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firstchurchmesa · 7 months
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"A Point of View" Tracy and Scott Thompson Sunday, October 15th 2023
Tracy and Scott Thompson preaches "A Point of View" based on Philippians 4: 1-9 during 9 am Worship on Sunday October 15th, 2023. 
 Want to support the ministry at First United Methodist Church of Mesa? 
Donate at https://app.sharefaith.com/app/giving/firs6957441
 Watch the full Worship Service at Livestream.com/FirstChurchMesa
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rolloroberson · 9 months
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reportwire · 2 years
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Mesa Jazz and Blues Theater Scheduled to Open This Fall
Mesa Jazz and Blues Theater Scheduled to Open This Fall
East Valley concertgoers and music fans will be getting more blues and jazz in the coming months, thanks to a new venue set to debut this fall. Mesa Jazz and Blues Theater, a local nonprofit organization “created for the education and preservation of America’s music,” will begin putting on concerts by local and touring artists in October. Shows will take place at Connect Church, a 350-person…
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heavenlybackside · 1 month
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The Stations of the Cross Shrine in San Luis, Colorado depicts the events of the Crucifixion of Jesus.
You wind your way up a mesa lined with the sculptures and at the top is a beautiful church. Looking out from the top of the mesa you see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west.
What a powerful experience this was and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't been there.
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elenavr13 · 9 months
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Darkiplier/Damien Playlist (Updated)
172 songs
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Evermore- Dan Stevens
Everybody Wants To Tule the World- Lorde
Control- Halsey
Gasoline- Halsey
Dynasty- MIIA
Judas- Lady Gaga
Take Me To Church- Hozier
Castle- Halsey
Sing To Me- MISSIO
Kamikazee- MISSIO
Panic Room- Au/Ra
Isolate- Sub Urban
Elastic Heart (Rock Cover)- Written by Wolves
Crossfire- Stephen
Dead!- My Chemical Romance
Stressed Out- Twenty One Pilots
Look What You Made Me Do- Taylor Swift
Smooth Criminal- Michael Jackson
The Voice of Darkiplier- Markiplier
I’ll Be Good- Jaymes Young
I Wanna Be Yours- Arctic Monkeys
Do I Wanna Know- Arctic Monkeys
In His Eyes- Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Can You Feel My Heart- Bring Me to the Horizon
Feeling Good- Michael Buble
Can You Feel My Heart x Favorite Dress (slowed)- Miro remix
My Demons- Starset
Achilles Come Down- Gang of Youth
Monster- Skillet
What’s the Use of Feeling Blue- Caleb Hyles
Where I Want to Be- Chess in Concert
Can’t Help Falling In Love- Ice Nine Kills
The American Nightmare- Ice Nine Kills
A Grave Mistake- Ice Nine Kills
Left Behind- DAGames
Farewell II Flesh- Ice Nine Kills
Below the Surface- Griffinilla
The Wrecked and the Worried- NateWantsToBattle
You Can’t Take Me Anywhere- NateWantsToBattle
Goner- Twenty One Pilots
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid- The Offspring
Fake You Out- Twenty One Pilots
Miss You- Corpse
Epoch- The Living Tombstone
In the End- Linkin Park
Me, Myself & Hyde- Ice Nine Kills
The World In My Hands- Ice Nine Kills
Popular Monster- Falling In Reverse
Monster- Imagine Dragons
What I Could Have Been- Sting
Hushh- AViVA
Phantom of the Opera
Darkside- NEONI
Broken- DNMO & Sub Urban
Killer In the Mirror- Set It Off
Doubt- Twenty One Pilots
I’m Not Okay- My Chemical Romance
Friends on the Other Side- Princess and the Frog
Poison- WE ARE THE FURY
Apologize- One Republic
My Lullaby (metal cover)- Jonathan Young
I See Red (slowed)- Everybody Loves an Outlaw
Tear In My Heart- Twenty One Pilots
I Hate Everything About You- Three Days Grace
F.L.Y- Ice Nine Kills
Migraine- Twenty One Pilots
Car Radio- Twenty One Pilots
Demons- MISSIO
Snakes- PVRIS & MIYAVI
Villain- KDA
Royalty- Egzod & Maestro Chives ft. Neoni
The Red Means I Love You- Madds Buckley
Loser- Neoni
Not Ready To Die- Avenged Sevenfold
I Want You- Mitski
Poltergeist- Corpse
Life Waster- Corpse
All Of Me (slowed)- John Legend
Young And Beautiful- Lana Del Rey
Dark Paradise (slowed)- Lana Del Rey
How Villains Are Made- Madalen Duke
Love and War- Fluerie
Dark Things- Adona
Wicked Game- Ursine Vulpine
Neptune- Sleeping At Last
Enemy- Tommee Profitt
Far From Home (The Raven)- Sam Tinnesz
City Of The Dead- Eurielle
Throne- Saint Mesa
Paint it, Black- Ciara cover
Man Or A Monster- Sam Tinnesz
Dark On Me- Starset
Hell’s Comin’ With Me- Poor Mans Poison
Wires- The Neighbourhood
Liquid Smooth- Mitski
Little Dark Age- MGMT
Devil In Disguise- Elvis (LLusion)
Toxic- 2WEI
Dark Room- Foreign Figures & EJ Michels
Heathens- Twenty One Pilots
Dance With The Devil- Breaking Benjamin
Black Out Days- Phantogram
Somewhere Only We Know- Keane
Monsters- Ruelle
Whispers In The Dark- Skillet
Salvaged- NateWantsToBattle
Saint Bernard- Lincoln
F*ck You- Silent Child
I Know Those Eyes/This Man Is Dead- Thomas Borchert, Brandi Burkhardt
Broken Inside- Broken Iris
Sweet Dreams- Besomorph
EVIL- AViVA
Saints- Echos
Screaming Bloody Murder- Sum 41
Dandelions (slowed)- Ruth B
Master Mirror- Ashley Serena
Everyday A Little Death- The Count of Monte Cristo
FREAK- Jordan Friction
Broken (slowed)- lovelytheband
Michelle- Sir Chloe
Like A Villain- BAD OMENS
If It’s Vengeance You Want- Unlike Pluto
Monster- Fight The Fade
Listen Before I Go- Billie Eilish
Mary On a Cross (slowed)- Ghost
R.I.F.P.- MOTHICA
Nervous- Lola Blanc
Unravel- Johnathan Young
Lost In Paradise- Evanescence
Lies- Evanescence
Haunted- Laura Les
Dread- Unlike Pluto
Monsters- Shinedown
Black Soul- Shinedown
Sorrow- Sleeping At Last
Seeing Red- Saint Chaos
Villain- Bella Poarch
Lithium- Nirvana
Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
Down With The Sickness- Disturbed
Animal I Have Become- Three Day Grace
Greed- Godsmack
One of Us is the Killer- The Dillinger Escape Plan
All The King’s Horses- Karmina
Gilded Lily- Cults
Haunted & Unwanted- NateWantsToBattle
Symbol of My Regret- NateWantsToBattle
In My Head- NateWantsToBattle
Vendetta- Unsecret & Krigare
Nothing To Me- NateWantsToBattle
Chasing Cars- Sleeping At Last
Villain- MISSIO
Used to the Darkness- Des Rocs
Unforgiven- Ghost Nation
Monster- Starset
Eight- Sleeping At Last
Already Gone- Sleeping At Last
Devilish- The Phantoms
Motherland- Reach
Falling Away From Me- Korn
Just a Man- Jorge Rivera-Herrans & EPIC Ensemble
Something Wicked- Starset
Darkness in Me- Fight The Fade
I Would Die for You- In This Moment
Eye For An Eye- Rina Sawayama
Psycho in my Head- Skillet
Done With Everything- Line So Thin
Monster- Besomorph
Twisted Games- Night Panda, Krigarè
Killer Inside of Me- Willyecho
King For A Day- Pierce The Veil ft. Kellin Quinn
someone i’m not- Layto
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myemuisemo · 3 months
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"On the Great Alkali Plain" part 2, from Letters from Watson, arrived in my inbox this morning, bringing with it a predictable cloud of dust from approaching horses (since this isn't a George R.R. Martin novel, so we're not going to introduce characters just to kill them off immediately).
