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sunflower1experiment · 1 year

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Ahem-hi-I saw ur post and I’m so happy!!! Is it ok to ask for another one??? I was thinking that new Aesop skin in Composer’s S tier trailer. He’s got scales so he’s a dragon and me thinks a smut of him breeding fem reader-chan to have dragon bbbies then she got preggers🥹🥹

I knew someone would ask about Aesop. Bruh look like a bottom….

The squad at me rn:…. CANCEL EM

Me: 🏃🏾🏃🏾🏃🏾🏃🏾

(Jk jk )

He was a man of few words, but when he spoke it was of the next patron and well it was strange honestly: the day they met she was busy acknowledging the prayer but leaving as soon as things progressed, most of the members disliked her for it.

“You’re not joining us?” The watchman asks softly, “No…I’m actually just focused on something.” Social cues, he didn’t understand so the male looks up to see her perspective. But then the woman apologizes lightly, “I was aiming at myself. Apologies: I’m also bad in terms of socializing but my occupation doesn’t correlate to what they all do…I tame the dragons and admire their scales..” he hesitantly rubs a hand over his own.

“That lady who’s chained below…you know her do you not?” The man nods again, “Aesop.” He responds to his name being called. “You’re like her aren’t you?”

“Of course, but she’s wanting to confront fate. I’d rather let it flow…”

The woman closes her eyes. In agreement with his words.

18+ Children, minors, plz don’t interact, I’m serious.

It was awkward, not everyday a beautiful woman asks someone like him out. The male wasn’t ashamed but flustered he wasn’t some scared shy submissive man it was okay to be nervous and shy of course but the way he wished to go about this.

His hands grip around her thighs whilst she held his head to the chest, slow gentle rubs: he places his mouth over the nubs on her chest sucking carefully before gripping against his lover as if heat would overcome the man causing him to breed her here and now, it wasn’t everyday she’d hear his soft growls and rocking against the bed.

As he bit groped and even left a large bite mark along the woman’s chest he finally takes in her essences, enjoying her sweet scent of raspberries. With a bit of nightshade, his favorite, his hips start to grind.

“Don’t hold back Aesop, you hear me.” Rubbing his hair they share a long kiss, before he presses against her. Suddenly the watchman was a wreck, his loud groans, soft whimpers from the woman as well a rough moans fill the room.

He wasn’t kidding when he stated he needed her permission, each thrust was rough enough to send the tamer over the edge. Every time he got aggressive it felt as if she’d burst into tears, his voice was intoxicating.

“I’m close, please don’t move to much. I need you still for me.” His demands were so soft and it gave one the idea that maybe he wasn’t the one leading but no, the tamer was following his orders. Hugging him close whilst the bed sheets were clawed to death and soon followed with teeth marks.

It wouldn’t be long until his body came to a stop his arms wrap around the tamer, Aesop’s soft sighs follow as his seed pumps inside her shaking body: she could feel the pregnancy hitting before the day even ended. Was that enough for Aesop was there question?

Not one bit, in fact he turns her to her stomach. Mounts the woman then shoved his cock right back in, another pump of seed fills her: he was trying other ways to impregnate the tamer. Whether the normal method or other ways were possible he needed to fill every hole he could find.

“Aesop I’m full- th-that’s enough now dear.” He sighs. Nodding but he grumbles a bit, grinding against the thigh while his pleading eyes met hers. “Alright.”

Of course his dick was huge, ‘it’s not gonna fit in my mouth.’ The male noticed the hesitation and presses her face to his hand. “We don’t have to.”

“No no you’re just big that’s all.” She gave the tip a long kiss before taking him fully, while his body bucked. Aesop held himself back while she sucks and even strokes his shaft, each stroke causes him to moan and grunt.

A couple seconds went by and she suddenly takes him down to the base, causing Aesop to bite his lips then grip her hair. Out of pure eagerness to feel the warmth he starts pushing her down down, repeating the action the dragon realizes what he had and continues to fuck the tamer’s mouth. Does she stop him no, full consent of course but she was shocked at how eager he was.

The woman could feel every twitch from his cock as if he could come again after the other three times he did, once he felt himself reach the limit he shoves the tamer’s head down and gasps loudly as he came down her throat. Every drop was swallowed, with a slow pull they separate and he finally laid back.

“You alright?” She lays with him while he snuggles into her chest. “Of course ya are…precious sweet face.” She looks at her stomach, “Let’s hope you can handle being a father.” Whether he was or not the man seemed ready to take the responsibility of raising his own like a dragon.

