#Ascension Memorial Church

[pyro-madder]

micorom headcanons post because i heard interest :}

be warned : it starts off silly then gets sad real fast

* Being the same age, they enroll the same year in Byrgenwerth and – alongside Caryll – become fast friends. It will be soon impossible to call them fully innocent due to being part of Byrgenwerth and its dubious study methods of Pthumerian and the Great Ones, but Micolash especially was far tamer than he is now, just… cryptic, and generally a freak /affectionate

Rom, though known for her cheerful temper, was also frequently described as being on her own plane of existence, and so… they hit it off pretty well, pretty quickly. It was frequent for anyone in Byrgenwerth to catch them in the middle of a conversation and immediately go --

They go 3 years, all the way to their Bachelor’s degree (or at least Micolash’s – I may give Rom a slower graduating, alleged intellectual shortcomings and all), and only start dating the following year or the one after that, after Laurence and Maria’s enrollments (with one or both, as respective dormmates to Mico and Rom, possibly giving them a small push). And they’re genuinely one of the most stable relationships in my narrative. weirdo4weirdo.

* I haven’t determined what drives them to follow Laurence – or more accurately, to distance themselves from Willem’s teachings – but they do. First together in the Research Hall, then splitting in complementary work as the respective heads of the Choir and the School of Mensis, stepping up in their research and experiments.

During this era, Rom falls pregnant.

Now this is the blurry part – how would they react to the prospect of parenthood. X) In such a busy and promising time for scientific breakthroughs, I don’t think Mico would be too happy with it… but also, it’s not like Rom fell pregnant by herself ! And one way I’d see it happen is if he was planning to involve the child in their research… on Rom’s side, it’ll depend entirely on me and the characterization I want for her. Definitely tamer than Mico but perhaps with her own Byrgenwerth streak of unethical science, ready to experiment on her own flesh (literally and/or metaphorically) ? I’ll figure it out at some point :v

* Either way, we are in Bloodborne, and Rom enters labor one-two month(s) earlier than expected, in the middle of her duties. It does not go well. After much pain and distress, her child is stillborn, and Rom herself likely only survives thanks to the fact that she was already within Church walls - ensuring fast care by many doctors and fast access to blood to sustain her body. Laurence was by her side the entire time - because it was premature, Micolash was just going about his day in Yahar’gul, and the time it takes for Laurence’s hastily scribbled letter to reach him and then make the trip up, he arrives after the storm.

Needless to say, Rom is shattered. The guilt that’s known to come with this kind of tragedy, and the trauma of forceful intervention on her body – she’s devastated, and Mico is wholly unequipped to deal with that. He also feels guilt because once again, she didn’t fall pregnant by herself. He hovers around her while she recovers but, well… they can barely look at each other. They never officialize it, hardly communicate, but it’s clear to everyone their relation died with their infant.

* And so they drown themselves in their research, and this is the start of their respective slip. Exponentially, they progress, get results, and immerse themselves more and more into their respective theories – theories that start deviating from Laurence’s (who is tearing his hair out at the loss of authority in addition to playing their divorce attorney). Micolash remains hidden away in Yahar’gul (chasing after Damian), while Rom can bear less and less being within Cathedral walls due to the memories of her miscarriage ; she shuts herself away with Ebrietas and/or returns to Byrgenwerth(? I don’t have the exact circumstances of her ascension yet). Anyway, this culminates in said ascension – again, wholly independant of Laurence’s will – soon followed by her physical death. Micolash slips further.

* Fastforward of many years to the Mensis Ritual – as the Nightmare opens and Micolash is sitting bound to his throne, skull splitting, brain frying - he gets a vision of Rom, human Rom, embracing him, bound again beyond death. Perhaps the cries of an infant, calling for a mother, beckoned her ?

And Rom’s spell hides away the Ritual, until the Hunter, assisted by Damian, releases their souls.

In the Nightmare of Mensis, a hunter brave enough may retrieve a crumpled letter tangled under layers of Apostles webs that, despite its apparent torn and burnt state, clearly projects the following words into one's mind :

Rom giving birth - UCW

~Lau

[ghostchems]

the rose

terzo reminisces about simpler times.

authors note: y’all want some angst and goofiness? well you’ve come to the right place! inspired by something that happened to @tasty-ribz! less than 1k words. ao3 link.

Terzo’s quarters had been a complete mess since he was forcefully retired. It was still fresh in his mind, happening a few weeks ago and his room reflected his mental state. Clothes were everywhere. The bed was unmade. Stacks of dirty plates and glasses lined the walls.

He was sitting on the floor, half dressed, rummaging through his things. Suddenly, he launched an item across the room in frustration. Terzo felt his life was over. What was he supposed to do now? He had no responsibilities. Nobody was counting on him anymore. He was alone, again… like he had been for so long prior to his ascension.

He continued rummaging through his things, rummaging through memories. Everything had been taken from him but he still had his memories. He felt lost, surrounded by relics that didn’t even matter to anyone anymore. They only mattered to him.

In the sea of purple, black and gold, something red and lacy caught his eye. Terzo reached for it, pushing aside the clothing beside it and pulling it up to his face. Red, lace, panties. His lips stretched into a smile, perhaps the first time he had smiled in the last few weeks. 

***

Secondo wouldn’t stop laughing at him. Just because he was three months older, he had this idea that he was so much more mature than him. Meanwhile, he was just as clueless — but was good at playing the genius, the older, more responsible brother.

“Why is this funny, fratello? I am asking you for help.” Terzo’s cheeks were flushed, trying to hide it with his hands. “I really like her.” His voice cracked and he couldn’t help but stomp his feet. Puberty. Goddamn puberty. 

Secondo was already taller than him and was built like a Greek god. Terzo had always been smaller, shorter, but he could be a quick bastard. He started to clap his hands in his brother’s face to get him to focus.

 “Okay, okay.” Secondo laughed, pretending to wipe a tear from his eyes. “It’s just – of all the girls you like the one that’s–”

“SECONDO!” He was about to snap, to tackle his brother to the floor and start wailing on him. Terzo could feel the tears of frustration starting to well up in his eyes. “Per favore, I am asking nicely.”

He didn’t want to admit that he wanted Secondo’s advice. The girls flocked to him, despite his rather grumpy behavior. He had his first girlfriend in first grade. This was the first time Terzo had ever felt feelings like this and he knew that his brother had experience with that sort of thing. Plus, going to their father was not an option. They were pretty much left to their own devices and their older brother was off doing his duties as a high-ranking member of the church.

“I have just the thing, fratello.” Secondo finally got a hold of himself, pulling open a drawer and rummaging around for a moment before grabbing a fake rose. “Give this to her. She’ll know what it means.” He handed it to Terzo with a knowing smirk.

“Che bella!” Terzo looked it over, smiling faintly to himself at the thought of giving it to his crush. “The color is striking, sangue rosso.” He mumbled, then looked up at brother with a wide smile. “Grazie a mille, fratello. Thank you, thank you.” He couldn’t wait, immediately leaving Secondo’s room to go find his love.

“Che idiota.” Secondo sneered after he had left.

Terzo felt like he was walking on air, his feet carrying him to the classroom. He gave a small knock on the open door, his eyes falling to Sister Juliette sitting behind her desk. She seemed to be grading papers. His face was already flushed when she called him over to her desk.

“Terzo, back again to help me file some papers?” She asked, smiling at the boy. He was quite the teacher’s pet.

His breath caught in his throat. Her smile. Terzo walked slowly into the classroom, his anxiety skyrocketing. This was it. He was doing it – admitting his love of his teacher with a beautiful rose for a beautiful woman. 

“S-sister Juliette?” His voice cracked again as he extended his arm, holding out the rose to her. The poor boy was trembling.

“Oh, Terzo, thank you.” She tenderly took it from him and turned it over in her hands. “It’s really… it’s quite–” Her eyes narrowed as her fingers brushed over the rose itself and she pulled it from the plastic slowly. The rose unfurled, revealing a pair of red, lace underwear.

“Merda. Merda. Sister Juliette, I didn’t know –” Terzo had gone pale, his voice cracking all over the place as he tried to explain. He was almost crying again. Sister Juliette tried to calm him, to soothe him and tell him that it was all okay but it didn’t help. He ended up snatching the underwear from her hands and running away from the classroom.

***

Terzo remembered hiding out in his room for a little while, quieting himself and his mind before returning to Secondo’s room and exacting his revenge. It took almost every single ghoul in the abbey to tear them apart, with Secondo suffering the worst of it. He chuckled to himself, thinking about how much they had grown since being children: how much they had changed and how much they were still the same. 

He twirled the underwear around on his finger, just as he used to do on stage. Things used to seem so simple, so uncomplicated. Terzo missed those days. He slingshotted the underwear across his room and it landed on another pile of his memories.

All he knew now was uncertainty.

[kavalyera]

I think it’s a bit humorous that the High Table is stuck in the past with it’s traditions and all but it’s members/emissaries are all focused on the future. Both Adjudicator and Marquis are obsessed with the idea of the future, Adjudicator with the future of the High Table and Marquis with a legacy he can leave on the world; Vincent’s is more severe with it being used against him by Winston. Both Gianna and Santino D’Antonio’s ambitions and their ascension into a High Table seat, with their brutality and ruthlessness eventually leads to their demise.

