a bitch from the seventh hell."

- (Arya II, ACoK)

And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. 

- (Arya X, ACoK)

Somewhere far off she heard a wolf howling. It wasn't very loud compared to the camp noise and the music and the low ominous growl of the river running wild, but she heard it all the same. Only maybe it wasn't her ears that heard it. 

- (Arya XI, ASoS)

The wolf dreams were the good ones. In the wolf dreams she was swift and strong, running down her prey with her pack at her heels. 

- (Cat of the CanaIs, AFFC)

A man might befriend a wolf, even break a wolf, but no man could truly tame a wolf. "Wolves and women wed for life," Haggon often said. "You take one, that's a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you're part of him. Both of you will change." 

- (Prologue, ADWD)

[sherwoodshope]

Verse Listing

Rise and Rise Again: Blanket verse for all interactions taking place in modern day. Timeline designations will separate her younger/teen years at Nottingham from her more present activities at University. In this life, Robyn believes herself to be Robin Hood...at least until she learns the truth.

Until Lambs Become Lions: Blanket verse for all interactions taking place in the past/during her first life. Back when she was the daughter of Robin of Locksley and his lady love, Maid Marian. 

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[madewithonerib]

Sound the Trumpet | Alison Balsom [Royal Music of Purcell & Handel]

What are the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, & 7 bowls in the Book of Revelation?

           1 Corinthians 15:51-52 | Listen, I tell you a mystery:            We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—            in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye,            at the last trumpet.            For the trumpet will sound,            the dead will be raised imperishable,            & we will be changed.

          1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 | Fellow believers, we do           not want you to be uninformed about those who           sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest,           who are without hope.

          For since we believe that JESUS died & rose again,           we also believe that GOD will bring with JESUS           those who have fallen asleep in HIM.

          By the WORD of the LORD, we declare to you that           we who are alive & remain until the coming of the           LORD will by no means precede those who have           fallen asleep. [v.15]****

          For the LORD HIMSELF will descend from heaven           with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel,           & with the trumpet of GOD, & the dead in CHRIST           will be the first to rise. [v.16]

          After that, we who are alive & remain will be caught           up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD           in the air. [v.17]***

          And so we will always be with the LORD.

          Therefore encourage one another with these words.

     The 7 seals [Revelation 6:1–17; 8:1–5],      7 trumpets [Revelation 8:6–9:21; 11:15–19], &      7 bowls/vials [Revelation 16:1–21] are 3 series of the      end-times judgments from GOD.

     The judgments get increasingly worse & more devastating      as the end times progress.

     The 7 seals, trumpets, & bowls are connected to one another.

     The 7th seal introduces the 7 trumpets [Revelation 8:1-5],      & the 7th trumpet introduces the 7 bowls      [Revelation 11:15-19; 15:1–8].

     The 7 seals include the appearance of the Antichrist      [Revelation 6:1–2], great warfare [Revelation 6:3–4],      famine [Revelation 6:5–6], plague [Revelation 6:7–8],      the martyrdom of believers in CHRIST [Revelation 6:9–11],      a devastating earthquake causing terrible devastation,      & astronomical upheaval [Revelation 6:12–14].

     Those who survive the 6 seals are right to cry out,

     “Fall on us & hide us from the face of HIM who sits on      the throne & from the wrath of the Lamb!

     For the great day of their wrath has come, &      who can stand?” [Revelation 6:16-17].

           Revelation 6:15-17 | Then the kings of the earth, the            nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, & every            slave & free man, hid in the caves & among the rocks            of the mountains. And they said to the mountains & rocks,

           “Fall on us & hide us from the face of the ONE seated            on the throne,& from the wrath of the LAMB.            For the great day of their wrath has come,            & who is able to withstand it?”

     The 7th seal introduces the 7 trumpet judgments.

     The trumpets include hail & fire that destroy much of the      plant life in the world [Revelation 8:7], the death of much      of the world’s aquatic life [Revelation 8:8–9; 8:10–11],      the darkening of the sun & moon [Revelation 8:12], a      plague of “demonic locusts” that torture the unsaved      [Revelation 9:1–11], & the march of a demonic army      that kills a third of humanity [Revelation 9:12-21].

           Revelation 8:12 | Then the fourth angel sounded            his trumpet, & a third of the sun & moon & stars            were struck.            A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day            was without light, & a third of the night as well.

           Revelation 9:12-21 | The first woe has passed.            Behold, two woes are still to follow.