But what a caravan! When the head of it had reached the base of the mountains, the rear was not yet visible on the horizon. Right across the enormous plain stretched the straggling array, waggons and carts, men on horseback, and men on foot. Innumerable women who staggered along under burdens, and children who toddled beside the waggons or peeped out from under the white coverings.
Either we're running late on the Oregon Trail (since Doyle did not have social media to live-blog progress across the dusty waste) or the year 1847 is important, and these are Mormons.
“Shall I go forward and see, Brother Stangerson,” asked one of the band.
These have got to be Mormons.
“Nigh upon ten thousand,” said one of the young men; “we are the persecuted children of God—the chosen of the Angel Merona.”
Tell me you're a Mormon without telling me you're a Mormon.
“We are the Mormons,” answered his companions with one voice.
OMG, they're Mormons.
This makes the geographic names a little dicey -- the Mormon Trail ran through Wyoming, similar but not identical to today's I-80, so the Rio Grande River should be nowhere nearby -- but Doyle didn't have access to Google Maps, and it's not like his readers in the UK would go factcheck. Even with the Transcontinental Railroad completed back in 1869, most places in the Great American Desert were still remote in the 1880s, and California on the far end was still feeling the effects of isolation. Doyle also misspells the Angel Moroni and uses a masculine-ending name on a Sierra, so he's working from popular myth and the memory of things he's read. I wonder how many letters with corrections he received.
(At the time Doyle was writing, "Mormon" was the term used by the group themselves. Since about the 1980s, church leadership started urging the use of "Latter-Day Saints" instead. When I lived in Phoenix, that's near a big LDS population in Mesa, so I wince at using the older term. From here on out, if I'm quoting Doyle, I'll use "Mormon," but if I'm talking, I'll stick to LDS.)
The big reason the LDS wagon train is headed west is because they practiced polygamy at the time, and this was considered both illegal and immoral in larger U.S. society. (That's not a critique of polyamory today, when enthusiastic concept and clear rules are normalized.)
So far Doyle's account of the LDS party is generally positive -- they're organized, efficient, knowledgeable about their surroundings, prepared for danger, and responsible toward people needing rescue, if a bit holier-than-thou -- but I can't believe he's going to handle polygamy with anything other than distaste.
Polygamy is the thing LDS have been known for (to their chagrin after the mainstream LDS church banned it), so at the end of this section, Doyle's original audience is split into two groups:
Readers who have no real idea what a "Mormon" is and accept it as just one more crazy American thing, who now figure Lucy is rescued and wonder what goes wrong later to lead to murder; and
Readers who know about polygamy and are feeling dread for Lucy.
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nerdygaymormon · 8 months
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Gather Conference - Day 2
On Sept 15 & 16, 1400 people gathered together, making it the largest-ever Conference of LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints and their friends, relatives, and leaders.
The speaker's messages were powerful
The day began with GENTRI The Gentleman's Trio performing. They concluded by having their pianist share his story of coming out and being upset at God, and receiving a message from God which became their song Believe.
Most people first heard of Liv Medoza Haynes when at the 2021 BYU Women's Conference she introduced herself and included the label "queer."
In a church that emphasizes being of good cheer, she points out that Jesus wept and cried, he got angry, and it's fine that we also feel our emotions.
She was wearing a shirt that said, "Keep queer children safe," and she said in choosing what we wear and in our other decisions, choosing to promote love and not hate is the only choice worth making. She also said the only thing straight about her is her hair 😂
Her most powerful statement is that "no verse of scripture is worth losing another life over"
Michael Soto is a transgender man who grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mesa, Arizona and is a leader in the U.S. LGBTQ+ rights movement. He spoke about Bridge Building. Choose to be uncomfortable, to learn, to grow, to change. God gave us agency so that we can change and be better to each other. The most important change you can make is to love yourself the way God loves you.
Ben Schilaty is well known inside the LDS Church as a gay man who is active and chooses to follow church standards. He said sharing our stories is letting people see and feel our wounds as Jesus did. When they can feel our hurts, they can share in feeling the pain and empathize with what we've been through. Ben is co-host of the podcast Questions from the Closet and their episodes which receive the most interaction are those where someone has been very vulnerable as they emotionally shared the difficult choices they had to make and the situations they were forced into as a queer person.
Ben Schilaty shared this poem by Carol Lynn Pearson that really hit home for me
I dim I dim I do not doubt If someone blew– I would go out.
I did not. I must be brighter than I thought
After 50 years of experiencing gender incongruence, Bree Borrowman came out as trans in 2019. Bree shared that the hiding, sneaking, and shame led to a loss of Spirit. Being authentic, being vulnerable, leaning into the LGBTQ spectrum brought the Spirit back into her life.
Coming out as trans has brought her great blessings. She feared she would lose everything, but God and Jesus turned out not to be the vindictive judges she thought they were. She was able to lay down her burden and has discovered and learned about herself.
Ashley Hess was a finalist on the 2019 season of American Idol. She performed 4 songs for us, each were beautiful, and each were meaningful. "To the Girl I used to Be" and "Grain of Salt" were wonderful, but my favorite was "Yet." I don't hear many songs from this perspective of ‘I'm trying, so God please don't give up on me.’
Charlie Bird shared with us that he is now married!!!! Big congratulations to him and Ryan. Charlie gave a powerful talk.