And then there’s John, he starts off by being locked into the past but never the future. Grief held him back throughout the movies, along with the memories of people in his past when he went by the name of “Baba Yaga” . It’s used many times against him such as when Viggo mockingly calls him by that name after destroying the church. At first, memories of the past bother John but as the movies progress, he starts to break free from that sort of cage he’s been mentally locked into by the entire world.

When Vincent mocks him at the agreements scene, John doesn’t even budge. He’s grown and it’s clear. It’s clear to the audience that things like that aren’t bothering him anymore.

The High Table is locked in the past, strictly upholding traditions that were made hundreds of years before any of the current seat holders were even ever born. The emissaries only see the future, what the future can bring them and what legacy they or their ambitions can leave behind. But John and those under the Table, are in the present.

[pluppsmusic]

Dusk, Forsaken Fiend

These three songs are the collective theme(s) of my character Dusk, from Frequency: Forsaken, through various parts of his journey.

Below the songs I will go into detail about each of the songs and spoilers about how they connect to Dusk's character arc and other small details.

If you just want to listen, go ahead. If you're interested in my rambling, then proceed.

(Headphones Recommended)

(Song length: 4:20)

(Song length: 4:20)

(Song length: 5:20)

I hope you enjoyed listening to Dusk's Theme(s)!

Now onto spoilers! You have been warned!

For Dusk's first theme, it represents the time he spends without his memories. For the first parts of the story, Dusk is missing his memories, not knowing who he is, where he is, or what to do.

He is lost, he has forgotten himself, and the world has forgotten him.

The song is slow, drawn out and filled with space. Just as Dusk himself it slowly grasping who he is and what he needs to do. It spends time setting up the main motif for Dusk, the piano part played at the beginning and through the piece as its main melody.

The song builds, crashing into climax, surrounded by low drums and chimes, reflecting a heartbeat and a church bell to call forth one's death.

These are symbolic of his death and continual existence after it. The reason for his loss of memory (part of it) is his death. Dusk is dead, though he does not know it yet. The heartbeat representing his "life" as he believes, and the low bell representing death having already claimed him, though not fully.

The song winds down until it is only cello and bass, leading into the start of the next song.

Dusk's second theme is representative of him regaining his memories and discovering his past, as well as how he moves forward with this new knowledge.

The strings from the previous song lead into the new key for this song, never fully resolving the previous song. The piano rushes forward with sixteenth-note arpeggios. This along with the new piano melody help build him toward the inevitable knowledge he is cursed to learn.

Himself.

The song quiets as the revelation dawns on Dusk, a fragment of his motif is played, signalling that no matter what, he is still Dusk.

Then it comes back down, the knowledge fully hitting dusk like a wave of inescapable magnitude.

He is Ralillith Tiro, a criminal guilty of arson, murder, assassination, leaking of classified documents, and more. All under someone else's orders. Furthermore, he is dead; Executed as a scapegoat.

The strings and woodwinds play an altered version of the melody of his second theme, while the right hand piano plays a slightly altered version of his motif.

The two sides of his identity crashing against one another. This awful criminal deserving of the death he avoided, and Dusk, this new "true" version of himself he was when he had no knowledge of his past.

Then, the song dies down. Dusk having processed this information, forever changed by its horrid revelation. Broken and fearful of what he is, Dusk goes on to become someone else, right his wrongs by changing the world for the better.

He moves on, the music box dying down as the flute ascends higher, representing his ascension toward goodness. But... the piano's final bass note hints toward a different path, one that his next theme explores.

Dusk's third theme is about his fall from grace, as the title states. it starts off with a single note on piano and bass, a statement for how far Dusk falls.

Then the right hand piano comes in, a repeated descending phrase, showing his continuous fall due to mistake after mistake.

Choirs come in, leading toward a higher phrase that never comes. An organ comes in as well, following the piano and strings.

The organ represents Reven, Dusk's mortal enemy whose sole goal is to kill him. The organ represents both how Dusk has fallen to his level, as well as their later brief alliance.

The high strings and woodwinds play Dusk's motif again, trying to bring him back, trying so desperately to pull him back just as those around him do. But it fails as the song falls silent.

After this brief silence, the piano returns (along with the organ), now playing Zenith's theme, Dusk's closest friend and lover whose death he indirectly caused.

Zenith's theme mixes with Dusk's theme, showing the influence one had on the other.

But this embrace is interrupted and broken as Reven's theme comes in full swing, crashing into the piece violently and without care.

Zenith is gone, with Reven being the only thing Dusk is able to rely on. Their themes clashing as the song around them fades. A bell hitting to end their song, the death of the pseudo-immortals inevitable.

The piano plays a few more minutes of soft chords and rising melody, reaching higher and higher, toward a place Dusk could never reach. Returning to where he began, yet somehow even higher than he was then.

Dusk's story is one of growth, and betrayal of that growth as blind-sighted trust breaks what he spent so long to build up. Mistakes toppled the life he built, harming those who chose to be close to him.

Dusk, the Forsaken Fiend, is a character surrounded by regret and misery. The harder he tries to escape it, the harder he sinks deeper into its grasp.

[the-fogotten-isle]

The History of Glendin Isle

I've done a lot of searching over the years and resources were scarce, but here are my findings on the island's history:

1540s - 1650s

Glendin Isle was Colonised after conflict between the church of the Chosen Believers, and the church of The Devotion of the Chosen. The Chosen Believers believed that all they needed to reach ascension was to be a good, kind person and that the Càel Testaments were just loose guidance on how to do that and that some passages were outdated or even incorrect. The Devotion of the Chosen believed that in order to reach ascension you needed to live a strict lifestyle that included following all the teachings in the Càel Testaments to the letter and preserving the purity of magic by not 'mixing' with non-magical beings. Many battles had been had in Calegan over monarchs and religious influence in the government and eventually, many followers of The Devotion of the Chosen, led by a group of leaders called the Clergy, just decided it would be better if they could govern themselves so they founded their own country.

1660s - 1680s

At first, the borders of Glendin Isle were open and goods were often traded between the island and the mainland in order to sustain the economy but soon Calegan decided to remove the monarchy and move towards an elected government system called the Administration, with separation of church and state. The Clergymen and Elders on Glendin were furious and closed their borders. With the closing of the borders came the first Priest who became Glendin's first solo leader and head of the church. Priest Glycias was afraid of losing his position of power so decided to secure the church's control by gradually removing any evidence of the mainland from the island and burning any record of their past history. They also made the church the sole source of education on the island, founding a school that all children would be required to go to (Cape Morrigan Academy).

1690s - 1700s

As a new generation was being born on the island and the Clergy slowly assumed more and more control over the island, a new priest was selected after the death of Priest Glycias in 1699 and he ruled with an iron fist. A small underground uprising began. A group of mainly parents started teaching the true history by word of mouth and highlighting lies in the Clergy's teachings. The Clergy and Priest Asellus remained unaware of this for a number of years but when students started disagreeing with information at the academy they worked quickly to remove children from these parents and execute those adults spreading the truth, for crimes against the church. This was dubbed the mother's massacre. Some of this generation, orphaned because of this tragic event, grew up to spark the next revolution and some were successfully indoctrinated by the Clergy, being told that their parents were traitors of the church and that their only choice was to repent or never reach ascension.

1720s - 1750s

A small group of children resistant to the Clergy's teachings and fueled by revenge for their murdered parents grew to create the next rebellion. They were led by Bevan MacDonnell and had more knowledge than the previous generation of the inner workings of the Clergy and the details of their teachings, and they learned from their parent's mistakes so instead of spreading the truth through children, focused on adults with doubts about the church and fought to preserve the memories and knowledge of the first Glendin settlers who were dying out. When Priest Asellus died in 1734 there was growing hope that the Clergy's reign of terror could be brought to an end. This group had a better idea of who to trust and for many years the rebellion grew in the shadows and became an organisation known as The Stand. The new Priest, Priest Elford, was the youngest one yet at only 31 so many people believed this would bring forth a reform of the Clergy, however, he proved himself to be equally as power-hungry as the previous one, which only spurred the resistance on more.

1760s - 1770s

Eventually, the Clergy became aware of growing adult distrust in the church and decided to weaponise their children against them. Priest Elford created the Nox Clan, initially a network of children instructed to spy on their parents and neighbours during holidays and relay any information back to the Clergy but it developed into a more weaponised secret police service. Older students of the academy were encouraged to join the Clan if they demonstrated enough devotion to the church and it was seen as an elite society very attractive to those susceptible. However, this radicalisation of children only angered The Stand more and the rebellion became more active and visible. MacDonnell became the face of this group and he was forced into hiding. Unfortunately, Macdonnell was unaware of planted Nox Clan members working undercover as members of The Stand and in 1773 the clergy staged an attack on his hideout and Macdonnell was arrested, tortured and murdered. His body hung in Ashwick outside the Clergy temple alongside other captured members of The Stand. This was effective in halting rebellions for a few years. During this time, Priest Elford discovered a way to preserve his reign and prevent his death through slowing the rate at which he was ageing.

