#ESE 2019 preparation

[yawnderu]

// OPERATOR BIO: K-9 //

MAIN INFO:

Name: Jiang Zhi (蒋 智) Alias(es): K-9 Rank: Combat Medical Technician Age: 32 (as of 2024) Sexuality: Heterosexual  Native Language(s): Cantonese Other spoken language(s): English Nationality: British Eye color: Dark brown  Hair color: Black Height: 1.73CM Weight: 65KG Body Type: Lean Blood Type: O Marks: Small beauty mark beneath her left eye, a tattoo with the quote ‘’In Arduis Fidelis’’ on her left arm that runs above her elbow, a bullet wound scar on the right side of her body, above the iliac crest.

AFFILIATIONS:

British Army 

Royal Army Medical Corps 

SAS

Task Force 141

SpecGru

BACKGROUND:

GUANGZHOU, CHINA.

Welcomed to the world in 1991 by Chunhua Jiang and Junjie Zhao, Jiang grew up with nothing but pure admiration and respect for her parents, a couple consisting of an anesthesiologist and a medical translator. Despite her parents never engraving their professions into her head, Jiang displayed a keen interest in life sciences from a young age, oftentimes stealing their medical articles and documents to read in her free time. 

Wanting better life opportunities for a freshly graduated Jiang Zhi, Chunhua and Junjie made the decision to move around the United Kingdom in early 2008 before eventually settling in Hereford, England. In awe of living fairly close to one of the SAS bases and armed with a newfound interest in the Army, a then 17-year-old Jiang spent months preparing for the selection process, passing with flying colors and officially becoming part of the British Army in 2009.

From fieldcraft to how to handle a rifle, Jiang took on the challenge, eventually using her background in medicine to start her training as a Combat Medical Technician for 22 weeks, traveling around the world with a lot more maturity and interest in saving lives, aware of how crucial timing is.  

While faced with countless injuries during her service, Jiang showed utmost determination to recover and keep serving, never being one to stay still for extended periods of time, not when the sense of responsibility over her mates has been weighing her down ever since she joined the Army. 

Once the policy changes that allowed women to become members of the SAS were announced in 2018, an eager Jiang all but begged her superiors to put in a good word for her, eventually being contacted by a recruiter after anxiously applying. Despite her 9 years of experience in the Army and plenty of determination, Jiang found herself challenged by a system set up to only allow the best of the best to pass, close to giving up mid-way, she found strength to move forward in the name of the fallen soldiers she had an oath to protect. 

Despite the extensive and exhausting selection process, Jiang made history as one of the three women who have completed the six-month course, celebrated in 2019 by her parents and the extensive group of soldiers she managed to befriend during her time serving. Interrupted by a ringing phone, Jiang heard of the name John Price for the first time, called for what would be her first mission with the SAS after a number of multiple terrorist attacks in Central London.

Working along Kyle ‘’Gaz’’ Garrick and John Price, Jiang proved herself to the war-hardened Captain by providing cover and patching up injured hostages and soldiers, eventually being hand-picked by Price himself a month later, once Task Force 141 formed. 

“Y’can’t heal others if you’re falling apart yourself.” Within the 141, Jiang found someone who could always tell how hard she was on herself, how much harder she worked to ensure no one would ever die at her hands again, oftentimes only being able to sleep after working her fingers to the bone.

Her relationship with Simon was surprising to even herself, oftentimes finding the quiet man in her office doing his own paperwork or offering to get her a cuppa whenever she seemed stressed, despite knowing her preference for coffee. 

Despite how witty she can be, her relationship with the 141 was based on mutual trust and shared understanding despite it all, knowing that every single member is needed to keep each other alive and make things work. 

In late November, Jiang’s skills and knowledge were put to test as a gravely injured John ‘’Soap’’ MacTavish was brought to her, panic quickly setting in the moment she saw the bullet wound leaking out blood from his head like a broken faucet, quickly rushing into surgery and defying the odds against them, managing to save his life as the base of his brain and spinal cord being completely untouched by Makarov’s bullet, allowing him to be part of the 10% of people who have survived a headshot after a 12-hour-long surgery. Jiang’s body collapsed the moment Johnny was stabilized, a build-up of stress and disappearing adrenaline quickly catching up to her, only being held up by Simon, who was present during surgery and helping her with minor medical assistance for his injured mate.

Her first sexual encounter with Simon happens the day after, an extremely stressed and tired Jiang asking him to lay with her when he comes to check up on her, his resolve tested the moment he accepts her offer and feels her cuddle up to him, acting like a painfully fitting piece against his body. Clothes were discarded not even minutes later, hungry lips meeting as their hands desperately grasped for anything they could touch, quickly escalating into Jiang sitting on Simon’s face while he masturbated, the first sexual contact in years for both of them, yet a memorable one at that. 

Lines were blurred after the events of that day, eventually starting a not so secret relationship with the Lieutenant.

PREFERENCES:

Clothing style: Long pencil skirts, turtlenecks, sweatpants, Simon’s shirts. Favourite song: Bauhaus - Passion of Lovers  Favourite book: The Woman in Black - Susan Hill Favourite smell: Latex Favourite drink: Black coffee

TRIVIA/FUN FACTS:

Jiang renounced her Chinese citizenship at 22 years old, as the Chinese government does not allow dual citizenship. 

The tattoo ‘’In Arduis Fidelis’’ translates to ‘’Faithful in Adversity’’ and it comes from the motto of the Royal Army Medical Corps, remaining as a permanent placeholder of a Medic armband, and being a representation of her commitment to being a Medic.

Jiang never had an interest in dating, only briefly accepting someone’s proposal in high school to see what it was like— and quickly realizing it wasn’t for her. Due to this and her close relationship with her best friend, her parents thought she was a lesbian until she brought Simon home.

Jiang smokes a lot, easily running through a pack of Marlboro Gold within a day and a half. 

She’s surprisingly good at picking up accents, usually heard speaking in a painfully thick Birmingham accent, much to the dismay of the entire 141.

She has a pet octopus named 親愛的 (chān oi dik), meaning ''darling'' in Cantonese.

Despite not being extremely religious, Jiang and her family are Catholics.

She’s usually seen with a pair of black half frame reading glasses.

[trashtellar]

Sofocantes Mentiras

“Hiro Hamada no llegó a ser el héroe que debió haber sido, y Miguel Rivera no volvió a casa antes del amanecer. Un par de muchachos que no se conocieron en vida, se encuentran devastados por su pasado y para dejar de ahogarse en esas memorias tendrán que firmar un trato con su propia sangre.”

[Casi todas las ilustraciones que usé en Sofocantes Mentiras, y un poco de historia detrás de esto que nadie me pregunto]

Eng:

“Hiro Hamada didn’t become the hero he was meant to be, and Miguel Rivera couldn’t get back home before the sunrise. Two boys that never met in life are devastated for their past, and to not drown in those memories they’ll have to sing a contract with their own blood”

[Almost every illustration I used in “Sofocantes Mentiras” (Suffocating Lies), and some story behind it’s progress nobody asked for]

Es el primer fanfic que he escrito. En 2018, tenía pensado contar esta historia en base a mini comics, pero quise darle la oportunidad a la escritura, ya que, jamás había intentado escribir una historia antes.

- - -

This is the first fanfic I have ever wrote. Back in 2018, I thought of telling this story through mini comics, but I wanted to give a try on writing, ´cause I have never wrote a story before.

El Juego / The Game (this is just the name of the chapters these images are from)

“Kokkuri-San, Kokkuri-San, if you are here, please move this coin”

Diseño de Kokkuri / Kokkuri’s design

Me tomé mi tiempo para retomar este proyecto, ya que en 2019 tenía trabajo y luego empecé a estudiar, pero en verano del 2020, en plena cuarentena y sin lugar a donde ir, me puse a desarrollar la historia que ya tenía pensada y hasta añadir otros personajes que no había tomado en cuenta. 

- - -

I took my time to retake this project, ´cause in 2019 I had a job and started to study, but in summer of 2020, in the middle of the quarantine and had nowhere to go, I begin to develop the story I had in mind and even add other characters I didn’t consider.

El Cuento Del Niño Músico / The Tale Of The Musician Child

El 24 de septiembre  del 2020 publiqué el prólogo en Wattpad, era corto y estaba ilustrado en dibujos de papel y lápiz. Hasta el 4 de Octubre fue que subí el primer capitulo, ilustrado con los dibujos en digital que hice en 2018.

- - -

On September 24th, 2020 i uploaded the Prologue in Wattpad, it was short and illustrated with traditional art. Until October 4th I uploaded the first chapter, illustrated with digital art I made back in 2018.

21 Minutos / 21 Minutes

Y así, (casi) cada jueves y domingo de cada semana desde Octubre hasta Diciembre, subía nuevos capítulos, algunos ilustrados, otro no… pero procuré que no faltaran capítulos.

- - -

And then, (almost) every Thursday and Sunday, every week from October to December, there was a new chapter, some illustrated, some wasn’t… but I always get to deliver every episode.

Charlas / Talks

Cómo pueden ver, en algunos capítulos no tenía algo preparado y hacía bocetos rápidos, mientras que en otros había algo como esto....

- - -

As you can see, in some chapters didn’t I had something prepared so I made quick sketches, while in others there was something like this....

Armario / Closet

Miguel está muerto y Hiro lo ve mayormente en sus sueños (al menos al principio). Este comic corto es uno de los sueños.

- - -

Miguel is dead and Hiro sees him mostly in dreams (at least at the beginning). This short comic is one of those dreams.

Como mencioné, hubieron muchos cambios en la historia que tenía pensada, y uno de esos cambios fue Megan Cruz, personaje de Grandes Héroes: La Serie. Por su apariencia semejante a Miguel, actitud amistosa y sus habilidades de detective, fue tanto un nuevo obstáculo como un nuevo aliado para Hiro en la historia. 

- - -

As I mentioned, there was a lot of changes in the story I already had, and one of those changes was Megan Cruz, character from Big Hero Six: The Series. For her similar appearance to Miguel, friendly attitude and detective skills, she become a new obstacles and as well, a new ally to Hiro in the story.

8:30 AM

The whole story is only in Spanish, so I’ll tell a “short version” of it in English… 

So, this is a “Bad En Au” where Miguel died and couldn’t save Héctor’s memory, meanwhile Hiro lost his friends and killed Callaghan. Both of them want to compensate their mistakes.

