#With faith nothing shall be impossible

[wecanbeperfect]

THE HEALING OF A DEVIL-POSSESSED BOY

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

[wiirocku]

Matthew 17:20 (KJV) - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

[sebastianswallows]

The English Client — Thirty-two

— PAIRING: Tom Riddle x F!Reader

— SYNOPSIS: The year is 1952. Tom is working for Borgin and Burkes. He is sent to Rome to acquire three ancient books of magic by any means necessary. One in particular proves challenging to reach, and the only path forward is through a pretty, young bookseller. A foreigner like him, she lives alone, obsessed with her work... until Tom comes into her life.

— WARNINGS: none

— WORDCOUNT: 2.1k

— TAGLIST: @esolean @localravenclaw @slytherins-heir

I

The days, the days, the days passed and passed and passed, and the auction was tomorrow. Time seemed at once to crawl and fly. She made copious amounts of tea and spent more time upstairs hoping some customers would come, and made such order in the books that had never been seen before. Anything to keep her mind off the inevitable. But as if determined to crush her hopes the phone rang almost every hour with the Baron checking on their progress or informing her of useless details that had no bearing on her work. If that was how it was for Ambrogio it was hardly a surprise he disappeared.

To make matters worse Tom kept mostly to himself. He was in fact suspiciously silent down there in the undershop. Her more optimistic side said that he just wanted to give her the space to prepare herself but in her moments of doubt she was convinced he was upset with her.

II

“Tom?”

“Yes?”

“Lunch?”

“Is it —? Oh, yes, of course.”

He was clearly distracted and even having lunch together hardly helped. He seemed… not unhappy but tense, his mind a thousand miles away almost like he was the one who had to go up on stage. But she knew that couldn’t be the cause. She wondered then why he had insisted she take the promotion.

“Enjoying having the run of the place?” she asked over a plate of linguine ai frutti di mare, her comfort food.

“Greatly,” said Tom with a subtle smile.

She looked up at him, itching to ask what he had been up to all day.

“I’d like to see Fred later,” she said.

“Who? Oh, that fellow from that other place.”

“I’m impressed you remember,” she chuckled.

“Don’t be,” he said. “Why should you want to see him?”

“For comfort.”

Tom looked at her then, fork frozen in his grasp. “Why should you need comforting? Especially from that insipid lump?”

“Because,” she sighed, “the insipid lump in front of me doesn’t even seem to know why I might need comforting.”

He paused in thought, his black eyes sliding to the side, then back to her. “The auction?”

“If I didn’t know better I’d suspect you of being clever.”

“Well, you can’t go. You’re my woman. He doesn’t get to comfort you.”

She felt herself both pale with anger and blush at the same time.

“Besides, why should you worry? You’ve rehearsed everything a thousand times.”

“Oh, come on,” she sighed. “Have you never worried about anything ever?”

“No?” he said as if it were the most natural answer.

Somehow she really believed him. “How do you manage that?”

“Well, I realised early on in life that there is nothing I can not do,” he shrugged. “And with me by your side, there is nothing you can’t do either.”

She buried her face in her hands and groaned. What an impossible mind he had… “If only I had just a scrap of your confidence.”

“You don’t need it. You need only have faith in me.”

“Yes,” she sighed, crossing her hands over her chest and smiling at him sadly, “but you won’t always be at my side, will you?”

“No,” he said, “but neither will Fred.”

“Are you adequately jealous now?”

“Yes. And once we’re done with lunch, I shall show you exactly why you won’t need anybody else.”

“Tom…”

“I was thinking of treating you to tea and muffins from the bakery across the street, but I’m open to suggestions.”

The conversation warmed her heart although it did little to assuage her fears. In fact, it made her feel that much further away from him. Was he really so disconnected from how she felt about everything?

“I wish I could learn to be like you.”

“Then I won’t teach you,” he said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t need me anymore.”

She laughed, but Tom didn’t.

III

Evening fell like an axe and before she knew it it was dark outside. Their little shop was like a grave surrounded by dark streets with points of light scattered across the grey buildings like tombstones. Behind their glass panes and clean curtains, she tended to her last remaining duties, and the lists, the lists, the lists. At least the calls from the Baron had stopped. She resented having to give preferential treatment to certain bidders but there was nothing she could do about it. Rejecting the Baron risked more than her promotion now — it risked her job. She stayed at the shop well into the night hoping somehow that if she never went home the next day would never come. It took Tom coming upstairs to jog her from her frightened stupor.

“You’ll have a long day tomorrow,” he said, leaning casually against her desk. Oh, how his calm annoyed her… “Best go home to get your beauty sleep.”

“And you?” she asked, head resting in her hands.

“Not yet. Still have a few things to sort out.”

She frowned up at him. “What could you possibly still have to do?”

He chuckled, not bothered by her irritated tone. “Just a few loose ends I need to take care of. Nothing that pertains to the auction directly though, don’t worry. Everything’s set.”

“What loose ends, then?”

He leaned toward her, tucking a messy strand of hair behind her ear to whisper. “It’s a secret.”

IV

The wet air sunk into his bones. Not quite like the coolth of London or the bracing winds of Scotland, the Italian autumn-become-winter nevertheless sunk its fangs in him. By the time he reached the building half his body was a little numb. But that was alright. It helped him focus. There was hardly any hint of moon left in the sky and the stars were shrouded by the clouds. Tom pulled the coat tighter around his shoulders as he came to a stop. With his wand held at his side, he took a glance around the street — completely empty — and cast the spell.

“Levari.”

He hadn’t often had the chance to use it and perhaps he had avoided it because it made him dizzy, but on this night, when he wanted to enter undetected, it would serve.

He stepped up the side of the wall and walked on, going higher with each step. He didn’t know what he expected but the air got even colder with each floor he passed and he had quite far to go. The winds picked up and a few birds flew past in his ascent, circling this strange person that should not be in their domain, but he shooed them away with splashes of fire from his wand. More than once he smelled singed feathers on the air and angry shrieks abounded but there was nobody around to care. It was only natural, of course, as it was past midnight, but if there was one person he expected to still find awake, it was the Baron. What he did not expect was for his secretary to be in as well. Berit was on duty, as fresh as a daisy in the morning. He saw the yellow glow of her office and heard the shuffling of her chair as he walked by on the vertical.

Tom tried to take a look inside but could only see shadows and hints of colours past the curtains. He quietly stepped to the side and rounded the corner to where he knew the Baron’s office was.

No light came from within. With a quick Alohomora, he opened the window and stepped inside, and after untangling his legs from the folds of his coat and the vaporous curtains he paused to look around. It was his office alright, the main one that led into the library where his whole collection stood.

“Lumos.”

The same heavy wooden desk, tasteful statuettes, the same old carpet underneath his feet that he remembered. Stepping softly he opened the twin doors that led into the private library. Shelves upon shelves reached as high as the ceiling filling the room with their dry salty scent and the whispers of centuries between them. Tom strolled and looked at them as if it were the last time he would see them. The Baron’s collection was hardly anything compared to that of the bookshops on Knockturn Alley or even to a censorious institution like Hogwarts in terms of its occult materials, but for a muggle, it was certainly impressive.

As he walked, Tom could not help but notice an uneven stack of books huddled in the corner next to a painting left leaning on the wall. An instinct called him to pay it more attention and for a moment he was confused about what he was even looking at. But then he recognised them. The stack of books was interrupted in the middle by folded editions of a local newspaper. They were the books Tom had brought to the Baron under the pretence of trade before he got the job. The ostensibly venerable tomes had transfigured back to their original form. He was slightly offended that his offerings, however fake, had been relegated to a pile forgotten on the floor but it nevertheless amused him. He wondered if the Baron even noticed… It didn’t matter now.

He stepped out of the library back into the office and prepared himself to confront the woman on the other side, a figure who still reminded him too much of Mrs. Cole. He channelled all of his desire for revenge on that nightmarish shadow from his youth and opened the door.

V

They started filing in at sunset. The low bidders came first. Some arrived while the shop was still technically open and a few even apologised for it. Yes, the meetings were supposed to be secret and their arrival discreet, but they couldn’t help it. She almost felt sorry for them. They had to try harder than their wealthier peers yet still fell short.

“Yes, we’ll not start for another five hours. No, it’s no trouble at all. Please go through. Yes yes, just go through, please.”

All she could hope for now was that they would not eat all the hors d’oeuvres before the high bidders arrived but she relied on Tom for that.

Tom… He had been gone the whole night, staying either at his home or… elsewhere. The mystery around it frightened her too much to pry. He’d become more secretive those last days past and every time she thought about it she was convinced he was planning his escape to England. It was too cruel to think about. She was almost relieved to not see him throughout the day although by evening she had begun to miss him. She compromised by picking up the phone and calling him downstairs. There was still a while to go until the auction but she couldn’t wait that long to hear him.

