#also i went to church for the first time since my trip today to a church i've visited three times that i actually really like

[ofpolitics]

me desiring to be a smol menace on the dash vs the fear of accidentally being mean instead of funny: a constant battle.

#· ooc » entranced by navy burnout silk velvet #i'm actually doing drafts and just.... not posting/queuing them one by one as finished #we're trying speed writing and then editing after for a change #also i went to church for the first time since my trip today to a church i've visited three times that i actually really like #why am i mentioning it? because the wife of the singles bible study talked to me after and more or less said the church really pushes #membership... which i personally don't believe in because usually you have to swear you believe all the core tenets of said church's belief #and i generally don't and told her so. she told me i won't find a perfect church (i know... i'm fine with that) and that it is important t #be a member of a church and thus participate (which i can do w/o) and so i'll just have to defer to the leaders of the one i like the most. #me externally: *all polite* #me internally: *screaming crying OH NO THIS ISN'T HOW THIS WORKS MA'AM THAT ISN'T BIBLICAL AT ALL* #and i certainly wouldn't join that one because THEY believe in the rapture... which i MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT. they're fine otherwise so #if true‚ disappointing. but this is why i'm so done with corporate churches. actual new testament more egalitarian structure PLEASE.

[pensat-i-fet]

Our special day (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**I got this request to write about the reader and Rúben going to a wedding and reminiscing about their own. Very fluffy and cute, of course. And I was looking forward to writing it but when I started, I could only imagine my best friend that will get married soon as the bride in this story and…I loved that 🥺🥰 I hope you all have a good time reading it ❤️**

Word count: 1808

Masterlist

Wattpad

When Rúben went back to your hotel room to check you were ready to leave, he stared at you for a whole minute before making his presence felt.

“That’s really rude of you, you know?”

“What?”, you said, turning to look at him.

“No one is supposed to look better than the bride. And you already broke that rule”.

You laughed at his comment. “Well, she chose the dress so she probably won’t mind. Besides, the groom will only have eyes for her”.

“Same as I only have eyes for you”.

He hugged you from behind, staring at how you two looked in the mirror. You still needed to give the finishing touches to your hair and make-up, but didn’t mind him being so clingy.

“I’m not happy about you not sitting with me at the church”.

“I’m a bridesmaid, Rúben. I have to be with the bride”.

“But I’ll miss you. I guess at least I get to stare at you without looking like a creep. You’ll be literally next to the people who get married”.

“I think being married helps you avoid looking creepy when you stare at me”.

Rúben just hugged you tighter. This day brought back so many memories. He couldn’t stop thinking about it and wondered if you were feeling the same.

“I have to go see the bride. She’s probably so nervous!”

“Were you nervous before our wedding?”

“No. I have you wrapped around my finger. I knew you’d show up”.

And you weren’t lying.

                                       **

Once the bride was ready, you joined the other bridesmaids on your way to the very nervous groom. Your friends were absolutely adorable. Also, they had been dating since they were babies, so it was very emotional for you to see them finally getting married. You knew they had been dreaming of this moment for so long.

On the way to the altar, you spotted Rúben sitting with other of your friends. And when he saw you, you stuck your tongue out to him. He laughed, loving your goofy side, and blew you a kiss.

The first notes of the wedding march were played and you already felt tears in your eyes. All the other bridesmaids, your best friends, were feeling the same way.

And whenever you looked back at Rúben, you saw he had kept his promise of just staring at you. He was so silly.

The ceremony was very emotional and once it was over, you all got out of the church to say goodbye to the bride and groom for a little bit. You were still waving at their car when you noticed strong arms wrapping around your waist.

“They looked so happy”, he said.

“I know…oh crap, I’m getting emotional again”.

“I think we looked even happier on our wedding day”.

“Rúben! You’re not helping”.

He laughed and turned you to face him. He used his thumbs to clean the little tears without messing up your make-up too much.

"We are actually the reason this wedding happened".

"How?"

"The bride caught your bouquet at our wedding".

"Well, she was already engaged so that might have helped too. Who caught it today?"

"A little girl. She was so excited but I'm afraid she'll have to wait a little longer to get her own wedding".

You took Rúben's hand and walked to your car so you could drive to where the reception was going to be held.

"You won't believe everything we did to decorate the venue", you told Rúben while you took him inside to see it. No one was supposed to be there yet.

He kept looking at all the little details and then you got to the photo wall.

"It's not the classiest or whatever but who cares. We just knew she'd love it".

Rúben looked at every photo. From your group of friends on school trips to the hen party you organized a couple of months ago. Your whole friendship was documented there. And then he saw one photo that he could have recognised anywhere. One you had at your own house.

"I love this photo".

It was one taken at your wedding. It was you and your bridesmaids hugging Rúben while he laughed.

"You see it every day".

"Doesn't make me love it less".

"You see me every day".

"Doesn't make me love you less either".

Your kiss was interrupted by one of the waiters who got there to keep getting things ready.

"Sorry".

"Don't be", you told the poor guy, "we'll let you get to work. Everything looks perfect. They are going to love it".

Neither you nor Rúben liked to get too full eating all the little bites of food that were served before the main meals. But you still walked around the venue chatting with everyone.

"Oh, you served these at your wedding", said one of your friends, grabbing a pastry from a plate. "These are so good".

"What is that? I don't remember the menu we picked".

"Salmon pastries, you have to try one".

Rúben accepted one while you reminded your friend you didn't like salmon.

"It's really good. Is it the same company doing the food today?"

"Yes, it should be good".

Everyone loved your wedding, so you had given the info of all the people hired to your friend so she could get them to work for her special day too. And you were so glad to see they were doing a fantastic job again.

All of the bridesmaids, except for one, were already married. The first one to tie the knot had started the tradition of getting the most gorgeous fake flower bouquets made for every couple attending their wedding that was engaged. You were sad thinking you weren't going to get yours, since your engagement hadn't been made public before attending the wedding where you should have been given one. But your friend waited until everyone was distracted to give you yours.

And now it was the bride's turn to continue the tradition. You had given her hers at your wedding.

She moved around the tables and then didn't walk past yours. That's odd.

"For you", she said, giving the bouquet to the only unmarried friend with a wink.

You all realised quickly she had been waiting to tell you the news now and got up to go hug her, causing everyone to stare at the commotion you were creating.

"What are you thinking about?", you asked Rúben when you sat down next to him to continue eating.

"Our wedding. I can't help but go back to all those memories".

"Well, those are good memories, right?", you laughed. "I'm thinking about it too. And about all the other weddings we've had in our friend group".

Rúben used two fingers to hold your chin so you would be looking at him. He kissed you quickly and stayed close to you so he could whisper.

"Can we get married again?"

That made you laugh. You had only gotten married 14 months ago.

"Maybe wait a little longer so we can justify the over the top behaviour".

The food was eaten and then the bride and groom cut the cake.

"Remember cake gate?", asked Rúben making you choke on the piece of cake you were eating.

"Stop! You can't mention that everytime I eat cake or one day I'll really choke".

"It's a funny memory".

"Wasn't funny when it happened".

The day before a match, you and Rúben had to go taste the menu for your wedding. And when it came to the cakes…there were so many options. And you wanted to give all of them a fair try. Rúben, always wanting to be helpful, offered to try all of them but…he wasn't as used to consuming so much sugar as you were. And the result was him having some…digestive issues at the match.

You noticed him getting up when more people started to join the happy couple on the dancefloor.

"Let's show them how it's done", he said, offering a hand that you took.

Ever since your wedding, you had gotten into the habit of dancing around the house as if it was your first dance as a married couple again.

You put your arms around his neck while his hands sat on your hips.

"You've got that thinking look on your face again".

"Just thinking about our wedding dance. My dad took no time to steal my bride once the song was over".

"I remember my mum doing something similar", you giggled.

"And I was thinking that it was right at this moment that I could truly relax and just enjoy the day. The worst that could happen was an uncle drinking too much. But everything had gone well".

You put your head on his shoulder, turned to look at him. "I was pretty nervous the whole time too. You know I like to be more hands on to make sure everything is done properly".

"We have that in common, yes".

You both laughed and kept dancing. You sometimes got to see glances of your friends dancing and seeing the way they smiled at each other made you happier than you could explain.

"But being here allowed me to go back to the whole wedding and appreciate it even more".

"How so?", you asked, curious.

"It's like, even if I was nervous, I still can remember every second of the day. And now I know nothing will go wrong, I can just think about how perfect everything was".

"It was pretty perfect", you agreed, big smile on your face.

"I remember when you got to the church and I couldn't believe people were right about brides being even more beautiful on that day. I remember you joking about how sweaty my hand was. I remember your vows, that were so much better than mine".

"I loved yours".

