#The Benefectors

[cattle-butch]

i never post my ref sheets here so i should probably change that starting with the one i just got huh. enjoy

[xiaolanhua]

Si Ying, I don't blame you girl. If my benefector looked like this, I would be obsessed with him too.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday , January 23, 2024

january 9_january 23

ST. THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE, BISHOP OF TAMBOV (1894)

George Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest.

At first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. From 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. In these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. After graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, and later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. Before he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy.

Saint Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. He was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. After being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. Soon he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Saint Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools.

On May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, where he established a diocesan school for girls. During his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. In 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. He also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir.

The holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. It was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. Many abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. Instead, he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral.

He was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. He had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. When Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds.

In 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. He was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles.

As he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. On July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, and to devote himself to writing spiritual books. Through these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. Although he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him.

Bishop Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. He wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, such as how to live a Christian life, how to overcome sinful habits, and how to avoid despair. He tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. Some of his books include The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It, The Path to Salvation, and Letters on the Spiritual Life. He also translated the Philokalia in five volumes, and The Sermons of Saint Simeon the New Theologian.

For the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. He stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. He often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days.

Beginning in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) and no longer left his cell to attend church. He built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. For ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. For the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent.

Whenever anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. If anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books.

Whenever he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. He received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. He was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls.

His eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. In the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. After finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. On days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day.

Bishop Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord.

Saint Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery.

Several of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation.

SAINT THEOSEBIA, THE DEACONESS SISTER OF ST BASIL AND GREGORY OF NYSSA (385)

Saint Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory, afterward Bishop of Nyssa, and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism.

When her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Saint Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy.

HEBREWS 9:8-10, 15-23

8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience- 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

JOHN 10:9-16

9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

[rustwizyrd]

Got an idea for a vtm chronicle. Kind of? Idk if its any good though. Or how to plan and execute it in any way agsdhj

basically

The city has been destroyed. With it many Camarilla ressources. The prince and their vassals are missing. Everybody is in turmoil. Kindred and Kine alike. A war has ended but another one has begun While the Camarilla are struggling to rebuild their ranks, trading what they can to reclaim their throne, other parties see an opportunity to seize power. Something has shifted. The city is being rebuild, different parties try to influence different projects and try to claim and stay in power. An unknown benefector generously supports the exact reconstruction of many historical sights. Nostalgia or a different reason? Whoever is left of the Camarilla traded the university with the local Tremere regent in exchange for their help, which proves to be a fruitbearing exchange for the regent as the university grows to be an important part of the city life and unlife.

Rereading this i guess its all more background info? Building the ~scenery~ i guess.. Idk where to go from here really ✌😞 Sure leaves room for a lot of conflict, but.. man.. i need to plan something more specific.. where do i even begin.. I want it to be a short one since none of us have any ttrpg experience lol

[lonely-void-flower]

… . .

[amandragora]

i have a new mouse...the old one was basically old when i got it and double clicking and shit

now i have a nice new one so maybe i can play with blender again

[metamagic-adept]

Current PC Roundup

I talk a lot about the characters I have played/ want to play someday, but here are the ones I'm actually playing in ongoing campaigns!

Yarrow (she/her)

Aasimar with Drow Heritage

Circle of Stars Druid (Level 4)

In a three-person party in an Icewind Dale; Rhime of the Frostmaiden campaign "#frosty campaign"

She's an amnesiac with ongoing memory problems who recently met someone from her past who knows her. She just wants to help fix Ten Towns and figure out where she belongs. There's a lot more about her in my "#yarrow tag"

Cato Stillmarsh (he/they)

Firbolg

Hexblade Warlock (3 Levels) Eldritch Knight (7 Levels)

In an eight-person party in a homebrew setting that's a bit steampunk-y and a few weeks post apocalypse

Cato seems calm and good-natured on the suface but is driven by a deep-seated rage directed at the party's lich benefector, who is responsible for both the loss of Cato's druidic homeland and the death of his brother. His patron is a kindly sea hag named Gran who also wants the lich gone. Cato has always admired druidic magic but never really connected with it and instead studied arcane battle magic. They love their seagull familiar, Brine, dearly.

Mephistopheles Mulgrave (ze/zem/zir)

Mole with Duergar stats

Way of Shadow Monk (Level 6)

In a four-person party in a homebrew Redwall inspired setting scattered with the ruins of human civilization, where some animals have become awakened and formed their own societies. Designed to be a shorter campaign, "#Smol Quest tag"

Mephistopheles recently lost zir husband to a plague and has not been coping very well. Ze has been spending most of zir time hiding away in the basement of the monastery where ze lives, excavating catacombs, befriending spiders, and avoiding everyone else, including zir adult children. The adventure may just be what ze needs to pull zem out of zir isolation.