1780s - 1790s

The Clergy and Priest Elford relied heavily on using fear to control the population of Glendin Isle. By this point in time, most adults had been frightened into submission and only the compliant survived, however with another new generation came new problems. With the information on the history of the Island being so restricted there was a lot of curiosity amongst the children and students at Cape Morrigan Academy, something Priest Elford tried to squash with force. However, this only created further instability at the Academy. It began with Professor Omar Riggs, a Creative Arts teacher and surviving member of The Stand who had changed their identity since the execution of Bevan Macdonnell. Riggs saw an opportunity to build trust with the students by being on their side against all the punishments and rules they were being subjected to. He had initially hoped to just protect them from harm but their intrigue for the true history spurred him on and he began to spread information to a select group of students that came to his classroom for support. The number of students grew and the Deputy Headmaster, Elder Cassiar Hammond, became increasingly suspicious. Elder Hammond weaponised the Prefects against them and staged an intervention, capturing and torturing these students. Omar Riggs, wanting to save the students confessed and was subsequently arrested and executed. This sparked a rebellion amongst the students, those angered by Rigg's execution sought to fight back by spreading the information they'd learned amongst the other students and encouraging them to join in on a protest, which was to write only about the true history during their exams that year. Headmaster, Priest Elford, and Deputy Headmaster, Elder Hammond caught wind of this plan and attempted to stop it immediately, they held an assembly and threatened those who planned to take part in the protest with failure and expulsion, which would lock them out of almost all job prospects in the future. This sparked uproar and a fight broke out resulting in the injury of Elder Hammond who ended up in a persistent vegetative state. The students responsible for the uprising were arrested and placed in the island Penitentiary as there were laws in place against the murder or execution of children due to passage in the Càel Testaments about the sanctity of the lives of the youth. However, within the Penitentiary information was passed along freely as most of those in there had committed crimes against the Clergy, so belief in the existence of the mainland was widely spread. The prisoners plotted to escape and succeeded in doing so, and with the assistance of students remaining at the Academy, a handful of convicts managed to cross the sea and reach the mainland of Calegan. There, they told the Administration the truth about the Island and the mistreatment of students under the Priest's reign. And in 1796 the Calegan Administration planned to intervene and confront the Priest and Clergy, however, when they caught wind of this on Glendin Isle, the Priest ordered for the Academy to be placed on lockdown, arming the teachers, Clergymen, Elders, Nox Clan and Prefects to prepare for war, and holding the remainder of the student's hostage inside the school. The Administration planned for a peaceful response, focusing on negotiations and a rescue mission for the students trapped inside. However, when they arrived they were met with a barrage of attacks so the Administration called for military backup. A siege took place and the Administration outnumbered and overpowered the Clergy, resulting in the death of Priest Elford and the evacuation of the school. The majority of the casualties from this battle were students and the Administration was not able to make a large number of arrests following the event as many Clergymen fled and entered into hiding.

1800s - 1810

With the new century came a lot of change; the borders of Glendin Isle open after the Siege, under the temporary rule of Administration appointed officials, but soon a new permanent leader was elected, the first being Aldene Helm, who ruled justly and tried her best to help the island recover after the conflict. However, Helm passed away three years into her tenure and a new leader filled the position, Octavius Blaesus. He was less of a strong ruler and there were many changes of hands in leadership as the economy began to plummet. Through the years those who could afford to, migrated to Calegan to escape the impending crisis and shadows of the Clergy era. The remaining population were hit hard by a recession, so, when a young Elder on the island ran to lead; promising to move on from the tragedy of Cape Morrigan and to build a new future, they won the election by a landslide. Everyone on the island seemed to be of the belief that he only had good intentions, but those on the outside could see the warning signs. Elder Augustus Licinius created a political party that included many former Clergy members, most of those less well-known or less prominent members from the previous Clergy era. They promised the population that they could make Glendin Isle strong and independent once again and focused a lot of their efforts on boosting self-sufficiency within the island by creating more farms and factories as well as building a military. There was growing trust and support for this government as the economy started to recover. However, there was suspicion arising from Calegan as survivors of the Cape Morrigan siege recognised the potential danger of this government, especially following the alleged assassination of Octavius Blaesus. This was furthered when the construction of a new school began and it became known that children were being radicalised once again, as Glendin Isle prepared for a war over independence. This plan was luckily discovered before the Government of Glendin Isle had managed to gather full military force, but they were still better equipped than before, after taking inspiration from the weapons and battle tactics used by the Calegan Administration during the siege of 1796. Tensions rose within the final year of Licinius' tenure as people feared he would launch a war to extend his rule and prevent a future election. On October 10th 1810 a battle began when a small group of ex-students broke into the Government Central of Glendin Isle, hoping to discover the military plans. The Administration arrived to support this group after it became clear an invasion of Calegan was being planned by Elder Licinius and his Government. The battle lasted for three days consuming the entire city of Ashwick and surrounding villages, which were used as base camps for the Administration as they fought to take the Government Central. Eventually, the conflict came to an end as Elder Licinius took his own life when faced with surrender and all his government party members were arrested.

1810 onwards

After the battle in 1810, the Calegan Administration hosted an open conference with Glendin Isle to discuss the future and prevention of further conflict. Within this, a treaty was created, that formed a co-dependency between the two countries with a solid trade system and exchange of goods. Glendin Isle agreed on a separation of church and state and wrote a set of new laws that coincided with Calegan's, mostly including child protection policies and violence laws. Extremist groups like the Nox Clan were disbanded and criminalised, and young members were put through a reform program and were closely monitored. There was an emphasis on improved education and public services and this system continued to work.

[creature-wizard]

Once again, I'm blocking out part of the URL because I don't want to give free advertising to assholes.

So first of all, I'd like to state that I don't think the question "is this a cult?" is particularly useful, because what is and isn't a cult is debatable.

I think useful questions include:

Are there any red flags?

What are the political agendas associated with the beliefs they're spreading?

We don't have to look very far to see that this is yet another New Age spirituality site. Stuff like "angelic love consciousness," "pineal gland activations," and "galactic cosmos ambassador," "great love awakening," and "divine healing ascension" are all dead giveaways.

The galactic cosmos ambassador tab and the stuff about crop circles immediately tells us that the person behind the site is into that alien conspirituality; which if you've been keeping up, you already know is racist and antisemitic as hell. (And if you haven't been keeping up, please check out my pinned post.)

Clicking on the Q&A link under the Library tab, we can see that it's more New Age stuff. Among many other things, we can see mentions of:

A Galactic Federation (referencing that New Age Galactic Federation of Light stuff)

Weird pseudoscientific shit about DNA (talk of transmuting "conflict DNA" into "higher DNA frequencies")

Mentions of Atlantis and Lemuria (nonexistent places that are central to New Age mythology)

And then there's this:

Jesus shone the light out to many and revealed truth, which was not liked by those of the clergy priesthood in those days because he showed they did not walk in truth.

This is just typical Christian antisemitism woven into a New Age paradigm; it's the whole "Jesus was killed by those wicked corrupt Pharisees!" rhetoric. (Early Christians shifted blame for Jesus's execution away from the Romans and onto the Pharisees to avoid Roman persecution.)

We can see the page go on with Christianity repackaged into a New Age paradigm. Despite the page denouncing "the Church," it sure repeats your standard Christian rhetoric; EG:

Jesus also knew that he was the ONE sent from Divine Realms to be in union with the mind of The Great Divine Father EMMANUEL, and that through no one else the Great Father would come through to speak as ONE was created.

And then, there's this:

He knew that he most likely would return as a ‘woman’ for he often heard the Great Father EMMANUEL saying: ‘A new nation would come forth through a woman.’

*Looks at the lady running this website* And which woman would that be, ma'am?

To make a long story short, after many paragraphs of New Age BS, the person behind this site declares herself to be the next incarnation of Jesus.

Who would rise now out of the dense grids to be the Messenger of Ultimate Truth, the Great Father EMMANUEL? While many prayed for baby Jesus to be born, it would be a ‘Woman’ who would be called (by the name of [NAME REDACTED] in the year 2009, but this remained hidden until it was necessary for this information to become revealed) to allow the people to rise out of the dense cave where the hidden treasures of memories lay hidden, until she would ‘activate’ them.

I could keep going, but honestly, I don't think I need to go much further than "this is literally a New Ager who thinks she's the Second Coming of Christ" to demonstrate that this is a site to stay far, far away from, lol.

[metaphysicalpistolsoraclemine]

Mary Magdalene Sophia

In the ancient culture of the Celtic Church, the spiritual head of the Cosmic Christos Dragon Teachings for hierogamic union and the biological ascension mysteries were held by the female line of the Mother of Dragons, which later on included the lineage of the incarnation of Mary Magdalene Sophia. After the Roman invasion of Gaul, the Cosmic Christos Dragon Teachings were carried on underground through the secret sects of the Sisters of Avalon and some of the Benedictine monks who were masters of alchemy from their lifelong study of these teachings. Thus, these dedicated monks were responsible for choosing the building sites and drawing up the architectural blueprints which included esoteric Cosmic Christos Dragon Teaching ascension symbolism found throughout the ancient Gothic Cathedrals in France that are consecrated to Mary. Whether considered the mother of Christ or the wife of Christ, in this context Mary is given as a sovereign title and is esoterically known as the Mother of Dragons.

Sisters of Avalon

During the Yeshua and Mary Sophia Iron Age Christos Mission, they held 8D hierogamic union and were able to produce children. Her female descendants were known to have retained the Dragon Queen bloodlines of Avalon, and their male descendants became known as the Fisher Kings in Gaul, which later became France. During the next stage of the Christos Mission with the birth of King Arthur, his mother was from this same Dragon Queen bloodline, the Mother of Dragons, which descended directly from Mary Sophia Magdalene. This was later formed into a high priestess order known as the Sisters of Avalon. The heritage of the Sisters of Avalon as the High Priestess Order of the Mother of Dragons sourcing from Mary Sophia Magdalene was highly guarded by the underground representatives of the authentic Celtic Church or Nazarene sects. Thus, they hid the ancestral history of the female bloodlines of Christ through oral traditions and in some written manuscripts and historical artifacts that spanned locations between France, Ireland and Scotland.