"Thanks, I worked hard on them and then messed up".

You kissed him before putting your head on his shoulder again.

"What else do you remember?"

"Getting photos taken. Coming back to our friends and family and how loud your friends cheered", that got another laugh from you. "Cutting the cake, the dancing…all of it".

"Good memories to have".

When the song ended, you noticed people moving around you and then the groom was right by your side.

"Can I steal her for one dance?"

"Sure, where is your bride?"

"My dad got there first, sorry".

Rúben laughed. "That sounds familiar".

Your friend and you started to dance to the new song, which was a bit more upbeat.

"I'll be stealing your wife next, just so you know".

"She's looking forward to it".

You smiled at him. He had also been your friend for so long. "Good day?"

"I wouldn't change a single thing".

Like you wouldn't have changed a thing from your special day either.

#ruben dias #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias one shot #ruben dias fluff #footballer imagine #footballer one shot #footballer fluff

[bradshawsbaby]

Piggie backing off that other anon, I feel like for more of a fluffy church fic, I mean most of the ones I’ve seen are smut (no shame at all) Reader could meet Bradley while re-lighting some of the candles that accidentally got blown out, then see each other at the hard deck..meet cute but make it “grief is a bitch”.

Not that I met my husband while I re-lit candles and he asked (I shit you not, in a CHURCH) wow, were you in some sort of house fire? Science experiment gone wrong?” (Joke but still) it sounds pretty rooster coded honestly.

I also feel like Hangman makes a bunch of “innocent church girl” jokes and reader throws a drink in his face, cause given the chance, no matter how much you are in love with Hangman, you’d throw a drink in his face 😂

Okay, first of all, how come I’ve never had a meet cute while lighting candles at church?!

Secondly, I thought this was a really cute concept, so I decided to write a little drabble about it! Quick fun fact: I chose Mary, Star of the Sea as the church in this little story because it’s where I went to Mass when I was in San Diego. It’s such a pretty little church!

Today wasn’t the first day he’d seen you.

For the past few months, ever since he’d returned to San Diego, Bradley had been periodically taking a drive over to La Jolla and stopping in at Mary, Star of the Sea, the small, peaceful church where he’d taken to lighting candles for his parents. He found the trip calming, especially when he was having a bad day, and so he didn’t mind going out of his way to get there.

Though he didn’t plan it intentionally, he began to notice that you were often there at the same time he was, slipping quietly into a pew to say a few silent prayers, or lighting some candles of your own. The two of you never spoke, even when you were the only two people in the church, but you would sometimes catch his eye and offer him a small smile or a nod on your way out the door.

He’d be lying if he said the thought of your pretty face wasn’t one of the reasons he didn’t mind going out of his way to visit Mary, Star of the Sea instead of one of the many churches that were closer to home.

Today was his parents’ wedding anniversary, and he was feeling the sting of grief particularly hard. He hadn’t even necessarily been conscious of what he was doing that morning when he grabbed his keys and hopped into the Bronco, but before he knew it, he was standing on the front steps of Mary, Star of the Sea and gazing up at the Spanish mission style bell tower.

The church was empty when he arrived, the hallowed walls cool and inviting as he walked quietly down the center aisle before veering off towards a small nook where several rows of candles sat waiting.

“Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad,” he whispered reverently as he lit two candles, one for Goose and one for Carole. Turning and ducking into the nearest pew, he lowered his head and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes to force back the tears that threatened to start falling.

It was then that he heard the soft rustle of movement and glanced up to see that he was no longer alone—you were here again. Wearing a pretty yellow sundress that reminded him of the California sunshine, you had your head bowed slightly as you lit two candles, just a few spots down from where he had lit his.

Bradley didn’t mean to stare, didn’t mean to intrude upon your privacy, but he couldn’t help it. You were just so lovely, and he felt drawn to you in ways he couldn’t explain. He noticed that your lips were moving silently, and then caught the single tear that spilled down your cheek.

Compelled, he quickly rose from his pew and reached into his pocket for the clean tissue he’d just grabbed that morning. “Excuse me?” he murmured gently, not wanting to startle you. He held out his small offering as you turned your head.

“Oh,” you gasped, clearly surprised. “Thank you,” you added politely, taking the tissue from him and quickly dabbing at your cheek. “That was very sweet of you.” You hesitated a moment, biting your lip, then added, “I’ve seen you here before.”

Bradley nodded, smiling softly. “I like to stop in when I can. It’s peaceful here.”

You smiled as well, nodding in understanding. “It is,” you agreed. Raising a curious brow, you indicated the two candles lit near yours and glanced up at him.

“It’s my parents’ anniversary,” Bradley explained, not feeling shy about telling you why he was there. “They’re both passed now, and I was thinking of them today.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” you replied softly, glancing downward for a moment. “It’s my grandparents’ anniversary today,” you explained, indicating your own candles. “My grandma passed away last year, and my grandpa followed a few months later. It’s their first anniversary with them both gone.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, too,” Bradley murmured, feeling a sense of connection to you, a kindred kind of loss.

“I’m sure that they’re happy we’re here to remember them,” you smiled, brushing your hair behind your ear.

“I think so, too,” Bradley grinned, his heart feeling lighter than it had that morning. He paused for a moment, his pulse starting to race, but then said, “Hey, um, there’s this good little coffee shop around the corner that I sometimes go to when I’m here. Would you maybe want to go with me? My treat.”

Your eyes lit up, and Bradley thought his heart might just explode. “I would really love that.”

“I’m Bradley, by the way,” he introduced himself, offering you his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Bradley,” you beamed, slipping your hand into his as you told him your name. “I’m glad you took the drive out to La Jolla to come here.”

Smiling over at the four candles the two of you had lit, Bradley nodded. “Me, too.”

#rooster drabble #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #x reader #x female reader #top gun: maverick #miles teller #anon message

[pinkpenguin12401]

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧

April 27th, 2024:

Today I went to Montclair NJ with some family friends. I ended up not spending a lot of time with them directly, I ended up walking around on my own doing a lot of exploring and learning about myself. I learned that I want to start setting more long-term goals. ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;)  I'm going to be 26 next month, I am SO NOT ready for that!

I also drew a lot today, I did mostly observational sketches of random women I saw while sitting on a bench. I also drew my point of view from the back seat on the way to Montclair. I also doodled my baby, Ivan, if I don't draw him at least once a day, something is very wrong. LOL.

૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა☆⋆｡

I did go out to lunch alone during the day trip! My dad was super nice and gave me lunch money for when I go out. (Thanks Dad!). I went to a very small ramen restaurant. I tried shouyu ramen for the first time. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME TO TRY THAT SOONER??? I HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT. ‎𐂐◯𓇋

At one point I was in the like circle of churches. And I sat down on a bench and I was relaxing, and some little curly-haired dog ran up to me and started snuggling my legs. And his owners were like "Bentley, Bentley stop it!"

Fun fact, my dog's name is Bentley. ૮ ˆﻌˆ ა When I looked up he finally listened to his owners, and I saw a congregation of my faith directly across the street from me. My one friend said it was God intervening. What a strange coincidence though. I don't know what to make of it yet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not much else happened, I came home around 6 and my mom and I had a huge discussion on random things while tidying up the kitchen together. We managed to get along. Which is rare. ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭

Alright, now it is time for me to go do my Duolingo, some math, and some journaling. (And maybe buy the Sims 3 since it's on sale- we'll see!).

Have a good night! Oh, here are some photos I took!

ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

#🌻diary🌻 #i hope this was a good first try of a longer format!

[cinematicnomad]

top 5 countries you visited?

ok, so to preface this, obviously i am going to base this on my personal experiences in the countries. i traveled to 14 countries in 2023 and some were for as short as 24 hours while others were for 2.5 weeks, so there's a really big range to choose from. but here's my list in no particular order:

001. south africa—i was born in cape town and my family moved away when i was about 18 months old which means i had no memories of my birthplace. i got to go back in may for the first time since we left and it lived up to all of my expectations. it was so beautiful and the people were lovely and i had so much fun with my colleagues and the new friends i made on the trip. i also got to go to johannesburg which was super pleasant. i got to spend a whole week in my birth country and i hope to return again in the future.

002. portugal—i went with my brother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece on a european adventure this summer and we spent a good chunk of the trip in lisbon. the city was GORGEOUS and so different from other cities i've been to before. we ate great food and drank amazing wine and had new experiences together. this was one of the first big trips my siblings and i have taken as adults and i hope we do it again in the future.

003. nepal—i lived in kathmandu for 2 years as a teenager from the time i was 14 until just after i turned 16. returning this fall for the first time since 2007 was a wild experience and so different from cape town bc i DO have so many memories from my time there. my years in kathmandu helped to shape me into the person i am today, and it was so weird to walk some of the same streets i did as a teen, to eat the same food, to smell the same air...the scent memories were insane on this trip. it felt like i'd traveled back in time.