Satan's big lie is that an integral part of who we are and which we can't separate ourselves from is incompatible with God. We feel like we are only half a child of God, that we are only half worthy. These beliefs damn us and marginalize an entire demographic.
We do not have to choose between being a child of God and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. We are both.
Allison Dayton is the founder of Lift+Love and along with Ben Schilaty she conceived of the Gather Conference.
She shared a number of scripture verses about God's people in the wilderness and said we find God in the wilderness. Queer people and their families often feel like they are in the wilderness and that's where they find God.
Allison also shared that we are not supposed to be just friends, Zion means we are to be one. We are to be united, not dividing up people by who is good enough and who isn't.
We were never meant to be alone. Ever! The very first thing God called "not good" was loneliness. We can start Zion in our own homes by pulling people in who need a place to belong and welcome them
Jenny Richards & Kelly McConkie Stewart are musicians, members of the LDS church, and committed allies to the LBGTQ community.. They played the piano and cello. Their music was beautiful. At the conclusion of the conference, one of them said they wanted to buy some LDS/LGBT swag from the vendors in the lobby. I offered them some swag that isn't for sale out front. Jenny took the pin and said she is going to wear it to church the next day. Kelly took a sticker while commenting she will put it on her cello case
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Jeff Case says we shouldn't focus on outcomes but on the process. For example, we can focus on the outcome of exaltation, or we can focus on the process of becoming Christlike. The process is what will lead to the the outcome we desire.
There are many processes which can lead to the outcome, but when we focus on the outcome we tend to shortcut the process. He spoke of being the father of a son who likes to play Yu-Gi-Oh! and he would tease him, like 'Aren't you too old to still play that game?' He was focused on what he wanted his son's life to look like when he grows up that he lost focus on the process. This is something his son loves so he could choose to participate as a way of spending time with his son and strengthening their relationship. Instead, by focusing on the outcome, he is indicating to his son that he may need to hide things from his dad, which, ironically, would not lead to the outcome that Jeff would want.
Tom Christofferson interviewed Darius Gray, and it felt like we were in the presence of one of the great ones as Darius shared his experience of choosing to join the LDS Church, being one of only 2 African-American students at BYU, meeting regularly with 3 apostles about how to improve life for Black members of the church, and living through the 1978 announcement and change. I nodded in agreement when Darius declared he's heard more Jesus talk at this conference than he hears in a typical LDS Sacrament Meeting.
John Gustav-Wrathel is married to his husband and chooses to attend church despite having been excommunicated many years ago. He said that when he looks back on his life, even as he was one of the most faithful people he knew, he was convinced he had no faith because he was taught that if he had enough faith that his sexual orientation would be changed. He believed the teachings of the time instead of listening to God and the Spirit and trusting his own experiences.
Steven Kapp Perry was host throughout the conference and took a moment to share a thought. You can never know that you are truly loved unless you share who you truly are.
Meghan Decker is a gay Latter-day Saint and has written 2 books. She began by sharing that life is hard and can be dark. She encourages us to share with each other what is saving our life now.
She grew up in the 1970's hearing all the harmful church teachings about queer people and it has left scars in her. She now knows that God loves her and has good intent for her.
When Meghan moved to Provo, UT, the first person in her ward to greet her was Janice Kapp Perry. Janice composed a song for the Gather Conference. She recognized the LGBTQ experience is not hers and needed help to get the lyrics right. She contacted Meghan and Meghan's words were used to create the verses of the song.
While reviewing what Meghan had written, Janice commented that the word "broken" is so strong and they should find an alternate word, but Meghan insisted that's how she and many other queer Latter-day Saints have felt. Meghan pointed out that during this day of the conference 8 of those who spoke used the word "broken" to describe how they felt.
Janice then asked, "Do you think my two boys felt that way?"
That question really hit my heart, a mom gaining insight into the pain of her queer children.
Janice wrote a song titled "All Are Alike Unto God." It was performed on the first day of the conference by Molly Flake and John Bowers. I wished I had recorded it as the words mean a lot to me. The final act of the conference before the closing prayer was for all those in attendance to sing the song. Janice has made the song available for free, you can access the sheet music on the Gather Conference website
Click here for a summary of Day 1 of the Gather Conference
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Memorable moments, lines, and my observations from season 4:
Smoke
-Howard saying “Jimmy, don’t” while standing in front of the coroner van right before it drove off made me gasp
-Jimmy’s reply to Howard bearing his soul about causing Chuck’s suicide sent a chill down my spine
Breathe
-Lmao at Jimmy fawning shock over the printer being so good it could counterfeit money. Bob played that so well.
-Kim goes OFF on Howard, like DAMN. I would watch this woman scream the phone book
-Kim kissing Jimmy on the couch 🥹
Something Beautiful
-Me when Jimmy opened the door for the twins at the Vet’s 😳
-I feel confident the Vet saying “can you not hit every damn pothole, please!?” was a Joe DeRosa ad lib
-The printer shop guy sleeping in his office specifies he wants his pizza sliced- in my head cannon that’s a Breaking Bad call back to the pizza place that doesn’t slice their pie
-HEY GALE!!!
Talk
-The cell phone store aesthetic is spot on. My dad had a few Nextel/Sprint stores in the early 00’s and like Jimmy I had to make my own fun while hanging out there for hours on end
-The twins raiding the compound was v Breaking Bad-esq
-Just realized the advice Mike gives Jimmy after Bag Man about realizing you can forget came from Stacy talking about Matty in group!
Quite a Ride
-We get our first flashback to the Breaking Bad timeline!
-Jimmy’s hair is SO fucking cute in phone selling montage
-I did not enjoy seeing Howard so broken in the courthouse bathroom
Piñata
-Fuck you, Jimmy
Something Stupid
-The “Need to call? Buy from Saul!” business card we see in the opening montage is just the next step in his catchphrase evolution. I wholeheartedly appreciate the attention and care that went into showing us exactly how Jimmy got to Breaking Bad Saul
-I love that you don’t know who Jimmy is giving the office tour to and it’s Huel lol
-You’ve been selling drop phones? On the street?
-KIM’S FACE when Suzanne Erickson refers to Jimmy as a scumbag disbarred lawyer
Coushatta
-SO many silly one liners:
-I’ll leave the bottle
-Are you prosecuting Santa Clause!?
-Clarence is going at the organ, I’m gonna step into the vestibule
-I will be with you PRESENTLY!!!
-The fake donations on the church website is some tasteful foreshadowing/calling back to Saul laundering Walt’s money through fake online donations
-The staircase kiss!!
-I love the painting in the boardroom at Mesa Verde. It’s called The Blue Rigi: Lake of Lucerne Sunrise
-PACA PACA PACA it’s LALO!!!
-Overall this episode is a 10/10. It’s silly and entertaining but also feels so pivotal on a rewatch because it sets the stage for everything else that will happen. The entire show can kinda be divided into pre and post Coushatta
Wiedersehen
-Slow down, I’m wearin flip flops!
