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fallenhero-rebirth · 5 years

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Sticks and stones

Still sick, so here’s another snippet, me playing around with Julia Ortega and Marshal Hood, trying to iron out their relationship in the past. Blame @saturnsage as always.

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Running forward tap tap tap three steps, over the wall, land in a roll, leaving gravel stuck to your back, your braid a black streak behind you.

"You should cut your hair, Julia." A creak, a crack and the wall crumbles, shards a hailstorm at the spot you were a moment ago.

"Not likely," you shout back, glad for your goggles, glad for your reinforced skinsuit, glad that the Marshal isn't out to hurt you.

You know that he could. You've seen the footage, Marshal Hood is not to be trifled with, controlling dirt he calls it jokingly but you've seen him crack the ground and bring down buildings and he wasn't called Mount Hood for nothing back in the day.

"It's just begging to get grabbed," he advices, and you sprint around the corner just in time to have the shrapnel smack into it instead of you.

"Then they have to get within my reach, the idiots." You leap up, grabs the overhang, pulling yourself up on the half-ruined roof. It's as close to a training area as you have out here, ruins nobody minds being demolished.

Keep on the move, never stopping to think, keep you body going from one moment to the next because that's Hood's disadvantage, he's slow, his powers takes a moment to charge, and if you are elsewhere after that moment you can stay ahead. Stay safe. Don't think, just move, and oh boy, you love moving more than anything in the world. Feeling your heart pump, your muscles tense, everything moving with a strength and grace you didn't have before. Faster. Better. Broken and rebuilt and sure there's trademarks branded into your joints but you wore them on your chest before, sponsored equipments wanting to cash in on your guts.

You laugh as you fling yourself over the edge of the roof, too high, too fast, but there's just an open space there, dirt and gravel, no walls, and you land heavy, land hard, but close enough to bring your palm to his gut, jolting him hard enough to throw him to the ground.

"Shit, shit, are you okay?" You're leaning over him a moment later, 'cause Hood is not getting any younger, and you might have left your dad in the grave with an unresolved argument but there's nothing to do against a bad heart, bad luck, a bad call and you laugh in relief when he gives you a thumbs up. Bigger than your dad. More grizzled. Older. Whiter.

Kinder.

"That was a stupid move," he grumbles, rubbing his stomach. "If you had missed, you'd be caught right in the open."

"That's not a bad space to be against you, though." You offer him a hand up, bracing yourself, you're tall for a girl, tall enough to annoy most men but he's not small and he's heavy and his hand makes yours feel small and fragile even with the mods.

"True," he admits, brushing himself off as you push up the goggles on your forehead. "Good job anyway, Charge."

"Just fun to get a workout, I was getting bored." You stretch towards the skies, annoyingly blue, the darker blue of both your skinsuits covered in dust. You peel off your goggles entirely, wiping your sweaty forehead. "Sentinel better find something soon."

"s... he will." Marshal Hood looks up at the skies as well, still stumbling over the new pronouns. So many changes to get used to. "You should keep the goggles. Eye protection is useful. Especially with your condition."

"Not my call," you say, patting him on the shoulder, too worried, you should wear goggles and a helmet and kneepads and in the end you should be annoyed but it's hard to be. Just a different kind of feeling, a different vibe, not disapproval but caution, a way of looking at you that makes you want to be someone. Better. Smarter. Part of a team, and that is new, because you hate people bossing you around. I'm not gonna call you Sir, the first words thrown in his face, and he had chuckled and told you to call him asshole if that made you feel better.

"I know." The sigh is deep, he knows it, uniforms are picked, and you look far too good to be covered up in armor, face out in the open, no mask, bright smile for the camera. They didn't give you nice dental work for nothing.

"Don't look so grumpy," you bend down and pick up a rock, throwing it at a distant sign, leaning askew in the ruins. Bullseye. "I can move better this way, no need for heavy armor if they won't hit me."

"And if they do?" Another rock rises from the ground on its own, flying towards the same sign.

"Not gonna happen," you say, throwing yourself flat on the ground and the other rock he had levitated flies harmlessly over your head. "And I thought we were done training, cheater."

"How did you know?" He looks amused, offering you a hand this time, but you tense your body and jump back to your feet on your own, look dad, no hands and you slap your brain into shape because he's not your dad. Just your team leader. Maybe mentor, but no way you're going to tell him that.

"It fit the moment." You don't really think too much about it, there's a flow to the world around you, like the movement of your body, the effect of gravity, the friction of your limbs. You can't think too much, better to just go with it, thinking is for Chen, analyzing, planning, you don't put words to it the same way. Same results though. Still five to five in your fights, someday one of you will get the upper hand. You're two to ten with Hood, but you're getting faster. Better.

"You've got good instincts," he admits. "You just need to be able to describe them."

"Why?" You flex your hands, feeling your emitters charge and release. They still feel awkward after the last upgrade but the increased output should be worth it.

"Because you're going to need to teach someone else how to do that one day." Straight face, furrowed brow, and you look up at him with a surprised laugh.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen, I'm not a teacher." You're responsible for yourself, and only you, and maybe your team, your group, and oh boy, that's escalated. Being a Ranger. You're glad you're not the one holding the reins here, the stakes are higher. You never even ran your own group back then, you just starred in the videos, Marek did the heavy lifting when it came to planning.

"We'll see," he says, cryptically, giving you another one of those looks.

"Don't you even think about it," you mutter, starting to pace, the pace turning into a walk as he follows, because standing still hurts in ways that movement doesn't. "I'm here because Chen talked me into it, that's all." A lie, another lie, and yeah he knows it because he knows the amount of money invested in your body. More than for just a boring, normal life.

"You're born to this Julia, why not admit it?"

"Because that would mean my father was right, and he was an asshole about it so that's never gonna happen." You jump up on the wall, balancing on it as you keep walking.

"The man is dead."

"Damn right he is."

"You do know that he can't tell you what to do anymore?" The wall starts disintegrating beneath your feet, slowly, bricks torn apart, but you keep your balance, little stepping stones floating in front of you. Show-offs, both of you. Maybe that's why you like him.

"So why do I still hear his voice in my head?"

"You're the only one that can tell you that."

"You suck at this, you know?" You give him a glare, leaping to another stone, landing on one foot, as elegant as if you had done the ballet they wanted you to. "You're supposed to tell me that maybe that was because he had a point, and maybe it was time for me to listen to it. You know, be all responsible and shit."

"Hmmm..." He ponders it for a while, rubbing his chin, all covered in black scruff because there's no cameras out here. "That doesn't sound like me. I think you came up with that on your own."

"And that's because you suck." You land on the ground, giving him an exasperated smile. "I don't like being responsible. Why do you keep making me do it?"