#aesop carl #Aesop x reader #identity v #identity v x reader #idv x reader #Aesop smut #18+

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searidings · 1 year

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reading wrap up 2022 GO

ok so my goal this year was to read 100 books and then i went ahead and read 109. and if i read the locked tomb series three times through that's no one's business but mine <3

italics are queer, bold are amazing, bold italics are queer and amazing

jan:

middlesex - jeffrey eugenides

the mountains sing - nguyên phan qué mai

the vegetarian - han kang

the galaxy and the ground within - becky chambers

to be taught, if fortunate - becky chambers

when we were orphans - kazuo ishiguro

americanah - chimamanda ngozi adichie

h of h playbook - anne carson

klara and the sun - kazuo ishiguro

the space between worlds - micaiah johnson

feb:

normal people - sally rooney

circe - madeline miller

blood of elves - andrzej sapkowski

gideon the ninth - tamsyn muir

time of contempt - andrzej sapkowski

baptism of fire - andrzej sapkowski

march:

the tower of the swallow - andrzej sapkowski

lady of the lake - andrzej sapkowski

harrow the ninth - tamsyn muir

the last wish - andrzej sapkowski

we should all be feminists - chimamanda ngozi adichie

a memory called empire - arkady martine

burnt sugar - avni doshi

a psalm for the wild built - becky chambers

april:

the alchemist - paul coelho

sword of destiny - andrzej sapkowski

oranges are not the only fruit - jeanette winterson

the colour purple - alice walker

the midnight library - matt haig

where the crawdads sing - delia owens

10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world - elif shafak

the discomfort of evening - marieke lucas rijneveld

crying in h mart - michelle zauner

my year of rest and relaxation - ottessa moshfegh

the shadow king - maaza mengiste

the virgin suicides - jeffrey eugenides

sapiens - yuval noah harari

the manningtree witches - a. k. blakemore

may:

parable of the sower - octavia butler

hot milk - deborah levy

an unkindness of ghosts - rivers solomon

the water dancer - ta-nehisi coates

pure colour - sheila heti

this is how you lose the time war - amal el-mohtar & max gladstone

five little indians - michelle good

june:

indian horse - richard wagamese

ducks, newburyport - lucy ellmann

the vanishing half - brit bennett

medicine walk - richard wagamese

crier's war - nina varela

a quality of light - richard wagamese

after the quake - haruki murakami

death in her hands - ottessa moshfegh

the school for good mothers - jessamine chan

bluets - maggie nelson

of women and salt - gabriela garcia

lapvona - ottessa moshfegh

mcglue - ottessa moshfegh

songbirds - christy lefteri

july:

to paradise - hanya yanagihara

sankofa - chibundu onuzo

the argonauts - maggie nelson

jane: a murder - maggie nelson

eileen - ottessa moshfegh

iron widow - xiran jay zhao

homesick for another world - ottessa moshfegh

a desolation called peace - arkady martine

the art of cruelty: a reckoning - maggie nelson

the witch's heart - genevieve gornichec

dune - frank herbert

aug:

never let me go - kazuo ishiguro

the island of missing trees - elif shafak

the marriage plot - jeffrey eugenides

almond - won-pyung sohn

all over creation - ruth ozeki

the water cure - sophie mackintosh

drive your plow over the bones of the dead - olga tokarczuk

sep:

the remains of the day - kazuo ishiguro

the blind assassin - margaret atwood

go set a watchman - harper lee

a pale view of hills - kazuo ishiguro

seven fallen feathers - tanya talaga

an artist of the floating world - kazuo ishiguro

the atlas six - olivie blake

the inconvenient indian - thomas king

a tale for the time being - ruth ozeki

ru - kim thuy

split tooth - tanya tagaq

wintering - katherine may

nomad century - gaia vince

dune messiah - frank herbert

the unbearable lightness of being - milan kundera

oct:

nona the ninth - tamsyn muir

indians on vacation - thomas king

severance - ling ma

nocturnes - kazuo ishiguro

nona the ninth - tamsyn muir

a prayer for the crown-shy - becky chambers

nov:

gideon the ninth - tamsyn muir

harrow the ninth - tamsyn muir

nona the ninth - tamsyn muir

embers - richard wagamese

dec:

starlight - richard wagamese

the buried giant - kazuo ishiguro

autobiography of red - anne carson

notes on grief - chimamanda ngozi adichie

cloud cuckoo land - anthony doerr

on fire: the burning case for a green new deal - naomi klein

sufferance - thomas king

#thanks for asking bro!!#read some bangers this year that's for sure #read some stinkers too but hey #gotta cast your net wide right #hope you had a great reading year too!!#yes tamsyn muir owned my entire ass this year and what about it #if anyone has great recs that align with the greats i've read this year i am all ears!!!#happy holidays my bro #book recs

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gatekeeper-watchman · 12 days

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Daily Devotionals for April 17, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 14:20-21(KJV): 20 The poor are hated even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. 21 He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Thought for the Day

Verse 20 — The fact that the poor are hated even by their neighbors explains why there is often so much violence in poor neighborhoods. The Bible calls poverty a curse. It breeds many problems, such as filth and sickness. In many areas, the poor do not have access to healthy foods, and their poor nutrition results in poor health. It is demoralizing to live in a poverty-stricken region. Poverty crushes any hope for improvement. Depressed people stop trying to better themselves. This breeds irresponsibility, which becomes a hotbed for rebellion. In some cases, the poverty is so extreme that total exhaustion and starvation strip the people of any desire or hope for life. The only way to break the cycle of poverty is to bring the gospel to the poor and support those ministries that will bring the needed provisions to those who lack them. We can be redeemed from poverty and anything else that misrepresents God to the world. God blesses His people when they follow and obey Him (Deuteronomy 28:1-6).