Residuos / Leftovers

Miguel’s body basically disappeared, so his family doesn’t know he’s dead and think he just escape to become a musician (just like Héctor). And Miguel is trying to get to the land of the living just to let them know he died and say “goodbye”, with the help of La Catrina (the Death) who feels remorse for his destiny.

Cita / Date

A 14 year old Hiro accidentally killed his own friends, he was so into murdering Callaghan that he didn’t notice Baymax “took care” of them, violently. Now, a 19 year old Hiro, is filled with regret and sorrow for what he did. He didn’t went to college, he doesn’t have big goals, he just wants to get out of his aunt’s home.

¿De Qué Me Perdí? / What Did I Miss?

One day, in act of boredom, Hiro plays “Kokkuri-San”, he didn’t know it’ll work but in the moment the spirit talked back to him, he knew he could communicate again with his late brother. So Kokkuri made a deal with him, “he would get to say goodbye to his brother only if he helps another lost soul to do the same” (of course Miguel)

Viejos Amigos / Old Friends

So, now Hiro’s soul is chained to some dead kid’s soul, and he mostly sees Miguel in his dreams and hears his voice when he’s awake, but as much time it takes and how emotionally close they get to each other, Miguel became more present, and this takes a lot of Hiro’s energy and sanity, to the point he decides to ends his own life. 

Sad, but, that’s the point of the story, it’s sad. Well, bittersweet because they became friends in the afterlife, so, “yay” I guess.

Nostalgia Ajena / Unaffiliated Nostalgia

Hiro (when he was alive) did help Miguel with his final purpose, he went to Santa Cecilia and found Miguel’s actual body, so his family get to know what actually happened to him. It was devastating, but it brought some peace to the Rivera family. 

Boda / Wedding

But it wasn’t the only thing Hiro did for Miguel. With the help of Megan and Marco’s support, they get to reveal that Ernesto stole Héctor’s songs and even murder him, with new evidence and the message that Miguel Rivera disappeared trying to reveal this.

8:30 PM

And THAT WASN’T THE LAST THING HE DID.

Hiro did not only ended his life because of him, but for Miguel. Miguel wouldn’t be free if he was still alive. 

He also made a deal with Kokkuri, that if he gets to make Hiro kill himself, Miguel could posses his corpse to say goodbye to his family. Miguel get to know Hiro and refuse to accomplish his part of the deal, but Hiro did it anyways.

Hiro did for Miguel what he couldn’t do for his old friends. And he KNOWS that won’t change or erase what he did in the past, but it gave him some peace at least.

23 capítulos programados para fechas especificas, para que la historia terminase el 31 de diciembre de ese mismo año. Pero no fue hasta hace unos meses (08 de Noviembre del 2022) que finalmente publiqué el epilogo, cerrando con un final un tanto agridulce pero más completo para mis perturbados niños.

- - -

23 chapters scheduled to specific dates, so the story ends in the very December 31th of that same year. But it wasn’t till some mouths ago (November 8th, 2022) that I posted the Epilogue, closing the story with a bittersweet but complete final for my unsettled bois.

Los Promos del Epilogo / The Promos for the Epilogue

Y he de admitir que no es mi mejor historia, es la primera que he escrito, cuenta con un montón de errores gramáticos, a veces cambiaba el rumbo de la historia cuando NO DEBÍA y tiene uno que otro agujero narrativo por eso, pero a pesar de ello, me enorgullece, le puse mucho esfuerzo a cada capitulo, tanto escribiéndolo como ilustrándolo.

Gracias por leer toda esta madresota.

- - -

And I have to admit that this isn’t my best story, it was the first one, filled with a ton of gramatical mistakes, sometimes I changed the way of the story even If I SHOULDN’T and it has some plot holes for it, but still, I’m proud of this, I put so much effort in every chapter, writing it and illustrating it.

Thank you for reading all this stuff.

[3terna15unshin3]

Then Because She Goes

We’re supposed to leave by half-past eight

★ Chapter 7 of 15, 5190 words

★ Matty Healy x Original Female Character

★ warnings: !!! mature content, minors please do not interact !!!, smut, oral (fem receiving), protected sex, alcohol consumption

<< 6

9 February, 2019

“I’m leaving now, to help set up. And I’m going to bring all my stuff in a bag to get ready there but please keep your phone on you because I have a feeling I’ll forget something. So I may text you in a panic to bring, like, a hairpin with you when you come. Even though I have loads of hair pins so I wouldn’t be asking for that. Anyway, please be there by quarter-past at the latest. There may be some stuff we could use help with before everyone else shows. We’ve probably got it all under control but who knows. I’ll text you.” rambled Este as she prepared to leave the hotel.

Cate and Georgia lounged on one of the two queen beds in the room they’d booked for the three of them, and listened in amusement. Este was overcome with the pressure of wanting the event she and her family had been planning for months to go perfectly. The fear of something going wrong brought out a severely frazzled version of herself, forcing Cate and Georgia to deal with the frequent babbling.

“Yes, yes, yes. You’ll be okay, darling. Off you go.” Cate insisted, ushering her out of the door.

Lugging over her backpack full of things she may need for the night, with her dress in a garment bag, Este walked the short distance to Dartmouth House from their hotel. She weaved through the building to find the room hosting the party, and her parents—Percy and Alfonso—greeted her upon entering.

“Hi, love!” Percy exclaimed, giving her daughter a hug and taking the dress she’d been holding to help find a place to put it. Este fist-bumped her dad, him quickly being called over by Florencia to help move some chairs from one table to another. Even with over four hours before the party was set to begin, the energy in the room was already chaotic.

After the hall was finally up to their high standards, Este scurried away to the private bathroom a few doors down to get dressed. Her makeup was already done, with the top half of her layered hair slicked up and the bottom half blown out into soft curls. She slipped on her long black dress, and after struggling to clasp the small buckles on her heels, she returned to the party room.

Her tense muscles began to relax as 6:30 neared and guests started to arrive. What seemed scary ended up being fine, but a bit draining, seeing plenty of friends and family Este hadn’t seen in a while (and having to catch up with the few she’d rather not see).

At 6:30 on the dot, she caught Matty walking in. The same grey trench coat she first saw him in last year was draped over top of his all black outfit, while his eyes searched the room to find Este. She made her way over.

“Hey, you.” Este said, catching him before he realised she was there. His eyebrows raised in shock and relief, a grin taking over his face.

“I’m on time, right?” He pulled her into an embrace. In heels, she was almost his height.

“You are.” she agreed, backing away and looking Matty up and down. “And dressed for the occasion.”

“With your help, of course.” Putting his hands on his hips and doing a quick spin, he showed off what clothed him for the evening. Coming back around to face her, his eyes scanned downwards at the black dress gripping Este’s body. She radiated an effortless beauty and stood with poise. The hair that usually sat messily around her temples was sleek and neatly pulled away; allowing Matty to have a full view of her face.

“You look incredible.” He said, smiling at her fondly.

Shyness spread over Este’s body language and their eyes locked for a couple of seconds, in gratitude. “So do you.”

Matty was shocked to learn that he’d be seated right next to her. He assumed he might be plonked at a random table due to his late-notice attendance, while Este sat with her family; but sitting shoulder to shoulder with her was a much better alternative and pleasant surprise. He arrived at their table, sending a quick ‘Hello’ to an already seated Cate, and introducing himself to Georgia.

When hanging his coat on the back of his chair and sitting down, he noticed a woman walk by with a familiar, yet also unfamiliar face. Looking back at Este to take note of their similarities, he put the pieces together. “Was that your mum?” Matty asked. Este nodded. He glanced over to Percy again with a small smile. “Introduce me.”

It was said more as an instruction rather than a suggestion, so Este called her over. “Ma!”

Percy’s chin turned to them in attention and smiled as she hurried over. Out of respect, Matty stood up from his chair to greet her.

“This is my friend Matty,” started Este.

He stuck his hand out for her to shake it, but she turned it down and pulled him in for a hug instead. Matty chuckled and rubbed her back graciously, then pulled away. “Her date, actually, for the night.” he corrected. Este blushed. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” Percy said, grinning. She kept her hands on his upper arms even after their embrace. “I’ve heard a ton about you. And your busy schedule—so the fact that you’re here with Este is very sweet of you.”

“Oh, of course. When she told me that Florencia wanted to invite me I was just flattered to even be thought of. Couldn’t miss it,” responded Matty.

“She’ll be happy to see you, for sure.” Her gaze met his, before walking away to greet more guests. The smile on her face was just as bright as Este’s. That’s where she must get it from, thought Matty.

“Already kissing mum’s arse. Typical.” joked Georgia, the four of them laughing and continuing to tease him as the flow of events began.

The beginning of the night was rather simple. Este was forced to leave her seat often for her handful of party responsibilities; but once dinner was served, she was able to sit and spend time with her friends. Matty was disappointed to find out that the fancy venue catered the party, after looking forward to and expecting to be trying Filipino food.

Following dessert, Florencia and José cut the cake and had their first dance. As Este observed Matty, turned around in his chair to face the dance floor, she could tell how entranced he was by the way the elderly couple held each other. There was a tenderness to their movement; and though the whole room watched in awe, the slight smile on his face and his glossy eyes led Este to assume he was a hopeless romantic. She wasn’t far off.

Luckily, when Matty was introduced to Este’s father and granddad—what he was most nervous for—he was met by two of the coolest men ever. They both shook his hand firmly, happy to hear about his unconventional career and close friendship with Este, despite their initially stern faces that eventually softened. “Are you the photographer for the night?” asked Matty, pointing out the camera hanging around Alfonso’s neck, after a couple minutes of conversation.

“Oh, yes! We’re cheap, you know, so we had to keep it in the family.” Este’s dad joked, patting and squeezing Matty’s shoulder. “Here, stand up. Anak, come on. Picture!” He backed away from them, raising the camera up to his right eye and shutting the other.

Este rolled her eyes and didn’t budge. “Dad, please.”

“Humour your father, please Este.” pried Alfonso, gesturing ‘stand up’ with his hand repeatedly.

Matty began standing up, reaching to grab Este’s hands and force her up as well. “A photo won’t hurt, love.”

“Fine,” she muttered under her breath with a sheepish grin, shuffling closer to Matty and placing her hand on his near shoulder, her arm bent behind it. Feeling him reach around to rest his on her waist, Este sunk into his side as their bodies met in the middle, both of their heads tilting towards each others’ sweetly. They both smiled wide with their teeth. Click. Alfonso gave a thumbs up.

-

The party took off once the bar opened and the DJ began her set. Georgia awkwardly gripped four vodka cranberries, trying not to spill them as she walked back to their table, before they cheersed and gulped them down. It was the first of their many drinks of the night.

