#Purify thy soul

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Purify Thy Soul - Mashita Satoru (Death Mark) ~ Finished

Summary:

Losing your memory, losing your identity, losing your mind... Do you even remember who you are? What is your name? Your career path? Do you have any family or friends? What are your hobbies? And most importantly - What were you doing, laying on the grass in a forest park, in the dead of night, with flowers and a book next to you? The not so friendly ex-detective asked himself each of those questions, but one look at your neck, and he finally got his answer. You were cursed.

Chapter 1 - Flowerbed Chapter 2 - Bumblebee Chapter 3 - Dittany Chapter 4 - Wedding Dress Chapter 5 - Sweet Melody Chapter 6 - Bodhisattva Chapter 7 - Amitābha Chapter 8 - Crimson Knight Chapter 9 - Crimson Spider Lily Chapter 10 - Onmyoji

[pagan-stitches]

Today is the second day of Christmas (or 3rd depending on which custom you follow) and the Feast Day of Saint John the Evangelist.

Customs

Let's start with a traditional prayer for the day:

O glorious Apostle, who, on account of thy virginal purity, wast so beloved by Jesus as to deserve to lay thy head upon his divine breast, and to be left, in his place, as son to his most holy Mother; I beg thee to inflame me with a most ardent love towards Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me from our Lord that I, too, with a heart purified from earthly affections, may be made worthy to be ever united to Jesus as a faithful disciple, and to Mary as a devoted son, both here on earth and eternally in heaven. Amen.

As to customs, the most famous is that in his happy memory, Catholics bring wine to church, which the priest blesses, turning it into a sacramental called the "Love of St. John." Catholics use this sacramental wine for special occasions throughout the year and to give to the sick. The blessing as given in the 1962 Rituale Romanum:

Blessing of Wine on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

At the end of the principal Mass on the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, after the last Gospel, the priest, retaining all vestments except the maniple, blesses wine brought by the people. This is done in memory and in honor of St. John, who drank without any ill effects the poisoned wine offered to him by his enemies.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray. If it please You, Lord God, bless + and consecrate + this vessel of wine (or any other beverage) by the power of Your right hand; and grant that, through the merits of St. John, apostle and evangelist, all Your faithful who drink of it may find it a help and a protection. As the blessed John drank the poisoned potion without any ill effects, so may all who today drink the blessed wine in his honor be delivered from poisoning and similar harmful things. And as they offer themselves body and soul to You, may they obtain pardon of all their sins; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Lord, bless + this creature drink, so that it may be a health- giving medicine to all who use it; and grant by Your grace that all who taste of it may enjoy bodily and spiritual health in calling on Your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come on this wine (or any other beverage) and remain always.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water. If the blessing is given privately outside of Mass, the priest is vested in surplice and stole and performs the ceremony as given above.

When the blessed wine is drunk on his Feast Day, we drink it before dinner as a toast to St. John. The Father of the house lifts his glass toward Mother and says, "I drink you the love of St. John." The Mother replies "I thank you for the Love of St. John" and then turns to the oldest child, lifts her glass, and says, "I drink you the love of St. John..." -- and on it goes down the line until each has been toasted.

The wine may be drunk as is before and with dinner, as above, or may be mulled.

[tiodolma]

this scene from Excalibur 1981

reminds me of

"Guinevere" poem by Alfred Tennyson, Idylls of the King [1859-1885]

My love through flesh hath wrought into my life So far, that my doom is, I love thee still. Let no man dream but that I love thee still. Perchance, and so thou purify thy soul, And so thou lean on our fair father Christ, Hereafter in that world where all are pure We two may meet before high God, and thou Wilt spring to me, and claim me thine, and know I am thine husband--not a smaller soul, Nor Lancelot, nor another. Leave me that, I charge thee, my last hope.

.

.

.

excsuse me while i sob cry and slide down the floor

[apilgrimpassingby]

So, a while back I got really into Alaskan saints and so decided to write an Akathist to St. Peter the Aleut; if you don't know who he was, you'll learn from reading this Akathist. Tagging @idylls-of-the-divine-romance (my go-to guy for reviewing theological poetry) and @sapphosremains (because Anglo-Catholics are some of the few non-Orthodox who won't find this at least a little objectionable).

Kontakion 1: The gospel hath gone out unto the ends of the earth and disciples hath been made of every nation, o Lord; even in the ice-bound darkness of the North Thy church hath been established. For this we cry, with angels and all nations: alleluia!

Oikos 1: And in all places and at all times, o Christ God, Thou art wondrous in Thy saints. Hence we praise Saint Peter the Aleut, Protomartyr of America!

Rejoice, glory of the Arctic ice!

Rejoice, fame of Kodiak Island!

Rejoice, thou who burnest brighter than the Northern Lights!

Rejoice, thou who outshinest the sun upon snow!

Rejoice, for the New World is ennobled by thy blood!

Rejoice, for thy triumph is a blessing to America!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 2: Thou wast reared amidst pagan darkness, o holy Peter, the depth of which was not known in the Old World at that time, on a snow-bound lonely island. But when the call of the Shepherd was first heard on Kodiak Island, thou didst reply with the cry of: alleluia!

Oikos 2: The monks of Russia didst administer the light of Christ to a people burdened by avaricious colonists and the religion of demons alike; it opened thine eyes, o righteous one.

Rejoice, first-fruit of Alaska!

Rejoice, sheep of an island where sheep were not known!

Rejoice, for the light of Christ pierceth all darkness!

Rejoice, for by Its light we are enlightened!

Rejoice, pagan adopted as a son of God!

Rejoie, heathen who by grace partook of the glory of the Lord!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 3: When thou wert offered baptism, thou most eagerly accepted. The priest immersed thee in saving water in the name of the blessed Trinity, and upon thee was bestowed the name Peter, mystically linking thee to the glorious Apostle. A soul entered the Kingdom of God, and all the powers of Heaven exclaimed: alleluia!

Oikos 3: The mystery of baptism bestowed upon thee a new name and new life; henceforth, thou wouldst no more be named Cungagnaq, but Peter.

Rejoice, successor to the blessed Apostle!

Rejoice, thou who betrayed not Christ at any time!

Rejoice, son of snow reborn in the water!

Rejoice, child of ice regenerated in the font!

Rejoice, firstborn of a Christian nation!

Rejoice, guide of thy people to the Word!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 4: Not long after thou wast received into the Church, Spanish raiders abducted thee, carrying thee and nineteen others away to California. In spite of thy youth, the terror of the event and the great distance thou wast taken, thou feared not, but sang: alleluia!

Oikos 4: Though thou wast carried from the frozen shores of Alaska to the burning heat of California, the gold of thy soul was neither melted nor diluted, o longsuffering victor.

Rejoice, prize who sought the prize of life eternal!

Rejoice, captive of God and not of men!

Rejoice, thou who wast free in Christ while in chains!

Rejoice, thou who wore thy bonds as a string of pearls!

Rejoice, gold refined in the fire of the sun!

Rejoice, silver purified in the southern crucible!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 5: Thou wast confined to a gloomy dungeon with the other abducted Aleut, thy captors deigning to convert thee to the Church of Rome. But thou didst believe in the Father and in Christ, and so thine heart was not troubled and thou didst exclaim with the others in unison: alleluia!

Oikos 5: Although imprisoned in a foreign land by wicked men with evil designs, thou didst rejoice in the Lord who made thy feet like the deer’s.

Rejoice, servant of the lord who freeth captives!

Rejoice, freedman of Christ!

Rejoice, rampart of Orthodoxy!

Rejoice, one stalwart in the faith of the Apostles!

Rejoice, northern light in the Roman darkness!

Rejoice, torch of faith in foreign lands!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 6: Some monks of the Pope approached thee and thy fellow captives, availing to convert thee to the Roman church. But thou and thy fellow prisoners refused to renounce Holy Orthodoxy, in spite of their threats and abuse, singing: alleluia!

Oikos 6: Though unlearned and far from any learning, thou didst discourse with the educated in defence of the faith, rebuking their many accusations.

Rejoice, thou who succumbed not to falsehood!

Rejoice, thou who spoke the truth with boldness!

Rejoice, one stalwart in Orthodoxy!

Rejoice, opponent of the heterodox!

Rejoice, crown-bearer from a nation without kings!

Rejoice, soldier for Christ from a people without soldiers!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 7: The Franciscans began to threaten torture, their diabolical determination to break thy faith undeterred by thy steadfastness. But thou wast also undeterred, o Peter, refusing to renounce thine Orthodoxy, appealing instead to Christ and the Mother of God and crying: alleluia!

Oikos 7: Even as they presented the implements of thy torment, thou wast not swayed, instead being comforted by the Lord and readying thyself for thy cross.

Rejoice, confessor like the confessors of old!

Rejoice, hero walking the road of heroes!

Rejoice, ice not melted by the heat of terror!

Rejoice, cedar not bent by the persecutor’s rancour!

Rejoice, rock resistant to the hammer and axe!

Rejoice, jade uncut yet sparkling!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 8: The hard-hearted Franciscans then began to torture thee, cutting off a toe from each hand. When finished, they asked thee to convert, but thou remained faithful. After removing a finger from each hand, they asked thee again, but thou simply sang: alleluia!