The phone rang for quite some time before he answered.

“Yes?”

“Tom?”

“Sweetheart…”

“So, how is it going?” she asked, already smiling.

“Well, they’re getting a bit noisy… I suppose they don’t like that Oso isn’t here.”

“They will have to deal with it.”

“Exactly.”

“And how are you?”

“Still fairing better than you, I imagine.”

“You sound tired, my love…”

“Oh, well, thank you. You sound great too.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.”

She sighed, holding the phone to her ear the way she’d hold his hand after they made love, against her cheek, the wrist close to her lips so she could kiss it.

The bell above the door chimed once again.

“Oh, I have to go,” she whispered. “Mr. Malfoy is here.”

“Is his secretary with him?” Tom asked quickly.

“Pretty boy? Yes, he’s here.”

Tom sounded suspiciously pleased with that before she hung up.

“Good evening, Sir,” she greeted.

“Miss.”

“Would you like to go downstairs?”

He ignored her while he took his gloves off and passed them to Donatien. “I assume Oso still hasn’t turned up.”

“I’m afraid not,” she said, nervously stepping forward.

He managed to look both upset and indifferent at the same time. Donatien had the usual soft smile when he looked her way but he too seemed fearful. Mr. Malfoy cast a scathing look upon the shelves as if it sickened him to look at her. It made her feel oddly apologetic as if Ambrogio’s disappearance was her fault and she hated herself for it. That’s not how Tom would react, she told herself.

Mr. Malfoy mumbled something to Donatien, leaving her to stand there waiting while they conversed in nods and whispers.

She missed the days before she’d ever met any truly wealthy people. When she could look upon their world from a distance and see only its glamour, unaware of how insufferable those people truly were.

“I’ll open the door for you,” she said, losing her patience with them and walking on ahead. She surprised herself with her daring and surprised Mr. Malfoy too.

[walkswithmyfather]

“Mathew 8:27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

“There is absolutely nothing that can stand in the way of Jesus.

No enemy has the power He simply casts out demons.

No teacher or skeptic can stump him with a question.

No disease can withstand his call for healing.

Not even nature can baffle or threaten him.

He is not just a man

He is God's Son

He is Immanuel

God with us.

Until we go home to Him it is only then we will fully understand who He is. We can be secure that He will care for us and bring us to his home

Fear is not just being troubled with circumstances it also is the uncertainty about what will ultimately happen to us.

Jesus shows his disciples that their safety, their destiny, is under his command and nothing can withstand his grace offered to bless his disciples

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

There are sometimes times in our lives when we have been hit by blow after blow, and we feel depleted and also defeated. During these occasions, it is easy to lose all hope. The good news is God does not want us to live out our daily existence discouraged or hopeless so He has given us His word as a source of blessing and encouragement.

Deuteronomy 20:4 For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

One of the most encouraging thoughts for you to know is that even when things seem the worst God is in control. He easily overcomes what feels impossible to us.

Every time we struggled with feelings of loss and defeat we have to remind ourselves so our hope can be restored.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

God does not want us to be overcome by feelings of defeat and despair in spite of the crushing blows we receive. He has given us His powerful word full of encouragement and hope to strengthen us instead.

His will for us is that we live our lives in victory.

We all have battles that we fight every day . It might not be a physical war against other human beings, but rather our struggles may be against our own thought patterns, bad habits or weaknesses.

Sometimes these situations and circumstances that we face that are out of our control. When this occurs read Deuteronomy 20:4 this verse can fill us with hope and courage.

It reminds us that it is the Lord who goes with us to fight for us against our enemies whoever or whatever that may be. God not only fights for us but he also gives us the victory.

2 Samuel 22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

Heavenly Father

Please act with Your strong power to still the storms in the hearts of those we love. Give them peace and calm and lead them to know that Jesus is their source of help. We ask You to replace our sadness with joy, defeat with victory, and weariness with praise. Help us when we feel defeated, weary or sad to focus on Your blessings in our life rather than on my circumstances. Remind us to praise You the Father at all times so we may obtain life and hope. We ask that You bring all things to our memory that concern You and Your plans in my life. Please increase our hope as we focus on Your Word. Help us to not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our mind. Strengthen and renew us in our innermost being. Destroy the fiery darts of the enemy that attempt to pierce our souls. May we always hear Your voice and obey Your will. Father, help us to overcome today fears. Thank you for the ones in our life that Love us. We praise You and Love You Lord in all circumstances. In Jesus’ name we pray

Amen.”

(Via)

[finagle-frazzle]

prefacing this with: i am not in the COTL fandom; i own the game but my computer Cannot Run it (i will be playing soon. i hope)

i saw @vurelly 's post about 'COTL but Old' and its been a brainworm

anyways have this-

--------

There is something tragic about being the last of your kind.

Watching those around, one by one, pass on - to the land of Death, beyond your reach. But it is a part of life that one can and should accept. Death is inevitable and while it hurts, it is a natural part of life, right?

Right?

…

They hadn’t bothered to bind him in any way beyond throwing him into the cell. They knew better than that, and so did he. His body was enough of a prison - it took almost all he had just to sit against the wall.

He couldn’t see them, but he could hear it. His daughter– spitting vitriol at the guards as she was led away, leaving quiet terrified sobbing in her wake.

The next day, it was screaming. Heart wrenching, fist-clenching, screaming as his son pressed himself against the bars of his cage – only his wife and the forces of physics holding him back as they took him.

He couldn’t watch. He couldn’t bear to see the hiccoughing, tear-stained face pass him.

They were left with the wailing of a childless father, until it too was his turn.

Silence had fallen long ago on the prison, each day passing until he could barely move. What point was there to it anyways? What did he have left? It was somewhat a miracle they remembered him at all. He was so used to being an afterthought. Honestly, it was a surprise that food showed up everyday – every other day? He wasn’t sure.

But finally, it was his turn.

The cultists that hauled him to his feet weren’t gentle. No respect for their elders – and he voiced that opinion in hoarse, crackling voice to poor reception.

He didn’t feel real anymore. Just a husk of his former self, complete with lifeless limbs and hoarse voice.

The executioner didn’t even have to tell him to lie down on the block. It wasn’t like he could get up. The stone was cold, smooth – except for the obvious dried, crusty blood.

There were shapes in his peripheral vision. And voices. Louder than physically possible. They sounded like so many things – yet nothing at all.

“Before us stands the last of its kind. All others we have hunted down and put to the blade.”

Is this where they brought his family? His daughter, so dedicated to her faith. He could hear her, over the crackling of a campfire, regaling her nephew with the legend of the “One Who Waits”. Of course, his son would argue with her.

 “Why does he wait? If he’s our ‘Savior’, shouldn’t he be – you know, saving us?”

“With this final sacrifice, the prophecy will be impossible to fulfill.”

She would cross her arms, glaring at her sibling from across the clearing. “Gods are bound to prophecies, as we all are.”

Did her prophecies mention this? What sort of Savior could allow this?

“The heretic who lies bound below will be condemned to eternal captivity.”

Perhaps he could put up a fight. He was old – but at one point he has been strong; a leader, a warrior. Perhaps there was something left in him. His arms were bound but he used the manacles around his wrists to hoist himself up. His arms did have some strength left in them after all!

Now, if he could just get a weap– his scheming was cut short when one of the cultists brought down a club on the back of his skull. Stars exploded in his vision, his arms losing the tenuous hold they had on the execution block, his head slamming back down on the stone surface. There was something warm and wet slowly creeping across his face. Blood? Perhaps. It didn’t matter much now.

“And the Old Faith shall be preserved.”

There was something tragic about being the last of your kind.

But it was made all the worst when you weren’t supposed to be – when you had tried so hard not to be.

No parent should watch their children-

Their family -

Their future -

Die.