We cannot keep God's commandments by ourselves; we can only keep them by enabling the Holy Spirit. If we rebel and go our own way, the law of sowing and reaping will bring a curse upon us. Poverty is a part of that curse. Money is not the answer to poverty, since it only takes care of the surface problems. As the American government has discovered; throwing money at the issue through welfare programs only compounds it. Money never solves the root problems of hatred, violence, irresponsibility, or fear. Only a change of heart that comes from knowing Christ can accomplish that. When hearts are not changed, the curse continues (Deuteronomy 28:15-20).

Verse 21 - The rich man has many friends; but love for his money and what it can obtain for them, is at the heart of many of these friendships. The rich man's money can also make him proud, causing him to sin against God, his fellow man, and himself. Christ owns the earth and the entire universe. He gave up His position of supreme power and wealth and became poor to save us, that we might become rich in His blessings (2 Corinthians 8:9). Those who are merciful to the poor are happy and blessed, for they follow in the steps of Jesus Himself.

Prayer Devotional for the Day Dear heavenly Father, I am so grateful that I know You. You have blessed me greatly, and I am thankful for that goodness toward me. Father, strengthen me to walk in obedience to Your commandments daily. Lord, help me also to be sensitive to the needs of others. I desire to be a giver and reach out and help those who are poor. Help me not to ever demean or look down on those who are less fortunate than I am, but rather let me lift them and give them hope and encouragement. Help me to trust You for daily provision and to give of those things that I do have. I can always share a smile, encouragement, faith, love, and prayers with others. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller@ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., USA. X ... @ParkermillerQ #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981 GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA

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potatoobsessed999 · 2 years

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Thinking about Lucy’s rescue on the 11th and Renfield’s capture today and having emotions about the parallels and contrasts - like! Look at this!

Seward: [at the end of the entry] “I was too excited to sleep, but this diary has quieted me...” / Mina: [at the beginning of the entry] “Diary again. No sleep now, so I may as well write.”

Seward: “...the night-watchman came to me, sent up from the ward, to say that Renfield had escaped. I threw on my clothes and ran down at once...” / Mina: “I... threw on some clothes and got ready to look for her."

Seward: “He was only in his night-gear, and cannot be far off.” / Mina: “‘Thank God,’ I said to myself, ‘she cannot be far, as she is only in her nightdress.’“

Seward: “...I saw a white figure scale the high wall...” / Mina: “...the silver light of the moon struck a half-reclining figure, snowy white.”

Seward: “I could see Renfield’s figure just disappearing behind the angle of the house, so I ran after him.” / Mina: “As I entered, the church was between me and the seat, and for a minute or so I lost sight of her.”

The similarities are almost eerie - the imagery of the white figure against the dark of the night especially stands out to me.

But then look at these (CW for Seward’s ableism):

Seward: “I ran back at once, told the watchman to get three or four men immediately and follow me... in case our friend might be dangerous.” / Mina: “The town seemed as dead, for not a soul did I see; I rejoiced that it was so, for I wanted no witness of poor Lucy’s condition.”

Seward: “He was talking, apparently to some one, but I was afraid to go near enough to hear what he was saying, lest I might frighten him, and he should run off.” / Mina: “There was undoubtedly something, long and black, bending over the half-reclining white figure. I called in fright, ‘Lucy! Lucy!’ and something raised a head...”

Seward: “When we closed in on him he fought like a tiger.” / Mina: “When I had her carefully wrapped up I put my shoes on her feet and then began very gently to wake her.”

Seward: “I never saw a lunatic in such a paroxysm of rage before; and I hope I shall not again.” / Mina: “...when I told her to come at once with me home she rose without a word, with the obedience of a child.”

Seward: “Jack Sheppard himself couldn’t get free from the strait-waistcoat that keeps him restrained, and he’s chained to the wall in the padded room.” / Mina: “When we got in, and had washed our feet, and had said a prayer of thankfulness together, I tucked her into bed.”

Seward: “...he’s chained to the wall in the padded room. His cries are at times awful...” / Mina: “I have locked the door, and the key is tied to my wrist, so perhaps I shall not be again disturbed. Lucy is sleeping soundly...”