Oikos 8: Burning with impotent rage, the monks then cut off thy hands and thy feet alike, but no mortal or bodiless tyrant could prise thee from the Lord.

Rejoice, for thy blood hath brought thee a crown!

Rejoice, for thy sufferings are recompensed in Heaven!

Rejoice, diamond cut to glittering brilliance!

Rejoice, gold refined in a fire of agony!

Rejoice, victor over thine and thy companion’s enemies!

Rejoice, athlete who hath run the holy race!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 9: The Franciscans were unable to subject thee to any further tortures, for the loss of blood proved fatal, and thou didst exit the earth and ascend to Christ with thy faith incorrupt. As a new saint entered the Father’s mansions, the chorus of apostles and prophets exclaimed: alleluia!

Oikos 9: The futile anger of the monks continued as thou rose to the bosom of the Lord, but all sorrows of the flesh were behind thee forever as thy soul reaped its reward.

Rejoice, conqueror of the world and the flesh!

Rejoice, triumphant hero of Alaska!

Rejoice, prisoner rewarded with undying freedom!

Rejoice, tortured one compensated with incorruptibility!

Rejoice, prince dressed in blood!

Rejoice, saint adorned with wounds!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 10: The wicked monks had planned to torture others, endeavouring to capture souls as they had laboured to capture thine, but they received orders to return the prisoners to their native land; the captives set free sang with one voice: alleluia!

Oikos 10: Thy body remained behind, o Peter; they returned it not, in a last gesture of spite towards the one swayed by none of their tortures.

Rejoice, for though thy body is captive thy soul is free!

Rejoice, for thy fellow captives hath been freed from torment!

Rejoice, for thou didst never waver from Christ!

Rejoice, for thou wert always allied with His Church!

Rejoice, unshakeable pillar of the Truth!

Rejoice, impenetrable wall of the Faith!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 11: The ship of thy fellows at last returned to Kodiak, whence all dismounted in the sight of Saint Herman, equal to the Apostles and evangelist of Alaska. Not finding thee, he enquired as to the cause of thine absence; thy story was related by a friend and witness, at which he cried: alleluia!

Oikos 11: Upon hearing of the many sufferings and the death in faith thou hadst suffered, he made the sign of the cross and exclaimed “holy new martyr Peter, pray to God for us!”

Rejoice, thou who standest at the gate of Paradise!

Rejoice, thou who hast passed through the doors of Heaven!

Rejoice, advocate for our souls before the Father!

Rejoice, intercessor before the Holy Trinity!

Rejoice, first-born saint of the Alutiiq!

Rejoice, glory of the tribes of Alaska!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

Kontakion 12: In this present age the light of Orthodoxy shineth brightly in Kodiak; there a Christian nation hath been established. All of them, and the rest of the Orthodox people, looketh to thee as a shining example in the past and an intercessor in the future, singing in perfect unity: alleluia!

Oikos 12: Thou, o Peter, attained sainthood by thy sufferings and trials, and by faith; thou didst synergise with the mind of Christ, attaining union with the energies of God.

Rejoice, bearer of a crown shining with the Northern Lights!

Rejoice, one dressed in robes of shimmering snows!

Rejoice, hero stronger than the ocean storms!

Rejoice, martyr mightier than the winter wind!

Rejoice, for mortal sufferings hath won thee immortal glory!

Rejoice, for thy trials were an adornment to the New World!

Rejoice, Saint Peter, Protomartyr of America!

[fxiled-fxithful]

Angel of Massacre - Character Sheet

Used for Unholy Crusade Event

"Hollowed be thy name, O Lord and Creator. Give thy messenger your pleas and prayers from your Children. Aid those in battle, for thy messenger is fit to receive a prayer. In your name, I serve and pray for your Children." @hxly-fxther - Observe what your beloved has to offer.

Race: Angel (Fallen) Class: Divine Battle Cleric

HP: 782 LV: 75 AC: 16

Strength: 19 Dexterity: 20 (+4) Constitution: 20 Intelligence: 20 (+6) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 20 (+9)

Skills Purifying Snowfall: Roll 100d for what percentage of damage is healed. This counts as a mass heal for all friendlies in area.

Reverse Judgement: Revives life from one fallen ally.

Choir (Blessing) of Massacre: The sounds of Angela's collected purified souls sing loudly with praise. Hearing the choir inspires all who are on the side of the one who prayed for her aid. Roll 100d + 10xfriendlies present. Result is percentage of healed for all friendlies and +5 to hit for next to hit roll.

Punishment of the Fallen: For one turn, Angela will turn to mortal form and use her taming whip to deal rapid damage. Damage doubled if against demon kin. Summons

☆Hellhound Call- Within a portal of shadow, call forth a loyal beast to tear apart enemies. {Can only be summoned by Angela}

->Wears Collar of Obedience. Immune to charms and Communication with Animals. Only obeys Angela & Ash. HP: 406 LV: 50 AC: 16

Strength: 20 (+9) Dexterity: 17 (+5) Constitution: 19 (+4) Intelligence: 12 (+2) Wisdom: 11 Charisma: 11 (+6)

-Intimidation Howl: A loud hellish howl that intimidates his enemies. All enemies roll a 20d. If their roll is at or above their Constitution, they pass the fear roll. If they fail, they miss one turn of actions. (1-10 low, 11-15 medium/average, 16-20 High) - Hellfire Breath: 20 mile radius of fire damage is unleashed around him. -Rapid Mauling: All claws and sharp bite to do physical damage. - Chain Imprisonment: Loose chains around hound magically move and wrap around enemies.

☆Ash Landers:

Race: Angel (Fallen) Class: Divine Paladin HP: 810 LV: 75 AC: 16 Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 20 (+9) Constitution: 20 (+6) Intelligence: 20 (+2) Wisdom: 19 Charisma: 19

-> Silver Mirrors: A circle of mirrors allows Angela to Summon Ash to the field. Only Angela can summon him to the field.

Divine Prayer of Light: Uttering a prayer during a turn attacking will grant him a +7 to hit an AC of a target. Prayer affects lasts 4 turns. Gives off a holy aura around him for a 20ft radius. Any demon within range must roll a 20d. Roll 15 or below takes holy damage throughout the duration of the prayer, each turn. Reconnect Healing: While holding hands with Angela, the pair can heal damage based off of a 20d + 100d roll (Only adding 10d if Divine Prayer of Light or Prayer to Creator are in affect.) Aura of Purity: Removes all negative battle affects from friendlies and heals 50% of HP for friendlies. Divine Ice Storm: Opening the distant clouds within the Heavens, he can summon an ice storm that only affects the enemy. Enemy must roll a 20d to see if they are frozen or not. (1-13 No, 14 -20 Yes) Will be frozen for two rounds.

☆Drossel Keinz Race: Human (Reanimated) Class: Necromancer / Thief HP: 494 LV: 63 AC: 14 Strength: 19 Dexterity: 18 Constitution: 14 Intelligent: 17 Wisdom: 18 Charisma: 19

-> Music Box of London: Music played from this box can only be heard with the box no where to be seen until he is on the field. Takes three turns for him to appear. Only Ash may summon him.

Wire Cut: Sharp fishing wire used for puppet strings wrap around a target as they are sliced through or given severe damage.

Puppet Dance: Any bodies nearby are possessed and he is capable of using one ability the owner of the body has. This includes any bodies that have a captured soul inside. Capture Soul: Any angel /demon that finds themselves trapped in wires is marked to be in a glass doll that has seals to keep their soul contained. Enemy must roll a 20d to see if they can escape from the wire. The higher the roll, the better chances you have to break free. If they cannot break free within three turns, their soul is sealed in the glass doll. Lullaby of London: A tragic lullaby is sung. Roll a 20d to see if the target is asleep. If Constitution and/ or Wisdom are high, auto pass roll to stay awake first time around.

[cielbleuazur59]

SONDEZ LES ÉCRITURES

Ô profondeur de la richesse, de la sagesse et de la science de Dieu! Que tes jugements sont insondables et tes voies incompréhensibles! (Romains 11:33)

Des milliers de joyaux enfouis dans les vérités des saintes Écritres demeurent cachés aux yeux du lecteur superficiel. On ne peut pas épuiser le fond de cette mine. Plus vous sondez les Écritures en toute humilité, plus vous vous intéressez à l'étude de la Bible et plus vous êtes portés à vous écrier avec saint Paul: « Ô profondeur de la richesse, de la sagesse et de la science de Dieu! [...] » Vous devriez apprendre tous les jours quelque chose de nouveau dans les Écritures. Il faut les sonder comme si on y cherchait des trésors cachés, car elles contiennent les paroles de la vie éternelle. Priez pour obtenir la sagesse et la connaissance nécessaires à la compréhension de ces saintes paroles. Si vous agissez ainsi vous découvrirez de nouveaux trésors de gloire dans la Parole de Dieu, vous sentirez que vous avez reçu une nouvelle et précieuse lumière pour comprendre les sujets relatifs à la vérité, et les Écritures prendront une valeur accrue à vos yeux. Les grandes vérités nécessaires au salut sont dans la Bible aussi claires que la lumière du jour. [...] Un simple texte des Écritures s'est révélé dans le passé et se révélera dans le futur comme une saveur donnant la vie à maintes âmes. Tandis que les hommes sondent avec diligence les richesses de la Bible, celles-ci leur révèlent de nouveaux trésors de vérité qui sont pour l'esprit comme des joyaux étincelants. Vous devez creuser profondément dans la mine de la vérité si vous voulez découvrir ses plus riches trésors. Comparez un texte avec l'autre afin de comprendre le vrai sens de la Parole de Dieu, mais sachez que, si vous ne faites pas des enseignements sacrés de cette parole la règle et le guide de votre vie, la vérité ne vous servira de rien. [...] Si un passage quelconque des Écritures condamne une habitude que vous chérissez, un sentiment que vous entretenez en vous, une tendance d'esprit que vous manifestez, ne vous détournez pas de la Parole de Dieu, mais éloignez-vous du mal que vous faites et laissez Jésus purifier et sanctifier votre coeur.