-I didn’t know I needed an origin story for that fucking bell until I got it
-The! … suspense… ! They really make you think Werner is gonna explode and then he does but not how you expected
-Jimmy driving like a bat out of hell through the S&C parking garage is a vibe
-The way Jimmy’s voice quivers when he says to Kim “you look at me and you see Slippin Jimmy” 😭I just want to comfort him
Winner
-ICONIC karaoke scene
-Mike’s gum trick was so slick. What can I say the man knows parking
-Two details about Kristy Esposito reinforce Jimmy seeing himself in her: Howard’s question to her was about working with elders and she’s the only candidate wearing a fun funky shirt
-Michael, is that you? 😏
-I’ll do everything in my power to be worthy of the name McGill… changes his name 5 minutes later
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mask131 · 8 months
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Magic the Gathering: Innistrad (Innistrad block)
My favorite Land cards
The plane of Innistrad is divided in four great regions, called the "Provinces".
The first province, Gavony, is the "safest" area for humans in Innistra, and thus the province with the highest number of humans. Gavony is home to Thraben, the High City. Ah, Thraben! The largest city of the continent. The center of the Church of Avacyn. A fortress built to resist all supernatural attacks. It is here that Avacyn the Archangel once resided, wthin Thraben's Great Cathedral, and the city is located on the mesa of a lake known as the "Lake of the Herons" (in Innistrad, herons are believed to the the birds of the moon, and by extension symbolize goodness and Avacyn's power). At the northern edge of Gavony, Thraben is a city of cleanliness and order, inhabited mostly by clerics, merchants and artisans. Everything is neatly divided and organized within the city, usually in ways reflecting the social order. Take the Great Cathedral. During worship, it divides itself in three parts: the Chapel of Noble Peers (opulent, gilded chapel for high-level clergymen and nobility) ; Midvast Hall (larger and less opulent hall, for ordained people and the lesser clergy) ; Common Cloisters (covered corridors alongside Midvast Hall, where commoners stand during worship). The divisions extends to the numerous walls that surround Thraben - some old, some recent, some well-kept, some in ruins, some great, some small, they form a complex interwoven puzzle. There are five main walls: the Outer Wall (main defense of the city, thick and high wall that has been several time expanded to avoid the overcrowding of the city) ; the Merchant's Wall (a series of halls that acts as the market square and commerce-center in the city) ; the Bloodless Wall (a prison for vampires, where they are chained to the wall and left to starve to death) ; the Fang Wall (an execution ground for werewolves, their fangs are embedded between the stones of the wall) ; and the Child's Wall (Thraben's oldest wall, surrounding the Old Cathedral, with the name of every child born in Innistrad engraved on it - it is a pilgrimage site for new parents, who believe having their child's name on the wall expands their life).
From Thraben, all sorts of "smaller towns radiate outward", throughout Gavony's rocky moors, and rolling hills and heaths, dotted with "small copses of trees". Safety is the main concern and currency in Gavony: the rich, wealthy and powerful live comfortably within fortified manors, while the poor spend all of their money on talismans, magic wards and blessings of the Church (because the Church does ask for a bit of money in exchange of their heavenly power). And while there is a growing resentment towards the Church's greed and self-centeredness (the higher ups of the Church, with sheltered and comfortable lives, tend to not understand the harshness of the rest of the continent), there is still a very strong sense of community within humanity in the province, and the Church stays the basis of human society. As the Guide to Gavony explains: the basic social unit of Gavony is a parish, organized around a local chapel, and they can be as tight as clans. In Innistrad, the Church is the State and the State is the Church: judges and lawyers are ordained by the Church, and in return the Church keeps confirming and supporting the rule of the law. All education across Innistrad is the domain of the Church. Merchants and artisans are the only jobs that are technically free and independant from the Church, but even them have to respect the Church, because their guilds and organizations (called "fellowships" have to be sanctioned by the Church.
Unfortunately, having a high population of humans also means Gavony has the largest numbers of cemeteries across Innistrad - which also means more undeads and more geists than elsewhere on the continent.
The second province is Kessig, the "vast, wooded hinterland" of Innistrad. It is said that autumn is perpetual within these deep woods, for the green constantly mixes itself with golds and muted reds ; and at night, under the moonlight, everything become "stark and steel-like". Humans carved themselves farming villages and rolling farmlands within the dense, dark woods ; and if they are not farmers, they will be hunters and trappers. But everybody knows that it is a suicidal act than to venture in the woods at night: Ulvenwald, the misty woods, are haunted by both ghosts and werewolves. Ulvenald is almost "supernaturally dense" - no normal wood can have so much aspen, birch and maple trees growing in such a dark, sinuous and compact ensemble. Travellers of the forest at best will be haunted or attacked by spirits and beasts - at worst, they will mysteriously disappear in the mist.
The humans who live in Kessig have a life strongly focused on work. You need to work to survive: Kessigers learned to be self-reliant, pragmatic and plainspoken. They are farmers, millers, weavers and stonemasons: they don't purchase their tools, they do it themselves ; they do not learn mathematics or history, they learn the harvest cycles and the edible weeds. They are hard-headed and unpretentious - and are part of Avacyn's religion in their own way. They do not trust the cathars (holy warriors) of the big cities ; they do not like the Gavony ghost-hunters who are too pritine and shiny ; they do not understand the decrees of the aristocrats of the High City of Thraben... But they believe in Avacyn with all their heart, and their motto is: "The worked earth below us, the hand-hewn stone walls around us, and the angel above us". This is their world. Given superstition and fear rules in Kessig, it is polite when you meet someone for the first time to show that you wear an item made of silver (unfortunately there is a lot of "counterfeit" silver going around, especially sold at Nephalia). Wreaths of living wood are a common gift, and are placed on the door of homes where a child was just born. Before going onto a journey, people either fast up to a whole day, or eat sour root soup : it is believed it makes humans less appealing for werewolves and hungry beasts. To be fat and well-fed in Kessig is to become an easy prey. A local tradition in Kessig is the "Sleep Revel". On the anniversary of a person's death, they are celebrated - or rather, one successful year stayed in the ground is celebrated. The "undisturbed sleep of one's ancestors is seen as almost a greater blessing than the continuing birthdays of one's living relatives".