I have a lot of thoughts about all this but they’re all jumbled up! These are fundamentally the same situation - Dracula’s psychic influence interacts with someone’s preexisting medical condition and causes them to abscond in the middle of the night - and yet they are so diametrically opposed! Mina (correctly) assumes Lucy is in danger; Seward assumes Renfield is the danger. Lucy is confined for her own protection, Renfield for the supposed protection of others. Seward binds Renfield with chains, Mina binds herself to the key.

One thing that’s really giving me emotions is this idea of who is worth protecting. Seward and co. are indisputably doing Renfield physical, emotional, and reputational harm, but - well, to repurpose Renfield’s own words, they think he doesn’t count. (What price the fall of a sparrow now, Doctor? Or how is it going lately with your spiders?)

And the fact that Renfield’s parallel here is Lucy, whom Seward reveres, whom he references in this same entry as a sort of unattainable dream -

Well. It drives things home a bit.

#jack seward #renfield #lucy westenra #mina murray #dracula daily #dracula #cw ableism #cw ableist language #cw sanism #cw asylum #i *think* i still like seward - as a character at least - but i'm very angry at him for today's entry #i've read the book before but i forget pretty much everything about renfield's arc #so i'm just speculating now - but i wouldn't be surprised if people treating him as a threat ends up putting him in serious danger from drac #there's some stuff i *do* remember from later in the book that i could say a lot about #regarding dangerous people and who's worth protecting #but i can't say it yet!!#hopefully i will remember when we get to those entries

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blueelectricroom · 1 year

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20 Questions You Need to Ask a VRBO

The hottest new trend in springtime travel is a holiday-themed stay in a quaint New England village. But whether it’s Easter, May Day, Walpurgisnacht, what have you, there are some key details you need to discuss with your VRBO host.

Here’s what you should ask.

1. How many forbidden wells or ponds are on the property?

2. Is there a divining or hocusing fee?

3. Are your stone circles monitored, and are they handicap accessible?

4. Do the spirits in the attic understand American Sign Language?

5. Can we use gasoline-powered equipment or vehicles (combustion engine) to make our own stone circles?

6. May we address your corn growers by their first names?

7. What logo tones and RF frequencies, if any, should we use to “voice” the electromagnetic fields along trails?

8. Do we share “sightings” directly with the town council, or can we just tell the belfry watchman?

9. If we are jet-lagged or road weary upon arrival, can we skip the first Gathering? What about the first Summoning? The Awakening?

10. Will the humming sounds and glowing in the orchard stop after 10 PM?

11. Can you hear my thoughts?

12. Are we allowed to make eye contact with the horses and cats?

13. Are your trees "friendly?"

14. Do we really have to give the old blind woman at the covered bridge three silver coins every time we cross, or can we Venmo that?

15. Why does the compass on my cell phone always point to your barn?

16. Who handles blessings/prayers for our first day with the livestock, in case that goes south?

17. Do you supply the necessary chalk figures, life-size corn dollies, and swords for the Friday night thing? If not, are rentals available in the village?

18. To whom do we report children?

19. Are we allowed to communicate with the swarm, should the occasion arise?

20. Is there any decent pizza in the area and do they deliver?

#occultism #vacation #vrbo

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igate777 · 11 months

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#prayer #intercession #discipleship #church #kingdom advancement #portalsgate #ecclesia #spiritual maturity #kingdom of god #spiritual development #the watchman prayer #kingdom discipleship #kingdm priesthood #The spirit of the new day #third day Church

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year

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Visions of Johanna

Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet ? We sit here stranded, though we're all doing our best to deny it And Louise holds a handful of rain, tempting you to defy it Lights flicker from the opposite loft In this room the heat pipes just cough The country music station plays soft But there's nothing really nothing to turn off Just Louise and her lover so entwined And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind. In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the D-train We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight Ask himself if it's him or them that's really insane Louise she's all right she's just near She's delicate and seems like the mirror But she just makes it all too concise and too clear That Johanna's not here The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place.

Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously And when bringing her name up He speaks of a farewell kiss to me He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall Oh, how can I explain ? It's so hard to get on And these visions of Johanna they kept me up past the dawn.

Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles See the primitive wallflower frieze When the jelly-faced women all sneeze Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze I can't find my knees." Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel.

The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him Saying, "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him." But like Louise always says "Ya can't look at much, can ya man." As she, herself prepares for him And Madonna, she still has not showed We see this empty cage now corrode Where her cape of the stage once had flowed The fiddler, he now steps to the road He writes everything's been returned which was owed On the back of the fish truck that loads While my conscience explodes The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.

~ Bob Dylan ~ (Blonde on Blonde, 1966) [Echoes of Panhala]

#Bob Dylan #Visions of Johanna #music #songs #song lyrics #Echoes of Panhala #Blonde on Blonde

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wamnak · 2 years

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Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?