(Ellen G. White - Avec Dieu chaque jour)

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are thy judgments, and thy ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)

A thousand jewels buried in the truths of the holy Scriptures lie hidden from the superficial reader. The depth of this mine cannot be exhausted. The more you search the Scriptures in all humility, the more interested you become in the study of the Bible, the more inclined you are to cry with St. Paul, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! . . . ”

You should learn something new every day from the Scriptures. Search them as for hidden treasures, for they contain the words of eternal life.

Pray for wisdom and knowledge to understand these holy words. If you will do this you will discover new treasures of glory in the Word of God, you will feel that you have received a new and precious light to understand matters of truth, and the Scriptures will become of increased value to you.

The great truths necessary for salvation are in the Bible as clear as the light of day. […] A single text of Scripture has revealed itself in the past and will reveal itself in the future as a savor giving life to many souls. As men diligently search the riches of the Bible, they reveal to them new treasures of truth that are as sparkling jewels to the mind.

You must dig deep into the mine of truth if you would discover its richest treasures. Compare one text with another in order to understand the true meaning of the Word of God, but know that unless you make the sacred teachings of that word the rule and guide of your life, the truth will avail you nothing. […]

If any Scripture condemns a habit you cherish, a feeling you entertain, a tendency of mind you manifest, do not turn away from the Word of God, but turn away from the evil you are doing, and let Jesus cleanse and sanctify your heart.

(Ellen G. White - With God Daily)

[titanomarchy]

I've always liked the idea and setting for the Persona games, but from what I understand of the gameplay itself I have no interest in playing them.

Based heavily in Jungian psychology, Personas are aspects of humanity's collective unconsciousness manifesting as mythological figures. The personas are sorted based on the Major Arcana of Tarot based on their role in myths. (Ex. Zeus would be an Emperor persona, Charon would be Death, Sobek would be Strength, etc.). Before a persona is properly awakened, it exists as a Shadow.

There are many shadows, and not all of them belong to a specific person. Like personas, they are fragments of our collective unconsciousness, but will try to kill or consume humans. Wild shadows represent inverted Arcana, or generally negative emotions. Shadows specific to a person are a dark reflection of their host - something they suppressed or their equal-but-opposite, just like the Jungian shadow. Experiencing a major breakthrough with and accepting your Shadow purifies it, turning it into a Persona that can be used to fight Shadows. People also match what their Persona's Arcana is, as behaviors and the Social Link system.

As a reminder, the Arcana are:

0: The Fool (a special wildcard used for the protagonist)

1: Magician

2: Priestess

3: Empress

4: Emperor

5: Heirophant

6: Lovers

7: Chariot

8: Justice

9: Hermit

10: Fortune

11: Strength

12: Hanged Man

13: Death

14: Temperance

15: Devil

16: Tower

17: Star

18: Moon

19: Sun

20: Judgement

21: World (also special for the end-game protagonist)

There's also a few other oddballs, usually for characters that REALLY stand out.

I can still remember (approximately) the initial summoning speech that Personas give. "I am thou, thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I have come. [a personalized blurb about the figure in question, followed by their name]"

I think it's pretty fair to say that my Arcana would be Hermit. Though, I could see some arguments for a few others. It would be hard to topple Hermit though.

[theprayerfulword]

November 23

Hebrews 2:1 It’s necessary for us to pay more attention to what we have heard, or else we may drift away from it.

Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil …

1 Corinthians 2:9 …as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—

2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

May you be confident in the understanding and realization that even in your worship of God and your ministry to the people, the Lord is supplying that which you need out of His endless abundance and boundless treasure. Ezekiel 45

May you find that as you spend time in the presence of God, occupied in worship of the King and active in prayer for yourself and others, even as you praise Him for His bounty and give thanks to Him in your circumstances, that you are changed when you are through, and you leave different from when you started, for time spent before the Lord is never wasted, and will accomplish that purpose which He intends. Ezekiel 46

May you prepare your minds for action, be self-controlled, and set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed, for as obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance, rather, just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. 1 Peter 1

May you live your life as a pilgrim and a sojourner on earth in reverent fear since you call on a Father Who judges each man's work impartially, for you know that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down through your forefathers by the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1

May your faith and hope be in God, just as your confidence is, for He raised Christ from the dead and glorified Him in these last times for your sake, though He had been chosen before the creation of the world. 1 Peter 1

May you purify yourself by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, that you may love one another deeply, from the heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God, which has been preached to you.1 Peter 1

May you rid yourself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind, and crave pure spiritual milk, like newborn babies, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2

May you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him—that you also, like a living stone, may be built with others into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2

May you believe and trust in Him Who is the chosen and precious cornerstone, that you will never be put to shame, for to those who do not believe, He Who has become the capstone will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, because they disobey the message. 1 Peter 2

May you declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light, for once you had no part with Him, but now He has made you one of His chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, and from Him you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2

Receive My gifts as I give them to you, My child; accept My provision as I make it available. As a loving Father, I desire the best for you, My dear one, and will include nothing that is deadly or dangerous. Do not sort through or pick over that which you know My Spirit is speaking to you, My precious one, selecting the parts you find delightful but shunning or disdaining the parts you prefer to avoid. Balance is necessary and bitter herbs, when combined with savory meats, will help prevent excess.

May you keep the decrees of the Lord steadfastly to end as He teaches you to follow the way of His statutes. Psalm 119

May you keep God's law and obey it with your whole heart when He gives you understanding. Psalm 119

May you find delight as the Lord directs you in the path of His commands. Psalm 119

May you allow the Lord to incline your heart to His testimonies and turn your heart toward His statutes, and not toward covetousness or selfish gain, such as robbery, sensuality, or unworthy riches. Psalm 119

May you desire the Lord to turn your eyes away from vain and worthless things, which become idols and and lead to idolatry, and preserve your life according to His word, restoring you to vigorous life and health in His ways. Psalm 119

May you fear the Lord with reverential awe, devoted worship and respectful obedience when He establishes His Word and fulfills His promise to you. Psalm 119

May you proclaim the goodness of His laws and ordinances when the Lord turns away the reproach you fear and takes away the disgrace that you dread. Psalm 119

May you long for His precepts, for He will renew and preserve your life in His righteousness. Psalm 119

May you ever watch for, and rejoice in, the Lord's mercies and unfailing love and His salvation according to His promise. Psalm 119

May you lean on, rely on and trust in the word of the Lord, for then you will be able to answer the one who taunts and reproaches you. Psalm 119

May you put your hope in the laws of God so that you will always have the word of truth in your mouth. Psalm 119

May you keep His law continually for ever and ever, hearing, receiving, loving and obeying it. Psalm 119

May you seek after, inquire for, and desperately require His precepts, for then you will walk about in liberty and at ease. Psalm 119

May you speak of His statutes and testimonies before kings, for you will not be put to shame since your love for His commands bring you such delight. Psalm 119

May you lift up your hands in fervent supplication to His commands, which you love, and meditate on His decrees. Psalm 119

[orthodoxadventure]

A Prayer by Saint Basil

O all-merciful, incorrupt, pure, undefiled, only sinless Lord, cleanse me, Thy useless servant, from all defilement of body and soul, and from this impurity which hath happened to me because of my carelessness and indifference, together with mine other iniquities. Purify me of every stain by the grace of Thy Christ; sanctify me by sending down Thy Holy Spirit, so that rising up from the fog of mine impurities and the fantasies of the devil and from every diabolical defilement, I might be made worthy in pure conscience to open my foul and polluted mouth to praise Thine all-holy Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and thereby to participate guiltlessly and uncondemned in the most pure, immortal, most holy and life-giving Mysteries of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ; with Whom Thou art blessed, together with Thine all holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 10 - Onmyoji

With their resolve renewed, Kisara and Satoru returned for the last time to the Masquerade love hotel, waiting for an irritating long amount of time for the tardy Yashiki to arrive. Mashita was more than angry with his partner being so late - How dare he? Why would he be late, when the situation is so dire, and they had to act with haste to save not only Banshee and Hiro, but everyone else involved - Themselves included.

"You're late. What the hell took you so long?" Mashita snapped at the man whose approaching steps were approaching idly. "You know damn well time is of the essence right now." Yashiki cringed a little, feeling the full brunt of the detective's anger. "Daimon's prepared for the worst, too. He's made arrangements to transfer them." 

Kazuo remained mostly silent, his head hung in realisation. He knew their condition was bad, but since he hasn't physically been there to witness their savage outbursts and feral behaviour, he must not have truly understood how important it was to act as soon as possible. Time truly was of the essence. 

