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archduchessofnowhere · 1 year

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“I pray daily to the good Lord to preserve you for a long time for our happiness”

The other day I discovered Antiquariat Inlibris, an Austrian antique store that specialize in selling rare books and letters, and their online catalogue is a true mine gold of content. Among the many items I came across with were three letters that Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Duke Karl Theodor in Bavaria and Queen Marie Sophie of the Two Sicilies wrote when they were children to their mother Duchess Ludovika, congratulating her on her birthday.

The first two are from a nine-years-old Elisabeth and a seven-years-old Karl Theodor, both dated August 25, 1847. Elisabeth wrote her letter in French, while her brother wrote it in German, in verse. Note how they used the same lace-decorated paper.

Transcription:

Ma chère Maman!

Je te félicite de tout mon cœur pour ta fête; je prie journellement le bon Dieu de Te conserver longtemps pour notre bonheur. Te promettant de faire mon possible pour Te contenter, chère maman, je Te prie d’aimer toujours

Ta reconnaissante fille Elise.

Translation:

My dear Mama!

I congratulate you from my whole heart on your birthday; I pray daily to the good Lord to preserve you for a long time for our happiness. I promise you to do my best to please you, dear mama, I pray that you always love Your grateful daughter Elise

Transcription:

Sieh, wie hier, dieß Herz in selig stiller Wonne, | Theuerste Mama, von Liebe überfließt, | Heut! Da gleich den Tag die holde Morgensonne | Dich Geliebteste dein Namensfest begrüßt. | Fromme Wünsche, die in meinem Herzen glühen, | Steigen für dein stetes Wohl zum Himmel auf. | Schön und anmuthsvoll, wie Frühlingsblumen blühen, | Die der Thau erquickt, so sey dein Lebenslauf. | Mög der güt'ge Himmel seine besten Gaben, | Dir verleihen, lächeln dir mit holdem Blick, | Stets mit süßer Freude deine Seele laben, | Lohnen deine Mutterliebe mit reinstem Glück. | Ich will werth seyn stets des Himmels hoher Gnade | Die in deinem Glücke er auch mir beschert, | Und verdienen immerdar auf meinem Lebenspfade | Das, was deine treue Mutterliebe mir gewährt.

Karl.

Translation by DeepL, but since this is a poem the automatic translator likely butchered it:

See, how here, this heart in blissful silent delight, | Dearest mama, overflowing with love, | Today! Since the fair morning sun is about to dawn | You most beloved your name festival greets. | Pious wishes, which glow in my heart, rise to heaven for your constant well-being. | Beautiful and graceful as spring flowers bloom, | Which the dew refreshes, so be thy course. | May the good heaven bestow its best gifts on thee, | Bestow upon thee, smile upon thee with a fair look, | With sweet joy thy soul always refresh, | Reward thy motherly love with purest happiness. | I will always be worthy of heaven's high grace. | Which in your happiness he also bestows on me, | And merit evermore on my life's path | That which your faithful motherly love grants me.

Karl.

The third congratulation letter is dated August 30, 1850, and it was written in German by an eight-years-old Marie:

Transcription:

Liebe Maman!

Freudig ergreife ich heute bei Gelegenheit deines Geburtsfestes die Feder um dir die Wünsche meines Herzens, aus aufrichtigem und kindlichem Gemüthe stammend, darzubringen. Möge der liebe Gott dich noch viele Jahre im besten Wohlseyn und ungestörter Zufriedenheit erleben lassen und dir alle Güter, die dein Leben zu verschönern im Stande sind im reichsten Maße zu Theil werden lassen. Möge aber auch der liebe Gott mein Bemühen, dir durch Fleiß recht viele Freude zu machen, segnen und es mir auf diese Weise gegönnt seyn, dir deine mütterliche Sorgfalt und Liebe einigermaßen zu vergelten und mich derselben immer würdiger zu machen. Dieß sind die Wünsche um deren Erfüllung heute ganz besonders zu Gott bitten wird deine dich innigliebende Tochter Marie

Translation by DeepL:

Dear Mama!