004. ethiopia—what a wild experience! i was only in addis for about 72 hours and had some lows and highs on this trip, from spending my first night in a sketch hotel on my own before switching over to the one all my colleagues were staying in. but this trip really showed me what's possible when on these trips for work. i really bonded with one of the people in cape town, a woman named soha, and we stuck together all through the tour—normally on these trips, especially the short ones like this, i'll stick closer to the hotel and maybe go out to dinner with some people. but soha led the charge and found a cultural dance show for us to go to, and coordinated between me and another woman to do a tour around the city grabbing coffee at a famous coffee shop, visiting a church we'd driven by, going to see lucy at the national museum of ethiopia, witnessing an authentic coffee ceremony, and getting massages before my 18+ hour flight home.

005. taiwan—learning from my experience in ethiopia in the spring, this fall i took soha's lessons and put them into practice. i was in the city for maybe...48 hours? if that? but i got a bunch of recommendations from the driver who picked me up at the airport and organized a small group of us to walk to a night market and try a bunch of new food. it was such a wonderful experience in a new country and i just loved my time there.

ask me my top 5 or 20 anything of 2023

#ask #anonymous #ghana almost made the list instead of ethiopia #and south korea almost went on this list instead of taiwan

[perfectpaperbluebirds]

Tickle in the Throat

@sicktember 2022 Prompt #26

Fandom/OCs: NEW Priest ‘Verse OCs. 

Title: Would It Be A Sin

Words: 1591

Inspiration: this ask requesting a sick priest 

Author’s comments: Set in a small town in the American Bible Belt. To say I’m smitten with Flora and Father Luc is a vast understatement. I adored every second of writing this and found it easier to get into their heads than most. I think Flora may end up being my first snz kinkster, but we shall see. Also, I effing love the ending to this one, I won’t lie, and I can assure you a follow-up story is on the docket. I hope you enjoy this pair as much as I do. 

Flora carefully fixed her hair and adjusted her dress before stepping into the cool, quiet church for confession. Though Father Luc couldn't see her today, God could, and really it was the principle of the thing. Best to look your best before confessing what a depraved sinner you are. 

When her turn came, she stepped lightly into the confessional, taking the proper, subservient position before she spoke. 

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned," she murmured as she had been taught. "My last confession was three months ago." From there she began to recite the litany of her sins from the past summer. However, she had hardly begun when she heard Father Luc softly clear his throat, evidently trying not to be overheard. Her ears were sharper than most, however. She continued on without comment. He did it again only a few moments later, shifting slightly so that the bench creaked beneath him. When it happened a third time, she sensed the desperation behind the action and paused.

"If you need to cough, Father, it's all right. I won't be offended, and I'm sure the Lord understands." She tried and failed to keep the smile out of her voice.

After a moment of silence, the priest did indeed erupt into a hoarse, barking coughing fit. 

"Excuse me," he rasped as soon as he could speak. "It seems I have a tickle in my throat today. Go on, my child."

Flora did as she was instructed, though she did have to pause and give him permission to cough once more, and that fit was even harsher than the previous. 

When she had finished her confession, Father Luc began to instruct her in his peaceful way. He noted that since many of her sins seemed to center on unkind thoughts and actions to others, for penance she was asked to read select stories from the Gospel of Luke focusing on compassion, and to pray blessings over a particular coworker with whom she struggled to co-exist peacefully, in addition to the usual Our Fathers. 