A sea of white-haired aunties filled the dance floor for now, one of which being Florencia, since it was a bit early and people were busy mingling. She was yet to spot Matty, him getting lost among the other 200 guests there to see and celebrate her and her husband’s milestone. But, as she and her friends danced in a line to Achy Breaky Heart, she caught sight of him. Hurrying over, without even saying hello, she came up behind and gripped his shoulders excitedly, encouraging him to stand.

Matty, confused, stretched his neck around to see who was touching him. Flattered to learn it was the woman of the hour, he followed Florencia’s lead as she dragged him out to the group of ladies and convinced him to join them in dancing. He embarrassingly tapped his toes—flustered and in compliance—trying to replicate the simple line-dance moves that everyone else seemed to know by heart. Florencia kept him glued to her side as she called out what step would come next, the two of them laughing together.

When the song ended, Este watched her nan throw her arms around Matty, the two of them hugging briefly and then trying to converse over the loud beginning of the next song. With his hand on his chest, he thanked her for thinking to invite him, while Florencia simultaneously thanked him for coming out to celebrate. Este giggled at how obnoxious her family was. She loved it.

Matty took his seat again, the three girls’ faces plastered with amusement from the sight of him dancing. “I need another drink.”

As an hour passed, messily stacked glasses scattered their table, all of them now slightly tipsy. It brought on a chattiness between them all, so the nonstop conversation allowed the girlfriends to get to know Matty better, and vice versa. In the middle of him telling a story about his first time in Texas, Cate and Georgia exchanged a secretive set of glances and whispers; followed by the redhead suddenly scurrying away to the DJ. Matty barely realised she left, blabbering on about a guy chasing him and the band out of his house with a gun, and by the time Cate returned to her seat, his curiosity disappeared.

So, a few minutes later, when Matty heard his own song booming through the speakers, he was utterly confused. Georgia, Este, and Cate all giggled along as they got up in unison and headed for the dance floor, him finally realising it was Cate who convinced the DJ to play TOOTIME.

“Come dance!” she yelled over the lyrics, offering her hand out to him.

Matty shook his head in embarrassment, but gave in and let his feet grace the stained wooden floor again. “You guys are the worst.”

The girls danced carelessly in a circle as most of the middle-aged party guests headed back to their seats from the unfamiliar song. Matty approached, grabbing Cate’s still outstretched hand and joining in. Her hand was lightly held in his when he noticed Este’s lips mouthing the words. Not that they were particularly complicated or hard to remember, but still. It was cute, thought Matty.

For the following couple of songs, the four of them stuck around, keeping the dance floor occupied. It filled up once the DJ started playing the classics that everyone could enjoy. Majority of what she was playing had been energetic and lively; but it suddenly went quiet, and the lyrics “I want a Sunday kind of love,” were heard belting through the air.

The opening line to the Etta James song encouraged more guests to drag their significant others to the centre of the hall and slow dance. Georgia jokingly got down on one knee, asking Cate if she would ‘have this dance’, to which she agreed—before quickly forcing her to stand up before anyone got the wrong impression.

Meanwhile, Este considered taking a seat back at their table, but first, she looked over to Matty to see he was already looking at her. He offered his hand, no words needed between the two of them, and so she accepted it with a smile. He pulled her close, her right hand grasped in his, with the other around Matty’s back as his went to her hip. The space between them closed—chests pressed against each others’ and legs tangled together—as they swayed back and forth to the beat.

Matty closed his eyes to the passionate music, listening to its strings swell over top of its understated drums, with his head next to hers. Este rested her chin on his shoulder when her ears perked; suddenly hearing his quiet voice sing along.

“I want a, a love that’s on the square,” escaped his lips and into her ear. It was barely a whisper, but his close proximity allowed Este to hear it clearly.

Her eyelids fluttered shut, like his, to revel in the sound of his voice. “Can't seem to find somebody, someone to care,” she continued for him.

A smile lit up his face. “And I'm on a lonely road that leads to nowhere.” he responded, the two of them going back for a few more lines.

When they settled into silence, Este let go of his hand to hold her own around his neck. She pulled her chin away from his shoulder, repositioning her head to come face to face with him. Matty opened his eyes after feeling her move. Their noses were a mere few inches away from each other’s.

Her fingertips found the curls sitting at the nape of his neck, combing through them gently. Matty’s hair had grown quite a bit into the new year, now parted down the centre and pooling behind his ears when it wasn’t dangling in his face. He leaned back into her touch, clearly enjoying the sensation.

“Hi.” said Matty shortly, smiling with his teeth. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hello.” Este rolled her eyes at his cliché attempt at a joke. “It’s weird being this close to your mug. I can see up your nose.”

“Please don’t. I’ve got no idea what’s up there.” He scrunched it up a couple of times to squeeze a giggle out of Este. “I don’t mind being this close to your face. You have a nice one.” She could see his eyes trailing at each of her features, studying her intently. Her heartbeat elevated as she felt him fidgeting with the seam running down the side of her dress, near her hip.

“Thanks. You’ve got a good face too.” responded Este, breaking her gaze with his face and glancing down to the gold chain that dangled over the ink on his chest. He knew what he was doing, keeping the first few buttons of his top undone, she thought.

They continued to softly speak over the music. “Are you enjoying your night?” Matty asked.

“Yeah,” she answered, “I was yanking my hair out with stress leading up to it, honestly. But it’s better now, especially since you’re here. Even though I’m shocked at the fact that you are.”

“Shocked? Is it not clear that I like spending time with you?”

“Well, not that it’s not clear, but you’re so busy and I feel bad—”

“Este.” He cut her off. “I’m here. I want to be here. It’s been great. I like you and your company. Now stop worrying.” Matty assured her, meeting her eyes with his. “I’m starting to think that maybe you don’t even like me,” he joked.

She smiled at his words, embarrassed. “No need to worry about that.” Este denied. “Thank you for being here. Seriously. Since I have no idea when you’ll ever have another moment of free time this year.”

Matty chuckled, removing a hand from her waist to swipe the hair that sat down next to her neck away and behind her shoulder. His touch was slow, gentle, and slightly nervous.

“I’ll make free time for you.”

“Good.”

They heard the final lines of the song, most couples dancing around them coming to a halt slowly. Este almost pulled away, but his arms prevented her from doing so. Instead, Matty brought her in closer, now stationary, and gave her a squeeze. Her chin found its way over his shoulder again to lean her head against his and squeeze back. She felt his lips briefly press against her temple, making her stomach do flips, before he let go and backed away. The shared smiles on their faces were delicate and light.

Este hooked a couple of her fingers loosely around a few of Matty’s, dragging him back to their table behind Cate and Georgia.

“What should I request next? Chocolate?”

-

The room filled with loud popping noises as Este took down the last balloon display. Matty used his hands to collect the small clumps of rubber that accumulated beneath them. With the big lights now on, strobes off, all of the guests had left. Despite Este’s many protests, he insisted on staying back to help clean up, as the Dartmouth House events manager was very adamant on the Manansalas only booking the room until 11:30pm. The clock’s hands pointed at 11:39; so it was go time.

Once everything looked the way they found it before setting up, the few people remaining finally started to see themselves out. Este and her group of three, now practically sober from the hours passing and the frantic cleaning, went around to bid their farewells to her parents and the celebrating couple.

“You never got back to me about needing a place to stay,”

Este slung the backpack she brought to the venue over her shoulder as they prepared to take off. “Oh, don’t worry. I got a hotel just down the road with Cate and Georgia.” she clarified.

Matty slipped his coat on, looking down at his feet and shrugging. “But hotels are boring.” he mumbled.

“If you’re trying to invite me back to your place you can just ask, Matty.” Laughing at his moody demeanour, she searched his face for a smile to break. As if on cue, one crept through, first revealing itself in the crinkles next to his eyes.

“Fine. Este Manansala, would you like to come back to my house for a drink?” he asked in a sarcastically annoyed tone.

She raised her eyebrows. “Wow, the last name pronunciation was spot on,” Este said, to stall from actually answering his question; suddenly quite intimidated and apprehensive to the idea of being in his house. But, she didn’t want to turn him down; or say goodbye. So, she agreed. “I would love to.”

-

It was about a 15 minute drive to Matty’s house. And, since he had taken his car to the party, it was also the first time Este saw him drive. After he parked and walked her to the front door to enter, she pointed it out.

“I don’t know why, but for some reason it was odd to see you drive, just now. Like, you kind of give me ‘I can’t drive’ energy,” she admitted with a laugh.

Matty turned the key in the lock and pushed on the handle. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!”

Este continued to insist that it wasn’t an insult but only dug herself deeper into the hole. He liked the high pitch her voice reached when defending herself and how she always laughed in the middle of her sentences instead of waiting until they were finished.

Grabbing her jacket and throwing it onto a chair in his lounge, Matty went to the kitchen to uncork a bottle of wine. Este traced his footsteps and followed him there, hers much slower than his as she took in the sight of his space. He wasn’t exaggerating when he’d mentioned that he was the opposite of a hoarder a few months back. Few decorations filled his minimally furnished space, complimenting its brutalist design and cold concrete base. Slivers of personality still shone through in the books piled on his coffee table and art hung on his walls.

Once she was done staring, he handed one glass of red to her and kept the other in his hand. They both took a sip, turning to lean their backs on the edge of his white counter, side by side.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s very Matty.”

“Thank you,” he chuckled, silently understanding exactly what she meant. “I like seeing you here.”

Este turned her head to face him. “What do you mean?”

“Dunno. I’m just always your guest, like at Greenhouse or your flat, or whatever. It feels good to welcome you into my space, you know? Let you in. Offer you a drink.” he tried to explain.

“You should have me over more often then, so we can stop cramming into me and Cate’s tiny flat or into the shop,” Este pointed out, swallowing some more wine.

Matty stepped forward to pace around the kitchen in front of Este, who now sat atop the chill white stone with dangling feet as they conversed.

“I mean I would, if you didn’t live a two and half hour train-ride away.” he argued. “But, to be fair, Manchester is cooler than London—so I’m not even bothered by going back up there.”

“London is way cooler than Manchester, dude. You guys have everything here,”

Matty came close and rested his free hand on the counter next to Este’s. “I guess. There’s something Manchester has that London doesn’t, though. And it’s pretty tough to beat.” he said, inching his fingers so close to hers that she could feel their warmth.

She quietly hoped he couldn’t see her cheeks burning. They were so hot that Este almost reached up to feel them, but remembering her hand was millimetres from Matty’s made her shut down the instinct and freeze in place. “And what’s that?” she asked.