Joyfully I take the pen today on the occasion of your birthday to offer you the wishes of my heart, coming from a sincere and childlike mind. May the good Lord let you experience many more years in the best well-being and undisturbed contentment and grant you all the goods that are capable of embellishing your life in the richest measure. May the good Lord also bless my efforts to bring you much joy through diligence and may it be granted to me in this way to repay you to some extent for your motherly care and love and to make myself more and more worthy of it. These are the wishes for the fulfillment of which your daughter Marie, who loves you dearly, will especially pray to God today.

Interestingly Marie and Karl Theodor's letters are each €1500, while Elisabeth's letter costs €15000, a true testament on how anything that Sisi and her myth touched can turn into gold. More importantly, however, is how these letters are a testament on how much Ludovika was loved by her children.

Sources: [x] [x] [x]

#any depiction of her as a bad mother has absolutely NO rights at all #her kids ADORED HER !!!#empress elisabeth of austria #karl theodor duke in bavaria #queen marie sophie of the two sicilies #ludovika of bavaria duchess in bavaria #house of wittelsbach

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waltwhitmansbeard · 1 year

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go on, claim my heart: chapter three

see my masterpost for what came before this. inspired by @romeoandjulietyouwish's medieval au.

Korrin has a great deal of respect for the Royal Guard of Zephrah. They have done an excellent job of keeping his family and the rest of the royal court safe during the war, and even though Gaben Finefirn had been able to infiltrate Keyleth's chambers undetected, he can hardly hold the Guard accountable for his own oversight regarding the talents of mages. Despite this respect, however, he is livid when he is forced by his own guards into a hidden safe room when a whistle rings out across the grounds from the direction of his daughter's little house. He argues with them, commanding them to step aside and let him go to her, but he is informed that, when presented with imminent danger, it is the practice of the Guard to keep all members of the royal family secure until the threat has passed.

He must sit and stew only about ten minutes before the sound of voices interrupts his pacing in the safe room. Korrin storms to the door and whips it open, and the bevy of guards outside all turn to usher him back in, with the exception of one whose face he's never seen before, likely because the guard in question is so green Korrin imagines he's still learning his letters.

This young guard goes wide-eyed when he sees the sovereign, bowing comically low. "Your Majesty."

Korrin has no time for such pleasantries. "What is this great danger that is keeping me from seeing my daughter?"

The cadet stands up, eyes still very large and now darting between the other guards for guidance. When he receives none, he stammers, "I-I-It's the princess, my liege."

Korrin's heart stops. "What?"

"P-Princess Vilya. She w-w-w-was...she was taken."

Korrin feels all of the blood leave his body. His granddaughter. His tiny, extraordinary granddaughter. He had thought it impossible to love someone as much as he loves Keyleth, but when he holds his daughter's child, feels her wrap her wee fingers around one of his, he knows that there is no god nor king who could ever hold more power over him than this one little girl.

Without a word, Korrin pushes past the guards, ignoring their pleas for him to stop. He marches through the castle and out onto the grounds, his convoy struggling to keep up with his pace. As he strides quickly toward Keyleth's cottage, his mind replays for him all of the terrifying close counters he's had as a father and a sovereign throughout her life, the threats that have been made against her, the attempts on her life, of which the two attacks orchestrated by Finefirn were only the most recent. As the only living relative of the Ashari sovereign, Keyleth has always been a high-value target for those attempting to weaken Korrin or his nation, and each threat against her wracked him with a horrible fear—but she, at least, had never been successfully taken from him. He can imagine so clearly the cold dread he knows Keyleth is feeling now, and he pushes himself forward faster, the cottage quickly approaching.

The guards gathered outside do not attempt to stop him as he bursts in the door, where everyone jumps at his sudden arrival. Vax, Lord Percival, and Derrig all pull their weapons reflexively, but their tense lines ease when they see who has just barged in. Keyleth, however, leaps off of the sofa and throws herself at him, burying her face into his chest. "They took her," she breathes, barely audible through her heaving sobs. "They took her, Papa."