Seeing how worked up her boyfriend was, Kisara placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly, driving him backwards to take a little break and cool off while she explains the rest of the situation to their partner. "We ran into Shou while on our hospital visit." she began, speaking in a solemn voice. Apparently, the son of the Taira leader is acquainted with Shou and his gang, so they hang around the Hotel area rather often. No wonder the whole situation is a bit of a hot topic for them. That is exactly why, seeing people going in and out of the Hotel, plus the ghost rumours, made him quickly realise it was them going through with an investigation. 

Nagashima contacted the blasted fortune teller, who told him everything about the case. Neither of them wanted children to get involved with more death-threatening matters, so of course, they told him to stay out of it - Kisara did all the talking, of course, since Mashita would only provoke the boy into coming to help. However, she is still afraid he might still go out of his way to help, as hhis manly way of returning the favour after being saved from the Death Mark. Chivalrous indeed, but not now.

As if on cue, a lovely young lady approaches them, with the prettiest, most serene smile possible. Watanabe Moe was there to report on the rumours. "I heard something amazing from someone who was there at the time!" she chirped, very proud of herself and her hard work. "She was one of the high school girls who was up to no good during that time."

"That must mean one of the girls who wrote in those nasty notebooks, saying they were afraid Sayako would rat them out to the school principal, right?" Kisara attention was entirely piqued.

"Yes, exactly! Her name is Akiko. The editorial department helped me track her down." Moe smiled proudly, speaking of the girl who studied at the nearby highschool and chose this rather illicit yet well-paid part time job. "Let me show you what Akiko said about her classmate, Sayako." Moe pulled a voice recorder from her bag and hit the play button, and the girl spoke as follows...

Yeah, a friend introduced me to a part time job. It was whimsical... Ah, I mean, I just did it on a whim. We're supposed to meet at the hotel, Masquerade, and there's a system there where someone introduces us to customers. You get a lot of money from it, so everyone was dying to get hired. But one day there was... An incident of sorts. Someone at school found out about the job. Some goody two-shoes class rep, Sayako, said she was gonna tell her teacher, Nakamura.

Everyone freaked and apologised to her, saying they'd stop. She wouldn't listen. If our parents found out, it'd be the worst thing ever! We begged, but she didn't budge. In the end, she left class saying she was going to go to the police with Nakamura. We were totally freaked out, so I went to the Hotel that night - I mean, at that point, there was no harm in going, you know? Ha ha.  But then... She was there. 

Sayako was standing in front of Masquerade in the drizzling rain, in a red raincoat...

She said she was going to the police, so who knows why she was at the hotel, but it made us all jumpy and on edge every day after that. Except... Nothing ever happened. Soon after that, Masquerade shut down. I guess they uncovered something.

"Yes, just as I suspected..." Kisara hummed softly. "What about Sayako?"

"I don't know exactly, but apparently she stopped coming to school. According to Akiko, she just suddenly stopped showing up."

"That testimony sounds far too perfect. Who uses a raincoat anyway? Most people just use an umbrella nowadays." Mashita snorted, rolling his eyes. "She must have dramatised it a little."

"Maybe the raincoat was a signal for the person she was supposed to meet there." Yashiki concluded.

"... Professor Nakamura, maybe?" the red haired lady's eyes widened with dread. "If that's true, then... What if Nakamura is directly involved with Sayako's death? We've seen the kind of torture devices around that place - What if some kind of accident happened, which led to the ruination of the Love Hotel?" they remained quiet for a while.

"If that's all you have to tell us, hurry up and go home." Satoru urged the young journalist as soon as he saw the fear in his girlfriend's eyes. That's no place for any girl to step in, let alone one as innocent and naive as her.

"Um... So I really can't come with you? I worked really hard..." she tried her luck again.

"Please, don't push the subject, Moe. The last thing I want is for you to get involved in this... Depravity." Kisara explained in a motherly voice. "Not only the ghost is exceptionally violent, but... The whole place is just... Filth." Moe simply sighed, giving up. "I don't want you to be the third victim."

"Oh... Okay, I understand." her smile returned immediately. "But you better tell me all about it later, okay? Oh, and, be careful!" she expressed her worries, before disappearing through the streets. With not another word uttered, the trio stepped inside the cursed hotel. "It is not right for the dead to meddle in the life of the living." Mashita grumbled to himself, his grip on Kisara's tightening a little. 

Much to their incredible trepidation, the whole lobby was unlike the previous evenings - This time, it was fully covered in those forsaken spider webs. "Bring it. Time to make our appointment with our lady friend." Mashita mused dryly. 

Just then, the creaking groaning of the elevator moving echoed loudly, as it came back to the lobby level... Which means, there was someone already there, and judging from the noise, they must have went up to either the 4th or 5th level. Hopefully... It wasn't Shou, or any of their friends.

Beginning with their investigation on the 4th floor, they first looked at the familiar painting of a masked feminine figure - This time it was a young girl, running down a trail. 

Next, they entered the room on the left, with the familiar Venetian masks. Searching the nightstand, they found another of those guestbooks, but the entries... Were entirely different from the previous ones. They covered a number of horrifying topics such as devil worship and different kinds of torture. It was impossible to tell which were reality, and which were delusions... If any at all. Every word was surging with a twisted, single-minded appetite for destruction. 

"Haha, that's quite the hobby." Mashita smirks with disgust. "The handwriting differs by page. This was written by several guests." he pointed out.

"That means... The higher the level, the more depraved the practice?" Kisara gulped, remembering the pain she suffered the previous evening.

"They're like moths drawn to a flame. You wouldn't even know to look at them." Satoru answered, seeing the apprehension on Yashiki's face. He believed too much on the good nature of people, and was often left disappointed. "Hate to say it, but the kids working that part time job were probably part of it, too."

"But wouldn't Akiko speak with more dread about it, then? She sounded too light-hearted to have been subjected to the torture described in this guestbook." Kisara made a note about it.

"Safety, a good pay and complete confidentiality guaranteed." Mashita patted her head, seeing the disbelief on her face. "Just because you wouldn't subject yourself to masochism and other weird stuff for money, doesn't mean poor or curious innocent girls like her wouldn't." he could see the way her face grimaced with more unease. "After all, the one who sold his soul was probably most nervous about all this mess." he huffed sarcastically. "Still... These people have quite the imagination." 

He continued to idly leaf through the pages, only to stop at a certain phrase that said - "Jorogumo's Punishment".

"That's a Spider Yokai that can shapeshift into a beautiful woman. All Jorogumo are women, and they can only reproduce with human men. In fact, the spiders from yesterday... They were Joro spiders." Kisara explained. "But... The punishment... Could it be what we experienced in the elevator? Or what happened to Banshee?"

"Nope." Mashita clicked his tongue. "You might not be ready for it, but let me tell you what's written here." Kisara shuddered, not ready for what was to come.

Jorogumo's Punishment is a recreation of a certain urban legend. > You capture the largest spider you can find - A wild one would be best. > Sharpen the sacrifice's senses with drugs > Use a mouth speculum to keep their mouth open > Throw the spider in their mouth If they manage to swallow it, they're innocent. If they don't, or the spider escapes, they're guilty. It's a witch trial meant to judge truth from lie. ... If I get a sacrifice that needs punishing, I'd like to try it out immediately.

"Hey, calm down. Take a deep breath." Kisara didn't even realise how much she was freaking out, until her boyfriend placed his hands on both her shoulders and captured her attention. 

"... Sayako... Must have been subjected to this..." she gulped, petrified by only imagining such a situation, and trembling softly.

"We... We should get going already. We're wasting time." Yashiki shook his head quickly, trying to get rid of the mental image, and quickly checked the bathroom, only to return empty handed.

In spite of their fright, they went on to examine the room on the right also, only to find some blood in the bath water, and a cylindrical object in the sink drain, but they had no way to fish it out momentarily, so they decided to go up to the 5th floor where they were met with more spiderwebs, a switch, and the last picture of a masked woman, holding hands with a child.

Much to their surprise, the door to room 502 was locked, to the only place to go on this floor was the room on the right, 501, which was completely pitch black. Yashiki shone the light inside, and as soon as he did, both him and Kisara yelped in shock at the sight of the webbed out corpse chained on the wall by the wrists and ankles.

"A body finally turned up. Let's check it out." Mashita squeezed her hand twice to gain her attention. This was the peak of the investigation so far.

In the corner of the room there was a decorative coffin leaning upside down on the cold and humid brick wall, and sure enough, the only useful thing they found inside, amongst the useless junk, was a book - A Yokai Encyclopedia - And they found out the Jorogumo initially killed by drowning people, and it targets woodcutters and hunters who are always saved at the last minute by using a tree stump which the spider takes instead, and the protagonist escapes. Weird, but there's no point in nitpicking folklore.

Mashita put on the rubber gloves and dared to touch the mummified body; Traces of dried skin fell of on impact - The body was mostly a skeleton otherwise. A long time passed since it's been to this place - At least a year no doubt. "Small stature, but based on the thickness of the bones, it's likely an adult male." Satoru affirmed, but neither he, nor Kisara can tell the cause of death. "He must have been in pain when he died. His face is all twisted."

"Probably a guest. Freak." Kisara scrunched her nose in disgust, watching as the detective threw a cheap lighter from its belongings to his partner.