Kellen Ambrose (he/she/they)

Changeling

Artificer Alchemist (Level 5)

In a four-person party in a Princes of the Apocalypse campaign

Kellen is a more recent addition to the party after the departure of my (too serious for this particular table) lawful good cleric. The party rescued him from a cultist dungeon where she had been imprisoned alongside an important NPC from our monk's backstory, who is now dead. Kellen's long term goals are finding the child they were originally swapped for as a baby (based on the European changeling folklore), and returning to his business of counterfeiting fancy alcohol.

[seralyra]

The Magnus Archives but Elias really is just the clueless human manager/double boss and Jonah and Peter are the eccentric eldritch founders/benefectors causing chaos.

[yamayuandadu]

In terms of Touhou's spiritual taxonomy, what do you think Yachie and Saki are? I can't tell if they're supposed to be yokai, gods, ghosts or what. I imagine there's some concept from an Eastern religion that fits them more specifically

Pretty clearly ghosts. Just not human ghosts. There’s no concept that matches ZUN’s depiction of the beast realm nor his idea humans can be reborn as humans in it. The Buddhist beast realm quite literally refers to regular animals living on Earth, not to a separate location - they aren’t separated from humans by physical location (like hell beings, gods or asuras) but merely by the state of their mind. It’s viewed as a fate almost equally bad as hell simply because a soul trapped this way is at the whim of instict and impulse, which inevitably leads to suffering. Beast realm as hell-but-not-quite is closer to the notion of “tengudo” (real of tengu) or “makai” (demon world; ZUN used the term in PC-98 but with the exception of its role in UFO the Touhou makai bears little resemblance to the real deal) present in medieval japanese buddhism, basically an “extra” realm of rebirth where preachers of heretical doctrines (eg. fellow buddhist authors a specific writer did not like much or their benefectors) are stuck as tengu or other types of ma (demons).

[yearswaited]

@dnghua​   𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅  :    ( STARE ) longingly staring at mine from across the room. // is he staring longingly or did he just forget to blink?

𝚂𝙴𝙳𝚄𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽   /   𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙴𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶

IN   HIS   STEP   THERE   IS   NO   HESITATION ,   just   as   he   enters   hell ,   so   does   he   enter   the   heavens .   there   is   a   bow ,   but   not   below   his   station   -----   he   is   ghost   king   &   ghost   slayer   all   in   one ,   kunlun ’ s   soulfire   rests   on   his   chest ,   &   his   veins   course   his   blood .   he   feels   the   mountains   &   the   streams   under   his   skin   still ,   thousands   of   years   after   nuwa   created   humanity .   so ,   he   smiles ;   barely ,   magnanimously ,    like   the    scholar   he   is   amongst   humans   &   the   benefector   amongst   hell   officials . 

    ❛      is   my   presence   so   disturbing ,   dong   hua    di   jun ?       ❜      he   knows   that ,   in   a   way ,   it   always   will   be .    he   threw   kunlun   into   the   wheel   of   reincarnation ,   after   all ,   &   upset   the   order   of   the   universe ----   what   is   there   not   to   stare   at ?   he   is   chaos   under   human   skin ;   the  most   beautiful   &   terrifying   ghost   king .    ❛     i   hope   there   is   no   inconvenience .     ❜  

[stingslikeabee]

* romance headcanons. repost - don’t reblog

name: Lilian Melissa. nickname: Mel is the most common one, but there are some verse-dependant here. Lily when she goes by/reclaims her birth name. gender: female. romantic orientation: demiromantic.  preferred pet names: she doesn’t have one - probably her own nicknames. relationship status: single by default. favorite canon/fandom ship: there is none. Since Mel is an OC, all of my favorite ships are based solely on the actual interactions and plotting. opinion on love at first sight: she believes that, but not for herself - she’s too jaded for that in her main verse. how ‘romantic’ are they?: the funny thing is - Mel is romantic despite everything. She doesn’t believe love will actually find her, but when/if it does, she falls hard and she is not shy about expressing love. The ways she finds to do it, however, change according to her lover/verse.  ideal physical traits: for men, there is a preference for them to be a little bit taller, dark-haired and with a stronger/fit body (as in the build of someone who would be able to physically protect her). For women, she’s less picky - she prefers blondes and of similar age, but as long as people take the effort to stay clean and groomed, that’s already halfway there.   ideal personality traits: she is attracted to a challenge - people who can see past her old profession and can read her as well. Intelligence and being able to hold good conversations/listen are a must - she likes to talk. Being open-minded is also key - she is very controlling in certain aspects and shameless of her past - if that cannot be accepted, then it’s a deal-breaker.  unattractive physical traits: personal hygiene is the main thing - especially because of her work life. Looking (and smelling) presentable is the most important thing. unattractive personality traits: selfishness, prejudice/bias over sensitive topics (particularly her line of work and her profession), arrogance. ideal date: she is very easy to please - it doesn’t need to be fancy, it needs to be sincere. She equally enjoys a coffee date in some hidden spot in another sector or a luxurious date topside. What matters is how much her partner/lover has invested in that moment they will share together. do they have a type?: challenging ones - she acts like she’s the queen of a small kingdom but she has no patience for those who just openly idolize or worship her. She doesn’t care for that sort of flattery - she thrives when she’s contested (because she will rise to that opposition, even if it’s out of spite) or when someone isn’t easily enticed by her normal charms and she needs to work harder to have their attention. It always needs to have something that makes her want to come back for more. average relationship length: she doesn’t really have had official relationships in her main verses - but for when she was able to have real partnerships, she did it for years. She has very little people she can trust - and when she does find someone, she doesn’t want to see it ending shortly. preferred non-sexual intimacy: sleeping together / reading in bed. commitment level: if she falls, she falls hard - she will be there for everything. It has only happened a couple of times in threads - but she has no family or a lot of commitments from her own side, so she would devote a lot of time to her partner and what can make their life better. opinion of public affection: she doesn’t oppose it - she’s surrounded by it very frequently. She would defer to the preferences of her partner, if any. past relationships?: she had significant dalliances with clients - from benefectors to longtime patrons who ended teaching her a lot (about herself or the world). But she never really had a boyfriend/girlfriend or anything of the sort during her career as a honeygirl. It would be difficult for her to know how she would behave in a ‘normal’ relationship.