Capture of Sophia, Baphomet

These Fallen Angelics captured the Sophianic Body through impregnation of her essence and using her spirit to create Womb Worlds, spaces in the phantom realms which spawn parasitic creatures. These collective spawns are what make up the Baphomet field that exists in the 2D layers of planet earth, that contains many hierarchies of lower spirits, such as demons. This is the source of ancient pain held in the planet body when we lost our true Mother, and it is felt in all lineages of the Holy Mother, The Cathar lines, the Mary Magdalene Sophia's, which are the female genetic equal partner of the masculine form of Christos.

Warfare to Reclaim Solar Christ Mary

Since last year, many grid wars and off planet Spiritual Warfare events ensued as a result of reclaiming her massive spiritual body parts that are connected to the Solar Mary’s Tiamat histories, and the reclamation and reunion of her Cosmic Dragon parts. There has been ongoing dismantling of the anti-hierogamic alien machinery that was used to pervert, invert and clone her sacred image, energy signature and holy spirit for assorted satanic agendas as the alien generated Dark Mother. The reanimation of the Triple Solar Goddess in her Solar Christ Mary form has been actively involved in the sequential activation of many Gothic Cathedrals across the globe that were originally built on Dragon Nodes in her name and Mary Magdalene Sophialineage.

As Solar Christ Mary returns into our world as the Cosmic Dragon, so do these buried histories rise into the awareness of the ancient Essene Celtic Church sacred texts of the Pearl Activation, along with many of the hidden cellular memories of our long-forgotten past.[6]

[gumi-writes]

i love it when people give me essays about their characters... they are more than characters!!! they are pieces of the soul and the living person and i have life threatening rabies. i really enjoyed hearing what you have to share about her and would always like to hear more!

also, i just really love the concept of being a leper, a face not even a mother loves - lingering on the outskirts of both human and monsterkind since birth. not quite one or the other, and the lack of the security a suffocating binary provides might as well be worse (but what does it matter to tien when love cannot change this story).

is humanity a choice? is it memories, our passion, our experiences? one cannot ponder theseus' paradox if the ship was born of war's wounds. no matter how you look at it, she's like a bystander. even monsters have desires like a thorn in their ribes (ais has desires the enormity of which disgusts him, vere swallow his through his pride, mhin presses down on it like a bruise), and when you live your live rejected and whittled by desire, the tender intimacy even the strongest ache over mean nothing to you. manmade horrors, the thrill! they say god is man but man is not god because He was born of their desire for goodness and greatness (but they are not clean). they are of humans but she is not a human.

also really big fan of characters who are apathetic in the sense they can 'like' you, but you will never have a place for yourself amidst the patchwork of their life. to be guilty over such thing would prove the tragedy's nature so she feels no guilt. they feel no shame. there is no goodness hiding inside the hollow heart. loving in a world that is cruel is to be lion hearted - then, you are brave. then, you are strong. and a heart that never loves, even in shame and disgust, is strong as the sentinel tiger is.

which really ties into the foxglove also meaning insincerity and a hardened heart! it can heal, but it is unfeeling. the foxglove can be used therapeutically to increase heart contractions. again it ties to the heart. maybe the only way she can feel is if another's poison will die on her lips like with every forgotten memory under the graveyard of their tongue and take them with it. but the foxglove will always bloom in spite of hardship. that is the real shame. she will come back again and they must forget again.

something about tien saving the mc from death with her blood. something about binding each other together like a cursed vow.

on another note, i think one of the many reasons i like tien is because i have an oc who works as a soulless hunter for a church in one of the cities outside of eridia. to be whittled away into a blade until you do not even know the privilege of desperation. wow. my jam!

you know at the very least if i'm going to continue writing this much i only hope it all makes sense HAHA

i think so too! i actually recently had a discussion about the kind of things that compel us when it comes to the creation of characters and relationships, and though the answer is obviously very varied, there is something to be said about those that essentially use it as a method of processing or even healing, if it comes down to it. this way makes it impossible to not pluck some of you to put into an oc, but i think it’s more fun that way. but i’m really glad you did! 🥰 i do have a ludicrous amount of thoughts on her, so the opportunity to put some of it down on paper and not floating in my brain like some kind of haunting essay is well, it’s really nice!

a leper is honestly a great way to put it. hard to form any sense of belonging, of kinship, if you know nothing of personhood. it’s somehow both an objectification and an ascension, and without the firsthand of a before experience, how can you imagine a change let alone manifest it? things have always been like this. they will always be like this. what good is an indomitable strength if it only keeps you bound? and how can love hope to change anything other than to make an end worthwhile? she can’t hope for more. she doesn’t even know what that would look like. in a kinder world, love would be the answer. but this isn’t a kind world. and tiên herself would not exist as she is in one.

“one cannot ponder theseus’ paradox if the ship was born of a war’s wounds” goes hard as hell actually. i think so too. it’s not like we can look to see a before where there was a start and a descent—tiên was already in the thick of it the moment she was cognizant, and perhaps the tragedy here is that the opportunity to learn how to be remotely human was never offered and now too late to be of any use. she doesn’t want for nothing but are desires not the core tenet of being alive, one of the things that both man and monster share? (your summary of ais, vere and mhin was delicious btw <3) even an end, about the only thing she could crave feels a futility—so her existence is one of stagnancy, a transient, liminal ache of a thing where, on her own, she can only hope to experience thin slivers of humanity through the tiny bites of connection her blood allows her. and even then, it is barely above a nothing—a curiosity that will fade as soon as the moment passes with it.

guilt or shame are largely human emotions, anyhow. taught in response to something you’ve done wrong, but a living weapon has no such need for such humanity. a tool can only do the thing it was meant to do or it doesn’t, and such binary options leave no room for the internal maze of remorse. any goodness died as the world itself lay dying till the very last death rattle. you want to survive? you need to match the violence you were born in the cradle of. maybe the truth is we’re all a little monstrous here.

and honestly? i kind of liken tiên to a lonely, chained god. it accounts for that stagnancy and strength, and that strange purity despite being embroiled in blood. even her amorality and being seemingly above human things—joys and despairs alike. her heart, though i have not actually thought the specifics of the where, may as well have origins something both timeless and yet, long gone.

but it is a shame. being a certainty where nothing else is. she can’t even hope to realise she loves you, and can only afford you recognition where she has almost next to none. is it enough? is it fair? she can’t even honour anything you have, though she can only vaguely feel an absence that will only be devoured by the rest of her ceaseless existence.

oh, anon. you are speaking my language <3 for all her expertise in the dealing of death, she can deal life where she is invested enough to do so. she can compensate for blood loss, gently plug and sew your wounds, even mend your bones, but are you prepared to have her in you in a way that not even she understands the full extend of? if there is something other than nothing, her blood will help instead of harm. but it is the hand of something older than you both.

ooh! 🥰 as someone that (obviously) loves the psychological and emotional implications of living weapons, that sounds so exciting? you must tell me more if you’re up for it. sounds like they’re married to the job, so to speak, and all the hardening that comes with it! to fight monsters for a living is to become a bit of one yourself, and i have to wonder myself if your oc had a choice when it came to such a living. but maybe they’re not even cognizant of the lack of choice. but i’m just spitballing. i’d love to hear more regardless!

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wednesday, May 8, 2024

april 25_may 8

THE HOLY DISCIPLE AND EVANGELIST MARK (63)

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, also known as John Mark (Acts 12:12), was one of the Seventy Apostles and a nephew of Saint Barnabas (June 11). He was born in Jerusalem. The house of his mother, Mary, adjoined the Garden of Gethsemane. As Church Tradition relates, on the night that Christ was betrayed, he followed after Him, wrapped only in a linen cloth. He was seized by soldiers and fled away naked, leaving the cloth behind (Mark 14:51-52). After the Ascension of the Lord, the house of his mother, Mary, became a place where Christians gathered and a place of lodging for some of the Apostles (Acts 12:12).

Saint Mark was a very close companion of the Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29) and Barnabas. Saint Mark was at Seleucia with Paul and Barnabas, and from there he set off to the island of Cyprus, and he traversed the whole of it from east to west. In the city of Paphos, Saint Mark witnessed the blinding of the sorcerer Elymas by Saint Paul (Acts 13:6-12).

After working with the Apostle Paul, Saint Mark returned to Jerusalem, and then went to Rome with the Apostle Peter. From there, he set out for Egypt, where he established a local Church.

Saint Mark met Saint Paul in Antioch. From there he went with Saint Barnabas to Cyprus, and then he went to Egypt again, where he and Saint Peter founded many churches. Then he went to Babylon. From this city the Apostle Peter sent an Epistle to the Christians of Asia Minor, in which he calls Saint Mark his son (1 Pet 5:13).

When the Apostle Paul came to Rome in chains, Saint Mark was at Ephesus, where Saint Timothy (January 22) was bishop. Saint Mark went with him to Rome. There he also wrote his holy Gospel (ca. 62-63).