Korrin pulls his daughter in close, running a hand up and down her trembling back. He looks to Vax, who looks back at him with hollow, desolate eyes, and he knows that the darkest day has dawned over the Ashari Kingdom.

When Keyleth has managed to collect herself and her father has been filled in on the meager details that they have, she is once again sitting in front of the fireplace, which has been lit in a poor attempt to stave off the chill that has seeped into her bones. Vax sits just beside her, one of her hands in both of his, his thumb running an arc across the back of it almost obsessively. Keyleth's muscles are tense, as if at any moment she might leap into action and run until she meets the horizon, and yet she is frozen, staring into the dancing flames as though their pattern might tell her something, anything to silence the screaming inside her head.

When her father arrived, Percy had just been about to explain what he meant when he invoked the name of the rival family that overthrew his home of Whitestone when he was a boy. Keyleth knows only sparse details, having been a child herself when the terrible thing happened, but she cannot imagine a connection between what happened then and her daughter being kidnapped now, all these years later.

Percy now stands near the fireplace, clearly uncomfortable with so many eyes on him. He begins, "When I was a boy, my family, the long-standing protectors of the city-state of Whitestone, were nearly entirely eradicated by a married couple known as Lord and Lady Briarwood. When I say 'nearly entirely,' I mean I am the sole survivor." He keeps his voice even, though even through her fog of grief she can see how pale his face is. "Lord and Lady Briarwood were not just any noble couple." He nods toward Keyleth's father, who is seated at their little dining table. "As we learned all those years ago, my liege...Lady Delilah Briarwood is a most accomplished necromancer, and Lord Sylas Briarwood...is a vampire."

Keyleth blinks at him, stunned. She's heard of the necromantic arts, of course, particularly during the war, when all sorts of unsavory types flooded in with promises of raising an army of the undead to help the Ashari Nation defeat Draconia. Vampires, though, she is sure are just a myth, a scary story told to children to keep them in their beds at night.

"Percy..." Vex breathes from her spot by the window. "Are you sure?"

"If you go outside right now, you will find on each of those dead guards' throats two small puncture wounds. I saw those same wounds on the necks of my sisters Whitney and Vesper. They had been drained of their blood and left for me and my sister Cassandra to find."

Keyleth is sure she's going to be sick. Mouth dry, she rasps, "What would they want with Vilya? We have no quarrel with them, with Whitestone. What would they demand for a ransom?"

Her eyes dart between Percy and Vax, who are exchanging a look that she cannot define but that makes her fine hairs stand on edge. "Keyleth," Percy says slowly, "there will not be a ransom."

"What? You don't know that. Of course there will be—why wouldn't there be a ransom?"

"My love." Vax brings the hand he's been holding up to his lips. "They meant to kill us."

"Yes, and they failed. What is your point?"

He sighs. "You cannot extract a ransom from the dead."

The truth of his words settle over her like dirt over a coffin, and she can feel the sick rising in her throat. Whoever took Vilya, be it the Briarwoods or some other villain, they took her for their own aims and not to hold her over their heads in some kind of barter. All of the riches of the crown, and there's nothing she can offer them to get her daughter back, because they already have what they want.

"What makes you so sure that these Briarwoods are the ones behind the kidnapping?" her father asks. "Surely Lord Sylas Briarwood is not the only vampire in the world."

Keyleth can see Percy's jaw clenched so tightly she worries his teeth will crack. "Your Majesty, I saw those marks on the throats of my sisters. I saw the teeth that made them. I see them every time I close my eyes. There is not an ounce of doubt in my mind that Sylas Briarwood killed those guards."

The silence that overtakes the cottage is cold, unsettling. Keyleth's chest is a hollow thing, empty and dark, but she stands, crosses over to Percy, and wraps her arms around him. She doesn't know who's more surprised by it, Percy or herself, but she holds on tight, and when he embraces her, her hollow chest is, for the briefest moment, a little less empty.