           Then the 6th angel sounded his trumpet, & I heard a            voice from the four horns of the golden altar before            GOD saying to the 6th angel with the trumpet,

           “Release the 4 angels who are bound at the great            river Euphrates.” So the 4 angels who had been            prepared for this hour & day & month & year were            released to kill a third of mankind.

           And the number of mounted troops was 200 million;            I heard their number.

           Now the horses & riders in my vision looked like this:            The riders had breastplates the colors of fire,            sapphire, & brimstone.

           The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions,            & out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, & brimstone.

           A third of mankind was killed by the 3 plagues of fire,            smoke, & brimstone that proceeded from their mouths.

           For the power of the horses was in their mouths &            in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having            heads with which to inflict harm.

           Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these            plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands.

           They did not stop worshiping demons & idols of gold,            silver, bronze, stone, & wood, which cannot see            or hear or walk.

           Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder,            sorcery, sexual immorality, & theft.

     The 7th trumpet calls forth 7 angels who carry the 7 bowls      of GOD’s wrath [Revelation 11:15-19; 15:1-8].

           Revelation 11:15-19 | Then the 7th angel sounded            his trumpet, & loud voices called out in heaven:

           “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of            our LORD & of HIS CHRIST, & HE will reign forever            & ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their            thrones before GOD fell on their faces & worshiped            GOD, saying:

           “We give thanks to YOU, O LORD GOD Almighty,            the ONE who is & who was, because YOU have taken            YOUR great power & have begun to reign.

           The nations were enraged, & YOUR wrath has come.

           The time has come to judge the dead, & to reward            YOUR servants, the prophets & saints, & those who fear            YOUR name, both small & great, & to destroy those who            destroy the earth.”

           Then the temple of GOD in heaven was opened, & the ark            of HIS covenant appeared in HIS temple.

           And there were flashes of lightning, & rumblings, & peals            of thunder, & an earthquake, & a great hailstorm.

           Revelation 15:1-8 | Then I saw another great &            marvelous sign in heaven: 7 angels with the 7 final            plagues, with which the wrath of GOD is completed.

           And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire,            beside which stood those who had conquered the            beast & its image & the number of its name.

           They were holding harps from GOD, & they sang the            song of GOD’s servant Moses & of the Lamb:

           “Great & wonderful are YOUR works, O LORD GOD Almighty!            Just & true are YOUR ways, O King of the nations!            Who will not fear YOU, O LORD, & glorify YOUR name?            For YOU alone are holy.

           All nations will come & worship before YOU, for YOUR            righteous acts have been revealed.”

           After this I looked, & the temple—the tabernacle of the            Testimony—was opened in heaven.

           And out of the temple came the 7 angels with the            7 plagues, dressed in clean & bright linen & girded            with golden sashes around their chests.

           Then one of the 4 living creatures gave the 7 angels            7 golden bowls full of the wrath of GOD, who lives            forever & ever.

           And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of            GOD & from HIS power; & no one could enter the            temple until the 7 plagues of the 7 angels were completed.

     The bowl judgments include painful sores afflicting humanity      [Revelation 16:2], the death of every living thing in the sea      [Revelation 16:3], the turning of rivers to blood      [Revelation 16:4-7], an intensifying of the sun’s heat      [Revelation 16:8–9], great darkness & an intensification of      the sores from the first bowl [Revelation 16:10–11], the      advance the Antichrist’s armies at Armageddon      [Revelation 16:12–14], & a devastating earthquake      followed by giant hailstones [Revelation 16:15–21].

     Together, the seals, trumpets, & bowls of the end times      comprise “the great day of [GOD’s] wrath” [Revelation 6:17]      & serve to judge the Antichrist’s kingdom of wickedness.

           Revelation 6:17 | For the great day of their wrath            has come, & who is able to withstand it?”

     Revelation 16:5–7 declares of GOD,      “YOU are just in these judgments, YOU who are & who      were, the HOLY ONE, because YOU have so judged;      for they have shed the blood of YOUR saints & prophets,      & you have given them blood to drink as they deserve...

     Yes, LORD GOD Almighty, true & just are YOUR judgments.”

Have compassion on the poor, CHRIST did.

           2 Corinthians 8:9 | For you know the grace of our            LORD JESUS CHRIST, that though HE was rich, yet            for your sakes HE became poor, so that you through            HIS poverty might become rich.

Article from gotquestions.org/seven-seals-trumpets

[beloveddebacle-blog]

l o v e l i e s

Love is a fabricated web of lies.

It may be a unique feeling, an adventurous spark waiting to engulf the heart with fire. The smartest of all people may become foolish, and the strongest of all people can shatter into weakness.