"Because you're better at it than you know." A fond chuckle as he puts a big hand on your shoulder. Heavy. Warm. Covered in faded, black tattoos, kin to the ones that's snaking up his neck and into his hairline. "As long as nobody pushes you into it."

"Guess I have Chen for that. Fucking duty and shit."

"Chen needs to lighten up," he agrees.

"I bet you tell him that I need to be more responsible." You shoot him a suspicious glance.

"Now does that sound like something I would do?"

"You're nothing but a dirty manipulator, old man," you say the words with your brightest smile, shrugging away from his hand, pulling your goggles back on. "You're lucky I like you."

"You need another run-through?" He wipes his sweaty forehead, shaking his head.

"I'm bored," you whine, "and you keep saying I need to stay sharp."

"Fine, girl, I won't go easy on you this time."

"Good." You smile your wickedest smile, throwing yourself backwards, recklessly, stones hitting empty air and this is the life. The adrenaline. The thrill.

The companionship.

#fallen hero: rebirth #snippet #ortega #marshal hood #backstory

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helsung · 5 years

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RETRIEVED FROM THE INTERNAL DATABASE OF HER MAJESTY’S SECRET HELLSING ORGANIZATION, NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE OR FOR COPY . ORDER SIGNED BY SIR INTEGRA FAIRBROOK WINGATES HELLSING HERSELF .

of all supernatural creatures that have crossed paths with the van helsing clan, & later the hellsing organization, none stand out & as a memorable as THE VAMPIRE . the family whose namesake & history intertwines with the organization has painted its legacy with the blood of these monsters, they have found their greatest feats in slaying them & protecting humanity from their corruption . it is no coincidence then that of all beasts that reach the shores of the united kingdom, the vampire is our most common threat . there are many factors which make it feared among all other creatures, the apex predator of a food chain beyond the limits of human comprehension, & the subject of the hellsing organization never-ending crusade to hunt it to extinction :

SECTION #001 — PHYSIOGNOMY .

VAMPIRES ARE LIKE CHAMELEONS, sharing the figure & features of a human, able to hide & lie in wait among its natural prey, with an appearance subject to change of their own will . of course, the weaker they are the easier it is to distinguish them from your fellow man, you can quite easily assess the threat level of any given vampire by how well it hides itself among a crowd of people . weak vampires may also be unable to truly shift in appearance, like many of their abilities, such a skill is something to be learned & mastered . the common traits that set a creature of this nature apart from any human are RED EYES & SHARP SHARK-LIKE TEETH . as mentioned previously, more powerful vampires may chose to hide these traits, the red in their eyes hidden beneath a fake glint, though in darkness it is still quite visible . they might also cover their fangs, but it is important to note the canines of this creature’s maw, for they will ALWAYS remain sharp . weaker variations can also lessen their vampiric traits through restraint from blood consumption, which might provide the slightest cover, but in said state a vampire’s nature as a shambling corpse is most well seen .

starved of what satiates their hunger, a vampire’s form will begin to slowly wither & they will grow weaker . given enough time a vampire may return to a corpse-like catatonic state, though the length of this process may itself take months or years depending on their inherit strength . human blood is what fuels their vampirism, what allows them the power to prey on humanity, & without it they are fated to revert to their truest form, the corpses they should have been .

it was not always this way, vampires of old were quite easily distinguishable from humans, sharing only in the humanoid figure but with more telltale signs of their status as apex predators . they have since EVOLVED to hide themselves among humanity, a natural consequence of their never-ending thirst for blood, & only the most ancient of vampires retain elements of their historical depictions . to a trained eye, however, even the vampires of now may be told apart from people . while humans possess a solid composition, a vampire’s is more shadow-like, shifting endlessly in infinite states of dishevelment which make one tense upon eye contact . it is hard to notice just how inhuman vampires appear, but under the right light conditions, through the right photographs, one can tell .

SECTION #002 — LIFE-CYCLE .

according to legends, vampires are not born, THEY ARE MADE, a curse spread from one host to another . it is true, that vampires do not & can not procreate ( with humans or each other ), but the beginnings of a vampire are a far more complicated process with endless, situational variations . vampirism is a curse, & thus, it has a source . though it is impossible to trace it down to any single progenitor, it is foolish to believe that people become vampires simply through the spread from one infected patient to another . a human may become a vampire in numerous ways, either they are sired into their unholy existence by someone already afflicted, or they become vampires from their own hubris . vampirism is an illness born out of HUNGER, hunger for many things, be it eternal life, or power . the latter is the most common narrative, & thus many who seek greater strength beyond the limitations of humanity may become vampires out of pure desire . they might perform forbidden rituals of the occult, sacrifice their soul to all manner of devils, gods & specters or something as simple as satiating their thirst with the blood of their fellow man .

once afflicted, a vampire’s life-cycle is virtually limitless, able to live for an insurmountable number of years beyond that of a human . it is this longevity that makes the vampire one of the last supernatural creatures to stalk the edges of our perception . many other monsters of its ilk have since died our or have been hunted to extinction, YET THE VAMPIRE SURVIVES . is this simply down to their prolonged existence ? is it their status as the top of the unholy food-chain that allowed them to survive when their comrades did not ?

NO, while those are factors to consider, the vampire continues in spite of its kin for it draws its satiation from a different source . while beasts may feed on the nutrients present in human flesh, after all, we are red meat, vampires hunger for blood . like all creatures, humans possess a SOUL, their very essence contained within that allows to exist & perceive, & BLOOD IS THE CURRENCY OF THE SOUL . drain someone of their blood, quench your thirst with it, & soon you will be allowed to peer into them, their thoughts, their feelings & even their very memories . by draining a person’s entire bloodstream, vampires are able to absorb their soul, granting them further power beyond simply that which is gained from normal feeding . vampires are then able to do with these souls as they please, should they know how to utilize them, summoning their victims as familiars, using them to hone their skills & abilities . making them the most feared among the forces of darkness & the last surviving vanguard of the night . it is this discovery, made by the late arthur van helsing, that truly explains the source of the vampire’s abilities, & the need for its TOTAL ERADICATION .

