Raffles & Giveaways

lvl 25!!!!! I did it :D [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/79740184][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/797402/79740184_350.png[/img][/url] "Will you return to the battlefield and fight on, or do you believe that you deserve rest?" Hesperia, the unending desert, sits coiled around a rock basking in the evening rays of the sun. A vast, arid plain stretches out in front of them, devoid of any life at all. Hesperia blinks slowly and the sun glints off of his pale gold scales, illuminating scars and scratch marks along their flank. She has created a domain to call her own, and she is proud. The other gods may watch on from whatever invisible throne the sit on, Hesperia has earned their rest. "What does 'glory' mean?" Hesperia ponders the question, thinking it over carefully before providing an answer. They have reaped the riches of war, bathed in the blood of the fallen. Both bring a sort of twisted joy to Hesperia, whose bloodlust has not quite been satisfied. However, the greatest reward that she has received is the beginnings of respect from his fellow pantheon members. The youngest god earns their place, bathed in the light of the dying sun, preparing for another day of bloodshed.

[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/991019337466921022/1010793330063441991/Castoria_25.png[/img] I did it!! [emoji=coatl happy size=1] I'm not gonna write my posts until after rollover just to make sure I don't lose 'em—I dunno if they'll count after then, but I'm just writing them for fun at this point [emoji=coatl laughing size=1] Thank you for making this challenge/raffle and encouraging me to do this! It made the levelling process, something I'm usually not too fond of, very fun :]

@Nozaria (Congrats on the finish! Your package is coming shortly in PMs, and I will be having a pinglist for next year!) [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/80058550][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/800586/80058550_350.png[/img][/url] [i]"Welcome, vaunted victor. I have been awaiting your arrival." The Skydancer's form is still brilliant, even though the ground they stand upon is still crumbling around them. The ghostly appearance that became more pronounced by the moment had created a sort of ethereal iridescence, as though they were a scattered aurora made sharp. "Eldamar. I saw the potential in you, as others did." "But of course I do. A great warrior always knows what pushes them on, what motivates them to fight. It gladdens me that you do. You have changed greatly - evolved, even. And I think we would both agree that it has been for the better. You have become worthy of standing here. Not through strength alone. The strength to fight fate comes not only from being willing, but from the urge to survive - and to thrive. Know that you are victorious in the way that matters most. You've found your glory - never let it go, to the very end. Stand, rise, and always face the dawn."[/i][/center]

@byx26 @LeggoMyEggos @MusingRat @mintea00 @IzzetQueen @hypothesis @Trexdescendant @playerpichu @Nozaria @rockss

Hello everyone, the event is officially over! I will be drawing the raffle tomorrow and sending out the prizes.

Please let me know if you'd like to remain on the pinglist for next year's re-run! I hope you all enjoyed the event o/

(And for playerpichu, you will count as having reached lv25; and I will get you a post as well, perhaps with your prize PM)

I would be happy to remain on the ping list for next year, thank you for running this event! I ended up with even less time than I thought I would have, but I still had fun.