"I'm sorry," he whispers in her ear. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Me too," she breathes back. She pulls away from him and says, "I know this is a dark path into your memory, Percy, and I am loath to make you revisit your past. But..." Her voice breaks. "...will you be able to face these evil Briarwoods in order to get Vilya back?"

Percy places his hands on her shoulders and bends down to kiss her forehead. "Your Highness, there is nothing I would not do to bring your daughter home." His eyes slide past her to where Keyleth knows Vax to be. "You have my word."

Keyleth turns to look back at her husband, who nods once. "We'll assemble a party, leave before midday." He stands and walks over to where his sister stands by the window. "Vex'ahlia, I—"

She cuts him off with a gentle smile. "Consider it done. I'll go inform my second-in-command and pack my things." Without another word, she's out the door.

"Take Grog," Keyleth's father suggests. "You could use the muscle, and he'll intimidate all but the most persistent assailants."

"Right," Vax agrees. To Percy, he says, "Will you ask Mistress Pike if she'll join us? I imagine her particular skill set will be of use to us in this endeavor."

"Of course." He squeezes Keyleth's shoulder once more, bows to the sovereign, and follows Vex out.

Vax crosses back over to Keyleth and takes her face in his hands. "We will hunt these blackguards down to the ends of the earth for her. I promise, I will either return with our daughter or I will not return at all."

Keyleth frowns, confused. "What are you talking about?"

With a sigh, Vax says, "Kiki, I'm going with them."

"No, I know that." She reaches up to place hand on each of his forearms. "Vax...I'm going with you."

#well this is a big boi #critcal role #critical role fic #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxleth fic #vaxleth au #vox machina #vox machina fic #vox machina au #tlovm #tlovm fic #my fair lady #go on claim my heart #my fic #btw i finished this just after midnight on christmas #merry crisis!

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totallygamerlife · 2 years

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Time to open your wallets for our Lord Gaben...

#videogames #games #online #gamer #gaming #fortnite #photooftheday #onlinegaming #videogameaddict #ga

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westsahara · 2 days

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Marokkanische Sahara: Rund dreißig britische Parlamentarier fordern in einem parteiübergreifenden Ansatz ein, dem marokkanischen Autonomieplan gegenüber unter die Arme greifen zu haben

London–Rund dreißig britische Parlamentarier und Lords haben an diesem Freitag, dem 24. Mai 2024 einen Schrieb an den Außenminister Herrn David CAMERON ausgerichtet, worin sie in einem überparteilichen Ansatz von der britischen Exekutive einfordern, dem marokkanischen Autonomieplan gegenüber „offiziell und umgehend“ als der „einzigen Lösung“ für den aus dem Boden gestampften Regionalkonflikt rund um die marokkanische Sahara unter die Arme greifen zu haben.

Die vonseiten des Königreichs Marokko zu Gunsten von der in der marokkanischen Sahara unterbreiteten Autonomieinitiative, die „lokale Traditionen und demokratische Bestrebungen respektiert, sei nicht nur der „pragmatischste“ Weg, sondern bietet überdies eine praktikable Lösung zu Gunsten von dem Frieden und zu Gunsten von der dauerhaften Stabilität an“, unterstrichen die Abgeordneten und die Mitglieder des Herrenhauses.

Die Unterzeichner riefen die Erinnerung daran wach, dass der Autonomieinitiative vonseiten von Londons Verbündeten und vonseiten von mehr als 80 Staaten auf der ganzen Welt „weitgehend unter die Arme gegriffen“ werde, betonten jedoch, dass die Unterstützung diesem Autonomieplan gegenüber, der „die einzig realistische Lösung“ darstelle, den Willen internationaler Partner zur Förderung der regionalen Stabilität und des regionalen Wohlstands zur Schau tragen dürfte, „vermittels dessen die Zentralrolle der Autonomieinitiative bei der Förderung der Friedensbemühungen erstarkt wird“.