Inside the bathroom, however, they only found clumps of hair, paper waste and a bent hanger which they can use to fish out the cylindrical object from the sink. Weirdly enough, there was no mirror on the wall in this place.

Returning to the sink on the 4th floor, they found out the mysterious object was the key to Room 502, the Deluxe Suite. What a discovery - Kisara was curious how that would be different from the other rooms.  Yet another torture chamber - Similarly to the others, it contained a broken wooden horse and a crucifying X on the wall where the sacrifice would be punished.

Yashiki lifted up the wooden torture device, only for Mashita to flash his light on a metal took. "What's that?" Kisara crouched down to pick the metal thing... A mouth speculum. "Maniacs..." Satoru spat, seeing his girlfriend fall down on her knees, the depraved metal thing echoing loudly with a few clinks at it returned to the ground. "Damn it, not again." he immediately panicked, throwing himself down and gathering the poor girl in his arms. "Snap out of it! Kisara, snap out of it! Damn it - Damn it!"

A white light flashed before Kisara's green eyes, blacking out... And though her consciousness returned, albeit hazy, her vision didn't. She began whimpering, breathing ragged and weeping violently in his arms, her body stiff like she was deep in rigor mortis. She knew what it was, and she wanted to be struck down by lightning instead - To drop dead already, before anything could happen. With her mouth forced open like that, her tongue forced out and drooling, the leather blindfold over her eyes; Her cold, naked body forced to kneel on the hard ground, the multiple pairs of arms holding her in place...

She was experiencing the horrors of Sayako during her Punishment. "Let us commence the judgement!" a man spoke theatrically behind her. "The court has decided to give the accused a fair trial and will judge her crimes. The trial will now begin." it didn't matter how hard she was crying, or how she pleaded and begged for mercy in her mind. "I shall put his spider in the accused's month, and if it crawls out, she is guilty. If she can swallow it, she is innocent." 

Mashita feels her body jerking around frantically, her moves haphazard. He had no clue that him restraining her movements was similar to what she was experiencing in her vision. "He-... Lp.... Me...! Plea... Se... He... Lp...! Sa... Sa..." his eyes widened with infinite shock - It was the first time she was trying to directly call out to him, and wasn't speaking as the victim. She must be terrified out of her wits, and she calls out to him, her words gargled and garbled, out of sheer fear... Or drugs too. 

The men jeered as the one released a giant spider inside her mouth... And crawled right down her throat...

For a few seconds, Satoru had to take his arms away from her to cover his ears, as she shrieked in such a high pitch, and trashed around so violently, that not even his strength could hold her down. "KISARA, IT'S ME - KISARA! LOOK AT ME - KISARA!" it took both men to jump on her and drag her away from the door, as she tried to spring away. 

"DON'T TOUCH ME! SPIDER - GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!" she sobbed and screamed and whined, jerking around so violently that she risked dislocating her joints and damaging her body more than it already is.

"Forgive me." gritting his teeth, he raised his hand to the woman he loves so much once again, and struck her face down hard enough for her to remain immobile; Her knees weakened and she fell lax in their grasp. "Please don't make me do this ever again. It hurts me more than it hurts you.

"Satoru..." Yashiki slowly let the woman go, and stepped away to investigate the decorative coffin, letting the detective pacify her. "Satoru... Satoru..." once again, she whined and mewled in his arms as he cradled her tightly to his chest. "No more... No more, I don't wanna..." she sniffled and sobbed so hard, his heart broke. "They did it... Sayako... The Punishment... They broke her... They tortured her..." she hiccupped again and again, her voice barely decipherable. "Their hands... They held her down, and... And... Urgh... Those furry legs... Going down my throat... And... And..." she suddenly pushed him away, vomiting her guts out painfully. "I'm gonna die... I'm gonna die..." 

"There now, pretty girl, you're all gross." Mashita took out a handkerchief and wiped away the barf from her lips, and all her snot and tears.

"B-Better...?" she whimpered tearfully. She looked so pitiful, poor darling.

"Much better." he kissed her forehead before helping her stand up. Although she was shaking still, she was at least conscious, alert and somewhat focused. It was good enough for the moment.

"Are you okay?" Kazuo muttered, his head hung as if he felt guilty for her experiencing that vision. With a weak smile, the girl nodded, which prompted him to show the book he was holding. "It seems to be a Demon Encyclopedia. It looks similar to the Yokai one." it had pictures of demons and crests, with their characteristics written next to them. It only reinforced the idea of demon worshipping and cults. "I also found some bath salts and insect-repelling cream in the bathroom."

"How... Exactly will that help us?" Mashita cocked an eyebrow, looking weirdly at the man, who simply shrugged

With their investigation finished in the 5th floor deluxe suite room, they exited into the corridor... Only to meet... Shou? Just as expected, however... He looked... Angry? Tormented? No matter how Masamune tried talking to him, it was fruitless - The young man remained unresponsive. When he tried to approach him, he was held back by the detective, who pointed out the oddity in the otherwise volcanic behaviour. His face was stiff into a grimace. 

"I-I was looking for you... This whole time..." he spoke with such difficulty. "I-I-I'm going to... K-Kill you...!" he rose the metal bat he was hiding, getting in a stance and moved in to attack. 

"Get back!" Mashita dragged back his flabbergast partner by his coat, only to notice his girlfriend crouching a little, getting in a grappling stance of her own. "Idiot - What the hell are you doing?!"

"Have you forgotten who I am?" she scoffed to her boyfriend, as he watched with wide eyes as she easily evaded the bat to the side, wrestled the bat from his grasp, and hit him over the head with the butt of it, making him fall to the ground. "Kisara Shogun." with a smirk, she winked playfully at him.

"Kisara Dumbass." he shook his head in disbelief. "Yashiki, help me drag him out. We need to get our third victim to the hospital."

With some difficulty, they were able to get the young man outside of the hotel. Kisara whistled, and at once, a few Yakuza gathered and bowed to her. Giving her clear instructions, the men placed him in the car. "Yashiki, go with them." both men looked weirdly at her. "Sayako asked us why we were at the hotel - And Satoru answered, implicating me being his wife. At this point, you are not seen as her 'Sir' anymore, but he is. Sayako wants to see her respected Nakamura, who got her into this mess to begin with. She must have forgotten that detail." she scoffed. "You've been in all investigation, and she's attacked us all - Because everyone other than 'Sir', is an extra. Only the two of us can go."

"How reassuring." Mashita spat, annoyed at the situation.

"... I feel odd leaving you right at the end." Yashiki frowned, skeptical at the outcome.

"Then go to the hospital with Shou, get Daimon to check your headache, and return. Maybe that will give us enough time to reach Sayako out and get to the last phase of the exorcism." the young woman debated, and with nothing left to refute, Yashiki hopped in the luxurious black Subaru.

"... Was your car a Yakuza gift?" Kisara's smile only widened at her boyfriend, but said nothing.

With some reticence a mustering courage, the couple entered the Masquerade Love Hotel for the last time, and were greeted by the distant silhouette of their ghostie, giggling hollow through the lobby. She told them she will be waiting on the top floor, in the room of masks, before disappearing into the elevator. The combination... "The paintings!" the two looked at each other in realisation.

1st floor was the Masked Bride 2nd floor was the Masked Girlfriend 3rd floor was the Elderly Masked Woman 4th floor was the Masked Young Girl 5th floor was the Masked Mother So the combination was... 42153... ?

True enough, the elevator took them to the 6th floor; As soon as the doors opened, they were met with the musty stench of yet another torture chamber. It smelled of strong iron and blood.

"S... I... R..." Sayako's voice drifts on the wind, along with her giggles. "I've been waiting for you..." "Listen, kid, I know you want to meet the man you respect, but I am not that person." Mashita spoke with unexpected calm.

"Liar... You always... Lie..." her voice became more spiteful.

"I'm not lying." Satoru refuted immediately, which earned a desperate scream splitting the night. It was the same shriek that Kisara made when she was being tortured.

"Stop your temper tantrum. You know this won't accomplish anything." Satoru's voice became more authoritarian. "You're dead, and Nakamura won't come see you."

"This time... This time...." the ghost sneered. "I'm... I'm going to test... You...!" with an echoing wail, the corporeal image of a grey spider bride hung upside down from a bunch of webs, right in front of them.

"I've done my part - What now, Kisara Guuji?" Satoru grabbed her backwards, putting a safe distance between them and the ghost.

Countless Joro spiders fly out of the darkness and start crawling all over their body, and the swarm keeps coming in an endless flow. Kisara's screech had enough vibration to keep them off of her, but Satoru was forced to place the gross mini-massager on his leg and watch as the pests began to get confused and get off. Thank goodness.

Red Riding Hood lets out a gusty sigh as glittering white threads fly through the air from her mouth, trying to use her spider silk. "Quick, the wooden thingy-" Kisara helped her boyfriend place the Spanish Donkey head over them as a protective shield. Strangely enough, the threads seemed drawn to it and only wrap around the wood.

"Sir..." the ghost got dangerously close. "Who's... In the wrong...?" she asked eerily. "I only did... What was right..."

"What's right is for the law to decide, not for us." Mashita would know all about wrong-doings, but the spider lady stared deeply at him, giggling lightly.

"Sir... Come with me... The only thing that matters... Is your life." the Jorogumo extended her arms towards the man.