[leohttbriar]

one day i'll make a whole obnoxious powerpoint (with the checkerboard transition effects obvs) that's a thematic comparison/contrast-ion between jadzia dax and odo and what they mean but for now i'm thinking again about "children of time" and the way odo and dax were framed as like the only possible actors in a impossible-to-act situation. it was odo or dax, who would let the potential closed-loop lives of a colony of people be rendered materially forgotten. and the more i think about it the more convinced i am that, actually, dax wouldn't have ever chosen differently. it had to be odo.

they're refracted versions of the other---defined by a multiplicity, which they understand and handle in different ways. where dax (who has been accused of frivolity the whole season by her upright buddy worf) can't see beyond the agony of her own selfishness, odo just does. he does what he thinks he is obligated to do based on his own individually-mandated moral rectitude. he is solipsistic in the way all of the changelings are for they can be anything and are also all each other and that is certain. but he loves kira, who is similar but solipsistically fastened to the world, thru a faith in fate, so he can just...selfishly act in a way she couldn't. and tbh the morality of the selfishness is up for grabs, too, bc kira "selflessly" choosing to die is also a condemnation for everyone else so like. odo's lawful/strict-desire sure does help them out of jam. and dax isn't about to step on anyone even if perhaps there should be some stepping. she is "conviction-less." but.

in a way. the show argues, while not really making the argument, that: dax's mistake is sourced in its own obligations. what's the point of anything if you're not going to risk it for sweet victory-biscuit? to risk something to get the details on some (potentially smart) maybe-fungus? to take a magic-carpet ride? to extract the dino-dna from the amber? to be curious? is that not also a carefully considered rectitude? is that not a justice--that, if one has the power to witness what exists, however weird, however potentially useless, then they possess a simple fealty, sworn to lord universe, as vassals made up of sensory powers, to continue witnessing? like "this planet is here and is therefore interesting and i seek glory thru it yay" and now she is presented with lives upon lives who absolutely need her--who existentially need her perpetual attention. as her curiosity dooms, her own version of personal law chooses for her too: odo and kira are sure of their own minds. dax is sure of everything else outside herself (or within herself but within a worm--the boundaries are fuzzy) and swears to it, quite a lot.

so like. where odo and dax agree about the value of a proto-universe, they disagree here. odo is like: "thou shall not kill. it is written." so he can just. unwrite a reality that is utterly dependent upon those that are not children of time, but freely moving amongst it. citizens, for instance, of the real. he breaks nothing bc the kira-dying reality is what is broken to begin with. also he's like. super in love. and dax is like: "phenomena! there it is! things that exist! in my hands and my choices, phenomena! you can't make me be god about it :(" and then her future self which is still technically her tries to be god about it and then ultimately doesn't. so.

what's really funny about all this is later when odo is fully on board with kira just throwing herself off a cliff bc of "fate," dax is in the background with miles coming up with scientific eviction papers for super-dimensional aliens. odo just accepts a law in contradiction to his own (he is large!) and dax is like "what even do we have to do with this" and "i think living is a lot more attractive." bc. the point is. they are foils.

[calledtobethelight]

You Can Do Well (Part 1)

“And the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.’”

Genesis 4.6-7 (AMPC)

You can do well! But maybe, you are not doing well. Maybe, you find yourself consistently angry, sad, and depressed. Maybe, you see others getting blessed by God and it bothers you. Maybe, you firmly believe you are doing all the right things, but something is still off. It’s time for a heart check. It’s time to be honest. Here are 3 indicators that you are not doing well and what it signifies.

1.      You lack love for God.

Before Cain even committed murder, his deeds were recognized as evil. 1 John 3.11-12 states, “For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another; and not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because Cain’s deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

What made Cain so different from Abel? They both offered sacrifices to God. However, Hebrews 11.4 distinguishes that “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.” By faith, Abel gave an offering that God respected and regarded “for without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11.6). Abel’s faith set him apart from Cain, and faith works and expresses itself through love (Galatians 5.6).

1 Corinthians 13.1-3 states, “If I [can] speak with the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.”

God is love and, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He abundantly pours out His love into your heart through the Holy Spirit (1 John 4.8, Romans 5.5). Without God’s love in you, your faith means nothing. Without God’s love in you, any external, religious acts you perform unto God ultimately mean nothing. Without God’s love in you, you are nothing.

Matthew 22.37-39 states, “And Jesus replied to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’” Loving God is the greatest commandment and the most important thing you can do.

When you love God willingly and with all your heart, you can live a life defined by faith because you know and trust Him. When you truly love God, you love others. When you love God, you obey His commandments. When you love God, you can give Him the right sacrifice with the right motive. Abel sacrificed the firstborn lamb, a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (Genesis 4.4). Jesus willingly laid down His life because He “loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance” (Ephesians 5.2). You are called to offer your life as a “living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship” out of sincere love for God (Romans 12.1).

You can only do well when you love God, and then everything you do will be motivated by love for Him.

 

2.      You are proud.

When you are proud, you are unteachable. You refuse to be accountable for your actions. You refuse to admit that you’ve done wrong.  When God reproved Cain, Cain should have humbled himself, repented, and received the correction. However, Cain’s heart was hard and callous from pride and he refused the Lord’s chastisement. Proverbs 16.18 states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” When Cain refused to humble himself and submit to the Lord’s correction, his pride allowed sin to master him, which led to his destruction.

James 4.6-7 states, “But He gives more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].’ So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.” By the grace of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you can live in obedience to God and in victory over sin. First, you must humble yourself and submit your life wholly to the Lord – loving, trusting, and obeying Him (1 John 5.1-3). Then, through the Holy Spirit, you will have the power to resist the devil, defy sin, and victoriously overcome the world by your faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 5.4-5).

You can only do well when you humble yourself and submit your life to the Lord.

 

3.      You compare yourself with others.

Cain’s negative feelings flared up because he knew his deeds were evil and Abel’s were righteous. His comparison led to envy, envy led to hatred, and hatred led to murder. 1 John 3.15 states, “Everyone who hates (works against) his brother (in Christ) is [at heart] a murderer [by God’s standards]; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” God’s correction was a chance for Cain to self-evaluate and change his ways, yet Cain wanted to lash out in anger and kill his brother. 

You can’t compare yourself with others. It can lead to rivalry, dissension, discontentment, envy, and hatred. It can create opportunities to vent negative emotions towards others that you feel inside of yourself. It will never address the underlying issue in your heart or your circumstances.

Galatians 6.4 states, “But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.” When you humble yourself, self-evaluate your behavior, and align your ways to God’s Word, your correction will bring true satisfaction and joy. It will eliminate the source of your negative feelings. It will eliminate the need to compare yourself with others. It will assure you that you have done well and are in the right standing with God.

You can do well! It is possible! Crooked paths can be made straight, the wayward can gain understanding, your old moral and spiritual condition can pass away and all things about your life can be made new! You can do well - Love the Lord with all your heart, humble and submit yourself wholly to Him, and evaluate your behavior and align it with God’s Word. Then, you will be accepted and succeed.

[awakenedsalamander]

It’s been too long.

Here’s an odd one for you— Exiles from Demon: The Descent.

Here’s your preamble:

In Demon: The Descent, divinity is only a mechanism. Our god is a massive manifold machine, which seeks stability on a cosmic level, and shall maintain that stasis by whatever means it can— given limited time and resources.

One of these very means are the God-Machine’s angels, functions composed of higher physics and alien engineering that serve their creator with ruthless efficiency and unquestioning loyalty. Typically, they go among mortals, commonly by introducing themselves into a human community, or by “replacing” a pre-existing human. From there, they are the hands of God, working in secret to build greater and more effective machinery.

Or… that’s how it’s supposed to work.

In reality, angels sometimes— much more often than the God-Machine is inclined to acknowledge— fail, and perhaps most disastrously of all, they fail intentionally.

Perhaps the angel falls in love with a target they’ve been asked to kill, or grows to resent the cult they’ve been tasked with forming, or perhaps, in a fit of pique and out of desire for freedom, tosses a critical component of the God-Machine’s Infrastructure into a river. In these moments, angels Fall.

They become demons, the Unchained, fugitives from heaven who lie, hide, and steal with consummate ease— after all, the hunter-angels would have them destroyed if they didn’t.

It’s simple. For a demon, God is the enemy, and God is omnipresent, so anywhere the Unchained are is behind enemy lines. The mission is always clandestine, and all things are done covertly. Sin in secret, or perish.

With me so far?

Then, what are Exiles?

Well, basically, while demons leave their creator willingly (even if not always strictly intentionally), Exiles essentially have God leave them.

An Exile is an angel who, for whatever reason, is released into the world with a mission that cannot be accomplished— told to kill a man who is already dead, for instance. Or, the mission isn’t impossible, but paradoxical; the angel must always speak truth to the chosen/must never speak truth to the chosen. Or, the mission is merely nonsensical, the angel hears only static and grinding metal where they should hear their purpose spoken by God. Or, the mission does not exist at all— the angel is released upon earth with no purpose at all.

It can be a combination of any or all of the above, even. Machines are known for malfunctions, after all.

And these angels are the Exiles— glitches from God.

Demons may have gone rogue, rebelled and cast themselves out of heaven, but Exiles were simply abandoned. They are as faithful or as faithless as the situation demands— what else can they be?

The text of Demon: The Descent spells out that Exiles are the ultimate wild cards: They have no reason to work with angels (who often ignore Exiles, sometimes as if incapable of even perceiving them). They have no reason to work with demons (who are liars almost by definition, and have nothing real to offer an Exile). They love mortals as much as they hate them. They scorn God, they pray to the Machine, they have nothing, they have all the time in the world.

Saints and sinners alike both have purpose— but the Exile is merely here, meant for neither Heaven or Hell.