„Es darf keinen Raum für mehr Separatismus bzw. keinen Raum für mehr Spaltung geben“, stellten sie klar heraus, zusichernd, dass es im Gegenteil von Nöten sei, „das proaktive Engagement des Königreichs Marokko bei der Förderung der Sicherheit und der Stabilität in dieser Region erstarken zu dürfen“.

„Neutral zu bleiben bzw. Ausschau nach alternativen Lösungen halten zu dürfen, könnte nur einen schädlichen Status quo aufrechterhalten dürfen, der die Sicherheit der Region bedrohen dürfte“, argumentierten sie.

Während mehrere von ihnen dem Königreich Marokko und dessen südlichen Provinzen Besuch abstatteten, wo sie die Gelegenheit wahrnehmen dürften, mit lokalen Führungskräften, mit Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft und mit Menschenrechtsorganisationen zusammentreffen zu dürfen, gaben die Unterzeichner ihre Feststellungen bekannt, gepaart mit den Feststellungen hochrangiger Wissenschaftler wie des Professors Herrn Marc WELLER, des Vorsitzenden des Stuhles für Internationales Recht und für Internationale Verfassungsstudien an der Universität Cambridge, welcher seine „felsenfeste Überzeugung“ bekundete, dass das Vereinigte Königreich dem marokkanischen Autonomieplan gegenüber proaktiv unter die Arme zu greifen habe“.

Darüber hinaus habe die Region der marokkanischen Sahara das Potenzial inne, die Energiechancen erheblich verbessern, Lieferketten sicherstellen und den Weg für den Zugang zu Neunmärkten ebnen zu dürfen, schrieben sie, auf die strategischen Infrastrukturen verweisend, im vorliegenden Falle auf „den beeindruckenden“ Hafen Dakhla Atlantique als Beweis für den dauerhaften Fortschritt, der der Region bewerkstelligen dürfte, sich zu einem Zentrum für die Innovation und für die internationale Zusammenarbeit auswachsen zu dürfen.

Um dieses Potenzial zur Gänze ausschöpfen zu dürfen, habe London dessen Finanzinstitutionen wie UK Export Finance (UKEF) und British International Investment (BII) unter die Arme zu greifen, fuhren sie fort, die Erinnerung rufend, dass dieser Ansatz im Besonderen vonseiten der Vereinigten Staaten und vonseiten des Staates Frankreich vermöge des zwischen den beiden Staaten abgeschlossenen Assoziierungsabkommens nachverfolgbar sei, das die Region der marokkanischen Sahara abdecke und vonseiten des Londoner Obergerichtes für rechtmäßig befunden worden sei.

Er fügte hinzu, dass das Vereinigte Königreich seine Bündnisse mit stabilen und mit gleichgesinnten Nationen zu erstarken habe, „zwecks dessen der regionalen Stabilität und der internationalen Sicherheit fördernd sein zu dürfen“, zusichernd, dass das Königreich Marokko unter diesen Partnerstaaten „eine herausragende Stellung einnimmt“.

„Es ist ein führender strategischer Verbündeter in Nordafrika, der ausschlaggebende Werte und vielverheißende Perspektiven für unsere beiden Staaten teilt“, fuhren sie fort.

Der nächste strategische Dialog zwischen dem Vereinigten Königreich und dem Königreich Marokko stelle eine einzigartige Gelegenheit für das Vereinigte Königreich dar, seine Rolle und seinen Einfluss in der Region neu definieren zu dürfen, stellten die Unterzeichner fest, zusichernd, dass „dem Königreich Marokko unsere uneingeschränkte Unterstützung zugute kommen dürfte“.

Quellen:

http://www.corcas.com

http://www.sahara-social.com

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simonefugger · 7 months

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Erwache mit LEKTION 297🙏🏻

Ein Kurs in Wundern

Greuthof Verlag

Vergebung ist die einzige Gabe, die ich gebe.

Vergebung ist die einzige Gabe, die ich gebe, weil sie die einzige Gabe ist, die ich will. Und alles, was ich gebe, gebe ich mir selbst. Das ist die simple Formel der Erlösung. Und ich, der ich erlöst sein möchte, möchte sie zu der meinen machen, auf dass sie die Weise sei, in einer Welt zu leben, die die Erlösung braucht und die erlöst sein wird, wenn ich die Sühne für mich akzeptiere.