She listened well, and vowed to complete her penance faithfully. However, her attention was split, for Father Luc's hoarse, weak voice, more than hinting at a painfully sore throat, was a distraction. Her heart went out to him, having to hear confession in his current condition, and she made up her mind at once to do something for him.  By the end of her time in the booth, she knew just the thing, and she would have just enough time to see to it before confession hours were over. 

~~~

By the time confession hours ended, Flora had left and returned, and now sat waiting in her car in the church parking lot, her Jetta parked beside Father Luc's Sierra. She watched the leaves scudding around in the stiff, autumn breeze and wondered how long she should wait for the priest. Would he be likely to come out right away, or would he go work in his office afterward? If the latter, then this was a wasted trip, unless she went inside to find him. To her delight though, he stepped out of the church's back door less than fifteen minutes after confession ended. She hopped out of her car and stood waiting for him between their vehicles.

Father Luc was objectively, strikingly handsome, and less than four years older than herself. He was fresh out of the seminary, and she was fresh out of nursing school. Flora knew he and she would be a perfect match, with the priestly vow of celibacy as the only obstacle. Elderly Father Gregory, the previous priest, may have saved her soul, but Father Luc had won her heart, ever since the first time she saw him smile. Sin or not, she wanted him as her own, and she was determined to have him.

Today, however, it was obvious he wasn't well, and was not in the mood for smiles. He was pale and shaky, and was shivering just from the short walk to his car, though this early autumn weather was more windy than bitter. He coughed into his fist as he walked, pressing the other broad palm to his chest and shaking his head with a wince. She made a sympathetic face in response, though he wasn't looking.

In fact, he didn't see her until he was almost upon her, and he jumped when he noticed her at last, but she waved a hand in merry greeting to show she meant no harm. His face relaxed into an approximation of a smile, though the usual light in his eyes was absent. 

"Hello, Flora. What can I do for you this evening?"

"I actually came to ask you the same thing, Father. I heard you were under the weather today." Heard him coughing and sniffling with her own ears not an hour ago, more accurately. She was sure he knew she'd been in the confession booth today, but neither would ever mention that of course. 

He made a face. "Unfortunately true. It seems I've caught myself a lovely fall cold."

"Perhaps more than a cold. You're looking feverish to me."

"Am I? Well you would know best, of course. I feel rotten enough for it, if I'm being honest."

"May I?" She held out her hand to his face, close but not touching.

He hesitated, then nodded, his face inscrutable.

Flora pressed her palm to his sweaty forehead, probably too eagerly, and he leaned into the touch ever so slightly, giving her a thrill. They carefully avoided one another’s gaze. She pulled the hand away after an appropriate amount of time, though with no small amount of regret. 

"You're running a fever, Father. You should be home in bed."

"I'm headed there right now," he said with a miserable shudder. 

‘If only I was joining you so I could keep you warm,’ she thought to herself. She forced her mouth to say something different, however: "Is there anything I can do for you before you go? You have the medicine you need? I hate the thought of you going home to a cold, empty house."

"I have medicine, and I'll be sure to take plenty of it before I sleep. I'll be alright. Thank you, though, for your kindness. It isn't taken lightly." He expertly danced around any further mentions of his empty house and bed, and she followed his lead for the time being. 

"Well at least take this before you go." She opened the door to her backseat and pulled out a warm canvas bag, handing it over to him. "Chicken soup, corn bread, fried okra and a jar of blackberry jam. This weather already had me in the mood for comfort food, so I'd gotten all this going for supper first thing this morning. I believe you're the perfect person to share it with, as you're certainly in need of some good comfort food tonight yourself."

His eyes lit up as he took the bag, and she was sure she heard his stomach growl hungrily. He grinned at her now, the usual warmth in his gaze. 

"I hope you know you're my hero tonight, Flora. This is exactly what I needed. How can I ever repay you?"

‘I could think of a few ways,’ she thought wickedly. Instead she said: "As long as it helps you feel better, that's all I care about. It was no trouble at all. My fee is this though: you must promise to call me if there's anything else you need. You mustn't be a martyr and suffer all alone in silence. After all, you do so much for the congregation. This is the least I could do, to make sure you're looked after as well."

She thought he reddened slightly, and he pulled his eyes from hers to look at the food, though he continued to smile. "Thanks isn't enough for such a wonderful gift, but I offer it many times over anyway. And I agree to the rest of your fee as well. I will let you know if there's anything else I need, I promise."

"Good, then I'm satisfied." She almost threw all caution to the wind and reached out to touch his face again. They're would be no convenient excuse for it this time, though. No reason to explain away such forward behavior. Yet the desire was so strong that her hand twitched at her side. She forced herself to keep speaking instead. "I'd better let you go home, though, while the food is still hot. I don't want to keep you standing out in the cold."

He gave her a grateful look. "I'll eat it as soon as I'm there. Thank you again, so much. I'm sure we'll speak again soon, and hopefully I'll be better company."

"All the best to you, Father. Take care."

"Same to you, Flora. Be well." 

They both got in their vehicles and started them. Father Luc drove off immediately, while Flora pretended to dig in her purse. She watched him go wistfully, hungrily. She wanted him badly. There had not been a man yet that had evaded her once she set her sights on him, and this beautiful priest would be no different. It would simply take time. The next step in her plan was obvious, though. With a fever like that, he was going to get worse before he got better, and he would almost certainly be home alone and sick tomorrow. She would make sure she found a way to keep him company.

#sicktember 2022 #prompt 26 #priest 'verse OCs #everyone is hotter with a fever #sickfic #cw priest

[mysticparadigms]

Book Review: The Coward by Stephen Aryan

Disclaimer: This is my first time giving a book review rather than analysis, so please bear with me.

Let me start off by saying that it has been a long time since a novel has last captivated me like this one does. This book is under the fantasy genre, and I originally learned about it when I went on a trip to a bookstore with my best friend and was half-heartedly perusing the fantasy section. I’m fairly picky when it comes to the fantasy content I enjoy. While Tolkien has basically influenced all of modern fantasy, media that follows his format of elves, dwarves, orcs, and hobbits have little to no appeal to me, especially considering the racist underpinnings of the orcs. I’ve become tired of novels that focus on having a Chosen One, some kid being the primary defense against evil, romances between humans and elves or fairies (although this one is a personal preference as I don’t like romances in general), and worlds where the nonhuman characters are made up of species that have become oversaturated in our current zeitgeist. Although I'm not immune to popular modern fantasy; I adore Adventure Time and Attack On Titan as well as every Studio Ghibli movie I've seen to date. With all of this context, I had low hopes while looking through the fantasy section that day, but the title caught my attention. I picked it up, read the back cover, and bought it, and it sat untouched on my book shelf for roughly six months. But this last week, I told myself that if I want to read The Priory of the Orange Tree, I have to read the other fantasy book I bought this year first. It took me three days to get through it all.

Politics and Religion: One of the things that I think makes Attack On Titan, for instance, so compelling is that while there is the aspect of "ah there are monsters trying to kill us and we gotta fight 'em" is how much politics there are controlling the plot and actions of the heroes. The Coward does this wonderfully. While we follow Kell Kressia on his journey, we are also given chapters following Reverend Mother Britak, who leads the church that exists within the Five Kingdoms (side note: while the religion is not Christianity, there are definitely some connections to be made and what I think is a striking commentary on the state of Christianity as an institution today) and is trying to enforce this religion following The Shepherd across the Five Kingdoms, using political tactics to try and achieve this goal. Every royal court we are introduced to within this universe has some sort of political tension of its own, often coming into conflict with the other courts. Following the politics and scheming was very enjoyable.

Semi-Original Species: I appreciated that the author didn't include species such as elves, fairies, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, orcs, etc. in the book, although one might argue that the Alfár are a type of elf. Regardless, I appreciated that and the creatures such as the Qalamieren and the voran. It was enjoyable learning about new sorts of species and reading about them from the perspectives of people who these creatures are normal to know about, even if they don't believe in them.

Subverting the teenaged Chosen One trope as well as the model of the Hero: This might be my favorite aspect of this novel. Instead of having these larger-than-life heroes, we're shown how heroes are flawed, and oftentimes more flawed as individuals than the average person. Even Kell Kressia, the savior of the Five Kingdoms who beheaded the Ice Lich ten years ago, struggles with the expectations this victory put on him versus his knowledge that he basically just got lucky. It wasn't his skill that helped him win, or some prophecy foretelling his victory, it was nothing more than a matter of chance. I liked how human this made all of the characters feel. I truly felt like I could relate to Kell because he struggles with the troubles of others' expectations of him versus what he knows truly happened, but additionally he comes home with what would likely be diagnosed as PTSD. Even a victory comes at a severe psychological cost.

Addressing the realities of how traumatizing these romanticized quests can be as well as the fragility of the body: There was no over-the-top gore, which I appreciated as someone who has recently become much more sensitive to it than I used to be. But at the same time, excessive gore wasn't necessary to drive home what physical strain the characters experienced when making their Hero's Journey. I am particularly intrigued by how the human body as an entity is portrayed in literature, and this book was perfect for such an interest. We were shown how humans overestimate the danger they can handle, and they don't understand that every hero we idolize is simply Just Some Guy who also can have wounds get infected, or bleed out from one (albeit deep) stab wound. While this made the fight scenes feel somewhat less intense physically than scenes where there is a lot of wounding of the main characters and killing is seen as casual, the psychology behind what the characters were feeling as well as the stress of knowing that it doesn't actually take much to get killed by a wild animal or adversary made the fight scenes intense in their own right.