It’s totally unfair. It’s unfair because no matter how hard you make the foreign emotion rational, the joke begins to dawn upon you. The lion falls in love with the lamb, and the predator becomes the prey.

Love is full of lies that will continue to break your truth and your sanity, until one day, nothing’s left of you. Believing someone is a whole different level of trust, but once it breaks, you may not know how to rekindle the extinguished flame.

It’s hard to love someone the same because of a tragedy. It’s hard to bring back the broken trust. And most importantly, it’s hard to imagine that the person whom you were in love with will be your endgame.

Love is an illusion for the smartest, the bravest, and the strongest. Because it will eat them alive as they become trapped in its web of lies.

[xadoheandterra]

Title: Eternity in an Hour Fandom: Devil May Cry 5 Characters: V, Griffon Part: I | II WARNING: HEAVY AS ALL HELL SPOILERS ABOUT V. Also Poetry. Summary: He came into this world with the breath already stolen from his lungs, the strength taken from his limbs, and his skin as thin and fragile as ash.

V knew one thing for certain and one thing only—he didn’t want to die like this; weak as a newborn kitten in frail humanity. Of course, that meant surviving and, well, V wasn’t sure if surviving would be any worse than dying really. Not with—not with what that fool of a devil had planned to go down.

Especially not without Dante on board—and fuck did V not want to deal with Dante right now. Not like this. Never like this—and even worse he didn’t really have a choice. What had he been thinking, originally?

Oh, right, he hadn’t. Fate fuck him.

Notes: The poem that is the source of the title and is referenced here is Auguries of Innocence by William Blake and apparently V references it a lot in the game? I hadn’t even realized that he did so because 90% of the time I was more focused on fuck there are a lot of demons and V is a squish.

I picked the poem honestly because it’s one of my favorite’s of Blake’s, and I thought it fit the character rather well too, and well apparently Capcom agrees so there’s that? IDK. It’s an interesting bit of poetry. Contradicting and confusing, but interesting.

Perhaps it should not have surprised him so much to see the manor still stood, if a little run down and beaten up. Furniture rested, well cared for despite the age and lack of use, and Vergil stared at each item he came across for a good second until he felt a not-so-subtle nudge from the nightmare bound to his skin. It’d been years since he’d come to this home, the last time perhaps when he was almost nineteen before the mess in Fortuna—and he still could barely recall even that. Something about a potential resurrection ritual, some sort of girl, and Dante?

What had Dante been doing in Fortuna all those years ago? Vergil knew he went to find out more about Tamen-ni-gru and how to raise it—not to mention their father. If rumors were to be believed the beast of a man had lived and even ruled there for some time, long before their mother came into the picture. The worshippers left a sour taste in his mouth, a bit of disdain—and Vergil couldn’t recall while and it bothered him.

“Focus,” Vergil hissed to himself and moved on. He passed room after room until he came upon the master suite—he’d lost his way, frustratingly enough, and found himself trapped in the halls of his childhood. Now he stared at one of the last places Mother stood before she—

—there was the closet he—

Vergil sucked in a breath and hissed, “Focus,” to himself. This half-brained plan of his to split devil and human had left him rattled, and this piss-poor place of memory best left forgotten wanted to take root. None of it mattered, not now, not when—Vergil stumbled into the wall as his legs nearly gave out from under him and he coughed a wheeze of surprise as his breath stole away.

It took him five minutes to recover even a semblance of himself, leaned against the wall and wheezing as he tried to draw in a real breath, to bring strength to his limbs. Vergil felt like he was a hairs breath away from crumbling into ash and it scared him.

“You really should take it slow, V,” the Griffon said as it burst into life around his shoulder. Vergil tilted his head toward the creature.

“What…did you call me?” Vergil questioned.

“Uhhh, Vergil?”

Vergil eyed the bird and then turned away. V—Dante used to call him Verge, and when they were very, very young he’d call him ‘bee’ – he never could quite get the sound of Vergil’s name right when they were small children.

“V, huh?” Vergil mumbled. Maybe that was a better thing to call himself. He was barely even half of what he was—just a letter tacked onto a name long, long forgotten in the dust of Hell. V—not Vergil, because he wasn’t. Vergil wasn’t weak, or human, or dying.

Except he had been, hadn’t he? Corrupted, twisted beyond his ken, and dying. He was days from crumbling into ash, wasn’t he?

V hated the thought.

“Well looks like the smart mouth actually kept things pretty neat here,” the Griffon huffed as he took off from Vergil’s shoulder to explore the room. “Shit’s all pristine. Who woulda thought?”