Tagged by: @fraxcxccl  Tagging: @stewardofmidgar @thememcry @bustedsunglasses @hautevaux @madamdirectcr @bloodfcst & you!

[harddayforthezenemies]

hey gays maybe help share this?

the founder and main benefector of Rock in Rio music festival, Roberto Medina, played a MAJOR role in Bolsonaro's winning campaign. There's a call for a boycott:

http://www.brasilwire.com/a-call-to-boycott-rock-in-rio/

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sun., Jan. 23, 2022

January 23_January 10

SAINT THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE, BISHOP OF TAMBOV (1894)

George Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest.

At first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. From 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. In these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. After graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, and later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. Before he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy.

Saint Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. He was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. After being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. Soon he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Saint Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools.

On May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, where he established a diocesan school for girls. During his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. In 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. He also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir.

The holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. It was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. Many abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. Instead, he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral.

He was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. He had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. When Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds.

In 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. He was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles.

As he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. On July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, and to devote himself to writing spiritual books. Through these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. Although he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him.

Bishop Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. He wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, such as how to live a Christian life, how to overcome sinful habits, and how to avoid despair. He tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. Some of his books include THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND HOW TO BE ATTUNED TO IT, THE PATH TO SALVATION, and LETTERS ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. He also translated the PHILOKALIA in five volumes, and THE SERMONS OF ST SIMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN.

For the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. He stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. He often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days.

Beginning in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) and no longer left his cell to attend church. He built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. For ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. For the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent.

Whenever anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. If anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books.

Whenever he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. He received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. He was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls.

His eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. In the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. After finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. On days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day.

Bishop Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord.

Saint Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery.

Several of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation.

BLESSED THEOZUA THE DEACONESS (385)

Saint Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism.

When her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Saint Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy.

JOHN 20:19-31 

19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. 24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

HEBREWS 7:26-8:2 

26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

[noorialqadiri]

Who is Khwaja Gharib Nawaz? • The Ocean of Wilayah, from which the Muslim Ummah is blessed with the Pearls like Qutb, Farid, Nizam, Sabir and Jamal (Alayhim ar-Rahmah). • The Great King, who was granted the Wilayat and Empire of Hind from the Capital of Generosity, Excellence and Benevolence, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah. • The Blessed Personality, whom Allah Almighty made a Waseelah for millions of Infidels and Polytheists to find the peace of their soul and accept Islam. • The Benefector of the Poor, from whose generous court, the rich and the poor were, are and will always be granted the Hasani and Husayni charity with the grace of Allah Almighty. 807th URS Sharif of Hadrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Mu’een-ud-Deen Hasan Chishti Sanjari Ajmeri Mubarak. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_4KU8Ha71/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9r6cgov349n3

[henryfitzempress]

“Robert of Gloucester and Mabel depicted in the Founders’ and benefectors’ book of Tewkesbury Abbey from the 16th century”*

[*https://www.medievalists.net/2020/08/royal-bastard/]

[chaserainbows]

A package without a sender's address is delivered to Kouki's place. Inside, he'll find a batch of homemade lava cookies, a bag of Hoenn-grown coffee, and a handwritten note that reads, "For those late nights... Happy Birthday, Kouki!" (They haven't met but that won't stop me pfffff)

Kouki Day 2021

Now what's this?

The fact that there was no information he could use to discover the sender's identity stood out, but then again he did send a bunch of anonymous packages earlier this year. Maybe someone decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.

(In fact, wasn't there something about a spooky santa back in December...?)

The gift was definitely appreciated and all that coffee woud come in handy very soon, but the food theme behind the items he received had him curious. Maybe his mysterious benefector was a chef or something? Then it clicked.

"Oh. Cookies."

That pun got a good chuckle out of him too. Overall, a successful experience.