Romance: As someone generally averse to the romance genre and dreads romance in fantasy books due to the advent of romances between humans and elves/fairies/werewolves/vampies/etc., I'm happy to say that this route was not taken in The Coward. There is mention of sex (for instance we have scenes where we're told two characters just had or are about to have sex, one character getting offered money for a sexual encounter but is denied, and one seventeen year old's sexual fantasy going horribly awry in a nightmare of his) but nothing that goes into detail. The main character hopes to one day have a wife and start a family, but this goal is portrayed more as representing the idea of having a "normal" and simple life, thus escaping the trauma of Kell's time as a "hero." It's hardly even mentioned that Kell would like to start a family and is not one of his actual goals he pursues but rather, as I mentioned before, symbolic of the sort of peace he wishes to achieve. There is, however, a side romance in the novel. But it's beautiful and doesn't dominate the narrative or even the goals of the characters within the romance itself. They are both fully formed individuals with dreams and fears and quirks and triumphs of their own, their romance just portrays the beauty of two lost souls finding refuge in a chaotic and lonely world. I enjoyed every scene that featured them.

My critiques: I wish that we had been given a clearer picture of how, in his first quest, Kell had defeated the Ice Lich. Or just their journey into the castle altogether. We know how a lot of the eleven heroes died, and I appreciate the author trusting that his readers are intelligent enough to piece together the story of what happened through the sporadic vignettes given, but I would've liked to hear about what happened with Kell after the last hero died, even if we saw it through a flashback he has within a dream where the maze is foggy in his memory and weren't given the exact play-by-play. On another note, while the book's climax originally felt like it could've been—for lack of a better term—more climatic than what we saw, I realized on reflection that the climax being as it was fits the story, its overarching themes, and Kell's disillusionment with The Hero's Quest perfectly. 

Overall, this book was amazing. After I finished it, I ran right back to the local bookstore to grab the final novel in this series: The Warrior. If you're looking for a fantasy novel where the "hero" is Just Some Guy and where the realities of the stereotypical Hero's Journey are presented as being traumatizing events rather than proud conquests, then this is the book for you.

#book review #fantasy

[wanderlandgracie]

ROME

To end off our study abroad trip to Europe, we went to Rome, Italy, famous for such things as pizza, and not putting ice in drinks, and murdering prisoners for the widespread entertainment of the country. It's got fun for the whole family. Seriously though, Rome is a beautiful, elegant, history-packed city with so much to see and do, so here are my highlights.

The first thing we did in Rome was go see the the Vatican, or more formally known as Vatican City. Vatican City has been the center and seat of the Roman Catholic Church since 1929, which, you'll note, is fairly recent. The city is its own nation-state, giving the Pope the power over it without being hindered by the overall government of Italy. We initially went into the museum part of the city, and got to see cool works such as the Sistine Chapel, and The School of Athens painting, both of which were absolutely beautiful, only one of which we were allowed to take pictures of. The Vatican City is a truly iconic location in Rome simply because of its importance to the catholic faith. As a protestant Christian, I do not fully understand the importance of the Pope and the cardinals and such, but I do understand that the artwork and artifacts inside the walls of the Vatican City are beautiful, and thus is their prime value.

The place I was most excited about going in Rome was the Colosseum, a wide ovalesque amphitheater that was originally built in 72 AD by the Roman Emperor Vespasian to revitalize Rome after a tumultuous year of four emperors. While it was in its prime, it saw staggering amounts of gladiator fights, animal hunts, and mock naval battles, all for public entertainment. Despite this bloody and questionable history, the Colosseum is still a revolutionary structure for its time, and it is an iconic tourist destination. While reflecting on this I realized that we treat it like its a theme park. We go and take pictures and have fun, but a mere 2 thousand years ago so many unwilling people were thrown into the arena and they didn't have the chance to come out alive. This amphitheater has lost its significance, and is now nothing more than a tourist trap. Most of the public likely don't think to remember what happened there, myself included. But it is so important to remember the significance it had to those that lost their lives there, filled with terror and pain.

After walking around in Rome for a while, it became wildly clear to me where I was. Not just because of the big monuments and ancient ruins and such, but rather because of the small symbols of the Roman culture. For example, there was a lot of SPQR things. Those four letters were printed on just about every sewer grate, statue, door, you name it. Almost everywhere you looked, the acronym for "Senatus PopulousQue Romanus," or "The Senate and People of Rome," a saying that was used in the original empire, which is why we see it so often today. Another example of the Roman Culture being all in your face is the constant Romulus and Remus statues. They were practically everywhere. The statues are always of infant Romulus and Remus suckling the she-wolf, Lupa (which yes, literally is the feminine of wolf), who raised them. See, Romulus and Remus were the brothers that founded Rome. Well, brother that founded Rome. See they we going to found a city, and it is unclear about what exactly they disagreed about, whether it was the hill to found the city on or what to call it, but either way, Romulus killed his brother and founded Rome. This makes it wildly relevant to modern day Rome. I am unsure as to whether the brothers were actually real, or if they are pseudo historical figures based off of a real king and his brother that he killed. Either way, the brothers are important to Roman culture because it gives them a sense of identity in their founding. They have a myth about their home, that is solidarity if ever I've seen it.

#rome #italy #romulus #remus #shewolf #vatican #pope #study #studyabroad #travel #sistine chapel #Spotify

[betweenandbeloved]

Cana of Galilee

Cana of Galilee is the location of Jesus’ first miracle or the first sign that Jesus was the Messiah, found in John 2:1-11. The Wedding Church at Cana sits overtop of a first-century synagogue. This has been the only synagogue discovered in Cana; therefore, this is definitely where the story of the Wedding at Cana took place.

Pictured: The Wedding Church at Cana

On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. when the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They don’t have any wine.” Jesus replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.” His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby were six stone water jars used for the Jewish cleansing ritual, each able to hold about twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. Then he told them “Now draw some from them and take it to the headwaiter,” and they did. The head waiter tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. The head waiter called to the groom and said, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and they bring out the second-rate wine only when the guests are drinking freely. You kept the good wine until now.” This was the first miraculous sign that Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him. - John 2:1-11

In the 1st century CE. weddings were a little different than what most of us know today. For starters, the guest list was somewhere between 700 and 1200 people. The entire town was invited along with all of your family, even the most distant relatives you didn’t know you were related to. Second, weddings lasted for 7 days: 6 days of celebrations with the actual ceremony/wedding on the 7th day.  Hospitality (in most cultures besides America) is a big deal. If you didn’t have enough wine for the entire 7 days of wedding celebrations, it would be seen as a huge dishonor on the family. This mentality is still true today. Our guide said that any time he invites people over, they always prepare twice as much food just in case more people show up. 

The last interesting part about first-century wedding customs is that men and women were always separated during the celebrations. What I found interesting was that our guide gave some cultural context to looking at verse 4 from the wedding story.

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” - John 2:4

As a feminist, I’ve always struggled with this text, wondering why Jesus would address his mother as “Woman;” a phrase not necessarily used to convey endearment. Our guide gave the story context by explaining: Mary left the women’s section of the party and entered the men’s section to talk to Jesus. To address Mary as “woman,” was actually the most respectful way to address his mother in front of strangers. Calling her “woman” was not rude or disrespectful, but actually quite the opposite. Since this was a wedding with hundreds of people, likely many of whom Jesus didn’t know, he addressed Mary out of respect in a culturally appropriate way.

This is one of the many great examples of why it’s important to understand the cultural context that the Bible took place. Here I was annoyed that Jesus was being cheeky to his mother when he was being quite the opposite.

While visiting the church, each of the married couples had the option to renew their vows. Having only been married two months earlier, Jonathan and I weren’t going to participate but we got roped into it anyway. So now, I can say I’ve married my love twice now.

Pictured: some of us renewing our vows. I think Dave & Alice (in the center) were the couple married the longest while Jonathan & I were the newest newlyweds on the trip.

After seeing the church we went down below to look at the ruins of the first-century synagogue. Along with lots of rocks, we were able to see a first-century stone jar like the ones mentioned in the story.

Pictured: ruins of the first-century synagogue

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. - John 2:6

The reason stone jars were used as opposed to clay, glass, or ceramic, is that stone is the only element that doesn’t become unclean after it is used in a sacred manner. The jars were not moved, which is good because I’m pretty sure no one could lift them.  

Pictured above: a first-century stone jar with me for size comparison

Once we were done visiting the church, we walked around some of the shops next door and got to try some of the famous “Wine from Cana.” The lovely woman who let us try the wine said “It’s sweet so you think of Jesus when you drink it!” Thankfully, our tour guide informed us (before we visited the site) that there are no wineries in Cana so it’s all just a tourist trap. Hey, can’t fault them for trying, I’m sure there are lots of people who bring home wine bottles from Cana! (Yes, I totally wanted one. No, we did not get any)

#holyland2023 #holy land #cana #cana of galilee #wedding at cana

[fightingtheajuga]

Ten years

Next month marks ten years since my first trip to a mental hospital. The person I was then wouldn't recognize the woman I am today, and I'm okay with that. She wouldn't be, but I am. I have left the faith that I was brought up in and have realized that my worldview was not only wrong but very, very toxic. I have gone from a dogmatic, sold-out evangelical to a scarred but strong agnostic. I have been to the depths of darkness and realized that Jesus was not, in fact, the rock at the bottom. I have come to terms with the fact that what I was taught and what I embraced as truth for the first three and a half decades of my life was actually a bunch of lies.