We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it

And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin' you to defy it

Lights flicker from the opposite loft

In this room the heat pipes just cough

The country music station plays soft

But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off

Just Louise and her lover so entwined

And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind

In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain

And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the "D" train

We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight

Ask himself if it's him or them that's insane

Louise, she's all right, she's just near

She's delicate and seems like the mirror

But she just makes it all too concise and too clear

That Johanna's not here

The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face

Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place

Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously

He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously

And when bringing her name up

He speaks of a farewell kiss to me

He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all

Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall

How can I explain?

It's so hard to get on

And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn

Inside the museums, infinity goes up on trial

Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while

But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues

You can tell by the way she smiles

See the primitive wallflower freeze

When the jelly-faced women all sneeze

Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeez, I can't find my knees"

Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule

But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel

The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him

Sayin', "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"

But like Louise always says

"Ya can't look at much, can ya man?"

As she, herself, prepares for him

And Madonna, she still has not showed

We see this empty cage now corrode

Where her cape of the stage once had flowed

The fiddler, he now steps to the road

He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed

On the back of the fish truck that loads

While my conscience explodes

The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain

And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Bob Dylan

#bob dylan #visions of johanna #blonde on blonde #Spotify

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orthodoxydaily · 9 months

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Saints&Reading: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

orthodox peace fellowship

august 2_july 20

THE HOLY PROPHET ELIAS/ELIJAH ( 9th. c B.C)

Saint Elijah, one who saw God, a miracle worker and a zealot for faith in God, was born of the tribe of Aaron from the town Tishba for which he was called the Tishbite. When St. Elijah was born, his father Savah saw an angel of God hovering around the child, wrapping the child in fire and giving him a flame to eat. That foreshadowed Elijah's fiery character and his God-given fiery power. He spent his entire youth in godly thoughts and prayers, withdrawing frequently into the wilderness to contemplate and to pray in solitude. At that time, the Jewish kingdom was divided into two unequal parts: the kingdom of Judah, consisting of only two tribes, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with their capital in Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Israel, consisting of the remaining ten tribes with their money in Samaria. The first kingdom was governed by the descendants of Solomon, and the second kingdom was ruled by the descendants of Jeroboam, the servants of Solomon. The most significant confrontation the prophet Elijah had was with the Israelite King Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel. For they, Ahab and Jezebel worshipped idols and turned the people away from serving the One and Living God. Before this, Syrian Jezebel persuaded her husband to erect a temple to the Syrian god Baal and ordered many priests to serve this false god. Through great miracles, Elijah displayed the power and authority of God: he closed up the heavens so that there was not any rain for three years and six months; he lowered a fire from heaven and burned the sacrifice to his God, which the pagan priests of Baal were unable to do; he brought down rain from heaven by his prayer; miraculously multiplied flour and oil in the home of the widow in Zerepath, and resurrected her son; he prophesied to Ahab that the dogs will lick up his blood and to Jezebel that the dogs will consume her flesh, all of which happened as well as many other miracles did he perform and prophesy. On Mount Horeb, he spoke with God and heard the voice of God in the calm of a gentle breeze. Before his death, he took Elisha and designated him as his successor in the prophetic calling; by his mantle, he divided the waters of the Jordan River; finally, he was taken up into the heavens in a fiery chariot by flaming horses. He appeared on Mount Tabor to our Lord Jesus Christ together with Moses. Before the world's end, St. Elijah will appear again to end the anti-Christ's power (Revelation, Chapter 11).

ST. ALEXIS MEDVEDKOV, ARCHPRIEST OF UGINE (1934), ELIAS FONDAMINSKII (1942), PRIEST DEMETRIUS KLEPININE (1944), YURI SKOBTSOV (1944), AND NUN MARIA (SKOBTSOVA) (1945), OF PARIS

St Alexis Medvedkov, archpriest of Ugine (1934)

St Alexis of Ugine was born in Russia in 1867. Afterward, he went to seminary and became a reader and choir director at a St Petersburg parish. He felt unworthy of the priesthood but finally accepted ordination, encouraged by St John of Kronstadt. He was sent to serve a village 60 miles from the capital. As was the case for many priests, his meager salary was not enough. Side by side with his neighbors, he worked the land. Yet he also lived a life of mind and spirit, saving money to buy the writings of the Church Fathers. He was also a parent -- he and his wife had two daughters. His pastoral zeal was recognized -- in 1916, at age 49, he was made an archpriest. Then the following year, in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, he was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death. Remarkably, his eldest daughter freed her father by offering herself as a hostage in his place. The effects of torture remained with him for the rest of his life. Because of nerve damage, his right eye was always wider than his left.