The werewolves are the main dangers in Kessig, because they haunt the woods in packs or as lone wolves. It is known that the "howlpacks" as they are called wane and waxe with the moon, and that many werewolves live secretly among Kessigers (causing a lot of suspicion and speculation among Kessig's human communities). Add to that the fact nobody agrees on how to detect, hunt or cure werewolves - let's just say persecution and prejudice can run rampant around. Kessig is also a land plagued by geists - but not "regular" geists like other provinces, oh no! These are green-aligned geists, that is to say not ghosts of the living, but wild spirits of nature opposing the civilized life. Mischievous poltergeists, blood mists that devour the living, surreal fires that burn of a cold flame, beautiful nature spirits of vine and thorn, feral possessed beasts... Due to the omnipresence of werewolves and nature spirits, most of the other supernatural threats are banished, but it doesn't mean they are not absent... For example, at the foot of tall stone hills, a smoking and boiling fissure called the "Devil's Breach" is known to cause minor and sporadic demonic activity.
Trivia: Due to not having much around, Kessigers consider zombies as symbols of the "evils of the big city", and in their mind they associate and equate "necromantic alchemy" with all the other vices of "big cities": murderous conspiracies, black market, religious heresy, and prostitution.
I will place the two other provinces under the cut:
The third province is Stensia, which is fully and completely under the control of vampires. Stensia is known as the "darkest" part of Innistrad, figuratively and literaly. The sun never manages to fully shines beyond Stensia's perpetual cover of oddly-colored clouds - only the light of the moon can truly appear. It is a very mountainous area dominated by the "Geier Reach", a mountain chain of impossibly high peaks of indigo and black rocks. The forests there are of evergreen, forested midlands of black pine "riddled with whisps of thick fog". The mountains split the region into two distinctive valleys with a dusky pastoral charm, and two distinctive bogs, where old graves and dead conifers slowly sink. The mountains also separate the wary human villages inhabited by fearful, if not paranoid humans, who stay however loyal to their land and passionate about their lifestyle ; from the vampire manors and the blood-thirsty rulers of the region. Right in the middle of the mountains, you can find Ashmouth, a deep chasm glowing with magma at the bottom - and a literal gateway to Hell...
Stensia is divided between "human culture" and "vampire culture". The human villages are prepared for vampire attacks: they are all circled by moats (that vampires cannot cross when the moon is out), and they have nearby hawthorn tree groves to keep access to "living wood". Large cottages and rich people place mirrors on their frontdoors, and build their house near a hawhthorn tree, that the eldest child of the family must care for. Due to the rocky soil and dim light of the region, Stensia humans are not farmers, but relies on sheep for their woll, milk, leather and meat - Stensian wool is said to be the finest of all Innistrad, and thanks to the vampires' presence, werewolves do not haunt the area. Generations of seeing their children and neighbors die, and of living near the vampire threat, made humans stoic, non-expressive and non-demonstrative. They are proud and fervent, but will seem rude, violent and cold to outsiders.
Vampires meanwhile, are self-centered narcissists who believe themselves the guardians and "shepherds" of humanity, and that the sacrifice of their humanity is somehow something humans should "honor". Vampires are basically the most decadent nobility you will ever find, living in days of feasts, balls and parties, keeping all sorts of grudges and organizing betrayals just to amuse themselves, demanding the finest and most luxurious items for themselves. Olivia Voldaren, a prominent vampire of the area (I posted her card in the Multicolor section), invented a disturbing three-days feast called "The Court of the Vampire King/Queen". The principle is simple: kidnap a human being, bring him to the greatest gathering of vampires of Stensia, and name them "King of the Vampires" or "Queen of the Vampires". This is a vampire's Carnival or Feast of Fools: the mock-queen is served the best foods and drinks, entertained by all sorts of shows, and the vampires around must obey the human's every command (except those of making the ruler "abdicate"). At the end of the three days of party, the human is killed and their blood shared among all the revelers.
The last province is Nephalia, the coastal side of Innistrad. Nephalia is the watery region of the continent - nearly treeless, it faces the foggy and dark sea of Innistrad, and all the rivers of the inland end up here, creating all srots of deltas, marshes and bogs. The beach is made of a silvery sand, the towns are all here small or medium-sized ports, and the region is filled by a system of tunnels, underground pathways and sea-caves known as the Erdwal or "The Ditch". It was originally a set of trenches between the three main towns to resist zombie and werewolf attacks. Then it became a "network of defensible walkways" to transport the goods and ensure the trades in a region filled with hungry zombies, angry geists and demons. Merchants turned this system into the true "artery of trade", and then a "bustling underground economy" appeared within it, "in all manner of grey and black market goods". On the Erdwall you can buy assassins, human blood, curses, necromancy spells... It is a "trench marketplace of colorful rogues, seedy merchants, filfthy sailors and gaunt stangers, all doing business in dark alleyways and roughly hewn tunnels branching off the main trench". Alchemists, skaberen and ghoulcallers have a notably active presence there - selling human blood, buying pieces of corpses for their flesh golems, dealing with transmutation of base metals into pure silver... Sometimes a "defective" creation of a skaberen can get loose and slaughter all those in the tunnels. Nephalia managed to create a cold "understanding" and an uneasy "truce" with the Church of Avacyn - as long as those dark dealings happen below the ground, the Church won't do anything. This is why it is commonly said that "sloughs, sea mists and mysteries cloak Nephalia's commerce and crimes".
Nephalia is notorious for being the most "mixed" province in terms of population. Human, geists and vampires alike haunt the region, seeking business, secrets, or solitude. It is money and commerce that unites them. Nephalia needs the Church of Avacyn to maintain a general order ; but they also buy or sell human beings to vampires as "food". Skaberen and ghoulcallers profit of the illegal "corpse market" of the region, and can find little secretive places where they carry on their experiences - as long as they stay discreet and hidden. The "metzalar", the merchants of Nephalia are truly the glue that maintains the region cohesive, keeping each party separated from each other, and yet linking them all in a web of exchanged goods and money flow.
There are many more info about Nephalia on Magic's official Guide to Innistrad, but a last trivia: the region suffers from the "Breath of the Sleepless", a phenomenon where the spirits and geists come and go with the tide. Given the tide is related to the moon, its ebbs and flows have something mystical that attracts or repels ghosts. While there are many geists in Nephalia, the most common types are "niblis" (frost phantoms) and "marei" (the ghosts of drowned sailors).
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doodleshrimps · 1 year
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How would lady justice interact with tumble town?
(SORRY FOR THE LATE ANSWER) Lady Justice appears at first when the town needs a Sheriff and she sends the hat to the one she chose The Sheriff comunicates with the Goddess by either praying or in prophetic dreams.
She can appear physically only in holy places of her religion (such as temples,,sacred lands, churches, any place to worship her) ,otherwise she would send a messanger/sign of her intervention (like the presence of specific animals)
Another way she communicates with her believers, during the night, a star can be seen only in the mesa where her followers live, if the star shines brightly even during cloudy nights, it means that fortune will come, otherwise if the star doesn't shines even during a clear sky, misfortune will soon be near
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firstchurchmesa · 7 months
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"Press On" Pastor Jeff Lust, October 8th 2023
Pastor Jeff Lust preaches "Press On" based on Philippians 3: 4b-13 during 9 am Worship on Sunday October 8th, 2023. 