It has taken years of soul-searching, therapy, and tears to get to the point where I can stand tall and am ready (I think?) to share some of my story. Some of the fear that I was raised in remains and I have hesitated for so long to share my doubts and my criticisms of God and the Church because, you know, hell and stuff, but I don't want anyone to have to endure the pain and abuse that I went through. I want to be a soft, safe place for people who are feeling the terror of realizing that everything they based their lives on is a lie. When someone has been told their entire life that questioning can lead to eternal torture and damnation, that a wrong move can incur the wrath of God Almighty, it is so hard to get up the courage to take an honest look at what they have been taught. I want to help them on that terrifying journey. I also need to get my voice back. For so much of my life, I allowed others to dictate what I did and said, especially men in the Church, because, well, I am a woman and I am to submit. Yeah, not anymore. Well, I'm still a woman, lol, but submitting to someone simply because they have a Y chromosome and I don't just isn't my thing anymore. It's time for me to speak up.

#exvangelical #christianity #agnostic #healing #reinvention #atheist #religious trauma #mental health

[purplesurveys]

1473

1]; What is the nearest traffic sign to your house? There are a lot of Stop signs nearby since we do have several intersections in the village.

2]; What year did you move into your current home? That was in 2008.

3]; What year was it built? Construction started in 2005 and the house was finished maybe a year or so later. It just took a while to move in because my parents had also been saving up to get furniture and appliances and things like that, so it took three years for us to move in for good.

4]; What year was your vehicle manufactured? It’s either a 2014 or 2015 model, I’m not super sure.

5]; What are your pets doing right now? I have no idea as I’m currently at the rooftop and they’re all in the living room. I’m guessing they’re all napping, though.

6]; What is plugged into the nearest outlet? My phone and laptop chargers.

7]; How many rolls of toilet paper, paper towel, and boxes of Kleenex do you have right now? I don’t know. Enough.

8]; When did you last see your mother? Around 15 minutes ago when she came up here briefly to tidy up some things.

9]; And your father? Two weeks ago. He’s already left for Denmark, where he will be working for the next four or so months.

10]; What are your 5 “oldest” recent emojis? The praying emoji; the dizzy emoji; the rolling-eyes emoji; the original laughing emoji; and the burning red heart one.

11]; What song plays in your head the most? It depends on the day and my mood. Different songs play in my head all the time.

12]; Are your pets’ names actual classic pet names, human names, places, things, verbs, or what? Cooper and Kimi were inspired by personalities - Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory; and Kimi Raikkonen, as in the racing driver. Aki was inspired by the Korean ‘agi’ which essentially means ‘baby.’

13]; Have you ever received a card signed individually by a large group of people? I don’t think I have.

14]; Who do you know that’s pregnant right now? Someone I work with. She’s from a different agency/company, but we’re both contracted by that client to execute campaigns so we cross paths frequently.

15]; What did you do last weekend? It’s currently the weekend so can I share what I did in the last two days instead? Hahaha. Anyway, yesterday was allotted for recovering from my hangover because did I feel like shit upon waking up; I napped the whole afternoon away. Today, I just went to church, took Aki to the vet (only took 10 minutes this time!); and spent the afternoon with extended family for lunch and catch-up. We just got home and since I’m expecting this work week to suck, I’m currently having two boxes of sushi delivered to help deal with the anxiety lol.

16]; Last night? I watched several mini-documentaries from Asian Boss, freaked out about the new wave of concept photos for Proof, drank coffee.

17]; What did you last use scissors for? I opened a 3-in-1 coffee sachet.

18]; Who have you helped move? The only time I remember ever helping out during a move was when my own family was moving from one part of our duplex to the other part – this was back in like 2000 or 2001 when I was 2-3 years old, haha.

19]; At what age did you get your first period? (Sorry if this one question doesn’t apply to you) I had just turned 10.

20]; And what age was your first kiss? I was 16.

21]; With whom are you planning trips currently? My cousins and I want to have an out-of-town trip this Christmas, and I’m really hoping that pushes through. For context, we plan to escape from the traditional Christmas party one of our aunts usually holds because she’s a notorious Marcos supporter and quite frankly we’ve had enough of that crap, so we’re planning to have our own getaway lmao. Then there’s that Korea trip that I wish pushes through for me, Anj, Reena, and Hans.

22]; When is the last time you got laid? Over a year ago.

23]; What all is in your pockets? There’s nothing in them.

24]; What is the last strain of weed you smoked/consumed however? I don’t even know what it was.

25]; What size is your bed? I have a twin.

26]; What size are the spare beds? We don’t have spare beds lol?

27]; What is the last load of laundry you did? Colours, darks, towels..? I believe my mom did the whole shebang, as she usually does.

28]; What is the last YouTube channel you watched? One of my favorite BTS compilation creators.

29]; What is the last thing you used water for? I was cleaning the mop I used to clean dog piss.

30]; How old are you turning next year? I’ll be at the quarter-century mark!

31]; What is the last thing you wrote down? My name and number when I filled out the guest sheet at the vet clinic earlier.

32]; Who is the last friend you spent time with? My co-workers. There were 10 of us and I don’t feel like writing everyone’s names down, but yeah we were quite the party haha.

33]; What calendar year did you last turn a multiple of 11? 2020. 34]; What is the range of year answers in this survey (#2, 3, 4, 33)? Nothing too big haha, 2000s up to the 2020s.

35]; How many people have texted/messaged you today? Off the top of my head around 10, but I could be wrong.

36]; Last person to comment on your anything? My cousin Niña messaged me “Cute” as a response to a photo of Cooper I posted yesterday.

37]; What are you doing after this survey? Clean my keyboard because the dirt is starting to irritate me lol; then maybe find another survey to fill up. 38]; How many steps did you walk yesterday? 942.

39]; How many hours of sleep did you get last night? 5. I turned in by 3 AM and woke up by 8.

40]; How many tattoos do you have? I don’t have any.

#survey #surveys

[dianalolihikki]

Hey!💜

Today for the most part was really great you could even say that it was 95 percent amazing!⭐

Let's start with the fact that I had my hair tied in two braids today,and that's always a good sign. On top of that, today for my physiotherapy session with E's, I wore an unbuttoned wool sweater in light pink. I felt a bit like a fourteen-year-old delicate fairy. 🎀 I imagined I could star in a movie with a similar theme to Lolita, only without the erotic themes. 🩷

I know,I'm a crazy person. I'm not proud of it. On top of that, I'm constantly obsessed with the fact that I'm going to start overly controlling what I write here and there will be no sincerity in it. This isn't the first time I've had such thoughts. I've had this with every diary I've written, even one written only in Word, unpublished.

💮💮💮💮

Today I found out that K. was at my family doctor's yesterday and got all the paperwork done. Only my mother will call my doctor tomorrow for some code that she needs to give to K. I am still surprised by E's reaction to the fact that I will have physical therapy with K.

Yesterday, however, while walking and talking with B, I remembered that after all, when I mentioned K to E the first time, she asked if K wasn't looking for additional job,because E wants to move her office to another place and expand it, so also hire employees. Today she confirmed the offer.

💮💮💮💮

Today I spent an amazing day with E. As I posted yesterday, today's physical therapy session lasted three hours and we spent it all outside the office.

💮💮💮💮

The first stop on our "trip" today was the library. It had been a very long time since we had been there. The library is located in the village where E lives, and it was thanks to E that I signed up for this library. There is a really large selection of books there, although sometimes I get tired of the fact that these books are mostly war romances. Well, but one of the librarians loves them.

Today I borrowed four books. I didn't pay too much attention to what I choose,because, after all, I haven't finished reading the book I'm currently reading about the teacherxstudent relationship. All I remember is that I chose the first book because it had a girl with pigtails on the cover,and the second was a book of the young adult genre. I chose one because it had been a long time since I had read anything in that genre.

The librarian was very nice, by the way, as usual. She also complimented my sweater.🎀🩷

💮💮💮💮

The second stop was a local ice cream shop, close to the railroad tracks.

We were supposed to go to the mall for Thai ice cream, but on the way we saw that the ice cream shop was open. We've always liked this place, it's a lot cheaper than anything in the mall. To get from the parking lot to the ice cream shop I had to walk a short but challenging path with rocks, uphill. I bought myself a tiramisu-flavored shake, although the taste of tiramisu was practically indistinguishable, so I was disappointed. In addition, the prices went up.

💮💮💮💮

The highlight of my physiotherapy session, however, came at the end.

Again, we were in a park on a mountainous area,this one near the church. Today we were actually right in front of the church. Why? Because there are only benches with a backrest in that place. And only on such a bench I am not afraid to sit without the presence of another person nearby. In the sense, before getting there I still didn't know if I could do it.

We finally ordered this Chinese food, although this restaurant only accepts take-out orders, so I had to wait for E while he brought our food.

On our way out of the car we saw a handsome young priest. I even thought it was a shame that someone like that was a priest. E also said that he was a very nice priest. E is very religious and is in church every Sunday.

There was some time left to pick up the food we had ordered, so we did a short walk near the church, mostly uphill. After that my legs totally needed a rest.

The whole wait for E was not as scary as I thought. I WAS PRACTICALLY NOT SCARED AT ALL. This would have been unattainable just a few years ago. Maybe because the bench is low and bolted to concrete slabs? Or maybe because I wasn't quite so alone? The church is apparently being renovated because there were some construction workers there. Well, the nice priest must have forgotten that he saw me today because he said hello a second time.⭐

The food was some of the best I've ever eaten. I ordered chicken in coconut batter in a sweet chili sauce with rice and sauerkraut. IT WAS DELICIOUS!🎀🩷

And yes, we ate in front of the church xD

On the way home, my mom also bought me an ice cream, so it was totally great.

💮💮💮💮

B sent my mom the number to this suspicious herbalist. I'm still scared that my mom will want to take me there too. I don't trust such people. I texted N today and she shares my opinion on this.

💮💮💮💮

Okay, I'm done for the day. I am already terribly tired of writing today's post,because with breaks to eat and talk to my brother, I wrote this post for two hours.

As a reward I will eat one Kinder chocolate 🎀🩷.

#cerebral palsy #neurodivergent #neurodiverse stuff #physically disabled #hikikomori #actually neurodivergent #physical therapist #physical therapy #diary #long post