count me in on the pinglist for next year, this event has been a good challenge

(Thank you for letting me count as having reached level 25! [emoji=coatl happy size=1] And I would love to be on the pinglist for next year if you do run this event again—I have no clue if I'd be able to participate or not, but I would definitely at least spectate) Level 25 for Castoria! (I'll be merging the level 25 prompt and the final prompt, I hope that's alright! Also, surprise, she got her Skydancer scroll) [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/80073248][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/800733/80073248_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=century][size=4]That strange dream again. A distant figure, the tolling of the bells. Though she could not explain why, there were many nights when Castoria saw visions of a person identical to her, yet so different... A valiant hero, a true king. A person who graciously accepted sacrificing herself for the benefit of others for her entire life. A leader who dedicated her entire being to protecting the smiles of her people, yet was still destined to be crushed by the weight of handling a throne not fit for someone so young, innocent, and kind. Why would someone do that...? [i]How[/i] could someone do that? Even to a dragon-fairy like herself, a hero like that felt as though they could only be true in legends. To think that somewhere in a distant world, this girl was [i]her...[/i] "I just don't understand it. Even when you were warned of the dangers and responsibility of ascending to the throne, you did not once falter, never trying to run away. I-It didn't have to be you, you know... You could've just lived a normal life, allowing someone else to become the King. How could you stand it? How did you try your best to succeed every day, knowing that being the King of this land is such an accursed title?" On some nights, the mysterious, kingly version of 'herself' would even speak directly to Castoria. Though her back was turned away from her tonight, she spoke in a stern but not uncaring tone. [i]"You are certainly not incorrect. Nay, even I am aware of the fact that there were many who were much better suited for my role. So, you're asking me why I would do so...?"[/i] Though the mysterious figure's face only glanced at Castoria today, a sympathetic smile seemed to show on her face for just a moment before her sternness returned to her. [i]"Well, I think you know the answer to that better than anyone, no?"[/i] The shock of such a statement seemed to wake Castoria up in the dead of night. Knowing that she would be too restless to continue sleeping, she rose slowly to ensure that no one around her was disturbed. What she needed now was to simply walk around and gather her thoughts... Going back to sleep could wait. For her kingly self to make such a statement... What did she mean by that? Sure, she may be taking on the role as the Child of Prophecy only because it would please others, but she could never face such a fate as bravely as that King. She showed her incompetence over and over again, she broke down when she no longer needed to keep up appearances, and no matter how hard she tried, there were still many people who were never happy with her accomplishments... [i]Unless...?[/i] Castoria's pacing steps immediately ceased as she stood completely still, a gentle breeze sighing by that brushed the tips of her feathers and left as delicately as it arrived. "She... She felt all of those things too, didn't she? M-Maybe even more than I did... No, definitely more than I did! I was wrong to think of her as this unmoving, infallible version of me who could do no wrong. There's so much more to her than that... So... So much more to [i]me[/i]." She drew in a shaky breath, with tears beginning to spill over soon after. By now, she had gotten used to getting all of her bad feelings out when no one was looking... Did the King ever do the same during her journey? Laying back down with her body curled up, Castoria covered her eyes with her paws as she allowed the gentle sobs to escape from herself. The amount of pain and sacrifice that her noble, kingly self had gone through... It was not quite the same, but Castoria now knew that she had been experiencing it this whole time without even knowing. She was going to [i]continue[/i] to go through all that pain, to experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows... Was she, too, going to die miserably alone, despite the fact that her soul was destined for paradise? ... No, that wasn't going to happen. Her other self may be better than her in many ways, but she had to have confidence in the fact that she was better than the King in some ways, too. With the guidance she had been giving her through her dreams, it was almost as if the King was protecting her, ensuring in her own way that Castoria would not repeat the mistakes the King would end up regretting the most. She attempted to clear her eyes of the tears that now flowed so easily down her face, lifting her head weakly to view the stars. More than ever, she felt as though someone was watching over and guiding her from afar. Up until that point, such a feeling disturbed her... But today, looking at that distant star made her heart feel at ease. As if to confirm such suspicions, the wind seemed to pick up again for just a moment, where she swore she heard a voice asking: [i]"Will you return to the battlefield and fight on, or do you believe that you deserve rest?"