From Rome Saint Mark traveled to Egypt. In Alexandria he started a Christian school, which later produced such famous Fathers and teachers of the Church as Clement of Alexandria, Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (October 5), Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos (November 5), and others. Zealous for Church services, Saint Mark composed a Liturgy for the Christians of Alexandria.

Saint Mark preached the Gospel in the inner regions of Africa, and he was in Libya at Nektopolis.

During these journeys, Saint Mark was inspired by the Holy Spirit to go again to Alexandria and confront the pagans. There he visited the home of Ananias, and healed his crippled hand. The dignitary happily took him in, listened to his words, and received Baptism.

Following the example of Ananias, many of the inhabitants of that part of the city where he lived were also baptized. This roused the enmity of the pagans, and they wanted to kill Saint Mark. Having learned of this, Saint Mark made Ananias a bishop, and the three Christians Malchos, Sabinos, and Kerdinos were ordained presbyters to provide the church with leadership after his death.

The pagans seized Saint Mark when he was serving the Liturgy. They beat him, dragged him through the streets and threw him in prison. There Saint Mark was granted a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who strengthened him before his sufferings. On the following day, the angry crowd again dragged the saint through the streets to the courtroom, but along the way Saint Mark died saying, “Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”

The pagans wanted to burn the saint’s body, but when they lit the fire, everything grew dark, thunder crashed, and there was an earthquake. The pagans fled in terror, and Christians took up the body of Saint Mark and buried it in a stone crypt. This was on April 4, 63. The Church celebrates his memory on April 25.

In the year 310, a church was built over the relics of Saint Mark. In 820, when the Moslem Arabs had established their rule in Egypt and oppressed the Christian Church, the relics of Saint Mark were transferred to Venice and placed in the church named for him.

In the ancient iconographic tradition, which adopted symbols for the holy Evangelists borrowed from the vision of Saint John the Theologian (Rev 4:7) and the prophecy of Ezekiel (Ez. 1:10), the holy Evangelist Mark is represented by a lion, symbolizing the might and royal dignity of Christ (Rev 5:5).

Saint Mark wrote his Gospel for Gentile Christians, emphasizing the words and deeds of the Savior which reveal His divine Power. Many aspects of his account can be explained by his closeness to Saint Peter. The ancient writers say that the Gospel of Mark is a concise record of Saint Peter’s preaching.

One of the central theological themes in the Gospel of Saint Mark is the power of God to achieve what is humanly impossible. The Apostles performed remarkable miracles with Christ (Mark 16:20) and the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11) working through them. His disciples were told to go into the world and preach the Gospel to all creatures (Mark 13:10, 16:15), which is what they did.

ST ANIANUS SECOND BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA (86)

Anianus was a cobbler who was the first person St. Mark won to Christianity after arriving in Alexandria. Having stopped for Anianus to repair his sandal, Mark took the opportunity to preach the Gospel of Christianity to him after Anianus exclaimed, "Heis ho Theos" ("God is one") when he cut himself making the repair.[1] Having shown himself a believer in monotheism, Anianus invited Mark to his home where he taught Anianus' family the Gospel, baptized all of them, and then quickly converted many of the local people.

Before he temporarily left Alexandria, Mark ordained Anianus a bishop, three presbyters, and seven deacons and charged them with overseeing the church in the area in his absence. After Mark's martyrdom, Anianus succeeded him and led the church in Alexandria for the next fourteen years, ordaining new priests and deacons for the growing church.

St. Anianus died peacefully in the year 82 and was buried next to St. Mark at the church in Bucalis.

ACTS 2:22-36

22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know- 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.' 29 Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." ' 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

MARK 6:7-13

7 And He called the twelve to Himself and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts- 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 Also, He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

[forfamily]

From a young age, Bianca had learned not to trust in the fairytales her grandfather read to her at night. Oh, she enjoyed them well enough, as all little girls did, the tales of princesses and dragons and brave knights. But she had already had enough life experience to know that if you were a princess, you couldn't just wait for the knight to rescue you- you had to save yourself.

So at eighteen, when Dario Zeppeli, the Old Lion, decided to retire and hand over the crown to his granddaughter, Bianca knew she couldn't ask for help. Not when people they thought they could trust decided to go and use the shift in power to their own advantage. So she did what any princess would do in that situation when all eyes were on her, waiting to see if she would rise or fall:

She made herself the motherfucking Queen.

When girls her age were debuting in society with their pretty white gowns and a string of pearls, she was digging graves and washing blood from her hair. She should have been going off to university to further her education, exploring the world, and falling in love- instead, she was reforming an empire, moving pawn pieces where she needed them to be, where they would be the most effective, bringing the Zeppeli Famiglia into a new age.

It had been fifteen years since Bianca Zeppeli took up the mantle of Baroness.

She was now taking a knee at the feet of a teenager who looked like he belonged painted up on the ceiling of a church somewhere. Oh, not that Giorno Giovana was new to her. She had a vague idea of his reputation... especially as of late. He was younger than even she had been on her ascension; she was impressed.

Her smaller hand took up his larger one and she pressed her lips against his fingers. Her dark eyes slid upward, meeting his gaze, and very slightly, the corners of her mouth turned upward in a smile. Then she was standing, falling into line with the other Dons of Naples who all looked like they ate something sour. Her expression remained serene.

@praeteritus-memories

[nishihii]

My mom wants to go as Lady Maria for Halloween and I still haven’t even gotten started on the Bloodborne lore and she wants to know about it what do I do 💀 (btw I’ve watched like two playthroughs and read the first comic and still know only that there were two schools 😭💀)

1. that is really cool and 2. holy shit thats tough jssgsgsg

im not sure if you mean she wants to know ALL of the bloodborne lore or just maria lore? i can sum up maria's lore very easily but the entire lore of the game thing is bound to have mistakes in it jsgshssh

but uhhh the MAIN story is a college of students and professors who strive to ascend discover catacombs of the gods underneath the college building, discover the healing blood and establish the healing church. the blood, however, is addicting and turns people into beasts. they take care of these beasts via hunters. the beast problem becomes more prominent with time and so the official church hunters are established, many commoners are also hired to participate in the hunts. all the while the vicar of the church and his comrades are attempting to contact a god (ascension never stops being a goal of theirs, its why everything happens) and uhh one of them gets sucked into a dream made by said god as a pact. the vicar clearly has to do something for the god but we dont know what. something with babies probably. (its complicated) (also the old part of the city of yharnam gets burnt down bc of the beast scourge but i cannot recall when this happens in the timeline) there is this thing called the choir that gets established (their goal is ascension who could have guessed). they find a god from the previously mentioned catacombs who is friendly and gives them her blood and thats epic and cool. anyways they experiment on a bunch of orphans. there is a school fromed from the choir called the school of mensis which eventually gets split from the church. why? different ways of wanting to reach ascension basically. the timeline of mensis happenings isnt really clear at all + i really need to refresh my memory of it- so sorry i cant explain this part properly. 😔 anyways they get sucked into a nightmare made by a god baby. they did this by performing a ritual and that ritual fucks everything up!!! a woman who managed to ascend into a god hides this so the world seems normal to everyone. so uh, this is where the player character, our hunter comes in. they have a sickness and come to yharnam to be healed via their epic blood, get transported to the dream where the vicar's comrade STILL resides. they kill a bunch of beasts, slowly uncover the weird shit going on in yharnam and why its going on- they kill the god hiding the effects of the ritual and then get inside the nightmare that mensis got themselves into. kills the main guy and silences the baby's cries. they come back to the dream and the house is burning down. they fight the guy in there and then god comes down to make them take his place, but she gets repulsed by the hunter because they've crushed 3 umbilical cords (still trying to figure out why she gets REPULSED of all things?). the hunter kills god and becomes a baby god. we dont know what this means for the dream or the world. you decide. the end

you will notice i didnt include the story of the old hunters- it's very important to understanding bloodborne's story and why things are happening but again this is a TL;DR. a long one but what else do you expect from bloodborne

[judjira]

remember me (preview)

AN: so everyone voted on god au from the poll earlier, here's an early preview ! it's meant to be one big oneshot, and the premise is that they're all gods of a certain domain ! this is a very big brain oneshot and i'm really taking my time writing it, so hope this is enough to tide y'all over for now ! feel free to ask questions bc im rly excited abt this au !!!

pairing: dahyo god au wc: 1858

Jihyo finds the shrine at the base of the mountain, among the trees that make up the great forest that surround the earth.

If it can be called a shrine.

All it is, is a small set of rocks piled up to around knee height, by the base of an easily missed oak tree. There are a great many bushes that surround the clearing it is in, barely stretching up to ten feet. Moss has formed over its stones, blending it into the grass around it, making it almost impossible to see.

It would have avoided her attention, were it not for the barest bit of divinity faintly emanating from the rocks.

Pitiful, is what it is.

Shrines, temples, churches, they should be significant, great, and larger than life. Humans use them as places of worship, after all. Offerings, rituals, masses should have hallowed grounds worthy enough for their presence. The greater the god, the greater the place of worship. Or maybe it’s the other way around?

Granted, it isn’t like gods have any control over whatever places of worship are erected in their names, but it is an indicator of the quality of worship they receive, which is very important to deities seeking any chance of ascension. And these days, it’s all anyone’s looking for, a chance at the hallowed seats of the heavens above.

This, however, is just tragic.

Jihyo crouches down by the stones, hand reaching out to feel the shrine.

What kind of god lives here? She seeks that answer, closing her eyes and feeling out their power.