[project-discipline-2024]

Tagaytay Escapade

We traveled to Tagaytay at night, and the cold breeze of the place embraced and welcomed us. I really enjoyed the night because of the weather and also because I was with Arcel.

Despite having dual jobs, we managed to have quality bonding time, strengthening our relationship. We passed by Andoks, which was remarkable on our last trip due to its affordability and delicious taste when we had nothing else to choose from.

The cold weather led us to Serin to find and buy a jacket, and we found one at Penshoppe. My girlfriend chose this one for me, and it suited me well. It's memorable because she chose it for me. Thank you, mahal.

Feeling hungry, we took the bus to Bulalo's Point Restaurant. However, I noticed that the place was not very accommodating, so we tried searching nearby since there were many restaurants to choose from. We attempted to go to E-ways Restaurant, but unfortunately, it was already closed. We ended up at Balinsasayaw, where we did not expect the food to become our favorite. The fried bangus and bulalo were really special, and we ate a lot. The taste of Tsokolate was remarkable to us. We loved it so much!

In the morning, we took a walk and enjoyed the sun. We went to Starbucks and had coffee there, trying to sunbathe and talk to each other about life scenarios. I really admire her idea of always putting God first in whatever you do and not being too proud of yourself because humble people receive good merits in life. She gave an example of her mother's situation, and I appreciate her for sharing this with me. I am reminded to be humble every day and always be grateful for what I am today.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Gracis and met her Kadiwa friends. We explored the place, exchanged gifts, and enjoyed the activities there. My girlfriend and I tried fishing and ATV, which was a super cool experience as it was our first time together. Thank you for sharing this adventure and introducing me to these people in my life. After that, we went to church to fulfill our duties and had dinner. I'll never forget the restaurant on Bonifacio Drive because of the small serving of food but being super expensive. Never again. After dinner, we made fun of that restaurant. Hahaha, we felt like the craziest people in the world. Lol.

Tagaytay has always held a special place in my heart because this is where we started to strengthen our relationship and get to know each other. Our relationship has become strong, intimate, and peaceful. To Arcel, I always look forward to making memories with you in this place, having hot chocolate, and engaging in meaningful conversations.

Baguio Escapade

At 4 am on January 28, we went to Benguet with one of our closest friends, Joan and Jojo. My girlfriend and I were the ones who planned the trip, and unexpectedly, the couple wanted to join with us, so it became a double date now. Hahahaha. That was super cool, though. Thank you because the two have a car, and our travel to Benguet became easy. It took us a 4-hour drive to get there. We went to Camp John Hay to have breakfast and ended up at Pancake House. The cold weather was up to 14 degrees Celsius and tolerable at that time, but the weather got much colder in the evening, hahaha. After breakfast, we tried to go to Tsokolate de Batirol and experience their famous hot chocolate. A lot of people were there; however, when we tried the drink, the experience was not something amazing because the taste was like beer, lol. Nevertheless, we tried to finish it even though we did not like it much. Hahaha. Outside the restaurant, we experienced the cold breeze of the weather and appreciated the trees and breathing space there. I also loved how we used the camera brought by Ar. I was stunned by how we captured things and people. It felt like something special, to capture moments and make them live forever. How mesmerizing it was.

Benguet has been a place where Mother Nature heals everyone. The stunning mountains, the vegetables, the food, the weather, and the people – that's why I always want to be there and heal each wound that I experience in every war I face. The mountains and trees have been one of my friends whenever I feel tired because I know that God provided these amazing things to help His humans. I always love to connect to nature. With this, we went to Atok to explore the beauty of flower farms. There are lots of kinds of flowers there, and the place was too high to travel and too far from our place. Thank you to Jojo for driving us; he has really good driving skills, indeed! I appreciated the overlooking mountain and flowers. We also bought strawberries as pasalubong for ourselves, lol. We planned to make tanghulu; unfortunately, we did not have enough ingredients to make this. Sad. The whole trip was filled with relaxation and adventure. We went to ALAPO to experience camping at night and grilled enoki pork. The food was amazing, the bonfire was stunning, and the sunrise was a beautiful souvenir we could ever get from that place. I loved our photos there.

We experienced a lot of firsts in our first three days; however, we are not yet ready to make our trip fully on vacation. After Mondays, we're back to work. My girlfriend and I work two jobs, and I am happy to say that we managed it superbly! I was amazed at how my girlfriend worked because she managed it so well, and she did smart work – by focusing on certain hours, and the rest will be rest time. I was amazed by her. Most of the time, she did not work, but her productivity was remarkable, and she finished all her tasks. On the other side, I had to work hard because there were a lot of deadlines and tasks to finish and create pull requests on my plate. I did not want to lose this job since I needed more money, and ironically, because of the burden and weight on my head, on this day, I had planned to leave my second job – but this is all in my head. I just wanted to rant and express it because I cannot manage it anymore. Thank you to my girlfriend for being my sounding board and carrying the burdens in my heart. I wanted to quit at that time and submit my resignation, but I never did. Haha, I tried to convince myself to push harder and find a solution to that problem, and fast forward, the workload in the next month became manageable. Up to this date, I am still with the same company.

Joan and Jojo had to leave in the middle of the week because they said they could not bear the cold weather. My girlfriend and I were the ones who stayed in the Airbnb. We enjoyed each other's company, and I was grateful for her and thankful because she was one of a kind. She helped and comforted me when I struggled to communicate with others and assisted me with my internet connection during my interview with Nelnet. I loved every act she did for me. She cooks our food well, and I appreciate how she takes care of me every single minute. I feel genuine care and love from her. I could say that I am the luckiest man alive. hahaha.

I know most people might be thinking about two people in the same room and sleeping together, and of course, they may engage in premarital sex. However, we respect each other's decisions and adhere to the doctrines of our religion, which prohibit having sex without the blessing of our beloved parents until we are married. I am thankful that she is not like other girls who might seduce their man into having sex. I love how our relationship is going and how we respect each other. I would love to experience this type of bonding with you again soon! Therefore, I conclude that the whole vacation, walking around the city, and helping me when I felt bloated and my tummy hurt after eating on our last day there was wonderful. I don't have anything to say but thank you, Arcel, for giving me the kind of love that I am not sure if I deserve because you are more than enough for me. I love you, and I will take care of you and protect you at all costs, mahal ko.

Good News!

I got my Non-Professional Driver's License.

My girlfriend's Korean Tourist Visa was approved.

I decided to apply to the Korean Embassy for a Tourist Visa, and it was approved!

I applied for the Canadian Student Visa Pathway, and it was approved!

Arcel is now my neighbor, and we enjoy each other's company.

We got our homestay approved on Airbnb.

Better days are coming!

There are a lot of things to be grateful for. I am grateful for having all kinds of support from my family, friends, and girlfriend. I could not imagine a happy life without them. All I can say right now is thank you, God Father, for allowing these events to happen in my life. I know that you have a very good reason that we never know why all this happens. All I can say is to trust you and surrender all to you because, as a human, I cannot do anything without you. Since Day 1, I know you have never forgotten me and always stood by my side, watching me with every decision in my life. Thank you for your guidance and for allowing my faith to grow. I hope for better days ahead, and if struggles are coming my way, I know that you will help and guide me to conquer all of them. Better days are coming! I manifest and pray that Arcel will have an employer in Alberta, Canada, particularly in Calgary by 2025, so she can leave the country to start her 30s. I know God has a plan for each and every one of us, and serving God is one of our purposes. I manifest that from this very day, we will come back to this blog and say that we are meant for Canada, and we will live there and build our own family.

In the upcoming days, I want to make sure to be more disciplined in each aspect of life. Thank you for bringing Arcel into my life because she has guided me to become a better person, and we align with each other to be the best versions of ourselves.

Here are the plans I want to fulfill in the following weeks:

Eat less, move more, eat more proteins, and engage in strength training.

Lose body fat and build muscle.

Improve my spiritual connection and faith with God Father by doing Panata.

Wake up at 6 am and do the routines with my girlfriend.

Read one book per month.

Write a blog consistently.

Socialize with family and friends to boost oxytocin and happy hormones – as humans, we build connections with others.

Travel in nature once in a while.

I hope these activities will strengthen my personal well-being and relationships with others, and I am looking forward to seeing progress little by little.  Super excited for our next trip! See you soon, South Korea!

#good mindset #inspiration #motivation #personal development #personal growth

[cardinaldante]

Greetings siblings of the church! Today, I helped bring the children to the church. Papa Copia came with me, and we decided to take a van over. Aether and Phantom also decided to come with us, and I still could not look Aether or Papa Copia in the face without blushing. I knew that Papa Terzo and Omega were in.. well, a.. thing, but I did not know Papa Copia and Aether were the same. Father DeFroque met us at the church entrance, and while Phantom stayed behind in the car, Aether was able to follow me onto Church grounds, which elicited a frown from one of the people beside DeFroque.

I asked Papa Copia about it while we were going to the children's temporary room(he looked like he needed a distraction, he looked anxious) and he told me that usually the very first ghoul that's bound to you can step on church grounds as they're using you as a center. However, for the first time in forever, I felt... Uneasy on church grounds. My body felt like it was burning up, and every step I took it made me feel sicker and sicker. Aether must have noticed, as he asked where the bathroom was, and then dragged me to it. He asked what was wrong, and I told him my symptoms, splashing cold water on my face the whole time. It didn't help the horrible, hurting feeling that was still inside, making me feel sick.