SECTION #003 — THREAT .

vampires posses an array of abilities that prove deadly to any human unfortunate enough be become their prey . the exact nature & number are ill-defined & so not even the hellsing organization can provide a complete assessment of the capabilities of a vampire . vampirism is a tailored curse, one that suits each corrupted individual down to their need . in essence, THERE IS NO UPPER LIMIT TO THE POWERS BORN OF VAMPIRISM, as each encounter may differ in its own unique way, & thus each mission is required, according strictly to the hellsing organization’s internal regulations, to perform an extensive reconnaissance operation before a target is engaged in combat .

however, there are shared traits between many of the vampires slain by hunters & soldiers of the organization, which are to be memorized & understood as an observable pattern within vampirism . it is, after all, an affliction of those who hunger for POWER, & in that shared origin one will find common abilities . they are as follows :

ENHANCED STRENGTH, AGILITY, ENDURANCE & RESILIENCE — self-explanatory, vampires possess capabilities beyond any mere human, able to move faster than the eye can perceive, to tear through flesh like it is paper, to outlast trained soldiers in battle & to survive a hailstorm of bullets . they are not to be underestimated, as they can rip apart an overconfident squadron in seconds ;

REGENERATION — again, self-explanatory, any wound a vampire is caused can be healed quickly without visible scarring . more powerful & skilled the vampire, more potent their regenerative abilities, able to even regrow or reattach limbs which have been severed . it is said that a strong enough vampire may even regrow their head ;

LONGEVITY — decay & rot are of little concern to a vampire, they are corruption inhabiting a body, & given a consistent stream of human blood they can live on for as long as they desire, nigh immortal if not for the existence of bodies such as the hellsing organization to seek their end ;

INTANGIBILITY — if they so choose, a vampire may become immaterial to the world, & pass through any matter it desires . of course, this is a skill uncommonly seen, & a technique that necessitates a degree of mastery before it is to be used offensively . the only know material to cancel it out is SILVER ;

PERCEPTION — a vampire’s ability to perceive the world around them is enhanced & honed specifically for the hunting of humans, thus their hearing, sight & sense of their surroundings reaches far above ours . they can hear single a heartbeat among a crowd from miles away, can see their prey through solid objects & perceive the surrounding area to such a degree that a plan of attack may be formed in seconds ;

TELEPATHY & HYPNOSIS — is it because of this enhanced perception that vampires have to the ability to stalk a person through their thoughts, able to project their desires onto a potential victim & draw them closer . as well, they may simply sense a human’s thoughts & emotions when they are close by without needing a single drop of blood . of course, this is not a common ability, & is a skill to be mastered before it sees use in the vampire’s hunt ;

TELEKINESIS — certain vampires may possess minds so powerful as to move solid objects . while another infrequent ability, it may be used by a vampire to drag their opponent off their fit & into their claws, or simply to levitate objects & even themselves to be used as weapons or for better spacing when engaging in combat ;

refer to previous sections for anything missing from this list .

SECTION #004 — SPREAD .

one might imagine vampirism to travel among the populace like a plague, an illness passed on from an infected individual to another, but it is a mistake to think of it this way . vampirism is no common affliction, & though it can be passed, a more correct assessment would be to say that VAMPIRISM IS A CANCER . as previously mentioned, one might give into becoming a vampire because of their lust for greater power . how, then, is vampirisim granted ? does it simply manifest out of thin air & infect those wanting ? of course, the answer is much more damming . vampirism is a curse which is present within us all, any human serves the potential of becoming a vampire, should they find themselves under the right circumstances . it is an affliction born of humanity’s own hubris, manifesting itself as vengeful beasts that seek nothing but our destruction .

we all born into this world with a corruption in our hearts that may overtake us & turn us into monsters, each of us serves the potential of becoming a vampire, but to then imagine a necessity for the culling of fellow humans in an effort to stop the spread of vampirism is monstrous in & of itself . the circumstances by which a human may turn are so specific & uncommon that billions of us can go our entire lives without knowing we are all corruptible . in order for one to turn themselves, they necessitate a pathological hunger for power without limit, not power over others granted through the hierarchical systems we live under, power beyond the constructs we agree upon . power to dominate without restraint & to do it as they please . as well, another of the few known triggers for our inherit corruption is desperation beyond measure, a willingness to sacrifice one’s own humanity in order to survive in the face of certain doom . combine these two circumstances, give it human blood of any sort, & you just might have witnessed the beginnings of a self-made vampire .

it is for this reason that vampirism is so uncommon among humanity, despite every individual presenting a potential risk of the affliction, & why, in order for the lineage of vampires to continue, it is customary for the vampire to turn humans into more of its kin . this too can be an uncommon sight, such a ritual, while easy to perform, can be deeply personal & born of incredible circumstance . it is quite easy to understand that granting another immortality & power beyond measure, against their will or because of it, while sacrificing their humanity is not a decision to be made lightly . thus, it is more rational to fear DEATH by a vampire’s hand rather than the granting of UNDEATH . the way by which a human is turned is quite simplistic in comparison, it requires them to be drained of most if not all of their blood by a vampire’s bite, allowing the plague to spread through their body from the touch of fangs alone, & then they must be given a taste of vampiric blood . vampirism is an unstable corruption, one that can destroy a human’s mind & body if not contained by a vampire’s blood . self-made vampires need not worry, but those being turned NEED vampiric blood within their system lest the poison take away their rational mind & rot their body to the core, turning them into GHOULS .

SECTION #005 — WEAKNESS .

almost in spite of their great power, dispatching a vampire can be quite easily done . in ages past they were quite weak to objects of religious significance, such as crosses, & unable to withstand the radiation of the sun, but today most vampires have evolved past such classical weaknesses . regardless, SILVER remains their natural deterrent, contact with it will burn their skin & any wound they contract from the metal is either permanent or harder to heal . as such, soldiers of the hellsing organization are outfitted with silver plated rounds of both exploding & standard variety, designed specifically by our research & development department to incapacitate most types of vampires . blessed silver is found to be double as effective, & thus we also provide standard ammunition forged from melted silver crosses provided to hellsing by the manchester cathedral . however , these are in short supply, & are only to be used under dire circumstances as a last resort or if a vampiric threat is assessed to be greater than normal, as per our internal regulations .

when attempting to incapacitate a vampire, one should make sure to aim for one of two potential areas of their body, either the head or the heart . destroying either/both of them or severing from a vampire will, in most cases, kill them instantly without any chance of regeneration . even a well placed non-silver bullet may dispatch a vampire if aimed well enough, & thus precision with a fire arm is the difference between life & death . as well, while not commonly used by the organization, FIRE can prove a useful tool when dealing with vampires, able to burn them at a rate similar to contact with silver or, at the very least, weaken them enough for a well placed shot . vampires are scarcely immune to explosives, as well, & can be incapacitated if one were to explode one/both of their vital points . dispatching an entire group of vampires is generally better done by utilizing explosives than engaging them with firearms .

THIS ENTRY HAS BEEN COMPILED FROM RESEARCH INTO THE OCCULT DONE OVER THE MANY GENERATIONS OF THE VAN HELSING FAMILY, WRITTEN & SIGNED BY SIR INTEGRA FAIRBROOK WINGATES HELLSING .