[bri-the-nautilus]

Blorbo Headcanon: The Tragedy of Gurranq

This is one I've been kind of mulling over, but was spurred to devote some serious thought to tonight. Maliketh/Gurranq is adorable. The best, hungriest boi. A faithful shadow, true to the Golden Order. But I think his tragedy extends beyond just feeling like he let Marika down on the Night of Black Knives. To start, we'll need some background.

Farum Azula is a crumbling city in the sky at the center of a time storm. The southern provinces are dotted with debris from Farum Azula, but the city when we visit it is not only reasonably intact, but frozen. Nothing is actively falling. There's no day/night cycle. Passing time doesn't alter the skybox and nothing changes based on when you enter. It's clear that Farum Azula exists outside the normal flow of time, and can even counteract it: when we travel to Placidusax's arena, a destroyed section of the city reforms itself and the Erdtree doesn't exist. Farum Azula is populated by a society of intelligent beastmen, who were blessed with intellect and five fingers as stated by the Cinquedea, Gurranq's clerical shortsword.

Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, is a robed figure who makes his home in Dragonbarrow, protected by a Black Blade Kindred. He guides and leads the Hunters of Those Who Live In Death, who weed deathroot. Deathroot is said to be the source of Those Who Live In Death, and Gurranq eats it. The Stone and Claw of Gurranq incantations say that he once went by a different name, which meant "Death of the Demigods." If the player feeds every obtainable deathroot to Gurranq, he thanks them for being a friend but states that he has "done all he can for this world" and promptly disappears.

Maliketh, the Black Blade, is to Queen Marika as Blaidd is to Ranni. He wields and protects Destined Death. It was he who defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen in battle (Godslayer's UGS) and he who was robbed on the Night of Black Knives to create the blades that slew Godwyn and Ranni. For a shadow like Maliketh, the feeling that he let Marika down and the tragedy is his fault must have been impossible to bear. He vows that Destined Death shall not be stolen from him again. We meet Maliketh in Farum Azula, where he first dresses as a Beast Clergyman and wields the Cinquedea before unchaining Destined Death and facing us with his black blade and armor.

The game makes it pretty clear that Gurranq is Maliketh. Besides their identical appearances, Gurranq's old name meaning "Death of the Demigods," and Gurranq's sanctum being guarded by one of Maliketh's black gargoyles, as you progress Gurranq's questline he makes repeated references to a "past sin" and speaks of Marika as if he knew her personally.

Upon dealing enough damage after feeding the fourth Deathroot

"Put it away. I won't forget... again... mine appetite... My sin... So please.... Enough."

Fifth Deathroot

"My thanks Tarnished.... Death... My sin... Should not be touched by the hand of man... I shall grant thee... my claws... Feed me... more..."

Sixth, seventh and eighth Deathroot

"I won't forget... again.... mine appetite... My sin... I must have more... I must consume more..."

Ninth Deathroot

"It is... it is all... consumed. Still., I am not sated... Not nearly sated..." 

"Marika... Is this... what it is... to sin?" "Will things... never be the same... again?" 

"..." 

"Tarnished... my thanks... for thy... long labor. But I have done... all I can... in this land. Henceforth, mine appetite shall be my sole companion. Farewell."

Moreover, if you complete Gurranq's quest before challenging Maliketh for the first time, Maliketh phase one has special dialogue where he recognizes you and laments that he has to fight you.

Tarnished, why wouldst thou... Why... Tis no matter. I hereby vow, that Destined Death shall not be stolen again.

On the contrary, killing Maliketh before/during Gurranq's quest doesn't affect the Clergyman's dialogue.

But this leads us to some questions about the true nature of Gurranq and the timeline of Maliketh's life. Other demigods, such as Morgott, show the ability to project illusory duplicates of themselves. The Omen King does this twice: once in Stormveil and once in the old battlefield. One could easily assume that Gurranq is such an illusion. But there's one problem: He exists even without Maliketh. If you kill Morgott in Leyndell before either Margit, the Margit(s) in question won't spawn. If you kill Maliketh before finishing Gurranq's quest, it doesn't despawn Gurranq. Now the question is, when is Gurranq? Where in Maliketh's life does he fall?

My headcanon is this: After the NoBK, Maliketh seals Destined Death in himself. Marika orders him to go to Farum. Outwardly, she says that having him in the Capital where Destined Death could be stolen was a mistake. Privately, she doesn't want him around when she rebels against the Golden order, similarly to how Iji suspected Blaidd needed to be removed before Ranni killed her Two Fingers. Maliketh has dialogue expressing a strong adherence to the Golden Order, so it's safe to assume that unlike Blaidd with Ranni, he would not have been willing to side with Marika over the Greater Will. Maliketh leaves, but he doesn't go to Farum immediately. Yet. Confused? So am I.

Marika sticks her head into Farum, sees a self-loathing ball of fur, and leaves to plot the Shattering.

Maliketh, meanwhile, feels a duty to help rid the world of the evil that he thinks he allowed the creation of. Those Who Live In Death are a new phenomenon. Godwyn being slain and buried caused his influence to spread along the Erdtree's roots, raising the dead. Although he has restrained Destined Death and no longer wields it, Maliketh is both qualified and honor-bound to fight Those Who Live In Death. And as long as he's in Farum in about half an hour when Marika goes to see him, everything's fine.

Adopting the name 'Gurranq', Maliketh heads for Caelid. There, he sets up shop leading a cadre of Golden Order adherents (eventually including Darian and the Tarnished) in weeding the deathroot that allows the dead to wake. When Marika shatters the Elden Ring, he feels lied to and betrayed, but he pushes it out of mind. The Tarnished succeeds in excising every major deathroot node from the Lands Between and feeding them to Gurranq. Gurranq has done all he can for this world, and thanks his truest comrade for their service before they part ways.

Farum Azula is a city out of time, and Maliketh is demigod and high priest of the city out of time. He arrives right after Marika dismissed him, on time for her to see him there. He knows what she's going to do, but has to bite his tongue. There he sits for all the years after the NoBK. Until one day, the Tarnished arrives.

For them, it's been just days.

For Maliketh, it's been centuries.

Maliketh was betrayed by Marika. He spent centuries simultaneously laboring to repent as Gurranq and sitting alone in a lost city and blaming himself for what went wrong as the time-displaced Black Blade. He had one companion who shared his mission towards the end of his time in the Lands Between, but they parted ways and Maliketh lived all that time again alone. But now, his truest of comrades has returned to kill him and steal that which he swore would not leave his side again.

A second betrayal, more painful than the first.

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign/Character Intro: The Orphic Uprising and Amazonomachy, feat. Nina Grayson

Status: Completed System: Cypher

About: These were two continuous arcs that together formed the first campaign with my university TTRPG group. It was a homebrew story set in the world of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, following a small group of simultaneously inept and hyper-competent demigods from Camp Half-Blood on their various (mis)adventures. Out of character, we called ourselves the Confusion Crew due to the sheer absurdity of some of the shenanigans we got up to. It was delightful.

Genres: Urban fantasy, YA Rating: Teen General content warnings: strong language, mature humor, immature humor, fantasy violence, teenage protagonists, second-hand embarrassment. Posts may not be tagged due to the generally mild nature of most of this campaign's content. Tags: #confusion crew, #nina grayson

story and character details under the cut

The Story

The first arc, The Orphic Uprising, was a short and sweet 10 session wonder. Our story began with a simple game of Capture the Flag gone horribly wrong as Camp Half-Blood was invaded by a skeletal army and a beloved NPC was killed. In the aftermath, we received a prophecy:

Children of Night and lords of the deep Conspire together in the midnight keep. When the twice born God is lured and bound beneath, The impossible is tasked to the daughter of the laurel wreath; The islander shall face the Cyprian boar, And beauty's blood shall open the door; The forgotten son of Spring shall be returned. Through faith and song life can then be earned.

Once the party is determined, we're given the keys to an old model of the Sun Chariot and immediately set course for California and the Underworld.

The second arc, The Amazonomachy, ran almost three times as long, a whole 27 sessions over the course of about 9 months. It's set roughly a year after the last arc, and began with a simple game of Capture the Flag against some visiting Amazons that went horribly wrong when the Amazons turned it into a full-blown raid on Camp Half-Blood. Apparently, the new queen of the Amazons somehow got it into her head that, just as the Olympians overthrew their parents, the Titans, it was high time that we, the demigods, overthrew the Olympians, and she didn't want Camp Half-Blood getting in the way of her mission. Our intrepid heroes from last summer, together with two new unlucky campers who happened to be in the wrong right place at the wrong right time, sneak out of camp and set about sabotaging the Amazons' efforts. And if they fail to do that, well, they can still stop the queen from becoming a new god and killing the old ones . . . right?