In 1919 the entire family managed to escape to Estonia, where Fr Alexis worked in a mine and then as a night watchman. In 1923 he became an assistant priest at a local parish, also helping in the parish school. In 1929, following prolonged illness, his wife died.

After this heavy blow, he was invited by Metropolitan Evlogy in Paris to come to France. He was sent to the town Ugine, near Grenoble, to serve as rector of St Nicholas Russian Orthodox church. A local factory employed 600 Russian immigrants.

He often celebrated the Liturgy on weekdays, Sundays, and feast days. He was known for how carefully he intoned each word when he stood in the sanctuary. After services, he would stay on to do memorial services and meet whatever other needs were brought to him by his parishioners, never charging money.

His congregation proved difficult. The parish council was dominated by secular-minded lay people of a military background, men used to giving orders, whose primary interest was politics. Some harassed Fr Alexis during services. Some were abusive. When insulted, he replied with silence. He patiently endured the criticism of those who regarded the services as too long or criticized him for not dressing better.

His health declined -- doctors diagnosed cancer of the intestines. In July 1934, he was taken to hospital. He died on the 22nd of August. On the advice of a physician who warned that Fr Alexis' cancer-ridden body would rapidly decompose, he was buried in a double coffin.

His parishioners, even those who had been hostile, came to remember him as an exceptionally modest man, shy, full of gratitude, prayerful, outgoing, compassionate, slow to criticize, eager to forgive, generous with what little he had, who never turned his back on anyone in need.

A friend who visited him during those final weeks of his life recalled him saying: "In my parish, the true parishioners are the children, the children of my parishioners ... and if those children live and grow up, they will form the inner Church. And we, too, belong to that Church as long as we live according to our conscience and fulfill the commandments ... Do you understand what I mean? In the visible Church, there is an invisible Church, a secret Church. In it are found the humble who live by grace and walk in the will of God. They can be found in every parish and every jurisdiction. The emigration lives through them and by the grace of God."

It was a life of ordinary sanctity -- small deeds of holiness performed daily that were either taken for granted or ridiculed. He might have been entirely forgotten had it not been for a decision by the Ugine town council in 1953 to build flats on the site of the cemetery. The remains of those buried in the old cemetery were moved. On the 22nd of August, 1956, precisely 22 years after Fr Alexis's death, workmen came to his grave and found that his double coffin had entirely disintegrated. Still, his body, priestly vestments, and the Gospel book buried with him had not decayed.

I have left out many details of his life. Still, you see the main lines: great suffering, endurance, patient service to impatient people, belief in the face of disbelief, an uprooted life, the early death of his wife, his own brutal death, a love of prayer, a constant witness to God's love -- and then a sign after death that served to resurrect his memory and inspired the decision that this humble priest ought to be remembered by the Church. The memory of the Church is the calendar of the saints.

St Eli Fondemensky of Paris ( 1942)

Born in February 17, 1880, in Moscow, Russia — November 19, 1942, in Auschwitz, Nazi-occupied Poland),

He was a Russian author (writing under the pseudonym I. Bunakov) and political activist in the 1910s, one of the leaders of the Esers party, in 1917, a senior member of Alexander Kerensky's Provisional government

In 1918, Fondaminsky took part in the Iași Conference. In Paris, where he has been living since 1919, Fondaminsky veered off from the left and became an influential newspaper editor (Sovremennye Zapisky, among others), author of philosophical essays, and in the later years — much-admired philanthropist, supporting Christian magazines and charity funds. In his biography of Mother Maria Skobtsova, Pearl of Great Price, Father Serge Hackel wrote that Fondaminsky gave occasional lectures at the Sunday afternoon gatherings at the house on the Rue de Lourmel.

Facing the Nazi occupation, Fondaminsky refused to leave Paris, saying he would accept his destiny, whatever it would be. Arrested in July 1941 as a Jew and sent to the concentration camp, he adopted Christianity and was received into the Russian Orthodox Church not long before being sent to Auschwitz. Ilya Fondaminsky died there on November 19, 1942, aged 62.

Priest Dimitry Klepinine (1944)

Father Dimitri Klepinin was born in 1904 in Russia to an educated, cultivated, devout Orthodox family. His mother, Sophia, helped establish Orthodox schools in Odessa, where they lived, and became active in providing help and support to the city’s poor. The Klepinin family fled Russia after the Communist Revolution, first residing in Constantinople, then Yugoslavia, and finally in Paris, France. A turning point in Dimitri’s life occurred in 1923 when his beloved mother died. He described this experience in a letter to a friend:

“…the first time I understood the significance of suffering…But joy returned to me when I remembered the Savior’s words: ‘Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. I had come to my mother’s grave with the heavy burden of worldly worries. Everything seemed confused and unsolvable when suddenly I found the light yoke of Christ. I’ve never known a day more joyful than that day, and I thank God for all He’s given me to bear. After that experience, I reoriented my life, and it became easier to resolve certain problems."