The glasses of wine, now the least of their concern, were set down. With both hands now free, Matty planted one on the either side of Este, confining her between his rapidly beating chest and the flat surface she sat on. She spread her legs apart so he could stand between her thighs and watched as his eyes went back and forth between her eyes and her lips.

“You.”

Este didn’t leave much time to think before closing the space in front of her, pulling Matty in by the back of his neck and pressing their lips together. His hands grabbed her waist, squeezing needily. She pulled away before anything progressed, to mumble into his mouth, “At least London has me tonight.”

Dragging her in to continue, Matty’s hands wandered up and down her back as their lips moved in sync. It was gentle—but desperate—as what they had both been wanting finally unravelled before them. Este gripped the hair she’d previously toyed with on the dance floor, having gotten the impression that he liked it.

With a couple of tugs, as she let his tongue graze hers, she heard a low groan escape Matty’s throat. They were so close that she could almost feel its vibration against her. His hands migrated downwards, coming past her arse and teasing her upper thighs. Este’s skin tingled as his thumb caressed over it through her dress.

“I didn’t bring you here just to do this, by the way,” Matty clarified, exhaling and breaking contact to catch his breath. “It wasn’t some sick plan of mine to go to your nan’s party to be able to snog you in my kitchen afterwards.” He rested his forehead on hers in the meantime.

“I know.” Their laboured breathing filled the room. “Does that mean you want me to stop?”

“God, no.”

Este knew exactly what he wanted. With hands frantically running through his hair, she kissed him again—deeply—with an open and hungry mouth, eliciting a whine. Her touch lit his skin on fire, and it felt right to Matty. Like her lips were destined to be within his. He thought about the silliness of why they hadn’t been doing it all along.

“Why have we only come round to this now?” considered Este aloud, reading his mind and finding a break to speak as Matty trailed kisses down her jaw.

“No idea.” His lips focused on the skin right below her ear, as she moaned with shyness and his hot breath tickled her peach fuzz. “We’re a couple of pussies,”

She giggled and brought him back to eye-level. Matty’s hand now cupped her face, thumb rubbing back and forth on her cheek, moving their swollen mouths against one another again. The absence of his hands on her leg made Este eager for more of him.

“Can I unzip your dress?”

After she nodded enthusiastically, he did what she granted, yanking the gold hardware down to feel her smooth skin with his palms. In a similar fashion, Matty encouraged her to unbutton his shirt. What had been unhurried and delicate soon turned ravenous, Este and Matty's craving for each other becoming clear. They didn’t even bother bringing their clothes with them before she followed him up to his room, leaving the articles scattered on the kitchen floor.

When her back landed on his wrinkled sheets, he held himself above her and studied her with admiration. He playfully made fun of her choice of knickers, sporting a pair of red boy shorts covered in pink hearts, making Este cover her face in embarrassment. Removing them to reveal her blushing complexion, Matty met his lips with hers, both of them smiling into the kiss. His hand crept down near her hip, tracing a line over her skin to the spot where he then applied pressure to her clit through the red-patterned cloth.

“Matty, please,” Este moaned into his mouth and squirmed her hips upward for extra friction. He melted at the sound of his name escaping her lips, eventually making his way down between her legs.

He kept a hand pressing on the space right below her belly button as he pulled her underwear down her legs with the other. The pressure in her lower stomach was finally satisfied when Matty used his tongue on her wetness, focusing on the bundle of nerves that made her writhe in pleasure. As she tugged on his hair, he hummed into her, and Este whined in response.

Her chest heaved up and down, increasing in speed as Matty brought her closer and closer to the edge. He could tell Este would finish if he kept at it, so he pulled away, licking a stripe up her sternum to bring himself to be eye-to-eye with her again. She rolled her eyes at the smug look on his face before crashing her lips onto his. “I was close, you fucking prick.”

“I know.” he panted with a smile, before gasping at the feeling of Este gripping him over his boxers. “Fuck,” Matty moaned and collapsed beside her onto his back.

Pulling back his waistband, she rolled onto her side to reach in, wrapping her hand around him and pumping up and down. The drop of precum right at his tip swiped under Este’s thumb while Matty whimpered into her neck. She watched the muscles beneath the tattoo on his lower stomach convulse. Deciding he deserved a taste of his own medicine, she deprived him of contact once she saw his mouth drop open and eyes flutter shut in pleasure.

They opened violently as Matty was snapped out of the trance Este sank him into. He turned his head towards her, breathing heavily. “I see how it is.”

She tugged off her bra as he slipped protection on and climbed back between her legs, finally pushing into her—his hip bones flush against her body. Este latched at the curls on the back of his head, with his face buried into her neck, moaning in unison with the sounds of skin against skin. Matty wasn’t afraid to make noise, and that turned her on.

A light-headed feeling took over Este’s mind as the sensation of him inside of her overwhelmed her. It hadn’t been this good for her in a while. She clenched around him to draw a growl out of his lips and watched his face twist with indulgence as he returned to hovering above her.

Matty bit down on his bottom lip with his teeth, eyebrows furrowed, thrusts growing messy. The previous teasing, done by Este’s hand and Matty’s mouth, made their movements quick and left them already close to finishing. “Come on, Matty.” encouraged Este, wanting to push him to his climax.

Her almost pornographic tone of voice muttering his name made Matty drive into her with harder force for his last thrusts before one final push brought him there. He came and gasped—twitching within her—and dropped to his elbows, hiding his face in her hair. “Oh my god—fucking hell, Este.”

A couple seconds of open-mouth breathing passed before he pulled out and dove downwards to bring Este to her orgasm. Matty’s talented tongue lapped firmly as he held her buckling hips down to the mattress. He felt her hands lightly pushing on the back of his head, aching for as much pressure as possible. She moaned, crying out a ‘Don’t stop,’ when Matty moaned back. The vibration and feverish mouth against her cunt brought her over the edge, clenching the sheets in her fists and letting Matty’s name fall from her lips as she came.

After the come down of her climax, he laid his head on Este’s stomach. They panted, giddy and satisfied. She reached up and wiped a bead of sweat from above her eyebrow, before feeling Matty’s flushed face with the back of her hand.

“You’re burning hot.”

“Can you blame me, darling?”

8 >>

[hafsanurbrasil]

REVISTA | Reportagem com Hafsanur Sancaktutan para a InStyle (Setembro/2019)

Nos encontramos com Hafsanur Sancaktutan, a quem assistimos na série de TV Gülperi na temporada passada, em um dia de agosto, quando a chuva se declarava outono e se recusava a parar. No final do nosso processo de preparação, felizmente, a sorte sorriu para nós e o sol apareceu quando iniciamos as filmagens na natureza fértil de Neighbourhood. Não temos dúvidas de que dias coloridos e de sucesso aguardam Hafsanur, que temos o prazer de conhecer com seu lindo rosto, físico delicado e caráter suave.

Eu sei que você começou no teatro no ensino médio, você pode me contar como os eventos se desenrolaram?

H: Sempre gostei muito de teatro. Quando soube que havia um grupo de teatro na minha escola, me envolvi imediatamente sem pensar. Eu tinha um professor que me acompanhava em todos os sentidos, o Emin Dinç. Eu o agradeço, me ajudou muito. A primeira peça que atuamos foi a peça de Bertolt Brecht chamada "Kuralla Kural Dışı". Depois foi "Otobüs Oyunları" de Sevilay Saral. Eu pude continuar no teatro por dois anos durante o ensino médio. Escolhi a graduação numérica porque queria ser engenheira aeronáutica. Eu também comecei no caratê. Então, tive que fazer uma pausa no teatro.

Parece que a engenharia aeronáutica foi arquivada, mas qual é a sua graduação no karatê?

H: Evoluí para Faixa Preta, 2º Dan e tenho muitas medalhas nas lutas que participei. Quero voltar ao caratê, mas preciso treinar para poder competir novamente.

Como a atuação veio pela primeira vez à sua mente?

H: Eu queria desde criança. “Vou ser como Natalie Portman”, disse um dia a alguém de quem gosto muito. "Você não pode ser", disse ele. Eu fiquei devastada. Naquele dia decidi mostrar as pessoas que não acreditavam em mim, que eu podia me tornar uma atriz.

O que o papel de Fidan na série Gülperi e a experiência na série acrescentaram a você?

H: Meu papel em Gülperi foi um começo para mim, eu aprendi muitas coisas sobre o setor. A Fidan me mostrou o quanto eu realmente quero essa profissão.

Você pode falar sobre seu papel em Aşk Ağlatır e o processo de desenvolvimento do projeto?

H: Ada, a quem eu interpreto, é uma garota muito colorida, ambiciosa e forte, mas há obstáculos em seu caminho. Acredito que Ada superará esses obstáculos um a um porque eles são muito semelhantes aos da Hafsanur. Corri muito pelo projeto, fiquei sem dormir, mas sempre acreditei que ia acontecer. Como consegui boas curvas, corri ainda mais atrás. Foi uma estrada cansativa para mim, mas eu gosto de lutar.

Qual é o tema da série? Como podemos ver no vídeo promocional, parece fazer o público chorar.

H: Conta a história do conflito entre as consciências e os amores de jovens que migraram do campo para Istambul e tentam sobreviver por conta própria. Uma vida difícil aguarda minha personagem em Istambul. Será uma série sobre amor e amizade entre seis homens e mulheres diferentes. Não se preocupe, vai te fazer chorar, mas também te faz rir de vez em quando (risos).

Como você se preparou para o papel?

Comecei meu papel criando o histórico da personagem. Tenho algumas amigas que se parecem com Ada perto de mim e conversei muito com elas. Aprendi a perspectiva delas sobre a vida. Depois de resolver isso, me fechei para o mundo exterior e comecei a trabalhar duro.

Quais são suas expectativas para o futuro?

H: Ainda estou no começo da estrada. Meu primeiro objetivo é trabalhar duro e cumprir meu papel no Aşk Ağlatır da melhor maneira possível. Farei o meu melhor para estar entre os melhores atores no futuro. Espero conseguir atingir este objetivo. Além disso, não quero sair do teatro e quero atuar em uma peça na primeira oportunidade que tiver.

Como você acha que difere de seus colegas na atuação?

H: Acredito que cada ator tem uma aura diferente, um talento. Em primeiro lugar, há uma produção muito disciplinada, paciente e que nunca se cansa de trabalhar. Atuar é o meu sonho. E estou pronta para fazer o que for preciso para que esse sonho dure a vida toda. Sem cansar, sem entediar... Então posso dizer que meu maior diferencial é o meu trabalho duro.