"You have no right to touch or lust over my husband." Kisara slapped away her hands, getting protectively in front of him.

"Who are you to determine a person's worth anyway?" Satoru chimed in also, countering the self-righteous girl.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" she shrieked desperately, so loud that they see white - Then her maddening eyes glare down at them menacingly as she dangles even closer to them. "How do I look... To you...?!" was she actually trying to seduce him?

"I have a wife, Sayako. No woman, including you, exists in my eyes." though Kisara's heart swole with glee and love, the spider spirit giggled erratically.

"What do you like... About me...?" her interrogation was far too long for their liking.

"Your Honesty." Satoru guessed wildly, and her giggle must mean success.

The ghost of Sayako calmed down, and she smiled serenely. "Thank you, Sir... Let's..." her figure wavers, and then... She smashes through the window and off, into the night.

"Did she just... Jump? Just like that...?" Kisara blinked, staring weirdly at the broken glass; The bustling city could be heard out the window.

"Guess so." Satoru muttered, wiping his sweaty brow with his sleeve. "Hey, what is this...?" the red haired lady turned to see what he was looking at - A dangling red thread... Wrapped around his wrist. "What the hell...?!" 

"SATORU!" Kisara yells her lover's name as he is yanked towards the window. She latched onto him with all her strength as he tried to brace his legs in an attempt of resistance, but it was all in vain, and he was thrown out into the night sky.

---

He should be plummeting to the ground - Yet something's holding him up to awkwardly dangle in the air. He thought his jacket got lucky stuck in a glass shard or a loose nail, or whatever cartoonish thing that saved his fate - Instead, looking up, he saw both Kisara and Yashiki using all their strength to hold onto him and drag him up. His partner was gritting his teeth in effort, holding onto his arm, while Kisara's both hands were gripping painfully into his coat and flesh, her nails scratching deeply into him, as she was bent halfway off the window herself.

"You got fat, Satoru!" she screamed at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Masamune grumbled, exerting too much strength into dragging him to safety. "Give me your other arm, my grip is slipping --"

"HURRY UP!" the girl also yelled in frustration. "Grab onto us already!"

"Lucky me." he scoffed, grabbing the two and getting pulled back in the torture chamber of the top floor. After a lot of effort, the three stumble back onto the dusty floor, back to safety. The only sound heard was their echoing hard gasps for breath as they sat there in darkness.

"What the hell happened while I was gone? Is she... Gone?" Yashiki asked, curious and bewildered.

"Yeah, she's gone - Out the window, alright - And she thought it a cheeky little thing to drag me out with her." Mashita spat in disgust and anger. "Stupid spider girl."

"I'm glad you got here when you did. I don't think I could have done anything to save him." Kisara muttered breathlessly.

"Yeah. Your dumb ass would have toppled over with me like some kind of weird double suicide." he chuckled weakly, getting back on his feet and dragging the other two up. "Enough self-pity. We're done here. Let's get out of here before we become asthmatic."

The rain had already stopped, and the cool wind on their cheeks hinted of autumn. "Let's drop by and see Daimon." the brunet affirmed off-handedly. "Give me your keys."

"I can drive." Kisara blinked, confused at her boyfriend's sudden wish to drive.

"Have you gone mad or what? You're shaking like jelly. Don't even bother arguing." she looked down at her hands and hummed, realising her was right. Then, she looked at Yashiki and himself - They, also, were trembling.

"You two are the same. Let me handle this." just the same, she whistled for her Yakuza friends to drive them to the hospital, and then back home.

Before he got in the car driven by the leader himself, Yashiki took out a handkerchief and wrapped the spider laying in a small puddle nearby, and put it in his pocket. "I take it the spirit was purified?" the old man asked.

"Yes... With much effort and almost dying." Kisara muttered bitterly.

"Could you tell me what exactly happened?" Mr. Kazuya asked.

"The high-school girl said she was going to the police to bust her highschool colleagues for prostituting themselves at the Hotel. However... She didn't go straight to the police. She went to the Hotel... And there... She got, beaten, drugged, tortured. Jorogumo's Punishment, if you've heard of it, and much more. And... I think she went crazy or something. Threw herself off the window, maybe. Suicide...? The full story is a little hazy for me." Kisara told the story as best as she could.

"The teacher she respected, Nakamura - He manipulated her. Instead of going to the police, he convinced her to go to the hotel and show him proof." Mashita chimed in. 

"Really? I suspected that, but do you have proof?" the girl's sight snapped at him immediately.

"Yes. A teacher from a school near the hotel was arrested for breaking the law." he explained. "Akiko's testimony piqued my interest. She said they were scared they'd be reported, but nothing happened. Just like you suspect, it means Sayako never got to the police after she tattled to the teacher." he smiled emptily. "She sought salvation from a criminal. How ironic."

"Nakamura... So this is why he was truly incriminated." the Taira leader gruffed. "He was my son's teacher also. Everyone knew about the business of Masquerade. My son spread the rumours to his willing classmates. That Nakamura was one of our top clients - One of the depraved ones also. I didn't think he'd dare do a mistake, considering he had my son's eyes on him constantly."

"But... From out ghost encounter, it seemed to me that Sayako... Had a crush on Nakamura. Stemmed out of respect or something. And the red thread of fate... That's a soulmate metaphor." Kisara pipped in also.

"I saw a photo of him. Thin, tall, handsome, sharp - The type popular with the students." Mashita huffed back.

"So much like you, huh?" she smirked at her boyfriend. 

"Is that why you fell for me? 'Cause I'm dashingly handsome?" he shot right back, only to see a shameless grin along with a nod of her head. "Unbelievable." 

"Jokes aside - Did she kill herself? Or what happened to her?" the girl asked again.

"People found her wandering the streets idly, before she was admitted to a facility. Her mental state was broken beyond repair, and she threw herself off the 6th floor window of the hospital. The night of her death was cold and rainy like all these evenings we went to the Hotel." he continued the summary of his personal investigation.

"I understand." the girl sigh. "That kind of torture... It's impossible to get over. It was terrifying, degrading, humiliating, agonising." she shuddered again.

"What about Nakamura?" Yashiki asked, curiosity taking over him.

"He was arrested for drug and weapon dealing, and ended up telling about high school girls being involved in Masquerade." Mr. Kazuya confirmed Satoru's clues.

"And Sayako wore a red raincoat because having your partner wearing all red was a code that you were planning to use the VIP suite on the top floor - No doubt, she had no clue about that." the man continued. "Nakamura hanged himself in jail."

"To put it lightly." the Taira leader chuckled enigmatically. "Thank you for uncovering the truth of why our business failed. Making deals with weak men is in your detriment more than theirs, unfortunately."

Soon enough, they reached the hospital. Daimon mentioned that miraculously, all three victims calmed down at the same time, and regained consciousness, with no lasting symptoms. They were going to be fine very quickly, and out of there, able to go back to their daily life. 

With all that out of the way, the trio returned to their lives also - Yashiki kept looking around for clues on Mary, while Satoru continued his detective work and Kisara went back to her medical practice.

That is... When her much beloved boyfriend called her over in his study, to take a look at the investigating work he was doing - Tens and thousands of papers and writings scattered all around the desk, carpet and trash, some plain, others crumpled up, yet all of them had the same center piece.

Hyakki Yagyo, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

"So... Are we back in business... Onmyoji Kisara?"

< Previous Chapter

[jzlily333]

🌺10/04 LiveWell活出美好🌺

By trusting in God’s guidance, we will be able to overcome all difficulties and gain a richer, stronger and better life.   

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance (James 1: 2-3).

10/04 Bible Verses

Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.  

If you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his sin, but you have saved yourself from sin (Ezekiel 33:9).

10/04 Good Words

1. Don’t be afraid of failure, keep groping and trying, even if you fall, you should grab a handful of sand and think about what you can learn from your mistakes.

2. Attitude determines life. What kind of attitude you have will determine what kind of future you will have; character determines destiny. There is no need to complain about bad destiny. It is more important to cultivate a good character.

Hymn: Purified Life

https://youtu.be/U8NlvgPXor8?si=lne08k78lKFURefP

🌺10/04活出美好🌺

依靠相信上帝的帶領，必能通過一切困難，得到更豐盛強壯而美好的生命。   

你們落在百般試煉中，都要以為大喜樂；因為知道你們的信心經過試驗，就生忍耐 (雅各書1: 2-3)。

10/04圣经金句

Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul。  

倘若你警戒惡人轉離所行的道，他仍不轉離，他必死在罪孽之中，你卻救自己脫離了罪 (以西結33: 9)。

10/04金玉良言

1. 不要怕失敗、不停的摸索、嘗試、就算跌倒了，也要抓一把沙、思考著、可以從錯誤中學習到什麼。

2. 態度決定人生，有什麼態度，就有什麼樣的未來；性格決定命運，不必抱怨命運不好，培養好的性格更重要。

詩歌：煉淨過的生命 

https://youtu.be/U8NlvgPXor8?si=lne08k78lKFURefP

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

This is What the Lord Says…

1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

5 Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

12 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.

13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.

15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.

18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.

21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.

22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.