In 1925, Dimitri enrolled in the St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, and after graduating in 1929, he received a scholarship to study in America at the New York Protestant Theological Seminary. Returning to Paris, he worked various jobs while remaining active in the Church, directing the parish choir. Dimitri married Tamara Baimakova in 1937 and was ordained by Metropolitan Evlogy. A daughter Helen was born in 1939, and a son Paul in 1942. Father Dimitri’s life was forever changed in 1939. He was assigned as the parish priest at the shelter for the poor operated by an Orthodox nun, Mother Maria Skobtsova. Significantly for his life and that of Mother Maria, that same year France was invaded and conquered by the German Nazis. Mother Maria (now St. Maria of Paris) had opened a home and shelter to minister to the poor of Paris. As the Nazis began the mass arrests of French Jews in 1942, many sought help and refuge at Mother Maria’s shelter. As a shield against deportation to a concentration camp, many Jews sought to obtain baptismal certificates from Father Dimitri. While initially troubled by engaging in such deception, he realized his Christian Faith and priesthood demanded that he act. He placed a small mark on the false certificates to remember which were authentic and which were not.

Christ would give me that paper if I were in their place. So I must do it… …If a man surprised by a storm takes shelter in a church, do I have the right to close the door?

During war, suffering, and mass arrests, one of Father Dimitri’s parishioners wrote of the experience of celebrating Pascha with him in 1942. It was to be his final Pascha at his parish:

Outside there were restrictions, anguish, and war. Here in the church, lit up by our candles, was our priest, all vested in white, as if borne on the wings of the winds. With his face radiant, he proclaimed, “Christ is risen!”. And we responded, “Truly He is risen!” causing the shadows to scatter.

In February, 1943, the Gestapo arrived at Mother Maria’s shelter and arrested Mother Maria, her son Yuri and several others. In Yuri’s pocket, they discovered a letter from a Jewish family to Father Dimitri requesting a baptismal certificate. Father Dmitri was absent during the raid, but the following day, he calmly celebrated a final Divine Liturgy in the church and went to face the Gestapo.

Two months later, Father Dimitri and Mother Maria's son Yuri were sent to a prison camp. In the camp, Father Dimitri continued to function as a priest. The Orthodox prisoners were permitted to set up a chapel where the Divine Liturgy was served daily. Father Dimitri could sketch the chapel, which he smuggled out to his wife. In letters he wrote to his family, he encouraged his wife to remain strong:

Make the morose thoughts go away with the Jesus Prayer, take Communion as often as possible…Don’t let despondency or irritation take root in you, and dash and confess to a priest.

Of his own life he wrote:

I am fully aware that the will of God is being carried out and that a new obedience in the Church is beginning for me.

After a year, Father Dimitri was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany and then to the camp at Dora. His health was broken; suffering from pneumonia, he died on February 9, 1944, and his body was burned in the Buchenwald crematorium. When word reached his family that Father Dmitri had died, Metropolitan Evlogy officiated at a solemn funeral service in the Paris Cathedral. On January 16, 2004, Father Dimitri, Mother Maria, her son Yuri and associate Elia Fondaminski were all glorified as martyrs/saints of the Orthodox Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Their memory is kept each year on their feast day of July 20

Saint Marie of Paris (1945)

Mother Maria was born in Latvia in 1891. Like many of the pre-Revolutionary Russian intelligenstia, she was an atheist and a political radical in her youth but gradually came to accept the truths of the Faith. After the Revolution, she became part of Paris's large Russian emigre population. There she was tonsured as a nun by Metropolitan Evlogy, and devoted herself to a life of service to the poor. With a small community of fellow believers, she established 'houses of hospitality' for the poor, the homeless, the alcoholic and visited Russian emigres in mental hospitals. In 1939 Metropolitan Evlogy sent the young priest Fr Dimitry to serve Mother Maria's community; he proved to be a partner, committed even unto death, in the community's work among the poor. When the Nazis took Paris in 1940, Mother Maria, Fr Dimitry, and others of the community chose to remain in the city to care for those who had come to count on them. As Nazi persecution of Jews in France increased, the Orthodox community's work naturally expanded to include protection and care of these most helpless ones. Father Dimitri was asked to provide forged certificates of baptism to preserve the lives of Jews and always complied. Eventually, this work led to the arrest of Mother Maria, Fr Dimitri, and their associates. A fragment survives of the Gestapo's interrogation of Fr Dimitri:

Hoffman: If we release you, will you give your word never again to aid Jews? Klepinin: I can say no such thing. I am a Christian and must act as I must. (Hoffman struck Klepinin across the face.) Hoffman: Jew lover! How dare you talk of helping those swine as being a Christian duty! (Klepinin, recovering his balance, held up the cross from his cassock.) Klepinin: Do you know this Jew? (For this, Father Dimitri was knocked to the floor.) "Your priest did himself in," Hoffman said afterward to Sophia Pilenko. "He insists that if he were to be freed, he would act exactly as before." Mother Maria, Fr Dimitri, and several of their colleagues were sent to the Nazi concentration camps (Mother Maria to Ravensbruck, Fr Dimitri to Buchenwald) where, after great suffering, they perished. It is believed that Mother Maria's last act was to take the place of a Jew being sent to death, voluntarily dying in his place.