Você acabou de terminar o ensino médio, que caminho está trilhando para si mesma?

H: Estou muito interessaao no corpo humano, mudanças emocionais. Quero estudar psicologia na universidade porque acho que também está relacionado à minha profissão. Estou em um período agitado e cansativo da minha vida, mas definitivamente quero ir para a universidade. É por isso que meu primeiro objetivo agora é entrar em uma universidade. Ao mesmo tempo, quero estudar atuação na Turquia e focar nisso no exterior.

Você é ambiciosa?

H: Em vez disso, acredito que o sucesso não é uma coincidência. Conquistei tudo pelo que lutei e acreditei. Mas quando me perguntam se sou ambiciosa, digo: “Tanto quanto deveria ser, sim”…

O que você está assistindo?

H: Eu não posso assistir muita TV. Adoro filmes de arte independentes, tento acompanhar os festivais o máximo que posso. Por exemplo, adoro assistir desenhos animados. O último filme que assisti no cinema foi 'O Ritual'. Também tem produções que assisto nas plataformas digitais. O conteúdo da Netflix, especialmente 'Mindhunter', é um dos meus favoritos ultimamente. Não posso deixar de mencionar 'Peaky Blinders', que é uma das minhas séries de TV favoritas.

Quais são seus hobbies? O que você faz nas horas vagas do trabalho?

H: Eu amo dançar. Eu gosto de caminhar, pular e escalar. Também adoro ir para a cozinha e fazer sobremesa (risos).

Então, que sobremesas você está fazendo?

H: Adoro fazer qualquer coisa que se adapte ao meu gosto, fico feliz em tentar. Meu favorito recente é Cheesecake de San Sebastian (risos).

Que tipo de criança você era?

H: Eu era como um menino corajoso que nunca descia do alto das árvores, nunca tinha medo de nada. Eu não me dava muito bem com meus colegas. Minha família finalmente encontrou a solução quando me matriculou no caratê. Pratiquei caratê profissional por sete anos. Ainda tenho um pouco dessa Hafsa dentro de mim (risos)

Você se lembra do primeiro filme que assistiu?

H: Não me lembro do primeiro filme que assisti mas Cisne Negro foi o filme que voltei a ver quando criança, por influência dele.

Como você está com moda e compras?

H: Como toda mulher, tento segui-lo o máximo possível. Mas não gosto de comprar e usar uma peça só por moda.

Qual foi a última coisa que você comprou para você?

H: Comprei tênis.

Tradução e revisão: Hafsanur Brasil

[ka1rosnan]

꧁-Tienes hambre ahora-꧂

1 jul 2019

Lee por favor : Santiago 2:14-18

El evangelio en un año: Hechos 10:24-48

--Hermanos míos, ¿de qué aprovechará si alguno dice que tiene fe, y no tiene obras?… (v. 14).--

No dejemos para mañana lo que podamos hacer hoy, y es que hay tanta necesidad en las personas hoy en dia que es menester prepararnos para empezar y cuando decimos prepararnos es eso -prepararnos- en lo físico, material pero sobre todo espiritualmente...mira a tu alrededor, quiza haya personas entre tu familia que son prosperadas, que pareciera que no necesitan nada, esas personas te necesitan para que les prediques a Cristo hoy, necesitan saber y estar consientes de que quiza son presas de la vanidad, de la altivez y/o del orgullo, debemos ir a aquellos que dicen "yo estoy bien" o de aquellos que piensan " no necesito a Cristo" sin descuidar a aquellos que ya reconocieron su situación pecaminosa, preparate!, levantate!, bautizate y quita también de ti esas cosas que estorban a tu llamado, quita falsos prejuicios, tu llamado es morir y resucitar por medio del bautismo para dejar enterradas las bajas pasiones, las falsas tradiciones, los malos hábitos y todo aquello que estorba y que el diablo pone delante de ti para que no crezcas espiritualmente...esa es la meta hoy en este inicio de semana, que tengas un grande y bendecido día...

--Señor, guía mis pasos para ayudar ahora mismo.--

-¿Qué necesidades te conmueven?

¿Qué puedes hacer para ayudar a los demás, aunque parezca insignificante?-

te invito a leer la reflexión completa y otras más en nuestro sitio:

https://iglesiakayros.es.tl/

y redes sociales, gracias, shalom!

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[theart2rock]

Godiva & Requiem & Uncaved

Lang ist's her, seit wir Requiem bei uns in der Met-Bar begrüssen durften. Nun ist es endlich wieder soweit und sie heizen für die Symphonic Death Metaller von Godiva ein! Special Guest: Uncaved bringen am 09.08.2023 ihr Debütalbum raus und präsentieren es uns als spezielles Goodie an diesem Abend als Opener. Eintritt: 20.00 CHF Doors: 20.00 Uhr Konzertende: ca. 23.30 Uhr Der Vorverkauf läuft bis 19.00 Uhr am Konzerttag. Die restlichen Tickets werden an der Abendkasse verkauft. Reservationen nehmen wir aus organisatorischen Gründen nicht mehr entgegen. GODIVA Soon after our performance at Laurus Nobilis Music Fest Famalicão 2018, we started to wonder if there was a space for Godiva in the musical scene, and quickly found out we did not care. We wanted to be heard, no matter what. Everything that has value, takes its origin from the heart and we found that out with the new lineup: André Matos (rhythm guitar & orchestrations), Arcélio Sampaio (bass guitar), Eduardo Sinatra (drums), Ricardo Ribeiro (lead guitar) and Pedro Faria (vox & lyrics). Together we have enough heart to conquer the world, even if the world does not have space for us. A new Godiva emerged: stronger, bolder, and fearless. A prelude to what would be our next concert. Vagos Metal Fest 2019 epitomizes the spirit of this new found self. A huge risk was taken in order to create something that had not been done in Portugal until then: a metal band playing live with an orchestra! It was a terrifying ordeal, but fortune only favors the bold, right? The orchestra was built from the ground up: André Matos and Ricardo Ribeiro composed all the symphonic part of the music and we managed to miraculously gather over 30 classical musicians on stage with only three rehearsals. It was extremely hard, a challenge like no other, we had to squeeze every drop of blood in order to create something immortal. The lucky few who had the chance to witness this amazing and one of a kind show, had a first taste of Hubris - our new release. During the making of this album, we had a big goal: trying to be affirmative in a world of uncertainty, trying to be metal but taking advantage of all the experience we attained and throwing all the debris out the window, that are made to drag you down. Thus, Hubris is born as a critique of modernity, a symphony of (basic) failings of the modern man, an unwilling exploration through the psyche of the 21st century man, which we never thought would become so actual. Curiously, the concept of this album was not premeditated or prepared beforehand, it happened like a surge of inevitability that had to be born. Hubris was thought to come out in the beginning of 2020, however it became delayed, like everything this year. Hopefully, it will be released at the end of this year. Until then, we want to leave you this message: Godiva is reborn, GREATER than ever, BIGGER than ourselves, AGAINST the world. Just to make you THINK! Beware: Godiva is not going anywhere! REQUIEM Established in 1997 Swiss Death Metal Band REQUIEM has always been a strong force of unique underground music. No trends - no alignments - no compromises... UNCAVED Progressive Death Metal from Switzerland. Quelle: Met-Bar   Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel

[santiagohermeneutica]

Is it Heaven up there?

When the night has gone

And the shadows clear

When I hear my song

Will the grave be near

See what you want

‘Cause I'm the rising tide

I'm no force of god

A thousand lies

I take what I want

'Cause I'm the frightening sky

I'm a selfish man

Designed to die

But is it heaven up there?

'Cause it's hell down here

Believe in existence spent

To separate us from them

To know that your blood runs thin

Is to live with the truth within

So scrape up the bruise I wear

And eradicate all my fears

Prepare me to walk these stairs

I don't know where my future is

Is it heaven up there?

Say I've been blind

For the use of my time

Wanna be a better man

On the ground where I stand

There's something out there

Just know that I've cared

You can do this side by side

Motion with the tide

Is this heaven up there?

I know there's heaven up there

Heaven up there

En esta ocasión quisiera tomarme un tiempo para analizar una canción de la banda Palace: “Heaven up there”. De antemano establezco mi ignorancia sobre lo que es un coro o lo que es un género musical: creo que podemos hacer el trabajo interpretativo omitiendo tecnicismos pomposos que no le atribuyen nada de sustancia a mis comentarios. Asimismo, quiero establecer que esta interpretación la hago de una manera sentimental y personal. No pretendo hacer un trabajo académico.

Mi trabajo interpretativo tiene dos partes importantes. Primero voy a hacer una breve biografía de la banda y luego explicaré porqué he decidido poner unas partes de la letra de la canción en rojo y otras, la mayoría, en azul.

Palace es una banda de rock y blues alternativo londinense. Los miembros que se han mantenido juntos desde el 2012 son los siguientes: Leo Wyndham, vocalista, Rupert Turner y Matt Hodges, percusión. En el momento no tienen un bajista estable. 

Su música tiende a explorar diversas temáticas relacionadas con la vida, la muerte, dios y el amor. Generalmente los ritmos y la letra de las canciones permiten que el oyente logre tener un experiencia introspectiva, tal cual lo hacen con “heaven up there”.

“Heaven up there” hace parte de uno de sus más recientes álbumes “Life After” del 2019. Ya con el nombre podemos predecir que la mayoría de las canciones explora precisamente el después de la muerte como una pregunta existencial que nos ha perseguido a lo largo de los años como especie. No tengo muy claro si el orden de las canciones en los álbumes tiene algo que ver con las intenciones artísticas de los autores, pero sin duda quiero creer que el álbum cierra con “heaven up there” precisamente porque esta canción parece ser una conversación entre un, digamos agnóstico, y dios. La parte en azul corresponde al agnóstico y la parte roja a dios.

El principio de la canción me genera muchas preguntas. Creo que la mejor interpretación que le puedo dar es que “la noche,” “las sombras,” y “cuando escuche mi canción” puede referirse a que pasa cuando ya este cerca de mi tumba. A lo cual, dios, en un estilo un poco condescendiente e desinteresado en la duda de una de sus creaciones, le responde, muy al estilo de un Dios como el que describe Spinoza en La Ética, “no me importa, piensa lo que quieras. Soy dios todo poderoso: soy la marea que sube y baja". Y aquí creo que el agnóstico se muestra indefenso y preocupado precisamente porque no tiene dicho poder y además es un conjunto de mil mentiras: pecados, se puede asumir. Nuevamente, dios responde, “yo tomo lo que quiero.” En otras palabras, yo soy el que decide quien continua a la vida eterna, descrita por San Agustín en Civitas Dei, y quien no porque yo, dios, “soy el cielo aterrador.”  