VATER, wie sicher sind doch DEINE Wege, wie gewiss ihr Endergebnis, und wie getreulich ist jeder Schritt in meiner Erlösung bereits festgelegt und durch DEINE Gnade schon vollbracht. Dank sei DIR für DEINE ewigen Gaben, und Dank sei DIR für meine IDENTITÄT.

🙏🏻

Erwache mit Lektion 297!

https://youtube.com/shorts/xZM3dKRK45o?si=F3rPDxCIDPK4_sSX

Auf Tour mit EKiW:

🌟 Sa.28.10.Aurich/Ostfriesland EKiW Tagesworkshop

🎉 So.29.10. Ochtrup/Münsterland Tagesworkshop EKiW

🌺 Sa.25.-So.26.11. Freiburg/Breisgau EKiW & Inneres Kind mit Peter Steinhagen

💞 Sa.9.- So.10.12.Berlin Workshop Der heilige Augenblick mit Maika & Torsten

Simone Fugger

www.kursvergebung.com

01577 5197 123

[email protected]

Unterstützerkonto:

paypal.me/simonefugger oder HHer Sparkasse IBAN DE81 2005 0550 1219 4002 21

#Vergebung #SimoneFugger #gottesgnade #Erlösung #EinKursinWundern #EKiW

#transformation #einkursinwundern #nondualität #gottesliebe #ekiw #vergebung #geistesschulung #gottesfrieden #erlösung #freude #simonefugger #Spotify

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thetoxicgamer · 2 years

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Dota 2 Breaks 900,000 Players For The First Time Since 2019

Fans of Dota 2 have had an incredible 24 hours. All because they wanted to get their hands on a free Arcana, hundreds of thousands of players suddenly went online again and crashed Valve's servers. As a result of announcing The International 2022 Swag Bag, which included a number of free goodies that anyone can claim just by playing a few matches, Dota’s player base skyrocketed overnight. In less than a day, Dota 2 became the most-played game on Steam, breaking 900,000 concurrent players for the first time in more than three years. Even while struggling with server issues due to the influx of players and implementation of the TI11 Swag Bag, players have flooded back to the game. At around 11am CT on Oct. 27, 920,538 players were online trying to do something in the Dota 2 client—even though most of them were likely just trying and failing to claim their Swag Bag. This is the highest peak player count for Dota 2 since May 2019 when the game just missed the 1 million player mark at 997,341, according to Steam Charts. Most of the hype to hit this three-year high was probably generated by this giveaway, but with TI11 ending soon and the battle pass about to enter its second season, there are a few other reasons for lapsed players to come back. Regardless, this isn’t that big of an outlier after looking past the largest peaks. The game has been trending upward in terms of peak player counts since July and tends to hover in the mid-700,000 range on average. As for the player response, the community is actually mostly positive about this influx even while dealing with the issues, going as far as to praise Valve for the TI11 Swag Bag idea. One player specifically noted how much this meant to Dota players in Iran, who were forced to take a break from the game when it was banned by the government last month. “After a long ‘forced’ break, you return to your favorite thing in this shit world and Lord Gaben has $40+ worth of free cosmetics. almost 3 weeks of my salary,” one Reddit user said. “I know it doesnt change my life but it sure did change my day!” A wider portion of the player base is also happy with this addition, with a few users detailing a lot of the positive changes and things Valve has done for Dota over the last year. And in a time where a lot of talk surrounding the game, battle pass, and the competitive scene was pretty negative, this is a nice change of pace. Now if only everyone could get the Swag Bags without running into connection issues. Read the full article

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vhadoz · 2 years

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POWER OF THE VALVE

#SFM #sfm art #Source Filmmaker #valve #gabe newell #gaben #LORD GABEN #bot crisis #savetf2 #poster #3d #Team Fortress 2 #Steam #TF2 #Fanart