23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. — Isaiah 66 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 9:27; Leviticus 2:2; Leviticus 11:7; Numbers 7:3; 1 Samuel 8:19; Ezra 7:9; Psalm 72:3; Psalm 97:6; Isaiah 3:13; Isaiah 37:3; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 64:4; Matthew 3:12; Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:10; Matthew 5:34-35; John 10:27; John 16:21; Romans 15:10; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 12:2; Revelation 15:4

[autismmydearwatson]

please write that essay :> /nf

We all know Daddy Ham (as he was called backstage) as the main initiator of the plot, who haunts both the narrative and his own son. He is the ghost who reveals himself to his son to command that he avenge his foul and unnatural murder by King Claudius. This spurs a vengeful but all-too-reflective Hamlet down the self-destructive vortex of justice. He places a sword in his sons hand and tells him "just fuckin kebab him" but Hamlet can't just fuckin kebab his uncle, not right away. Hamlet needs to plan. Hamlet needs clues. That's why he is perceived as procrastinating: he's not a boy of direct action, he's a man of convoluted plots and cleverness, rather like Claudius himself.

So why does Hamlet listen to the guy? It's not just because he loves his father. In many ways, the time period in which the tragedy takes place affects Hamlets beliefs. In the 16th century, the people believed three things. Trust me, it's a surprise tool we'll use later.

The last wishes of a dead or dying relative were to be taken seriously as the grave

Murder is bad

Murder of a relative (known as "kinslaying") was WORSE.

Therefore,

Hamlet MUST obey the last wishes of his dead father and fuckin kebab his uncle BUT

Murder is bad, no matter how much both Hamlet and Daddy Ham want to do it, but MOST IMPORTANTLY

Claudius is Hamlets blood uncle. If Hamlet were to kill Claudius, he would bring the curse of Kinslayer upon himself.

So Prince Hamlet is caught between a rock and a hard place, but that's not the point, so break my heart for I must hold my tongue.

The point is: Daddy Ham was a cruel and fearsome and emotionally manipulative father and I'm going to prove it.

The ghost of Daddy Ham appears five times, twice to Marcellus and Barnardo before the story takes place, once to Marcellus, Bernardo, and Horatio, once to Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus, and once to Hamlet alone.

After seeing the ghost, Horatio and the Boyz report it to a suicidal Hamlet in the middle of his Transgender Depression Soliloquy. One of the first things Hamlet interrogates the Boyz on in order to identify the ghost was:

"What, looked he frowningly?"

"A countenance more

In sorrow than in anger."

"Pale or red?"

"Nay, very pale."

- dialogue between Hamlet and Horatio, Act 1, Scene 2

He asks if he was frowning. Seems a small detail, you say, but hear me, listen: whenever Hamlet DOES see his father's ghost, he is not joyful or happy. Instead, he is scared and driven with shakes and tears. Isn't it odd that he should feel this way upon seeing his father, when his fathers death (and Gertrudes infidelity) is the reason behind his melancholy?

Again: HAMLET FEARS HIS FATHER.

Evidence, in Act 1, Scene 4:

Enter Ghost

Horatio: Look, my lord, it comes!

Hamlet: Angels and ministers of grace defend us!

The Ghost beckons Hamlet to follow him, so they can speak in private. Horatio and Marcellus attempt to hold him back in fear of his sanity, but Hamlet is determined to hear what the apparition wants from him, and follows his father to a private place.

Now, what is easy to overlook is that Daddy Ham was a military man who was killed before his sins could be forgiven, which therefore condemns him to purgatory by day and wandering the mortal realm by night. This is part of why he is so desperate for vengeance.

Purgatory in the Catholic canon is not punishment for the damned, but purification for the sinners.

I am thy fathers spirit,

Doomed for a certain term to walk the night

And for the day confined to fast in fires,

Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid

To tell the secrets of my prison house,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,

Thy knotted and combined locks to part

And each particular hair to stand on end,

Like quills upon the fearful porpentine.

- Daddy Ham to Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

Obviously, this hinting at the Horrors awaiting in the afterlife is frightening enough to Hamlet, who as we know is someone who is deeply afraid of what happens after death. But for what foul crimes is Daddy Ham confined? What did he DO? Being a great warrior in his time, as supported by both Horatio and Hamlet, we can assume things such as horrific war crimes or bloody sacrifices.

But what's more interesting are the lines immediately after this:

Ghost: List, list, O list!

If thou didst ever thy dear father love--

Hamlet: O God!

Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder

"If you my son ever loved me, you must avenge my murder."

Dunno about you, but that sounds, I don't know, manipulative as FUCK.

ESPECIALLY to a kid who probably believes thoroughly that kinslaying is unforgivable, but is bound to obey the wishes of his dead father.

The next time Daddy Ham appears is shortly after Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius, and is in the middle of slutshaming his mom.

Hamlet: A king of shreds and patches--

Enter Ghost

Save me and hover o'er me with your wings,

You heavenly guards!--What would your gracious figure?

Gertrude: Alas, he's mad!

Hamlet: Do you not come your tardy son to chide,

That, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by

The important acting of your dread command?

O, say!

Ghost: Do not forget. This visitation

Is but to sharpen thy almost blunted purpose.

Act 3, Scene 4

*This is the second time Hamlet has cried out for angels to protect him after being taken by surprise by his dad's ghost.

Gertrude: Whereon do you look?

Hamlet: On him, on him! Look you, how pale he glares!

His form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones

Would make them capable.

(To Ghost) Do not look upon me,

Lest with this piteous action you convert

My stern effects. Then what I have to do

Will want true color-- tears perchance for blood.

This is his father we're dealing with, who Hamlet has mourned for two months. Yes, Hamlet is someone who deeply fears death and everything in the afterlife, but case in point: no son should be afraid of his father.

The "tears perchance for blood" line is worrying as well: "Do not keep looking at me that way, or else I will cry instead of doing what you want."

In the next scene, Gertrude says:

To draw apart the body he hath killed.

O'er whom his very madness, like some ore

Among a mineral of metals base,

Shows itself pure. He weeps for what is done.

-Act 4, Scene 1

But does Hamlet cry for the bloody deed? Or is he crying because he's scared?

"But Jasper," you may say, "Hamlet is shown multiple times singing his fathers praises!"

So we do! But part of Hamlets tragedy is that we never really get to know Hamlet before he is grief-stricken and suicidal. Therefore all instances of Hamlet extolling Daddy Hams virtues are only seen after Daddy Ham is dead.

That it should come to this.

But two months dead--nay, not so much, not two.

So excellent a king, that was to this

Hyperion to a satyr. So loving to my mother

That he might not beteem the winds of heaven

Visit her face too roughly.

-Act 1, Scene 2

*note the emphasis on how kind Daddy Ham was to his wife, but no mention of kindness to Hamlet himself.

He was a man. Take him for all in all.

I shall not look upon his like again.

-Act 1, Scene 2

See what a grace is seated on his brow?

Hyperions curls, the front of Jove himself,

An eye like Mars to threaten and command,

A station like the herald Mercury

New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill--

A combination and a form indeed

Where every god did seem to set his seal

To give the world assurance of a man.

-Act 3, Scene 4

Why is the timing of these praises significant? The fact that Hamlet is making these remarks two months after his father's death means its possible that Hamlet, still in the early stages of grief, is trying to remember only the best parts of his father. It is a tactic I have unfortunately experienced firsthand. He is grieving, his father is dead, his mother remarried almost immediately, and his birthright taken out from under him: why dwell on the abuses he possibly endured when he could simply gloss over them by emphasizing what he liked most about his dad?

Case in point:

Daddy Ham is trapped in purgatory for crimes he committed while still living

That he has yet to redeem himself for.

He tells his son to avenge him, or else he never loved him

Hamlet is so afraid of his own dad that he almost cries upon his appearance.

Hamlet emphasizes his father's virtues and ignores the manipulative aspects to process his grief

Daddy Ham was abusive, thank you for reading

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sunday, March 17, 2024

march 4_march 17

Forgiveness Sunday

In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent—the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated—is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:

“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses...” (Mark 6:14-15).

Then after Vespers—after hearing the announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimenon: “Turn not away Thy face from Thy child, for I am afflicted! Hear me speedily! Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!”, after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special melodies, with the prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrations—we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy.

What is the meaning of this rite? Why is it that the Church wants us to begin the Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation? These questions are in order because for too many people Lent means primarily, and almost exclusively, a change of diet, the compliance with ecclesiastical regulations concerning fasting. They understand fasting as an end in itself, as a “good deed” required by God and carrying in itself its merit and its reward. But the Church spares no effort in revealing to us that fasting is but a means, one among many, towards a higher goal: the spiritual renewal of man, his return to God, true repentance and, therefore, true reconciliation. The Church spares no effort in warning us against a hypocritical and pharisaic fasting, against the reduction of religion to mere external obligations. As a Lenten hymn says:

“In vain do you rejoice in not eating, O soul! For you abstain from food, But from passions you are not purified. If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast!”

Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, whom He sends to us so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for, the Lenten season.

One may ask, however, why I should perform this rite when I have no “enemies?” Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me and whom I hardly know? To ask these questions is to misunderstand the Orthodox teaching concerning forgiveness. Open enmity, personal hatred, and real animosity may indeed be absent from our life. However, if we experience them, it may be easier to repent, for these feelings openly contradict Divine commandments. But the Church reveals that there are many subtler ways of offending Divine Love. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any genuine concern for them—in short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being “polite” and “friendly” we fulfill God’s commandments. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realize—be it only for one minute—that our entire relationship to other men is wrong, makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual “recognition” which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world.