Con el fin de no saturar al lector, de aquí en adelante prefiero concentrarme en ciertos versos que me llamen la atención para explicar mi interpretación general de la canción.

Temas como, somos mortales, seres egoístas, seres no poderosos, seres que no lo saben todo, son realidades que nos persiguen y nos hacen ser quienes somos como especie. Muchos creyentes, parecen quedarse tranquilos con su vida en el mundo material, es decir nuestro mundo (el único que conocemos con certeza) dado que si hacen lo dictado llegaran al cielo donde no serán todo lo que no nos gusta de nosotros mismos al parecer: seremos inmortales y divinos.

Empero, lo brillante de esta canción es el verso que dice “quiero ser un mejor hombre en el suelo donde estoy parado.” Es decir, quiero, a pesar de las dudas que tenga sobre el más allá, ser bueno y vivir bien en el mundo que tengo y conozco. De ahí, a pesar de las respuestas de dios al principio de la canción, el agnóstico decide creer en que si existe un cielo.

Admito que el final de la canción no me gusta. Creo que la conclusión a la que llega no es a la que yo llegaría. Si por alguna razón tuviera la oportunidad de hablar con dios y me responde de la manera como le respondieron a mi personaje ficticio, mandaría todo a quien sabe dónde y me mantendría firme sabiendo que soy mortal y lo único que importa es ser un buen ser humano y que eso sea un fin en si mismo que defina mi existencia, no un medio para llegar a una vida eterna llena de placer: NO. Sino, ser bueno porque es mi deber, sin esperar nada a cambio.

Disclamer: esta interpretación esta cargada de mensajes personales sobre mi fe y las dudas que le tengo a la existencia de dios. Creo que es importante que sepan eso y entiendan porque mi ejercicio fue de la manera como lo hice. Escuchen la canción y lleguen a sus propias conclusiones.

[iesmaster]

Get into Real Exam Mode with ESE 2020 Online Test Series

Preparation for top engineering competitive exams like Engineering Services Examination (ESE) becomes easier with proper planning and following a well-prepared preparation strategy. While preparing for ESE which is conducted by the UPSC annually, it is very important to practice not only objective questions but also conventional papers. If you are aspiring for ESE 2020, the best way to practice writing conventional tests is by taking ESE 2020 Classroom Test Series.

Here let us have a look at some of the reasons for taking ESE Classroom Test Series before appearing for the real ESE 2020.

Getting a feel of the real exam environment

ESE Prelims and Mains are conducted offline. Therefore, writing mock tests through ESE 2020 Online Test Series will enable students aspiring for ESE 2020 to get used to the actual test-taking environment. By answering conventional questions in a format similar to the real exam will allow students to get an idea about the nuances associated with ESE that is conducted by the UPSC every year. Similarly, students who cannot take the classroom test series can write ESE 2020 Online Test Series from anywhere, no matter where they are located in India. The only difference between ESE classroom test series and ESE 2020 Online Test series is that in the online test series the student needs to draw the diagram or figure shown on the screen onto the rough paper sheet before working out the solution.

Chalking out preparation strategy

The complete syllabus of ESE is divided into various sections or topics. To give your best in the real ESE exam, students need to chalk out their preparation strategy as per the syllabus of ESE. While preparing the strategy, the order should be according to the sections that would be attempt first, and the time allocation for covering those various sections. By taking multiple rounds of mock tests for ESE, you would be in a position to make an effective preparation strategy.

Determining the level of preparation

The classroom test series, as well as online test series, include questions that have appeared in exams conducted in the past. Therefore, by attempting test series, a student reinforces his learning by practising a variety of questions. The scores obtained in these mock tests enable a student to determine the level of his preparedness, know his strengths, and work upon the subjects/topics that need improvement.

Hope by now, you must have got a clear picture about the importance of mock tests before taking any real competitive exam. So engineering students from civil, mechanical, electrical, or electronics, who are aspiring for ESE 2020 can take the ESE Offline Test Series to determine their level of preparation as well as understand the ESE exam pattern. Contact IES Master Delhi help desk at 0 80100 09955, or write a mail at info@iesmaster.org to know about the upcoming batch, and other details.

[dari-ede]

In the Middle of the Night: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: “Cada noche el silencio es un mar”

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

MASTERLIST

Summary: As Bangtan prepares for a new chapter in their lives, they head to their private property in the forest for a songwriting workshop. As a songwriter and producer they have worked with for years, I’m asked to tag along. I was ready for the heavy workload and small amount of sleep during the workshop week. However, I wasn’t ready for the storm that came that changed my friendship with Namjoon forever.

Genre: Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Smut

Pairing: Idol!Namjoon x Female Reader

Rating: M (mention of sexual assault, explicit language, future explicit sexual scenes)

Status: COMPLETE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Late Summer 2019-

Malibu, California, USA

I felt like a fat lady was pressed against my chest, keeping me from properly breathing. My palms started to feel clammy. The air surrounding me was having difficulty entering my airwaves.

It had been a while since the last time I had this kind of episode. But after the shitty year I’ve been through, it made sense my body had had enough. Even if I wasn’t fully in love with my ex, hearing his last words to me and watching him leave my house with his stuff had broken something in me.

I was broken. I was in shambles. And I was alone. ....I didn’t want to feel alone.

I reached for the phone in my pocket. I was so glued to my spot that if the phone had been in any location in my house, I wouldn’t have been able to reach it. My legs would not have had the strength to take me there.

I sent a quick and short message to the person I always could lean on my aunt Jia.

Even though my emotions were out of whack, my brain still functioned enough to remind me that my Tia Jia had a busy day today. And because of this, I made the message I wrote her sound like I wanted to have a casual conversation with her. Knowing she was busy with other stuff made me feel guilty. I hated to feel like a bother—thank you, childhood trauma.

As I waited for her response, I tried to remember the methods she would use to calm me.

I took a breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. I repeated the process a few more times.

After what seemed like an eternity, I received a response from my Tia Jia, telling me she would call me once she got home. That would be hours from now.

Keeping the phone clutched in my hand, I took another breath and tried to settle down. I had managed to get myself to the living room and to the couch. I was able to regain some calmness, but I desperately wanted to talk to my tia.

I didn’t know how long I had been sitting down, but eventually, my phone rang. I was certain it was my tia. Without looking at the caller ID, I picked up, “Hey.” My voice sounded weak.

But the voice on the other end was much deeper than my Tia Jia’s. “Hey, I just finished listening to the track. Sounds great.”

“Who’s this?” I asked, confused. I looked down at the phone, then I noticed the Korean app logo on top of the call.

“Namjoon—RM,” the voice responded.

It clicked. I was cowriting a song for some friends of mine who were in a Korean group, BTS. RM was one of the members and one of the other cowriters. I sent him an email earlier today on the latest version of the track. He was simply calling me regarding it.

“Sorry,” I said.

“It’s ok,” he responded but didn’t say anything else. It was as if he was waiting, listening intently.

I wanted to hang up—I felt the need to lie about being busy and that I could call him later. But I didn’t have it in me to do so. Somehow, a part of me wanted to stay on the phone with RM. Over the years, we mainly had been colleagues. When I first met him, I developed a crush on him. However, I quickly learned how serious and private he was. Unlike most of his team members, who were more open and playful, RM was more reserved and kept a distance from people. I had always been quite the social butterfly and befriended people easily. I learned the hard way that RM took a while to break through. Today, after many years, I could confidently say we were friends. And I knew that’s what I needed right now: a friend. Someone to ground me.

After several long moments of silence, RM spoke. “Maya? Everything ok?” he asks, his voice full of concern.

I wanted to spill my guts, but once again, feeling like I didn’t want to be a burden, I lied. “I’m ok,” I said with a strained voice. But saying this lie out loud was bringing forth the emotions I had been avoiding lately. My breathing became uneven again. I was having difficulty getting the air through my lungs and I was certain RM heard it.

“Maya, slow breaths,” I heard RM say on the other end of the call.

I listened to his voice, feeling like it could be used as an anchor. I followed his instructions.

“Ok, touch each of your fingers as you count them slowly,” he instructed.

I pressed my thumb and pinky together. “One.” I moved my thumb and ring finger together. “Two.” I counted my remaining fingers at the same pace and felt myself feeling a little lighter.

“Good.” RM’s deep voice sounded clearer and I was positive it was due to regaining clarity. “How you feeling?”

“Better.” The emotions were still lingering, but they weren’t too uncontrollable.

“What happened?” Technically, it was a question but the tone in his voice made it sound more like a demand.

And I did. With all the buildup of the last months, having RM as an ear allowed me to lift some of the burden I felt off my shoulders. I spilled everything out. I admitted to my contract ending, my fear of an unclear future, the countless arguments I'd been having with my mother, my breakup with Jerry (I didn’t tell RM the reason we broke up), and the shittiness I felt for not being more upset over my breakup with Jerry—we had been together for years. Why was I not more upset??

RM let me let it all out for a good hour, giving out simple “yeahs” here and there, but mostly listening intently. And it felt good. I was never one to vent but knew I needed to. I was grateful RM allowed me to do this with him.

When it seemed as if I was done, he didn’t give advice but seemed to validate my feelings. “It’s only natural you’re going to feel stressed. All of that going through your head is bound to make your body react the way it did. I’m sure it was a panic attack you had?” It seemed more of a question than a statement.

“Yeah. I’ve had them a few times before. Usually, my aunt Jia is the one who calms things down a bit,” I said.

“Is she your Korean aunt? The one who taught you the language?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“How often do you get panic attacks?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Not very often. Just when things are too stressful, I think.”

“You think? You’ve never looked into it? To know what the cause is?”

“No, I don’t like medication. And I hate going to a doctor.” I didn’t want prescribed medication. There was too much of a history there.

“Well, you might not have to take medication. Perhaps a therapist can help figure out the root of the problem. They could assist in figuring out methods you could use to balance things to prevent the attacks from even happening—notice the signs before it gets too out of control.” He wasn’t the first to suggest therapy.

I wasn’t sure what it was about this time hearing I should see a therapist. Maybe it was because it was right after an episode had occurred or maybe because, in the past year, RM was the third person to suggest professional help. I knew about RM’s mental health struggles and knew he had sought assistance as well.

“Maybe I should see someone,” I said, surprising myself.