JAMES 5:10-20

10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment. 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the church's elders, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 He prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover many sins.

LUKE 4:22-30

22 So all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" 23 He told them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.' " 24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel during Elisha the prophet's time, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then, passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

#ortthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #gospel #saints #russiansaints #paris

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ricomola · 2 years

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sorry if i'm being annoying, feel free to ignore me, but I just found the "hermit Ogata thoughts" I wrote a while back in my random notes, and it was kinda funny just how hard you actually answered my prayers:

"Because of Ogata being a perfectionost fuck, If he hadn't goten it into his head to prove a point by becoming a soldier, he could've lived a half-fullfilling life by being some small town's cryptid hermit hunter man. And if they told him "hey man, you live out in the mountains and have crazy good aim. Would you mind keeping bandits and shit at bay?" he would accept because why not and he'd do it perfectly because doing poorly at anything he sets himself up to is simply not an option. And then he would be regarded well in town, in a "he a little weird but he a nice fella to have around" way. And I just want him to have a somewhat peaceful, decent existence without having to go through all that mess first. Please let me have it"

While the details may vary, I feel the vibes of the AU are pretty much this

Anyways! Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Not annoying! Actually, I like your idea too!

BUT

I ended up tuning it into something dark sorry :c but also not sorry because it's great. It adds that bittersweet any AU needs.

Ogata having this extra money/stuff from working as a watchman for this specific town...AND HE ACCEPTED BECAUSE DEEP DOWN HE WAS FEELING CURIOUS ABOUT SHOOTING PEOPLE AGAIN. At the army he was ordered to do so and it was in the name of his country. Now it would be another job and in the name of a town. Smaller scale...getting interesting for him.

I feel like a healthier Ogata is curious about learning how things really are so having people say that it's ok to take animal life and not human life and other people saying that it's okay to kill humans sometimes and other people saying that killing animals and humans is as normal as smoking a cigarrete makes him wonder...

#ogata hyakunosuke #canon divergence #ask #inspo

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gatekeeperwatchman · 1 year

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Daily Devotionals for January 13, 2023 Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living Devotional Scripture: Proverbs 2:10-15(KJV): 10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths.

Thought for the Day

Verses 10-11 - God's Word imparts wisdom, which can deliver us from evil men. When His knowledge is pleasant to us, we receive discretion, which keeps us in many ways; one of which is replacing any desire to associate with wicked people or to speak forward things. Froward means contrary or adverse.

Verse 12 - If we obey God's wisdom, even people who speak wrongly of us will be unable to hurt us. We all face the temptation to retaliate when someone speaks against us. Answering ugly words with ugly words destroys many marriages. 1 Peter 3:8-11 advises this when others accuse or rail against us: "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it."

We must ask the Lord to empower us to obey these instructions. We need His help to be kind to those who are unkind to us and to overcome evil with good. If we do not choose to obey God when tempted to enter into strife, we will become as heartless and evil as those who would persecute us.

Verses 13-15 - Those who leave the path of God's love to walk in darkness are blinded to the truth. This causes them to take the next step into evil and delight in their own and others' evil ways. Their ways become crooked, and that is why we call such people "crooks." By choosing the wrong path, they become lost. We must pray for those who are walking in the wrong ways; especially for Christian brothers and sisters who fall into the trap of speaking wrongly against us. We must attempt to walk in peace and kindness regardless of their conduct. They may be guilty, but we will be guilty in a different way if we retaliate. We must choose to walk in love.

Prayer for the Day

Father, We come to You in Jesus' name, desiring Your wisdom and knowledge. We want to walk in such a way that we can be kind to those who speak against us, truly seeking their good. We know that without the Holy Spirit, we cannot do this; so please fill us with Your Spirit today. Let us be kind; change our hearts from being argumentative and defensive. Help us to speak the truth in love, remembering that You will defend us. When seeing the faults of others, helps us to examine our hearts and motives. Please deliver us from those things that are not pleasing to You. Let us choose to be peacemakers, not troublemakers. I trust You to change whatever is in me and in those around me, which would cause us to engage in unkind speaking. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

From: Steven P. Miller

Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA. Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956, Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ, Parker Miller Stevens (Gatekeeper1) …@StevenPMiller6 Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gatekeeperwatchman URL: linkedin.com/in/steven-miller-b1ab21259 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElderStevenMiller; #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

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