Miniscule as it is, divinity is present. But its identity, its meaning, its purpose…it’s not even recognizable.

But she gets images. Feelings. Sensations.

The taste of your favorite food from childhood, and the flashes of simpler times that come with it.

The childhood stuffed toy you once cherished, now given away to provide comfort to others.

The scent of your grandmother's cooking, and the memories of the time you spent with her.

Jihyo opens her eyes.

Gods always provoke some sort of feeling from others, indications and symbols of the domain they held precedence over. It’s how each of them identify one another. A god can always tell the presence, and usually domain, of another through the emotions that are evoked.

Trivial, is what they are.

Things of barely any consequence, no ramifications in the grander scheme of the world, no importance whatsoever to one’s daily life. They’re human sensations, but Jihyo feels them in full force. Even then, they seem pointless to her.

But it does elicit from her a sense of…nostalgia, she supposes.

What an odd feeling to instill in others.

“Oh!”

Jihyo turns from where she’s crouched on the ground, to see a woman standing a ways away from her, by the edge of the small clearing the shrine is in.

“Are you offering too?”

The woman is wearing a simple traveler’s cloak, standing at just a bit taller than Jihyo. What little Jihyo can see of her face, half-obscured by the hood over her head, is pale skin, faint wrinkles, and thin lips.

A wry smile comes onto Jihyo’s face.

“Not quite.” With a cock of her head, the woman steps forward, closer to Jihyo. In her hands is a small bound book, clutched to her chest. Her form is slightly slouched, a certain lackadaisical nature about her.

“That’s quite alright. At least she’s getting visitors.”

The woman walks closer, until she’s right next to Jihyo, crouching downwards as she places the book by the shrine. The action grabs Jihyo’s attention. So, this goddess does have worshippers. It wouldn’t have been surprising to her if this woman was one of the only worshippers this god had, if not the only.

“Whose shrine is this?” The question should be rather scathing. After all, gods are rather territorial with their holy grounds. The goddess of the mountain shouldn’t be taking too kindly to another god’s shrine being placed right at the boundary of her land.

Instead, it’s more curious than anything. Jihyo’s never been too keen on antagonizing other gods, after all. Much less their worshippers.

The woman hums, putting her hands together in silent prayer.

Jihyo lets her, sitting quietly as the woman prays. This close to her, she gets a glimpse of the upper half of her face, soft and elderly features lightly scrunched together in focus. The respect this woman has for this goddess…it’s admirable. Maybe there’s more to this god than Jihyo initially thought.

She opens her eyes, turning to Jihyo’s direction.

“She doesn’t have a name.”

Jihyo raises an eyebrow. A goddess without a name? No wonder this is how her shrine looks like. How can she be properly worshipped with no name for humans to call?

“Who worships her?”

A wistful smile comes onto the woman’s face, eyes fixed on the shrine. It’s the sort of wistfulness that can only be seen in those that have lost something, or someone.

“It’s just me now.”

The pity washes over Jihyo. To be forgotten is the worst fate for any god.

“But…I think she wouldn’t have it any other way.” There’s amusement in the woman’s voice, a chuckle on the tip of her tongue.

“What do you mean?

The woman takes out what looks to be a rag, torn at the edges and slightly dirty, and begins to wipe at the stones, smile never straying from her face. She drags the rag over the mossy parts of the stone, taking out most of the dirt. The care with which she cleans only uplifts her in Jihyo’s vision.

“You see, that’s her domain.”

A warm, cozy feeling fills Jihyo’s chest. It’s nostalgia, sentiment, reminiscence.

“She is the goddess of lost things. Of forgotten songs. Of old memories.”

A goddess of lost things with no name.

Jihyo has never heard of her before. But then, gods can rise from the deepest and darkest parts of the human consciousness. The shrine makes sense now. So does her single follower. To be a goddess of lost things…what would you be able to do for your worshippers?

“I see…her boons must be substantial for you to still pray and offer to her.”

The woman shakes her head.

“She doesn’t grant me any boons.”

Jihyo frowns. “Then why do you worship her?”

Surely, there must be some reason as to why this woman worships a goddess who, by all means, should have been forgotten already? Otherwise, what would be the purpose of her visit? This forest is vast, easy to get lost in, and the journey here is treacherous, with creatures of all sorts wandering its dark corners. It’s part of the reason why the worshippers of the mountain goddess that brave the trek to her temple at the peak are renowned for their devotion.

And yet this woman, as elderly as she is, has endured a grueling journey just to pray to a goddess with no name.

“I have seen…many things in my life.”

The woman sighs, and years weigh upon her, a gentle ache to her bones that even Jihyo can feel.

“I have forgotten twice as much as I’ve seen.”

And yet that weight upon her shoulders seems to give her an air of freedom that Jihyo’s only ever seen on the most free-spirited of children.

“The goddess…she reminds me of the things that I’ve forgotten.”

The elderly woman shrugs, a light-hearted laugh coming to her easily.

“That’s all I need to worship her, really.”

Then, she looks at Jihyo as she smiles, full and free.

“It’s also because I don’t want her to be lonely.”

Jihyo notes her smile, wrinkles curling up in her cheeks, crow’s feet glinting in the light of the midday sun, and teeth shining as if she knows something Jihyo doesn’t.

She turns her attention back to the stone shrine, a symbol of things that have been lost to time, space, and memory.

Humans are fickle creatures, she thinks. Her understanding of them will never truly be complete, they’re too unique in their individuality to actually form a concrete definition that captures all of their traits.

The gods are an example of this. They only exist due to the worship of humans, after all. It could be said that the gods are human nature at its finest, and their inclination towards assigning a sense of divinity to the most mundane of things, regardless of how meaningless they are towards human survival.

Like lost things. Like forgotten songs. Like old memories.

“You…what is your name?”

The woman turns to her, and despite her age, Jihyo can see her as sprightful as a child, whimsical joy in her smile as she prays to a goddess that embodies human nature at its finest.

“My name is Dahyun.”

Dahyun. Jihyo tests the name on her tongue. It’s nice.

“Have a safe journey home, Dahyun.”

Dahyun bows her head. Jihyo stands, somewhat contented with the answers she’s received.

“And what’s your name, kind stranger?”

She pauses, just at the edge of the clearing. Her gaze turns skyward, to the peak of the mountain that lays just next to them. Then, she smiles at Dahyun.

“My name is Jihyo.”

The recognition in Dahyun’s eyes is the last thing Jihyo sees before her presence fades, returning to the temple at the peak of the mountain.

The temple of the mountain goddess.

The temple of the goddess of limitless potential, of unending potential, of remarkable talent.

Jihyo’s temple.

There, she watches as her worshippers pray to her, abstaining from food and drink for hours on end, offerings stacking up in piles of gold and jewelry, rituals that echo from the top of the mountain all the way down to its base. As the goddess of the mountain, she should be satisfied with these things that are granted to her, her domain powerful and all-encompassing.

And yet, all she can think of is an elderly woman who offered a book, prayed silently for nary but a moment, and cleaned a shrine.

Jihyo grants Dahyun safe passage through the forest, through her domain, and back to her home. All for her resolve, for her devotion to that which is lost.

At the end of it, by the edge of the forest, still miles away from the nearest civilization but well out of danger’s way, she sees Dahyun stop by one of her shrines at the edge of the forest, the beginning of the path where devotees to Jihyo’s name begin their pilgrimage to the top of the mountain.

Dahyun prays, and Jihyo hears.

“Thank you for keeping this old woman company, my Lady. I have nothing to offer but my gratitude and a little upkeep.”

With that, Dahyun takes out her small, dirty rag, and begins to wipe the accumulated grime and muck off of Jihyo’s shrine, a bronze statue of her figure atop a mountain.

It’s the best offering she’s received today.

Once she’s finished, Dahyun tucks away her rag, bows once more, and begins the long and arduous trek home.

It is the first and the last time Jihyo sees Dahyun.

At least, for this lifetime.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.26

Holidays

Battle of Pinhincha Day (Ecuador)

Bob Day

Boulder Day (Republic of Molossia)

Carb Day

Crown Prince’s Day (Denmark)

Drool Day

Dzien Matki (a.k.a. Mother's Day; Poland)

Feast of VooDoo Economics

Go Barefoot Around the House Day

Grey Day

Independent Artist Day

Mother’s Day (Poland)

National Death Busters Day

National EMS Recognition Day

National Grey Day

National Paper Airplane Day

National Poppy Day

National Ranboo Day

National Sorry Day (a.k.a. National Day of Healing; Australia)

National Wig Out Day

National Work From Home Day

Oat Grass Day (French Republic)

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day (Hawaii)

Sally Ride Day

Starfleet Remembrance Day (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

Windmill Day (Netherlands)

World Dracula Day

World Lindy Hop Day

World Orienteering Day

World Product Day

World Redhead Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Blueberry Cheesecake Day

National Cherry Dessert Day

World Sherry Day

4th & Last Friday in May

Ascension Friday (Belgium)

Bermuda Day [Last Friday]

Don't Fry Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

European Neighbours’ Day [Last Friday]

Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival begins [Last Friday, thru Sunday]

Heat Safety Awareness Day [4th Friday]

National Cooler Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Death Busters Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Heat Awareness Day [Last Friday]

National Polka Festival begins (Ennis, Texas) [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Road Trip Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Wig Out Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

Portland Rose Festival begins (Oregon) Friday in late May; thru June 26]

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day (Western Australia) [Last Friday]