On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. As I advance towards the other, as the other comes to me—we begin to realize that it is Christ who brings us together by His love for both of us.

And because we make this discovery—and because this discovery is that of the Kingdom of God itself: the Kingdom of Peace and Love, of reconciliation with God and, in Him, with all that exists—we hear the hymns of that Feast, which once a year “opens to us the doors of Paradise.” We know why we shall fast and pray, what we shall seek during the long Lenten pilgrimage.

Forgiveness Sunday: the day on which we acquire the power to make our fasting—true fasting; our effort—true effort; our reconciliation with God—true reconciliation.

—Father Alexander Schmemann

VENERABLE GERASIMUS OF THE JORDAN (475)

Saint Gerasimus was a native of Lycia (Asia Minor). From his early years, he was distinguished for his piety. Having received monastic tonsure, he withdrew into the desert of the Thebaid (in Egypt). In about 450, the monk arrived in Palestine and settled in the Jordan, where he founded a monastery.

For a certain while Saint Gerasimus was tempted by the heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, which acknowledged only the divine nature in Jesus Christ, but not His human nature (i.e. the Monophysite heresy). Saint Euthymius the Great (January 20) helped him to return to the true Faith.

Saint Gerasimus established a strict monastic Rule. He spent five days of the week in solitude, occupying himself with handicrafts and prayer. On these days the wilderness dwellers did not eat cooked food, nor did they kindle a fire, but ate only dry bread, roots and water.

On Saturday and Sunday all gathered at the monastery for Divine Liturgy and to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In the afternoon, taking a supply of bread, tubers, water and an armload of date-palm branches for weaving baskets, the desert-dwellers returned to their own cells. Each had only old clothes and a mat, upon which he slept. When they left their cells, the door was never locked, so that anyone could enter and rest, or take whatever he needed.

Saint Gerasimus himself attained a high level of asceticism. During Great Lent he ate nothing until the very day of the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ, when he received the Holy Mysteries. Going out into the desert for all of Great Lent, Saint Gerasimus took with him his beloved disciple Saint Cyriacus (September 29), whom Saint Euthymius had sent to him.

When Saint Euthymius the Great died, Saint Gerasimus saw how angels carried the soul of the departed up to Heaven. Taking Cyriacus with him, the monk immediately set off to the monastery of Saint Euthymius and consigned his body to the earth.

Elder's death it died at his grave and was buried nearby. Therefore, Saint Gerasimus died peacefully, mourned by his brethren and disciples. Before his death, a lion had aided Saint Gerasimus in his tasks, and upon the Elder's death, it died at his grave and was buried nearby. Therefore, the lion is depicted on icons of the saint at his feet.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

ROMANS 13:11-14:4

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master, he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God can make him stand.

JOHN 20:11-18

11But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they had laid Him." 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' " 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

[dagenspear2-blog]

PLEASE GET SAVED BY GOD, JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT!

PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord. Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!

I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.

God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.

Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible.

The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil". LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

[ofcruelheart]

*     ◟    :    〔   jourdan dunn  ,      cisfemale    +   she/her    〕      VALLA    PARADISO ,      some say you’re a  THIRTY FIVE  lost soul among the neon lights.      known for being both  SHREWD  and  COLD,  one can’t help but think of  PAPRIKA  by   JAPANESE BREAKFAST  when you walk by.    are you still a    SIN EATER     at      CUTS OF PARADISE,     even with your reputation as the SIN EATER?     i think we’ll be seeing more of you and    METHODICAL CUTS INTO THE CHASM OF MEMORY, VISUAL HAGIOGRAPHIES FLICKERING ON A PROJECTOR SCREEN, COLD GAZE SWEEPING OVER A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE AS THE REST OF THE CONGREGATION WEEPS,    although we can’t help but think of BYLETH (FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSES), PRIMROSE AZELHART  (OCTOPATH TRAVELER), KIKYO (INUYASHA)    whenever we see you down these rainy streets.      (      keira  ,      31  ,      she/her  ,     is this a wanted connection? nope!   ,   est    +    none  .     )

Name: Valla Paradiso Age: 35 Pronouns: She/her Orientation: Bisexual Occupation: Sin Eater at Cuts of Paradise, previously a Memory Maker Character Inspo: Mother Suspiriorum (Suspiria - 2018), Byleth (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Primrose Azelhart (Octopath Traveler), Kikyo (Inuyasha) General Inspo: Sin Eater history (x), The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi, The Final Cut (2004), The VVitch (2015), Noteworthy Traits: A stoic, unflappable, often emotionless countenance; a transparently appraising and cutting gaze coupled with lips that are neither smiling nor frowning; slender fingers perusing through memories and flashbacks as if they were playing cards, a rather old-fashioned way of speaking History: (TLDR at end)

I give easement and rest now to thee, dear man, that ye walk not down the lanes or in our meadows. And for thy peace I pawn my own soul. Amen.

Home lies at the fringe of civilization, a commune where the wind cuts and the crops are tough to the teeth. Home is isolation, a place where trust does not extend beyond the fences that encircle them. Life is governed by rigid divisions: men from women, and daily life steeped in prayers uttered in the archaic tongue of Old English. Her mother, she discovers, holds a role steeped in ancient ritual – a sin eater, a vocation she later learns has long vanished beyond the commune's boundaries. The mantle of sin, she knows, will one day be hers to bear, a legacy passed from mother to daughter.

She observes and absorbs the ways of the sin eater. They hear deathbed confessions. Each funeral, each interment, requires their solemn presence. Cakes, symbolic of the deceased's sins, are laid before the sin eater. With each bite, they absorb these transgressions, their consumption a rite that purifies the soul, allowing the departed to ascend to heaven.

To liberate a soul at the threshold of death is a role both deeply revered and intensely feared. Sin eaters, those who dare to barter with their own souls to amass the sins of others, are regarded with a blend of awe and trepidation. Such a sacrificial act, though honored, is often shrouded in whispers of dark magic, witchcraft, and dealings with supernatural forces, or even the Devil himself. To meet the gaze of a sin eater, if only for an instant, is believed to be an omen of misfortune.

Her time arrives, a solitary existence in the ancestral house skirting the village, where silence and averted gazes from the commune are commonplace and constant. She partakes in the ritual consumption of corpse cakes and wine, each sin of others adding weight to her family's tapestry, an ever-growing burden. Life unfolds in this solemn pattern, until an unforeseen event disrupts its rhythm.

The death of the commune leader beckons her to his funeral, to consume his sins, but hesitation grips her. Before his passing, he had confessed to her, revealing the repugnant abuse of his power. These confessions polluted her spirit, tainted her dreams, soured even the sweetest of fruits. Her only regret was that he met his end before she could play any role in it.

Defying all precedent, she absents herself from his funeral, a decision laden with grave consequences. When the commune descends upon her home, they find it devoid of her presence.

The city becomes her new haven, a stark contrast to her previous life. Here, there are no rigid divisions, at least not like those in the commune. Everyone bears the weight of their own sins.

An opportunity arises with Stoneage, a position for a 'memory maker.' Her expertise in the realm of confessions, sins, and raw memories makes her a strange, but fitting candidate. They take a gamble on her, and it pays off; she proves herself both diligent and prolific. But she grows curious, about what she can take and give within living human memory, and she has not yet known the finer nuances of subterfuge - she is discovered.

She is no longer a memory maker, but she still continues her work, and soon discovers it has every potential to be lucrative. It has every potential to bring back that which is familiar - sin eating. Powerful people who have died and are in need of hierographies and memorial movies to play at their funerals, their mausoleums, their museums and remembrances, and want a... clean legacy. Who want their sins absolved, forgotten by all but her.

She dubs her service "Cuts of Paradise."

Her clientele grows, now including the wealthiest seeking her unique services for more than mere memory curation. Bad deals, damning witnesses, debts too great to bear – they need these memories erased from those who would remember it. Not through violence or murder, but through oblivion.

Just forget. Forget about the bad deal. Forget about what they saw. Forget about forgetting.

She is innately attuned to this calling. Born to bear the sins of others, she navigates this labyrinth of forgotten transgressions, a guardian of erased memories, a modern-day sin eater in a world that unknowingly harbors ancient rites.

SUMMARY: Raised in a remote commune at civilization's edge, where harsh winds blow and trust is confined within rigid fences, she learns of her role as a sin eater from her mother, a legacy steeped in old rituals and looked upon with reverence and repulsion alike. Her life revolves around attending funerals and consuming corpse cakes symbolizing the deceased's sins, a rite believed to purify souls for their ascent to heaven. This revered yet feared practice defines her until an event disrupts her life: the death of the commune leader, whose confessed sins haunt her. Choosing to not perform her duty at his funeral, she faces the commune's wrath and flees to the city. Here, she initially struggles but finds a job at Stoneage as a 'memory maker,' drawing on her sin-eating experience. However, her exploration into living memories leads to her discovery and subsequent departure from Stoneage. Adapting her sin-eating skills, she starts "Cuts of Paradise," offering services to erase memories for wealthy clients seeking clean legacies or to be freed from bad dealings. In this modern world, she continues her ancestral calling, navigating a new labyrinth of forgotten sins and erased memories as a contemporary sin eater.