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remked · 4 years

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Hilda and The Steam Summer Sale

Release Date: June 26, 2020

#hilda #hilda netflix #hildatheseries #hilda the series #johanna hilda #hilda (hilda)#hilda g7 #g7 #steam sales #steam #gaben #lord gaben #sexy gaben #wallet #hilda meme

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arkhamdude · 4 years

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lord gaben

#I made a meme #steam #steam sale #steam lunar sale #chinese new year #year of the rat #pc gaming #gabe newell #joker #joaquin phoenix #arthur fleck #robert de niro #murry franklin #sondra james #dr. sally #gaben #lord gaben #valve #meme

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snakethegamer · 5 years

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Oh yeah!!! :D

All Hail Lord Gaben! ;)

#Steam #fuck epic #fuck epic game store #lord gaben #gabe newell #death stranding #nice #game of the year #ps4 and Steam

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fortnitefogays-blog · 6 years

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#dankest memes #memes #laugh #funny pics #valve #lord gaben

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sketch-toonikles-blog · 6 years

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Hey guys remember that jungle Inferno short that valve made? Well, after 4 weeks of development, hopefully it was worth the wait. (It wasn't) And for anyone who wanted that demoman drawing, it's taking a while Sore-eh lads

#tf2 #saxton hale #tf2 demoman #lord gaben #jungle inferno

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waltwhitmansbeard · 1 year

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my fair lady: drabble #12

ok so this takes place actually between chapters 28 and 29 but i wanted y'all to read 29 before this. i'm trying to fix some of what i think i broke early in mfl. as always, read these first and check out @romeoandjulietyouwish's medieval au!

When Keyleth has disappeared from view, Korrin throws himself into the Seat of the Ashari, running a tired hand over his face. This has been, without a doubt, one of the longest days of his life, and the day is not yet over. He had been woken in the dead of night by the castle's warning bells, only to be told that his daughter, his light, his life, had been attacked and was nowhere to be found. He nearly tore every hair from his head in worry until Captain Vex'ahlia informed him of Keyleth's successful escape from danger. He thought nothing could shake him to his core more than the sight of her unconscious body being carried in by Grog, more than the shallow in and out of her breath, so weak, so tenuous—until she, as is her wont, defied all of his expectations, charging before him to announce that she, of all things, married a guard.

In his head, he can only hear his daughter's voice echoing in his mind: I asked him to marry me! How could this be possible? How could his little girl, who just yesterday was toddling around the throne room and proudly showing off her latest favorite leaf, be old enough to be a married woman? Where have these years gone? When did she stop being the precocious child who tugged at his knee for another story before bed? Did he blink? Was he so consumed with the fate of his nation that he took his eyes off of her, looked away just long enough for her to become this person, tall and strong and beautiful and independent?

He hears shuffling from the entrance to the throne room, and he looks up to see his advisors hovering awkwardly. "Your Majesty?" Lord Zorian asks, hesitant.

Korrin knows that his priorities have not changed, not in the short term. Gaben Finefirn still assaulted his daughter last night, and he is still on the lam today. Locating that cockroach of a mage and stringing him up in the middle of Zephrah is the only thing that matters.

And yet. He cannot focus, cannot think of anything but this blow Keyleth has delivered to him. He needs to talk to someone, needs to determine what he thinks, what he wants to do next—oh. He knows where he needs to go.

He shoves himself from the throne, and as he marches toward his advisors, he barks out, "Continue the search for Finefirn. Ensure that Lady Allura is working on the arcane wards, and consult with Captain Vex'ahlia on the tracking efforts." Without breaking his stride, he leaves the throne room and his baffled advisors behind.

Grog, from his usual post just outside the room, looks bewildered by Korrin's sudden appearance. "Your Majesty?"

Korrin doesn't stop. "I need to go somewhere. Stay here, Grog."

Behind him, he can hear Grog grumble in confusion. He walks quickly through the castle, and each guard who, concerned to see him unaccompanied, attempts to stop him gets waved away wordlessly. Where Korrin is going, he does not need guards.