“Maybe that’s why he never has any money,” V said dryly.

“Oooh, look! A book, V!”

V hummed, and Vergil pushed himself off the wall and fumbled into the room.

“What is this? Poetry? Eugh.”

In it’s talons Griffon held the book in question as he beat his wings an angled his head in a way that no normal bird really could to stare down at the cover. The embossed ‘V’ caught Vergil’s eye first, and they widened in surprise. With trembling fingers V took the book away from the Griffon, who scoffed in response.

“Don’t tell me you like that shit,” the Griffon grumbled, and V felt his lips curl into a smile. He leaned back against the wall, far more relaxed now as he flipped the book open and stroked long fingers down the edge of the page. As if from memory V began to quote, voice soft even as it trembled with pain.

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.

A Robin Red breast in a Cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. A Dove house fill’d with Doves and Pigeons Shudders Hell thro’ all its regions.

A Dog starv’d at his Master’s Gate Predicts the ruin of the State. A Horse misus’d upon the Road Calls to Heaven for Human blood.

Each outcry of the hunted Hare A fibre from the Brain does tear. A skylark wounded in the wing A Cherubim does cease to sing.

The Game Cock clip’d and armed for fight Does the Rising Sun affright. Every Wolfs and Lions howl Raises from Hell a Human Soul.

The wild deer, wandering here and there Keeps the Human Soul from Care. The Lamb misus’d breeds Public Strife And yet forgives the Butcher’s knife…”

V trailed off, unaware that his still naked form was now surrounded by the Griffon, the Shadow, and a hulking form off in the corner. He took a moment to take a breath and then continued softer than before, brows furrowed down in intense sort of thought.

“A truth that’s told with bad intent Beats all the Lies you can invent. It is right it should be so; Man was made for Joy and Woe;

And when this we rightly know Thro’ the World we safely go. Joy and Woe are woven fine A Clothing for the soul divine.

Under every grief and pine Runs a joy with silken twine. The Babe is more than swadling Bands Throughout all these Human Lands.

Tools were made and Born were hands Every Farmer Understands. Every Tear from Every Eye Becomes a Babe in Eternity….”

“Holy shit Shadow did you know he could do this?” the Griffon landed next to the Shadow and stared at V who stared at the book and flipped the pages almost reverently. He faded away from speaking for a moment, voice trailed off in hoarseness, before he eventually finished with a whisper,

“Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are Born.

Every Morn and every Night Some are Born to sweet delight. Some are Born to sweet delight, Some are Born to Endless Night.

We are led to Believe a Lie When we see not Thro’ the Eye Which was Born in a Night to perish in a Night When the Soul Slept in Beams of Light.

God Appears and God is Light To those poor Souls who dwell in Night. But does a Human Form Display To those who Dwell in Realms of day.”

For a moment Vergil leaned against the wall in silence as his fingers brushed against the last page of the book and the hastily scrawled name within it.

“Auguries of Innocence,” V said softly. “One of the more…popular of William Blake’s poems.” One of his favorites, he could remember. The juxtaposition of the poem, the pitting of sides against one another over innocence—it spoke to him as a teenager. It spoke to him now.

V slipped his fingers from the name—Vergil Sparda—and snapped the book shut. He couldn’t find himself to part with it, to leave it here—and he wondered if Dante even knew the book resided in the ruins of their home, but it mattered not. Half a second later, as if he came out of a trance, Vergil stood upright and began to search the room with more awareness than he’d had when he first touched the book.

Within minutes he found clothing—obviously Mother’s, he noted, but they fit this body’s slim figure. V wondered what age he was—did he look like himself in any form, or did he take far more after Mother like this? Mother to whom he could once attribute the human blood that ran in his veins.

“Lookin’ good, V!” the Griffon cackled as V tugged on the jacket.

“Be quiet,” V replied and with a wave of his hand the Griffon burst into shadows and seeped into his skin. He grabbed a silver cane from where it rested—Sparda’s, V thought, although he could never remember seeing the Devil with a cane before. Still it had a weight to it, and it could bear his own when he felt his limbs weaken.

Distasteful, but the cane would have to stay a permanent part of his attire for now. V needed to get out of the manor, find some funds, and then—well, there was not a chance in Hell that he could handle the swarms of demons that would follow the fools call to arms. He’d need protection to get where he needed to go—to do what he needed to do. Protection meant—Dante.

Dante meant money.

V sighed.

[fuckerrd]

robin hood tag drop.

[nolabred]

verses tags