#* ( could've been so much better ┊ ooc. )#* ( signed & printed ┊ headcanon. )#* ( doing hirano's work for him ┊ worldbuilding. )#eat your heart out kouta hirano #i WRITE hellsing now #it's mine #*beats hands against chest like a gorilla while screaming*#blood //#blood mention //#cancer mention //#illness mention //

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kyecupio · 5 years

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it began with a memory and then it ended. it ended how all things were doomed to, a little more each day, a little more ticking toward twelve o’clock. ( then let’s start this again, and again, and again. ) “ a home --- what an awfully big word that is ; and yet only a word, nothing more. ” there were not only the holy-house chambers and the ornament-engraved corridors. there, too, were different bedrooms left behind, which growled of unfinished business between the nooks of blank white walls and the cracks on the frame-glass of a photograph ; abandoned by a son lost to rebellion and consequence / and departed by reapers harvesting the desperate souls of family in cold fog. the static in hollow spaces would haunt guilty sinners to their graves, and in addition, the sunsets bled down more than before.

how often left this bird ? how repetitive this habit of forsaking storge as though he despised the lovely means and soft reasons that kept him shackled and chained, collecting the rust on mania. he rather remained in hailstorms and be one with the snow, skipped warm seasons and found re-birth in the misty fall. nay, he asked not for a cup of hot tea and a welcoming tenderness. the wound, still consisted of its own youth ; the bruise, still blue. upon his crawling out of the night whence he belonged and should return, ( absorbed it and be married to the idea of demolition ) a boy’s been the lamb, made now others kin to let them bleed. // look how it all transformed. silver to gold. ashes to magma. water to wine. love to knife, welcomed into the gut. he could do you this favor, if you so desired. ( i herald more requiem than i bring life. what am i, but a lunar curse for the wolves to howl over, to yearn for, drawing them in, stir the tides and make them mine to compose ? )

“ your... cage is surely not a place you want a familiar stranger to sit in and reminiscent with you there about intimate times that can’t be brought back, i would imagine. ” no longer boyhood and iron-frost and bragging smiles. no longer white-lies for honey-tongued vows or humble outlooks on life. no longer was he him. but you were still you, with your dark waters, coveting the blindness of believers grooming their gloom and harboring an ache of want, like secrecy, an empty tomb in you, made for god to breed light into you. but god did not come, did he ? god has drowned long ago ( fret not, darling, i shall replace him. )

“ unless you truly want this stranger to take your hand, or you’d like to take his. ” practice your autopsies as usual, find the ideals twisted to nightmare and the paralysis of a sweet summer-child in the masses of rotten earth. mayhap it can still be exhumed, mayhap it still breathed ( it did not ) // cont. @eraq-s

#martyredlight #ic tag.#ii. one’s heart is all one thing for months / then altogether another thing.#me: ok lets get shanked #me at the bottom of that: why did you suggest this #i better tag this because the blasphemy i did there is very daring #blasphemy //#( ask to tag. )

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captainkurosolaire · 5 years

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Forever, Destined.

(Narration Story) A loud guttural roar bellowed out from a large-built lion ; fur black as night, eyes of amber. The creature distinctively was abnormal since it’s conception in life upon fellow journeyed tribes and be the outcast as a cub, meaning, It had nothing to teach it how to hunt or survival within a world that was designed to either thrive or expire to harsh realities. When it was able to walk, It was abandoned left to defend for itself. Scrapping to get by it roamed the ivory jungles for scavenging nourishment leaving behind the savanna. The animal didn’t bare resentment towards it’s kin. It knew, not. Instincts drove it into truth. During it’s pilgrimage to live, the lion not being as predatory as it’s ancestors. Drew in all acts of creatures nearside it in harmony. From those that flew it gave chase to play games. Finding company in that which was small, something minuscule and often overlooked. It nestled and found glee in protection of a rabbit and others inhabitants to it’s Shrouded home. It lived off the riverbed of water and found the unique company it drew, aid from others managing to keep it alive. ~ Indeed... It wasn’t as strong as it could be, when it came to the food-chain as it didn’t devour everything at a notice from carnivorous intakes. But strength was measured differently, it boiled down to pride. Cause it’s determination of surviving wasn’t based on solely it’s on primal need. The profoundness of pride it administered was that of being gifted of being surrounded with pleasantries from the life around it. It was given, harmony. The taste of it drew in all the pride it needed to evict that came to purge that from the Dark Lion. It held meaning in the fragmented things despite it’s situation. It prospered because it by the soul, was different.

~ Though this story did not conclude without, a challenge that would come to wear it’s own distinct color, an enemy that would oppose the Lion.

This animal was opposite in spectrum living in the arctic winter lands. It’s paw prints leaving behind as blizzards brisked through dangerous hazards. It searched for shelter often and to find food often stuck and secluded though it found embrace in the cold airs this was the tale of the White Wolf, a bright elegant white mane coated it. Other traveling wolves of silver and grey, stood to themselves. As the piercing blue hues left them dazzled in demoralization as they were seen in peering sight before an alpha. Its intelligence held, no bounds. It carved its own domes to create shelter against sudden hailstorms that attempted to wither away all of life to relentlessness havoc in glacier fury. Others that saw it by example, their life expectancy doubled. It held no wings to fly out but it managed to find where it could cross to enter a land of greens. There it could find survival. As it entered it quickly learned how to adapt to ferociousness to be met with a strangeness it didn’t garnet the same respect and it traveled alone without a pack in preference. It never rested, not once. It only found comfort in one thing a white ornate rose that reminded it in familiarity to itself. Holding it as a keepsake in his stemmed mouth and taking from a meadow. When it stopped though it quickly learned and waged into a scuffling battle that saw an angered Lion step out that was holding the meadow as a sanctuary, this was it’s home and to be plucked one thing in parting and to be met with a Wolf that was heard lingering and being voracious in intimidation. The Black Lion stood against the White Wolf. Piercing eyes of blue stared into the barrel of the defiant Intimidating orbs of gold. The White Wolf lowered the rose and tucked it underground protectively soils and held the one thing that gave it peace. It didn’t bother to explain itself. This was the moment of survival that the fates spiraled in woven threads. The Black Lion huffed and paced around angrily stomping in a tantrum before standing on it’s hind legs preparing to pounce before plopping back down preparing it’s balance to spring into instinctual, combat. A roar of the sun bellowed out in a prideful commanding; drawing forth from feverish external heat from the bulky feline creature. A howl of the moon echoed out in a grasp husky; emitting from the arctic, internal coldness of the elegant canine creature. What became of them...? They were sworn forever to contest Their souls to be intertwined for all cycles to come So, was it any wonder?