He pushes out of the castle and onto the south lawns. As he crosses them, he is aware that there are dozens of eyes on him, guards within and without that track his every move and scan the grounds for any threat that might be coming his way, but Korrin is hardly unused to being watched. He has had eyes on him since birth, a sovereign in the making, though he, like his daughter, feels comfortable only in the rare moments when he is truly, mercifully alone.

Vilya was different. Vilya loved to be the center of attention, bubbled up like spring water whenever she was surrounded by her various hangers-on at court. It was one of the first things he'd noticed about her; she was so entranced by each and every person she spoke to, regardless of their station or connection, and when he watched her from afar, she always seemed to be having the most important conversation of her life. She delighted in making others laugh, in making them feel as though they were the most intriguing person she'd ever met. She was far more suited to life at court than he'd ever been.

He approaches her tree for the first time in far too long. It is twilight, and the dusty low light casts ominous shadows through the branches of the cherry tree, which he swears judges him for his absence. He begins to pace back and forth in front of the tree, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Did you know?" he accused the wind. "Did you know that she had done this?" The wind hums low, soft. "Of course you did. You always knew what was going on. Everyone told you everything, my love, because you were so easy to talk to." He sighs. "I am sure you knew of this...relationship from the beginning.

"Gods, you must think I am a fool. Nearly a year they've been carrying on and I haven't noticed a thing! You must have been laughing at my ignorance this whole time." He paces a bit more, letting the wind whistle accusatorially through the trees. "You know how ridiculous this is, Vilya. A guard! A spy! A man who made a name for himself slinking through the shadows and cutting down our nation's enemies! I value his hard work, of course I do, but his remuneration is his pay, not our daughter's hand in marriage!"

The tree creaks, and Korrin narrows his eyes up at the branches. "And I am not a hypocrite. My father's objection to your becoming my wife was specious and petty. He believed your family too lowborn, too unconnected to be of value to my political endeavors—which was of course ridiculous for any number of reasons. But I daresay that if you had been, oh, I don't know, a scullery maid down in the kitchens, I would have understood his disapprobation!"

He pauses his pacing, stretches a hand out to rest against the bark of the cherry tree. "Of course, my father's approval mattered little in the end. Some nights I still dream of the day I fell in love with you, Vil. Do you remember? The Renewal Festival when you wore that green frock and led the Zephran children through that dance in the town square? You could have been a scullery maid, and it would not have stopped my heart from being yours."

A single cherry blossom, white and delicate, floats down to land on his shoulder. Korrin picks it up and examines it, his heart suddenly stuck in his throat. "What would you have told her, had she come to you first? Would you have urged her to marry in secret, to tell me of the deed after the fact, to avoid my attempts at stopping it? Would you have put her personal happiness over what is best for our nation?"

He says those words aloud, and realization crashes over him. "Oh, of course. Her extreme reaction to the original peace treaty. She was already in love with him then! Oh, Vilya...I have rather made a mess of things, haven't I?" He leans back against the trunk, lets his head rest on the bark. "I lost so much when illness took you from me, but your wisdom is the thing I miss the most. You saw everything, the threads that connected each and every one of us, saw the tapestry that life made of them. My nose has always been in books and correspondences; I could never see what was right in front of me. And I missed our little girl becoming someone who didn't need her father's guiding hand anymore."

He knows what he has to do, what he already promised Keyleth he would do, without necessarily knowing whether he would keep said promise. He looks up toward the branches once more. "Just tell me this, Vilya: is he good for her?"

There's a stillness to the air, a quiet that, for a moment, worries him. Then, without warning, dozens, hundreds of cherry blossoms rain down, showering him in a blizzard of white. He chuckles low. "Alright, alright. I get it. You don't need to mock me." He pats the tree before pushing off with a sigh. "Alright, I shall let the boy go. Good night, my love." He strides back toward the castle, lighter in his step and in his heart than he was before.

#critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxleth fic #vaxleth au #vox machina #vox machina au #tlovm #tlovm fic #my fic #my fair lady

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