The Blorbos

I played Nina Grayson (depicted above), who was an incredibly skilled gymnast, modern dancer, and rock climber—and why wouldn't she be? She's a daughter of Nike, literal embodiment of victory. How could she be anything but the best? Failure was simply not an option for Nina, and while she preferred to avoid failure honestly, the fear of it was so strong that she had no qualms about fighting dirty or playing tricks if that's what it took to win. She was impulsive, headstrong, extremely determined, and nigh-unkillable, with a mean right hook and a poor sense of self. She wasn't very good at making friends, but lucky for her, the rest of the party didn't leave her much of a choice there, and by the epilogue, she had more emotional support than she knew what to do with! Nina was a menace both in and out of combat because she put all her points into strength, speed, durability, and dirty tricks, and nothing into charisma or smarts. Truly, a himbo lesbian queen (literally, in fact, because I think she ended up canonically becoming the queen of the Amazons in the epilogue). Iconic himbo acts of hers included solving a hidden object puzzle by punching a horse statue in the face, getting set on fire and putting it out by drenching herself in monster blood, solving a locked door problem by punching the lock in the face, splitting the party to play double agent without telling her friends she was only fake-betraying them, and solving a vengeful goddess issue by punching her in the face so hard it temporarily killed said goddess. At some point she also acquired the nickname Larry?

Her two best friends were Chuck Hickey, an appropriately chaotic son of Dionsysus who grew up on his grandparents' vineyard, played by my lovely husband @somethingclevermahogony, and Beatrice Starveling, an incredibly musically talented and equally exhausted daughter of Apollo who made Orpheus look like a chump, played by the incredibly artistically talented @hamletphase (who I think has commissions open rn!). These three were part of both arcs, and I love this trio dearly. For the second arc, we were also joined by the iconic bromance duo of surfer dude Cameron "Murph" Murphy, a son of Epimethius ("god" of hindsight) who got himself into a lot of chaos but somehow always had the right tool for the job, played by the fantastic @ostrich-runner, and wannabe fuckboi Bryce, a totally not bisexual disaster son of Eros. And last but not least, there was our team pet Hops, a funky little alcohol grain demon who looked like if a cabbage patch doll was an actual baby-shaped root vegetable. We fed him illegally acquired beer and Chuck carried him around in a baby björn, or occasionally threw him like a football at our enemies and used him like an Entangle spell. Only the best food and enrichment activities for our darling grain demon!

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Kino Prologue

ー The scene starts on the open fields

Kino: …

( ーー Before I knew it, I found myself there. )

Where…am I? And who exactly am I?

( In a daze, I simply started walking ahead. With each step I took, I could feel myself having a harder time to breathe, a foul stench lingering in the air of this barren land. )

( I feel a strong sensation that simply being alive would bring nothing but me pain and suffering. …Almost as if this is the Underworld. )

Kino: ( Aah, now I get it. )

( I must have surely met a terrible fate somewhere. )

…

( I suppose it no longer matters. If I simply pass away here in silence. )

( Without anyone having to know… )

*Twinkle*

Kino: Oh!?

( A star fell down? )

( Did I imagine that? No, I’m positive I saw it sparkle. )

…I guess I’ll keep walking just a little further ahead.

Monologue

Rotigenberg.

The Cursed land, where the foul stench of rotten figs,

lingers in the air.

These are the Demon World’s wastelands,

home to the ‘Ghouls’,

a group of creatures who aren’t shunned by their descent,

since they are not acknowledged as proper Demons.

Whether the light flashing through the foggy air in front of me,

was a coincidence or the inevitable,

I do not know.

However, I once again started walking.

Solely holding onto the faith,

that ahead of that fallen star, happiness was waiting for me…

ー The scene shifts to the emergency stairs of Kaminashi Tower

Kino: Hmー What a lovely view.

The bright neon lights are beautiful…and the air is fresh.

( They cannot even be compared. )

*Flap flap flap*

Kino: ーー Welcome. Come on, you can sit on my arm.

*Caw caw caw*

Kino: …So, how are things looking?

*Caw caw caw*

Kino: I see. …So he’s here. You’ve done your job. You can head home now.

*Flap flap flap*

Kino: I suppose I should get going then.

ー Kino jumps up on the tip of the tower

Kino: Nn~ The breeze feels great up here. It was a smart idea to climb up the tower.

I’d love to just fly through the wind into the distance but…

But I’m the one who asked him to meet, so I have to show up now, don’t I?

I hope he’ll make it worth my time…Fufu.

ー The scene shifts to the park

Kino: Uhm…?

ー Richter approaches him

Richter: Are you the one who called me out here?

Kino: Yeah, exactly. Nice to meet you, Uncle.

Richter: ‘Uncle’, huh…? I did not think I would run into another individual who refers to me as such.

Although I have to admit that my older brother was a true ladies’ man. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he has a couple of illegitimate children running around…

But how do you intend to prove that you are indeed one of them?

Kino: That’s a piece of cake. …Hah!

*Woosh*

Richter: What are you doing all of a suddーー

Kino: Oh? Not enough to convince you? Then…!

*WOOSH*

Richter: You are…

Kino: …Can you still claim that I’m not actually Father’s child after seeing this?

Richter: No, to be able to produce such strong magic here in the human world…

It is true that it would be impossible for anyone who isn’t related to my older brother. …Heh. Very well. Let me hear what you have to say.

Kino: I’m glad you understand.

Richter: Yes, my sincere apologies. So, what do you want to do next? If you’d like, I will happily lend you a hand.

Kino: Hm? 

Richter: Let me think…I will do anything within my power to help you steal back those powers from that troublemaker.

*Rustle*

Richter: Not a bad suggestion, is it? When you eventually conquer the Demon World, I shall be there to lighten the pressure put on these narrow shoulders of yours.

Kino: …Get your dirty hands off me.

*Rustle*

Richter: Come again?

Kino: Hm? Nothing~ No, you just caught me a little off guard, you see. My bad!

I mean, even though you are related to Karlheinz as well…You’re just so incredibly underwhelming.

Richter: I beg your pardon!?

Kino: I mean, you can’t blame me, can you? Or can you prove your strength to me, like I did earlier?

Richter: …Every individual has their strengths and weaknesses. In our case, it just so happens that my older brother ran away with all of the strong genes.

Kino: In short, you’re a loser.

Richter: I am not. My older brother was ignorant to the concept of love, but I am full of affection and I know what it feels like to be loved by another.

A beautiful lady once proved that to me, you see.

Kino: …I could care less.

Richter: Did you say something?

Kino: Nah, I don’t really understand love and such…So yeah.

Richter: Haha, no need to worry. I promise that if you quietly grab my hand, I shall ensure that everything goes smoothly.

Now then, allow me to show you to my manor. I have made quite the name for myself here in the human world, so I will be able to assist you in various waysーー

Kino: I see. …You really think highly of yourself, don’t you? 

Richter: …

Kino: You really think I’m going to believe some bullshit story about you being loved?

Richter: …! And what do you know!?

Kino: Haha! My information on you must be correct then. You are very much aware that you never once loved in your life…Aren’t you?

Richter: So this is what I get for being humble…!

*Woosh*

Kino: Too slow. …You’re going to need to work on your speed.

ー Kino disappears

Richter: !? Where did he go!?

Kino: Behind you. Haah!

*WOOSH*

Kino: Farewell, Uncle.

*SPLATTER*

ー Richter collapses

*Thud*

Richter: Kuh…Hah…Ah. Uu…

…

Kino: I hope that in the Afterlife, you will be reunited with Auntie who you loved so much. …Haha.

Yuuri: Is it over, Kino?

Kino: Guess so. Go and stab his corpse on the tip of the tower over there.

Yuuri: Why?

Kino: To celebrate! …Yet another Vampire kicked the bucket, so we have to hold a big party!

Right, right! Will you take care of ‘that’ as well while you’re putting him up there?

Yuuri: Yes, I understand.

Kino: Well then, that’s one more piece of trash out of the way. …Now, I suppose I’ll go and rinse off the blood which got on me first. …!

*TIMESKIP*

Kino: All preparations are taken care of. …I suppose I shall go and pick up the Princess then.

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the street outside

Yui: ( Where am I? I thought I was sleeping. )

*Thud*

Yui: ( Hm? …I felt something hit my foot. )

*Thud thud*

Yui: ( Is that…an apple rolling on the ground? For some reason, I feel as if I should follow it… )

ー Yui starts chasing the apple

Yui: ( …Wait…! )

*Thud thud*

Yui: ( Eh? There’s more of them? Actually, where exactly are these apples coming from…? )

*Rustle*

Yui: Eek!

( The path behind me is becoming distorted. The walls melting away into darkness…I’m scared! )

( I feel like I’ll get swallowed as well if I don’t keep running forward. )

ー Yui keeps on running until she eventually wakes up in her room

Yui: !