~That reincarnation brought the opportunity of history to repeat?~

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empress-of-xerxes · 5 years

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Third Contact

+++PRIORITY SECUNDUS+++ +++REQUEST IMMEDIATE RESPONSE+++ +++DATE INFLUX = 98%++ +++IMPACT. IMPACT. IMPACT.+++

Seras had never fought the Orks before. They were brutes of such incredible strength and there was obvious forms of intellect in their movements and their crude tech. At first glance, their weaponry should never had been allowed to act as it did. Hailstorms of munitions simply exploded from their ends and most of the time tended to detonate or ricochet in directions not planned. And yet the effect was undoubted as stray rounds clanked against shield cells, knocking life saving power from forward suspensors or proximity arrays. Bad luck was encoded in everything the orks did and the effects were causing havoc on the primary line of the Xerxian vanguard.

The Immortalis pressed forward in a strong line of bolter and plasma fire, punching holes in the Ork “defenses”. Makeshift turret platforms and bunkers chewed up bolts and soured beams of energy, loosing precious armor but continuing to spray out rounds as the beasts within chanted in their guttural tongue.

Above, the sky nearly choked on the fumes of beastly fighter ships as the more slender and agile Xerxian fighters trailed after their smoke trails to let loose high-explosive ordinance against the enemy fighters. Some of the ork ships sputtered and coughed heavy smog before exploding in a reign of scrap. Other carried on even as they lacked the necessary guidance, using the insanity of their dying engines to clatter into the Xerxian line.

Losses were minimal for now, but Seras knew better than to allow this conflict to spur on. Her initial research into the Xenos told that the longer they fought the stronger they became. They craved war and thrived in it. She smiled thinking about the similarities between the beast and man. Both races loved to make war and she would show them that Xerxian’s were no different.

“Do not underestimate the beast!” She shouted above the roar of battle. Her Red Blades flanked her at every side, their glistening prismatic blades drawn and bleeding unearthly prismatic light. “Kill them outright and do not allow them any momentum! They will abuse any opening we give them.” A resounding roar of acknowledgement filled the air with the sound Xerxian voices.

“BLOOD OF OBSIDIAN! SOULS OF XERXES!”

Seras watched as artillery continued to fall from orbit as the Navbed continued to lend her aid from the void. Bright incandescent light blended with heavy ordnance as the furthest groupings of ork structures was immolated in a firestorm of bombardment. They had dug deep into this planet to establish an initial bulwark and with the aid of the orbital guns the vanguard could continue to push deeper.

The orks were giving the ground and Seras was all the more cautious of the fact. But to stop momentum now meant giving the enemy the smallest reprise. That was not the Xerxian way.

A creature twice Seras’ height waded through the ork line, grunting and bellowing as it’s gun-replaced arm crackled and sucked in the air around it. There was a sharp crack and a beam of energy struck an Immortalis dead in the chest, knocking him back and nearly turning the astartes inside out. A cackle and a roar filled the ork line as the initial impact caused a few of the Immortalis around the stricken to fall to their knees in armor-lock.

Seras cursed and quickly refocused her own retinue to reinforce the opening. “All kill-marks designate that ork!” She shouted into the vox, pinging the beast with a localized marker seen through the visors and HUDs of any Immortalis or Helldiver. Trail of various weapon’s fire quickly littered the area around the immense ork and a refractor field shimmered to life as the beast cackled and began it’s charge.

“Brace! BRACE!” Shouted Seras as the ork bullied through it’s own companions to reach the Xerxian vanguard. Immortalis continued to send plasma shots and bolter shells at the beasts but it’s energized field shrugged off nearly everything. What made it through was quickly neutralized by the beast’s armor.

It roared and the orks around it frenzied forward, enraged and rallied by their larger kin.

A single stroke of the beasts blade cut into the Xerxian vanguard with ease. Two Immortalis were bisected at the waist and a third lost his head in the backstroke. Beside the Padishah, Garrus Feron, Spahbed of the Red Blades, cursed in his old world tongue, reaching behind him and drawing a long slender rifle that was strapped onto his back. He drew back the bolt, traced his fingers along the many very expensive rounds tethered to his belt, and chose the appropriate one. He quickly loaded the weapon and took a steadying breath, pointing it at the line-breaking ork and waiting.

Serpeant Rifles were outlawed on Xerxes and marked as weapons of incredible destruction. Only highly-licensed officers were allowed their use and only through specialized training were they finally given one. The rifle Garrus began the firing sequence for began the hum a high note that ached and scratched at the ears of those around him. His retinue quickly activated their mufflers and yet still the felt the weapon charging in the vibration of their bones. Garrus grinned, pressing the final sequencing runes and letting everything fall still around him.

The serpeant rifle hissed and sparked as energy gathered around the loaded round and Garrus calmly pulled the trigger. A prismatic trail of incandescent fire resounded out from the weapon and streaked across the field to meet the beast. Traceries of lighting lapped at the ground where the round flew past and caused a few Helldiver’s to quickly evacuate less they be stung. The round finally met the beast, colliding with it’s shield and overloading whatever primitive power pack the ork held. Still the round continued, sparking and hissing as it ate into the armor of the beast and sent it’s payload deep into it’s core.

The ork was allowed only half a second to scream before it was immolated from the inside out, eyes become scorched husks and tusks or teeth becoming ashen. A small shockwave left the impact zone and Garrus pulled the bolt back as the weapon vented all it’s heat in the immediate area.

“BLOOD OF OBSIDIAN!” Seras shouted as the burnt-out ork fell and she drew her own sword, leading the renewed charge. “Today we claim this system in the name of Xerxes! Artemis will be ours!”

+++ATTENTION. ATTENTION.+++ +++DOWNLOAD OF FOREIGN INFORMATION SUCCESSFUL+++ +++UNKNOWN USER DESIGNATION REJECTED+++ +++ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR...+++

#drabble #the Artemis crusade #seras #long drabble #hi i write terrible cliche sci-fi

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larksinging · 6 years

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same one i asked meeks, who do your characters see as their family?

alright lets do it

for ivypool, there’s her sister dovewing, who she had a... complicated relationship with, but nevertheless was really important to her. and then her parents, whitewing and birchfall (who she had a closer relationship to). her literal kin was pretty important, but there was... a lot of those. but!a few on denny. except most of them are pretty distant, and she only thinks of them as related because of a prophecy, so... hollyleaf she considers her kin, though practically theyre more just like friends. there’s also firepaw, who in the future is her... great grand uncle, i think? but really, in a way all of thunderclan, or lionclan on denny, is her family, because that’s how fight cats do

mothpaw is similar - the clan is her family. back home she also had her adopted family, who she was fond of but wasn’t super close to. her biological family all died before she was born/when she was very young, though she thinks fondly of what she’s heard. in some ways, she came to view foxtail as a sort of father/uncle figure, because he was already a role model as the deputy, and then became her primary starclan guide after he died. on denny... i don’t know, she’s close to tigerstar but that’s not really familial, that’s because of their roles and history... she might come to view badgerstripe as a bit of a big sister figure.