 Want to support the ministry at First United Methodist Church of Mesa? 
Donate at https://app.sharefaith.com/app/giving/firs6957441 
 Watch the full Worship Service at Livestream.com/FirstChurchMesa
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boltupbitches · 7 months
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Sliding in the DMs Part XIV
18+ content ahead
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“We are so fucked when we get home,” Arty mumbled into Joey’s shoulder.
It was quiet sans for the sounds of the waves hitting the beach. The two of them were laid out next to the pool of their tiny rental, basking in the evening warmth after another round of lovemaking. Thankfully, the villa Joey rented was pretty secluded and obviously cost a fortune to rent. He didn’t care about the amount of money spent on this trip. He knew his accountant for sure would be calling him as soon as he checked his account and saw the exuberant charges. 
“Artemis.. we’ll deal with it then. I honestly don’t care what others think right now.” He grumbled, reaching his arm out to pull her closer to him. “I love you.”
They lay quietly once more, mulling over the last 24 hours and their life-changing decision. 
It was so surreal to Arty that she was no longer Artemis Thermopoli, but Artemis Bosa. 
She gazed at the glint of her wedding band on her finger as it shined beneath her engagement ring.
A year ago, she would have never imagined being engaged and married before 30 years old. 21-year-old Arty would have cackled madly at that very thought. Yet, here she was, just shy of her 28th birthday, married to the love of her life.
Joey brought so much joy and happiness to her life - she couldn’t imagine life without him. As someone who hadn’t been active in her faith in years, she actually visited a small church on the island earlier in the morning and said a prayer, silently pleading for their relationship to always remain this strong.
She didn’t want to be like her parents, in a loveless marriage. She also knew Joey didn’t want to replicate his own parents' doomed marriage that led to divorce.
As she lay there with him, warm and safe in his arms, she truly believed at that moment that they wouldn’t follow the same path as their loved ones.
They communicated regularly and respected each other a great deal. Even in his sometimes brash and awkward delivery, Joey was loving and affectionate to her. He wasn’t afraid of being silly with her or sharing hobbies. For him, Arty brought the extroversion into his life. She was funny, lively, friendly, and the life of the party. Yet, in all of her moments of loud and fun, she was intuitive. She knew when Joey was upset or going through something. She knew when to prod or when to wait for him to share. He had never felt that kind of love and support before. They just meshed well together. He shared his fears with her and she with him. 
While they both had opinions of what their wedding was going to be, Joey’s impromptu suggestion of a marriage at the magistrate somehow won out anything else.
In their rush of euphoric joy and worry of losing their nerve, they did exactly that. Joey’s long-time neighbor, an elderly woman who was super sweet and kind to him all the years he lived in Costa Mesa, agreed in shock and delight to not only watch Cassiopeia for them but also to be their witness at the courthouse. California only needed one witness for it to happen. 
Arty smiled softly as she recalled the events.
—-
The officiant fumbled slightly with the officiant book in his hands. He was an older gentleman who had clearly done this hundreds of times given how quickly he had Arty and Joey fill out the necessary paperwork in a more private setting with the help of the court clerk.
Arty had on a dark blue dress that ended just slightly above her knees and was complimented by the lovely strappy heels she was wearing. She wore minimal jewelry, except for the engagement ring and her favorite earrings. She looked beautiful as she smiled nervously at an equally nervous Joey.
He smiled back, fiddling slightly with the cuff of his sleeve. He was wearing a black suit outfit, similar to the one he wore at the NFL Honors when Nick won DPOY. 
Arty had teased him about it being one of his best looks. He couldn’t NOT recreate it just for her. 
Melissa, his kind neighbor from Costa Mesa, smiled proudly at the two loved birds. She didn’t know the full circumstances for why the two of them went about it this way, but she knew that in the end, it didn’t matter. Joey was obviously in love deeply with his fiance and vice versa. She had only met Arty a handful of times, but she could see how much the younger woman cared for him.
The service began as the officiant cleared his throat before nodding to the two.
“Welcome. We are gathered here today to join Artemis Renee Thermopoli and Joseph Anthony Bosa in holy matrimony.” He looks up to Joey before continuing on, “Do you Joseph, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” Joey said with a smile as he stared into Arty’s tearful eyes.
She smiled back sweetly, reaching up to wipe her eye slightly as she gripped the bouquet in her hands.
“Do you Artemis, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” Arty declared confidently.
“Joseph and Artemis have chosen rings to exchange with each other as a symbol of their unending love. As you place this ring on Aretmis’s finger, please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.” The officiant instructed Joey.
Joey pulled the wedding band from his pocket and gently grabbed Arty’s left hand. “Artemis,” he breathed shakily. “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.” He slid the ring on gently before lifting it to press a kiss to it.
Arty’s choked up slightly in tears at the gesture and grinned happily back at him.
Joey dropped her hand gently and stepped back slightly to allow the officiant to continue.
“Now, Artemis, as you place this ring on Joseph’s finger, please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.”
Melissa, who was holding Arty’s bag and the box with the ring set, handed Joey’s wedding band to her.
Arty nodded in thanks, exchanging the bouquet for it and then lifted Joey’s left hand to align the ring with his ring finger. “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.” She followed suit in lifting his hand to press a kiss against the ring on his finger.
Joey grinned back at her, his eyes teary-eyed as he made eye contact with her stunning green eyes. ‘God, I love her so much.’ He thought happily.
“By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife!” The officiant announced with a smile, “You may now kiss the bride.”
Joey needed no further prompting than that as he swooped in and pressed his lips passionately to Arty’s, gently gripping her to him as her arms reached up to cup his face. He broke the kiss leaning back just enough to grin down at his blushing bride.
The courthouse staff present, as well as his neighbor Melissa, clapped for the newly weds.
The officiant shook hands with the couple, congratulating them and then assisting them in signing the license that would be processed with the state.
The rest from then on passed in a blur as Joey and Arty would soon after on a private jet to St. Barts for a week-long honeymoon.
—-
Back to the present, Joey gently nudged Arty and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“Hmm?” She said absent-mindedly.
“I can practically hear the gears turning in your head from here. What are you thinking about?” He asked again as he shifted to stare down at her in curiosity.
“Just still in absolute disbelief that this actually happened. We’re actually married, Joey.” She looked up at him in shock. “I just… wow. It’s still so surreal.”
“Is that a good thing?” He asked, a hint of worry in his tone. 
“Absolutely it is!” Arty rushed to reassure him. “I am so beyond thankful that we have each other. And maybe... Maybe by the standards of others and society, it is not a viable path that we took to get here... But I wouldn’t change that for the world” She cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to her husband’s lips.
Joey pulled back with a lazy grin on his face. “Artemis Bosa.. what would I do without you?”