“You should,” he said gently.

~~~~~

Three weeks and two therapists later, I found myself sitting in the waiting room of my third therapist, feeling a combination of nerves and slight pessimism. The previous therapists I had met with didn’t seem to fit well—I had felt disappointed both times.

As much as I wanted to give up on finding the right person to help me, I tried to keep optimistic about getting the help I knew I needed.

Being a good support system, RM checked on me often. It felt as if we spoke every day, whether it was through messages or on the phone. He wanted to ensure I kept looking for the right person to assist me.

I was currently messaging RM as I sat in the lobby of my third therapist. He had sent me a paragraph of words of encouragement when the lady at the desk called my name. “Dr. Rob is ready for you, miss,” she stated.

I made my way over to the door, sending a quick response to RM to tell him I was about to meet my third (and hopefully last) therapist.

“hwaiting!” he responded.

I took a breath and reached to open the door.

But someone beat me to it. The door swung open and standing on the other side of the door, was a tall redhead. An easy smile was on his face as he said, “Welcome Maya."

*************

AN: Thank you to whoever is reading this. I appreciate you giving this story a shot. I have been working on it for close to a year, not wanting to start posting until I had the majority of the story finished. I want to release a chapter on a weekly basis and I know myself well enough to know I get writer's block every once in a while; I don't want it to get in the way of a regular posting. 🥰 Also, I posted this as "reader" to bring in more audience. I'm doing my best not to be too specific in Maya's look. I gave her a name because it works better for me as a writer. I find "Y/N" too much of a distraction. I always end up calling the reader "Yoon" or "Yuna" in my head to make it easier. There WILL be smut, but it will be many chapters from now.

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

MASTERLIST

[xno-grafica]

PARABELLUM: SI QUERES PAZ PREPARATE PARA LA GUERRA

Parabellum es un zine grafico hecho e impreso a mano con tecnicas de grabado #xilografia y #aguafuerteenrelieve durante el 2019/20 x mi.

Si lo queres ver completo y en papel comunicate conmigo que tengo copias y esta a la venta🐞🪳🖤💫🪱🪰👽

[polar1999]

Cosas que te quiero decir y probablemente nunca diré

¿Sabes lo que se siente tener depresión?¿sabes lo que se siente tener ansiedad?¿estrés? ¿agotamiento físico y mental, tener infinitas ganas de morir y no tener las agallas para hacerlo porque sabes que alguien te espera..?¿sabes lo agotador que es que tu mente te traicione continuamente durante todo el día, que tu mente no te deje descansar para nada en lo absoluto y estar pensando muchas cosas todo el día y toda la noche? ¿Y sabes lo agotador que es escuchar todo eso que me dices cada día a día y esforzarme por hacer las cosas para que todo este funcionando y aún así ver que no funciona, que todo mi esfuerzo es en vano...’

Corazón, estoy destrozada, siento que ya no puedo, me siento demasiado cansada como para levantarme, mi mente no deja de estar dando vueltas y mas vueltas, nunca pensé estar en este extremo, lloro de tan solo pensar que esta pasando conmigo, yo no era así, ayer empecé a ver fotos mías de hace unos años atrás 6 para ser exactos, cuando era feliz y no lo sabia. cuando lo tenia todo y no me daba cuenta. Hay muchas cosas que quisiera decirte, pero a quien engaño nunca podría aunque me destroce mas el tiempo.

Recuerda 3 años atrás, hace tres años en estas fechas no sabíamos o mas bien no sabia, cuando nos conocimos fue exactamente lo que mas anhelaba... pero... hemos cambiado tanto tú como yo, y sabes... no es aquí donde quiero estar, ya no quiero estar aquí me esta matando, ya no es lo mismo, los tratos ya no son los mismos.

Agosto de 2019

Recuerdo que en ese mes nos mudamos a vivir solos por cuestiones familiares, recuerdo que yo estaba feliz en ese entonces, parecía que íbamos a ser la familia perfecta, tu y yo en espera de nuestro primer bebé, todo era perfecto quien lo diría.

Enero de 2020 (día 28 para ser mas exactos)

Nos enteramos que estábamos en dulce espera nuevamente, lo mejor de mi vida, mi sueño hecho realidad

Septiembre de 2020 (día 26)

Estuvo muy cansado, el día mas largo de mi vida, tenia hambre, sueño y quería regresar a casa. Cuando por fin me dieron de alta ya iba de regreso feliz con mi nueva bebé, ahora ya tenia dos, ese día debí quedarme mas en el hospital... ese día todo se  jodio, peleamos y ahí fue que en realidad no te importaba mucho.

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

Y ahora... a dos meses de un año viviendo lo que parecer la tragedia, a mi no me importaba el maldito dinero, yo solo quería que estuviéramos bien, dejamos de tener comunicación, ahora son gritos, insultos, habladas de mala gana, y si, si soy pendeja porque aun estoy aquí, yo deje muchas cosas, deje de salir con amistades, deje de salir, deje de ser yo por estar bien, me aleje de mi familia para estar bien, me convertí en un sumisa. Veme hoy aquí sin ganas de salir, sin ganas de oír música, sin ganas de bailar, sin ganas de hablar, sin ganas de pelear, vencida, con ganas de escapar, con ganas de seguir respirando y que todo pare.

--------

Te contare un secreto... en el mes de mayo de este año 2021 estaba tan agobiada de tanto y enferme o eso creo yo... dure 5 días que casi ni podía comer porque tenia ampollas en toda la boca y me dieron arritmias dé esas arritmias que duran días y días pues se fueron pero no del todo aun me daban pero con menos intensidad, y hace 2 días me volvieron a dar otra vez aun peor.

¿Te cuento otro? No recuerdo exactamente el día pero fue como a mediados de junio en este mismo año... sentía ganas de desaparecer, tome un cable y me lo ajuste y... la mas pequeña despertó, no tenia leche su biberón, le prepare uno y me sentí la peor mierda del mundo, que me esta pasando? me recosté con ella hasta dormir.

Me prometí no volver a hacerlo, pero a veces siento que las ganas me traicionan, desearía que nada de esto fuera así, quisiera no estar de adolescente como lo has dicho ya anteriormente.

[deepakmendhar]

[princessmadafu]

That Book (excuse the long post)

I didn't want to jump into the fray without first thinking over the published extracts of FF and the various critiques and synopses in the press. I'd just like to send huge thanks to YankeeWallee and everyone that YW herself thanks for the collated screenshots of the excerpts and RoyahNikkah's review. I'll do what the rest of you do and state here that these are my personal opinions and anything quoted comes under "fair usage", etc. Long live free speech!

My over-riding reaction is, what an absolute pile of lies, lies and more lies. Starting with Scobie's sources, of which he says there are at least two per nugget of information. I believe most of the book has come directly or indirectly from MM herself, and that any "sources" have MM's blessing, sanction or outright order to disclose. FaceTiming in the bath? How would Scobie know? Unless he was in the bath with her, this can only have come from herself or the friend being FaceTimed. There is too much of a highly personal nature for it to be Scobie's own investigative work. So there's the first lie, straight from the weirdly-toothy Sussexy horse's mouth; of course she collaborated!

Some of us had our reservations right from the start of Harry and MM's relationship, but we were prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt and join in the welcome of a biracial, divorced American actress. Right-wing, left-wing, a-political or not-royally-bothered, we all thought, Let's give the pair a chance to see what they can do.

How about this article from Spiked on the engagement of Harry & MM from 2017:

Meghan Markle: Generation Woke's Princess Diana - spiked

"...look no further than the fawning response to the engagement of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle – one of those rare occasions in which both the Telegraph editorial team and the identity-politics set erupted in simultaneous celebration."

How quickly the celebration wore off as the pair of them squandered our goodwill. Another article from Spiked from July 2019, less than two years later, is harsher, when we've all been insulted, preached at and condemned as racists by PH&MM:

Meghan Markle is the worst kind of snob - spiked

"With the possible exception of a few sad social outcasts, no one has a problem with the fact that Meghan’s mum just happens to be black. No, Meghan is criticised for being snobby, elitist, hopelessly out of touch and possessing all the self-awareness of a flea. It’s not Meghan’s skin colour that annoys people, but the fact that she thinks nothing of donning an outfit that costs more than most people in the UK earn in a year and then getting her minders to order the public not to take photos of her. [...] There are heaps of reasons for people not just to criticise Meghan and Harry, but to ridicule their hypocrisy and puncture their pomposity. And not one involves the colour of Meghan’s skin. Meghan comes in for criticism because she is the worst kind of snob who condescends to tell others not just what to do, but also what to think. The fact that she is biracial is completely irrelevant. Of course, there is an obvious solution for Harry and Meghan if they do not like the public attention and criticism. Harry could denounce his claim to the throne. They could give up the titles, move out of the palaces and fund their own lifestyle. I can’t for the life of me imagine why they don’t."

Prescient, no? Six months later and they announce they're off. She played him like a fiddle. The raptures she went into over Botswana and wanting the spend the summer? Did she feed his fantasies of moving to Africa permanently? How strange that Africa became Canada, which then became Los Angeles? Strange my perky little bottom! She had this planned all along. I don't know if PH is with her over there, but she certainly seems to be feeding the illusion that she is now Hollywood Royalty. If she couldn't cut real Royalty, she definitely won't cut the LaLaLand version which is a lot less restrained in voicing its opinions of jumped-up wannabes. Especially the Markly ones who cut, dump, run and show no loyalty or staying power.

The following points, in no particular order, are mostly from an assortment of DM writers and comments from members of the public.

"The book claims the so-called ‘old guard’ tried to undermine the couple and ‘were concerned that the global interest in and popularity of the Sussexes needed to be reined in’." A little self-aggrandisement here, possibly? Global interest, maybe, of the rubber-necking car crash variety, but global popularity? When was that, exactly? Royal staff are all well aware that the purpose of the Royals is to support HMTQ; that is their job. If the Sussexes needed reining in at all, it was because they weren't doing their job properly.

"Harry and Meghan believed ‘few inside the palace were looking out for their interests’ and felt that most courtiers could not be trusted with their sensitive information." Ditto, the courtiers' job is to look out for the interests of HMTQ; PH&MM's job was to look out for the interests of HMTQ, not themselves.

"They believed that these ‘men in grey suits’ were stifling their attempts to launch their initiatives, and when they tried to air these frustrations ‘the conversations didn’t lead anywhere’." I mean, come on! PH is 6th in line. He knows that. There is no "they" involved here - it's all MM again, isn't it, thinking she's more important because she's more popular and she famously gets what she wants... She thought she could snap her fingers and make whatever she wanted happen. She ignored the hierarchy and the protocols, and probably (I suspect) got dimwit Harry believing that she knew best, and that together they could change the world.