veronica’s relationship with her parents is um, kind of weird? her parents were loving enough, but they were a little bit... out of touch. emotionally distant, even? which was fine for a while, but when stuff got intense they were pretty blind to it, which was... kind of hard for veronica. so it’s Complicated. on denny, though she might not consciously think so, she and heather and max have become a weird little family unit of their own. maybe madeline too, since madeline lowkey looks out for her.

nyssa................. where to start. while she doesnt disown her family, she’d be fucking right to do so. her dad was an absolute monster. her sister ditched her when nyssa was young and left her to deal with her father alone. she’s not fond of either of them, to say the least. technically she’s still married to oliver in her canonpoint, though she really only reminds him out of spite, but i think she does lowkey see thea like a little sister(-in-law). thea went through some similar stuff with her dad, and nyssa’s dad was pretty awful to thea too, and theyre... both haunted by their father’s legacies, so. its no surprise that she goes off on a road trip with thea in the future. and to segway, the lances are also lowkey her family, even if she won’t really say as much. shes always gonna love sara (on and off denny), and was close with e-1 laurel, so. okay ON denny, besides the obvious lances, there’s damian, who is... literally her nephew, but from another dimmension? she considers him her nephew and kind of her ward to look after. and also arthur, since she feels responsible for him because oliver was taking care of him before. and all of the legends, by extension

maria ??? maria... she has foggy memories of mary’s family, but she wouldn’t really consider them her family. the closest she has to blood family is.... silent hill monsters, which. uh! the closest thing she has to family is lucille on denny, though in the way close friends become family. and maybe by extension, edith?

winter is another complicated one, because i just love characters with complicated families! there’s his parents, tundra and narwhal, his sister icicle and older brother hailstorm, and then extended family like his aunt, queen diamond. things are complicated because his parents basically slated him for death to raise up hailstorm (who is a whole other can of worms, winter and hailstorm’s relationship), and winter basically faked his death and left the kingdom. so while he considers them his family, he can never really see any of them again. from there... i think he’d consider the jade winglet family, especially the ones on denny (especially moon). and all the other dragons on denny he’s grudgingly started to accept, especially glory as like... his aunt or big sister figure

maive’s family back home is enormous and terrible and she hates 90% of them. notable exceptions are her sister tigress, who she did get along with, and her aunt indigo, who... trained her only to become her successor, but that was still more faith than anyone else had in her. but on denny! on denny, sara is her mother. she might not admit as much, but yeah. most of the other adults associated with the legends - so amaya, laurel, nyssa, gideon - are secondary mothers or aunts. honestly, all the legends are her new family

oh good, i ended up saving laurel for last. hey, laurel. you always make it to the ends of these posts. always too complicated, huh. anyway, uh. based on headcanon, the rest of her family on e-2 is dead or so estranged she’s dead to them, so. she might’ve considered the e-2 queens almost family at some point, but then ollie died, and... well. despite how complicated it is, she does consider the e-1 lances her family - especially quentin. related, on denny, she considers sara her sister. especially after everything they’ve been through. the rest of the legends are slowly sort of becoming family, and she’s grudgingly roped into being the weird aunt to sara’s kids. other than that... she has a few people she’s really close to, but i’m not sure i’d call any of them quite family yet. even dating trish, she draws a line (which is part of the problem)

#denny is a cursed place #thanks!!#writes 500 long paragraphs because all my characters have weird complicated families #fizzlep0p

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executive-bench · 3 years

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Six Behaviors to Successfully Grow Your Leadership Skills

Leadership Succession Planning: A Sound Strategy For Stability

CEOs leave companies per annum for reasons that range from death, personal or health events to internal power struggles, corporate changes in direction, new opportunities and, in some cases, ethical lapses. Over the last several months, we've all seen a wave of CEO, director and senior leadership “sudden” departures that caught companies and their stakeholders all of sudden – departures associated with sexual misconduct, harassment or abuse allegations – that led Boards and leadership to form difficult and quick succession decisions under the glare of negative media attention and while facing questions on the company’s future. Among the newer “forced transitions” include Steve Wynn (Wynn Resorts), Travis Kalanick (Uber), Laurent Potdevin (Lululemon), and Penny Lawrence (Oxfam).

Surviving leadership transition is difficult – even within the better of circumstances. However, seeing a wave of senior level departures in rapid succession and having the chance to match who fares well and who struggles raises the question of whether Boards of Directors are fully prepared for succession emergencies. Recent events and published studies suggest that, in many cases, they're not.

Studies have shown that leadership transition planning, while it remains a critically important Board function, is usually ignored. Why? Because it's a challenging and time-consuming process, and therefore the topic is uncomfortable and difficult to debate – especially with a status CEO or company founder. This temperature , however, fails to require under consideration that when an unexpected transition occurs, it's the foremost critical and time sensitive issue for the corporate , and it's often amid a hailstorm of uninvited media attention and public scrutiny leaving no time for lengthy deliberation, searches, debates on strategic company objectives or disagreements on collaboration.

Boards and company leadership can and will be more proactive in defining their company’s future success. they ought to accept the inevitability of leadership succession in theory and use it as a chance to shape the longer term direction of a corporation and solidify company culture, financial returns and long-term growth strategy.

The following steps should be top of mind for companies, their leadership team and their Boards.

Plan Ahead for Emergency Successions

Proactive planning will stabilize a corporation faced with a dramatic change in corporate leadership and it'll give stakeholders less uncertainty to stress about. One cannot underestimate how tumultuous a sudden shift in leadership is. it's emotional and creates an intense sense of private loss among employees, executives and Board members. In cases where a CEO steps down or is transitioned thanks to scandal, the corporate is faced with the crush of media attention and financial instability. Tensions run high. Fingers are pointed. Stakeholders are skittish. And other executives wonder if they're next to travel . In these situations, it's critical to specialise in a message of stability and a positive future vision – steps that are virtually impossible without foresight and planning.

“LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION PLANNING IS CRITICAL TO ANY COMPANY’S LONG-TERM SUCCESS.”

Build Sustainable Leadership

Leadership succession planning is critical to any company’s long-term success. When done correctly, it doesn't need to be overly burdensome. for instance , succession planning can become a part of the management review and compensation process. It are often wiped out multiple steps over several quarters with critical issues addressed first and fewer important issues later.