[/i] Castoria was silent after the question was asked. She did not know if the silence was only for mere seconds, or perhaps minutes long. She needed to be patient with herself, and she could only hope that the voice could afford such patience, as well. When she finally spoke, there was a warm tone to her whisper. "... I'm afraid to say that my battle is nowhere close to complete. We have made great progress—just today, we were able to make a friend out of one of our most fearful enemies—but this does not mean I can ever lose sight of defeating the Queen. My mission is certainly not a restful one, this I know for sure. I've been thinking about it tonight, though, and..." Folding her paws together awkwardly, Castoria's face became pensive for a moment as she grew quiet, the tip of her tail gently swaying back and forth as she thought. The next time she spoke, there was a steady and intense tone to her voice that was not unlike the King she had spoken with only minutes ago. "Well, I promise you that I will find a way to rest on my [i]own[/i] terms once all of this is over. I won't continue to fight or rest purely for the sake of others. No, if I am still alive after my mission is completed, I will rest in a way that [i]I[/i] am satisfied with. I'm still not quite sure what conclusion would allow me to be the happiest, but I hope to find my answer as my journey continues... I hear the bells tolling in my mind every day. I'm not sure when, and I'm not sure what will happen, but I will answer their call when the time is right." Though even she was not sure why she did it, Castoria suddenly stood back up with an air of confidence about her. The gentle breeze of the night almost seemed to move by her command, the iridescent sparklings of her wings shining brightly through the darkness. Not knowing if the voice was still listening, Castoria was beginning to make her way back to the base, her silent footsteps causing her to be all the more elegant. She once again paused when the voice unexpectedly made its return, however. [i]"What does 'glory' mean?"[/i] Responding to Castoria's answer with another question was not something she expected, she had to admit. 'What does 'glory' mean?' What a strange question... What was perhaps even stranger to Castoria, however, was the fact she felt that she immediately knew her answer. "Glory... I suppose it would bring to mind fame, honor, and respect to many. As for me, however..." She gave a wistful sigh, her expression unreadable. She had complicated feelings about this complicated question... "To me, 'glory' is all about making a difference. It doesn't matter if it's big or small... You know, many days ago I visited a village where the residents were so overjoyed to see me, the Child of Prophecy, that they wanted to bestow upon me the greatest gifts that they could offer. I must confess that their various inventions and trinkets were the sorts of things that would be considered nothing but mere junk by the wealthy dragon-fairies here..." For a moment, she had a look of disdain on her face that seemed rather uncharacteristic for her. It was not a look that she gave to the people of that village, however... No, her expression reflected how the upper levels of the corrupt dragon-fairy society made her feel. "But to me, they are invaluable symbols of respect, loyalty, and trust. Unfortunately, as of now, that village exists no longer... With the war only growing more intense by the day, many territories are forced to fight for their lives or die trying. The things that they gave me, then... I understand that this was their way of saying that they were willing to risk all of their prosperity if it meant that I could succeed." The pain that broke through Castoria's bright and nostalgic smile could be felt by [i]anyone[/i] who looked at her now. It was abundantly clear that whatever had happened to those village's residents was something that never could have been avoided, as much as she would have liked to try. "I hold their gifts so, so dear... And that is because they chose to make a difference. There is simply no way that I will ever be able to repay their utter kindness and dedication to me, something that has certainly been causing me horrific stress... Yet, when I look upon the gifts they gave me again, I know that they would not want me to feel that way. 'Glory' should never be a feeling felt only by the leaders and rulers of this world... Everyone who puts in the effort to change things for the better, to be kind to one another... To me, those are our glorious heroes. They have put trust in my glory, and I will protect their glory evermore! The friends who remain at my side, the strangers who greet us with hospitality rather than violence, and every kind soul in-between... I will become the sword and shield that guards such ideals. Anyone who can provide genuine kindness even in a land as ungodly as this one deserves such respect." Far off in the distance, Castoria could see that the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. Though the darkness would still remain for roughly an hour, it appeared that this was her sign to return back to where her friends slumbered. Even now, her eyes remained fixated on the sky as she viewed what was left of that guiding star of hers. "... The twilight will forever call my name. As its shining star, I hope to make it proud." Saying this, Castoria nodded only to herself. She silently made her way back to her resting spot, laying down in a way that was as if she never left. She would probably have to deal with feeling tired for today... But for some reason, she was okay with that.