He stared at me as I tried to calm down, stopping me from drinking the water. He told me that I was having the same symptoms a ghoul would have if they were unbound and stepped on church grounds- but I shouldn't have been feeling that way, as I was human. I asked if some of hell could have gotten stuck in me when I went there, and he told me it was a possibility, but he'd never seen this before. He told me we had to keep our cool, as this could look bad on our church if I left now, expecially since I was so excited about seeing the children as we came up. He placed a hand against my forehead, and said some sort of spell, and it was like everything calmed down.

Aether told me the spell would only last for two hours, so we had to be in and out quickly. We then exited the bathroom and rejoined Papa Copia and Father DeFroque, Papa Copia looking a little worried. We continued along to the children's room, and met the children. There were about fourty of them total, which made sense on why the Catholic Church couldn't keep them. I greeted the children- as custom- and we got them into the van. Or rather, Papa Copia put all the youngest children in the van, and Aether and I walked the older kids back to church. Once there, Sister June and Cardinal Jasmine took the children to get baths and new clothing.

I asked Papa Copia if i could help the kids, and he told me I could work on planning feild trips of the kids in school, and told me that since I didn't have much work to do anymore, I could go to actual school, if I wanted. I told him I'd think about it, and before I could go, he asked me what had happened in the church. I explained everything, and Aether told Papa Copia what he had done. Papa Copia frowned and agreed with me that hell probably left a piece of itself in me, and that it'll be alright, and it should leave soon and I'd be able to go on church grounds once more.

I left after that, heading to dinner. I let Aether go eat with the other ghouls, since I didn't want to make a bad impression on the kids, and got to show the children to where they'd be eating, and what they'd be eating. I also explained to them that they'd be learning about normal things, and if they wanted to learn any other religion, they would be allowed to. I then headed back to my room after eating, and found myself in contact with both Aurora and Phantom. I changed my pajamas and went to bed, but... For some reason, siblings, I haven't been able to sleep. I've been having a bad time sleeping lately, and have stayed up the last few nights staring at the ceiling until the sun started to shine. It's been very annoying. Maybe tonight I'll be able to get some sleep.

#ghost band #roleplay #the band ghost #ghost bc #ask blog

[immigrant-rob]

The last move

It's been 2 months since the last blog, so time for an update on the highlights. We have moved in and settled into our new rental house provided by a miracle. It is located in the exact neighborhood we had wanted, close to Naomi's family but usually an expensive one to rent. However, the landlord was very generous and made a deal that if we took good care of the property the rent would be lower. After unpacking 104 cardboard boxes and a few weeks of minor repairs around the house we were finally ready to settle in and enjoy. Besides living close to Naomi's family (who love to cook, and guess where most leftovers end up 😏), it is also within walking distance of a huge supermarket (think like Albert Heijn XXXL) and church. I had given up all hope to be able to walk to places from home!

While clearing out the house, Hoydi, Naomi's brother and I did a trip to the dump. Going to the dump always was an exciting day out back when I was young, but this was on a different level. Whereas I'm used to dumping my couch in a container, here they have ''landfills''. Massive pits on the outskirts of the city where 1.2 million people literally can dump their trash. Not sure how I felt about dumping 3 couches into mother nature, but I was assured that the nice neighborhood next to it was built on one of these full landfills and in a few years a new neighborhood would be built on my 3 couches.

A few weeks later we hosted our first guests at our place. Jacqueline, an old university friend of mine and her husband Mark came over. We went on my first snowshoeing hike up to Chester Lake through fresh powder which must feel as outdoorsy as it can get. We witnessed a decent sized avalanche from fairly nearby, and the powder it spewed up blowing through the trees. The next day we spent playing boardgames, where Mark beat me at my home game Everdell after I made a shameful mistake, but redeemed my board gaming career with a surprise Scythe win. Both great games if you're into board games!

A week later Naomi and I took a 1 week breather in Vancouver and Vancouver Island, where my highlight was seeing unhuggable trees. The largest being 9m in circumference! We also revisited Naomi's memories of camping on the island, catching crabs and clam digging on the beach. We caught 19 crabs in total, unfortunately non were big enough to be eaten.

Initially, I thought we were going for the views, but soon it became apparent that Naomi had a different to-do list. Apparently, Vancouver is the place to be to eat Asian food outside of Asia. I should've known that marrying a foodie means travel destinations aren't based on scenes but on food. I'm glad they didn't charge me 2 seats on the flight back after that week... Anyway, the climate reminded me of home. Wet and humid. Ideal for someone whose nose had been clogged for the past 2 months to be able to breathe again, but also reminded me of what I did not like about Dutch weather. The wetness and gray skies. Believe it or not, while writing this the temperature is -31 C here, but it is dry and I will bet a Timbit on a clear blue sky later today, just like the past week. I'll deal with the congested nose.

Last 2 highlights were our Christmas dinner with turkey and ham prepared by Hoydi which I could help carve (and take home many leftovers). Secondly, a beautiful easy hike through Johnstone Canyon to view the frozen waterfalls and its dare devil ice climbers. It's a tourist attraction which always makes for fun viewings of unprepared tourists with no cleats slipping and sliding down the trail. The second part of the hike to the mud pots was very quiet and allowed for some Disney Wonderland like views in the valley.

Studying is going well, I'm still on track with my schedule to finish by the end of January and use February to revise. Looking forward to put the exam behind me and start working!

[jinirus]

A Trip To Intramuros

Reaching a decade and eight was a challenging and exhausting experience. A lot of ups and downs were faced to be the person who I am today. And celebrating it with the people I love is the best way to tell myself that I did a great job surviving these years; but spending my very special day with the person I cherish the most in a place that has a lot of stories to tell makes it more extra special.

Hey, I’m Jenny Yacap. I just reached 18 years of age two months ago. And I’m here to tell how I spent my birthday.

Just a quick recap, I celebrated my birthday two days before my actual birthday. And then me and my boyfriend (named Ivan) went to Intramuros in my actual birthday.

We planned this trip a long time ago but since we have money and time to do it, we didn’t hesitate and went there. He also told me to just bring myself and he’ll handle the rest. It was one of the most memorable trip since I’m not really familiar with the place or know how to go there but he prepared everything so I was so excited that time.

Going to our destination

This was our first trip in LRT together; it was also his first time riding one so we’re both excited and scared since we both had no idea what can happen during our trip.

We met at VGC to ride a bus going to Monumento, LRT then we got the tickets going to Central Station. It was a long ride, since Intramuros is far from Monumento but it’s a faster way to go there. And in the middle of our ride, I started to feel my feet getting sore from all the walking. I just got to rest my feet when we got to the cathedral riding a tricycle. My boyfriend massaged my feet going there so it’s a big relief for me.

Here’s a pic of him massaging my feet. I’m so thankful for him that time since I’m really not comfortable with my sandals.

He bought new sandals for me but it was more of heels because I just bought what I thought was comfortable and matches my outfit. I can’t blame myself since it was the best shoes I can find at the ukay-ukay store.

We then went to the cathedral after and I was amazed by the designs and structures inside it. It feels surreal for me since I’m not Catholic and I’m not used to seeing those kind of churches. It feels so peaceful and I can also feel the holiness inside. I just can’t imagine how Manila Cathedral managed to survive everything.

Image inside the cathedral. Ivan and I sit for a while since he wants to pray for me since it’s my birthday. It was a heartfelt experience watching him pray for me.

After praying, we walked around for a bit before going out. I checked the time and it was around 1 pm and Ivan asked if I was hungry. I said yes and he said he knew where to go and that we don’t need to ride a trike since it’s just behind the cathedral.

This was the place Ivan mentioned. At first I thought it was a small cafe since it doesn’t look that big at the front.

I was just shocked when we went inside since I was greeted by a short passageway full of flowers and leaves connecting to the staircase. It was full of flowers when we walked the stairs since it’s located on the 3rd floor of the place.

This was the dining place and it was absolutely gorgeous and elegant. Just kinda bit sad since I wanted to eat on the rooftop but it was to hot, given that it was past noon.

It was a fine dining restaurant and I felt like I was a princess because of how magical the place was. I’m glad it wasn’t crowded because I can enjoy and eat at peace with my boyfriend.

This was the food we ordered. My favorite was the pasta and the salad. It was my first time tasting and it did not disappoint.

It was kinda pricey but was worth it. I was full after eating it with my boyfriend. We enjoyed both the food and the place. If I were to answer a question if I’m going to this place again? It’s a yes! It was a super memorable place for both of me and Ivan. We’ll definitely go back here.

We then went to fort santiago. We ride a e-trike going there since it’s a bit far from La Cathedral. You need an entrance fee to enter, we both got a discount since we’re both students. (Student privilege)

This was across the river. Took a few pics too since it was a historical place.

Picture taken by my boyfriend

As much as we both want to explore the place more, my feet can’t handle the pain due to my shoes so we took a rest beside Pasig River. When we both got to rest, we decided to visit the dungeon before heading out.

I don’t have any photos in me but we both did and it was a kinda eerie experience since it was a place where dead bodies were put on.

We’re not yet going home but my feet were killing me so we decided to ride a Kalesa. It was fun and we got to have a conversation with the kutsero (kalesa driver). He toured us around intramuros and said lot of historical events in every place that we went. But we didn’t got to finish it because we requested to drop off near SM Manila. We thanked the kutsero and had a picture with his horse.

This was where he dropped us off and asked if we can take a picture with his horse. He also shared why horses need to cover their eyes. (It was because horses get scared when buses and cars pass by them, so it’s a protection for both of the people riding and the horse.)

We bid goodbyes to the kutsero and went to SM Manila. We just bought some stuffs there to bring home. It was already night time when we got out and traveled back home.

I still have a lot of experiences I didn’t got to share but this was the most of the things I can remember. I was so happy I went there with my boyfriend and I promise myself that we will come back someday to make more memories and to not use sandals or heels that can make my feet suffer throughout the day.

#travel #memories