“Hmmm.. Be miserable and fighting online with people who beat your ass at COD.” She teased him while moving to sit up and stretch.
“See.. I don’t remember it being quite like that.” He protested in return, trying to fight the smile starting to spread over his face. “Sounds very revisionist, to be frank.”
“Oh? Revisionist? It’s the truth! You liked fighting with me online and couldn’t handle having your ass kicked by a woman!” Arty saw him start to protest and she pressed her finger to his lips. “Nope! It’s the truth! It doesn’t help that you also realized you were into me. So, I get it. I really do. I wanted you too.” She smiled down at him in a coy manner. “Especially when I realized what you look like.”
Joey couldn’t stop the cheesy grin from taking over, his cheeks flushing redder under the slight sunburn already there. “Yeah if I remember correctly you said you wanted to sit on my face..”
“I still do. All day and every day.” Was her blunt response to that.
Joey chuckled at that, reaching up to pull his wife into his chest once more. “I love you.”
They lay there a little longer before Joey’s hand trailed down the backside of Arty’s bikini bottoms. His hands fiddled with the strings, tugging them languidly until they came undone and dropped to the sides.
Arty’s breath hitched as she waited with anticipation for where he was going to put his hands next.
Joey’s hand pulled her bottoms down, exposing her ass to the cool breeze rolling in from the ocean nearby. Her skin was smooth, as his fingers teased shivers and goosebumps out of her. He caressed her ass a few times, pretending to dip low enough towards between her legs but then moving away moments later.
His hand danced up her bare lower back, making its way to the middle of her back where he undid the strings of her bikini top, similar to what he did to her bikini bottoms. Those too dropped away, exposing the tanned lines underneath.
“Hmmmm…” Arty hummed dreamily, pushing to sit up so she could pull away her untied swimsuit set. 
Dropping it to the side without looking where it landed, she kept her eyes glued on Joey, a Cheshire grin on her face as she bit her lip and sat up. She stretched her arms high, knowing her chest would catch Joey’s eyes as he watched like a predator hunting its prey.
She stood up suddenly and reached her hand out for Joey, coaxing him silently to get up and follow her.
He did so, eagerly getting up and gripping her hand tightly as she guided them to the other side of the beach house rental, a spot where an outdoor jacuzzi was located. Arty fussed with the temperature controls a few times before getting it right.
“I’ve been thinking about what I wanted as a wedding gift since last night.” She said thoughtfully, eyeing up Joey’s bulge in his swim trunks. “And I’ve decided that I want to suck your dick.”
Joey’s eyes got huge as he halted his step into the jacuzzi. “Like.. like in here?”
“Yep.” She popped the ‘p’ at the end, running her tongue over her lower lip as she continued to stare at the one thing she wanted that was between his legs. “You sitting on the edge of the tub, me kneeling in the tub. Can we, please?” She pleaded with doe eyes to him.
Joey gulped heavily, feeling his breathing pick up as he imagined it right at that moment. He could never say no to her - not that he even wanted to try. “I - yeah - I mean sure.” He finished awkwardly, fiddling with his bottoms to get them undone and down his legs. His cock slapped against his stomach as it came free, hardened with a glistening head. Arty couldn’t help but fixate on the swollen red head of it, tracing the veins that ran down the underside of it. 
“You want me to sit here?” He asked as he adjusted himself on the edge of the tub which was thankfully an inground design, meaning that where the tub ended, there was wood behind him to lean against for support. 
Arty nodded and stepped into the water, reaching up to tie her hair into a bun as she moved between his parted legs to get comfortable on her knees. She was face to face now with his cock, her hands resting on his inner thighs as she leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to the head of it.
Joey let out a shaky exhale as his eyes remained glued and focused on his wife’s every move.
Her right hand wrapped around the base of his cock as she made eye contact with him, a devilish look in her eyes as she made sure he was watching. Her eyes promised him wicked, wicked things. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah.” He grunted out, biting his lip in anticipation.
She stuck her tongue out, pressing it to the underside of his cock as she work her way upwards with languid licks. Her hand pumped his base as she worked at his tip now, engulfing it into her mouth and hollowing her cheeks as she worked her sucking into a steady pace, using just the right amount of suction to make him whimper above her.
She glanced up and could see him, head tilted back as his eyes squeezed shut from the sensation.
His chest was starting to flush from the sensations he was experiencing and he knew his face was no better. He couldn’t help it though. Arty and her mouth could drag him to hell and he’d go willingly without a second thought. She was a succubus in human form. There was no doubt to him about that.
Arty continued, slurping loudly as she made sure he was lubricated just enough for what she wanted to do next. She leaned back and shot him a teasing grin as she continued to stroke his cock with firm movements, gently tugging when she got to his tip.
She loved seeing him this way, worked up and breathing heavily as he basked in the pleasure she was giving him. “You love that, daddy?” She teased him. 
Joey had sweat trickling down his temple from the mix of the humid tropical air, the warm jets of water surrounding his legs, and Arty’s fellatio. He was warm all over, but the intense pleasure between his legs burned the hottest in his core.
“Fuck, Arty.. please.” He pleaded, his deep voice coming out hoarse as he stared at her with pleading eyes. 
She grinned once more before taking him in her mouth once more. This time, however, she took him as deep in her mouth as she possibly could. She relaxed her mouth, trying her best to fit as much as she could of him in her mouth. A few inches short of his pubic bone, she had to stop.
Joey was groaning loudly and cussing at the sensation, especially when he felt her tongue flex on the underside of his cock, the one place he was most sensitive. 
She began to bob her head slowly at first before picking up speed, gagging slightly at the size of him.
Joey never gripped her head when she deep-throated. She had asked him about it once while they were coming down from their post-coital bliss. Joey explained that he didn’t want to force her head and hurt her. Arty understood, given the size and strength of him, but a part of her wished he’d pull her hair just a bit.
Finally, after a few more bobs of her head, she pulled back, releasing him from her throat and breathing deeply to catch her breath.
She stared at the trail of saliva connecting from her lips to his weeping cock. His cock, wet with her saliva, was visibly pulsing as Joey’s hips slightly jerked upwards. He was close and she could tell. She’d give him the release he so desperately wanted.
After a few moments, Arty sat up and guided Joey into the water more as she adjusted herself to sit reverse cowgirl on him, reaching down into the water to grip his cock. 
He cursed at the new rush of sensations he was experiencing. As soon as he felt his cock enter her, he moaned loudly, reaching to grip Arty’s hips tightly as she arched her ass backward and started bouncing rigorously on him, her tempo rough and fast as she clenched her walls around him to get him to his climax quicker. Times like this made her thankful she did kegel exercises in the past.
She reached down to start rubbing her clit, overly aroused herself from all of this one Joey suddenly gripped her hips tightly, yanking her down until she was sitting at the hilt as he cummed.