"One source said Harry felt that some of the old guard at the palace ‘simply didn’t like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult’." I can well believe that staff at the palace didn't like her - she showed her true colours quite early on - but deliberately making her life difficult? I suspect this is what MM told Harry. Twisted the truth, naturally. I'm guessing she made a few ridiculous OTT demands, or wanted some unworkable project, and the staff, knowing their jobs as they do, tried to point out the flaws in her ideas, prevent her making a fool of herself, or otherwise politely protect her from herself. Goodness knows, she made a fool of herself often enough, barging in front and all that...

"The book concludes that Meghan was ‘totally foreign’ to this group of advisers, who ‘could sometimes be even more conservative than the institution they guarded’." They were guarding an institution with over a thousand years of history from someone with neither understanding of nor respect for British history, the Monarchy, or the duties of the RF; and she made no effort to learn.

"Another insider said: ‘The fact is that Meghan was welcomed with open arms and everyone did their best to offer their help about how to navigate such a tricky public role – advice she would often choose to ignore." The arrogance of the woman! And she was welcomed. She just believed that she knew best.

"Omid Scobie said Meghan’s high-profile career as an actress and the fact that she was a divorcee left her ‘ripe for exploitation’." High-profile career, mwah! Actress, mwah! Divorcee, so what? Charles and Camilla are both divorce/es, Anne is a divorcee, so is Andrew, and a whole bunch of other lesser royals. As for being ripe for exploitation, I think we all know how this panned out and MM wasn't the one being exploited! Far from it. She milked every opportunity and opening her new title and her new husband could bring her.

"During one of their final engagements as senior royals, Meghan was ‘purposefully snubbed’ by Kate in front of a global TV audience, the authors claim." Well now, where to start on this one? MM threw a hissy fit because she wasn't allowed to walk in the procession with HMTQ, C&C and DDoC. The DDoC decided to appease MM by pulling out of the procession and taking their seats. Now I don't know what DDoC thought about that but I can just imagine them comparing MM's behaviour with that of their own beautifully behaved kids. I can just imagine them thinking thank God she'll be gone soon! I doubt there was any purposeful snubbing at the service but MM has no manners and no idea how to behave, not even in church. The DDoC are too well brought-up to "carry on" in a place of worship, nor would they lean across seats for a happy little chat, just a quick turn round for a friendly word with Edward and Sophie immediately behind them before the arrival of C&C and HMTQ. Churches are not places to be gossiping and grinning inanely, and you definitely don't push your way through the chairs when the service is over! She is so rude and ill-mannered.

"The book claims Meghan and Kate’s ‘cordial but distant rapport’ was apparent when the pair appeared alongside each other at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day last summer." I don't remember the dates exactly, but I should think by this time DoC was well and truly fed up with MM's shenanigans; the doe-eyes she'd been pulling at PW, the rumours she and the SS had been fanning about PW and une petite liaison with a long-time friend... Cordial but distant was probably the best MM could hope for at this stage; DoC was hardly about to play Happy Families with the troublemaker.

"The couple were dismayed when no photograph of them and their son Archie was displayed during the Queen’s Christmas speech last year." It was quite clear that the photos on display represented the direct line of succession, from HMTQ's father through to her great-grandson - five generations of the Monarchy. I truly believe that MM wanted to "modernise" the RF to such an extent that PH would be elected King! With MM at his side, dripping in all the jewels she could get her greedy mitts on! I realise it must be hard for PH to get to grips with his status as "Pretty Much Relegated Former Spare", but she must have been really feeding his insecurities if she got him upset about the absence of a photograph.

"Prince Harry was the first to say 'I love you' in his relationship with Meghan Markle, with friends revealing the couple were 'immediately obsessed' with each other, according to the latest extract of a bombshell biography." Oooh, how would Scobie know something as intimate as this? Immediately obsessed with each other, I can well believe; MM with his status, title, money, the palaces, the jewels... and she reeled him into her fantasy world with lies and perfectly posed KamaSutra yoga until he was obsessed with this chameleon woman, at the same time both mother-figure and hot, sexy, adoring, sophisticated, intelligent, humanitarian animal lover. Oh the lies, the lies; "Will you walk into my parlour, said the Spider to the Fly."

"They enjoyed a romantic dinner, with staff taking great pains to ensure their privacy, whisking them in through a staff entrance usually used to bring in fish discreetly." This is their second date at SoHo House, and again, how would Scobie know little details unless MM had told him herself? I like the hint of shade by the writer noting that the entrance was used to bring in fish discreetly - there's definitely something fishy about MM!

How about some comments from DM readers?

"Every single shameless self-serving tabloid "leak" and publicity stunt she has orchestrated has backfired specularly. Hence why Harry has gone from beloved military man and active working Royal to a national embarrassment within two short years! Her efforts at aggressive self-promotion are no match for her lack of talent or perspective in that area. She could have heeded advice from other, more dedicated Royals, but No. Meghan knew better and decided that she was deserving of instant worship fit for her 'celebrity' expectations. The Duchess of Cambridge has earned respect over years with quiet dedication to her causes. Meghan felt entitled to all the glory instantly, and was clearly slighted to learn that respect is not something to be commanded. She is a culture vulture with no respect or understanding of the very people that she promised to represent." [Jace T Adams]

"The narrative of the relationship is laughable. Everyone knows they first met in Canada when Harry was there for Invictus. He needed a girl for the night and Meghan was arranged for him. She must have been impressive as they had a date the next day and the rest is history." [Lady M]

"You can't work with someone you don't trust and these two have proven untrustworthy." [ellegrav]

I have no inside information on any of above, but people better placed than I am are making similar judgments on the contents of FF; people who've spent their working lives following and reporting on the RF.

"The Queen’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told the Mail: ‘I think it has their fingerprints all over it. We had a similar scenario in 1992 when Diana swore blind she hadn’t helped Andrew Morton and yet a year later it came out that she had indirectly helped him so history is repeating itself. ‘There are too many things that we have seen in the serialisation that could only come from the horse’s mouth, like deciding to gatecrash Sandringram when they landed from Canada."

And Jan Moir: JAN MOIR on the Meghan and Harry biography that has put ...

What did the pair of them want or expect? Top billing, it seems. What is remarkable is that Harry’s whole life and entire upbringing have been devoted and calibrated to him being a prince. Surely he understands how it works? Surely he could have explained the system to his vexed new bride? Primarily, that being royal is a form of active service, with ranks and a hierarchy so uncomplicated that schoolchildren throughout the realm understand the line of succession and its importance to the Windsors — and to us.

And Robert Hardman: ROBERT HARDMAN: Harry and Meghan are ... - dailymail.co.uk

Yet Finding Freedom is a struggle against protocol and seating plans. It is based on the perceived unfairness of a pecking order which has governed — and preserved — the monarchy for 1,000 years.

We can't all be wrong!

[ka1rosnan]

꧁-Más que simplemente esperar-꧂

4 may 2019

Lee por favor: Hechos 1:4-11

el evangelio en un año: Lucas 22:47-71

--… [Jesús] les mandó que no se fueran de Jerusalén, sino que esperasen la promesa del Padre… (v. 4).--

esperar es paciencia, la paciencia es un fruto del Espíritu, los frutos del espíritu se manifiestan por que por los frutos se conocerán los arboles, esperar es muy provechoso cuando no esta uno ocioso, la ociosidad es la madre de todos los vicios, la paciencia en la espera de la promesa de nuestro Señor Jesucristo es lo mejor que puede pasarle a los seres humanos, los discípulos recibieron la promesa, sus lamparas estaban llenas, Dios quiere que tengas paciencia, que esperes y que mientras esperas te prepares orando, ayunando. escudriñando las escrituras, congregandote...bautizandote...Dios sabe que tipo de situaciones estas pasando y quiere que las musites, clames, digas, ruegues, prepárate y te convertirás en una persona mas bendecida,ese es el anhelo de Cristo, que tengas un excelente sábado y que la bendición de Cristo sea derramada en ti y en tu familia hoy y siempre...¡shalom!

-Señor, que recuerde que las esperas son parte de tu obra en mi vida-.

--¿Estás atravesando una etapa de espera?

¿Cómo podrías considerarla un período de preparación?--

te invito a leer la reflexión completa y otras más en nuestro sitio https://iglesiakayros.es.tl/

y redes sociales, gracias, shalom!

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ•ʔʕ•ᴥ

[healthymealteam]

A whole salad

This salad is made up of ingredients that are easy to find and that provide you with a huge amount of nutrients without the need to prepare a very elaborate dish.

Ingredients:

2 eggs.

100g of salmon.

A can of peas

A lettuce.

2 tomatoes.

A can of corn .

1 purple Onion.

2 radishes.

Honey.

Mustard.

Oil.

Recipe:

Chop all the requested fruits and vegetables in the desired way.

In a small pot of water, boil 2 hard-boiled eggs for 7 minutes.

Once boiled, remove from the pot and place them on a clean cloth to dry and cool.

In a skillet with very little oil, grill the desired amount of salmon for 20 minutes.

Once cooked, we cut it into small pieces so that they are not too large in proportion to the salad.

Subsequently, we make a mixture of honey and mustard preferably that the honey abounds in greater quantity.

We mix all the fruits and vegetables.

We place the boiled eggs and salmon.

We bathe the salad with the desired amount of the honey and mustard dressing.

And voila, enjoy!

Utensils:

Knife

Cutting board

Cooking pot

Cloth

Pan

Grill

Bowl

Spatula

Price:

100 g of salmon= $120

Can of peas= $20

A lettuce= $22

3 tomatoes=$9

Can of corn= $22

1 purple onion = $5

2 radish = $5

500ml of honey= $88

mustard 396ml = $37

TOTAL = $328

Bibliography

ECOCOLMENA. (May 11, 2021). Beneficios y propiedades de la miel natural. Recovered from: www.ecocolmena.org/beneficios-y-propiedades-de-la-miel/

Mundodeportivo. (June 13, 2021). ¿Que beneficios tiene consumir salmón?. Recovered from: www.mundodeportivo.com/vidae/nutricion/20210623/

Gobierno de México. (May 12, 2019). El chícharo, aunque chiquito está lleno de propiedades. Recovered from: www.gob.mx/agricultura/es/articulos/el-chicharo-aunque-chiquito-esta-lleno-de-propiedades

[iesmaster]