Trader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Day [Last Friday]

Title Track Day [4th Friday]

Independence Days

Erenian Republic (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Georgia (from Russia, 1918)

Guyana (from UK, 1966)

Molossia (f.k.a. the Grand Republic of Vuldstein; Declared; 1977) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Augustine of Canterbury (Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodox)

August Kopisch (Artology)

Buddha Day (Buddhism)

Doc Owl (Muppetism)

Dorothea Lange (Artology)

Eleuterus, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Festival of the Valley (Ancient Egypt)

Lambert of Vence (Christian; Saint)

Lemminkainen’s Day (Pagan)

Lenny Bruce Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

St. Monica (Positivist; Saint)

Oduvald (Christian; Saint)

Peter Sanz  (Christian; One of Martyr Saints of China)

Philip Neri (Christian; Saint)

Philippe de Champaigne (Artology)

Quadratus of Athens (Christian; Saint)

Shavuot (Judaism) [6 Sivan] (a.k.a. …

Feast of the Harvest

Feast of Weeks

Festival of Weeks

First-Fruit festival

Wheat Harvest

Thargelia (Birthday Festival of Apollo & Artemis; Ancient Greece)

Totally Random Day (Pastafarian)

World Hunger Day (Pastafarian)

Zachary, Bishop of Vienne (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Premieres

Absolutely Free, by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (Album; 1968)

American Pie, by Don McLean (Song; 1971)

Avengers Assemble (Animated TV Series; 2013)

Beatlemania! (Broadway Musical Tribute; 1977)

Big Jake (Film; 1971)

Buddy of the Apes (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Caspar (Animated Film; 1995)

Dracula, by Bram Stoker (Novel; 1897)

Flying Home, recorded by Lionel Hampton (Song; 1937)

Games People Play, by Eric Berne (Self-Help Book; 1966)

God’s Men, by Pearl S. Buck (Novel; 1951)

Johnny Mnemonic (Film; 1995)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (Animated Film; 2011)

Mad Love (Film; 1995)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Film; 2017)

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, by The Beatles (Album; 1967)

Sourcery, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1988) [Discworld #5]

The Whole Truth and Nothing But, by Hedda Hopper (Memoir; 1963)

X-Men: The Last Stand (Film; 2006)

Yellow Submarine, recorded by The Beatles (Song; 1966)

Today’s Name Days

Alwin, Philipp (Austria)

Anamarija, Filip, Zdenko (Croatia)

Filip (Czech Republic)

Beda (Denmark)

Miina, Minna, Valme, Valmi, Vella, Velli, Vilma, Vilme (Estonia)

Miina, Mimmi, Minna, Minni, Vilhelmiina, Vilma (Finland)

Bérenger (France)

Marianne, Philipp (Germany)

Alfaios, Karpos, Sinesios (Greece)

Evelin, Fülöp (Hungary)

Filippo, Pellegrino (Italy)

Eduards, Edvards, Varis (Latvia)

Algimantas, Eduardas, Milvydė, Vilhelmina (Lithuania)

Annbjørg, Annlaug (Norway)

Beda, Filip, Marianna, Paulina, Więcemił, Wilhelmina (Poland)

Carp (România)

Dušan (Slovakia)

Felipe, Mariana (Spain)

Vilhelmina, Vilma (Sweden)

Felipe, Flip, Phil, Philip, Philippa, Phillip (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 146 of 2024; 219 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 21 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 8 (Jia-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 6 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 6 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 25 Bīja; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 13 May 2023

Moon: 42%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 6 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Monica]

Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 68 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 6 of 32)

[anastpaul]

OCTAVE DAY of the ASCENSION, Our Lady the Nea/New Church of the Virgin Mary, built by the Emperor Justinian the Good, Jerusalem (530), St Pope Gregory VII and Memorials of the Saints - 25 May

OCTAVE DAY of the ASCENSION DAY VII of the PENTECOST NOVENA Our Lady the Nea/New Church of the Virgin Mary or New Church of St Mary, Mother of God, built by the Emperor Justinian the Good, Jerusalem (530) – 25…

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

18th May >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Thursday before Ascension Sunday 

or

Saint John I, Pope, Martyr

or

The Ascension of the Lord.

Thursday before Ascension Sunday 

(Liturgical Colour: White: A (1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 18:1-8 Paul lodged with them and worked, and held debates in the synagogues.

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, where he met a Jew called Aquila whose family came from Pontus. He and his wife Priscilla had recently left Italy because an edict of Claudius had expelled all the Jews from Rome. Paul went to visit them, and when he found they were tentmakers, of the same trade as himself, he lodged with them, and they worked together. Every sabbath he used to hold debates in the synagogues, trying to convert Jews as well as Greeks. After Silas and Timothy had arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to preaching, declaring to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. When they turned against him and started to insult him, he took his cloak and shook it out in front of them, saying, ‘Your blood be on your own heads; from now on I can go to the pagans with a clear conscience.’ Then he left the synagogue and moved to the house next door that belonged to a worshipper of God called Justus. Crispus, president of the synagogue, and his whole household, all became believers in the Lord. A great many Corinthians who had heard him became believers and were baptised.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 97(98):1-4

R/ The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations. or R/ Alleluia!

Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation.

R/ The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations. or R/ Alleluia!

The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.

R/ The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations. or R/ Alleluia!

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy.

R/ The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations. or R/ Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation Romans 6:9

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. Alleluia!

Or: cf. John 14:18

Alleluia, alleluia! I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I go, but I will come back to you, and your hearts will be full of joy. Alleluia!

Gospel John 16:16-20 You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again.’

Then some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean, “In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again” and, “I am going to the Father”? What is this “short time”? We do not know what he means.’ Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said, ‘You are asking one another what I meant by saying: In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again.

‘I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

--------------------------

Saint John I, Pope, Martyr 

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A(1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Thursday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Apocalypse 3:14,20-22 If one of you hears me calling, I will come in to share his meal.

I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: ‘‘Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea and say, “Here is the message of the Amen, the faithful, the true witness, the ultimate source of God’s creation: Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 22(23):1-3a,4-6

R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Gospel Acclamation John 15:1

Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 22:24-30 I confer a kingdom on you, just as the Father conferred one on me.

A dispute arose between the disciples about which should be reckoned the greatest, but Jesus said to them: ‘Among pagans it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. This must not happen with you. No; the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves. For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here am I among you as one who serves! ‘You are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials; and now I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father conferred one on me: you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------------------------

The Ascension of the Lord

(Liturgical Colour: White: A(1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11 Jesus was lifted up while they looked on.

In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’

Now having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 46(47):2-3,6-9

R/ God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or R/ Alleluia!

All peoples, clap your hands, cry to God with shouts of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear, great king over all the earth.

R/ God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or R/ Alleluia!

God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. Sing praise for God, sing praise, sing praise to our king, sing praise.

R/ God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or R/ Alleluia!

God is king of all the earth, sing praise with all your skill. God is king over the nations; God reigns on his holy throne.

R/ God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or R/ Alleluia!

Second Reading Ephesians 1:17-23 God made him sit at his right hand in heaven.

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 28:19,20

Alleluia, alleluia! Go, make disciples of all the nations. I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 Go and make disciples of all nations.

The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

The Chiffon Trenches by André Leon Talley

This book was great, but it could have been excellent with more stories, history and pictures regarding the fashion world. Not to be rude, but sometimes André complained at bit much about being a black man in fashion (activism should have been another book subject). He had such an incredible life, he met such incredible and inspiring people and honestly, if he wasn't gay he wouldn't have been as successful as he was (even truer with this sentence, page 48, "All the principals were gay, something that was understood and never discussed. In this world, there were no victims, only highoctane egos.").

What a life. What an era. For example, page 34, 70, 77, 79, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 99, 113, 114, 127, 131, 132, 133, 134, 151, 152, 161, 162, 205, 207, 212, 228, 229, 249, 262,    

I wanted more history about fashion, more history about designer, why omitting so many important ones like McQueen (even being cruel about him at page 148, he was a genius (the most beautiful masterpiece come from darkness it is well known); page 123, John Galliano wasn't the unique visionary of this era), Pucci, Valentino, Thierry Mugler, Paco Rabanne, Lanvin, ...

Why hasn't he even written a bit in French? Strange after so many French studies and living in Paris... (example at page 268)

And he should have done a book with all his photo shooting publications. It would have been a must! Because honestly, too often does he mentioned outfits or interiors without any picture to show us (shame): page 58, 59, 126, 194, 195, 214, 236, 240, 241, 248, 254, 255,

Also, one question arises: To which point is it true? (Why lie about Karl and Baptiste at page 187)?

About Andy Warhol on page 21: "With Andy, anyone could be anyone and everyone was equal - a drag queen or an heiress. At the Factory, if you were interesting, you were "in". And while he could be seen out and about at night, Andy also went to church every morning to thank God for his life, his money, and his mother." & "When Andy was in a good mood, he created small, signed pieces of art for his staff. A silkscreen print from one of his series, or a small painting, like a candy heart in lace on Valentine's Day. It was a quite generous perk.