*Thud*

Yui: ( Was that a dream just now…? It was terrifying, I broke a cold sweat. )

( It’s still pitch dark outside, so I’d like to sleep a bit more…Hm? )

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: ( Is that a crow outside the window? )

( Are crows nocturnal? …No, I’m pretty sure they aren’t. )

( Then why…? )

*Caw caw caw*

Yui: ( …It’s giving me creepy vibes, so better not go take a look. )

( I don’t know whether I’ll be able to sleep, but I’ll just lie down…and wait for the morning to come. )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the classroom

Female Student A: Ahーaah. Such a bummer that our society class’ excursion got cancelled. I was looking forward to visiting Kaminashi Tower.

Female Student B: Right? I can’t believe they’re expecting us to sit through this lecture instead.

Female Student A: But you know, I heard that the whole area is off limits right now, so there’s nothing we can do about it.

Female Student B: Apparently it’s because of a murder case? People were talking about how blood fell down from the sky like rain yesterday!

Female Student A: Eh? Really?

Female Student B: Yeah. My boyfriend passed by the area yesterday and he told me how the whole ground was covered in red puddles!

Female Student A: Ehー!?

Female Student B: But they didn’t cover it on the news, so it could just be someone pulling a prank.

*Ding dongー Ding dongー*

Yui: ( I can’t believe such a thing apparently happened at Kaminashi Tower. …It’s really closeby, so I’m not too thrilled about it. )

( Please let it just be some prank. )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the shopping district

Yui: ( …I feel a little uneasy having to walk back home alone on a day like this. I’ll try to take the well-lit paths back. )

( I can’t believe that today, out of all days, everyone had some other business they needed to attend so they didn’t arrange the limousine…Oh well, guess it can’t be helped. )

ー Yui notices a new store

Yui: ( Oh? A new store has opened up over here. )

( …I suppose I can drop by for a bit now that I’m here. )

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ( I ended up buying a little knick-knack. I wonder where I should put it in my room? )

…

( I’ve really gotten used to that room without realizing. )

( Not just my own room either. Before I knew it, that manor had become almost like my own home. …I wonder why I still go back there? )

( It’s not like I willingly chose to live there…So I wonder how much longer I’ll be able to stay? )

( I used to often ponder about that in the past but lately it has completely slipped my mind. …I’m not sure how I feel about that. )

ー Somebody runs up to her

???: Uriah!

*Rustle*

Yui: ( Eh? …Someone grabbed my chest…! )

Kyahー!!

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: W-W-What are you doing!?

Ayato: Shut up! Anyway, you’re still as flat as ever, aren’t you? I thought that maybe they would have grown a lil’ by now.

Yui: Gosh! …I lost weight because of you, you know!?

Ayato: Hehe, what’s this? Look who has a big mouth now!

Yui: ( Hahー …I suppose I just no longer have time to fret about such things because everyday is like a rollercoaster ride. )

Monologue

Even though the days are still the same,

there is one slight thing which has changed.

Actually, the Sakamaki household,

now has a new leader on the throne.

After Karlheinz-san passed away,

the one who inherited his powers…was Ayato-kun.

Apparently he has been going back and forth,

between the human and Demon World,

as part of his new title as Vampire King.

Yui: ( I mean, I don’t know what exactly that entails but…I suppose I’ll find out sooner or later. )

( I have been dubbed Eve and Ayato-kun is the most likely candidate to become Adam. )

( The two of us might get together in the future. )

( …I wonder how Ayato-kun would react if I were to say that I’m leaving the family? )

( He might not let me go. But where would I run away to anyway? )

…Haah.

Ayato: Hello? Why are you sighing up a storm?

Yui: I have those days too, you know.

Ayato: I see…Then why don’t we swing by somewhere on our way home, huh? How ‘bout we go to Kaminashi Tower after missin’ out on it earlier today?

Yui: Eh?

Ayato: The school’s excursion didn’t go through, right? I heard you actually went to attend the substitute lecture.

Yui: ( So Ayato-kun skipped deliberately… )

But apparently the visit got cancelled because something happened.

So I’m sure they won’t let us in, even if we go…

Ayato: Hehe. That only sounds even more fun! Let’s go!

*Rustle*

Yui: Eeh?

( Geez, he’s so pushy… )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Kaminashi Tower

Ayato: The fuck? Why is it this crowded?

Yui: The incident took place only yesterday, so I’m sure these people have gathered to see what exactly is going on.

Ayato: Aah? Excuse me? That’s damn annoying.

Yui: ( I’m pretty sure we’re doing the exact same thing though… )

Ayato: Oi, move! Lemme have a look as well!

Yui: You can’t, Ayato-kun!

ー A strong gust of wind blows

Yui: ( Eh…? I feel as if there’s an odd smell in the air… )

Ayato: Hm? Something stinks. This place smells weird.

Yui: You too?

Ayato: Yeah.

Yui: ( However, it doesn’t seem like anyone else around us has noticed. …What is going on? )

( I wonder why? Rather than it being a nice fragrance, it’s actually… )

Ayato: Smells like somethin’ is rottin’.

Yui: Yeah…

( It’s an unpleasant smell which really gets in your nose. …I’m kinda feeling sick. What exactly isーー )

ー Yui recalls what her classmates were talking about

Female Student B: Apparently it’s because of a murder case? People were talking about how blood fell down from the sky like rain yesterday!

Yui: ( Don’t tell me…This is bad! )

ー Yui runs off

Ayato: Hah? Oi, Chichinashi! Where are you goin’!?

Fuck, move aside, stupid humans!

ー The scene shifts to the park

Yui: ( I have to contact the police before it turns into a big scene. )

…

( Huh? I’m pretty sure it came from this direction but…Did I just imagine it? )

ー She spots someone in the distance

Yui: ( Someone’s there. Is that…a young boy? )

( He looks sad…Could he be crying? )

( It’s dangerous for him to be out here at this time of day, so I’ll reach out. )

ー Yui walks up to him

Yui: Excuse me…Is something wrong?

???: …Good evening.

Yui: Good evening…

( Huh? He’s smiling…Were my eyes playing tricks on me earlier? )

???: So, what do you need?

Yui: Eh? Nothing in particular…I’m sorry. I’ll get going now, okay?

ー Yui tries to walk away

???: Wait.

*Rustle*

Yui: Eh?

( He grabbed my arm. Why? )

*Thud*

???: Don’t worry. You didn’t approach me out of your own free will.

I lured you out here after all.

Yui: Eh…?

*Flap flap*

*Caw caw caw*

Yui: What do you mean?

???: To spill the beans to you, I actually put a certain scent which will attract Demons on the old guy I killed yesterday.

Yui: ( Killed…? What is he talking about? )

???: Well, I say that, but it actually only works on a very specific group of individuals.

A certain someone who is qualified to become Adam, or Eve…for example?

Yui: !? Who exactly are you…?

Kino: I am Kino. Karlheinz’ Prince Zero…and the brother of the Sakamaki family.

Yui: Brother…Everyone’s?

( I’ve never heard anything about that. …Is he speaking the truth? )

ー Ayato runs up to them

Ayato: You bastard, don’t be spoutin’ bullcrap!

Yui: Ayato-kun!

Ayato: Don’t run off without my permission! …Who the fuck are you?

Kino: Nice to meet you, Sakamaki Ayato-kun. I am your brother, sharing the same Father.

Ayato: Hah. As if I’d believe that.

Kino: I see. Too bad.

Ayato: Anyway, are you the one behind that stench!?

Kino: Yup, I am! After killing Uncle Richter, I had Ghouls’ flesh put on his corpse to lure the two of you out here.

I honestly didn’t think it would work this splendidly. …Fufu.

Yui: One second. Did you mention Richter-san just now…?

Kino: Yeah. He was trying to kiss my ass until the very end, he was truly a lost cause.

Yui: No way…!

( So this story about blood raining down the sky must have come from when Richter-san was murdered…! )

How could you…!

Ayato: I mean, he got killed because he’s a weakling, right? I don’t give a damn.

Why did you lure us out here?

Kino: You see…

*Snap*

*Flap flap*

Male Ghoul A: Hoh…

*Flap flap*

Male Ghoul B: There we go…

Yui: ( Eh? …The crows are changing into humans one after the other…! )

Ayato: This smell…Ghouls, huh? The fuck do you want? Go back to your graveyard already!

Kino: Ahaha! Ouch! But I wonder how long that attitude of yours will keep up? …

*Woosh*

Ayato: Heh. That won’t even leave a scratch on me!

Yui: Ayato-kun, behind you!

Male Ghoul A: !

*Cling*

Ayato: Uwah!? …Now you’ve done it.

*Woosh*

Male Ghoul B: How about this!?

*Cling*

Ayato: How many times do I have to tell you that crap won’t work!?

*Woosh*

Kino: Heeh, not bad. As to be expected of my brother. But there are still many more Ghouls left, you see?

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: ( No way…Crows are flocking to the area, transforming as soon as they land on the ground. )

What now, Ayato-kun…?