The importance is to stay it top of mind and moving forward. With the overall counsel’s and therefore the leadership team’s assistance, the Board should assume responsibility for the event of an idea that gives a procedural road map and takes under consideration key internal and external considerations. Take the time to groom potential internal candidates to encourage growth, development and opportunity while keeping an eye fixed on maintaining stability if the worst happens. Ideally, the Board should pre-designate an executive who can serve in an interim (or potentially permanent) capacity within the event of hit or miss transition.

Though not always necessary, some Boards form independent committees that are charged with creating the succession plan, while most still consider it on the whole Board level. Ideally, the Board already has well thought out executive compensation and risk management plans, and these should all tie together once completed. Though succession plans are often prepared separately and with no overlap on overall business strategy, the simplest plans are a part of a discussion that encompasses the company’s mission, short- and long-term business strategies, executive compensation, talent development, corporate governance requirements, crisis management, corporate communications, and compliance policies.

Understand and Adopt Critical Elements of a Succession Plan

While there's no uniform checklist or playbook for these sorts of situations, the gold standard includes producing a checklist of interim leaders, mission critical decisions, also as needed and advisable notifications. Overall, it's important to understand who are going to be driving interim decisions, what decisions got to be made within the short and medium term, the acceptable governance, corporate and other legal rules to follow, and the way any decisions are going to be communicated (internal and external). Of course, confirm any checklist includes details like personal phone numbers of key stakeholders. An often-overlooked component of the plan is that the identification of critical external stakeholders and possible contractual triggers related to those relationships. The external stakeholder list can and will include a wide-ranging audience with different interests and wishes for information and should include management, employees, clients, vendors, investors/lenders, regulators, the general public and therefore the media. Of course, any succession plan should align with existing crisis management and communications plans.

Here are some additional checklist items to consider:

Procedures for calling emergency Board meetings and company governance requirements for decision-making during a leadership transition. As a part of this preparation, it's an honest idea to update governance procedures within the event an independent Board investigation is required. List of key internal contacts, including an inventory of potential interim leader(s) and their roles in managing inquiries, interests and announcements List of essential outside advisors on critical issues. this might vary by company, but samples of expected advisors include corporate governance, SEC/NASDAQ reporting, employment, media, investor relations, and search firms.

List of known immediate, short and medium-term decisions within the event of hit or miss leadership transition.

List of filings required by the federal securities laws, NASDAQ rules and related issues (i.e. does one stop trading pending announcement), if applicable. The timing of notifications are going to be critical to urge right. List of required regulatory notifications, if applicable.

List of “next of kin” notifications within the event of a death, and internal responsibilities for coordinating and addressing “next of kin” issues like benefits, life assurance , communications, etc.

Triggers for “key man” insurance, including evaluation of whether “key man” insurance is advisable within the first place.

List of key stakeholders (sales, suppliers, partners) and essential elements of notifications.

Conclusion

No one relishes starting the conversation of emergency succession planning because nobody expects or wants this sort of transition to occur. But a bit like we plan for contingencies in other areas of our lives – like life assurance or social insurance – this sort of designing is important to make sure business continuity and sustainability for leadership’s and therefore the Board’s vision for the corporate . In sum, succession planning may be a very real component of sound corporate strategy and will be implemented with an equivalent consideration as revenue targets and creating shareholder value.

#leadership succession

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thevioletmagus · 7 years

Text

Branded Past

Random thoughts written down into Vornah’s story.

Fire - a destructive element to all: human, vampire, and nature. It brought warmth to Nosgoth’s harsh, chilling land, a passion and will to survive within the hearts of many. One’s drive could be describe by its burning force, so would devastating fury or ever-lasting desire. The world’s citizens could only harness a fraction of the element’s power, components needed to summon forth its warm embrace. Fire was not something to be taken for granted. Except those who conjure it easily...

The magus’ chambers were concealed by bitter, cold dark; a given to the Dumahim northern lands. It’s been awhile since Vornah’s return, scavenging and discovering lost text across Nosgoth, knowledge that she cannot afford to lose for eternity. Satchels full of fragile tomes, heaved and carried with slight ease. There were perks to her sire’s blood to flow inside her long perverted body. Her death and dark ascension grew impossible to forget; especially when one element reminded her of that timely demise - fire.

With flicks of her metal claws, candles that stood untouched for weeks became lively as flames sparked onto it’s wick. Warmth slowly returned, banishing the darkness to reveal mountains of knowledge stacked onto another. Small displays of weapons and uniforms were locked into closets and cases, a bed with thick covers and few pillows. The Dumahim magus needed little comfort of once humanly needs; sleep was never her priority.

The journey’s long trek did leave her physically and mentally exhausted, to be away from familiar territory for too long. With a slight scoot of her chair, Vornah plopped herself down with a long drawn sigh, slouching down. So many tasks ahead, a shame she couldn’t use time as an excuse. Eternity was what she held as well.

A hand began to lazily twirl, slowly flames began to dance and swirl around the metal gauntlet; protection was needed for her new found vulnerability. How the orb of lively fire brighten the chambers around her, strong warmth beating upon her scarred face. Brass eyes watched it flow, as if birds ablaze swooping and flying with their flock. A skillful pyromancer she was, yet unable to hold off her demise from snuffing out her own mortal flame. Eyes closed, and memories began to resurface...

Ashgarde, a once sturdy town along the mountain sides of northern Nosgoth, and birthplace. An elderly wizard took refuge within their oldest towers, dismissing contact from the townsfolk.

It was he that taught the young Vornah the ways of the arcane and found her mastery in fire. They weren’t introduced on a positive note however, for the rambunctious girl antagonized the man on a childish game of dare and accidentally ruined his property of tomes. A harsh lecture on the grand importance of history would never be lost upon her. To atone for the lost of knowledge, he forced her to work under him, and through there the girl brought a twinge of pride within that old heart with her new found fascination of magic.

Twas a shame, for the elderly wizard passed on a year before the siege of their town. She believed he would’ve single handedly wipe legions of vampires with hailstorm of flames above.

Waves of vampires began peeling away their bulwarks, creeping closer and closer to Ashgarde. Vornah volunteered to fight the front lines against the menace, confident of her self-claimed mastery over fire could help purge their growing numbers. Unfortunately, it was her companions that proved challenging. Terrified of such relentless savagery, they retreated closer to town in hopes it’s stalwart walls would aid in pushing them back. Cowardice was highly undesired in Vornah’s burning heart.

On the front, the young pyromancer scorched and set ablaze the land before them, vampires screeching while being consumed. The stench of burning flesh would haunt her eternity as few of the foolish allies were caught within.They knew the dangers of magic, yet they refused to heed her warning. Cowards, fools, a lot of them that stood beside her. It only fed that frustrating rage inside.