It was erotic to her as she felt him shoot his load into her while he panted heavily behind her, his hands holding her in place.
She continued to rub herself, chasing the building orgasm that was about to wash over her any minute.
Within moments she was cumming as well, collapsing back against Joey’s chest as the waves of intense pleasure washed over her. She could feel her hips buck instinctively a few times as Joey’s grip on her hips relaxed.
Finally, after a few more moments passed, both were sitting still, trying to catch their breath and process what just happened.
Joey reached his hands down to smooth over Arty’s hips, knowing his grip would leave bruises tomorrow with how tightly he was holding her. He pressed a series of kisses to her shoulder and neck from behind before wrapping his arms around her in a hug and leaning his chin on her shoulder. “Fuck.. I love you, babe.” 
Arty giggled, slightly dazed from their lovemaking. “I love you too.”
They sat another few moments in silence before Joey gently moved Arty forward a bit so he could slip his cock out of her, careful due to the sensitivity they were both facing. 
“Let’s go inside and take a nap.” Joey suggested, “We can get dinner in a bit and take a swim in the ocean. Maybe go on a boat ride.” He had been eyeing up the waterfront, his eyes taking in the beauty before him.
Arty nodded and allowed him to scoop her up and carry her inside. She rested against his chest as he carried her bridal style into the restroom.
Joey placed her carefully on the toilet so she could do her business and stepped out for a moment to check his phone.
As Arty was finishing up in the restroom and starting the shower for them, she heard Joey cursing from the master bedroom.
Stepping into the room, she looked at him in concern when she spotted him leaning forward, his head in his hands.
Beside him was his cellphone, the screen lit up with various types of notifications from social media, text messages, emails, and missed phone calls. The most recent was from his mother from what she could tell and a text message in all caps said, “JOSEPH ANTHONY BOSA. WHAT THE FUCK IS TMZ TALKING ABOUT YOU BEING MARRIED?” 
Arty’s mind went blank. Someone had gotten a hold of their filing at the courthouse in Orange County… and now the gig was up.
Everyone now knew they were married.
She couldn’t even begin to consider looking at her own phone.
They were fucked.
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writingkitten · 3 months
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(review anon) Oh, here's a thought for headcanons for each of the fellas - what's your song? (allowing for some time-bending nonsense for fellas like Harold, this is about the Vibes)
You fuckin struck gold with this review anon, like is the shit I LOVE (so I gave them two)
Ricky: God’s Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash/NFWMB - Hozier
Robert: West Coast - Lana Del Rey/American Money - BØRNS
Harold: More I Cannot Wish You - Paul McCartney (cover)/How Will I Know - Sam Smith
Otto: The Scientist - Coldplay/Come Alive - Foo Fighters
Doc Ock: Failure - Breaking Benjamin/My Demons - STARSET
Harding: Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene - Hozier/All I Want - Kodaline
Edelweiss: Yellow Submarine - The Beatles/I Am The Walrus - The Beatles
Chandler: love me - Ex Habit/Black Honey - Thrice
Big Boss: Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash/Throne - Saint Mesa
Andres: Heat Waves - Glass Animals/Eyes on Fire - Blue Foundation
Boris: Dancing On My Own - Calum Scott (cover)/SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK - Joji
Dunlop: Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls/Tenerife Sea - Ed Sheeran
Arden: Spaceman - The Killers/SYMBIOTIC - STARSET
Jim: Grave Digger - Matt Maeson/O Children - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Jimmy: You Get What You Give - New Radicals/Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
Armand: Hunger of the Pines - alt-J/The Pines - Roses & Revolutions
Manuel: Foreigner’s God - Hozier/Take Me To Church - Hozier
Maxim: Magic Man - Heart/You Put A Spell On Me - Austin Giorgio
Hank: Dirty Laundry - Don Henley/Bury Me Face Down - grandson
Frank: DOA - I Prevail ft. Joyner Lucas/It Has Begun - STARSET
Oswald: Twisted - Two Feet/Panic Room - Au/Ra
Dick: Writer - Paolo Nutini/Big Black Car - Gregory Alan Isakov
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heavenlybackside · 1 month
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The Stations of the Cross Shrine in San Luis, Colorado depicts the events of the Crucifixion of Jesus.
You wind your way up a mesa lined with the sculptures and at the top is a beautiful church. Looking out from the top of the mesa you see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west.
What a powerful experience this was and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't been there.
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nitrosodiumfmp · 22 days
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Inspiration for the Train Ride
As much as the train ride segment in Level 2 was born out of a necessity to show cool level ideas without actually making them playable. A level in the city streets? A level in a church? A level up on the rooftops? A level in an industrial district? A level in a hydroelectric plant? It's all in there.
Obviously, framing it as a train ride was heavily inspired from Half Life. When the game begins, you're on a monorail, heading deep into the Black Mesa facility. Immediately it establishes a tone, your setting, and shows the sheer scale of the facility. It also hints at things to come. You can see tanks of toxic waste that seem a little poorly maintained, and exposed rail sparks as your tram passes it. These small touches suggest that perhaps safety is not a priority, which is quickly proven in the game's following events. You can also see the mysterious G-man watching you from another tram, furthermore hinting that things aren't quite right.
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It's a classic opening - perhaps a little slower-paced than modern games, but still a classic. I think the idea to frame it as a rollercoaster ride also came from my childhood love of watching GoPro videos of theme park rides.
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Like this for example. You get the vibe the ride is going for, you get the tension - the yeti lunges at your vehicle, but obviously you're not in any real danger. I've tried to do the same thing with my train. The slow descent onto the Church Tramway and slow rotation of the turnstile as Grave Diggers crowd ahead gives the impression that you're at their mercy, but actually they can't get in, and your cart goes too fast for them to climb on (they had a tendency to do this in earlier tests).
Tomorrow I think I'll get some proper playtests done, although I also have an idea for an intro level, that has the player on a road, getting hit by a bus, which thus takes them into the afterlife. I also do want to make the Street map a little cleaner, however, and add some proper sounds for the train.
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estradasphere · 29 days
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tagged by @songsforthedeaf2002 yaaayyy thank u keaton! ^-^ put your on repeat/favorites playlist on shuffle & post the first 10 songs you get (in my case, i used this playlist)
Mesa Cosa - Church of the Snake
Tin Hat Trio - Willow Weep for Me
MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - チューチュー ラブリー ムニムニ ムラムラ プリンプリン ボロン ヌルル レロレロ
Jim's Big Ego - Stress
Blur - Beachcoma
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Like Acid Rain
DYES IWASAKI feat. RainyBlueBell - S.C.R.E.A.M
Porcupine Tree - Blackest Eyes
Smash Mouth - Walkin' on the Sun
Nirvana - On a Plain
as always i tag whoever sees this and wants to do it !! 🫵
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