About Karl Lagerfeld : - Page 25: "Fashion's fun and you can't really take it too seriously. Frivolity must be an integral form." - Page 53: "When I was four, I asked my mother for a valet for my birthday. I wanted my clothes prepared so I could wear anything I wanted at any time of day. At ten, I was always in hats, high collars, and neckties. I never played with other children. I read books and did drawings night and day." - Page 77: "In 1982, Karl Lagerfeld announced he was taking over as creative director of CHANEL. Paris was abuzz with the news, a beehive of intrigue and envy. Vogue wrote at the time that it was the talk of Paris; Karl Lagerfeld who was not French, going to the top of the fashion hill at CHANEL was in fact momentous. Alicia Drake said in her book The Beautiful Fall that Karl's ascension "was a black day at the house of Saint Laurent, (I don't remember this sentence btw)." - Page 100: That's one way of the story. - Page 102: So surprising that everyone is criticizing Karl when he had enough of support them financially (he even gave a house to Princess Caroline de Monaco). - Page 108: Karl's relationship with death and mourning.   - Page 113: Who is Karl's dry-cleaning? The name. - Page 114: Karl's life. - Page 115: "And I suffered in exile for a season but learned a valuable lesson: Never trust anyone close to Kaiser Karl." - Page 153 & 156: Karl and his precious gifts. - Page 162: What a generous man. - Page 163: Incredible story with André, Anna et Karl. - Page 173: Karl's regime. - Page 178: "Karl Lagerfeld did not go to Yves Saint Laurent's funeral. He sent flowers to the church, a huge arrangement of white roses, with a handwritten note: "In memory of our better days, of our youth." - Page 187: lying about Karl and Baptiste. - Page 188: Karl being tired of people abusing him. - Page 191: The last interaction between Karl and André. - Page 234: About Karl's death, "Anna Wintour called me from London. "I thought he would live forever." (Me too). - Page 235: "In my Southern Baptist culture, people visit the graves of loved ones. One summer, I faxed Karl that I had been to the grave of my father, who is buried in Roxboro, North Carolina. Amanda Harlech told me later that Karl told her, "Apparently André's spending his time running around North Carolina, visiting graves of his relatives." (Hilarious). - Page 236: "Perhaps Karl thought contemplating death was a waste of time. Truly, there was no one with a more robust schedule in all of fashion than Karl Lagerfeld. He ran three of the biggest fashion brands in the world simultaneously for decades: CHANEL, Fendi and his eponymous Lagerfeld label. And still he took on various anonymous freelance work. While other designers were driven to drink and madness and sometimes suicide by the pressures of one fashion house, Karl made it all seem so easy." (How did he do it btw). --> The book has been published after Karl's death and no word about Virginie Viard (page 235).

About John Fairchild: - Page 31: "I am the boss, and don't you ever forget it." & "I don't give a damn about clothes, I care about the people who wear them." - Page 69: "Mr. Fairchild, this genius who could make or destroy a company or a person with his brilliant sense of wordsmithing."

About Paris on page 51: "Paris offered great characters and subtle intrigues, promiscuity, drugs, scandals - a whole different world from where I had grown up. In Paris, I was always seated on the front row at the couture and ready-to-wear catwalk shows."

About Anna Wintour: - Page 85: "Anna's position as creative director was vague enough to give her both total control of the magazine and zero control, depending on whom you asked." - Page 92: "Each of these women had a strong, independent personality. By naming all three fashion directors, Anna gave each equal billing on the masthead, and each could do her own thing. It was a brilliant move, politically. The equality of their roles also reflected the fact that at Anna Wintour's Vogue, there was no hierarchy. There was Anna Wintour, and there was everyone else." - Page 93-94: The Devil Wears Prada has been confirmed that it is untrue. - Page 95: Does Anna Wintour in a way got André to get closer to Karl at the beginning? - Page 98: She is amazing in the picture. - Page 145: Why he gave his story to W and not Anna, "I had to take it to Mr. Fairchild because I knew he would read it seriously and publish it respectfully." - Page 216: Her and André about the podcast for the Met. - Page 219: "I wonder, when she goes home alone at night, is she miserable? Does she feel alone? Perhaps she doesn't allow herself to feel these things, as she clearly is a person who does not dwell on the past." (Because she doesn't have time for it). - Page 222: "Like any ruthless individual, she maintains her sangfroid at all times. She is always dashing in and out, and I do believe she is immune to anyone other than the powerful and famous people who populate the pages of Vogue." (I don't think he must take it personally).

Incredible story about Gloria von Thurn und Taxis (page 89-90).

The true about Pierre Bergé is not even a surprise (page 97).

About John Galliano: - Page 123-124: His beginning. - Page 130: "Galliano understood me and I got him. I knew his wavelength, where his inspirations came about. I'd been accused of sleeping with all the designers, but the truth is that I embrace their dreams, step inside their dreams, and become part of their dreams. I bonded with Galliano on a human level. He is a genius, a visionary, a poet. A mad poet, like Rimbaud, or Verlaine, or Baudelaire."

About Diana Vreeland: - Second picture: "At a party, when you don't feel as if you have the room at your attention, just find a seat, or a corner. Sit quietly and calmly, occupy your personal space, and people will notice you. And if the world, or party, doesn't come to you, well then it's not meant to be." - Page 207: the mention of Madame Grès.

About Gabriel Chanel: - Page 158-159: "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

About Tom Ford: - Page 212: His entire black garden in London (love it).

About Lee Radziwill: - Page 230: "X-rays showed Lee had broken her hip. She was immediately operated on and had a hip replacement. When she saw the replacement X-rays, she said, "I have a beautiful Brancusi sculpture inside me."

About Naomi Campbell: - Page 240: She and her friends don't need vista - Page 243: "Being in her entourage is like being in a film; she's larger than life, like Elizabeth Taylor." - Page 245: "If Naomi were music, she would be Saint-Saën's "The Swan," from his suite The Carnival of the Animals, or she would be Scott Joplin's "Gladiolus Rag." She has majestic drama on a professional runway, and her personal life is itself reminiscent of "Triumphal March" from the second act of Verdi's Aida. If she were a poem, it would be "Correspondences" by Baudelaire." - Page 246: "Naomi threw me a look that, if it were a poison dart, would have been a fatal blow." (Le naturel revient au galop) - Page 247: Doesn't know what mean "Éclatante!", shameful.

About Carolina Herrera: - "I always selected the dress I knew no one else would think of buying."

I like his view on love at page 63, 109 ("Sex was not on my radar. Success was."), Incredible picture at page 76, 98, fifth picture, !

Now I understand why there is a Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl (is it related to the Bass family? Anne Bass, page 89

André didn't tell us how Jacques got Aids (page 106), his debauchery.

I don't agree with those sentences: - At page 129: "CHANEL was the great designer but Dior was the name people associated with Paris couture." - At page 225: "Jackie the celebrity had stolen Ari Onassis from Lee." (Not Lee, but from Maria Calas).

I have only heard about "Le Palace", not at all "Club 7".

What about his father, because André always talks about his mother, but almost never about his father (page 198).

I'm sad to discover that I have missed the Oscar de la Renta exhibition in Paris at the Mona Bismarck Center (page 202).

I don't understand why he cut the 2019 Met Gala with Marc Jacobs' wedding (page 240 & 255ss)?

The real moral of the story is at page 257, "The real elegance took a train out of town a long time ago" by Anne Bass. She is so right. And the end of the golden age at page 263, 264, 265 about Condé Nast.

The Epilogue wasn't necessary.

Be aware, the book is a slow read, and it's mostly focus about Karl and Anna (at least for him to criticize them)

Some good quotes: - p. 4: "When I would get upset, my uncle Lewis used to say to me, "Just keep on getting up. Get up every day and just keep going." - p. 5: "I dreamed of meeting Naomi Sims and Pat Cleveland, and living a life like the ones I saw in the pages of Vogue, where bad things never happened." (Story of my life) - p. 6: "While I knew she loved me, I don't think she liked me." - p. 19: "His manerisms, his dandyisms, his snobbism were toxic to my budget but auspicious for my aspirations." (Love it) - p. 52: "We all had a certain way of being and we came together as units, little cliques of ego, glamour, and power. I was fully a part of this machine." - p. 55: "Betty Catroux loved me and accepted me for who I was, not for what I did. That was rare in fashion circles." - p. 61: "We were all on top of the world at this wedding. We felt free and there weren't even any drugs - well, at least not with any of my close friends. Maybe there was too much fine champagne." (Nice one) - p. 67: "She had opened my eyes to a reality I so badly wanted to deny." - p. 92-93: "One was expected to behave a certain way when representing Vogue. I played it cool and I behaved in an aloof, distant, somewhat disdainful manner, the way people usually conduct themselves on the front row. It's rare that you see a major editor emote." - p. 105: "My mother loved clothes, though I am not sure that she ever fully loved me." (Terrible) - p. 144: "Fashion is not an industry that lives in the past, but rather carries its past along, like a shadow, wherever it goes." - p. 196: "She, like Mrs. Vreeland, just took to her bed and waited to leave the world, with her own sense of the world internalized." - p. 199: "I do not fear death, as it was always present in my Baptist upbringing: Prepare yourself for death. We all have to die one day." - p. 203: "A person's words and deeds can make an indelible impression upon the soul. You can make a person feel loved through the simplest things in life. It's not the extravagant gifts that count. It's the thought, the gesture behind it." - p. 218: "I understand; nothing lasts forever." - p. 227: "Whatever time each of us had with her should be remembered as nothing less than a privilege." - p. 268: "When I am overwhelmed with feelings of emptiness and deep sadness, when the day begins and ebbs into dark blues, I have life-enhancing stratagems to make the day a better one."

Bonsoir.