At the last stand before the town, it was when her companions abandoned her. Trapped in a corner by approaching vampires, they refused to rescue any pinned soldiers and left to save their own hide. Every man for themselves...

Vornah sought this as betrayal, ever-burning anger erupted in a screeching roar. Fire conjured everywhere, dancing flames burst onto structures, vampires, anything or one it can consume, and left it in a smoldering display. Hurling balls of fire were shot one by one to every ferocious vampire that dared to slay her. Cries of fury did not cease, desiring to purge everything in her sights. Until, the Dumahim lord appeared.

It felt like in a blink of an eye, his fiendish weapon impaled her high into the air, too fast to even react. That specific memory seared into her mind. Roaring flames dancing around them, life being extinguished, and her new sire’s smirking grin as all grew dark.

It was that time she believed all has ended. Yet, Dumah and his kin had other plans for the fallen pyromancer. Her ascension into a fledgling felt as if a phoenix was reborn. The power, the thirst, everything began to change. Vornah would’ve been a fool to turn down this new life. Ironically, she was needed to bring down the defenses of Ashgarde, and she did betray her people. No remorse, for they were the first to leave her for dead.

A knock on the door disrupted her train of thought, dismissing the orb with a single clench of hand. Before she could respond, a letter slipped under the chamber door, a voice speaking, “If you’re in there, Miss Vornah, it’s just a letter from the garrison nearby.”

The garrison...she couldn’t help but give a disappointed sigh, hoping it was one of her clients finding a rare tome. Without standing, her left hand pulled the letter through telekinesis and plopped it onto her desk. She’ll read it later, rest is needed at this time...

#story

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debra2007-blog · 4 years

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PASSOVER

April 8, 2020 According to the Hebrew Bible, Jewish settlement in ancient Egypt first occurs when Joseph, a son of the patriarch Jacob and founder of one of the 12 tribes of Israel, moves his family there during a severe famine in their homeland of Canaan.

For many years the Israelites live in harmony in the province of Goshen, but as their population grows the Egyptians begin to see them as a threat. After the death of Joseph and his brothers, the story goes, a particularly hostile pharaoh orders their enslavement and the systematic drowning of their firstborn sons in the Nile.

MOSES One of these doomed infants is rescued by the pharaoh’s daughter, given the name Moses (meaning “one who is pulled out”) and adopted into the Egyptian royal family.

When he reaches adulthood, Moses becomes aware of his true identity and the Egyptians’ brutal treatment of his fellow Hebrews. He kills an Egyptian slave master and escapes to the Sinai Peninsula, where he lives as a humble shepherd for 40 years.

One day, however, Moses receives a command from God to return to Egypt and free his kin from bondage, according to the Hebrew bible. Along with his brother Aaron, Moses approaches the reigning pharaoh (who is unnamed in the biblical version of the story) several times, explaining that the Hebrew God has requested a three-day leave for his people so that they may celebrate a feast in the wilderness.

10 PLAGUES When the pharaoh refuses, God unleashes 10 plagues on the Egyptians, including turning the Nile River red with blood, diseased livestock, boils, hailstorms and three days of darkness, culminating in the slaying of every firstborn son by an avenging angel.

The Israelites, however, mark the door frames of their homes with lamb’s blood so that the angel of death will recognize and “pass over” each Jewish household.

Terrified of further punishment, the Egyptians convince their ruler to release the Israelites, and Moses quickly leads them out of Egypt. The pharaoh changes his mind, however, and sends his soldiers to retrieve the former slaves.

As the Egyptian army approaches the fleeing Jews at the edge of the Red Sea, a miracle occurs: God causes the sea to part, allowing Moses and his followers to cross safely, then closes the passage and drowns the Egyptians.

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Jews—now numbering in the hundreds of thousands—then trek through the Sinai desert for 40 tumultuous years before finally reaching their ancestral home in Canaan, later known as the Land of Israel.

QUESTIONS OF HISTORICAL ACCURACY For centuries, scholars have been debating the details and historical merit of the events commemorated during the Passover holiday. Despite numerous attempts, historians and archaeologists have failed to corroborate the tale of the Jews’ enslavement in and mass exodus from Egypt.

Although the ancient Egyptians kept thorough records, no mention is made of an Israelite community within their midst or any calamities resembling the 10 biblical plagues. There is also no evidence of large encampments in the Sinai Peninsula, the fabled site of the Jews’ wandering, or any sudden fluctuation in Israel’s archaeological record that would indicate the departure and return of a large population.

A handful of scholars, including the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, have suggested a link between the Israelites and the Hyksos, a mysterious Semitic people—possibly from Canaan—who controlled lower Egypt for more than 100 years before their expulsion during the 16th century B.C.

Most modern academics, however, have dismissed this theory due to chronological conflicts and a lack of similarity between the two cultures.

PASSOVER TRADITIONS One of the most important Passover rituals for observant Jews is removing all leavened food products (known as chametz) from their home before the holiday begins and abstaining from them throughout its duration.

Instead of bread, religious Jews eat a type of flat bread called matzo. According to tradition, this is because the Hebrews fled Egypt in such haste that there was no time for their bread to rise, or perhaps because matzo was lighter and easier to carry through the desert than regular bread.

Did You Know? Jewish vegetarians often substitute beets for the shankbone on the Passover seder plate.

SEDER On the first two nights of Passover, families and friends gather for a religious feast known as a seder.

During the meal, the story of the exodus from Egypt is read aloud from a special text called the Haggadah (Hebrew for “telling”), and rituals corresponding to various aspects of the narrative are performed. For example, vegetables are dipped into salt water representing the tears Jews shed during their time as slaves, and bitter herbs (usually horseradish) symbolizing the unpleasant years of their bondage are eaten.

A seder plate at the center of the table contains Passover foods with particular significance to the exodus story, including matzo, bitter herbs, a lamb shankbone and a mixture of fruit, nuts and wine known as charoset, which represents the mortar Jews used while bonding bricks as slaves in Egypt.

Other typical menu items include matzo kugel (a pudding made from matzo and apples), poached fish patties called gefilte fish and chicken soup with matzo balls.

Children play an important role in the seder and are expected to take part in many of its customs. At one point during the meal, the youngest child present recites the four questions, which ask what distinguishes this special night from all other nights.

In many households, young people also enjoy participating in the traditional hunt for the afikomen, a piece of matzo that is hidden early in the evening. The finder is rewarded with a prize or money.

In my household we CELEBRATE PASSOVER NOT EASTER!!!

Have a blessed day and weekend. May Yeshua the Messiah bless you, Love, Debbie

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