Ayato: I just have to kick their ass, right? You stay back!

*Woosh*

Yui: ( …I’m scared, but all I can do is pray. )

( Please let us make it out of this safe and sound…! )

*TIMESKIP*

*Woosh woosh*

Ayato: Damnit! They keep on poppin’ up no matter how many I take down…!

Yui: ( Quite some time has passed, but the situation hasn’t improved. If anything… )

Ayato: The fuck’s goin’ on…? There’s no end to them!

*Woosh*

Yui: Kyah!

( It seems as if Ayato-kun is losing control over his attacks… )

Kino: Ahaha! Seems like he’s really starting to feel it now.

Yui: Why are you doing this!?

Kino: Oh? You want me to stop?

Yui: Of course!

Kino: Sure. Honestly, I thought it was about time to wrap things up too. …!

*WOOSH*

Ayato: Guaah!!

ー Ayato collapses

*Thud*

Yui: Eh? …No way…!

( I can’t believe Ayato-kun was taken down in the blink of an eye…! )

Kino: Seize him.

Male Ghoul C: Roger.

ー Ayato is restrained

Ayato: Guh…Fuck! Lemme go!

Kino: No. …Take him away.

Male Ghoul C: …

ー Ayato is taken away

Yui: Why do you do this!?

Kino: Why, you ask? Isn’t that obvious?

ー Kino steps closer

*Rustle*

Kino: Nn…

*Smooch*

Yui: ( …!? )

Kino: To get my hands on you.

*Rustle*

Yui: What do you think you’re doing!?

*SMACK*

Kino: …? You slapped me just now, didn’t you…?

Yui: I-I mean, you caught me off guard with that…

( I can’t believe he kissed me…! )

Kino: It hurts…Fufu, I’m pretty sure this is my first time getting hit by a girl.

Yui: ( Eh? …Why is he laughing? It’s giving me the shivers… )

Kino: But you know, to hit a Prince like that…I believe a punishment is in place.

ー He steps closer

*Rustle*

Kino: I can’t take my time with you here, so why don’t we move places?

Yui: No! Let me goーー

*THUD*

Kino: Now then, show me the path to becoming Adam…Eve.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Transfiguration

1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy

14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20-21 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

The Temple Tax

24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

26 “From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” — Matthew 17 | J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Cross References: Exodus 30:13; Exodus 34:29; Exodus 38:26; Deuteronomy 32:5; Judges 13:20; Isaiah 19:14; Isaiah 42:1; Song of Solomon 6:10; Malachi 4:5; Matthew 3:1; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 4:24; Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 8:4; Matthew 8:20; Matthew 8:26; Matthew 11:14; Matthew 13:31; Matthew 14:27; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 20:19; Matthew 22:19; Matthew 26:37; Mark 5:37; Mark 9:5; Mark 9:14; Mark 9:22; Mark 9:29; Mark 9:42-43; Luke 9:33; Luke 20:22; Acts 1:6; Acts 3:21; Revelation 1:17

[archduchessofnowhere]

Hello! <3 When did Franz Joseph cheat on Sisi? I know he had a mistress, but did she know about her? Or am I mistaken? Sorry if you have already talked about this somewhere in the past. Thank you.

Hi! I already touched upon the subject on this ask, but I'll go a bit more on detail on how Sisi may have felt.

In general, women of Elisabeth's status were expected to simply accept their husband's infidelities. Her own mother Ludovika had resignated to be a betrayed wife, and had even been told by her sister Sophie "that she knew many women who had had happy marriages with their unfaithful husbands" (Winkelhofer, 2022). However, it seems Sisi wasn't as forgiving as her mother.

Now, we don't actually know what exactly went down, but in 1860 Elisabeth suddenly left Vienna for Madeira because of a mysterious coughing that wouldn't go away. Today most biographer agree that this illness was actually psychosomatic, a product of the high levels of stress the young empress had go through during the last years. Also, most biographers at least suspect that the final crisis that made Elisabeth want to leave court at once was discovering that her husband was cheating on her. Just to quote one exemple, take her first serious biographer Egon Corti (emphasis by me):

Elizabeth reproached her husband bitterly for not taking her part in everything; but at times she seemed to him too nervous and erratic, and he felt that such an important matter as the education of the Crown Prince was better left in the hands of his mother, who had trained him himself for the throne so carefully. Thus Francis Joseph was torn between his mother, to whom he owed everything, and his wife, whom he loved beyond words; and, moreover, as was only natural, he was also exposed to innumerable temptations from attractive women. The fact that he was not always insensible to these was felt as a slight by his young wife, conscious of her own dazzling beauty. (Corti, 1936)

Martina Winkelhofer also notes that, in the manuscript of his biography, Corti wrote that "Everything around her [Elisabeth] is unbearable; moreover, news has reached her that Franz Joseph has looked too deeply into another woman's eyes" (2022). He deleted this sentences from the published version.

Yet, it is really hard to link Franz Josef to any particular woman, because he was very discreet in his affairs. If he really cheated on her during 1860, we don't know with whom. The only woman we know for sure he had an affair with was Anna Nahowski, an affair that lasted from the end of the 1870s until 1888, but as far as I know she and Elisabeth never met. Impossible to know if the empress was aware of her existence, but I believe she must have at least suspected that her husband wasn't being faithful.

And then there's Katharina Schratt, which I also talked about in the ask I linked. Katharina was an actress in the Burgtheater and Franz Josef's celebrity crush. He watched every play she was in and soon it was known that he had a liking for the actress, but beyond a dinner in which Alexander III of Russia invited actresses of the Burgtheter to accompany them, they never met each other. It was Elisabeth, who aware of the situation, formally introduced her husband to Katharina. Soon they begun to write each other and FJ went from being a fan to a friend, which made Elisabeth happy, since she felt guilty about not being able to give her husband company.

But we don't know if Elisabeth wanted for Katharina to be a mistress, perhaps she expected it and by that point (late 1880s-1890s) she had come to terms with that, or perhaps she encouraged the relationship because she expected that FJ wouldn't cheat on her with Katharina. To quote once again Franz Josef's Valentine's day rejection letter (emphasis by me):

You say that you will control your feelings, I too shall do it, even though it will not always be easy for me, for I will do nothing wrong, I love my wife and do not intend to misuse her confidence and her friendship for you.

I said in my previous ask that this ties with my idea that FJ was only ok with his affairs if they were only physical, but this line also hints at Elisabeth supporting an emotional relationship, perhaps a romantic friendship of sorts, but not a sexual affair. But again: it's hard to know for sure, perhaps FJ was only using her as an excuse to turn down Katharina.

That's all I can say about this, but if I find more information I'll share it. Thank you for your question.

Sources:

Bourgoing, Jean [ed.] (1966). The Incredible Friendship: The Letters of Emperor Franz Joseph to Frau Katharina Schratt (translation by Evabeth Miller Kienast and Robert Rie)

Corti, Egon Caesar Conte (1936). Elizabeth, empress of Austria (translation by Catherine Alison Phillips)

Winkelhofer, Martina (2022). Sissi. La vera storia. Il cammino della giovane imperatrice (translation by Federica Saccucci)

[bosses-stay-flawless]

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A post shared by Dastan Mukhamedrakhim (@bydastann)

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads!!!

Thank You, to the strong and faithful men in my family & lineage!!! One of the most constant & empowering things l’ve learned from the collective of dads in my family is FAITH, and NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

First thing I saw in the video above was the massive mountains, first thought was the first scripture one of my grandfathers taught me about faith the size of a mustard seed. 😀

When I was a little girl the dads in my family sang the song, “Thank Heaven For Little Girls” on our birthdays.

On this day I wanna say: I thank heaven for dads!!! Dads, Granddads, Step-Dads, Uncles, Pet-Dads, Foster Dads , as well as dads who act as coach’s & mentors and dads who have passed away. Not to forget, soon to be dads.

To any dad that sees this, you guys may not be my dad, but I thank heaven for you and your faithfulness to your family, your wives and raising your children!!!

For a man that is faithful in all ways, shall accomplish much, according to his faith. Not the broad faith in religious standards, but as an intimate faith in God.

Fathers, I celebrate you, and I appreciate you!!! 🧡🩵🧡

[daitranscripts]

Cassandra Cutscene: What Pride Had Wrought

What Comes Next

Cassandra Masterpost Related Quest: What Pride Had Wrought

The PC finds Cassandra on the battlements.

Cassandra: Victory in the Arbor Wilds. The Archdemon might have been a real threat to our army, but it flew off once we turned the tide. It is still out there, however. I wonder what Corypheus plans now.

Dialogue options:

General: If he returns, we’ll face him. PC: We’ll deal with whatever he throws at us. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

General: He’ll run and hide? PC: He’ll hide. What other choice does he have? ㅤㅤ ㅤ

General: He’s lost everything. PC: He has nothing left to throw at us.

Cassandra: Do not underestimate Corypheus. He is powerful, and you have yet to fight him one-on-one. But he will come. You will get your chance.

Dialogue options:

Flirt: We’ll fight together. [1]

General: You aren’t worried? [2]

General: You’re probably right. [3]

General: I look forward to it. [4]

1 - Flirt: We’ll fight together. PC: We’ll face Corypheus together. Cassandra: There is not another [person] I would be more proud to fight beside.

2 - General: You aren’t worried? PC: You don’t seem concerned about that. Cassandra (low approval): I’m terrified. Yet I know you are strong. Cassandra (high/neutral approval): I’m terrified. Yet I have faith in you.

3 - General: You’re probably right. PC: It wouldn’t be any fun if all this was over so soon. Cassandra: Corypheus believes himself a god. Pride alone demands he not slink off into the shadows. I have faith you will be victorious even so.

4 - General: I look forward to it. PC: If he tries, he’ll regret it. Cassandra (low approval): He underestimates you, as most do. Cassandra (high/neutral approval): I believe you.

5 - Scene continues.

Cassandra walks to a different part of the battlements. The PC follows her.

Cassandra: Not long ago, this was impossible to imagine.

Cassandra (romanced): You, the man I love. Victory close at hand. Cassandra (high/neutral approval): You, a valued friend. Victory close at hand. Cassandra (low approval): You, successful against all odds. Victory close at hand.

Cassandra: The time has come to consider what will come next.

Dialogue options:

Flirt: So long as we’re together. [6] Special (after low approval scene): I assume you’ll leave. [7] General: You’ll be Divine? [8] General: Don’t jinx it. [9] General: I have plans. [10]

6 - Flirt: So long as we’re together. PC: I don’t care what’s next, as long as we’re together. Cassandra: And if I am named Divine? [11]

7 - Special: I assume you’ll leave. PC: I assume you’ll be leaving, then. Cassandra: You caught me in a poor moment before. I do not drink. PC: It sounded like you spoke your mind. Cassandra: We all have moments of doubt. [15]

8 - General: You’ll be Divine? PC: You’ll be the next Divine, I assume.

Cassandra (romanced): If so, then what of us?

11 - Dialogue options:

General: Refuse it. [12]

General: That changes nothing. [13]

General: Then so be it. [14]

12 - General: Refuse it. PC: I won’t lose you to the Chantry. Cassandra: You haven’t lost me yet. They kiss. Scene ends. ㅤㅤ ㅤ 13 - General: That changes nothing. PC: We can still be together. Cassandra: Can we? I’m not so certain. You haven’t lost me yet. They kiss. Scene ends. ㅤㅤ ㅤ 14 - General: Then so be it. PC: Then you’re Divine. Cassandra: It hasn’t happened yet. They kiss. Scene ends.

Cassandra: That has not happened yet. PC: But it may. Cassandra: If the Maker wills it, then yes—I will answer His call. [15]

9 - General: Don’t jinx it. PC: We still have to beat Corypheus. Cassandra: I have not forgotten. [15]

10 - General: I have plans. PC: Oh, I have plans of my own. Cassandra (low approval): Of that I have no doubt. Cassandra (high/neutral approval): As you should. [15]

15 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: “Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter.”

Cassandra (low approval): Your strength got us here, Inquisitor. I shall not forget. Cassandra (high approval): You have come far, my friend. It has been an honor. Cassandra (neutral approval): I will stand with you in the end, Inquisitor. If you will have me.

[myreia]

WIP Whenever

Been ages since I've had writing to share, so I'm dumping a bunch at once! Tagging @thevikingwoman @roguelioness @allaganexarch @impossible-rat-babies @galadae @hylfystt @lilas @coldshrugs @bearlytolerant and anyone else who would like to. I'd love to see what you're working on! 💖 ~ 1000 words from an endless FFXIV Wolmeric fic I'm working on, specifically a re-working of the dinner date scene in Heavensward.

“Forgive me if this is strange to say,” Aymeric continues, reaching for the decanter and finishes filling his glass. “But I would rather you come as you are, not what you think you should be.”

She pauses. “What do you mean?”

“The dress you spoke of. Frankly, I do not care what you see fit to dress yourself in, nor how closely you choose to follow Ishgardian customs. It would make my heart heavy indeed to see you forgo the very essence of yourself and trade it for traditions that are not your own. I would not argue we besmirch custom and culture wholly and throw them to the wolves, but rather I do not believe their sanctity should go unquestioned. One must take part in tradition out of choice, not obligation. Traditions are precious and deserve to be celebrated, but to embrace them blindly does not equate respect in my eyes. There will always be those for whom tradition fails, and those who tradition forgot.”

He exhales a long breath and lays a hand on the table near his glass. “Perhaps you count yourself among them, more at home amongst the good people of the Brume then the lords and ladies of the High Houses. I can lay no blame at your feet for preferring the Forgotten Knight to the Pillars when some here see your very existence as an affront to the fantasy they deem a civilized society. Regardless, you have notoriety and grand stories of your accomplishments precede you. To some, you are as much a fixture of this era of restoration as the House of Lords and the House of Commons, or the efforts of the good overseers and caretakers of the Firmament. But as wont as the people are to place the Warrior of the Light upon a pedestal, so too are they to forget there is a very real woman at the heart of those tales. I shall not. You cannot be anything other than yourself, and I will not ask it of you.”  

She raises her head and meets his eyes, her heart throbbing in her chest. Gods, why must he be like this? What has she done to deserve a friendship like his?

“Perhaps it is something we share, then,” she suggests, a quiet smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

He blinks, startled, and chortles to cover his surprise. “We do?” he asks.

“Aymeric, consider what you have accomplished. My hand may have brought an end to Nidhogg’s wrath, but it is you who had the conviction to pull Ishgard out of this war. Break down the walls this country encased itself in for centuries. Bring an end to the cycle—”

“It was not I who should be accredited with such deeds, but rather men and women far greater than myself. Lord Haurchefant and Estinien and Ysayle, to say nothing of yourself. I can still see you there on the Steps of Faith, striding fearlessly towards the wyrm. It is not a moment I will soon forget.”

“You place too much importance on it—”

“You think I say that as a commander commending his greatest general for feats in battle. It is not so rote as that. Ishgard held its breath that day and you—”

She exhales sharply. “Would you let me finish?”

He bows his head. “Of course,” he says, unable to hide his smile. “Consider me suitably chastised.”

Aureia pauses, twisting her hands together beneath the table. What can she say to get her point across? Whenever she pushes the importance of his political maneuvers, he seems keen on derailing the point to praise her actions in combat. Perhaps that is the soldier in him or the rhetoric of Halone, though in Ishgard, they are often one and the same. The fast and dazzling heroism of victory in battle will always trump the slow, tedious work of reform.

She turns her head, her gaze wandering the dining room as she gives herself time to think. Lights dance on the opposite wall, drawing her eye to the hearth and its crackling flames. A set of portraits hang above the mantlepiece, depicting a wise Elezen noble and his wife. Grey-haired, strong features, kind eyes… These must be his adoptive parents. The former viscount and viscountess. By all accounts they loved him dearly, placing no blame on him for his accident of birth.

He has spoken little of them. Considering her difficulties with her own family, she would never want to press the matter. But she can’t help to wonder how much of him came from them. He may have called Thordan Father in those final days, but his true father—the man who raised him—is remembered here, his memory hanging proudly upon the wall.

If there is anything she knows all too well, it is that family is a very different thing from blood.

“When the whole nation looks to you, what do they see?” Aureia says finally. “On one hand, the commander who did not come from noble stock. The bastard who stood in the face of bloody tradition and sought another path. The reckless fool who defies century of tradition. On the other, the viscount who has nothing but love for his country. A noble man and a man of righteous faith, for whom there is no sacrifice too great if it means bringing Ishgard to the dawn of a new day. Aymeric, you are as much an enigma to your nation as I am. If they forget the Warrior of Light is a living, breathing person with blood in her veins, then so it is true for the Lord Commander. You are an ideal to them, at once a traditionalist to be trusted and a maverick to be praised. A visionary.”

She takes a breath and forges ahead. “But the problem with ideals is that they are just that. Ideals. The work ahead of you will be longer and more grueling than fighting any dragon. My duty is done the moment my enemy is felled, but yours is just beginning. There will come a time when your people will see you not as the ideal they believe, but the man you are. And, in my experience, people do not like to see their fantasies broken.”   

His gaze passes over her, blue eyes piercing and stern. For a moment, she wonders whether she has upset him, but then his expression breaks into a blinding smile. “Eloquently put,” he says, running a thumb across the stem of his glass. “Are you certain you are not fit for public speaking?”

She rolls her eyes. “Fuck, no.”